Pacheco Da Silva, Vitor

Research interests

Insects are a group of great importance from both an ecological and anthropocentric perspective, and they constitute the most diverse biological group. Among them, scale insects (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha) represent a particularly interesting model for ecological and evolutionary studies due to their complex interactions with plants and other insects. Additionally, they play a key role in agroecosystems, where many species act as pests. Since my PhD (2012–2016), I have conducted research at various institutions in Brazil, France, Turkey, and more recently, Uruguay, using scale insects as a study model in areas such as taxonomy, DNA barcoding, phylogeny, and pest management, with a particular focus on their parasitoids (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae). My main contributions have been related to the description of the diversity of scale insects and their parasitoids, as well as the clarification of the group's phylogeny.

Working area

Entomology, taxonomy, zoology