Meeting 1187 Minutes

Minutes from the 1187th Meeting of the Cambridge Entomological Club

President Zhengyang Wang called the 1187th meeting of the Cambridge Entomological Club to order at 7:33 pm on Tuesday, February 13th 2018 in MCZ 101.
Approx. 43 members and guests were in attendance.

Old business:
Three new members confirmed.

New business:
Two new nominees for membership, Nina Sokolov and Avalon Owens

Julie Croston from the Cambridge Public Schools is seeking volunteers for the April City Nature Challenge as well as several other initiatives
Scott Smyers announced a possible outing with the Hingham Conservation trust and an August trip in conjunction with the Vermont Entomological Society
Shayla reminds members to pay their dues

Prof. Sara Lewis of Tufts University presented a talk entitled “Fireflies: Bright Lights and Bling”

Firefly beetles (family Lampyridae) with 2000 species worldwide, boast remarkable diversity in life history and signaling modes. Prof. Lewis’ talk was organized into three chapters: 1) Studies concerning light signaling, 2) Conservation concerns, and 3) knowledge gaps.
1) Light signaling. Courtship displays are based on signals that are readily quantified and simulated, providing insight into evolutionary processes of sexual selection. Sara mentioned studies of female preference, timing of signals and predator avoidance.
Nuptials gifts in the form of spermatophores are also being studied.
2) Conservation concerns. Fireflies are declining in many parts of the world. Among the major culprits are habitat loss, light pollution, overharvesting, and ecotourism. A local citizen science effort, “Firefly Watch”, which monitors local firefly populations, is run by Mass. Audubon.
3) Knowledge gaps. Many features of firefly biochemistry, behavior and evolution remain unknown. Sara concluded her talk by highlighting some outstanding questions in firefly biology.

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

Respectfully submitted, Andrea Golden, CEC Secretary