Mariam Lekveishvili West Virginia University Department of Biology 53 Campus Dr. PO Box 6057 5212 Life Sciences Building Morgantown, WV 26506 Tel: (304) 293 5201 ex. 31539 Fax: (304) 293 6363 E-mail: mariam.lekveishvili@mail.wvu.edu

 

My research is primarily focused on study of diverse group of plant-associated mites - superfamily Eriophyoidea. With the use of molecular and morphological methods I study their systematics, phylogeny, coevolution and host specificity. Currently I am interested in evolutionary biology questions of the group, which includes their relationships with other mites as well as relationships within the superfamily on all taxonomic levels. My interests also include theoretical aspects of systematics as well as practical application of molecular methods for using mites as potential biocontrol agents. Other arthropods I have studied include acaroid and mesostigmatid mites, termites, and spiders and worked on projects involving studies ranging from higher level phylogeny to population genetics.

 

EDUCATION AND TRAINING

Ph.D. in Zoology, Tbilisi State University, Tbilisi, Georgia, 2004. Thesis: "Phylogeny and taxonomy of family Sejidae (Acari: Mesostigmata) (entire research was conducted in the Acarology Collection at the Ohio State University – advisor Dr. Hans Klompen)
M.S. in Zoology, Tbilisi State University, Tbilisi, Georgia, 1995
B.S. in Biology & Chemistry, Tbilisi State University, Tbilisi, Georgia, 1993

Undergraduate Science Teaching Workshop, West Virginia University, 2008
Phylogenetics Symposium and Workshop, Ohio State University, 2005
Introductory Acarology, Acarology Summer Program, Ohio State University, 2001
Medical -Veterinary Acarology, Acarology Summer Program, Ohio State University, 2001
Agricultural Acarology, Acarology Summer Program, Ohio State University, 2000

 

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, 2008 - current
Research Associate, Department of Entomology, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 2005 - 2008
Research Associate, Acarology Laboratory, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 2002 - 2005
Research Investigator, Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 2000 - 2002
Research Assistant, Department of Ecology, Tbilisi State University, Georgia, 1995 - 2000

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

ENT 795: Systematics: Alignments in Phylogenetic Context; Spring, 2007
Department of Entomology, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH

 

PUBLICATIONS 

Klompen,  H., Lekveishvili, M. & Black, B. 2007. Phylogeny of parasitiform mites (Acari) based on rDNA  Molecular phylogenetics and Evolution,  43:936-951 PDF (976K)

Lekveishvili, M & Klompen, H. 2006. New classification of the family Sejidae (Acari: Mesostigmata) based on morphological analyses  Journal of Natural History, 40 (41-43): 2317-2339 PDF (700K)

Lekveishvili, M & Krantz, G. W. 2004. A new genus of the family Sejidae (Acari: Mesostigmata) based on Sejus krantzi and S. manualkrantzi Hirschmann, 1991 Systematic and Applied Acarology Special Publications, 20: 1-4 PDF (28K)

Lekveishvili, M. & Klompen, H. 2004. A new species of Sejidae (Acari: Mesostigamta) from the southeastern US International Journal of Acarology, 30: 229-238 PDF (720K)

Lekveishvili, M. & Klompen, H. 2004. Phylogeny of infraorder Sejina (Acari: Mesostigmata) Zootaxa, 629: 1-19 PDF (160K)

Klimov, P., Lekveishviili, M., Dowling, A., Oconnor, B. 2004. Multivariate Analysis of Morphological Variation in Two Cryptic Species of Sancassania (Acari: Acaridae) from Costa Rica Annals of the ESA, Vol 97, no. 2,  323-345 PDF (952K)

Lekveishvili M. 2000. Genus Ctenoglyphus Berl. (Acaroidea; Glycyphagidae) for The Fauna of Georgia, Bull. of Zool. Inst., 20: 341-344

Lekveishvili M., Kintsurashvili N., Bachtadze G. 2000. Karyotype of Acaroid Mite Ctenoglyphus canestrinii (Arm.) (Acaroidea: Glycyphagidae), Bull. of Zool. Inst., 20: 339-340

PRESENTATIONS

Lekveishvili, M. The life history of mite infraorder Sejina (Acari: Mesostigmata) WV Ent. Soc. Annual Meeting, 2009, North Band State Park,WV (oral presentation)

Lekveishvili, M., Amrine, J. & Wells, J. Phylogeny of genus Aceria (Prostigmata: Eriophyoidea) ESA Annual Meeting, 2008, Reno, NV (oral presentation)

Lekveishvili, M., Amrine, J. & Wells, J. Phylogeny of Eriophyoidea (Acari: Prostigmata): preliminary results EURAAC 2008, Montpellier, France (oral presentation)

Lekveishvili, M. Taxonomy and phylogeny of family Sejidae (Acari: Mesostigmata) West Virginia University, Department of Biology, 2008, Morgantown, WV (invited seminar)

Lekveishvili, M., Blackledge, T., Hayashi, C., Scharff, N. & Wenzel, J. Phylogeny of orb-weaving spiders based on Myosin II Heavy Chain Intron DNA sequence data Willi Hennig Society Meeting, 2007, New Orleans, LA (oral presentation)

Lekveishvili, M., Jones, S., & Ye, Y.  Determining parentage in termite laboratory colonies using microsatelites  ESA Annual Meeting, 2006, Indianapolis, IN (oral presentation)

Lekveishvili, M., Blackledge, T., Hayashi, C., Scharff, N. & Wenzel, J. Utility of Myosin II Heavy Chain  DNA sequence data for phylogenetic relationships in orb-weaving spiders ESA Annual Meeting, 2006, Indianapolis, IN (oral presentation)

Lekveishvili, M.  Phylogeny of family Sejidae (Acari: Mesostigmata) based on morphological and molecular data Tbilisi State University, 2004, Tbilisi, Georgia (oral presentation)

Lekveishvili, M & Klompen, H. First results of phylogenetic study of family Sejidae (Acari: Mesostigmata) based on morphological and molecular data ESA Annual Meeting, 2003, Cincinnati, OH (oral presentation)

Lekveishviili, M., Klimov, P. & Oconnor, B. Phylogeny and historical ecology of some mushroom-associated mites of the genus Sancassania (Acari, Acaridae) with some new generic synonymies  PEET  Annual meeting, 2002, San Francisco, CA (poster) JPG (660K)

Lekveishviili, M., Klimov, P., & Oconnor, B. Phylogeny and historical ecology of some mushroom-associated mites of the genus Sancassania (Acari, Acaridae) with some new generic synonymies ESA Annual Meeting, 2001, San Diego, CA (poster) JPG (500K)

AWARDS

Acarology Development Foundation Fellowship, 2008
Johnston Memorial Fund Award, 2000

 

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

Acarological Society of America (ASA) - board member
Entomological Society of America (ESA)
Systematic and Applied Acarology Society (SAAS)
Willi Hennig Society (WHS)

 

LANGUAGES

English, Georgian, Russian