- Harvestmen Systematics - I am currently involved in a collaborative project on the systematics and mating system evolution in Leiobunum, a species-rich group of harvestmen that is particularly diverse in eastern North America, Mexico and Japan. Jeff Shultz (University of Maryland) is the leader of the project team, that also includes Rogelio Macías Ordóñez (Instituto de Ecologia, Mexico), Nobuo Tsurusaki (Tottori University, Japan), and Eileen Hebets (Univ. of Nebraska). This project is supported by the National Science Foundation. Several of my past and current students (Casey Richart, Shahan Derkarabetian, Maureen McCormack, Steven Thomas) are also working on systematic questions involving harvestmen.
M Hedin harvestmen pics on Flickr
| - Evolution & Diversity of southern Appalachian Arachnids - I
first experienced the southern Appalachians in the mid-1990s, while
conducting my Ph.D. research on "cave spiders" (genus Nesticus) of the
region. I have been able
to continue my studies in these ancient mountains, and more recently
have involved several of my graduate students in southern
Appalachian research. Most of our recent survey work has focused on
cryophilic ("cold loving") arachnids that inhabit the forested uplands
of western North Carolina and surrounding states, although we have also
been conducting some cave research in the region. Read More....
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