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蜜月直播
First-Year Application Deadline
Don't miss your chance to apply to Marist and join the Red Fox Family!
鈥 Early Decision II and Regular Decision: Sunday, Feb. 15蜜月直播
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Academics
First-Year Application Deadline
Don't miss your chance to apply to Marist and join the Red Fox Family!
鈥 Early Decision II and Regular Decision: Sunday, Feb. 15Academics
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Admission & Financial Aid
First-Year Application Deadline
Don't miss your chance to apply to Marist and join the Red Fox Family!
鈥 Early Decision II and Regular Decision: Sunday, Feb. 15Admission & Financial Aid
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Student Life
First-Year Application Deadline
Don't miss your chance to apply to Marist and join the Red Fox Family!
鈥 Early Decision II and Regular Decision: Sunday, Feb. 15Student Life
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Dr. Luis Espinasa
Associate Professor of Biology
Bio
I was born in Mexico, where I did my BA in Biology. I did my PhD in New York and since then I have for the most part remained in this country. My main teaching responsibility at Marist University is the course of Genetics. My area of expertise is cave biology, paleontology, and nicoletiid insect taxonomy. I am thoroughly involved in student collaborative scholarship. Throughout my career, I have published 53 articles with my students as authors or coauthors. Much of my work takes place in the field. I am also the director of the Marist Hiking Group, an informal group where faculty and students go hiking on the weekends to appreciate nature. My hobbies are hiking, caving, white water caving, rock climbing, and almost any outdoor activity. I am the father of two kids, one of whom graduated from Marist.
Education
Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Maryland at College Park
PhD, Biology, New York University, New York, NY
BS, National University of Mexico (UNAM), Mexico City
Research Interests / Areas of Focus
Cave Biology, evolution of blindness and depigmentation, taxonomy of nicoletiid insects, and fossils of Pleistocene megafauna found in caves.
Selected Publications
Espinasa. L. Espinasa, J, and Casta帽eda, O. (2025) Winter survival strategies of cave-adapted amphipods in the Ice Caves of Sam鈥檚 Point area of Minnewaska State Park Preserve, NY, USA. Subterranean Biology 53: 103鈥117 (2025) doi: 10.3897/subtbiol.53.157293
Espinasa-Pere帽a, R., Espinasa-Diamant, S., Diamant, R., McDonald, H.G., Soriano, J. A., and Espinasa, L. (2024). Discovery of a Pleistocene megafaunal assemblage in a cave in Sierra de El Abra, San Luis Potos铆, Mexico. Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Geol贸gicas 41(3): 206鈥220. http://dx.doi. org/10.22201/igc.20072902e.2024.3.1828
Espinasa, L., Tatarsky, R.L., Girard, M.K., Sandone, M., R茅taux, S., and Espinasa, J. (2024) Population Size and Spatial Distribution of the Mexican Blind Cavefish (Astyanax) within the Caves. Fishes 9: 334. https:// doi.org/10.3390/fishes9090334
Espinasa, J. and Espinasa, L (2024) Cavefish dorsoventral axis angle during wall swimming: laterality asymmetry. Subterranean Biology 49: 19鈥29. doi: 10.3897/subtbiol.49.121747
Espinasa, L., Gutierrez, A., Hinkle, A., and Niemiller, M. L. (2024) A new genus and species of nicoletiid silverfish (Insecta: Zygentoma: Nicoletiidae) from caves of northern Alabama, USA. Subterranean Biology 49: 1鈥17. doi: 10.3897/subtbiol.49.119986
Espinasa, L., Gutierrez, A., and Szentesi, R. A. (2024) Two new species of Nicoletiid (Zygentoma) insects: Cave-adapted Nicoletiid insect dispersal in two karstic regions from Mexico. Trends in Entomology 19: 141-153.
Policarpo, M., Legendre, L., Germon, I., Espinasa, L., R茅taux, S., Casane, D. and Lafargeas, P. (2024) The nature and distribution of non-functional alleles suggest only two independent events at the origins of Astyanax mexicanus cavefish populations. BMC Ecology and Evolution 24(41): 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-024-02226-1
Legendre, L., Rode, J., Germon, I., Pavie, M., Quiviger, C., Policarpo, M., Leclercq, J., P猫re, S., Fumey, J., Hyacinthe, C. and Ornelas-Garc铆a, P., (2023) Genetic identification and reiterated captures suggest that the Astyanax mexicanus El Pach贸n cavefish population is closed and declining. Zoological research 44(4): 701.
Espinasa, L. and Lewis, K. (2023) Eye convergence is evoked during larval prey capture (LPC) without visual stimulus and in blind cavefish. Subterranean Biology 46: 46-60.
Espinasa, L. and Pech, A. (2023) Biogeographical affinities of the aquatic community of Refugio Cave, a newly discovered Astyanax cave. Subterranean Biology 46: 77-86.
Legendre, L., Espinasa, L., Lacaille-M煤zquiz, J-L., Alaniz-Garf铆a, G., Ornelas-Garc铆a, P., R茅taux, S. (2023) First record of a freshwater cave sponge (Porifera, unknown gen. and sp.) in a cave inhabited by Astyanax cavefish in the Sierra de El Abra, San Luis Potos铆, Mexico. Subterranean Biology 45: 187-198. https://doi.org/10.3897/subtbiol.45.105323
Legendre, L., Rode, J., Germon, I., Pavie, M., Quiviger, C., Policarpo, M., Leclercq, J., P猫re, S., Fumey, J., Hyacinthe, C., Ornelas-Garc铆a, P., Espinasa, L., R茅taux, S., Casane, D (2023) Genetic identification and reiterated captures suggest that the Astyanax mexicanus El Pach贸n cavefish population is closed and declining. Zoological Research 44(4): 701-711. doi: 10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2022.481
Espinasa, L., Diamant, R., Vinepinsky, E. and Espinasa, M. (2023) Evolutionary modifications of Astyanax larval prey capture (LPC) in a dark environment. Zoological Research 44(4): 750-760. doi: 10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2022.466
Espinasa, L., Rohner, N., and R茅taux, S. (2023) Reproductive seasonality of Astyanax mexicanus cavefish. Zoological Research 44(4): 698-700. doi: 10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2022.164
Espinasa, L., Sprous, P., Posso, K., Mitchell, A., Espinasa, M. and Lin, J. (2023) Miocene divergence for Texoreddellia? An important component of the cave-adapted fauna of Texas and northern Mexico. Zootaxa 5256 (3): 267鈥278. doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5256.3.3
Rams茅s Miranda-Gamboa, R., Espinasa, L., Verde-Ram铆rez, M. A., Hern谩ndez-Lozano, J., Lacaille, J. L., Espinasa, M., and Ornelas-Garc铆a, C. P. (2023) A new cave population of Astyanax mexicanus from Northern Sierra de El Abra, Tamaulipas, M茅xico. Subterranean Biology 45: 95鈥117 doi: 10.3897/subtbiol.45.98434
Espinasa, L., Pavie, M. and R茅taux, S. (2023) Protocol for lens removal in embryonic fish and its application on the developmental effects of eye regression. Subterranean Biology, 45: 39-52. doi: 10.3897/subtbiol.45.96963
Espinasa, L. and Smith G. B. (2023) 鈥淣icoletia鈥 tergata Mills, 1940 rediscovered in Florida and confirmed as the first species of the Coletiniinae (Zygentoma: Nicoletiidae) in North America. Zootaxa 5228 (3): 337鈥350.
Espinasa, L., Diamant, R., Mesquita, M., Lindquist, J. M., Powers, A. M., and Helmreich, J. (2022) Laterality in cavefish: Left or right foraging behavior in Astyanax mexicanus. Subterranean Biology 44: 123-138.
Espinasa, L., Collins, E., Garc铆a, C.P.O., R茅taux, S., Rohner, N. and Rutkowski, J. (2022) Divergent evolutionary pathways for aggression and territoriality in Astyanax cavefish. Subterranean Biology 43: 169-183.
Espinasa, L., Smith, D. M., and Lindquist, J. M. (2021). The Pennsylvania grotto sculpin: population genetics. Subterranean Biology 38: 47-63
Espinasa, L., Heintz, C., R茅taux, S., Yoshisawa, M., Agn猫s, F., Ornelas鈥怗arcia, P., and Balogh鈥怰obinson, R. (2020). Vibration Attraction Response (VAB) is a plastic trait in Blind Mexican tetra (Astyanax mexicanus), variable within subpopulations inhabiting the same cave. Journal of Fish Biology 10: 1-13 doi.org/10.1111/jfb.14586
Espinasa, L., Ornelas-Garc铆a,C. P., Legendre, L., R茅taux, S., Best, A., Gamboa-Miranda, R., Espinosa-P茅rez, H., and Sprouse, P. (2020) Discovery of two New Localities of Astyanax Cavefish Plus Revision of its Biogeography. Diversity 12: 368 DOI: 10.3390/d12100368
Molero-Baltanas, R., Espinasa, L., and Gaju-Ricart, M. (2019) The genus Anelpistina (Insecta, Zygentoma, Nicoletiidae) in Puerto Rico, with description of a new species. Neotropical Entomology 42(4): 1-11.
Espinasa, L. and Coppola, J. (2019) Cave Astyanax: Hunters or scavengers? Evidence from gut contents. Speleobiology Notes 10:28-37.
Espinasa, L., Ch谩vez Sol铆s, E. M., Mascar贸, M., Rosas, C., Simoes, N., and Violette, G. (2019) A new locality and phylogeny of the stygobitic Typhlatya shrimps for the Yucatan Peninsula. Speleobiology Notes 10:19-27.
Smith, G. B., Mitchell, A., Lee, T. R. C. and Espinasa, L. (2019) DNA Barcoding and Integrative Taxonomy of the Heterolepisma sclerophylla species complex (Zygentoma: Lepismatidae: Heterolepismatinae) and the Description of Two New Species. Records of the Australian Museum 71 (1): 1鈥32. https://doi.org/10.3853/j.2201-4349.71.2019.1677
Herman, A., Brandvain, Y., Weagley, J., Jeffery, W.R., Keene, A.C., Kono, T.J.Y., Biland啪ija, H., Borowsky, R.. Espinasa, L.. O'Quin, K., Ornelas-Garc铆a, C.P., Yoshizawa, M., Carlson, B., Maldonado, E., Gross, J.B., Cartwright, R.A., Rohner, N., Warren, W.C., and McGaugh. S.E. (2018) The role of gene flow in rapid and repeated evolution of cave related traits in Mexican tetra, Astyanax mexicanus. Molecular Ecology 27(22): 4397-4416. https://doi.org/10.1101/335182
Espinasa, L., Robinson, J., and Espinasa, M. (2018) Mc1r gene in Astroblepus pholeter and Astyanax mexicanus: Convergent regressive evolution of pigmentation across cavefish species. Developmental Biology 441: 305-310.
Espinasa, L., Hoese, G., Toulkeridis, T., and Toomey, R. (2018) Corroboration that theMc1r Gly/Ser mutation correlates with the phenotypic expression of pigmentation in Astroblepus. Developmental Biology 441: 311-312.
Blin, M., Tine, E., Meister, L., Elipot, Y., Bibliowicz, J., Espinasa, L., and R茅taux, S. (2018) Developmental evolution and developmental plasticity of the olfactory epithelium and olfactory skills in Mexican cavefish. Developmental Biology 441: 242-251.
Espinasa, L., Robinson, J., Soares, D., Hoese, G., Toulkeridis, T., and Toomey, R. (2018) Troglomorphic features of Astroblepus pholeter, a cavefish from Ecuador, and possible introgressive hybridization. Subterranean Biology 27:17-29.
Kopp, J., Avasthi, S., and Espinasa, L. (2018) Phylogeographical convergence between Astyanax cavefish and mysid shrimps in the Sierra de El Abra, Mexico. Subterranean Biology 26: 39-53.
Espinasa, L., Legendre, L., Fumey, F., Blin, M., R茅taux, S., and Espinasa, M. (2018) A new cave locality for Astyanax cavefish in Sierra de El Abra, Mexico. Subterranean Biology 26: 39-53.
Gross, J. B., Weagley, J., Stahl, B.A., Ma, L., Espinasa, L., and McGaugh, S.E. (2018) A local duplication of Melanocortin receptor 1 locus in Astyanax. Genome. Ecological and Evolutionary Genomics Special Issue. 1-12.
Simon, V., Elleboode, R., Mah茅, K., Legendre, L., Ornelas鈥慓arcia, P., Espinasa, L., and R茅taux, S., (2017) Comparing growth in surface and cave morphs of the species Astyanax mexicanus: Insights from scales. EvoDevo 8(23): 1-13.
Espinasa, L., Christoforides, S., and Morfessis, S. E. (2017) Sequence analyses of the 16S rRNA of epigean and hypogean diplurans in the Jumandi Cave area, Ecuador. Speleobiology Notes 9:18-22.
Espinasa, L., Sloat S. A., Parker, K., and Robinson, J. (2017) A new cave population of catfish from Mexico. What鈥檚 on their menu? Frog legs. Speleobiology Notes 9: 1-10.
Espinasa, L., Bonaroti, N., Wong, J., Pottin, K., Queinnec, E., and R茅taux, S. (2017) Contrasting feeding habits of post-larval and adult Astyanax cavefish. Subterranean Biology 21: 1-17.
Espinasa, L., Collins, E., Finocchiaro, A., Kopp, K., Robinson, J., and Rutkowski, J. (2016) Incipient regressive evolution of the circadian rhythms of a cave amphipod. Subterranean Biology 20: 1-13.
Espinasa L., Parker K., and Sloat S. A. (2016) Identification of a new population of Anelpistina inappendicata (Insecta: Zygentoma: Nicoletiidae). Speleobiology Notes 8: 10鈥15.
Espinasa, L., Bartolo, N. D., Centone, D. M., Haruta, C. S., and Reddell, J. R. (2016) Revision of genus Texoreddellia Wygodzinsky, 1973 (Hexapoda, Zygentoma, Nicoletiidae), a prominent element of the cave-adapted fauna of Texas. Zootaxa 4126(2): 221-239.
Awards and Honors
Student award for Faculty of the year for the School of Science
"Best in Show" for the movie/documentary of Crypt of the Megafauna at the NSS convention