Public health technologist, head of the entomology laboratory and coordinator of the postgraduate program in biodiversity and health at the Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Brazil.
Visiting professor 2023–2024 from August 9 to August 23, 2024.
Inviting professor: Abderrahman Khila.
Biography
Felipe Moreira is a public health technologist, head of the entomology laboratory, and coordinator of the postgraduate program in biodiversity and health at the Oswaldo Cruz Institute in Brazil. He holds a PhD from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, supervised by Jorge Luiz Nessimian. His research focuses on systematic entomology.
Collaboration with LRDP
Felipe Moreira leads a research team at the Entomology Laboratory of the Oswaldo Cruz Institute (Brazil) and has coordinated the Master’s program in Biodiversity and Health since 2023. A specialist in systematic entomology, he focuses on aquatic and semi-aquatic bugs (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Gerromorpha & Nepomorpha), with numerous publications in phylogeny and taxonomy, including the description of dozens of new taxa.
During his stay at ENS de Lyon, within the “Developmental Genomics and Evolution” team led by Dr. Abderrahman Khila, he will pursue three main objectives:
Scientific collaboration: Contribute to two research projects—one on the phylogeny and historical biogeography of the genus Rhagovelia (led by Moreira), and another on the emergence of evolutionary innovations (ANR project of the host team).
Experimental training: Acquire skills in molecular and developmental biology (RNAi, in situ hybridization, etc.) using semi-aquatic bugs, with the aim of establishing these experimental models upon his return to Brazil.
Academic engagement: Participate in the scientific life of IGFL and ENS de Lyon (seminars, discussions with researchers and students).
In practice, Felipe Moreira will take part in the host lab’s experimental techniques and contribute his expertise to identify Rhagovelia specimens collected from various regions of the world. These samples will be used for phylogenetic analyses and will be shared by both teams. Some new taxa will be scientifically described. This work will lay the foundation for future studies on the systematics, phylogeny, and evolution of these insects.
In terms of seminars, he will present his work in systematic entomology and the results of the Franco-Brazilian collaboration, and may offer additional seminars as needed.
Major publications
- Wang, Luan, Luo, Men, Engel, Damgaard, Khila, Chen, Moreira, Rafael and Xie (2023) 300 Million years of coral treaders (Insecta: Heteroptera: Hermatobatidae) back to the ocean in the phylogenetic context of Arthropoda. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 290: 20230855 – https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2023.0855
- Armisén, Viala, Cordeiro, Crumière, Hendaoui, Le Bouquin, Duchemin, Santos, Toubiana, Vargas-Lowman, Floriano, Polhemus, Wang, Rowe, Moreira* and Khila (2022) Transcriptome-based phylogeny of the semi-aquatic bugs (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Gerromorpha) reveals patterns of lineage expansion in a series of new adaptive zones. Molecular Biology and Evolution 39: msac229 – https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msac229
- Dias-Silva, Vieira, Moreira, Juen and Hamada (2021) Protected areas are not effective for the conservation of freshwater insects in Brazil. Scientific Reports 11: 21247 – https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-00700-0
- Wang, Moreira, Rédei, Chen, Kuechler, Luo, Men, Wu and Xie (2020) Diversification of true water bugs revealed by transcriptome-based phylogenomics. Systematic Entomology 46: 339-356 – http://doi.org/10.1111/syen.12465
- Vargas-Lowman, Armisén, Floriano, Cordeiro, Viala, Bouchet, Bernard, Le Bouquin, Santos, Berlioz-Barbier, Salvador, Moreira, Bonneton and Khila (2019) Cooption of the pteridine biosynthesis pathway underlies the diversification of embryonic colors in water striders. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 116: 19046-19054 – https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1908316116
- Román-Palacios, Damgaard, Cheng, Moreira, Ikawa, Weir and Zettel (2018) Molecular phylogeny of sea-skaters (Halobates Eschscholtz, 1822), relationship between Halobatini and Metrocorini, and a catalogue of the subfamily Halobatinae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Gerridae). Insect Systematics & Evolution 51: 139-240 – http://doi.org/10.1163/1876312x-00002197
- Molano, Morales and Moreira (2017) Two new species and key to the salina group of the genus Rhagovelia Mayr, 1865 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Veliidae) from Colombia. Zootaxa 4457: 305-314 – http://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4457.2.6
- Crumière, Santos, Sémon, Armisén, Moreira and Khila (2016) Diversity in morphology and locomotory behavior Is associated with niche expansion in the semi-aquatic bugs. Current Biology 26: 3336-3342 – https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2016.09.061
- Moreira, Pacheco-Chaves, Springer and Cordeiro (2015) Two new species of Rhagovelia (Hemiptera: Heteroptera:Veliidae) from Costa Rica, with a key and new records from the country. Zootaxa 3980: 477-500 – http://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3980.4.2
- Damgaard, Moreira, Zettel and Weir (2014) Molecular phylogeny of the pond skaters (Gerrinae), discussion of the fossil record and a checklist of species assigned to the subfamily (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Gerridae). Insect Systematics & Evolution 45: 251-281. http://doi.org/10.1163/1876312X-44042105