Meeting 1206 Minutes

Minutes from the 1206th Meeting of the Cambridge Entomological Club

President Sang il Kim called the 1206th meeting of the Cambridge Entomological Club to order at 7:36pm on Tuesday November  10th. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the meeting was held on Zoom.

Approx. 36 members and guests were in attendance.

New business:

One nomination for membership: Kyle DeMarr

Treasurer Sofia Prado-Irwin reminded members to pay their dues. Since in-person meetings have been suspended, she recommended using Paypal.

Old business: None

Donald Windsor, Biologist Emeritus at the Smithsonian Institution presented a talk entitled Neotropical Orsodacnidae: Beetles with an inordinate attraction to cycads

Recent observations of beetles in the two Neotropical genera, Aulacoscelis and Janbechynea, family Orsodacnidae, establish a consistent pattern of association between adults of all taxa and their cycad host plants. Still unanswered are questions about immature stages and what resources they utilize. Dr. Windsor discussed his recent observations in Mexico, Panama and Bolivia. He has uncovered new details about the timing of adult emergence, feeding habits and utilization of cycad toxins, sexual dimorphism and sex ratios (apparently 10:1 in favor of females). So far, only one larva has been found, in Oaxaca. Dr. Windsor also described cycad radiation, ethnobotany, and the history of human consumption and processes for detoxification of cycads. Beetles consume and concentrate cycad toxins for their defense. In Bolivia, the beetles share cycads with lycaenid butterflies and other insects.

Many questions remain about mating behavior, life cycles of the beetles and their interactions with their host plants.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:09pm.

Respectfully submitted, Andrea Golden, CEC Secretary