For students, faculty, personnel from federal and state agencies, museums, environmental organizations and consulting firms
Moths and Butterflies: Identification, Specimen Preparation, and Taxonomy June 19 - June 25, 2016 Instructors: Hugh McGuinness and Bryan Pfeiffer Location: Eagle Hill Institute, Steuben, Me This course will emphasize 1) the identification of macrolepidopteran families and genera, both in hand and in the field, 2) the techniques used for observing, studying and surveying butterflies and moths, and 3) various aspects of Lepidopteran conservation. The major families of macrolepidoptera will be introduced using photographs and specimens, both alive and prepared. Classroom activities will include lectures, identification of specimens, and specimen preparation. Each day we will plan five activities (although we might not always get to all of them): lecture on identification; lab work related to identification and specimen preparation; discussion of basic biology or conservation; a day-time field trip; and a night-time moth observation. In the field, participants will learn visual identification when appropriate or possible, net technique, catch-and-release identification (mostly for butterflies), specimen collection, and (for those interested) field photography. Mornings will be spent in lecture and lab, while field trips are planned for most afternoons. Night-time moth collection and photography will be set up mainly on campus, and can be optional for those who insist on getting sleep. Instructor Dr. Hugh McGuinness ([email protected]) received his Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Michigan in 1987. He does volunteer curatorial work in the moth collection at the Smithsonian Museum. Since 2004 he has worked as a consultant for The Nature Conservancy conducting surveys of moths to evaluate land management practices and to document the occurrence of rare species. His current research focuses on using moths as indicator species in successional habitats, the spread of introduced Lepidoptera, various aspects of Lepidopteran taxonomy and systematics, and documenting Lepidopteran biodiversity on Long Island, NY, where he has encountered more than 1000 species of moths. Co-instructor, Bryan Pfeiffer ([email protected]) has lectured and guided people in the discovery of birds and insects. As a consulting field birder and entomologist, Bryan has worked for governments, timber companies, private landowners, and conservation groups. Bryan was a co-founder of the Vermont Butterfly Survey and its principle field lepidopterist, which means he spent six years chasing butterflies around Vermont and from the Rio Grande in the U.S. to above the Arctic Circle in Scandinavia. For general information, go to http://eaglehill.us/programs/nhs/natural-history-seminars.shtml For course calendar and course descriptions, go to http://www.eaglehill.us/programs/nhs/nhs-calendar.shtml For application information and cost breakdown, go to http://www.eaglehill.us/programs/general/application-info.shtml For more information, contact [email protected], 207-546-2821 x 1
