Epilogue
Dear colleagues,
A few weeks ago, we had the second edition of the Coleoptera Meeting, which took place virtually from July 24th to 28th, 2023. We are thrilled and proud to report that the II Coleoptera Meeting successfully achieved its main objectives: providing a platform to showcase the results of our research about beetles and creating opportunities for the coleopterological community to establish new professional and friendship relationships. This international and free event was organized independently by volunteers from Brazil and Colombia, with the support of The Coleopterists Society.
The II Coleoptera Meeting featured a diverse program, encompassing a wide range of taxonomic groups, the nature of the presented research, and the nationalities, institutional backgrounds, and academic levels of the participants. In total, 679 registered attendees and 68 speakers took part, covering 24 families of beetles.
Among the various topics presented, we had studies on morphology, biogeography, taxonomic revisions, faunistic surveys, ecological and pheromone studies, the use of scanning electron microscopy methods, forensic entomology, evolutionary and phylogenetic studies, and many other subjects. We also had two round table discussions on the importance and use of entomological collections and insect pheromones.
In addition to our diverse program of compact (5 min.) and traditional (15 min.) presentations, our meeting included keynote lectures by renowned invited researchers who addressed topics of general interest to the coleopterological community. These topics included the diversity of beetles found in caves, presented by Dr. Gabriel Biffi (Museum of Zoology, São Paulo, Brazil); concepts of speciology by Dr. Mario Cupello (Federal University of Paraná, Brazil); Molecular Taxonomy by Dr. Dirk Ahrens (Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change, Museum Koenig Bonn, Germany); Evolution of beetles using fossil and phylogenomic data by Dr. Chenyang Cai (Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China). We also had Celso Godinho from Brazil, author of the book "Besouros e seu Mundo," sharing his passion and admiration for beetles.
The book of abstracts of the II Coleoptera Meeting is now publicly available: SALAZAR, K., GIRÓN, J.C., ARAÚJO, J.F., COSTA-SILVA, V., DE MELLO, A.P., DOS SANTOS, A.T., GOMYDE, E.C., MARTINS, G.L.N., PACHECO, T.L. (Eds.). Abstracts II Encontro de Coleoptera (Coleoptera Meeting), 2023. 181 pp. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8267337
The next edition of the Coleoptera Meeting is scheduled for 2025, under the leadership of Vinicius Costa-Silva (silvavinicius92@gmail.com) and Eduardo Coutinho Gomyde (eduardo.c.gomyde@gmail.com). If you are interested in assisting with the organization of the event, please contact both of them.
Stay connected with us through the event's website and social media channels for updates and more information about the next edition of the Coleoptera Meeting.
Website: https://sites.google.com/view/encontrodecoleoptera/home
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/encontrodecoleoptera
Email: encontrodecoleoptera@gmail.com
Finally, we would like to express our gratitude to all participants, volunteers, and colleagues who contributed to the success of this event. We also thank The Coleopterists Society, especially President Dr. Max Barclay (NHM, UK), for their institutional support (see the benefits of becoming a society member at https://www.coleopsoc.org/become-a-member/). None of this would have been possible without the effort, dedication, and interest of our vibrant coleopterological community.
We look forward to seeing you in the upcoming edition of the Coleoptera Meeting!
Coleopterological regards,
Organizing Committee of the II Coleoptera Meeting:
Aluska Tavares dos Santos, Amanda Passos de Mello, Eduardo Coutinho Gomyde, Glauco Luis do Nascimento Martins, Jennifer C. Girón, Josival Francisco Araújo, Karen Salazar, Thaynara L. Pacheco, Vinícius da Costa-Silva.