Meeting 1179 Minutes

Minutes from the 1179th Meeting of the Cambridge Entomological Club

President Nate Edelman called the 1179th meeting of the Cambridge Entomological Club to order at 7:30 pm on Tuesday, January 10th in MCZ 101. Approximately 21 members and guests were in attendance.

New business: Scott Smyers is planning a field season in Acton/Littleton for this summer, details tbd.

Maria Lubertazzi presented work created by students in her Insect Morphology class at RI School of Design.

Dr. Paul Frandsen of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History presented his work in a talk entitled Unraveling the Evolutionary History of Caddisflies.

Caddisflies are the most diverse of the strictly aquatic insect orders with around 14,500 species in approx. 600 genera. The distinctive tube cases created by their larvae are familiar to many, but the phylogeny among morphologically and behaviorally distinct suborders remains murky. Dr. Frandsen discussed the natural history of caddisflies, his field work in Mongolia, Guyana, and Russia, and the role of web resources, including the Barcode of Life database, in his work to extend and clarify the phylogeny and evolutionary history of Trichoptera.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:45pm for discussion and refreshments.

Respectfully submitted,

Andrea Golden, CEC Secretary