Farrell Lab - Entomology at Harvard University

Farrell Lab, 2025

Farrell Lab members side by side, in front of brick and leaves

Welcome to the Farrell Lab!

The idea that ecology matters to long term evolutionary change was a prominent element in the Modern Synthesis of mid-century that bridged three main areas of evolutionary study: adaptation, speciation, and evolutionary trends. Our general goal is to understand this potential interplay of adaptation and historical contingency in ecological and taxonomic diversification, as well as the marks of evolutionary history on community structure. The context of nearly all of our studies is the interaction between insects and their hostplants, ecological associates whose diversity and abundance make them the principal denizens of the terrestrial earth, and other kinds of interspecific interactions.

Instructions for living a life:

Pay attention.

Be astonished.

Tell about it.

- Mary Oliver, Sometimes, 2008

Latest News

Ticks on an eel?

From Entomology Today: " An electric eel donated to the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University in 1873 had two ticks embedded in its skin, making it the first known instance of ticks parasitizing a fish. But it was never documented until now...
Kaylin Chong in front of shelves of museum specimens in jars

EVENT: Science Spotlight @ HMNH

Saturday, November 16, 2024, Thalles will present a new Science Spotlight at the Harvard Museum of Natural History: "How to Help a Scientist Find a New Species." Join Thalles and other inquisitive minds Saturday at 2:00pm! For more information about the...
logo of Harvard Museum of Natural History

Recent Lab Publications

2026

Kim S, Farrell BD. Tetraopes milkweed beetle genomes elucidate the adaptive basis of a temperate coevolutionary radiation. Molecular Ecology Resources. 2026;26(3). doi:10.1111/1755-0998.70117
Kim S, Farrell BD. Tetraopes milkweed beetle genomes elucidate the adaptive basis of a temperate coevolutionary radiation. Molecular Ecology Resources. 2026;26(3). doi:10.1111/1755-0998.70117
Lourenço-De-Oliveira R, Pereira GR, Neves MSAS, Santos SDS, Ribeiro PS, Nascimento-Pereira AC, Talaga S, Pavan MG, Sallum MAM, Motta MA. Systematics of Leonidasdeanea, a new subgenus of Wyeomyia (Diptera: Culicidae), with recognition of Wy. luciae as a valid species and synonymy of Wy. surinamensis with Wy. flui. Zootaxa. 2026;5782(1). doi:https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5782.1.1
Lourenço-De-Oliveira R, Pereira GR, Neves MSAS, Santos SDS, Ribeiro PS, Nascimento-Pereira AC, Talaga S, Pavan MG, Sallum MAM, Motta MA. Systematics of Leonidasdeanea, a new subgenus of Wyeomyia (Diptera: Culicidae), with recognition of Wy. luciae as a valid species and synonymy of Wy. surinamensis with Wy. flui. Zootaxa. 2026;5782(1). doi:https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5782.1.1
Fiorentino G, Bouju V, Sosa D, Navarro nto, Barden P. The ant genus Hypoponera (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Dominican amber. Journal of Paleontology. 2026. doi:10.1017/jpa.2025.10213
Fiorentino G, Bouju V, Sosa D, Navarro nto, Barden P. The ant genus Hypoponera (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Dominican amber. Journal of Paleontology. 2026. doi:10.1017/jpa.2025.10213

2025

Kim S, Farrell BD. Chromosome-level genome assembly of the white-spotted sawyer Monochamus scutellatus(Coleoptera: Cerambycidae). Scientific Data. 2025. doi:10.1038/s41597-025-06258-0
Kim S, Farrell BD. Chromosome-level genome assembly of the white-spotted sawyer Monochamus scutellatus(Coleoptera: Cerambycidae). Scientific Data. 2025. doi:10.1038/s41597-025-06258-0