Dr. Rachael E. Alfaro is an Assistant Professor of Biology at Eastern University, teaching both general biology and upper level biology courses. Dr. Alfaro earned her PhD in Biology from the University of New Mexico in 2017. She also served as first a Graduate Assistant curator and then a Research Associate for the Division of Arthropods in the Museum of Southwestern Biology, housed at the University of New Mexico. Given her roundabout path to evolutionary biology through ecology and taxonomy, Dr. Alfaro has a wide array of research interests or potential projects for undergraduates interested in Arthropods as a research system. Currently, Dr. Alfaro’s research is focused on the evolution of silk use in spiders, using microanatomy as a character set and scanning electron microscopy as a tool. This involves keeping colonies of spiders in the lab, to collect data on each instar as they develop to adulthood. As little is known about spider natural history in general, this can lead to many projects looking at web architecture, life history surveys, courtship behavioral assays and more! As a museum researcher, she has experience with arthropod taxonomic surveys and biodiversity studies. Dr. Alfaro’s research program is focused on providing undergraduate research experiences within a broader, larger evolutionary and biological context.
Education
- Ph.D., Biology, University of New Mexico
- M.Sc. Entomology, University of Kentucky
- M.Sc. Integrative Bioscience (Zoology), University of Oxford
- BS, Biology, Washington & Lee University
Classes Taught
- BIOL 151/151L-General Biology and Lab
- BIOL 206/206L-Ornithology and Lab
- BIOL 350A/350AL-Entomology and Lab
- BIOL 350B-Vertebrate Zoology
- BIOL 417-Evolution, Creation & the Organization of Biology
- BIOL 425-Senior Thesis: Literature Review
- BIOL 426-Senior Thesis: Directed Research
- BIOL 498-Teaching Assistant
- BIOL 299/499-Research Experience/Assistantship
Research Interests
Dr. Alfaro’s research focuses on the following areas:
- Silk use evolution in spiders
- Silk spigot morphology (microanatomy)
- Spider taxonomy
Professional Association
American Arachnological Society (AAS)
Publications
Alfaro, R.E., C.E. Griswold, K.B. Miller. 2018. Comparative spigot ontogeny across the Spider Tree of Life. PeerJ6:e4233; DOI 10.7717/peerj.4233.
Alfaro, R.E., C.E. Griswold, K.B. Miller. 2018. The ontogeny of the spinning apparatus of Tengella perfuga Dahl (Araneae: Zoropsidae). Invertebrate Biology 137(3):187–204.
Correa-Garhwal, S.M., R.C. Chaw, T.H. Clarke, III, L.G. Alaniz, F.S. Chan, R.E. Alfaro, C.Y. Hayashi. 2018. Silk genes and silk gene expression in the spider Tengella perfuga (Zoropsidae), including a potential cribellar spidroin (CrSp). PLoS ONE 13(9):e0203563; DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0203563.
Mallis, R.E. and K.B. Miller. 2017. Natural history and courtship behavior in Tengella perfuga (Dahl 1901). Journal of Arachnology 45:166–176.
Leister, M.P., R.E. Mallis, K.B. Miller. 2013. The male of Tengella perfuga Dahl, 1901 with re-description of the female and comparisons with T. radiata (Kulczynski, 1909) (Araneae: Tengellidae). Zootaxa 3709(2):185–199.
Mallis, R.E. and L.K. Rieske. 2011. Arboreal spiders in eastern hemlock. Environmental Entomology 40: 1378–1387.
Mallis, R.E. and L.K. Rieske. 2010. Web orientation and prey resources for web-building spiders in eastern hemlock. Environmental Entomology 39:1466–1472.
Mallis, R.E. and L.E. Hurd. 2005. Diversity among ground-dwelling spider assemblages: habitat generalists and specialists. Journal of Arachnology 33:101–109.
Hurd, L.E., R.E. Mallis, K.C. Bulka, A.M. Jones. 2004. Life history, environment, and deme extinction in the Chinese mantid Tenodera aridifolia sinensis (Mantodea: Mantidae). Environmental Entomology 3:182–187.