Email:

psharmaSPAMFILTER@amnh.org

Phone:

(212) 769-5729

Research Interests

I am broadly interested in macroevolution, phylogenetics, biogeography, and morphological evolution. I presently work on gauging the effects of geological dynamism on phylogenies, particularly for lineages endemic to Southeast Asia and the Southwest Pacific. I address these questions through an increasingly powerful model system for biogeographical studies, Opiliones, the arachnid order commonly known as daddy-long-legs or harvestmen.

• Publications

  24. Riesgo, A., Novo, M.,Sharma, P.P., Peterson, M., Maldonado, M. & Giribet, G. (in review) Inferring the ancestral sexuality and reproductive condition in sponges (Porifera).

  23.Sharma, P.P., Schwager, E.E., Giribet, G., Jockusch, E.L. & Extavour, C.G. (in press) Distal-less and dachshund pattern both plesiomorphic and apomorphic structures in chelicerates: RNA interference in the harvestman Phalangium opilio (Opiliones). Evolution and Development.

  22. Riesgo, A., Andrade, S.C.S.,Sharma, P.P., Novo, M., Pérez-Porro, A.R., Vahtera, V., González, V.L., Kawauchi, G.Y. & Giribet, G. (2012) Comparative description of ten transcriptomes of newly sequenced invertebrates and efficiency estimation of genomic sampling in non-model taxa. Frontiers in Zoology 9: 33.

  21. Sharma, P.P., Schwager, E.E., Extavour, C.G. & Giribet, G. (in press) Evolution of the chelicera: a dachshund domain is retained in the deutocerebral appendage of Opiliones (Arthropoda, Chelicerata). Evolution and Development.

  20. Sharma, P.P., Schwager, E.E., Extavour, C.G. & Giribet, G. (2012) Hox gene expression in the harvestman Phalangium opilioreveals divergent patterning of the chelicerate opisthosoma. Evolution and Development 14: 450-463.

  19. Sharma, P.P., Gonzalez, V.L., Kawauchi, G.Y., Andrade, S.C.S., Guzmán, A., Collins, T.M., Glover, E.A., Harper, E.M., Healy, J.M., Mikkelsen, P.M., Taylor, J.D., Bieler, R. & Giribet, G. (2012) The case against mitochondrial gene phylogenies for inferring ancient relationships: phylogenetic analysis of four protein-encoding genes largely corroborates the traditional classification of Bivalvia (Mollusca). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 65: 64-74.

  18. Sharma, P.P. & Giribet, G. (2012) Out of the Neotropics: Late Cretaceous colonization of Australasia by American arthropods. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B: Biological Sciences 279: 3501-3509.

  17. Sharma, P.P., Buenavente, P.A.C., Clouse, R.M., Diesmos, A.C. & Giribet, G. (2012) Forgotten gods: Zalmoxidae of the Philippines and Borneo (Opiliones: Laniatores). Zootaxa 3280: 29-55.

  16. Sharma, P.P. (2012) New Australasian Zalmoxidae (Opiliones: Laniatores) and a new case of male polymorphism in Opiliones. Zootaxa 3236: 1-35.

  15. Kawauchi, G.Y., Sharma, P.P. & Giribet, G. (2012) Sipunculan phylogeny based on six genes, with a new classification and the descriptions of two new families. Zoologica Scripta 41: 186-210.

  14. Giribet, G., Sharma, P.P., Benavides, L.R., Boyer, S.L., Clouse, R.M., de Bivort, B.L., Kawauchi, G.Y., Murienne, J. & Schwendinger, P.J. (2012) Evolutionary and biogeographic history of the harvestman suborder Cyphophthalmi (Arachnida, Opiliones) – an ancient and global group of arachnids. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 105: 92-130.

  13. Sharma, P.P., Prieto, C.E. & Giribet, G. (2011) A new family of Laniatores (Arachnida: Opiliones) from the Afrotropics. Invertebrate Systematics 25: 143-154.

  12. Sharma, P.P. & Giribet, G. (2011) The evolutionary and biogeographic history of the armoured harvestmen—Laniatores phylogeny based on ten molecular markers, with the description of two new families of Opiliones (Arachnida). Invertebrate Systematics 25: 106-142.

  11. Sharma, P.P., Vahtera, V., Kawauchi, G. & Giribet, G. (2011) Running _WILD: The case for exploring mixed parameter sets in sensitivity analysis. Cladistics 27: 538-549.

  10. Sharma, P.P., Kury, A.B. & Giribet G. (2011) The Zalmoxidae (Arachnida: Opiliones: Laniatores) of the Paleotropics: a catalogue of Southeast Asian and Indo-Pacific species. Zootaxa 2972: 37-58.

  9. Giribet, G., Vogt, L., González, A.P., Sharma, P. & Kury, A.B. (2010) A multilocus approach to harvestmen (Arachnida: Opiliones) phylogeny with emphasis on biogeography and the systematics of Laniatores. Cladistics 26: 408-437.

  8. Sharma, P. & Giribet, G. (2009) Sandokanid phylogeny based on eight molecular markers—The evolution of a southeast Asian endemic family of Laniatores (Arachnida, Opiliones). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 52: 432-447.

  7. Sharma, P. & Giribet, G. (2009) A relict in New Caledonia: phylogenetic relationships of the family Troglosironidae (Opiliones: Cyphophthalmi). Cladistics 25: 279-294.

  6. Sharma, P., Karunarathna, I. & Giribet, G. (2009) On the endemic Sri Lankan genus Pettalus (Opiliones, Cyphophthalmi, Pettalidae) with the description of a new species and a discussion on the magnitude of its diversity. The Journal of Arachnology 37: 60-67.

  5. Sharma, P.P. & Giribet, G. (2009) The family Troglosironidae (Opiliones: Cyphophthalmi) of New Caledonia. In: Zoologia Neocaledonica 6, Systematics and Biodiversity in New Caledonia. Mémoirs du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle 196: 83-123.

  4. Giribet, G., Sharma, P.P. & Bastawade, D. (2007) A new genus and species of Cyphophthalmi (Arachnida, Opiliones) from the north-eastern states of India. Zoological Journal of the Linnaean Society 151: 663-670.

  3. Boyer, S.L., Clouse, R.M., Benavides, L.R., Sharma, P., Schwendinger, P.J., Karunarathna, I. & Giribet, G. (2007) Biogeography of the world: a case study of globally distributed arachnids. Journal of Biogeography 34: 2070-2085.

  2. Sharma, P. & Giribet, G. (2006) A new Pettalus species (Opiliones, Cyphophthalmi, Pettalidae) from Sri Lanka with a discussion on the evolution of eyes in Cyphophthalmi. The Journal of Arachnology 34: 331-341.

  1. Sharma, P. & Giribet, G. (2005) A new Troglosiro species (Opiliones, Cyphophthalmi, Troglosironidae) from New Caledonia. Zootaxa 1053: 47–60.