North American Tenebrionidae identification and classification virtual workshop
May 17-19, 2021
Organizers: M. Andrew Johnston, Kojun Kanda,
Instructors: Patrice Bouchard, Marcin J. Kaminski, Paloma Mas-Peinado, Aaron D. Smith, Warren E. Steiner, Jr.
Course assistants: Rolf Aalbu, Jason T. Botz, Ryan Lumen, Amelia Smith, Erich Speissburgher, Chris C. Wirth
About the Workshop
This workshop will provide a general overview of Tenebrionidae morphology and identification, focusing on North American taxa.
This course will consist of interactive virtual lectures (using Zoom) covering internal and external morphology of Tenebrionidae, a systematic overview of tenebrionid tribes and noteworthy taxa, and special topics (e.g., larval morphology, pestiferous species, overview of global diversity).
We will also host virtual labs where students can either share images or live-stream specimens and work through identification keys with the instructors.
The workshop immediately precedes the two day International Tenebrionoidea Symposium 6, which is free to attend but must be registered for separately from this workshop.
RegisTRATION
Registration is free and open through May 1 through Eventbrite:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/138879344859
The workshop is coordinated to take place during the week leading up to the International Tenebrionoidea Symposium 6 which is a virtual event with free registration. Registration for the workshop and ITS6 are separate and must be registered for individually.
Target Audience
All are welcome to register for this event.
However, the course is being designed for attendees with a general entomology background in mind. Previous experience with Coleoptera morphology is strongly recommended. Attendees are encouraged to have access to specimens and a microscope during the workshop to gain the most from it - though that is not required.
Course Schedule
This schedule is tentative. Each day will likely be 5-6 hours (with breaks) starting at noon EDT
May 17: Welcome; Intro to Tenebrionidae; “Tenebrionoid” subfamilies basic techniques tools and techniques for tenebrionid identification
Topic 1: Introduction to Tenebrionidae
What is a Tenebrionidae
Major character sets used in Tenebrionidae classification
Current subfamilial classification and characters
*For the following subfamily-focused sections, we will systematically cover tribal diversity, focusing on identification and biology of Nearctic taxa.
Topic 2: Tenebrionoid subfamilies
Tenebrioninae
Blaptinae
Alleculinae
Diaperinae/Nilioninae
Stenochiinae
Lab 1: Hands-on morphology and key introduction
Live dissection and morphology demonstration by instructors
Introduction to the keys and characters used in American Beetles
Question and answer time
May 18: “Lagrioid” and “Pimelioid” subfamilies
Topic 3: Pimelioid subfamilies
Pimeliinae
Khutiagininae
Zolodininae
Topic 4: Lagrioid subfamilies
Lagriinae
Phrenapatinae
Lab 2: “Office hours” style open lab (2.5 hours)
Picture/webcam IDs by instructors for attendee submitted photos
Question and answer time
Work through keys, and delve into difficult groups
May 19: Special topics
Topic 5: Brief introduction to global diversity
Afrotropical fauna
Palearctic fauna
Neotropical fauna
Australasian fauna
Indo-Malayan and Oceania fauna
Topic 6: Larvae and pupae
Topic 7: Commonly intercepted and pest species in US/Canada
Lab 3: General “Office hours” style open lab (2 hours)
In depth examination of larval characters with physical specimens
Work through specific common pest species
Course Material
Materials will be distributed to all attendees via links to google drive folders and possibly through a Slack workspace for discussion and interaction during and following the workshop.
Code of conduct
For this workshop we are adopting the Coleopterists Society Ethics statement here: https://www.coleopsoc.org/society-info/ethics-statement/
Which follows the Entomological Society of America's Code of Conduct for events here: https://www.entsoc.org/conduct
All organizers, instructors, and attendees are expected to adhere by these standards.
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