Hello! I’m a PhD student at the Universidade Estadual Paulista “Júlio de Mesquita Filho” (UNESP), Botucatu campus, Brazil. Since the beginning of my degree, I have been interested in taxonomic studies of parasitic copepods, particularly those in the family Ergasilidae. In addition to describing new taxa and redescribing known species, I have also dedicated myself to a better understanding of the evolutionary relationships within this complex family through the use/application of molecular and phylogenetic tools. The Ergasilidae is a species-rich cyclopoid family, containing over 270 species in 31 valid genera – i.e.: 19 of which occur exclusively in Brazil. Despite this diversity, only a small percentage of Brazilian fish has been studied in terms of their parasitic fauna, indicating that there is still enormous potential for discoveries in Brazil.

Beyond the Brazilian fauna, I have also been studying parasitic copepods of African fish. In 2023 I had the opportunity to undertake a one-year internship at the Water Research Group at North-West University (NWU) in Potchefstroom. During this period, we found four distinct ergasilid species parasitizing marine fish from the South African coast, one of which represents a putative new species of Paraergasilus Markevich, 1937 - which is currently being described! South Africa also harbors a rich fish fauna, and just like in Brazil, only a small proportion of these have had their parasite fauna assessed.

In 2022, I participated in the online conference of the ICOC and presented the preliminary results of my doctoral research. Although I gained valuable insights during that meeting, I was eagerly looking forward to attending the in-person conference in Hiroshima in 2024. During ICOC 2024 in Japan, I had the opportunity to meet several prominent researchers (both early-career and senior) in the field of Copepodology – many of whom I had previously known only by their surnames in academic papers. As I was nearing the end of my PhD, I presented a compilation of all the data obtained during my PhD in Brazil, along with data from my internship in South Africa. In my presentation, titled “Parasites from the South: Integrative Taxonomic Studies of Parasitic Copepods of Marine and Freshwater Fishes from Brazil and South Africa”, I discussed the description of two new ergasilid species, the redescription of three others, and the discovery of new parasite-host relationships between parasitic copepods and fishes from both Brazil and South Africa.
Being chosen as one of the best oral presentations at ICOC 2024 was incredibly significant for me! Receiving such an award at the largest copepod conference in the world, attended by several renowned researchers in this field – many of whom served as examiners for this award – made me realize that I need to believe in myself and my research even more. This recognition encourages me to work even harder on my research with parasitic copepods and gives me the confidence to undertake even more comprehensive studies in the future.