Mario Cupello

Areas of Expertise

• Systematics and evolution of scarab beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea) of the world
•  Curation, history, expansion, and accessibility of entomological collections
•  Field exploration

Professional Summary

Mario Cupello, Ph.D., is the Assistant Curator at the TAMU Insect Collection. In this capacity, he assists the Curator, Prof. John Oswald, in caring for, expanding, studying, databasing, and making available to the entomological community our more than 3 million specimens of insects and arachnids from around the globe. He is also responsible for training both undergraduate and graduate students in curatorial practices and entomological research. Prospective visitors, borrowers, researchers, students, and members of the general public are encouraged to reach out to him with inquiries related to our collection. Beyond his curatorial activities, Dr. Cupello is a prominent specialist in the beetles of the superfamily Scarabaeoidea, commonly known as scarabs, and has authored more than 40 scientific papers on the group. His main contributions include the discovery of more than 60 new species of dung beetles, as well as conceptual and empirical advancements in areas such as sexual selection, adaptation, biogeography, and systematics. Dr. Cupello has done fieldwork throughout his native country, Brazil, and undertaken scientific research in more than 40 natural history museums across Europe, North America, and South America. He is also interested in the theoretical and historical basis of systematics and evolutionary biology and has been promoting the organization of a new integrative discipline for the study of species, Speciology. In 2025, he was elected to serve an 18-year term on the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature, the 130-year-old international body responsible for governing the rules for naming animals and protozoans.