Insect Systematics & Biodiversity @ University of Hawaii

Daniel Rubinoff

Daniel Rubinoff

Assistant Professor of Entomology

Director of the University of Hawaii Insect Museum

Department of Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences
College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources
3050 Maile Way, Room 310
Honolulu, HI 96822

Office: Gilmore 412
Phone Number: 956-8432 Fax Number: 956-2428
E-mail: rubinoff [at] hawaii [dot] edu

Areas of research: Systematics, invasive species, conservation biology, evolution, ecology

Curriculum Vitae (updated 11/20/06)

Current Status
Education
Research Prgrams
Teaching Experience
Other Activities
Publications
Grants and Awards
Professional Memberships

Current Status (October 2002-present)

  • Assistant Professor, University of Hawai’i, Manoa, Department of Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences-Entomology program
  • Director, University of Hawai’i Insect Museum
  • Elected faculty member of the Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology Graduate Program
  • Member of the Graduate Faculty
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Education

University of California, Berkeley, Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management

  • Doctorate of Philosophy in Science 6/01
  • 3 year Graduate Research Fellowship
  • 1 year National Science Foundation PEET grant for research in systematics, graduate student researcher
Cornell University, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
  • Bachelor of Science Degree in Natural Resources, May 1992 - Graduated with Distinction
  • Honorable mention, National Science Foundation pre-doctoral fellowship competition
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Reserarch Programs

10/02-present: Systematics, Conservation, and Ecology

  • Constructing phylogenies using Morphological and Molecular tools to explore patterns of diversity and mechanisms of Ecological Diversification
  • Applying results of systematic analysis to improve Conservation Planning for invertebrates and for control of invasive species

7/01-10/02: Postdoctoral Researcher, Division of Insect Biology, University of California, Berkeley

  • NSF PEET fellow: molecular and morphological systematics of Tortricidae

8/95-6/01: Graduate Student, Division of Insect Biology, University of California, Berkeley

  • Advanced to candidacy 1/98
  • Assessed the efficacy of bird (California Gnatcatcher)-based conservation planning on three species of Lepidoptera in endangered southern California coastal sage scrub habitat
  • Constructed a molecular phylogeny of the moth genus Hemileuca (Saturniidae) and the H. electra species complex to examine patterns of character evolution and conservation implications

10/93-5/95: Research Assistant, Dr. Paul Ehrlich, Center for Conservation Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA

  • Under Nevada Biodiversity Initiative, designed database and developed standardized water quality tolerance parameters for aquatic invertebrates
  • Used Center's Global Species Database to investigate patterns of diversity and rarity; identified areas of critical concern and developed conservation strategies

6/95-8/95 & 5/94-9/94: Research Assistant, Nevada Biodiversity Initiative

  • Studied community structure and population dynamics of butterflies of the Great Basin using standardized surveys and mark-recapture techniques to examine effects of different land use on species composition
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Teaching Experience

10/02-present: Instructor, University of Hawai’i
  • “Invasive Species” with emphasis on the conservation impacts and methods of control across all biomes
  • “Principles of Systematics”-culminates in a student symposium attended by faculty and students from several departments
  • Taught graduate seminar: “Conflict in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology”; with 28 students it is the largest seminar in recent departmental history

5/01-present: Research Supervisor, UC Berkeley and the University of Hawai’i

  • Training undergraduates and graduate students in molecular systematics, including laboratory and theoretical procedures. I employ and supervise ten undergraduate and graduate students in my laboratory on a wide range of research projects.

1/98-present: Guest Lecturer, University of Hawaii, University of California, Berkeley

  • Designed and presented lectures for Conservation Biology, Introductory Entomology, Insect Natural History, and Insects and Human Society courses

1-5/96,1-5/98: Teaching Assistant, University of California, Berkeley

  • Taught Introductory Entomology
  • Conducted twice weekly laboratories with lectures, designed lab practicals, led field surveys
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Other Activities
  • Outreach: http://www.realscience.org/teacher_home/series_lepidopterist.html
  • Reviewed papers for: Ecology, Conservation Biology, Conservation Genetics, Journal of the Lepidopterist’s Society, Annals of the Entomological Society of America, Proceedings of the Hawaiian Entomological Society, Biodiversity and Conservation, Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, Journal for Research on the Lepidoptera.
  • Grant reviewer for National Science Foundation, USDA-HATCH 
  • Reviewer, Endangered species recovery plans for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
  • Student Competition Judge, National meeting of the Entomological Society of America,
  • Associate in Residence for Science at the Bishop Museum, Honolulu, Hawai’i
  • 1/04-present Co-Editor of the Proceedings of the Hawaiian Entomological Society
  • 6/03-present Editorial board member of the Journal for Research on the Lepidoptera
  • 10/02-present Doctoral dissertation committee member 
    • 6 graduate students in departments of Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences, Botany, and Zoology University of Hawaii
  • 1/03 College of Tropical Agriculture alumni awards committee
  • 1/99- 10/02 CityBugs: Urban Biodiversity and Technology Outreach
    • Co-wrote $150,000 grant to fund 3-year urban biodiversity and technology program
    • Entomological co-leader and author of interactive, internet and field-based lesson plans
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Publications
  • Rubinoff, D., S. Cameron, and K. Will. In press.  A Genomic Perspective on the Shortcomings of Mitochondrial DNA for “Barcoding” Identification. Journal of Heredity. 
  • Rubinoff, D. 2006. DNA Barcoding evolves into the Familiar. Conservation Biology. 20:1548-1549.
  • Cameron, S., D. Rubinoff and K. Will.  2006.  Who Will Actually Use DNA Barcoding and What Will it Cost?  Systematic Biology. 55: 844-847.
  • Rubinoff, D. 2006. Utility of Mitochondrial DNA Barcodes in species conservation. Conservation Biology 20:1026-1033.
  • Rubinoff, D. In press. Circling the wagons: Agriculturalists and Conservation Biologists must cooperate to protect endemic Hawaiian invertebrate diversity and control invasive species.  Proceedings of the Hawaiian  Entomological  Society.
  • Prado, S. S. D. Rubinoff and R. P.P. Almeida. 2006. Vertical Transmission of a Pentatomid Caeca-associated Symbiont. Annals of the Entomological Society of America. 99: 577-585.
  • Rubinoff, D and W. P. Haines. 2006. Hyposmocoma  molluscivora Description. Science  311:1377.
  • Rubinoff, D., S. Cameron, and K. Will. 2006. Are plant DNA barcodes a search for the Holy Grail? Trends in Ecology and Evolution.21:1-2.
  • Rubinoff, D. and B. S. Holland. 2005. Between Two Extremes: Mitochondrial DNA is neither the Panacea nor the Nemesis of Phylogenetic and Taxonomic Inference.  Systematic Biology 54: 952-961.
  • Rubinoff, D. and W. P. Haines. 2005.  Web-spinning caterpillar stalks snails. Science.309:575.
  • Rubinoff, D. and J. Powell. 2004. Conservation of fragmented small populations: endemic species persistence on California's smallest channel island.  Biodiversity and Conservation 13: 2537-2550
  • Will, K. and D. Rubinoff. 2004.  Myth of the molecule: DNA barcodes for species cannot replace morphology for identification and classification.  Cladistics 20:47-55.
  • Rubinoff, D and F.A. H. Sperling. 2004. Mitochondrial DNA sequence, morphology and ecology yield contrasting conservation implications for two threatened Buckmoths (Hemileuca: Saturniidae).  Biological Conservation 118: 341-351.
  • Rubinoff, D.  2002. Endangered plants as guides for saving endemic insects in California.  Fremontia, 30: 62-66.
  • Rubinoff, D. and F.A.H. Sperling. 2002. Evolution of ecological traits and wing morphology in Hemileuca (Saturniidae) based on a two gene phylogeny. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution.  25: 70-86.
  • Rubinoff, D.  2002. Observations of Adult and Larval Behavior in the Winter Sphingid, Arctonotus lucidus (Sphingidae). The Journal of the Lepidopterists’ Society.55: 78-79.
  • Rubinoff, D. 2001. Evaluating the California Gnatcatcher as an Umbrella Species for conservation of Coastal Sage Scrub. Conservation Biology 15:1374-1383.
  • McElfresh, J.S., J. G. Millar, and D. Rubinoff.  2001. (E4,Z9)-tetradecadienal, a sex pheromone for three north american species in the genus Saturnia. Journal of Chemical Ecology, 27: 791-806.
  • Rubinoff, D and J. A. Powell.  1999. Description of Diedra , new genus (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae: Tortricinae:Archipini), and three new species, based on phylogenetic analysis. Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 92: 473-487
  • Rubinoff, D.  1998. Field observations on mating behavior and predation of Hemileuca electra(Saturniidae). The Journal of the Lepidopterists’ Society, 52:  212-214
  • Rubinoff, D. and K.H. Osborne. 1997. Two new species of Asteraceae-feeding Bucculatrix (Bucculatricidae) from California. The Journal of the Lepidopterists’ Society, 51:  227-236
  • Rubinoff, D.  1996. California scrub jay predation on the arboreal salamander (Aneides lugubris). Herpetological Review, 27: 135
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Grants and Awards

Grants
  • Natural History and Conservation of the Wekiu Bug. Office of Mauna Kea Management. 4 years.
  • Genetic identity, range and Phylogeography of the threatened Kern Primrose Sphinx Moth (Euproserpinus euterpe). U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1 year.
  •  Non-target impacts of Fruit fly control on endemic Hawaiian insects. USDA-ARS 3 years. 
  • Target and non-target impacts of biological control introductions on native moths: quantifying the hazard that biological control poses to native, non-target insects USDA- TSTAR 3 years.
  • Ecology and systematics of pest and endemic Hawaiian leaf roller moths in the genus Omiodes (Guenee) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) USDA 5 years.
  • The systematics and plant host range of the Macrosteles species complex in Hawaii-Minor Crops-funded 2 years. 
  • Habitat restoration and Blackburn’s Sphinx moth Manduca blackburni propagation, reintroduction, and systematics. Private Land Stewardship Grant Program-Environmental Defense 3 years.
  • Bishop Museum grant for research on Lepidopteran Systematics: Diversity and Conservation of Hyposmocoma (Cosmopterigidae), an endemic Hawaiian radiation 2003.
Awards
  • Royal Society Postdoctoral Fellowship at the British Museum, London, England 2002-2005 (declined in favor of a faculty position at the University of Hawai’i)
  • Monterey Pine Forest Ecology Cooperative, postdoctoral research grant, 2001
  • Harry Clench Award for best student talk. National Meeting, Lepidopterists Society 2001
  • U.C. Berkeley Vice Chancellor for Research Fund. 2000 
  • J.H. Comstock Award for best student talk. West Slope meeting, Lepidopterists Society. 2000 
  • R.L. Usinger Award for Insect Systematics. 2000
  • F.P. Keen Fellowship. 2000
  • Margaret C. Walker Fund for research and teaching in systematics . 1996-2001
  • Achievement Rewards for College Scholars (ARCS) Foundation Scholar $7,500. 1999 
  • Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor Award (campus-wide). 1999 
  • Teaching Effectiveness Award. 1999 
  • First place, President’s Prize, Student Competition, National Meeting, Entomological Society of America. 1999 
  • Harry Clench Award for best student talk. National Meeting, Lepidopterists Society. 1999
  • Harvey I. Magy Memorial Scholarship. 1998
  • Block Grant Fellowship. 1998
  • Florence M. Lankershim Scholarship in Entomology. 1995
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Professional Memberships
  • Entomological Society of America, Lepidopterist’s Society, Society for Conservation Biology, Society of Systematic Biologists, Xerxes Society, Hawaiian Entomological Society
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Lab

Projects