Dr. Paul Masonick
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My research interests deal broadly with biodiversity, phylogenetics, and species delimitation. I joined the Meyer Lab as a postdoctoral researcher in January 2021 and am using phylogenomics to investigate the impacts of hybridization and introgression on species delimitation in cichlid fishes and will be developing marker sets to help identify hybrid and non-hybrid museum specimens. My Ph.D. dissertation focused on the systematics and natural history of assassin bugs (Heteroptera: Reduviidae) at the University of California, Riverside. My research concentrated largely on reconstructing the evolutionary relationships of ambush bugs, delimiting species, revising their taxonomy, and also uncovering their feeding habits using molecular gut content analysis and metabarcoding.
Education:
Awards and Grants:
Conference presentations:
Talks
Society Memberships:
Publications:
7. Masonick, P. and Weirauch, C. 2020. Taxonomic revision of the Nearctic erosa species group of Phymata Latreille, 1802 (Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Phymatinae), Canadian Journal of Arthropod Identification 41. doi: 10.3752/cjai.2020.41
6. Masonick, P., and Weirauch, C. 2020. Integrative species delimitation in Nearctic ambush bugs (Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Phymatinae): insights from molecules, geometric morphometrics and ecological associations. Systematic Entomology 45:205-223. doi: 10.1111/syen.12388
5. Hernandez, M., Masonick, P., and Weirauch, C. 2019. Crowdsourced online images provide insights into predator-prey interactions of putative natural enemies, Food Webs 21. doi: 10.1016/j.fooweb.2019.e00126
4. Masonick, P. 2019. Description of a bizarre new genus and species of ambush bugs from the Dominican Republic (Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Phymatinae). Insect Systematics and Diversity 3(4). doi: 10.1093/isd/ixz010
3. Masonick, P., Hernandez, M., and Weirauch, C. 2019. No guts, no glory: gut content metabarcoding unveils the diet of a flower‐associated coastal sage scrub predator. Ecosphere 10(5). doi: 10.1002/ecs2.2712
2. Masonick, P., Michael, A., Frankenberg, S., Rabitsch, W., and Weirauch, C. 2017. Molecular phylogenetics and biogeography of the ambush bugs (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Phymatinae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 114:225-233. doi: 10.1016/j.ympev.2017.06.010
1. Whitfield, J., Rodriguez, J., and Masonick, P. 2009. Reared microgastrine wasps (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) from Yanayacu Biological Station and environs (Napo Province, Ecuador): diversity and host specialization. Journal of Insect Science 9(31):1-22. doi: 10.1673/031.009.3101
- 2014–2020 Ph.D. Entomology. University of California, Riverside, USA. Dissertation title: "Systematics and natural history of flower-associated assassin bugs (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Phymatinae, Harpactorinae)." Advisor: Dr. Christiane Weirauch
- 2005–2007 B.Sc. Integrative Biology. University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA.
Awards and Grants:
- 2019 Dissertation Year Program Fellowship, UC Riverside
- 2019 Robert & Peggy van den Bosch Scholarship: Center for Biological Control, UC Berkeley
- 2019 Earle C. Anthony Graduate Student Travel Award
- 2018 Nils and Annemarie Møller Andersen Travel Award, International Heteropterists’ Society
- 2018 Robert & Peggy van den Bosch Scholarship: Center for Biol. Control, UC Berkeley
- 2018 James and Margaret Lesley Annual Prize
- 2017 Robert & Peggy van den Bosch Scholarship: Center for Biol. Control, UC Berkeley
- 2017 Herbert Kraft Scholarship: UC Riverside College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences
- 2017 UC MEXUS Small Grant
- 2016 Shipley-Skinner Reserve - Riverside County Endowment
- 2015 Friends of the Entomology Research Museum (FERM) Grant, UC Riverside
Conference presentations:
Talks
- Masonick, P. and Weirauch, C. 2018. Integrative species delimitation in Nearctic ambush bugs (Heteroptera: Reduviidae): insights from geometric morphometrics, molecules, and ecological associations. VI Quadrennial International Heteropterists' Society Meeting, La Plata, Argentina
- Masonick, P. Hernandez, M., and Weirauch, C. 2017. No guts, no glory: revealing the diet of flower-associated assassin bugs (Hemiptera: Reduviidae). Entomology Society of America Annual Meeting 2017, Denver, CO, USA
- Masonick, P. and Weirauch, C. 2016. Pollinator predators exposed: using molecules and morphometrics to delimit species boundaries of ambush bugs (Heteroptera: Reduviidae). ICE 2016 XXV International Congress of Entomology, Orlando, FL, USA
- Masonick, P. and Weirauch, C. 2015. Exposing the ambush bugs: defining species boundaries among a continuum of morphological features and color patterns (Hemiptera: Reduviidae). Entomology Society of America Annual Meeting 2015, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Masonick, P. and Weirauch, C. 2015. Exposing the ambush bugs: an overview of taxonomic issues within Phymatinae (Hemiptera: Reduviidae). Hemipteroid Insect Phylogenetics Workshop, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL, USA
- Masonick, P. and Weirauch, C. 2019. Integrative species delimitation in Nearctic ambush bugs (Heteroptera: Reduviidae): insights from geometric morphometrics, molecules, and ecological associations. XXXVIII Annual Meeting of the Willi Hennig Society, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Masonick, P. and Weirauch, C. 2014. Classification conundrum: species boundaries and relationships of ambush bugs (Hemiptera: Reduviidae). Entomology Society of America Annual Meeting 2014, Portland, OR, USA
Society Memberships:
- The Willi Hennig Society
- International Heteropterists’ Society
- Entomological Society of America: SysEB Section, Pacific Branch
- Entomological Collections Network
- Friends of the Entomology Research Museum, UC Riverside
Publications:
7. Masonick, P. and Weirauch, C. 2020. Taxonomic revision of the Nearctic erosa species group of Phymata Latreille, 1802 (Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Phymatinae), Canadian Journal of Arthropod Identification 41. doi: 10.3752/cjai.2020.41
6. Masonick, P., and Weirauch, C. 2020. Integrative species delimitation in Nearctic ambush bugs (Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Phymatinae): insights from molecules, geometric morphometrics and ecological associations. Systematic Entomology 45:205-223. doi: 10.1111/syen.12388
5. Hernandez, M., Masonick, P., and Weirauch, C. 2019. Crowdsourced online images provide insights into predator-prey interactions of putative natural enemies, Food Webs 21. doi: 10.1016/j.fooweb.2019.e00126
4. Masonick, P. 2019. Description of a bizarre new genus and species of ambush bugs from the Dominican Republic (Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Phymatinae). Insect Systematics and Diversity 3(4). doi: 10.1093/isd/ixz010
3. Masonick, P., Hernandez, M., and Weirauch, C. 2019. No guts, no glory: gut content metabarcoding unveils the diet of a flower‐associated coastal sage scrub predator. Ecosphere 10(5). doi: 10.1002/ecs2.2712
2. Masonick, P., Michael, A., Frankenberg, S., Rabitsch, W., and Weirauch, C. 2017. Molecular phylogenetics and biogeography of the ambush bugs (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Phymatinae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 114:225-233. doi: 10.1016/j.ympev.2017.06.010
1. Whitfield, J., Rodriguez, J., and Masonick, P. 2009. Reared microgastrine wasps (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) from Yanayacu Biological Station and environs (Napo Province, Ecuador): diversity and host specialization. Journal of Insect Science 9(31):1-22. doi: 10.1673/031.009.3101