ABRS Postdoctoral Fellow

BSc (Hons) Murdoch University, PhD James Cook University

Research Interests

• Taxonomy and phylogenetic systematics of the mayfly family Leptophlebiidae

• Evolution of morphological and ecological traits of mayflies

• Integration of phylogenetic information into community ecology

• Biogeography

My research focuses on the systematics, ecology and biogeography of the mayfly family Leptophlebiidae. Central to my research is inferring phylogenetic relationships within the family from morphological and molecular data. These phylogenies are then used to assist in taxonomic revisions, test hypotheses on the evolution of morphological and ecological traits in mayflies, and address biogeographic questions. I am interested in higher-level relationships of the Gondwanan Leptophlebiidae, as well as species-level relationships of Australian leptophlebiid genera (particularly Austrophlebioides and Atalophlebia). I also have a strong interest in incorporating phylogenetic information into ecological studies, and as a part of my doctoral research I investigated the role of phylogenetic history in shaping the structure of mayfly assemblages in streams. Presently, I am further exploring ways to formally incorporate phylogenetic information into my ecological studies.

Recent and Current Projects Include

• Systematics of the Australian Leptophlebiidae

• Higher-level phylogenetic relationships of the Gondwanan Leptophlebiidae

• Mayfly biogeography and historical relationships among Australian areas of endemism

• Habitat use and the evolution of labrum shape in the genus Austrophlebioides

• A phylogenetic perspective on patterns of substrate and habitat use in leptophlebiid mayflies

Crozier Group Web Page

Selected Publications

Connolly, N.M., Christidis,F., McKie, B., Boyero, L. and Pearson, R.G. (in press). Diversity of invertebrates in Wet Tropics streams: Patterns and Processes. In ‘Living in a dynamic tropical forest landscape’, Stork. N. and Turton, S. (eds.). Blackwell, London.

Christidis, F. (2005). Phylogenetic relationships of the Australian Leptophlebiidae (Ephemeroptera). Invertebrate Systematics 19: 531-539.

Christidis, F.and Dean J.C. (2005). Three new species of Austrophlebioides Campbell and Suter (Ephemeroptera: Leptophlebiidae: Atalophlebiinae) from the Wet Tropics bioregion of north-eastern Australia. Australian Journal of Entomology 44: 132-143.

Christidis F. 2001. A cladistic analysis of Austrophlebioides and related genera (Leptophlebiidae: Atalophlebiinae). In ‘Trends in Research in Ephemeroptera and Plecoptera’, E Dominguez (ed.), pp. 305-312. Kluwer Academic / Plenum Publishers, New York.

Davis, J.A. and Christidis, F.(1997). A Guide to the Wetland Invertebrates of Southwestern Australia. 177pp. Western Australia Museum, Perth.

Contact Details

Dr Faye Christidis

Campus: Townsville

Telephone: +61 7 4781 5768

Fax: +61 7 4725 1570

Email: faye.christidis@jcu.edu.au