Kathryn E. Perez, Ph.D.

Education

• Ph.D. Biological Sciences, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL.
• M.S. Biology, Angelo State University, San Angelo, TX.
• B.S. Biology, Angelo State University, San Angelo, TX.

Areas of Expertise

• Snail systematics and taxonomy
• Invertebrate Ecology and Evolution
• Biology / Evolution Education Research

Research

Understudied groups of animals like snails have significant gaps in our understanding of their diversity and biology. My work fills in these gaps by surveying for them in places they have not previously been discovered, describing the new species we encounter, and providing the evidence for effective conservation of these species. My recent work has largely deal with Texas taxa, examining diversity of land snails as well as freshwater spring and cave snails. However, I am also working on spring snails across the Western United States with projects circumscribing species in the hyper-diverse spring snail genus Pyrgulopsis.

Recent Publications

*indicates student co-author

Perez, K.E., M. Solis*, B.T. Hutchins, B. Schwartz. New species of Pyrgulopsis Call & Pilsbry, 1886 (Mollusca: Caenogastropoda: Hydrobiidae) from two Texas Trans-Pecos springs. Zootaxa 5213 (1): 064–074. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5213.1.4. 

Perez, K.E., Noreika, N.**, Norris, C., Kelly, M., Lopez, M*., Ortega, C.*, Ruiz Sandoval, S.*, Gonzalez, S.*, Nowlin, W. Population density and reproductive seasonality of Tryonia cheatumi (Gastropoda; Cochliopidae), the phantom tryonia. Freshwater Mollusk Biology and Conservation 25:82–90.

Perez, K.E., M. Spor Leal, H. Glover, R. Chastain, B.T. Hutchins, B. Schwartz. 2021. Two new species of Pyrgulopsis Call & Pilsbry, 1886 (Mollusca: Caenogastropoda: Hydrobiidae) from springs in the Rio Grande watershed in Texas. Zootaxa 5071(3): 384-402. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5071.3.5. 

Perez, K.E., M.A. Martinez Cruz**, B. Steury, G. Barker. 2021. A fresh start in ambersnail (Gastropoda: Succineidae) taxonomy: finding a foothold using a widespread species of Oxyloma. European Journal of Taxonomy 757(1): 102-126. https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2021.757.1419. 

Perez, K.E., B. Najev**, B. Christoffersen, J.C. Nekola. 2021. Biotic homogenization or riparian refugia? Urban and wild land snail assemblages along a subtropical precipitation gradient. Journal of Urban Ecology. 7(1):1-11. https://doi.org/10.1093/jue/juab002. 

Böhm, M., Dewhurst-Richman, N.I. Seddon, M., Albrecht, C., Allen, D., Bogan, A.E., Cummings, K., Darrigran, G., Darwall, W., Fehér, Z., Graf, D., Köhler, F., Lopes-Lima, M., Pastorino, G., Smith, K., van Damme, D., Vinarski, M., von Proschwitz, T., von Rintelen, T., Aldridge, D.C., Budha, P.B., Do, V.T., Haase, M., Johnson, P.D., Kebapçı, Ü., Madhyastha, N.A.A., Neubert, E., Prié, V., Radea, C., Son, M.O., Perez, K.E.+ 6 additional authors, Collen, B. 2021. The conservation status of the world’s freshwater molluscs. Hydrobiologia, 848: 3231–3254. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-020-04385-w.