About

Cristian Beza-Beza is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Entomology at the University of Minnesota. He was born in La Ermita, Chiquimula, Guatemala, where he developed a deep love for nature and biodiversity. He completed his biology degree at Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, followed by a Master’s degree at Wichita State University and a Ph.D. at the University of Memphis. His educational work has successfully resolved long-standing taxonomic issues, contributed to understanding the temporal and geographical history of bess beetles (Coleoptera: Passalidae), and shed light on biogeographic patterns in the New World. Cristian’s research focuses on insect evolution and systematics, particularly how biogeography and trophic specialization drive insect diversification in beetles. His work integrates morphological, ecological, and molecular data, and he is passionate about increasing accessibility to biological information and mentoring future scientists. He has investigated the evolutionary origins of the bess beetle fauna of the West Indies and led phylogenetic research on the evolution of parasitism in blow flies, focusing on their microbiomes. Beyond research, Cristian is a dedicated educator with extensive experience in collection management, taxonomy, and using museum specimens for research, and has taught multiple courses in the United States, Guatemala, and Colombia.

Research topics

• Biology
• Botany
• Ecology
• Geography
• Chemistry
• Biochemistry
• Archaeology

Selected publications

• Phylogeny of the genus Yumtaax Boucher (Coleoptera, Passalidae, Proculini): Taxonomic and evolutionary implications with descriptions of three new species

  The Catalogue of Life · 2026-02-16

  datasetOpen access1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Blow fly larvae socially integrate termite nests through morphological and chemical mimicry

  Current Biology · 2025-02-10 · 1 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Phylogenomics and the evolution of larval feeding habits in the blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae)

  Systematic Entomology · 2025-12-12 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Abstract Blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) occur worldwide and exhibit a wide range of larval feeding habits, including saprophagy, coprophagy, parasitism and predation. Understanding their biology is critical for medical and veterinary science and ecology. Calliphorids thrive across a range of habitats and exhibit complex life histories, with larvae developing immersed in their food substrate, while adults are free‐living and have diverse feeding strategies. Some species have evolved specialized parasitic associations with vertebrate or invertebrate hosts, which are behaviors with important implications for agriculture and for understanding evolutionary transitions between saprophagy and parasitism. This study presents a comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of the Calliphoridae, utilizing 711 of 736 analysed nuclear genes, using anchored hybrid enrichment, from a global collection of blow flies and their relatives. Our results provide a robust and novel reconstruction of the evolutionary history of this group, pinpointing major transitions in larval feeding habits. We argue that saprophagy evolved independently multiple times from invertebrate parasitic ancestors, with vertebrate parasitism emerging from a number of different feeding strategies. These findings challenge prior hypotheses and offer new insights into the adaptive traits driving trophic specialization and diversification in this group.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Chewing through challenges: Exploring the evolutionary pathways to wood‐feeding in insects

  BioEssays · 2024-03-27 · 4 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Decaying wood, while an abundant and stable resource, presents considerable nutritional challenges due to its structural rigidity, chemical recalcitrance, and low nitrogen content. Despite these challenges, certain insect lineages have successfully evolved saproxylophagy (consuming and deriving sustenance from decaying wood), impacting nutrient recycling in ecosystems and carbon sequestration dynamics. This study explores the uneven phylogenetic distribution of saproxylophagy across insects and delves into the evolutionary origins of this trait in disparate insect orders. Employing a comprehensive analysis of gut microbiome data, from both saproxylophagous insects and their non-saproxylophagous relatives, including new data from unexplored wood-feeding insects, this Hypothesis paper discusses the broader phylogenetic context and potential adaptations necessary for this dietary specialization. The study proposes the "Detritivore-First Hypothesis," suggesting an evolutionary pathway to saproxylophagy through detritivory, and highlights the critical role of symbiotic gut microbiomes in the digestion of decaying wood.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Wood fibers are a crucial microhabitat for cellulose- and xylan- degrading bacteria in the hindgut of the wood-feeding beetle Odontotaenius disjunctus

  Frontiers in Microbiology · 2023 · 19 citations

  • Biology
  • Ecology
  • Botany

  Introduction: Wood digestion in insects relies on the maintenance of a mosaic of numerous microhabitats, each colonized by distinct microbiomes. Understanding the division of digestive labor between these microhabitats- is central to understanding the physiology and evolution of symbiotic wood digestion. A microhabitat that has emerged to be of direct relevance to the process of lignocellulose digestion is the surface of ingested plant material. Wood particles in the guts of some termites are colonized by a specialized bacterial fiber-digesting microbiome, but whether this represents a widespread strategy among insect lineages that have independently evolved wood-feeding remains an open question. Methods: . We developed a Percoll-based centrifugation method to isolate and enrich the wood particles from the anterior hindgut, allowing us to access the wood fibers and their associated microbiome. We then performed assays of enzyme activity and used short-read and long-read amplicon sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene to identify the composition of the fiber-associated microbiome. Results: . Discussion: , compared to termites, highlights the diverse evolutionary paths insects have taken to adapt to a challenging diet.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Replicate Studies Separated by 40 Years Reveal Changes in the Altitudinal Stratification of Montane Passalid Beetle Species (Passalidae) in Mesoamerica

  Diversity · 2023-02-21 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Two patterns are apparent in the altitudinal distribution of Neotropical passalid beetles: (a) species that occur only in lowland forest habitats but have broad geographic distributions, and (b) montane endemic species with relatively limited distributions. The transition zone between these distributions in upper Mesoamerica occurs, on average, at approximately 1500 m above sea level (a.s.l.). We studied the altitudinal stratification of passalid beetle communities living on two volcanoes in Guatemala (Atitlan and Santa Maria), revisiting a study conducted in 1981 by MacVean and Schuster. We collected passalid beetles at the same study sites and compared the community composition along the altitudinal gradient. We collected all but one of the species reported by MacVean and Schuster and found three additional species. We observed two key differences in the passalid communities observed in 1981 versus the present: (a) for the Atitlan site, the species’ turnover line from lowland to montane species shifted from 1600 to 1800 m a.s.l.; and (b) in both volcanoes, we collected passalid beetles well above 2700 m a.s.l., which was the upper limit at which they were found in 1981. Both observations are consistent with a shift of the passalid beetle community to higher elevations, perhaps in response to changes in local climate/habitat conditions, including increased temperatures and changes in forest composition.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Chewing Through Challenges: Exploring the Evolutionary Pathways to Wood-Feeding in Insects

  bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · 2023-12-28

  preprintOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Abstract Decaying wood, while an abundant and stable resource, presents considerable nutritional challenges due to its structural rigidity, chemical recalcitrance, and low nitrogen content. Despite these challenges, certain insect lineages have successfully evolved saproxylophagy (consuming and deriving sustenance from decaying wood), impacting nutrient recycling in ecosystems and carbon sequestration dynamics. This study explores the uneven phylogenetic distribution of saproxylophagy across insects and delves into the evolutionary origins of this trait in disparate insect orders. Employing a comprehensive analysis of gut microbiome data, encompassing both previously published datasets and newly generated data, from both saproxylophagous insects and their non-saproxylophagous relatives, this Hypothesis paper discusses the broader phylogenetic context and potential morphological, physiological, and symbiotic adaptations necessary for this dietary specialization. The study proposes the “Detritivore-First Hypothesis,” suggesting an evolutionary pathway to saproxylophagy through detritivory, and highlights the critical role of symbiotic gut microbiomes in the digestion of decaying wood. The article aims to provide a deeper understanding of the macroevolutionary landscape and mechanisms underpinning the multiple origins and distribution of saproxylophagy in insects.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Phylogeny of the Neotropical wood degrading beetles (Scarabaeoidea: Passalidae) of the tribe Passalini, inferred from molecular and morphological data

  Insect Systematics & Evolution · 2022-08-29 · 3 citations

  article

  Abstract Passalini comprises 209 species divided into six genera. To date there is no published work that addresses the phylogenetic relationships among the genera of Passalini. Additionally, the monophyly of Passalus , the largest genus of the tribe (81% of its species) is contested. We performed a phylogenetic analysis based on morphological data and partial sequence of the 16S ribosomal subunit, to elucidate the relationships among the genera of Passalini, and test their monophyly. Of the genera for which we tested their monophyly, Passalus was the only genus found to be non-monophyletic, the same occurred for the subgenera Passalus ( Passalus ) and Passalus ( Pertinax ). The results indicated the subgenus Pertinax is divided into at least four distinct lineages, one of them corresponding to Rodocanthopus ; thus, we propose the revalidation of Rhodocanthopus Kaup, 1869.

  PublisherDOI

• Phylogeny of the Neotropical wood degrading beetles (Scarabaeoidea: Passalidae) of the tribe Passalini, inferred from molecular and morphological data

  Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2022-07-13

  datasetOpen accessSenior author

  Analysis input matrices, configuration files, logs, and output for phylogenetic analysis of the manuscript: Phylogeny of the Neotropical wood degrading beetles (Scarabaeoidea: Passalidae) of the tribe Passalini, inferred from molecular and morphological data

  PublisherDOI

• Phylogeny of the Neotropical wood degrading beetles (Scarabaeoidea: Passalidae) of the tribe Passalini, inferred from molecular and morphological data

  Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2022-07-13

  datasetOpen accessSenior author

  Analysis input matrices, configuration files, logs, and output for phylogenetic analysis of the manuscript: Phylogeny of the Neotropical wood degrading beetles (Scarabaeoidea: Passalidae) of the tribe Passalini, inferred from molecular and morphological data

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Duane D. McKenna

  University of Memphis

  9 shared

• Larry Jiménez‐Ferbans

  University of Magdalena

  8 shared

• Hermes E. Escalona

  Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation

  7 shared

• Pedro Reyes‐Castillo

  Instituto de Ecología

  6 shared

• Mary Liz Jameson

  Wichita State University

  6 shared

• Dave Clarke

  University of Memphis

  5 shared

• Evgeny V. Yan

  Institute of Paleontology A A Borisyak

  5 shared

• Erin D. Scully

  5 shared

Education

• Ph.D., Biological Sciences

  University of Memphis

  2019

• Master of Science, Biological Sciences

  Wichita State University

  2013

• Licentiate Degree, Biología

  Universidad del Valle de Guatemala

  2009

• B. S. , Biología

  Universidad del Valle de Guatemala

  2008