Auckland Tree Weta (Hemideina thoracica).
Image courtesy of Jon Sullivan. Licence: CC: BY-NC.
Over the three days from 3 to 5 April was the 62nd annual conference of the Entomological Society of New Zealand, held at Massey University in Palmerston North. The conference was a typically enjoyable event, with a lot of catching up with old friends and meeting new ones, as well as a neat overview of some of the cool things that people are studying around the country. There were a large number of talks on various aspects of weta biology—unsurprising given that Massey is a hotbed of weta research; but great to see that New Zealand's most iconic insect is becoming better known.
After the conference, I spent three very pleasant days collecting in and around Wellington. I was looking two species of Irenimus that were described from the region; specifically Titahi Bay and Wadestown. Obtaining topotypic specimens (i.e. specimens collected from the same locality as the type specimen) is a useful exercise when sorting out taxonomic problems. As it is unlikely that several similar species live in the same spot, collecting fresh material from the type locality can help bring clarity as to what the species actually is. It so happened that I managed to find good numbers of both species that I hoped to find, so the trip was most definitely a good one!
Image courtesy of Jon Sullivan. Licence: CC: BY-NC.
Read:
Pine-Coffin RS (translator). 1961. The confessions of Saint Augustine Middlesex: Penguin
Websites:
Stanley Hauerwas—Living well in ordinary time: A tribute to Rowan Williams
Alison Milbank—Christ is not divided: The Easter journey into paradox
Watched:
Star Trek: Enterprise Season Four
Twelve weeks of Star Trek:
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
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