I have been the Insect Division Collection Manager at the UMMZ since 1981. I'm responsible for collection maintenance, curation, specimen preparation, loans, exchanges and Insect Division data resources. I have over 30 years of experience as an entomologist, and have worked on the biology of various sand wasps, forest entomology, and more recently, dragonflies. My expertise has been in the area of insect natural history, and the biology and distribution of Hymenoptera and Odonata in Michigan. My interest continues in the documentation of adventive species in Michigan, especially Hymenoptera.

I have served on several Michigan DNR committees to review threatened and endangered species. I have been a member of the Michigan Entomological Society since 1981, served as president twice, and was editor of the Great Lakes Entomologist for 10 years. I currently serve as the MES wbmaster.

I also coordinate the Michigan Odonata Survey. The MOS has been in existence since 1997, and with over 27,000 database records, thousands of new locality records, over 10 species added to the state list, and hundreds of hours of fieldwork, the time has come for the definitive catalog of Michigan Odonata. It is coming along slowly, but Julie Craves and I are collaborating on the Michigan Odonata Atlas, which we hope to have finished by early 2014. You can check on our progress here: Michigan Odonata Atlas

Michigan Odonotes is the blog I maintain on my activities with Michigan Odonata and anything related that's happening at the UMMZ.

When I'm not being an entomologist, I am a photographer, and have been exhibited in 9 shows since 2007. You can see more of my photography on Flickr. My photography blog might interest you too. I was also a board member of the Michigan Photographic Historical Society for 5 years.

Complete List of Publications

Address

Room 2053 Insect Division
Museum of Zoology
1109 Geddes Avenue
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1079

phone: 734-647-2199
fax: 734-763-4080

Recent Publications

2003. The Odonata of the Huron Mountains, Marquette County, Michigan. Bulletin of American Odonatology 7(1):1-22 (O'Brien, M.F., E. Bright and M.A. Kielb). [PDF]
2003. An annotated list of the name-bearing types of species-group names in Odonata preserved in the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology. Occasional Papers Mus. of Zool. Univ. Mich. 736:73 pp. (R.W. Garrison, N. von Ellenrieder, M.F. O'Brien).
2006. Bug Blogs. Newsl. Michigan Entomol. Soc. 51(3&4):2,8.
2006. Michigan Odonata Checklist. Newsl. Michigan Entomol. Soc. 51(3&4):6-7.
2007. Isodontia elegans now in Michigan (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae: Sphecinae). Great Lakes Entomol. 39 (1&2):94-96. (M.F. O'Brien and J. A. Craves). [PDF]
2008. Megachile sculpturalis Smith - A new bee for Michigan (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae). Newsletter Mich. Entomol. Soc. 53 (1&2):4. (M.F. O'Brien & J.A. Craves)
2008. Notes on Dianthidium simile (Cresson) (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) in Michigan. Great Lakes Entomol. 40 (1&2): 23-28. [PDF]
2008. A significant new Hine's Emerald record for Michigan. Argia 20(3):28. (R. Rutherford & M. O'Brien).
2009. Odonatological History in Michigan - 1875-1996. Great Lakes Entomol. 41:1-11. [PDF]

2010. Arigomphus submedianus (Odonata: Gomphidae) to be removed from the Michigan list of Odonata. Argia. 22(3):16-17.

2012. Book Review: Dragonflies and Damselflies of the East. Argia 24(1) 25-26.

2012. Anthidium oblongatum (Apoidea: Megachilidae) confirmed as a Michigan resident, with notes on other Michigan Anthidium species. Great Lakes Entomol. 45:(in press).(O'Brien, M.F., D.R. Swanson and J. Monsma)