Charles Mitter
Professor Emeritus
Email: cmitter@umd.edu
Office Phone: 301-405-0913Fax: 301-314-9290
Office Address: 4120 Plant Sciences Building
Url: http://mitterlab.weebly.com/
Teaching
ENTM 622, Principles of Systematics, fall semester even years. The course will next be taught in Fall 2014.
Graduate Program Affiliations
My central long-term quest has been to help explain the extraordinary diversity of herbivorous insects and their interactions with plants. With my students and other collaborators I have sought to advance the phylogenetic/ historical approach to this question, using Ehrlich and Raven's model of coevolution as a conceptual framework. The heuristic value of that model, which may be rarely applicable in its original form, is its embodiment of multiple neo-Darwinian themes, each of interest in its own right, which have been taken up anew in the modern re-embrace of evolutionary history. Our group has estimated phylogenies for a variety of insect groups, and used these in combination with literature syntheses to examine three broad issues implicit in "co-evolution" sensu Ehrlich and Raven: rates and patterns of evolution of insect host use traits; the marks of long-term history in contemporary insect/plant interactions; and the effects of those interactions on diversification rates.
Over the past decade, much of my effort has gone into a collaboration with J. Regier and others on molecular phylogenetic studies of the Lepidoptera, the largest radiation of insect herbivores (165,000+ species). Our previous work focused on the primitive (non-ditrysian) lepidopteran lineages, and on the advanced superfamilies Noctuoidea and Bombycoidea. Most recently, under support from the NSF Assembling the Tree of Life program, we have joined with lepidopterists around the world in a community-based Tree of Life project, LepTree, one goal of which is a robust estimate of relationships among all 127 lepidopteran families. All of these studies are aimed ultimately at identifying and understanding major transitions in lepidopteran ecology, particularly larval feeding habits, and their evolutionary consequences.
Selected Publications
Regier, J. C., Mitter, C., Davis, D. R., Harrison, T. L., Sohn, J.-C., Cummings, M. P., Zwick, A. and Mitter, K. T. 2015. A molecular phylogeny and revised classification for the oldest ditrysian moth lineages (Lepidoptera: Tineoidea), with implications for ancestral feeding habits of the mega-diverse Ditrysia. Systematic Entomology. doi: 10.1111/syen.12110. published online: 20 OCT 2014
Regier, J.C., Mitter, C., Kristensen, N. P., Davis, D.R., Nieukerken, E. J. van, Rota, J., Simonsen, T.J., Mitter, K.T., Kawahara, A.Y., Yen, S.-H., Cummings, M. P., & Zwick, A. 2015. A molecular phylogeny for the oldest (non-ditrysian) lineages of extant Lepidoptera, with implications for classification, comparative morphology and life history evolution. Systematic Entomology. DOI: 10.1111/syen.12129, published online: 28 May 2015.
Sohn, J.C., Regier, J.C., Mitter,C., Adamski, D., Landry, J.F., Heikkilä, M., Park,K.-T., Harrison, T., Mitter, K., Zwick, Kawahara, A.Y., Cho, S., Cummings, M.P., Schmitz, P. 2015. Phylogeny and feeding trait evolution of the mega-diverse Gelechioidea (Lepidoptera: Obtectomera): new insight from 19 nuclear genes. Systematic Entomology, in press.
Bazinet AL, Cummings MP, Mitter KT, Mitter CW (2013) Can RNA-Seq resolve the rapid radiation of advanced moths and butterflies (Hexapoda: Lepidoptera: Apoditrysia)? An exploratory study. PLoS ONE 8(12): e82615.doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0082615
Regier, J.C., C. Mitter, A. Zwick, A. L. Bazinet, M. P. Cummings, A.Y. Kawahara, J.-C. Sohn, D. J. Zwickl, S. Cho, D. R. Davis, J. Baixeras, J.W. Brown, C. Parr, S.J. Weller, D.C. Lees, K. T. Mitter. 2013. A large-scale, higher-level, molecular phylogenetic study of the insect order Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies). PLoS ONE 8(3):e58568
Sohn J-C, Regier JC, Mitter C, Davis D, Landry J-F, Zwick A, Cummings MP. 2013. A Molecular Phylogeny for Yponomeutoidea (Insecta, Lepidoptera, Ditrysia) and Its Implications for Classification, Biogeography and the Evolution of Host Plant Use. PLoS ONE 8(1): e55066. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0055066.
Regier, J., C. Mitter, M.A. Solis, J.E. Hayden, B. Landry, M. Nuss, T. Simonsen, S.-H. Yen, A. Zwick, M. P. Cummings. 2012. A molecular phylogeny for the pyraloid moths (Lepidoptera: Pyraloidea) and its implications for higher-level classification. Systematic Entomology 37:635-656
Sohn, J., C. Labandeira, D.R. Davis & C. Mitter. 2012. An annotated catalog of fossil and subfossil Lepidoptera (Insecta:Holometabola) of the world. Zootaxa 3286: 1–132
Regier, J.C., J.W. Brown, C. Mitter, J. Baixeras, S. Cho, M. P. Cummings, & A. Zwick. 2012. A molecular phylogeny for the leaf-roller moths (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) and its implications for classification and life history evolution.PLoS ONE 7(4): e35574. doi:10.1371
Cho,S., A. Zwick, J. C. Regier, C. Mitter, M. P. Cummings, J. Yao, Z. Du, H. Zhao, A.Y. Kawahara, S. Weller, D. R. Davis, J. Baixeras, J.W. Brown, C. Parr. 2011. Can Deliberately Incomplete Gene Sample Augmentation Improve a Phylogeny Estimate for the Advanced Moths and Butterflies (Hexapoda: Lepidoptera)? Systematic Biology 60: 782–796.<\a>.
Kawahara A.Y., Ohshima I., Kawakita A., Regier J.C., Mitter C., Cummings M.P., Davis D.R.,Wagner D.L., De Prins J., Lopez-Vaamonde C. 2011. Increased gene sampling provides stronger support for higher-level groups within gracillariid leaf mining moths and relatives (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae). BMC Evolutionary Biology 11:182.
van Nieukerken, E. J., Kaila, L., Kitching, I. J., Kristensen, N. P., Lees, D. C., Minet, J., Mitter, C., Mutanen, M., Regier, J. C., Simonsen, T. J., Wahlberg, N., Yen, S.-H., Zahiri, R., Adamski, D., Baixeras, J., Bartsch, D., Bengtsson, B. Å., Brown, J. W., Bucheli, S. R., Davis, D. R., De Prins, J., De Prins, W., Epstein, M. E., Gentili-Poole, P., Gielis, C., Hättenschwiler, P., Hausmann, A., Holloway, J. D., Kallies, A., Karsholt, O., Kawahara, A., Koster, S. J. C., Kozlov, M., Lafontaine, J. D., Lamas, G., Landry, J.-F., Lee, S., Nuss, M., Penz, C., Rota, J., Schmidt, B. C., Schintlmeister, A., Sohn, J. C., Solis, M. A., Tarmann, G. M., Warren, A. D., Weller, S., Yakovlev, R., Zolotuhin, V. & Zwick, A. 2011. Animal biodiversity: An outline of higher-level classification and survey of taxonomic richness.Zootaxa 3148: 212-221.Zwick, A., J. C. Regier, C. Mitter, M. P. Cummings. 2011. Increased gene sampling yields robust support for higher-level clades within Bombycoidea (Lepidoptera). Systematic Entomology 36: 31–43.
Regier, J.C., A. Zwick, M. P.Cummings, A. Y. Kawahara, S. Cho, S. Weller, A. Roe, J. Baixeras, J. W. Brown, C. Parr, D. R. Davis, M. Epstein, W. Hallwachs, A. Hausmann, D. H. Janzen, I. J. Kitching, M. A. Solis, S.-H. Yen, A. L. Bazinet, and C. Mitter. 2009. Toward reconstructing the evolution of advanced moths and butterflies (Lepidoptera: Ditrysia): an initial molecular study. BMC Evolutionary Biology 9: 280Winkler, I.S., C. Mitter, and S. Scheffer. 2009. Repeated climate-linked host shifts promoted diversification in a temperate clade of leafmining flies (Diptera: Agromyzidae). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences106:18103-18108.
Kawahara, A. Y., A. A. Mignault, J. C. Regier, I. J. Kitching and C. Mitter. 2009. Phylogeny and biogeography of hawkmoths (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae): evidence from five nuclear genes. PLoS One 4(5): e5719.
Winker, I. S., S. Scheffer and C. Mitter. 2009. Molecular phylogeny and systematics in leafmining flies (Diptera: Agromyzidae): Delimitation of Phytomyza Fallén sensu lato and its species groups, with new insights on genitalic and host-use evolution. Systematic Entomology 34: 260-292
Cho, S., A. Mitchell, C. Mitter, J. Regier, M. Matthews and R. Robertson. 2008. Molecular phylogenetics of heliothine moths (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Heliothinae), with comments on the evolution of host range and pest status. Systematic Entomology 49: 581-594
Davis, S.R., P. Gentili-Poole and C. Mitter. 2008. A revision of the Cossulinae of Costa Rica and cladistic analysis of the world species (Lepidoptera: Cossidae). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 154: 222–277.
Regier, J.C., C.P. Cook, C. Mitter, and A. Hussey. 2008. A phylogenetic study of the "bombycoid complex" (Lepidoptera) using five protein-coding nuclear genes, with comments on the problem of macrolepidopteran phylogeny. Systematic Entomology 33: 175-189.
Regier, J. C., M.C. Grant, R.S. Peigler, C. Mitter, C. P. Cook, and R. Rougerie. 2008. Phylogenetic relationships of wild silkmoths (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) inferred from four protein-coding nuclear genes. Systematic Entomology 33: 219-228.
Winkler, I. S., and C. Mitter. 2008. The phylogenetic dimension of insect/plant interactions: a summary of recent evidence. Pp.240-263 In: K. Tillmon, ed., Specialization, Speciation, and Radiation: The Evolutionary Biology of Herbivorous Insects. University of California Press. Insect/Plant Meta-Phylogenetics Web Page- includes chapter
Desjardins, C. A., J. C. Regier, and C. Mitter. 2007. Phylogeny of pteromalid parasitic wasps (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae): Initial evidence from four protein-coding nuclear genes. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 45: 454-469.
Mitchell, A., C. Mitter and J.C. Regier. 2006. Systematics and evolution of the cutworm moths (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae): evidence from two protein-coding nuclear genes. Systematic Entomology 31: 21- 46.
Regier, J. C., U. Paukstadt, L. Paukstadt, C. Mitter and R. S. Peigler. 2005. Phylogenetics of eggshell morphogenesis in Antheraea (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae): Unique origin and repeated reduction of the aeropyle crown. Systematic Biology 54: 254-267.
Fagan, W. F., E. Siemann, C. Mitter, R. F. Denno, A. F. Huberty, H. A. Woods, and J. J. Elser. 2002. Nitrogen in insects: Implications for trophic complexity and species diversification. American Naturalist 160: 784-802.
Regier, J.C., C. Mitter, R. S. Peigler, and T. P. Friedlander. 2002. Monophyly, composition and tribal relationships of Saturniinae (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae): Evidence from two nuclear genes. Insect Systematics and Evolution 33: 9-21.
Regier, J. C., C. Mitter, T. P. Friedlander, and R. S. Peigler. 2001. Phylogenetic relationships and evolution of hostplant use in Sphingidae (Lepidoptera): Initial evidence from two nuclear genes. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 20:311-325.
Yang, M., C. Mitter, and D. R. Miller. 2001. First incidence of inquilinism in galling psyllids, with a description of the new inquiline species (Insecta, Hemiptera, Psylloidea, Psyllidae, Spondyliaspidinae). Zoologica Scripta 30: 97-113.
Mitchell, A., C. Mitter, and J. C. Regier. 2000. More taxa or more characters revisited: combining data from nuclear protein-encoding genes for phylogenetic analyses of Noctuoidea (Insecta: Lepidoptera). Systematic Biology 49: 202-224.
Wiegmann, B.M., C. Mitter, J. C. Regier, T. P. Friedlander, D. M. Wagner, and E. S. Nielsen. 2000. Nuclear genes resolve Mesozoic-aged divergences in the insect order Lepidoptera. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 15: 242-259.
Regier, J. C., C. Mitter, R. S. Peigler, and T. P. Friedlander. 2000. Phylogenetic relationships in Lasiocampidae (Lepidoptera): initial evidence from elongation factor-1α sequences. Journal of Insect Systematics and Evolution 31: 179-186.
Powell, J.A., C. Mitter and B.D. Farrell. 1998. Evolution of larval feeding habits in Lepidoptera. In: N. P. Kristensen, ed., Handbook of Zoology. Lepidoptera, Volume 1: Systematics and Evolution.
Farrell, B.D., and C. Mitter. 1998. The timing of insect/plant diversification: Might Tetraopes (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) and Asclepias (Asclepiadaceae) have co-evolved? Biol. J. Linn. Soc. 63: 553-577.
Friedlander, T.P., K.R. Horst, J.C. Regier, C. Mitter, R.S. Peigler, and Q.Q. Fang. 1998. Two nuclear genes yield concordant relationships within Attacini (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae). Mol. Phyl. Evol. 9: 131-140.
Regier, J. C., Q. Q. Fang, C. Mitter, R. S. Peigler, T. P. Friedlander, and M. A. Solis. 1998. Evolution and phylogenetic utility of the period gene in Lepidoptera. Molecular Biology and Evolution 15: 1172-1182.
Fang, Q., S. Cho, J. Regier, C. Mitter, M. Matthews, R. Poole, T. Friedlander, and S. Zhao. 1997. A new nuclear gene for insect phylogenetics: Dopa decarboxylase is informative of relationships within Heliothinae (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Systematic Biology 46: 269-283.
Cho, S., Mitchell, A., Regier, J.C., Mitter, C., Poole, R.W., Friedlander, T.P., and Zhao, S. 1995. A highly conserved nuclear gene for low-level phylogenetics: Elongation factor-1 alpha recovers morphology-based tree for heliothine moths. Mol. Biol. Evol. 12:650-656.
Wiegmann, B.M., C. Mitter, and B. Farrell. 1993. Diversification of carnivorous parasitic insects: Extraordinary radiation, or specialized dead end? American Naturalist 142:737-754.
Poole, R.W.,C. Mitter and M. Huettel. 1993. A revision and cladistic analysis of the Heliothis virescens group (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) with a preliminary morphometric analysis of H. virescens. Miss. Agric. For. Exp. Stn. Bull. Miss. Entomol. Mus. Ser. 4:1-51. Mitter, C., and B.D. Farrell. 1991. Macroevolutionary aspects of insect/plant interactions. pp. 35-78, In Insect/Plant Interactions, vol. 3, E. Bernays, ed. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
Mitter, C., B. Farrell, and B. Wiegmann. 1988. The phylogenetic study of adaptive radiation: Has phytophagy promoted insect diversification? The American Naturalist 132:107-128.
Awards
B.S., Stanford University, 1970 (Biological Sciences)
Ph.D., Stony Brook University, 1977 (Biological Sciences)
Email: cmitter@umd.edu
Office Phone: 301-405-0913Fax: 301-314-9290
Office Address: 4120 Plant Sciences Building
Url: http://mitterlab.weebly.com/
Teaching
ENTM 622, Principles of Systematics, fall semester even years. The course will next be taught in Fall 2014.
Graduate Program Affiliations
- Entomology
- BISI - Behavior, Ecology, Evolution, & Systematics (BEES)
My central long-term quest has been to help explain the extraordinary diversity of herbivorous insects and their interactions with plants. With my students and other collaborators I have sought to advance the phylogenetic/ historical approach to this question, using Ehrlich and Raven's model of coevolution as a conceptual framework. The heuristic value of that model, which may be rarely applicable in its original form, is its embodiment of multiple neo-Darwinian themes, each of interest in its own right, which have been taken up anew in the modern re-embrace of evolutionary history. Our group has estimated phylogenies for a variety of insect groups, and used these in combination with literature syntheses to examine three broad issues implicit in "co-evolution" sensu Ehrlich and Raven: rates and patterns of evolution of insect host use traits; the marks of long-term history in contemporary insect/plant interactions; and the effects of those interactions on diversification rates.
Over the past decade, much of my effort has gone into a collaboration with J. Regier and others on molecular phylogenetic studies of the Lepidoptera, the largest radiation of insect herbivores (165,000+ species). Our previous work focused on the primitive (non-ditrysian) lepidopteran lineages, and on the advanced superfamilies Noctuoidea and Bombycoidea. Most recently, under support from the NSF Assembling the Tree of Life program, we have joined with lepidopterists around the world in a community-based Tree of Life project, LepTree, one goal of which is a robust estimate of relationships among all 127 lepidopteran families. All of these studies are aimed ultimately at identifying and understanding major transitions in lepidopteran ecology, particularly larval feeding habits, and their evolutionary consequences.
Selected Publications
Regier, J. C., Mitter, C., Davis, D. R., Harrison, T. L., Sohn, J.-C., Cummings, M. P., Zwick, A. and Mitter, K. T. 2015. A molecular phylogeny and revised classification for the oldest ditrysian moth lineages (Lepidoptera: Tineoidea), with implications for ancestral feeding habits of the mega-diverse Ditrysia. Systematic Entomology. doi: 10.1111/syen.12110. published online: 20 OCT 2014
Regier, J.C., Mitter, C., Kristensen, N. P., Davis, D.R., Nieukerken, E. J. van, Rota, J., Simonsen, T.J., Mitter, K.T., Kawahara, A.Y., Yen, S.-H., Cummings, M. P., & Zwick, A. 2015. A molecular phylogeny for the oldest (non-ditrysian) lineages of extant Lepidoptera, with implications for classification, comparative morphology and life history evolution. Systematic Entomology. DOI: 10.1111/syen.12129, published online: 28 May 2015.
Sohn, J.C., Regier, J.C., Mitter,C., Adamski, D., Landry, J.F., Heikkilä, M., Park,K.-T., Harrison, T., Mitter, K., Zwick, Kawahara, A.Y., Cho, S., Cummings, M.P., Schmitz, P. 2015. Phylogeny and feeding trait evolution of the mega-diverse Gelechioidea (Lepidoptera: Obtectomera): new insight from 19 nuclear genes. Systematic Entomology, in press.
Bazinet AL, Cummings MP, Mitter KT, Mitter CW (2013) Can RNA-Seq resolve the rapid radiation of advanced moths and butterflies (Hexapoda: Lepidoptera: Apoditrysia)? An exploratory study. PLoS ONE 8(12): e82615.doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0082615
Regier, J.C., C. Mitter, A. Zwick, A. L. Bazinet, M. P. Cummings, A.Y. Kawahara, J.-C. Sohn, D. J. Zwickl, S. Cho, D. R. Davis, J. Baixeras, J.W. Brown, C. Parr, S.J. Weller, D.C. Lees, K. T. Mitter. 2013. A large-scale, higher-level, molecular phylogenetic study of the insect order Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies). PLoS ONE 8(3):e58568
Sohn J-C, Regier JC, Mitter C, Davis D, Landry J-F, Zwick A, Cummings MP. 2013. A Molecular Phylogeny for Yponomeutoidea (Insecta, Lepidoptera, Ditrysia) and Its Implications for Classification, Biogeography and the Evolution of Host Plant Use. PLoS ONE 8(1): e55066. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0055066.
Regier, J., C. Mitter, M.A. Solis, J.E. Hayden, B. Landry, M. Nuss, T. Simonsen, S.-H. Yen, A. Zwick, M. P. Cummings. 2012. A molecular phylogeny for the pyraloid moths (Lepidoptera: Pyraloidea) and its implications for higher-level classification. Systematic Entomology 37:635-656
Sohn, J., C. Labandeira, D.R. Davis & C. Mitter. 2012. An annotated catalog of fossil and subfossil Lepidoptera (Insecta:Holometabola) of the world. Zootaxa 3286: 1–132
Regier, J.C., J.W. Brown, C. Mitter, J. Baixeras, S. Cho, M. P. Cummings, & A. Zwick. 2012. A molecular phylogeny for the leaf-roller moths (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) and its implications for classification and life history evolution.PLoS ONE 7(4): e35574. doi:10.1371
Cho,S., A. Zwick, J. C. Regier, C. Mitter, M. P. Cummings, J. Yao, Z. Du, H. Zhao, A.Y. Kawahara, S. Weller, D. R. Davis, J. Baixeras, J.W. Brown, C. Parr. 2011. Can Deliberately Incomplete Gene Sample Augmentation Improve a Phylogeny Estimate for the Advanced Moths and Butterflies (Hexapoda: Lepidoptera)? Systematic Biology 60: 782–796.<\a>.
Kawahara A.Y., Ohshima I., Kawakita A., Regier J.C., Mitter C., Cummings M.P., Davis D.R.,Wagner D.L., De Prins J., Lopez-Vaamonde C. 2011. Increased gene sampling provides stronger support for higher-level groups within gracillariid leaf mining moths and relatives (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae). BMC Evolutionary Biology 11:182.
van Nieukerken, E. J., Kaila, L., Kitching, I. J., Kristensen, N. P., Lees, D. C., Minet, J., Mitter, C., Mutanen, M., Regier, J. C., Simonsen, T. J., Wahlberg, N., Yen, S.-H., Zahiri, R., Adamski, D., Baixeras, J., Bartsch, D., Bengtsson, B. Å., Brown, J. W., Bucheli, S. R., Davis, D. R., De Prins, J., De Prins, W., Epstein, M. E., Gentili-Poole, P., Gielis, C., Hättenschwiler, P., Hausmann, A., Holloway, J. D., Kallies, A., Karsholt, O., Kawahara, A., Koster, S. J. C., Kozlov, M., Lafontaine, J. D., Lamas, G., Landry, J.-F., Lee, S., Nuss, M., Penz, C., Rota, J., Schmidt, B. C., Schintlmeister, A., Sohn, J. C., Solis, M. A., Tarmann, G. M., Warren, A. D., Weller, S., Yakovlev, R., Zolotuhin, V. & Zwick, A. 2011. Animal biodiversity: An outline of higher-level classification and survey of taxonomic richness.Zootaxa 3148: 212-221.Zwick, A., J. C. Regier, C. Mitter, M. P. Cummings. 2011. Increased gene sampling yields robust support for higher-level clades within Bombycoidea (Lepidoptera). Systematic Entomology 36: 31–43.
Regier, J.C., A. Zwick, M. P.Cummings, A. Y. Kawahara, S. Cho, S. Weller, A. Roe, J. Baixeras, J. W. Brown, C. Parr, D. R. Davis, M. Epstein, W. Hallwachs, A. Hausmann, D. H. Janzen, I. J. Kitching, M. A. Solis, S.-H. Yen, A. L. Bazinet, and C. Mitter. 2009. Toward reconstructing the evolution of advanced moths and butterflies (Lepidoptera: Ditrysia): an initial molecular study. BMC Evolutionary Biology 9: 280Winkler, I.S., C. Mitter, and S. Scheffer. 2009. Repeated climate-linked host shifts promoted diversification in a temperate clade of leafmining flies (Diptera: Agromyzidae). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences106:18103-18108.
Kawahara, A. Y., A. A. Mignault, J. C. Regier, I. J. Kitching and C. Mitter. 2009. Phylogeny and biogeography of hawkmoths (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae): evidence from five nuclear genes. PLoS One 4(5): e5719.
Winker, I. S., S. Scheffer and C. Mitter. 2009. Molecular phylogeny and systematics in leafmining flies (Diptera: Agromyzidae): Delimitation of Phytomyza Fallén sensu lato and its species groups, with new insights on genitalic and host-use evolution. Systematic Entomology 34: 260-292
Cho, S., A. Mitchell, C. Mitter, J. Regier, M. Matthews and R. Robertson. 2008. Molecular phylogenetics of heliothine moths (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Heliothinae), with comments on the evolution of host range and pest status. Systematic Entomology 49: 581-594
Davis, S.R., P. Gentili-Poole and C. Mitter. 2008. A revision of the Cossulinae of Costa Rica and cladistic analysis of the world species (Lepidoptera: Cossidae). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 154: 222–277.
Regier, J.C., C.P. Cook, C. Mitter, and A. Hussey. 2008. A phylogenetic study of the "bombycoid complex" (Lepidoptera) using five protein-coding nuclear genes, with comments on the problem of macrolepidopteran phylogeny. Systematic Entomology 33: 175-189.
Regier, J. C., M.C. Grant, R.S. Peigler, C. Mitter, C. P. Cook, and R. Rougerie. 2008. Phylogenetic relationships of wild silkmoths (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) inferred from four protein-coding nuclear genes. Systematic Entomology 33: 219-228.
Winkler, I. S., and C. Mitter. 2008. The phylogenetic dimension of insect/plant interactions: a summary of recent evidence. Pp.240-263 In: K. Tillmon, ed., Specialization, Speciation, and Radiation: The Evolutionary Biology of Herbivorous Insects. University of California Press. Insect/Plant Meta-Phylogenetics Web Page- includes chapter
Desjardins, C. A., J. C. Regier, and C. Mitter. 2007. Phylogeny of pteromalid parasitic wasps (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae): Initial evidence from four protein-coding nuclear genes. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 45: 454-469.
Mitchell, A., C. Mitter and J.C. Regier. 2006. Systematics and evolution of the cutworm moths (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae): evidence from two protein-coding nuclear genes. Systematic Entomology 31: 21- 46.
Regier, J. C., U. Paukstadt, L. Paukstadt, C. Mitter and R. S. Peigler. 2005. Phylogenetics of eggshell morphogenesis in Antheraea (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae): Unique origin and repeated reduction of the aeropyle crown. Systematic Biology 54: 254-267.
Fagan, W. F., E. Siemann, C. Mitter, R. F. Denno, A. F. Huberty, H. A. Woods, and J. J. Elser. 2002. Nitrogen in insects: Implications for trophic complexity and species diversification. American Naturalist 160: 784-802.
Regier, J.C., C. Mitter, R. S. Peigler, and T. P. Friedlander. 2002. Monophyly, composition and tribal relationships of Saturniinae (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae): Evidence from two nuclear genes. Insect Systematics and Evolution 33: 9-21.
Regier, J. C., C. Mitter, T. P. Friedlander, and R. S. Peigler. 2001. Phylogenetic relationships and evolution of hostplant use in Sphingidae (Lepidoptera): Initial evidence from two nuclear genes. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 20:311-325.
Yang, M., C. Mitter, and D. R. Miller. 2001. First incidence of inquilinism in galling psyllids, with a description of the new inquiline species (Insecta, Hemiptera, Psylloidea, Psyllidae, Spondyliaspidinae). Zoologica Scripta 30: 97-113.
Mitchell, A., C. Mitter, and J. C. Regier. 2000. More taxa or more characters revisited: combining data from nuclear protein-encoding genes for phylogenetic analyses of Noctuoidea (Insecta: Lepidoptera). Systematic Biology 49: 202-224.
Wiegmann, B.M., C. Mitter, J. C. Regier, T. P. Friedlander, D. M. Wagner, and E. S. Nielsen. 2000. Nuclear genes resolve Mesozoic-aged divergences in the insect order Lepidoptera. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 15: 242-259.
Regier, J. C., C. Mitter, R. S. Peigler, and T. P. Friedlander. 2000. Phylogenetic relationships in Lasiocampidae (Lepidoptera): initial evidence from elongation factor-1α sequences. Journal of Insect Systematics and Evolution 31: 179-186.
Powell, J.A., C. Mitter and B.D. Farrell. 1998. Evolution of larval feeding habits in Lepidoptera. In: N. P. Kristensen, ed., Handbook of Zoology. Lepidoptera, Volume 1: Systematics and Evolution.
Farrell, B.D., and C. Mitter. 1998. The timing of insect/plant diversification: Might Tetraopes (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) and Asclepias (Asclepiadaceae) have co-evolved? Biol. J. Linn. Soc. 63: 553-577.
Friedlander, T.P., K.R. Horst, J.C. Regier, C. Mitter, R.S. Peigler, and Q.Q. Fang. 1998. Two nuclear genes yield concordant relationships within Attacini (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae). Mol. Phyl. Evol. 9: 131-140.
Regier, J. C., Q. Q. Fang, C. Mitter, R. S. Peigler, T. P. Friedlander, and M. A. Solis. 1998. Evolution and phylogenetic utility of the period gene in Lepidoptera. Molecular Biology and Evolution 15: 1172-1182.
Fang, Q., S. Cho, J. Regier, C. Mitter, M. Matthews, R. Poole, T. Friedlander, and S. Zhao. 1997. A new nuclear gene for insect phylogenetics: Dopa decarboxylase is informative of relationships within Heliothinae (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Systematic Biology 46: 269-283.
Cho, S., Mitchell, A., Regier, J.C., Mitter, C., Poole, R.W., Friedlander, T.P., and Zhao, S. 1995. A highly conserved nuclear gene for low-level phylogenetics: Elongation factor-1 alpha recovers morphology-based tree for heliothine moths. Mol. Biol. Evol. 12:650-656.
Wiegmann, B.M., C. Mitter, and B. Farrell. 1993. Diversification of carnivorous parasitic insects: Extraordinary radiation, or specialized dead end? American Naturalist 142:737-754.
Poole, R.W.,C. Mitter and M. Huettel. 1993. A revision and cladistic analysis of the Heliothis virescens group (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) with a preliminary morphometric analysis of H. virescens. Miss. Agric. For. Exp. Stn. Bull. Miss. Entomol. Mus. Ser. 4:1-51. Mitter, C., and B.D. Farrell. 1991. Macroevolutionary aspects of insect/plant interactions. pp. 35-78, In Insect/Plant Interactions, vol. 3, E. Bernays, ed. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
Mitter, C., B. Farrell, and B. Wiegmann. 1988. The phylogenetic study of adaptive radiation: Has phytophagy promoted insect diversification? The American Naturalist 132:107-128.
Awards
- Graduate Faculty Mentor of the Year, 2010
B.S., Stanford University, 1970 (Biological Sciences)
Ph.D., Stony Brook University, 1977 (Biological Sciences)
