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Overview

James P. Pitts is affiliated with Utah State University in the United States. Their research primarily centers on Agricultural and Biological Sciences, with a significant focus on Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology. The research contributions span various subfields, including Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics, Genetics, and Insect Science.

The scientist's work covers multiple topics related to the study of plants and animals, insect and arachnid ecology and behavior, fossil insects in amber, and taxonomy and phylogeny of Hymenoptera. Additional areas of investigation include insect and pesticide research, animal and plant science education, and species distribution in relation to climate change.

Frequent co-authors with whom James P. Pitts has collaborated include Cecília Waichert, Frank E. Kurczewski, Juanita Rodríguez, Rick C. West, and Kevin A. Williams.

Publication venues where they have frequently contributed include:

  • Zootaxa
  • Global Biodiversity Information Facility
  • Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
  • Austral Entomology
  • Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington

Recent papers authored or co-authored by James P. Pitts are:

  • Twenty two years later: An updated checklist of Neotropical spider wasps (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae), 2022, Zootaxa
  • New and unusual host records for North American and South American spider wasps (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae), 2020, Zootaxa
  • Systematics and convergent evolution in three Australian genera of Pepsinae spider wasps (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae), 2021, Austral Entomology
  • Systematic revision of the North American velvet ant genus Invreiella Suárez (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae) with description of eleven new species, 2020, Zootaxa
  • Keys to Nearctic Velvet Ants of the Genus Dasymutilla Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae), with Notes on Taxonomic Changes since Krombein (1979), 2020, Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington

Best Publications

  • Molecular phylogenetics of Vespoidea indicate paraphyly of the superfamily and novel relationships of its component families and subfamilies

    Erik M. Pilgrim;Carol D. Von Dohlen;James P. Pitts

  • Cladistic analysis of the fire ants of the Solenopsis saevissima species-group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

    James P. Pitts;Joseph V. McHugh;Kenneth G. Ross

  • Preliminary morphological analysis of relationships between the spider wasp subfamilies (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae): revisiting an old problem

    James P. Pitts;Marius S. Wasbauer;Carol D. Von Dohlen

  • New and unusual host records for North American and South American spider wasps (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae).

    Frank E. Kurczewski;Rick C. West;Cecilia Waichert;Kelly C. Kissane

  • North American velvet ants form one of the world’s largest known Müllerian mimicry complexes

    Joseph S. Wilson;Joshua P. Jahner;Matthew L. Forister;Erica S. Sheehan

  • A Molecular Method for Associating the Dimorphic Sexes of Velvet Ants (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae)

    Erik M. Pilgrim;James P. Pitts

  • Revision of the Fire Ants of the Solenopsis saevissima Species-Group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

    James P. Pitts;Gabriela P. Camacho;Dietrich Gotzek;Joseph V. Mchugh

  • Taxonomic contributions to Ageniella Banks, 1912 (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae) from Brazil

    Cecilia Waichert;Wesley Dondoni Colombo;Carol D. Von Dohlen;James P. Pitts

  • Review of the Neotropical spider wasp subgenus Anoplius ( Dicranoplius ) Haupt (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae), new comb.

    James P. Pitts;Cecilia Waichert;Emily Sadler

  • Revision of the bee group Anthophora (Micranthophora) (Hymenoptera: Apidae), with notes on potential conservation concerns and a molecular phylogeny of the genus.

    Michael C. Orr;James P. Pitts;Terry Griswold

  • Molecular phylogeny and systematics of spider wasps (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae): redefining subfamily boundaries and the origin of the family

    Cecilia Waichert;Juanita Rodriguez;Marius S. Wasbauer;Carol D. von Dohlen

  • An extraordinary new genus and species of spider wasps (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Pompilidae) from Southeast Asia

    Akira Shimizu;Raymond Wahis;Anthony C. Harris;James P. Pitts

  • Taxonomic utility of niche models in validating species concepts: A case study in Anthophora ( Heliophila ) (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

    Michael C. Orr;Jonathan B. Koch;Terry L. Griswold;James P. Pitts

  • Re-examination of Australian and Oriental species of Minagenia Banks, 1934 (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae), with a new record for the genus in Australia and a new species description.

    Brenna L. Decker;James P. Pitts;David Yuan;Juanita Rodriguez

  • Association and description of the male of Aplochares imitator (Smith) (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae)

    James P. Pitts;Emily Sadler

  • Schusterphotopsis , a new genus of Sphaeropthalminae (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae) from California, with notes on the closely related genera Acrophotopsis Schuster and Dilophotopsis Schuster

    James P. Pitts

  • Hosts, Nesting Behavior, and Ecology of Some North American Spider Wasps (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae), II

    Frank E. Kurczewski;Glavis B. Edwards;James P. Pitts

  • Revision of Velvet Ant Genus Dilophotopsis Schuster (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae) by Using Molecular and Morphological Data, with Implications for Desert Biogeography

    Joseph S. Wilson;James P. Pitts

  • Eocene and not Cretaceous origin of spider wasps: Fossil evidence from amber

    Juanita Rodriguez;Cecilia Waichert;Carol D. Von Dohlen;George Poinar

  • A new bee species that excavates sandstone nests.

    Michael C. Orr;Terry Griswold;James P. Pitts;Frank D. Parker

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