Floria Mora-Kepfer Uy's Avatar

Floria Mora-Kepfer Uy

@avispatica

Assistant Professor @urochester.bsky.social| PI @tropbiolab.bsky.social |social behavior & brain |mechanisms underlying parasitic manipulation |adaptations & changing environments| #teamwasp #wasplove #strepsiptera |πŸ‡¨πŸ‡· cafecito https://tropbiolab.org/FMKU/

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29.11.2023
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Latest posts by Floria Mora-Kepfer Uy @avispatica

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The mating of Stylops ater in the aggregation of Andrena vaga at the Institute for Bee Protection at the @jki-research.bsky.social in Braunschweig vaga is in full swing.
#BeesUp

28.02.2026 06:46 πŸ‘ 21 πŸ” 6 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 0

Thank you to @animalbehaviour.live for the opportunity and their wonderful initiative to make conferences more accessible to all!

24.02.2026 14:18 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

πŸ˜† Best pitch ever!

24.02.2026 02:16 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
Postdoctoral Fellowships | Human Frontier Science Program

🌟🌟Interested in a postdoctoral project about host-parasite coevolution and/or underlying mechanisms? 🌟🌟

Check your eligibility for this fellowship & contact me. I am particularly interested in hosting scholars from the Global South (Β‘Arriba mi gente!). www.hfsp.org/funding/hfsp...

24.02.2026 02:12 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 5 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 1
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From cabinets to collectomics: discovering females and primary larvae of Strepsiptera in a historical collection Natural history collections house material from centuries of collecting efforts. In the Phyletisches Museum Jena (PMJ), ca. 1 Mio specimens are deposited, some of them dating back as far as the 17th c...

From cabinets to collectomics: discovering females and primary larvae of Strepsiptera in a historical collection nhcm.pensoft.net/articles.php...

05.02.2026 14:50 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Wonderful weird: 3D reconstruction of the tracheal system and balloon gut of the male Stylops ovinae. #Strepsiptera

01.02.2026 17:06 πŸ‘ 12 πŸ” 4 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Yatop Protected Area, the largest protected forest of the Solomon Islands

Yatop Protected Area, the largest protected forest of the Solomon Islands

Introducing the Yato Protected Area -- the largest federally protected conservation area of the Solomon Islands! We are humbled to have been given the opportunity to partner with indigenous communities in Makira to save threatened ecosystems. #conservation #SolomonIslands #biodiversity

13.12.2025 13:28 πŸ‘ 9 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 0
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Review of the Strepsiptera fauna of the Nordic countries with the description of two new species of Stylops Kirby (Stylopidae) | Zootaxa

Our synthesis of the Strepsiptera fauna of the Nordic countries, led by Meri LΓ€hteenaro, was published this week open acc. in Zootaxa. Illustrated keys, maps, new records & 2 new species described, Stylops sapmiensis on Andrena lapponica & S. serotinus on A. fuscipes.

mapress.com/zt/article/v...

25.01.2026 07:41 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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POSTDOC ALERT🚨

Two exciting social evolution postdoc positions live today!

We're looking for two excellent field biologists. Join us to explore the evolution of sociality in wasps across Africa. Apply by 11th January.

Collaboration with
@dustinrubenstein.com

@bristolbiosci.bsky.social

12.12.2025 20:59 πŸ‘ 38 πŸ” 44 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 4

The final version of the clonal raider ant reference brain is now out OA in @currentbiology.bsky.social:

🐜 🧠 🐜 🧠 🐜 🧠 🐜 🧠 🐜 🧠 🐜

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

05.12.2025 16:30 πŸ‘ 62 πŸ” 18 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Warm welcome to RJ Millena, pictured with some team wasp members!

Warm welcome to RJ Millena, pictured with some team wasp members!

Despite all challenges, I'm feeling so grateful for my team & their amazing research progress.

Also, thrilled that Dr. RJ Millena @entomolrj.bsky.social has joined #teamwasp as our inaugural departmental postdoc fellow! #wasplove #strepsipteralove

04.12.2025 22:07 πŸ‘ 12 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Best news ever!!

25.11.2025 22:41 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Want to work with an amazing new PI who is also a wonderful person? ⬇️ πŸ•ΈοΈπŸ•·οΈ

25.11.2025 22:40 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
photograph of a round cake covered in chocolate crunchies with ice cream cone horns, eyes, a wide pink smile, little arms and a belly indicating a friendly little monster guy

photograph of a round cake covered in chocolate crunchies with ice cream cone horns, eyes, a wide pink smile, little arms and a belly indicating a friendly little monster guy

photograph of the actual cake through a carvel box, the guy looks fuuuuucked upppppp. he looks surprised and disgusted

photograph of the actual cake through a carvel box, the guy looks fuuuuucked upppppp. he looks surprised and disgusted

it's my daughter's birthday and I ordered her a monster cake from Carvel and this is the picture on the website and this is the picture of it in real life. please note: this is not a complaint. if this had been the picture on the website i would have paid more

02.10.2024 21:56 πŸ‘ 10633 πŸ” 2057 πŸ’¬ 269 πŸ“Œ 252

I am thrilled to announce that I just opened my lab at New York University in @nyucns.bsky.social and Biology! Our work will explore the richness of animal behavior, dissecting the genetic and circuit mechanisms that shape its evolution.

04.09.2025 17:13 πŸ‘ 53 πŸ” 12 πŸ’¬ 6 πŸ“Œ 1

Yes! We are always looking for observations from zombie hunters. Do reach out!

24.09.2025 15:26 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Our podcast is out! Check out our research @urochester.bsky.social that is decoding how true biohackers called twisted-winged insects control social wasps! #teamwasp #strepsiptera #zombiewasps πŸπŸ§Ÿβ€β™€οΈ Please check out this fantastic initiative by @bugsneedheroes.bsky.social. Thank you for having me!

24.09.2025 15:25 πŸ‘ 7 πŸ” 4 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 1
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Strepsiptera systematics: past, present, and future Abstract. The twisted-wing parasites (Strepsiptera Kirby) are among the most obscure and enigmatic orders in the Insecta. Strepsipterans are endoparasites

Our big review paper on strepsipteran systematics for Insect Systematics and Diversity is out! Hoping it's a helpful resource for anyone who needs it.

08.07.2025 16:21 πŸ‘ 44 πŸ” 21 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 1
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5/ Some wings have evolved strategies to help reduce damage resulting from collisions. For example, we learned a few years ago that wasp wings have a flexible joint that acts like a reversible crumple zone, allowing the wing tip to easily bend out of the way when it hits things...

16.04.2025 17:44 πŸ‘ 58 πŸ” 22 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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ggplot2 4.0.0 A new major version of ggplot2 has been released on CRAN. Find out what is new here.

I am beyond excited to announce that ggplot2 4.0.0 has just landed on CRAN.

It's not every day we have a new major #ggplot2 release but it is a fitting 18 year birthday present for the package.

Get an overview of the release in this blog post and be on the lookout for more in-depth posts #rstats

11.09.2025 11:20 πŸ‘ 850 πŸ” 281 πŸ’¬ 9 πŸ“Œ 51
Flyer How to apply to the NSF-GRFP (in 7 weeks!). Check out our comprehensive guide and timeline for applying to the  NSF-GRFP (or any fellowship!) on a deadline. 
Give it a shot β€” it’s not too late! Resource by Olivia Goldman, PhD and John LΓͺ. Photos of authors. Cientifico Latino, Inc. logo. Link: cientificolatino.com/apply-in-7-weeks

Flyer How to apply to the NSF-GRFP (in 7 weeks!). Check out our comprehensive guide and timeline for applying to the NSF-GRFP (or any fellowship!) on a deadline. Give it a shot β€” it’s not too late! Resource by Olivia Goldman, PhD and John LΓͺ. Photos of authors. Cientifico Latino, Inc. logo. Link: cientificolatino.com/apply-in-7-weeks

Applying to the NSF-GRFP (or another fellowship) on a tight deadline?

We built a 7-week guide + timeline to get you from draft to submission. It’s not too late β€” you’ve got this! ✨

πŸ”— cientificolatino.com/apply-in-7-weeks

#NSFGRFP #GradSchool #Fellowship

09.09.2025 16:14 πŸ‘ 64 πŸ” 65 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 3
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Nesting behaviour drives the evolution of heat tolerance and climate vulnerability in bees! Check out our pre-print on 95 species of Australian native bee across the latitudinal extent of Australia! 🐝 #nativebee #climateadaptation #heattolerance #plasticity #behaviour #bees #climatechange

08.09.2025 23:45 πŸ‘ 10 πŸ” 4 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 0

πŸ“£πŸ“£Interested in writing a proposal to explore coevolution and/or mechanisms underlying parasitic manipulation? Check out our team’s current projects and emerging host-parasite system. If these align with your interests , please check eligibility per NSF guidelines and email me! #GRFP #zombiewasps

08.09.2025 21:50 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
A large fly hanging from a leaf by its two front legs, holding a tiger-striped prey fly in its middle/hind legs. iNaturalist Photo 10502457, (c) Mikael Behrens, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC) https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/10502457?size=large

A large fly hanging from a leaf by its two front legs, holding a tiger-striped prey fly in its middle/hind legs. iNaturalist Photo 10502457, (c) Mikael Behrens, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC) https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/10502457?size=large

"Why is it called a hanging thief?" www.inaturalist.org/photos/10502...

08.09.2025 16:59 πŸ‘ 190 πŸ” 37 πŸ’¬ 9 πŸ“Œ 1

🌟Looking for a PhD? 🌟 check out this exciting opportunity in integrative biology with an amazing PI! πŸ‘‡πŸ½πŸ‘‡πŸ½

07.09.2025 15:32 πŸ‘ 9 πŸ” 8 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Fellow entomologists! This team is interested in getting to know your research. Reach out to them!

01.09.2025 18:53 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Check out the fantastic podcast series run by @bugsneedheroes.bsky.social! In each episode, Amanda (artist) and Kelly (entomologist) discuss amazing insects, with researchers as guests. Amanda also designs an illustration based on each convo!
πŸπŸœπŸ¦‹πŸͺ°πŸ¦ŸπŸͺ²πŸ•·οΈ

01.09.2025 18:43 πŸ‘ 7 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 0
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Our false head work is out! By analysing ~1000 #butterflies, we found many traits at posterior end of hindwings evolved correlatedly, likely forming a trait complex w/adaptive function to dupe predators into thinking these traits together are actual head!!

royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...

10.07.2025 14:10 πŸ‘ 59 πŸ” 20 πŸ’¬ 3 πŸ“Œ 2
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#ABL2025 Plenary Spotlight: Dr Floria Mora-Kepfer Uy ⭐

Join us on Nov 13-14 to learn how @avispatica.bsky.social Dr Mora-Kepfer Uy’s team uncovered captivating ways in which parasites reprogram the behaviour and lifespan of insects. 🐝πŸͺ±

Learn more about the conference: ablaoc25.sciencesconf.org

19.08.2025 12:41 πŸ‘ 20 πŸ” 13 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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Wasps on BBC Breakfast 🐝
Our expert joined BBC Breakfast to talk all things wasps - why they're essential, misunderstood, and worth celebrating.

Discover the Grant Museum’s fascinating new exhibition on wasp diversity.
πŸ”— www.ucl.ac.uk/museums-coll...

#UCL #GrantMuseum #BBCBreakfast #Wasps

29.07.2025 09:52 πŸ‘ 12 πŸ” 4 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 1