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Fernando Carvalho-Filho |
Many biologists hope to experience the famous biodiversity of the Amazon jungle, so I
think that I'm a lucky person since I was born in this place. I grew up in a countryside
city, and my playground was reminiscent of a jungle when I had the opportunity to observe
many wild animals, mainly insects, and when I developed an interest for research and
fieldwork. Later, I moved to the city (Belém, Brazil) when I began my graduation in
biology at UFPa (Universidade Federal do Pará, Brazil) specializing on flies, mainly
blowflies. The traps used for collecting blowflies also attracted many flesh flies,
so I decided to identify these as well. I got so surprised when I discovered that
there were few people studying this diverse group of flies in Brazil. Thus, I began
to assemble a bibliography on flesh flies and to identify them.
My love for flesh flies grew stronger when I saw a female of Argoravinia aurea
parasitising the nest of a wasp, and when I reared a larva of Sarcodexia lambens
from a dead scarabid beetle. I perceived how biologically diverse this group is
and that there are a lot of discoveries to be made about it. Thus, I began to use
different kinds of traps and baits in different kinds of environments (primary and
secondary forests, cities, beaches, etc.).
I have finished the revision of Brazilian species of Argoravinia, which was my MSc
project, and I have begun the revision of Nephochaetopteryx. Actually, I'm engaged
in some projects that collect carrion flies in different parts of Brazilian Amazon,
and I'm identifying the flesh flies with help from Dra. Cátia Mello-Patiu. In addition,
I'm doing works on the biology of some Brazilian species.
Content by F. Carvalho-Filho.
Please send any comments about these pages to Thomas Pape.
Last updated: 7 December 2010.
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