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Caroline Chaboo
Contact Information
Office Phone:
785.864.5173 Email:
cschaboo@ku.edu
Building:
Public Safety Building Caroline Chaboo, curator, focuses on the biology, behavior and systematics of chrysomelid leaf beetles. After developing a hypothesis of broad evolutionary relationships, she is looking more closely at small groups, collecting and incorporating data from beetle life history, host plant choices, and insect defenses. Her research program goals are to refine evolutionary relationships, improve current classification schemes, and examine the evolution of various features, e.g., host plant choice, maternal care, gregariousness, construction behavior and morphology. Students interested in developing a project within this research program or in an allied area are encouraged to contact Dr. Chaboo or view her EEB page.
Recent Blog Posts
May 10, 2012
After a fast paced semester, Stop Day is an exclamation point between formal...
April 27, 2012
The end of the semester is approaching fast, with finals just around the corner...
March 27, 2012
KU Entomology has enjoyed a long tradition of weekly lunch talks given by...
March 20, 2012
What an exciting day to participate in the installation of specimens and other...
January 16, 2012
It is the day before classes begin, and I start teaching Intro Systematics (...
- 1 of 5
- ››
Recent Publications
I am a systematist with specialization in chrysomelid leaf beetles. Chrysomelidae (∼40000 species) forms one of the largest radiations of animals, and they present many interesting research problems. The significant gap in knowledge of chrysomelid evolutionary relationships motivates my effort to collect the total data of individual species, develop character hypotheses that can be tested in phylogeny reconstruction, and help build strong classifications. My approach is holistic, with extensive fieldwork to explore life histories, ecology, behavior, and laboratory study of morphology and molecules.
Current Research Topics:
- Biology of immature stages of Chrysomelidae.
- Origin and diversification of subsociality in Chrysomelidae.
- Construction of domiciles and defensive shields.
- Tri-trophic interactions between host plants, chrysomelid herbivores, and their carabid beetle parasitoids.
- Diversity and community structure of arthropods in amazonian Peru.
Research Projects
Active Projects
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Active
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Goals
1) Survey arthropod communities at Los Amigos Biological Station, Madre de Dios province, and Wayquecha Biological Station, Paucartambo province
2) Gather information on natural history and habitats as well as host plants for target groups
3...
Active
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Completed Projects
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Completed
In the Field
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Globally, complex trophic relationships have been documented in Africa, the Americas, and Europe between host plants (Anacardiaceae, Burseraceae, Salicaceae, and Solanaceae), leaf beetle herbivores (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Alticinae and...
Completed
University of Kansas
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Completed
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Completed
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Completed
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Submitted
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Submitted. Phytotelmata Habitats: Insect Diversity in Two Host Plants, Heliconia stricta Huber (Heliconiaceae) and Calathea lutea Schult (Marantaceae), in Southeastern Peru. Journal of Natural History.
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Submitted. Biology and morphology of Neochlamisus gibbosus (Fabricius, 1776) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cryptocephalinae: Chlamisini). Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society.
In Press
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In Press. Safe and Successful Use of Permethrin for Extraction of Dermatobia hominis Larvae in a Patient with Cutaneous Myiasis. Infectious Diseases in Clinical Practice..
2012
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2012. Contribution on the orchid bee fauna (Hymenoptera: Apidae) of the south east Amazon, Peru. CheckList. 8(2):215-217.
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2012. New records of Diamphidia Gerstaecker 1855 and Polyclada Chevrolat 1840 in the Republic of Mozambique (Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae s.l.).. The Coleopterists Bulletin. 66(1):70-71.
2011
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2011. The beetle spawn of John Wilcox: Shawn Clark. Chrysomela newsletter. 53:14-16.
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2011. Defensive behaviors in leaf beetles: from the unusual to the weird. Chemical Biology of the Tropics. :59-69.
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2011. A specialized carabid larval predator of an adult toad in India (Coleoptera: Carabidae; Anura: Bufonidae: Duttaphrynus Frost). Herpetological Review. 42(1):83-84.
2010
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2010. Life history and host records of the South African leaf miner, Oncocephala promontorii Péringuey 1898 (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae: Oncocephalini). Coleopterists Bulletin. 64(1):21-29.
2009
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2009. Natural history and leaf shelter constructions of the Asian rice leptispa beetle, Leptispa pygmaea Baly (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae: Leptispini). Zoological Studies. 48(5):625-631.
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2009. Disonycha alternata (Illiger, 1807) on Coronilla varia (Linnaeus) Lassen (Fabaceae; crown vetch) in Kansas, USA (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae). Coleopterists Bulletin. 63(2):232-234.
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2009. Ambulatory use of abdominal ampullae in larvae of labidomera clivicollis (Kirby) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Chrysomelinae). Coleopterists Bulletin. 63(3):357-363.
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2009. Novel host records of some cassidine leaf beetles from Ecuador (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae). Insecta Mundi. 95:1-8.
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2009. Maternally-inherited architecture in Tertiary leaf beetles: Paleoichnology of cryptocephaline fecal cases in Dominican and Baltic amber.. Naturwissenschaften. 96:1121-1126. Abstract
Education
2005 Ph.D., Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca (Co-advisors: Q.D. Wheeler & D. Grimaldi)
1995 M.A. Entomology, University of Kansas, Lawrence (Advisor: J.S. Ashe)
1987 B.Sc. (Zoology & Botany), University of the West Indies, Trinidad and Tobago
Other: 1990 Systematics & Evolution of Insects, City University of New York, NY (Prof. D. Grimaldi)
Academic Appointments
Current Appointments
Curator
Entomology
Assistant Professor
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Previous Appointments
1995-1997 Scientific Assistant, Diptera and Insect fossil collections, American Museum of Natural History - Invertebrate Zoology
1992-1993 Curatorial Assistant, University of Kansas, Snow Entomology Museum
1989-1992 Collections Conservation Assistant, American Museum of Natural History - Invertebrate Zoology
1995-1997 Curatorial Assistant, Entomology & General Collections, University of the West Indies - Zoology
Professional Societies
Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation
Coleopterists Society
Entomological Society of America
Hennig Society
Kansas Entomomological Society
New York Entomological Society
Sigma Xi
Society of Systematic Biologists
Grants
2011 NSF-ABDC TCN: Collaborative Research: Plants, Herbivores, and Parasitoids: A Model System for the study of Tri-Trophic Associations; Schuh, R.T. et al. $1.2 million; Chaboo subcontract: $78000).
2011 NSF-DBI: A specimen-level database of the world’s bees (Apoidea) at the University of Kansas. Engel, M.S., C.S. Chaboo, Z.H. Falin, and A.E.Z. Short. $495,426.
2010-2011 NSF Kansas-EPSCoR First awards, Phylogenetic Research in the hyperdiverse leaf beetle family, Chrysomelidae (Coleoptera); $142,000.
Awards
2011 150 most influential Kansas scientists, Ad Astra Kansas
2008 Jean Theodore Lacordaire Prize, Best publication from Ph.D. research, Coleopterists Society
2005 Snodgrass Memorial Prize, Ph.D. research in Morphology, Entomological Society of America
2002 Paper of the Year, Coleopterists Society
2001 2nd Place, Student presentations in Morphology, Systematics and Evolution, Entomological Society of America
1987 1st Place, Zoology Field Course, University of the West Indies, Trinidad
Publications
Submitted
.
Submitted. Phytotelmata Habitats: Insect Diversity in Two Host Plants, Heliconia stricta Huber (Heliconiaceae) and Calathea lutea Schult (Marantaceae), in Southeastern Peru. Journal of Natural History.
.
Submitted. Biology and morphology of Neochlamisus gibbosus (Fabricius, 1776) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cryptocephalinae: Chlamisini). Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society.
In Press
.
In Press. Safe and Successful Use of Permethrin for Extraction of Dermatobia hominis Larvae in a Patient with Cutaneous Myiasis. Infectious Diseases in Clinical Practice..
2012
.
2012. Contribution on the orchid bee fauna (Hymenoptera: Apidae) of the south east Amazon, Peru. CheckList. 8(2):215-217.
.
2012. New records of Diamphidia Gerstaecker 1855 and Polyclada Chevrolat 1840 in the Republic of Mozambique (Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae s.l.).. The Coleopterists Bulletin. 66(1):70-71.
2011
.
2011. The beetle spawn of John Wilcox: Shawn Clark. Chrysomela newsletter. 53:14-16.
.
2011. Defensive behaviors in leaf beetles: from the unusual to the weird. Chemical Biology of the Tropics. :59-69.
.
2011. A specialized carabid larval predator of an adult toad in India (Coleoptera: Carabidae; Anura: Bufonidae: Duttaphrynus Frost). Herpetological Review. 42(1):83-84.
2010
.
2010. Life history and host records of the South African leaf miner, Oncocephala promontorii Péringuey 1898 (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae: Oncocephalini). Coleopterists Bulletin. 64(1):21-29.
2009
.
2009. Natural history and leaf shelter constructions of the Asian rice leptispa beetle, Leptispa pygmaea Baly (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae: Leptispini). Zoological Studies. 48(5):625-631.
.
2009. Disonycha alternata (Illiger, 1807) on Coronilla varia (Linnaeus) Lassen (Fabaceae; crown vetch) in Kansas, USA (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae). Coleopterists Bulletin. 63(2):232-234.
.
2009. Ambulatory use of abdominal ampullae in larvae of labidomera clivicollis (Kirby) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Chrysomelinae). Coleopterists Bulletin. 63(3):357-363.
.
2009. Novel host records of some cassidine leaf beetles from Ecuador (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae). Insecta Mundi. 95:1-8.
.
2009. Maternally-inherited architecture in Tertiary leaf beetles: Paleoichnology of cryptocephaline fecal cases in Dominican and Baltic amber.. Naturwissenschaften. 96:1121-1126. Abstract
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Collaborators:
Postdoctoral Fellows:
Dr. Daniel Bennett (2011-present)
Lab Managers:
Dr. Mathew Gimmel (2011-present)
Visiting Scholars:
Dr. Patricia Alvarez (2011)
Dr. Fred Vencl, Stony Brook University (2011)
Dr. Muhammed Haseeb (2011)
Dr. Michael Schmitt (2011)
Dr. Shawn Clark (2010)
Dr. R. Wills Flowers (2010, 2011)
Graduate Students:
Mr. Chul woo Shin (2009-present)
Ms. Mabel Alvarado (2011-present)
Sofia Muñoz (2012-present)
Graduate research assistants:
Shan-hui Su (2011)
Yong-chao Su (2011)
Michael Andersen (2011)
Undergraduate Students:
Michael French (2010)
Gray Gustafson (2009-2010)
Joe J. Jalinsky (2010-present)
William Kilbel (2010 - volunteer)
Sameera Mangena (2010 - volunteer)
Reed S. Niemack (2010)
Shayna Poole (2010-present)
Tom A. Radocy (2011)
Jesica Rhodes (2009-2010)
Aimee Roberts (2010-present)
Anssi Santanen (2011 - volunteer)
Riley Wertenberger (2011)
Kaitlyn West (2010 - present)
Emily Wilcox (2010)
Helen Jin (2010)
May 10, 2012
After a fast paced semester, Stop Day is an exclamation point between formal classes and exams. In spring, exam week is followed by another exclamation point: Graduation weekend. This is a particularly special one as five undergraduates in my lab are graduating. KT and Joe have been here the longest, over two years. Now they fledge, going off to the Peace Corps and to graduate school respectively. Tom, Reed, and Riley are also heading off to graduate school or research labs. So very special to see them at this great junction in life. And particularly poignant to meet their parents for the first time. We, parents and teachers, have helped them thus far on their journey and now we must take our positions in the back.
0 comments
April 27, 2012
The end of the semester is approaching fast, with finals just around the corner. Everyone in the lab has made...
March 27, 2012
KU Entomology has enjoyed a long tradition of weekly lunch talks given by resident entomologists and visiting...
March 20, 2012
What an exciting day to participate in the installation of specimens and other objects in the upcoming exhibition,...
January 16, 2012
It is the day before classes begin, and I start teaching Intro Systematics (with Dr. Mark Holder and TA Taro Eldredge...
December 9, 2011
Dr. Patricia Alvarez, plant ecologist and post-doc at Duke University, visited the Chaboo lab Nov 24-29....
August 16, 2011
Fieldwork may be completed for this season in Peru, but now we must shift our focus to processing the thousands...
June 6, 2011
As a researcher doing fieldwork in a foreign country, I normally stop in cities for the essentials: meet collaborators...
May 30, 2011
One of the interesting aspects of field research is having the opportunity to experience the culture of the community...
May 24, 2011
I specialize in chrysomelid leaf beetles. Chrysomelidae (about 40,000 species) forms one of the largest radiations of...
May 22, 2011
One of the things that I forget when getting ready for an expedition is how much I have learned about field research in...
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From the Biodiversity Insitute blog
May 10, 2012
After a fast paced semester, Stop Day is an exclamation point between formal classes and exams. In spring, exam week is followed by another exclamation point: Graduation weekend. This is a...
April 27, 2012
The end of the semester is approaching fast, with finals just around the corner. Everyone in the lab has made significant strides this semester. Choru passed his comprehensive exams and is now ABD....
March 27, 2012
KU Entomology has enjoyed a long tradition of weekly lunch talks given by resident entomologists and visiting colleagues. This spring, I am handling the speaker schedule, which has been a piece of...
March 20, 2012
What an exciting day to participate in the installation of specimens and other objects in the upcoming exhibition, "39 Trails: Research in the Peruvian Amazon", curated by Dr. Stephen...
March 5, 2012
A few days ago, I arrived in Suriname for my second expedition of the year. I am working with some of the good folks at the National Zoological Collection of Suriname, including mentoring a student...
March 1, 2012
A skull of a Smilodon californicus exhibited at the KU Natural History Museum, one of largest such skulls ever found, caught the eye of Lawrence residents George and Mary Ann Brenner. The Brenners...
January 28, 2012
Greetings from San Carlos del Zulia, Venezuela. I'm a bit over a week into my first expedition of the year--this one to continue our aquatic insect survey efforts in Venezuela. We've spent he...
January 16, 2012
It is the day before classes begin, and I start teaching Intro Systematics (with Dr. Mark Holder and TA Taro Eldredge). Quite exciting to see the 45+ names of enrolled students, review my lecture,...
January 3, 2012
2011 featured pernicious political posturing over what we know and how we discover it. Florida Gov. Rick Scott told the state’s universities that they should be educating students in areas...
December 19, 2011
Snowy owls - known to Harry Potter fans and birders alike - are making an appearance in Kansas and Missouri this fall and winter.
The owls, which reside most of the year in Canadian tundra and arctic...
No additional news.
Biodiversity Institute News
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May 16, 2012
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Links
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