- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Meet Chryseobacterium kimseyorum, named for UC Davis distinguished professor Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum, and her husband, forensic entomologist Robert "Bob" Kimsey, both of the Department of Entomology and Nematology.
“We've had a few things named after us but never bacteria--that's a first,” said Lynn Kimsey.
The story begins more than a decade ago when then UC Davis doctoral student Matan Shelomi, now an associate professor of entomology at National Taiwan University, Taiwan, was studying the digestive physiology of the stick and leaf insects, Phasmatodea, for his Ph.D, under the guidance of his major professor, Lynn Kimsey. He isolated and cultured bacteria from the guts and cages of the stick insects. Some of the species seemed new to science, but Shelomi had neither the time nor the resources to prove it then.
He stored the microbes inside the deep freezers of the Phaff Yeast Culture Collection, UC Davis Department of Food Science and Technology.
The years slipped by. So did the memory of isolating the bacteria. Then after becoming a professor himself, his graduate student, Chiao-Jung Han, discovered a new bacteria species inside a beetle. That prompted Shelomi to renew his interest in the microbes from the Bohart Museum.
"Thankfully, I kept all my notes from graduate school," says Shelomi, "so I was able to check and see which strains I had flagged as possibly new species. When I saw one of them was the same genus as the new microbe found in Taiwan, I realized this was an opportunity to describe them both together." So Shelomi emailed Kyria Boundy-Mills, curator of the Phaff Collection, “who had my old specimen revived and shipped across the Pacific.”
The abstract begins: “Two strains of Chryseobacterium identified from different experiments are proposed to represent new species. Strain WLa1L2M3T was isolated from the digestive tract of an Oryctes rhinoceros beetle larva. Strain 09-1422T was isolated from a cage housing the stick insect Eurycantha calcarata. Sequence analysis of the 16S rRNA and rpoB genes found both strains to be similar but not identical to other Chryseobacterium species. Whole-genome sequencing suggested the isolates represent new species, with average nucleotide identity values ranging from 74.6 to 80.5?%.”
Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordinator of the Bohart Museum, relayed the news to a tour group visiting the insect museum on April 20. “I just used this story today with a tour group,” she told Shelomi. “I mentioned how your student was denied her dog's name. I love how this ties the Bohart and the Phaff Yeast collection together and then California and Taiwan.”
As for the stick insect, “It's pretty aggressive for a walking stick,” Lynn Kimsey said, noting that Andy Engilis, curator of the UC Davis Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology, told her about his work in Papua New Guinea. “These walking sticks would actually chase rodents out of their burrows and take over the burrows to rest in,” she related. “That's pretty tough for a walking stick.”
Meanwhile, the Kimseys are enjoying their new namesake. Lynn Kimsey already has seven other species named for her:
- Mystacagenia kimseyae Cambra & Wasbauer 2020 (spider wasp)
- Oligoaster kimseyae Soliman 2013 (tiphiid wasp)
- Exaerate kimseyae Oliviera 2011 (orchid bee)
- Spilomena kimseyae Antropov 1993 (solitary wasp)
- Manaos kimseyae Smith (argid sawfly)
- Spintharina kimseyae Bohart 1987 (cuckoo wasp)
- Neodryinus kimseyae Olmi 1987 (dryinid wasp)
Bob Kimsey has as at least two species named for him: Acordulacera kimseyi Smith, 2010 (sawfly) and Grandiella kimseyi Summers & Schuster (mite).
Shelomi, a Harvard University graduate who received his doctorate from UC Davis in 2014, served as a National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Germany for two years before accepting a faculty position in 2017 at National Taiwan University.
Shelomi returned to UC Davis in 2017 to present a seminar on "Revelations from Phasmatodea Digestive Track Transcriptomics,” to the department.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
His seminar, "Telling The Whole Story: Using Native Caterpillars, Their Ecological Connections, and Novel Outreach Tools to Showcase the Importance of Biodiversity," begins at 4:10 p.m. The Zoom link:
https://ucdavis.zoom.us/j/95882849672
Jaffe relates that he will present "an original photograph and video-packed talk that explores backyard pollinators, plants, parasitoids, and the many caterpillars that are positioned at the center of it all. I will introduce a 'Whole Story' perspective of natural history study and appreciation that just might make you reconsider an herbivore's place in our world. Throughout the presentation, I will relate these topics to my experience with outreach education, showcase invaluable educational tools such as digital microscopes, and be available for discussion about The Caterpillar Lab's outreach techniques and how they might be incorporated into your own work."
Jaffe, a New England-based naturalist, photographer, and educator who works with native insects, is a native of eastern Massachusetts, where he spend his childhood "chasing birds, mucking through ponds, and turning over leaves." For the last seven years, he has been photographing caterpillars and organizing programs "to promote these special creatures to the public." He founded The Caterpillar Lab in 2008 and now "travels across the country working with museums, nature centers, schools, and individual teachers helping native insects find their place in our everyday lives."
Jaffe holds a bachelor's degree in ecology and evolutionary biology (2007) from Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, and a master's degree in environmental science (2014) from Antioch University New England, Keene, N.H. He served as a lab technician at Harvard Organismic and Evolutionary Biology Labs for a year, gaining experience with caterpillar and ant care and reproduction, ant-caterpillar interaction research and experimental design/implementation; morphological study; native insect collection; natural history guided walks.
On his LinkedIn page, Jaffe describes The Caterpillar Lab, a non-profit corporation, as fostering "greater appreciation and care for the complexity and beauty of our local natural history through live caterpillar educational programs, research initiatives, and photography and film projects. We believe that an increased awareness of one's local environment is the foundation on which healthy and responsible attitudes towards the broader natural systems of this world is built."
The Caterpillar Lab "works with native New England caterpillar species as a resource for art, education, science, and other natural history pursuits," he writes, adding that he shows his fine art collection of caterpillar photographs at galleries and museums across the country; offers educational workshops; and works with BBC as a consultant, providing caterpillars and expertise.
Department seminar coordinator is urban landscape entomologist Emily Meineke, assistant professor. For technical issues, she may be reached at ekmeineke@ucdavis.edu. (See complete list of spring seminars.)
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Shey won the $5000 Francesca Miller Undergraduate Research Award that will fund six weeks of full-time summer research. And, judges scored her poster, “A Nanobody-Based Immunoassay for Detecting Moldy Marijuana,” as the top research poster in the undergraduate student competition.
The symposium, held recently in the UC Davis Conference Center, featured cutting-edge research in chemical biology, organic, and pharmaceutical chemistry. It memorializes Professor Miller (1940-1998) the 1985-90 chair of the Department of Chemistry and the 1997-1998 chair of the Academic Senate.
“We're very proud of Rachel,” said Hammock, who holds a joint appointment with the Department of Entomology and Nematology and the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center. “Rachel winning the undergraduate research award as well as the first-place award for her poster on her research—that's no surprise. She is enthusiastic about science and has wonderful collaborations with our scientists. She is one of those rare people who can cross disciplines, and in this case, integrate molecular biology, chemistry, and analytical chemistry to address a serious problem in the world food supply. Not only that, but she makes the lab had more fun place to be.”
In her abstract, co-authored with mentor Hammock and project scientist Mark McCoy of the Hammock lab, Shey wrote:
“Have you ever forgotten about a bagel on the counter and come back a few days later to find that it has grown a thin layer of fuzzy green mold? Most people know not to eat it, but why not? Aspergillus fungus produces a toxin called aflatoxin, which is the reason moldy bread, bitter peanuts and other foods may not be safe to eat. Aspergillus grows on virtually all major crops in the world, and aflatoxin is present wherever Aspergillus grows.”
Shey related that “the first step is to optimize the concentrations of the substrate, coating antigen, and nanobody for the assay; once this is done, we can assay extracts of hemp bud samples. These samples tend to contain other reactive molecules that can create unusual signals by binding to nanobodies undesirably. This is known as the “matrix effect” and must also be controlled for, either by further diluting the sample, while paying close attention to the limit of detection, or processing the samples in a different way to reduce the amount of potential interference.”
“Cannabis is highly regulated in California,” Shey pointed out, “but batches of cannabis that fail testing are usually sold on the black market rather than at a regulated dispensary. Consumers who decide to run the risk of purchasing cannabis from an unregulated seller would also benefit from immunoassays for monitoring the levels of various pesticides and known contaminants, including aflatoxin. This immunoassay could be useful for not only commercial labs analyzing cannabis, but also consumers purchasing cannabis illegally.”
Shey also presented her poster research at two other UC Davis conferences this year: the Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities Conference (URSCA) and the 2023 Richard LaRock Conference.
Rachel, from Walnut Creek, and home-schooled from K-12 in the RAN Academy (RAN is an acronym for Rachel and her brothers Aaron and Nicholas), received her high school diploma in 2020. She enrolled at UC Davis in September 2020 and joined the Hammock lab in March 2022.
“I was really drawn to entomology because I've loved playing with insects ever since I was a kid,” Rachel said. “When I took organic chemistry, I fell in love with the unique style of problem solving and I grew passionate about its practical aspects as well.”
In the Hammock lab, she helps in immunoassay experiments, delivers presentations to the lab, and learns about research and science. “I am developing proficiency with ELISA (enzyme linked immunosorbent assay) and phage work,” Shey said. She is working on an independent project funded by an Innovation Institute for Food and Health Undergraduate Research Fellowship (IIFL) from the UC Davis Undergraduate Research Center. It involves the detection of aflatoxin in mouse brain tissue.
Shey also is a research assistant (since November 2022) in the lab of Cody Ross Pitt, assistant professor, UC Davis Department of Chemistry, where she is learning organic synthesis methods, including setting up air-sensitive reactions, working up reactions, using columns to purify the crude material, and operating a rotary evaporator (rotovap).
She has served a general and organic chemistry tutor or the UC Davis Academic Assistance and Tutoring Center (AATC) since September 2021. She staffs the drop-in area in the library and the online Zoom drop-in room for several hours each week. “I assist students with chemistry questions with the goal of helping my students develop study skills.”
Shey also worked part-time for almost two years as a city news reporter for the California Aggie, the UC Davis student-run newspaper.
Her career plans: to study organic chemistry and obtain a doctorate in chemistry. “I would love to work in medicinal chemistry or agrochemistry.”
“When I first talked to her she was excited over epoxides as such interesting chemical functionalities,” said Hammock, known for his expertise in chemistry, toxicology, biochemistry and entomology. Early in his career, he founded the field of environmental immunoassay, using antibodies and biosensors to monitor food and environmental safety, and human exposure to pesticides. His groundbreaking research in insect physiology, toxicology led to his development of the first recombinant virus for insect control.
“I saw Barry Sharpless last week, who like Linus Pauling, won two Nobel Prizes," Hammock said. She reminds me of Barry. The world needs more undergrads like Rachel.”
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Bob stole the show.
Picture this: UC Davis forensic entomologist Robert “Bob” Kimsey is portraying “Dr. Death” inside Briggs Hall during the 109th annual UC Davis Picnic Day, but just outside the building, another Bob is grabbing the spotlight.
That would be Bob, a two-inch long American cockroach, Periplaneta americana, competing in the Roach Races.
"Roach Bob" is part of the colony that "Dr. Bob" inherited from the late entomology emeritus professor Charles Judson (1926-2015).
Every year someone names a roach “Bob” to honor the colony keeper.
The reddish-brown roaches race inside a tubelike track. An air pump, emitting "a gentle breeze," encourages them to leave the starting gate and head for the finish line--all six legs flying.
This year Bob, Speedster and Charlie proved to be crowd favorites.
“We rotate the roaches so they don't get too stressed from the heat, but Speedster definitely lived up to its name,” said Roach Race coordinator Taylor Kelly, a doctoral candidate in the lab of medical entomologist/geneticist Geoffrey Attardo, associate professor, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology.
“Bob was a definite winner,” said race announcer-roach handler Iris Quayle, a first-year doctoral student in the lab of Jason Bond, the Evert and Marion Schlinger Endowed Chair in the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology and associate dean, UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. “I don't think the crowd knew they were naming a cockroach after Bob Kimsey but it worked out well. And the aptly named Speedster gave everyone a run for their money!”
Kimsey's wife, Lynn Kimsey, a UC Davis distinguished professor and director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology, also is honored annually with a roach named “Lynn.” Last year her namesake won a few races; this year, no.
“We had audience members be our Roach Coaches--they encouraged the roaches to run with a gentle breeze of air,” Taylor said. “Later on in the day, we had a very speedy roach named Charlie that clinched 4 rounds back-to-back. Charlie was named by a youngster participating as his Roach Coach. He named the cockroach after his little brother.”
“At the beginning of the day we had some near-escapees and definitely elicited some screams from the crowd when one managed to get free,” Iris said, “but Taylor and I were too fast and were able to get them all back into the colony in the end. We also had some stubborn racers who didn't want to leave their racing tube after the competition.”
Some spectators asked Iris what the experience was like. “I did get a few questions about if I was okay holding them, and if I was scared I would get sick, but once I explained that this was a maintained colony by the college and that cockroaches are only as dirty as their environment, people came around and were even willing to give the racers a little head pat for good luck.”
In between races, the announcers asked if anyone wanted to pet a cockroach. They did, and took cell phone images and videos, too. “It was fun to let folks give the roaches a little head pat, a lot of folks said they seemed more cute after getting up close and personal,” Kelly said. “I hope folks loved roaches a little more after the races!”
Did anyone ask to take one home? “No, but we had many people complain that they already had too many lurking at home,” Taylor quipped.
Taylor was a member of the 2022 UC Davis Entomology Games team that won the national championship at the Entomological Society of America meeting. She also won the 2022 Student Leadership Award from the Pacific Branch, Entomological Society of America (PBESA) for her leadership in STEM and entomological activities.
Iris recently won first place in the doctoral student research competition at the 2023 PBESA meeting, held in Seattle. Her presentation, “Colorless but Never Dull: Unraveling Population Genetics and Color Evolution in ‘White' Darkling Beetles (Onymacris),” was her first-ever scientific presentation. Iris served a year as a National Science Foundation Research Experience for Post-Baccalaureate Students (NSF-REPS) in the Bond lab before being accepted into the doctoral program in 2022.
Kimsey, an associate adjunct professor and lecturer since 1990, has served as the master advisor for the animal biology (ABI) major since 2010 and an ABI lecturer since 2001. He also serves as the UC Davis Entomology Club advisor. He annually co-chairs the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology's Picnic Day activities with a member of the Entomology Graduate Student Association (EGSA). This year he co-chaired the event with doctoral student Grace Horne of the lab of urban landscape entomologist Emily Meineke.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
His presentation also will be virtual. The Zoom link:
https://ucdavis.zoom.us/j/95882849672.
Zach, a member of Professor Phil Ward's laboratory, says in his abstract: "Ants belonging to the subfamily Leptanillinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) are sister to nearly all other extant Formicidae. Miniscule and subterranean, little is known of them. Contrary to the collecting bias observed in most Formicidae, male leptanilline specimens are acquired more easily than workers or queens. The sexes are almost never collected together, and certain groups are known from males only—some of these being so bizarre as to not resemble ants at all. These restrictions obstruct our understanding of evolutionary relationships among the Leptanillinae."
"My thesis is aimed at leptanilline taxonomy that reflected phylogeny and integrated morphological data from both sexes. I here present the culmination of this work, reliant on phylogenomic inference from ultra-conserved elements (UCEs), supplemented by total-evidence inference from male morphological data and UCEs. I also here summarize my exploration of leptanilline male genital skeletomusculature, a surreal vista illuminated by micro-computed tomography, in collaboration with Ziv Lieberman and others."
Griebenow will be filing his dissertation before May 19. He joined the Ward lab in September 2017. He holds a bachelor of science degree (2017) in agriculture (entomology) from The Ohio State University. He graduated magna cum laude. He minored in music.
Griebenow was a member of the UC Davis Linnaean Games team (now renamed Entomology Games) that won two national championships (2018 and 2022) at the Entomological Society of America (ESA) meetings. He also was a member of Ohio State's Linnaean Games team that won second place in the 2017 national championship.
His publication list includes:
Griebenow, Z. H., Isaia, M., and Moradmand, M. (2022). Discovery of a troglomorphic ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Leptanillinae: Yavnella laventa sp. nov.) in southwestern Iran, with the first description of the worker caste of Yavnella Kugler. Invertebrate Systematics, 36, 1118-1138.
Griebenow, Z. H. (2021). Synonymisation of the male-based ant genus Phaulomyrma (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) with Leptanilla based upon Bayesian total-evidence phylogenetic inference. Invertebrate Systematics, 35(6), 603-636.·
Griebenow, Z. H. (2020). Morphological and phylogenomic delimitation of tribes in the subfamily Leptanillinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), with a description of the male of Protanilla lini Terayama, 2009. Myrmecological News, 30, 229-250.
Department seminar coordinator is urban landscape entomologist Emily Meineke, assistant professor. For technical issues (Zoom), she may be reached at ekmeineke@ucdavis.edu. (See complete list of spring seminars.)
