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The Verrall Supper 2013

Once a year, on the first Wednesday of every March, when the weather is especially chilly (or so it seems), entomologists can be seen flocking towards the bright lights of London. As they wend their way towards South Kensington you may be forgiven for thinking that there is some kind of mass migration going on, and it's true, entomologists do often seek warmer climes than Britain may have to offer, if only because of the abundance of insects is so much greater in those areas of the world where it is hot and sticky (and if there is one thing that entomologists cannot refuse, it's an abundance of insects).
But on this occassion you would be wrong. For the first Wednesday of every March is devoted to the Verrall Supper. Arguably the highlight of the social calendar for all entomologists, the evening consists of a lecture, hosted by the Royal Entomological Society and presented by a distinguished entomologist, which is then followed by drinks, dinner and much socialising.

This year the dinner was hosted at The Rembrandt Hotel which is a short stroll from the Natural History Museum. Staff from the HEC left Oxford early in order to spend some time in the collections in the NHM, checking type specimens and doing a little research as a form of pre-dinner exercise just to sharpen our appetites.
The Rembrandt Hotel was a new venue for the Verrall Supper which for the last 10 or more years has been held at Imperial College. It proved to be an excellent setting although it seemed to take everyone a little while to get used to the idea that the tables were round instead of the long bench style table at Imperial that seat about 60 people. This new format made mingling with other guests between courses much easier however and it has to have been one of the chattiest Suppers that any of us have to been to in a while. Of course, the fact that there was 183 collected entomologists (a recent high in attendance) in the room might also have played a part.

What's the collective noun for entomologist's? A colony? Maybe a rabble? Cluster? Army? Clutter? Intrusion? Answers in the comments box below!

Zoë Simmons and Dr Jose Nunez-Mino, an associate of the HEC

Amoret Spooner and Mike Wilson, Head of Entomology at National Museum, Wales.

Darren Mann (right), talking to Charles Godfray (left), Hope Professor, Oxford.

One other notable change was the increase in the number of people documenting the ocassion. Social media is fast becoming a part of peoples daily lives so it wasn't too much of a surprise to find that the Verrall Supper had acquired it's own hashtag on Twitter or that photos of the dinner appeared within minutes of the courses being served.

If you would like further information about the history of the Verrall Supper or the Entomological Club through which the supper was established then there is an excellent publication on the subject by Pamela Gilbert.

Gilbert, P. (2005). The Entomological Club and Verrall Supper: A History (1826-2004). The Entomological Club c/o The Royal Entomologists Society. Headley Brothers Ltd, Kent.

The Etymology of Entomology

Honorary Associate Dr George McGavin and Assistant Curator Darren Mann of the HEC will both be putting in an appearance on the BBC Radio 4 program 'The Etymology of Entomology' which is being broadcast this Saturday, the 9th of March at 10:30 (BBC Radio 4 FM: 92.5–96.1).

"Zoologist Dr. George McGavin delves into the strange and often bizarre names given to the planet's insects.

There are an estimated 10 million living insect species, with new specimens being discovered almost daily. Entomologists are turning to ever more imaginative names, referencing everything from literary figures, celebrities and politicians to playground puns.

George takes us into the complex and intriguing world of the taxonomist. From the 18th century father of modern taxonomy Carl Linnaeus to the present day, he explains why naming the things that surround us is the foundation of all science.
There are flies named Pieza kake and S. beyonceae (after the singer); beetles with political connections - A. hitleri, A. bushi, A. cheneyi and A. rumsfeldi; and some entomologists have even named discoveries after romantic conquests. Unsurprisingly, names can prove controversial but, once set, are difficult to change."

We hope that this will be a fun introduction for anyone who has questions about how and why we name species in the way that we do. We will be writing blog posts in the future that tackle the subjects of taxonomy and classification in both the broader sense and the minutiae so for the moment, let us leave you with a selection of our favourite fun names of insects and animals:

• Preseucoila imallshookupis is a species of gall wasp named after Elvis Presley.
• Agra schwareneggeri is a species of carabid beetle named after Arnold Schwarzenegger.
• Bagheera kiplingi is a species of jumping spider named after Rudyard Kipling and his character Bagheera the panther from 'The Jungle Book'.
• Tianchisaurus nedegoapeferima is an ankylosaurian dinosaur. The species name 'nedegoapeferima' is formed from the first two letters of the surnames of the main stars of the film 'Jurassic Park'.
• Psephophorus terrypratchetti is a species of Eocene turtle named after the author Terry Pratchett who wrote the 'Discworld Series' which is set on a world that is carried through space on the back of a giant turtle. 

 

EDIT: An article about the radio show has now appeared on the BBC News website in the Science and Environment section.
 
 

Prague Entomological fair

An unusually quiet moment in the main hall at the Prague Entomological Fair.

Twice a year in Prague, there is a two day entomological fair; this is one of largest gatherings of non-academic entomologists in the world. 

The fair is in March and October and up until this year was held at Národní dům; The National House of Vinohrady. This year, Amoret Spooner and Darren Mann attended on behalf of the HEC. Amoret reports below:

"We left a damp and cold Oxford at 2.30am on Saturday 6^th October and arrived in a sunny and warm Prague right in time for the start of the show. For the major part of day one we were engaged in dealing with loans, both outgoing and incoming. We met with numerous borrowers and handed over some 414 specimens, including 22 type specimens that were required by researchers from around Europe. As well as loaning HEC specimens, we also received a few hundred specimens as gifts and through exchange. 

The show itself is full of insect collectors both selling and exchanging specimens. There was a wide range of insects available; however it was dominated by Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) and Coleoptera (beetles). It was very easy to get swept up in the excitement. Over the two days I was there, I ended up buying around 50 beetles for my collection and I lost count of the amount Darren bought! 

Amoret and some the many boxes of insects that were bought back from the show.

Overall, the show seemed to be a great success and proved to be both enjoyable and rewarding. Not only in getting HEC material out to researchers and seeing the specimens that were on offer, but it was also a good opportunity to catch up with friends and meet people with the same interest. I was fortunate enough to meet and get advice from one of the key researchers in histerid beetles, which is the family of beetles I am interested in."

 For details of the 2013 entomological fairs, see below.