David J. Hafner, Ph.D.
Curator of Vertebrate Zoology
Email: David Hafner
Dr. David Hafner (top left) with field team in Mexico.
Dave Hafner, PhD, Chair of the Science Division and Curator of Vertebrates at the Museum since 1983, has studied the evolution of small mammals of western North America since 1975. His research projects on the evolution of Nearctic pikas and of the North American regional deserts have been supported by multiple grants from the National Science Foundation since 1987. Working with Drs. Brett Riddle (UNLV) and Fernando Cervantes (UNAM), Dave is currently examining the evolutionary relationships among a variety of animals restricted to the North American deserts. The team uses molecular data from the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) to construct "family trees" for each group. The common branching patterns among these trees allow them to correlate branching sequences with known geological and climatological events of the region. The ultimate goal of this research is to reconstruct the evolutionary history of the North American regional deserts.
As a member of the Species Survival Commission of the World Conservation Union (IUCN), Dave works to promote the conservation of North American rodents, and is also closely involved in conservation efforts dealing with islands in the Sea of Cortez, Mexico. He leads Museum Foundation-sponsored trips for the public on sea-kayak and whale-watching trips to the Baja California Peninsula, where the public can witness first-hand the beauty and threats in the area. He previously led trips to Costa Rica (where he worked annually for 11 years) and to the Galapagos Islands through the Foundation's Explorations travel program.
Selected Publications
Hafner, D.J., M.S. Hafner, G.L. Hasty, T.A. Spradling, and J.W. Demastes. in review. "Evolutionary relationship of pocket gophers (Cratogeomys castanops species group) of the Mexican Altiplano": Journal of Mammalogy.
Vazquez, E., and Hafner, D.J. (eds.) 2006, "Genetica y mamiferos mexicanos: presente y future": New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science Bulletin, vol.32, pp.1-73.
Hafner, D.J., and B.R. Riddle. 2005, "Mammalian phylogeography and evolutionary history of northern Mexico's deserts": Pp. 225-245, in: Biodiversity, ecosystems, and conservation in northern Mexico (J-L. E. Cartron, G. Ceballos, and R.S. Felger, eds.). Oxford University Press.
Hafner, D.J., B.R. Riddle, and S.T. Alvarez-Castaneda. 2001, "Evolutionary relationships of white-footed mice (Peromyscus) on islands in the Sea of Cortez, Mexico": Journal of Mammalogy, vol.82, pp.775-790.
Riddle, B.R., D.J. Hafner, L.F. Alexander, and J.R. Jaeger. 2000, "Cryptic vicariance in the historical assembly of a Baja California peninsular desert biota": Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, U.S.A., vol.97 pp.14438-14443.
Hafner, D.J., E. Yensen, and G. Kirkland, Jr., eds. 1998, "North American rodents: status survey and conservation action plan": IUCN/SSC Rodent Specialist Group, IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK, x + 171 pp.
Hafner, D.J., and B.R. Riddle. 1997. "Biogeography of Baja California Peninsular Desert mammals: in Life among the muses": papers in honor of James S. Findley (T.L. Yates, W.L. Gannon, and D.E. Wilson, eds.). Special Publication, Museum of Southwestern Biology, University of New Mexico, vol.3, pp.39-65.
Hafner, D.J., and R.M. Sullivan. 1995, "Historical and ecological biogeography of Nearctic pikas (Lagomorpha: Ochotonidae)": Journal of Mammalogy, vol.76, pp.302-321.
