Keith Philips

Associate Professor

Systematics and Evolution Laboratory
Department of Biology
Western Kentucky University

1906 College Heights Blvd.
Bowling Green , KY 42101
Office: (270) 745-3419 Lab: (270) 745- 2394
Fax: (270) 745-6856
email: Keith.Philips@wku.edu

Office Hours

CLASSES TAUGHT:

• Current Semester Courses
• Biol 113 General Biology for non-majors
• Biol 122 Biological Concepts: Evolution, diversity, and ecology
• Biol 224 General Zoology
• Biol 325 Insect Biodiversity
• Biol 522 Systematics and Evolution

RESEARCH INTERESTS:

Insect diversity, evolution, and conservation, especially in the Coleoptera, with emphasis on phylogenetics, ecology, biogeography, and behavior.  The two focal groups currently are spider beetles and dung beetles.

• Ghana Insect Project (GIP)– an NSF funded project to train students, survey the insect fauna of Ghana , and create a national insect collection at the University of Ghana .
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• Databases and geographic information systems and their use in the study of biological diversity.

Additional Projects:

• Evolutionary history of the oniticelline and onthophagine dung beetles.
• Evolutionary and ecological studies of dung beetles and spider beetles in Ghana .
• A book: Spider beetle genera of the world.
• Beetles associated with honey bee colonies in Zimbabwe .
• Biodiversity studies of the spider beetle fauna of southern Africa .
• New species of spider beetles from Dominican Republican amber.
• The effect of fire regime on beetles in oak savannahs in Wisconsin .
• Biogeography and new species of Canthochilum and Canthonella dung beetles in the West Indies (Scarabaeidae).
• Psephenidae or water penny beetle evolution.
• Aggregation of net-winged beetles and their mimics in South Africa .

GIP COLLABORATORS:

Dan Attuquayefio - University of Ghana

Millicent Cobblah – Collections Manager, University of Ghana
Henry Davies – Insect Curator, University of Ghana Insect Collection

Adrian Davis – University of Pretoria

Rosina Kyerematen – fresh water insect systematist, University of Ghana
Erasmus Henaku Owusu – Ghana Wildlife Society, Accra
Alfred Oteng Yeboah – Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research, Accra
Bruce and Jocelyn Gill – Agriculture Canada , Ottawa
Stewart and Jarmilla Peck – Carleton University, Ottawa
Jiri Hulcr – Michigan State University, East Lansing
Norman and Lucianna Johnson – Ohio State University

GRADUATE STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF GHANA :

Lily Paemka

- Dung beetle diversity of the Upper Guinean Forests of Ghana

-Population genetics of Heliocopris and Diastellopalpus species of Ghanaian dung beetles

  LAB MEMBERS at WKU:

POSTDOCS

Dr. Karen Bell (Post-Doc)

- Molecular phylogenetics of spider beetles and the Bostrichoidea
- Molecular phylogenetics of the Psephenidae
- Dung beetle diversity in Australia and Ghana
- New species of Diplocotidus (Ptinidae)

  Graduate Students:

Bradley Smith BS (current goal and location: MS - University of Florida )

- Phylogeny of the Belastomatidae of the world

Clement Akotsen MS (current goal and location: PhD - University of Auburn )

- A new genus and species of spider beetles
- Phylogeny of the “gibbiine” spider beetles

Jesus Orozco MS (current goal and location: PhD - Purdue University )

- Systematics of Cetoniinae beetles
- Phylogenetics and revision of Euphoria
- Scarabaeoidea larvae evolution
- Diversity of Fruit Chafers in Ghana
- Diversity of Cetoniinae in Colombia

Chris DeWildt  (Graduate)

- Cave faunas in Ghana

- Cave beetle ecology in Mammoth Cave National Park

Undergraduate Students:

• Aaron Carver

• Dara Carver

• Brent Collins

- Dung beetle diversity of the Upper Guinean Forests of Ghana

Doug Foster

- Dung beetle foragaing height in Ankasa , Ghana

Bonnie Newby

- Dung beetle diversity of the Upper Guinean Forests of Ghana

Brian Payne

- Dung beetle diversity of the Upper Guinean Forests of Ghana

Jenny Stovall

- Molecular phylogenetics of water penny beetles

Danah Whitley

John Wilson

  A little diversity from one of the planet’s spider beetle hotspots!

• New Mezium sp from southern Africa .