Laboratory of Insect Taxonomy — Department of karyotaxonomy

The Department brings together highly qualified specialists who are proficient in the modern techniques of chromosomal and molecular analysis. Our primary research is on the evolutionary cytogenetics of the invertebrate animals, especially the Insecta. We karyotype various groups of insects, including Odonata, Dermaptera, Mantophasmatodea, Psocodea, Homoptera, Heteroptera, Coleorrhyncha, Coleoptera, Neuroptera, Lepidoptera, Hymenoptera, and Diptera. Research is carried out using traditional techniques, like chromosome morphometry and conventional bandings as well as molecular cytogenetics methods such as fluorescence in situ DNA hybridization (FISH) and genome in situ DNA hybridization (GISH). Research, which is thus a combination of various cytogenetic approaches and different insect taxa, facilitates our understanding of chromosomes and karyotype evolution of insects as well as put forward further perspectives in evolutionary cytogenetics of this enormous group. In recent years, much of our research focuses on employing molecular data, including whole genomes, in order to shed light on the interspecies hybridization and introgression processes and to reveal phylogenic relationships of different level taxonomic groups. We maintain long-term contacts with leading domestic and foreign laboratories and supervise a number of large cytogenetic and molecular projects supported by grants from the Russian Science Foundation (RSF) and the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR).

Staff

Valentina G. Kuznetsova (Head of Department, Principal Researcher, Professor, Doctor of Biological Sciences)

Maria S. Vishnevskaya (Researcher, Candidate of Biological Sciences)

Anastasia V. Gagarina (Junior Researcher)

Natalia V. Golub (Senior Researcher, Candidate of Biological Sciences)

Natalia S. Khabazova (Senior Collection Keeper)

Vladimir A. Lukhtanov (Principal Researcher, Doctor of Biological Sciences)

Ninel A. Petrova (Leading Researcher, Doctor of Biological Sciences)

Nazar A. Shapoval (Senior Researcher, Candidate of Biological Sciences)

Department staff participate in the following grants

RSF No. 19-14-00202. “Hybrid speciation without polyploidy: origin and evolution of pre- and postzygotic barriers between hybrids and parental forms” (PI V.A. Lukhtanov).

RSF No. 22-24-01086. “Mito-nuclear discordance in Butterflies: a case study on the genus Colias (Lepidoptera: Pieridae)” (PI N.A. Shapoval).

RFBR No. 19-34-50027. “Systematics, phylogeny and evolution of the genus Colias (Lepidoptera, Pieridae): the role of interspecific hybridization in group formation” (PI N.A. Shapoval).

RFBR No. 18-34-00756. “Mito-nuclear discordance in Colias butterflies (Lepidoptera, Pieridae): the role of interspecific hybridization and Wolbachia infection” (PI N.A. Shapoval).

RFBR No. 17-04-00828-a. “The structure of holokinetic chromosomes and their transformations in the evolution of Insecta” (PI V.G. Kuznetsova).