Deputy Museum Director for Research & Collections
jason.cryan@naturalsciences.org [2]
919.707.9933
Post-Doc, Zoology, Brigham Young University, 1999-2001
Ph.D., Entomology, North Carolina State University, 1999
M.S., Entomology, North Carolina State University, 1995
B.A., Zoology, The University of Vermont, 1992
Other Appointments
Adjunct Assistant Professor, University at Albany [SUNY]; Dept. of Biological Sciences
Research Interests
Jason’s research focuses on evolutionary investigations of phytophagous (plant-feeding) insects in the hemipteran suborder Auchenorrhyncha; he is specifically interested in planthoppers (superfamily Fulgoroidea), spittlebugs and froghoppers (Cercopoidea), and treehoppers (Membracidae). He uses DNA nucleotide sequencing and comparative morphology to reconstruct the evolutionary history of these diverse and charismatic insects; using those results, Jason evaluates alternative theories of the evolution of insect anatomy, behavior, and biogeographical distribution. Many of the insect species included in his research projects are of worldwide economic and agricultural importance (including pests of rice, corn, and sugarcane), and so results of these projects may have broader implications for studies on the control of such insects.
To learn more about Jason's research, please visit www.planthopper.com [3]
Selected Publications
Cryan, J.R. 2005. Molecular Phylogeny of Cicadomorpha (Insecta: Hemiptera: Cicadoidea, Cercopoidea, and Membracoidea): Adding Evidence to the Controversy. Systematic Entomology 30: 563-574.
Cryan, J.R., and G.J. Svenson. 2010. Family-level relationships of the spittlebugs and froghoppers (Hemiptera: Cicadomorpha: Cercopoidea). Systematic Entomology 35: 393-415.
Cryan, J.R., and J.M. Urban. 2012. Higher-level phylogeny of the insect order Hemiptera: Is Auchenorrhyncha really paraphyletic? Systematic Entomology 37: 7-21.
Cryan, J.R., B.M. Wiegmann, L.L. Deitz, C.H. Dietrich, and M.F. Whiting. 2004. Treehopper trees: Phylogeny of Membracidae (Hemiptera: Cicadomorpha: Membracoidea) based on molecules and morphology. Systematic Entomology 29: 441-454.
Urban, J.M., and J.R. Cryan. 2009. Entomologically famous, evolutionarily unexplored: The first phylogeny of the lanternfly family Fulgoridae (Insecta: Hemiptera: Fulgoroidea). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 50: 471-484.