Meeting 1185 Minutes

Minutes from the 1185th Meeting of the Cambridge Entomological Club

President Zhengyang Wang called the 1185th meeting of the Cambridge Entomological Club to order at 7:32 pm on Tuesday, December 12th in MCZ 101.
25 members and guests were in attendance.

New business:
Two new nominations for membership

Scott Smyers announced July 21^st 2018 as the date for the Mt. Wachuset bioblitz. Ent Club members are encouraged to sign up

Old business:
Three new members were confirmed:
Sarah Maunsell
Dajia Ye
Siliang Song

Professors Carrie Hall and Daniel R. Howard, University of New Hampshire presented a talk entitled “Things that go thump in the night: vibrational communication in the New Zealand giant weta (Anostostomatidae:Deinacrida)”

The weta of New Zealand is an endemic genus consisting of eleven species whose communication systems are being studied by Profs. Howard and Hall. Prof. Howard began with information on their current status, importance to native NZ Maori culture, and general types of communication among orthopteroids.

He presented findings from field observations and behavioral trials with D. rugosa, a lowland species that produces substrate-borne vibrational signals. Their team identified the acoustic structure of vibrational signals, their biomechanics, and social contexts in which the signals are produced. These findings were compared with subsequent research on other weta species. Also considered was whether vibration from other sources, such as wind turbines, might interfere with weta communication.

Prof. Hall described related research on Nicrophorus burying beetles that also use acoustic communication for courtship, mating, and possibly communication with offspring.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:55pm for discussion and refreshments.

Respectfully submitted,
Andrea Golden, CEC Secretary