Bob Wharton

Title:  Professor

Education:

• California State Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo. Department of Biological Sciences, specializing in marine biology. B.S. with honors 1969.
• University of Connecticut. Biological Sciences Group, specializing in marine biology. M.S. 1971.
• University of California, Berkeley. Department of Entomological Sciences. Ph.D. 1976.

Program Description:

Most of my research effort is focused on the systematics and biology of parasitic Hymenoptera, and their use in biological control. Much of my work has been with members of the family Braconidae, notably those braconids attacking dipterous hosts. I do have broad interests, however, and have worked with a variety of other insects as well as arachnids. Areas of active research include phylogenetic analysis, generic revisions, host specificity and host relationships of parasitoids, gland function and morphology, and biological control. I teach undergraduate courses on the evolution of insect structure (ENTO 305) and insect biology and classification (ENTO 301/311) and a graduate course in entomophagous insects (ENTO 621). I also participate in a team-taught series of courses in tropical field ecology through the Study Abroad Program (link to Dominica Study Abroad website).

Collaborative research is currently being conducted in several countries (especially Kenya, Mexico, Sweden, and England) and states (California, Florida, Hawaii). The work includes assessment of patterns of host utilization by fruit-infesting tephritids and their natural enemies, associated systematics research on the flies and their parasitoids, and applications for biological control of medfly, olive fly and other pest tephritids. Other aspects of the program include systematics research on Ichneumonidae and biology, behavior, and systematics of Solifugae.

Selected Publications:

Wharton, R. A. 2006. The species of Sternaulopius Fischer (Hymenoptera: Braconidae, Opiinae) and the braconid sternaulus. J. Hymenoptera Res. 15: 317-347.

Barr, N. B., R.S. Copeland, M. De Meyer, D. Masiga, H. G. Kibogo, M. K. Billah, E. Osir, R. A. Wharton, and B. A. McPheron. 2006. Molecular diagnostics of economically important Ceratitis fruit fly species (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Africa using PCR and RFLP analyses. Bulletin Entomol. Research 96: 505-521.

Wharton, R. A., M. J. Yoder, J. J. Gillespie, J. C. Patton, R. L. Honeycutt. 2006. Relationships of Exodontiella, a non-alysiine, exodont member of the family Braconidae (Insecta, Hymenoptera). Zool. Scripta 35: 323-340.

Copeland, R., R. Wharton, Q. Luke, M. De Meyer, S. Lux, N. Zenz, P. Machera, and M. Okumu. 2006. Geographic distribution, host fruit & parasitoids of African fruit fly pests Ceratitis anonae, C. cosyra, C. fasciventris & C. rosa in Kenya. Ann. Ent. Soc. Am. 99: 261-78.

Gillespie, J., M. J. Yoder, R. A. Wharton. 2005. Predicted secondary structures for 28S and 18S rRNA from Ichneumonoidea (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Apocrita): Impact on sequence alignment and phylogeny estimation. J. Molecular Evol. 61: 114-137.

Wharton, R., L. Vilhelmsen, G. Gibson. 2004. Characterizing basal apocritans (Hymenoptera: Apocrita). Proc. Russian Entomol. Soc. 75: 17-23.

Mercado, I. and R. A. Wharton. 2003. Mexican cardiochiline genera (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), including a preliminary assessment of species-groups in Toxoneuron Say and Retusigaster Dangerfield, Austin and Whitfield. J. Nat. History 37: 845-902.

Copeland, R. S., Wharton, R. A., Luke, Q., and De Meyer, M. 2002. Indigenous hosts of Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Kenya. Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am. 95: 672-694.

Wharton, R. 2002. Revision of the Australian Alysiini (Hymenoptera: Braconidae). Invertebrate Systematics 16: 7-105.

Wharton, R. A., M. K. Trostle, R. H. Messing, R. S. Copeland, S. W. Kimani-Njogu, S. Lux, W. A. Overholt, S. Mohamed, and J. Sivinski. 2000. Parasitoids of medfly, Ceratitis capitata, and related tephritids in Kenyan coffee: a predominantly koinobiont assemblage. Bull. Ent. Res. 90: 517-526.

Wharton, R. A., P. M. Marsh, and M. J. Sharkey (eds). 1997. Manual of the New World Genera of the Family Braconidae (Hymenoptera). Special Publ. Internatl. Soc. Hymenopterists 1:1-432.

Wharton, R. A. 1987. Biology of the diurnal Metasolpuga picta (Kraepelin) (Solifugae, Solpugidae) compared to that of nocturnal species. J. Arachnol. 14: 363-383.