Mirian Watts

Education

• Ph.D., Entomology, Federal University of Parana (UFPR), Brazil, 2011
• M.S., Entomology, National Institute for Amazonian Research (INPA), Brazil, 2008
• Graduate Certificate in Medical Human Anatomy & Physiology, School of Medicine, University of Florida, 2020
• B.S., Dept of Biology, Itajai Valley University (UNIVALI), Brazil, 2004

Research Interests

The core of my graduate research was in the systematics of Empidinae, a cosmopolitan subfamily of Diptera (flies) with almost 4,000 described species and an equal undescribed. Empidinae is known as dance flies because they exhibit a suite of mating behaviors, which is almost unique in insects, including specialized mating swarms and presentation of insect prey to females as nuptial gifts. My research provided identification keys and descriptions to facilitate the identification of these common flies; it also helped to construct a phylogenetic framework within which hypotheses on the evolution, ecology, and biogeography of Empididae can be tested.

Courses

• BIOL 1150/1151 – Principles of Biology: A Human Approach
• BIOL 1200 – Principles of Biology II
• BIOL 3030 – Principles of Physiology
• BIOL 4640 and BIOL 6640 – Entomology