THE NEW YORK ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY, INC.

New York's Amazing Caterpillars

Speaker:

David L. Wagner, Ph.D.

Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

University of Connecticut, Storrs

Where:                Linder Theater, AMNH, enter West 77th Street entrance

Date:                    Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Time:                    7 PM to 8:30 PM

This will be a wide ranging and engaging look at some the Empire State's most interesting creatures. Wagner's presentation will touch on caterpillar taxonomy, behavior, chemical ecology, and evolution. The talk will include a rich set of Wagner's excellent macrophotographic images of North American species.  Dave has also offered to bring (and sign) copies of his 2005 Princeton Guide to caterpillars of Eastern North America.

Dr. Wagner's work focuses on the biosystematics of Lepidoptera and invertebrate conservation. While his taxonomic expertise is with basal lineages of moths, especially ghost moths (Hepialidae) and leafminers (e.g., Tischeriidae and Gracillariidae), Dave's research interests extend across the order Lepidoptera including various smaller efforts on other microlepidopterans. He has published more than two dozen papers and books on the immature stages of Lepidoptera. Most center on taxonomy, and several address matters of larval ecology and behavior.  His interests also include using caterpillars to study tri-trophic interactions, specialist-generalist diversity gradients, and larval polyphenism. Many of his recent efforts (including three books) have been treatments of the immature stages of Lepidoptera. Recent projects relating to invertebrate conservation have examined the importance of early successional habitats to invertebrates, pollinator decline, invasive species impacts, and climate-change threats.  On-going research projects include pollinator faunistics and decline, species niche modeling, the role of introduced parasitoids in the decline of native Lepidoptera, and assessing effects of introduced plants on imperiled butterflies.

Dinner:      Senn Thai Comfort Food, 452 Amsterdam Avenue

Society meetings are always open to the public with no admission charge.

Past Monthly Meetings

March 2016

February 2016

October 2015