Prof David Mifsud

Prof David Mifsud

Associate Professor, Institute of Earth Systems

EDUCATION
2002: Awarded Fellowship degree by the Royal Entomological Society, London, UK.
1999: Awarded Fellowship degree by the Linnean Society, London, UK.
1998 – 2001: University of Basel, Switzerland, Ph.D. (Zoology). Dissertation title: Jumping plant-lice of the Paurocephalinae (Insecta, Hemiptera, Psylloidea): systematics and phylogeny, with a revision of the Old World genus Paurocephala. v + 111 pp. + 58 pls. Grade: Cum Laude.
1994 – 1997: University of Malta, M.Sc. (Biology). Dissertation title: The Jumping Plant-lice (Hemiptera: Psylloidea) of the Maltese Islands. vii + 84 pp. Grade: Distinction.
1990 – 1993: University of Malta, B.Sc. (Biology & Chemistry). Dissertation title: The Whiteflies (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) and their Parasitoids in the Maltese Islands. vii + 118 pp. a book entitled Managing Complications in Glaucoma Surgery, published by Springer Publishers.

LECTURING EXPERIENCE
2014 – to date: Resident Academic Senior Lecturer in Crop Sciences and Food Technology in Rural Sciences and Food Systems, Institute of Earth Systems, University of Malta.
2012 – to date: Lectures on Integrated Pest Management (IPM) to M.Sc. students in Sustainable Heritage, UCL Centre for Sustainable Heritage, University of London at Heritage Malta premises in Malta.
2012: Appointed as coordinating lecturer for 4 ECTS on the apiculture industry and honey quality under Unit TTC 2315 – Culinary Techniques for the Institute for Tourism, Travel and Culture (ITTC), University of Malta.
2011 – 2012: Provided lectures to M.Sc. students in Sustainable Environmental Resources Management, James Madison University, Virginia, USA at the Old University, Valletta, Malta.
November 2007 – February 2009 – March 2013: Lecturer, Senior Lecturer I and Senior Lecturer II respectively in Biology, University of Malta, Junior College, Msida, Malta.
2004 – 2010: Part-time lecturing on beekeeping, honey quality, olive cultivation and olive oil making at the Agribusiness Institute of the Malta College for Arts, Sciences and Technology (MCAST).
2004 – to date: Coordinated and provided regular talks and field work to members of the Entomological Society of Malta (ESM) and the Association of Maltese Apiculturists (AMA). Talks and activities mainly focused on insect-plant interactions, beekeeping and honey making.
2001 – to date: Plant parasitology lectures (BIO 3022 – 2 ECTS) to B.Sc. (Hons) 3rd Year students, Department of Biology, University of Malta. Developed and updated lecture notes related to plant health and assessment material for over 300 students.

The endemic honey bee

Selected Publications:

  • Farrugia, A.L. & Mifsud, D. (2016) First record of Pachycrepoideus vindemiae (Rondani, 1875) from Malta (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae). Bulletin of the Entomological Society of Malta, 8: 77-78.
  • Liston, A.D. & Mifsud, D. (2016) First record of the sawfly family Xyelidae from Malta (Hymenoptera). Bulletin of the Entomological Society of Malta, 8: 35-38.
  • Meixner, M., Zammit Mangion, M., Mifsud, D. & Sammut, S. (2016) Apis mellifera ruttneri: morphometric and mtDNA baseline data for conservation efforts in the Maltese Islands. Apidologie.
  • Mifsud, D. (2016) A second Palaearctic record of Monoxia obesula Blake, 1939 (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae). Bulletin of Insectology, 69 (1): 159-160.
  • Mifsud, D. (2016) Rediscovery of the Rosa sempervirens gall in the Maltese Islands. Bulletin of the Entomological Society of Malta, 8:39-45.
  • Mifsud, D. & Olmi, M. (2016) Anteon ephippiger (Dalman) – a new dryinid record for the Maltese entomofauna (Hymenoptera: Dryinidae). Bulletin of the Entomological Society of Malta, 8: 73-74.
  • Sabella, G. & Mifsud, D. (2016) The pselaphines of the Maltese archipelago (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae). Bulletin of the Entomological Society of Malta, 8: 7-34.
  • Carapezza, A. & Mifsud, D. (2015) New records of true bugs (Hemiptera, Heteroptera) from the Maltese Islands. Bulletin of the Entomological Society of Malta, 7: 27-50.
  • Ferrer-Suay, M., Mifsud, D., Selfa, J., Pujade-Villar, J. & Starý, P. (2015) First records of Charipinae (Hymenoptera, Cynipoidea, Figitidae) aphid hyperparasitoids from Malta. Bulletin of the Entomological Society of Malta, 7: 13-25.
  • Rakhshani, E., Starý, P., Tomanović, Z. & Mifsud, D. (2015) Aphidiinae (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) aphid parasitoids of Malta: review and key to species. Bulletin of the Entomological Society of Malta, 7: 121-137.
  • Zoltán, V., Mifsud, D. & Broad, G.R. (2015) New records of ichneumon wasps (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae) from Malta. Bulletin of the Entomological Society of Malta, 7: 139-142.
  • Cocquempot, C. & Mifsud, D. (2013) First European interception of the brown fir longhorn beetle, Callidiellum villosulum (Fairmaire, 1900) (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae). Bulletin of the Entomological Society of Malta, 6: 143-147.
  • Gambin, C., Lanfranco, E. & Mifsud, D. (2013) Pollen characterisation of Maltese honey. Xjenza, 1 (2): 33-46.
  • Mifsud, D. & Pérez Hidalgo, N. (2013) Cinara tujafilina (del Guercio, 1909) – a new aphid record for Malta (Aphididae, Lachninae). Bulletin of the Entomological Society of Malta, 6: 149-150.
  • Mifsud, D., Zammit, M. & Starý, P. (2013) Further contributions to the tritrophic plant-aphidparasitoid associations in Malta with special reference to Aphis nerii (Hemiptera, Aphidoidea) as a prevalent refugium of Aphidiinae (Hymenoptera, Braconidae). Bulletin of the Entomological Society of Malta, 6: 129-135.
  • Stanković, S., Starý, P. & Mifsud, D. (2013) Aphids and their parasitoids on the Canary grass, Phalaris canariensis in Malta (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Aphidiinae). Bulletin of the Entomological Society of Malta, 6: 137-141.
  • Vovlas, A., Malumphy, C. & Mifsud, D. (2013) Pittosporum pit scale, Planchonia arabidis (Hemiptera: Asterolecaniidae) and its leaf galls induced on Pittosporum tobira in southern Italy. Xjenza, 1 (1): 11-15.
  • D’Urso, V. & Mifsud, D. (2012) A preliminary account of the Auchenorrhyncha (Hemiptera) of the Maltese Islands. Bulletin of the Entomological Society of Malta, 5: 57-72.
  • Gatt, P. & Mifsud, D. (2012) Milichiella lacteipennis (Loew, 1866) (Diptera: Milichiidae) is associated with beeswax. Bulletin of the Entomological Society of Malta, 5: 165-167.
  • Lillig, M., Borg Barthet, H. & Mifsud, D. (2012) An identification and informative guide to the Tenebrionidae (Coleoptera) of Malta. Bulletin of the Entomological Society of Malta, 5: 121-160.
  • Lillig, M., Mifsud, D. & Grimm, R. (2012) Faunistic and taxonomic updates on the Tenebrionidae (Coleoptera) of Malta. Bulletin of the Entomological Society of Malta, 5: 111-119.
  • Malumphy, C. & Mifsud, D. (2012) Faunal review of the whiteflies (Hemiptera, Aleyrodidae) of the Maltese Archipelago. Bulletin of the Entomological Society of Malta, 5: 35-47.
  • Mifsud, D. (2012a) Leptocybe invasa Fisher & La Salle, 2004 and Ophelimus maskelli Haliday, 1844 – two new records of gall forming Eulophidae from Malta (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea). Bulletin of the Entomological Society of Malta, 5: 189-193.
  • Mifsud, D. (2012b) Altica ampelophaga Guérin-Méneville, 1858 – new record of Flea Beetle for Malta (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae). Bulletin of the Entomological Society of Malta, 5: 185-187.
  • Mifsud, D. (2012c) Syrphophilus bizonarius (Gravenhorst, 1829) (Hymenoptera) – new to Malta, with a revised check-list of the Ichneumonidae of the Maltese Islands. Bulletin of the Entomological Society of Malta, 5: 179-183.