Gregory P. Setliff

setl0003@umn.edu

BS, Biology, Radford University, 1998

Ph.D. Candidate; Co-Advisors: Drs. Susan Weller and George Weiblen

Weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) are among the world’s most diverse group of organisms with some 60,000 species currently described and thousands more awaiting description. Their ecological and economic significance cannot be overstated. Virtually all weevils feed on plant tissue and nearly all plant species are attacked by at least one kind of weevil. They can be beneficial as highly effective pollinators and biological control agents of noxious weeds, while others are terrible pests of cultivated plants, stored products, and trees.

My research focuses on the taxonomy, systematics, and ecology of weevils, especially the poorly known and species rich fauna of the Indo-Australian region. I am committed to improving our knowledge of these weevils by producing well illustrated and widely accessible taxonomic publications and web-based identification tools. My field research focuses on biotic inventories, rearing studies, and weevil ecology. I am an associate researcher with the New Guinea Binatang Research Center collaborating on investigations of larval host specificity and community structure of herbivorous insects in the lowland rainforest.

In addition to my research, I dedicate a large part of my time to teaching Entomology courses, assisting in curatorial activities, and engaging in public outreach for the museum. I also mentor undergraduate researchers working on projects related to insect taxonomy and species delimitation.

PUBLICATIONS

Setliff G. P., P. A. Larson and S. J. Weller (in prep.). The Indo-Australian weevil genus Platytenes Pascoe (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Cryptorhynchinae).

Setliff, G. P. (in press). A new species of the genus Imalithus Pascoe, 1870 from Papua New Guinea (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Cryptorhynchinae). The Pan-Pacific Entomologist.

Setliff, G. P. (2008). Review of the Indonesian genus Nothotragopus Zimmerman (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Cryptorhynchinae). Coleopterists Bulletin. 62(2) in press.

Setliff, G. P. (2008). Revision of the genus Panopides Pascoe (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Cryptorhynchinae). Coleopterists Bulletin, 62(1): 83–98. [PDF]

Setliff, G. P. (2007). Annotated checklist of weevils from the Papuan region (Coleoptera, Curculionoidea). Zootaxa, 1536: 1–296. [PDF]

Novotny, V., S. E. Miller, J. Hulcr, R. A. I. Drew, Y. Basset, M. Janda, G. P. Setliff, K. Darrow, A. J. A. Stewart, J. Auga, B. Isua, K. Molem, M. Manumbor, E. Tamtiai, M. Mogia and G. D. Weiblen. (2007). Low beta diversity of herbivorous insects in a tropical forest. Nature, 448: 692–697. [PDF]

Hulcr, J., S. E. Miller, G. P. Setliff, K. Darrow, N. D. Mueller, P. Hebert, and G. D. Weiblen. (2007). DNA barcoding confirms polyphagy in a generalist moth, Homona mermerodes (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Molecular Ecology, 7: 549–557. [PDF]

CURRICULUM VITAE

PROJECTS

Checklist of Papuan weevils

Taxonomy and systematics of the Indo-Australian crowned weevil genera (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

Revision of the genus Asytesta Pascoe (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Cryptorhynchinae)

The genus Dysopirhinus Roelofs from New Guinea (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Cryptorhynchinae)

The genus Autonopis Pascoe (Coleoptera: Dryophthoridae)

Catalog of beetle types in the University of Minnesota Insect Collection (UMSP)

LINKS

The New Guinea Binatang Research Center
Electronic Catalogue of Weevil names (Curculionoidea)
Coleopterists Soceity
Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections
Bell Museum of Natural History: 2008 Minnesota BioBlitz

Send comments on this web site to holze001@umn.edu

setl0003@umn.edu BS, Biology, Radford University, 1998 Ph.D. Candidate; Co-Advisors: Drs. Susan Weller and George Weiblen Weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) are among the world’s most diverse group of organisms with some 60,000 species currently described and thousands more awaiting description. Their ecological and economic significance cannot be overstated. Virtually all weevils feed on plant tissue and nearly all plant species are attacked by at least one kind of weevil. They can be beneficial as highly effective pollinators and biological control agents of noxious weeds, while others are terrible pests of cultivated plants, stored products, and trees.




My research focuses on the taxonomy, systematics, and ecology of weevils, especially the poorly known and species rich fauna of the Indo-Australian region. I am committed to improving our knowledge of these weevils by producing well illustrated and widely accessible taxonomic publications and web-based identification tools. My field research focuses on biotic inventories, rearing studies, and weevil ecology. I am an associate researcher with the New Guinea Binatang Research Center collaborating on investigations of larval host specificity and community structure of herbivorous insects in the lowland rainforest. In addition to my research, I dedicate a large part of my time to teaching Entomology courses, assisting in curatorial activities, and engaging in public outreach for the museum. I also mentor undergraduate researchers working on projects related to insect taxonomy and species delimitation.