Meeting 1149 Minutes

Minutes from the 1149th Meeting of the Cambridge Entomological Club

President Patrick Gorring called the 1149th meeting of the Cambridge Entomological Club to order at 7:35 pm on Tuesday, March 12, 2013 in MCZ 101, 26 Oxford St. Approximately 20 members and guests were in attendance.

New business: three people were nominated for membership: James Mallet, Francisco Garcia and Georg Fischer

James Mallet presented a talk entitled Hybridization and speciation in butterflies of the Amazon rainforest.

It is a seductive idea that species are independent evolutionary units. Natural hybridization is rare in nature on a per-individual basis, but overall may affect many species.

Dr. Mallet discussed his research on Heliconius butterflies, which engage in Müllerian mimicry of other species. Using genomic tools, he showed that genes that determine mimicry have been exchanged repeatedly among closely related species to form new combinations. Through combined effects on mating behavior and signaling to predators, these novel color patterns are also involved in triggering evolution of new species. These studies indicate that hybridization may be an important factor shaping evolution of insects and other animals.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:00 for discussion and refreshments.

Respectfully submitted,
Andrea Golden, CEC Secretary