Talitta Simoes

Talitta Simoes is a Researcher at the Smithsonian Institution, affiliated with the National Museum of Natural History, where she provides research and collections support for Dr. Scott Miller’s projects, including food webs in Papua New Guinea and DNA barcode library building for Lepidoptera.

Education:

• Ph.D., Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Brazil
• M.Sc., Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Brazil
• B.S., Faculdades Integradas de Cataguases, Brazil

Her research focuses on the symbiotic relationships between ants of the subtribe Attina, their mutualistic fungus, and other nest symbionts such as Escovopsis (Ascomycota: Pezizomycotina: Hypocreales) and black yeasts (Ascomycota: Chaetothyriales, Capnodiales, Venturiaceae). This work integrates entomology, mycology, and ecological symbiosis studies, with broader implications for microbial ecology and evolutionary biology.

Simoes’ contributions to DNA barcoding and food web analysis highlight her role in advancing biodiversity research and molecular taxonomy within the Lepidoptera department.