Daniel Molloy

Daniel Molloy became an adjunct professor with the Great Lakes Center in 2016. He is the founder and former director of the New York State Museum's Field Research Laboratory in Cambridge. In addition to his current research affiliations with the Great Lakes Center, SUNY University at Albany, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, he also directs Molloy & Associates, LLC – a consulting firm specializing in developing credible prevention, detection, rapid response, and eradication/control programs for dreissenids and other AIS. For more information, visit his website, www.danielpmolloy.com

Education

Ph.D., Entomology, State University of New York at Syracuse, 1977
M.S., Biology, Fordham University, 1971
B.S., Biology, Fordham University, 1969

Research Interests

Investigating the biology, ecology, and control of aquatic invasive species, especially zebra and quagga mussels; infectious diseases of aquatic invertebrates; evaluation of parasites and pathogens as biocontrol agents of pest aquatic invertebrates. Consulting projects specializing in the development of credible prevention, detection, rapid response, and eradication/control programs for aquatic invasive species, especially zebra and quagga mussels.

Major Research Successes:

• The Patent Inventor of the biological control method now being commercialized exclusively by Marrone Bio Innovations® under the product name Zequanox® - the first green biopesticide for the control of zebra/quagga mussels.
• A key research leader in North America whose pioneering laboratory and field trials with Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti) led to the commercialization of this bacterium by Valent BioSciences® under the product name VectoBac® - the first green biopesticide for the control of black flies.

Professional Appointments

2011 - Present: Affiliate Scientist - Aquatic Invasive Species Specialist, Illinois Natural History Survey; Adjunct Professor - State University of New York at Albany; Principal and Managing Director, Molloy & Associates, LLC; Museum Scientist Emeritus, New York State Museum
1976 - 2011: Founder & Director, New York State Museum Cambridge Field Research Laboratory

Recent publications

Molloy, D. P., Glockling, S. L., Siegfried, C. A., Beakes, G. W., James, T. Y., Mastitsky, S. E., Wurdak, E., Giamberini, L., Gaylo, M. J., and Nemeth, M. J. 2014. Aquastella gen. nov.: a new genus of saprolegniaceous oomycete rotifer parasites related to Aphanomyces, with unique sporangial outgrowths. Fungal Biology 118:544-558. Available online.

Molloy, D. P., Mayer, D. A., Giamberini, L., and Gaylo, M. J. 2013. Mode of action of Pseudomonas fluorescens strain CL145A, a lethal control agent of dreissenid mussels (Bivalvia: Dreissenidae). J. Invertebr. Pathol. 113(1):115-121.

Molloy, D. P., Mayer, D. A., Gaylo, M. J., Morse, J. T., Presti, K. T., Sawyko, P. M., Karatayev, A. Y., Burlakova, L. E., Laruelle, F., Nishikawa, K. C., Griffin, B. H. 2013. Pseudomonas fluorescens strain CL145A – A biopesticide for the control of zebra and quagga mussels (Bivalvia: Dreissenidae). J. Invertebr. Pathol. 113(1):104-114.

Minguez, L., Devin, S., Molloy, D. P., Guérold, F., and Giambérini, L. 2013. Occurrence of zebra mussel parasites: Modelling according to contamination in France and the USA. Environ. Pollut. 176:261- 266.

Molloy, D. P., Mayer, D. A., Gaylo, M. J., Burlakova, L. E., Karatayev, A. Y., Presti, K. T., Sawyko, P. M., Morse, J. T., Paul, E. A. 2013. Non-target trials with Pseudomonas fluorescens strain CL145A, a lethal control agent of dreissenid mussels (Bivalvia: Dreissenidae). Manag. Biol. Invasions 4(1):71-79. PDF (225KB)

Marescaux, J., Molloy, D. P., Giamberini, L., Albrecht, C., and Van Doninck, K. 2012. First records of the quagga mussel, Dreissena rostriformis bugensis (Andrusov 1897), in the Meuse River within France. BioInvasions Records 1(4):273–276. PDF (646KB)

Molloy, D. P., Giamberini, L., Stokes, N. A., Burreson, E. M., and Ovcharenko, M. A. 2012. Haplosporidium raabei n. sp. (Haplosporidia): A parasite of zebra mussels, Dreissena polymorpha (Pallas, 1771). Parasitology 139(4):463-477

Minguez, L., Molloy, D. P., Guérold, F., and Giambérini, L. 2011. Zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) parasites: Potentially useful bioindicators of freshwater quality? Water Res. 45:665-673.

Molloy, D. P., Giamberini, L., Burlakova, L. E., Karatayev, A. Y., Cryan, J. R., Trajanovski, S. L., and Trajanovska, S. P. 2010. Investigation of the endosymbionts of Dreissena stankovici with morphological and molecular confirmation of host species. Pages 227-237 in The Zebra Mussels in Europe (Van der Velde, G., Rajagopal, S., and Bij de Vaate, A., eds.). Backhuys Publishers, Leiden.

Mastitsky, S. E., Karatayev, A. Y., Burlakova, L. E., and Molloy, D. P. 2010. Parasites of exotic species in invaded areas: Does lower diversity mean lower epizootic impact? Divers. Distrib. 16:798–803.