Melissa Sanchez Herrera
PhD in Ecology and Evolution
PostDoc University of Alabama
Research Associate 2022-2024
AMNH Division of Invertebrate Zoology
Member of @ENTOPOC
President Dragonfly Society of the Americas (2021-2023)
Publications
Luna N, G. Herrerra, M, Muñoz, M. Sánchez-Herrera and others, Geography shapes the microbial community in Heliconius butterflies, FEMS Microbiology Ecology, Volume 99, Issue 4, April 2023, fiad028, https://doi.org/10.1093/femsec/fiad028
Khazan, E, M.P, Salazar Sastoque*, A. Brown, C. Salazar, M. Sánchez-Herrera. Abdominal microbiome composition and variation of two Heliconius species (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) in the Colombian Andes. Tropical Lepidoptera Research. 33(2): 70-76, 2023.
Sáenz-Oviedo, M; W.R, Kuhn, J. Abbott; J, Ware; M. Sanchez Herrera. (2022) Are wing contours good classifiers for automatic identification in Odonata? A view from the Targeted Odonata Wing Digitization (TOWD) project. International Journal of Odonatology, 25, 96–106 doi:10.48156/1388.2022.1917184
Manpreet K. Kohli, Marie Djernæs, Melissa Sanchez-Herrera, Göran Sahlén, Erik Pilgrim, Thomas Simonsen, Kent Olsen, Jessica L. Ware. Comparative phylogeography uncovers evolutionary past of Holarctic dragonflies. PeerJ 9:e11338 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.11338
Vanessa Amaya-Vallejo, Cornelio Bota-Sierra, Rodolfo Novelo-Gutiérrez, Melissa Sanchez-Herrera. "Two new species of Archaeopodagrion (Odonata, Philogeniidae) from the western foothills of the Tropical Andes, with biological observations and distributional records." ZooKeys. 10.3897/zookeys.1036.64230
Bybee, S.M., Kalkman, V.J., Erickson, R.J., Frandsen, P.B., Breinholt, J.W., Suvorov, A., Dijkstra, K.-D.B., Cordero-Rivera, A., Skevington, J.H., Abbott, J.C., Sanchez Herrera, M., Lemmon, A.R., Moriarty Lemmon, E. & Ware, J.L. Phylogeny and classification of Odonata using targeted genomics. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution (2021)160, 107115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2021.107115
Fabian C Salgado-Roa, Andres Gamez, Melissa Sanchez-Herrera, Carolina Pardo-Díaz, Camilo Salazar, Divergence promoted by the northern Andes in the giant fishing spider Ancylometes bogotensis (Araneae: Ctenidae), Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, Volume 132, Issue 3, March 2021, Pages 495–508, https://doi.org/10.1093/biolinnean/blaa220
Melissa Sánchez-Herrera, Christopher Beatty, Renato Nunes, Camilo Salazar, Jessica L. Ware. An exploration of the complex biogeographical history of the Neotropical banner-wing damselflies (Odonata: Polythoridae). BMC Evolutionary Biology 20, 74 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-020-01638-z
Valentina Caicedo-Garzón, Fabian C. Salgado-Roa, Melissa Sánchez-Herrera, Carolina Hernández, Luisa María Arias-Giraldo, Lineth García, Gustavo Vallejo, Omar Cantillo, Catalina Tovar, Joao Aristeu da Rosa, Hernán Carrasco, Maikell Segovia, CamiloSalazar, Juan David Ramírez. Genetic diversification of Panstrongylus geniculatus (Reduviidae: Triatominae) in northern South America. PLoS ONE 14(10):e0223963.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0223963
Carolina Pardo-Diaz, Alejandro Lopera Toro , Sergio A Peña Tovar, Rodrigo Sarmiento-Garcés, Melissa Sanchez Herrera, Camilo Salazar. 2019. Taxonomic reassessment of the genus Dichotomius (Coleoptera: Scarabaeinae) through integrative taxonomy. PeerJ 7:e7332 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.733
Adolfo Cordero–Rivera, Iago Sanmartín–Villar, Melissa Sánchez Herrera, Anais Rivas–Torres, Andrea Encalada, 2019. Survival and longevity in neotropical damselflies (Odonata, Polythoridae). Animal Biodiversity and Conservation, 42.2: 293–300, https://doi.org/10.32800/abc.2019.42.0293
Cornelio Bota, Melissa Sánchez Herrera, Fredy Palacino. Odonata from protected areas in Colombia with new records and description of Cora verapax sp. nov. (Zygoptera: Polythoridae). 2018. Zootaxa. 4462 (1): 115–131. http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4462.1.5
Christopher Beatty, Melissa Sánchez Herrera, Jeffrey H. Skevington, Arash Rashed, Hans van Gossum, Scott Kelso, Thomas Sherrat. Biogeography and systematics of endemic island damselflies: The Nesobasis and Melanesobasis (Odonata: Zygoptera) of Fiji. Ecology and Evolution. 7:7117-7129. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.3175
Melissa Sánchez Herrera, Christopher Beatty, Renato Nunes, Emilio Realpe, Camilo Salazar and Jessica L. Ware. A molecular systematic analysis of the Neotropical banner winged damselfies (Polythoridae: Odonata. Systematic Entomology. In press, 2017. DOI: 10.1111/syen.12249
Melissa Sánchez Herrera, William R Kuhn, Maria Olalla Lorenzo-Carballa, Kathleen M Harding, Nikole Ankrom, Thomas N Sherratt, Joachim Hoffmann, Hans Van Gossum, Jessica L Ware, Adolfo Cordero-Rivera, Christopher D Beatty: Mixed Signals? Morphological and Molecular Evidence Suggest a Color Polymorphism in Some Neotropical Polythore Damselflies. PLoS ONE 04/2015; 10(4): e0125074. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0125074
Jessica L. Ware, Christopher D. Beatty, Melissa Sánchez Herrera, Steve Valley, Jim Johnson, Cary Kerst, Michael L. May, Gunther Theischinger: The petaltail dragonflies (Odonata: Petaluridae): Mesozoic habitat specialists that survive to the modern day. Journal of Biogeography 05/2014; 41(7). DOI:10.1111/jbi.12273
Melissa Sánchez Herrera, Emilio Realpe, Camilo Salazar: A neotropical polymorphic damselfly shows poor congruence between genetic and traditional morphological characters in Odonata. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 11/2010; 57(2):912-7. DOI:10.1016/j.ympev.2010.08.016
Melissa Sánchez-Herrera, Emilio Realpe: Population structure of Polythore procera at a Colombian stream (Odonata: Polythoridae). International Journal of Odonatology 04/2010; 13(1):27-37. DOI:10.1080/13887890.2010.9748358
Nancy Rojas-Riaño, Melissa Sánchez Herrera.2009. New Records of Acanthagrion (Odonata: Coenagrionidae) from Colombia. Bulletin of American Odonatology. 11(1) 17-19.
Book Chapters
Sánchez-Guillen, R.A, Vega-Sánchez Y, Sánchez-Herrera, M. Genetic structure, cryptic species and hybridization: causes and evolutionary consequences. 2022 Chapter 9.2. Dragonflies and Damselflies: Model Organisms for Ecological and Evolutionary Research. Oxford University Press. ISBN: 9780192898623
Sánchez-Herrera M, Y, Vega-Sánchez, C. Beatty, M. Kohli. Phylogeography: a historical perspective on odonate distributions. 2022. Chapter 22. Dragonflies and Damselflies: Model Organisms for Ecological and Evolutionary Research. Oxford University Press. ISBN: 9780192898623
Jessica Ware, Melissa Sánchez-Herrera: Biogeography of dragonflies and damselflies: the highly mobile predators. Global Advances in Biogeography, 03/2012; ISBN: 978-953-51-0454-4
Notes Science Communication
Dominic A Evangelista, Aaron Goodman, Manpreet K Kohli, Stephanie S T Bondocgawa Maflamills, Michelle Samuel-Foo, Melissa Sanchez Herrera, Jessica L Ware, Megan Wilson, Why Diversity Matters Among Those Who Study Diversity, American Entomologist, Volume 66, Issue 3, Fall 2020, Pages 42–49, https://doi.org/10.1093/ae/tmaa037
Sánchez-Herrera M, Amaya, V & Mongui, J.P. 2020. Fishing dragons in Colombia! A collecting daydreaming during COVID-19 times. Agrion, Covid-19 Special Issue - Volume 24, Number 2. 139-143.
Ian Biazzo, Godfrey R Bourne, Dominic Evangelista, Joseph Evangelista, V. Funk, Melissa Sánchez-Herrera, C. Kelloff, Manpreet K Kohli, William Robert Kuhn, Nicole Sroczynski, Jessica L Ware: Guyana Days: Collecting in the Northern Guyana Shield. Argia, DSA Newsletter.
Outreach and Education
Videos
Las libélulas: Una conexión entre el agua y el aire.
Siguiendo los pasos evolutivos de una libélula con alas coloridas. Con Melissa Sánchez, PhD
BioBus Student Town Hall: Dragonflies
Interviews - Podcasts
How One Entomologist Brings a Passion for Science Back to Her Home Country. Entomology Today. Available from: https://entomologytoday.org/2021/03/30/entomologist-science-colombia-melissa-sanchez-herrera-standout-early-career-professional/ (April 5, 2021)
BugTalk. Ep. 29: Entomologists of Color (EntoPOC). https://bugtalk.buzzsprout.com/911479/5347555-ep-29-entomologists-of-color-entopoc