Leblanc, Luc

Manoukis, Nicholas C.

Mau, Ronald F.L.

Stark, John D.

English

ScholarSpace at University of Hawai'i at Manoa

	 	 vIn MemoriamRoger Irvin Vargas (1947–2018)	 On	July	10,	2018,	Roger	Vargas	passed	away	suddenly,	and	the	entomology	world	lost	one	of	its	greatest	and	most	beloved	scientists.	Roger	spent	the	majority	of	his	career	working	 on	Tephritid	 fruit	 flies,	many	of	which	are	the	most	economically	damaging	pests	in	the	world.	His	areas	of	expertise	were	 integrated	 pest	manage-ment,	 insect	 ecology,	biological	 control,	crop	 protection,	 insect	mass	 rearing,	demography,	 trapping,	 and	 toxicology.	Roger	was	widely	regarded	as	the	world’s	greatest	 fruit	fly	ecologist.	His	over-40-year	record	of	research	on	fruit	flies	was	truly	outstanding:	He	published	over	240	scientific	papers,	won	many	awards,	and	was	awarded	patents	for	his	work	on	fruit	fly	rearing.	His	research	productivity	was	considerable,	as	demonstrated	 in	a	2018	IAEA/APHIS	survey	ranking	him	number	four	worldwide	 for	 number	 of	 fruit	 fly	publications.	A	complete	 list	 of	Roger’s	publications	is	available	online	at	http://hdl.handle.net/10125/59374.		 Roger	was	born	 in	Long	Beach,	Cali-fornia,	and	grew	up	nearby	in	Riverside.	He	attended	the	University	of	California	Riverside,	where	he	played	 football	as	a	running	back,	and	received	a	bachelor’s	de- gree	in	oceanography	in	1969.	He	received	a	master’s	 degree	 in	 zoology	 from	San	Diego	State	University	in	1974,	moved	to	Honolulu,	and	enrolled	in	a	Ph.D.	program	at	the	University	of	Hawaii’s	Department	of	Entomology.	Under	the	guidance	of	Dr.	Toshiyuki	Nishida	he	received	his	doctor-ate	in	1979	and	was	hired	by	the	USDA’s	Agricultural	Research	Service	in	Manoa,	on	Oahu.	Roger	initially	worked	on	fruit	fly	mass	rearing,	developing	new	fruit	fly	mass	rearing	procedures.	He	received	patents	for	his	work	on	rearing,	producing	flies	used	in	sterile	release	programs.	Roger	became	the	Research	Leader	of	the	Rearing,	Radia-tion,	and	Genetics	Unit	from	1986	to	1990,	after	which	he	moved	to	Hawaii	island	and	worked	 at	 the	USDA-ARS	Hilo	 labora-tory	for	the	rest	of	his	career.	Roger	was	in	great	demand	for	his	expertise	and	was	constantly	 traveling	around	 the	world	 to	work	with	governments	on	developing	and	improving	fruit	fly	control,	particularly	in	the	tropical	and	semitropical	regions	where	fruit	flies	are	economically	important.		 Throughout	 his	 career,	 Roger	 dem-onstrated	 a	 high	 degree	 of	 insight	 and	originality,	 as	 evidenced	 by	 his	 numer-ous	 achievements	 and	awards	 (Table	1).	vi	He	developed	 new	 and	 alternative	 fruit	fly	mass-rearing	 procedures	 (egging,	larval	recovery,	and	pupation),	including	a	patented	cage	and	egg	harvest	 system	capable	 of	 providing	 1	 billion	 eggs	 per	week,	which	could	be	applied	to	the	Medi-terranean	 fruit	 fly	 (Ceratitis capitata)	and	three	Bactrocera	species.	This	novel	approach	was	implemented	in	the	APHIS	Hawaii	Sterile	Fruit	Fly	Rearing	Facility	that	produced	300–500	million	fruit	flies	per	week	for	the	U.S.	mainland	eradication	programs	for	over	10	years.	He	also	led	research	in	the	development	of	improved	low-cost	diets	for	mass-rearing	facilities	in	Mexico,	Guatemala,	and	Hawaii,	includ-ing	specialized	diets	and	rearing	methods	for	mass	production	of	Malaysian	fruit	fly	(Bactrocera latifrons)	in	Hawaii.	 Using	mass	rearing	data,	Roger	devel-oped	comparative	models	to	characterize	life	history,	survival,	and	demographics	of	wild	and	laboratory	lines	of	four	species	of	fruit	flies	and	their	parasitoids.	His	work	on	Tephritid	demography	was	essential	for	the	development	of	area-wide	suppression	of	fruit	flies	and	early	detection	and	effec-tive	eradication	of	invasive	populations.		 Roger	also	provided	invaluable	contri-butions	to	the	development	and	improve-ment	of	field	suppression	and	eradication	for	 invasive	 fruit	 flies,	 starting	with	 an	area-wide	 SIT	 demonstration	 test	 on	Kauai	island	as	part	of	a	pilot	eradication	program	in	the	1980s.	From	2002	to	2009	he	coordinated	the	highly	successful	na-tional	program	known	as	the	Area-Wide	Integrated	 Pest	Management	 of	 Fruit	Table 1.	Significant	awards	and	recognition	given	to	Roger	Vargas	since	2000.2000	 Fellowship	Award:	Agriculture	Western	Australia’s	visiting	Specialist.May	2004	 Team	recipient	of	the	Federal	Laboratories	Consortium	Award	for	Tech-nology	Transfer	for	the	impacts	made	by	the	Hawaii	AWPM	ProgramJune	2004	 USDA	Award	for	Superior	Service.	Hawaii	Fruit	Fly	AWPM	Core	Team.	“For	creating	an	effective	area-wide	suppression	program	for	fruit	flies	in	Hawaii	which	provides	the	basis	for	a	sustainable	rural	economy.”June	2004	 Entomological	Society	of	America,	Pacific	Branch	Award	for	Team	IPM	AccomplishmentsNov.	2004	 Entomological	Society	of	America	Entomological	Foundation	Integrated	Pest	Management	Team	AwardFeb.	2005	 USDA-ARS	Technology	Transfer	Award.	Hawaii	Fruit	Fly	AWPM	Core	Team2005	 Hawaii	House	of	Representatives	Recognition	Award	for	Hawaii	Fruit	Fly	AWPM	ProgramApril	2006	 Fifth	National	IPM	Symposium.	IPM	Achievement	Award	WinnerMarch	2009	 Elected	2010	President	of	the	Pacific	Branch	of	the	Entomological	Society	of	America	(2010–2011)March	2011	 Recognition	for	Outstanding	Service	(e.g.,	planning	and	organization	of	the	most	heavily	attended	Pacific	Branch	annual	meeting—396	registrations—in	history)	as	President	of	the	Pacific	Branch	of	the	Entomological	Society	of	AmericaFeb.	2012	 Hawaiian	Entomological	Society	Entomologist	of	the	Year	(2011)June	2018	 Fiftieth	recipient	of	the	C.	W	Woodworth	Award	as	“Outstanding	Economic	Entomologist,”	Pacific	Branch	of	the	Entomological	Society	of	America	 	 viiFlies	in	Hawaiian	Fruits	and	Vegetables,	integrating	field	 sanitation,	 bait	 sprays,	and	male	annihilation	with	sterile	insect	and	augmentative	parasitoid	releases.	 In	partnership	with	the	industry,	his	contribu-tion	was	instrumental	in	developing	and	registering	 the	 spinosad-based	GF-120	Fruit	Fly	Bait.	Roger	 also	developed	or	tested	a	number	of	male	annihilation	bait	stations	as	replacements	of	the	traditional	organophosphate	cover	sprays	resulting	in	reductions	of	sprays	by	75–90%.	The	area-wide	program	was	nationally	recognized	with	 seven	major	 awards	 and	 received	acclaimed	 international	 attention,	with	technology	transfer	to	numerous	countries	in	Oceania,	Asia,	and	Africa.		 In	the	area	of	classical	biological	con-trol,	Roger	developed	a	cost-effective	and	sustainable	 biological	 control	 program	by	 introducing	 and	 establishing	 natural	enemies	of	oriental	 fruit	fly	into	French	Polynesia	 and	 evaluating	 their	 impact.	Establishment	of	Fopius arisanus reduced	oriental	fruit	fly	populations	by	as	much	as	85%	and	levels	of	fruit	infestations	by	as	much	as	90%	with	average	parasitism	rates	of	70%.	Establishment	of	F. arisa-nus in	French	Polynesia	became	the	most	successful	example	of	classical	biological	control	 of	 fruit	 flies	 in	 the	Pacific	 area	outside	of	Hawaii	and	served	as	a	model	for	the	subsequent	introduction	into	South	America	and	Africa	where	species	in	the	B. dorsalis complex	have	recently	become	established.	Roger	was	actively	engaged	in	the	effort	to	transfer	some	of	these	biologi-cal	control	agents	to	other	nations,	recently	including	Brazil,	Senegal,	and	Cameroon.	He	also	led	some	of	the	rare	research	on	parasitoid	wasp	 spatial	 dynamics	 in	 the	field,	as	well	as	detailed	measurements	of	parasitoid	effects	after	introduction.	 As	mentioned	 above,	Roger	was	 the	recipient	 of	many	 awards.	 In	 2018,	 he	won	 the	 C.W.	Woodworth	Award,	 the	highest	 honor	 of	 the	 Pacific	Branch	 of	the	Entomological	 Society	 of	America.	Furthermore,	he	served	as	President	of	the	Pacific	Branch	of	the	ESA	in	2011	and	ran	its	meeting	that	year	in	Hawaii.	 Roger	was	 a	 remarkably	 congenial,	kind,	and	generous	person.	He	was	dedi-cated	to	his	family	and	is	survived	by	his	wife	Kathy	 and	 daughters	Noelani	 and	Kela.	Roger	was	 unfailingly	 optimistic,	resilient,	and	an	invaluable	source	of	in-formation	on	fruit	flies,	ecology,	and	many	other	topics.	He	was	especially	generous	with	his	time;	despite	being	very	busy	with	research	and	travel,	he	was	always	willing	to	 help	 others	 and	did	 a	 lot	 to	 promote	the	 careers	 of	 young	 entomologists.	He	was	 laid-back	 and	 pleasant	 and	 nearly	all	who	met	him	became	instant	friends.	Roger	was	an	avid	surfer,	swimmer,	biker,	marathoner,	and	tri-athlete.	He	even	ran	the	Boston	and	Honolulu	marathons,	and	in	2005	notched	an	impressive	1hr	37	min	time	in	a	10-mile	race	in	Volcano,	Hawaii.	He	 is	 fondly	 remembered	by	 those	who	knew	him,	leaves	a	legacy	of	research	to	future	 fruit	 fly	 researchers,	 and	will	 be	greatly	missed.—John	D.	Stark1,	Luc	Leblanc2,	Ronald	F.L.	Mau3,	and	Nicholas	C.	Manoukis41Washington	State	University,	 Puyallup	Re-search	and	Extension	Center,	2606	W	Pioneer,	Puyallup,	Washington	98371.	2Department	of	Entomology,	Plant	Pathology	and	Nematology,	University	 of	 Idaho,	 875	Perimeter	Drive	MS	 2329,	Moscow,	 Idaho	83844-23293University	 of	Hawaii,	 College	 of	 Tropical	Agriculture	and	Human	Resources,	3050	Maile	Way,	Honolulu,	Hawaii,	96822-22714USDA	ARS,	US	Pacific	Basin	Agricultural	Research	Center,	64	Nowelo	St.,	Hilo,	Hawaii	96720

In memoriam: Roger Irvin Vargas (1947-2018)

http://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/bitstream/10125/59374/4/PHES50_v-vii.pdf

In memoriam: Roger Irvin Vargas (1947-2018)

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

ScholarSpace at University of Hawai'i at Manoa