The public is invited to attend the January meeting of the Cambridge Entomological Club on January 10, presented by Shinichi Nakahara, Biodiversity Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard’s Museum of Comparative Zoology. You may attend in person in the Gilbert Room MCZ 101A, or on Zoom: https://harvard.zoom.us/j/92664403460?pwd=ME%5DGMmxrTi%5DHNGVjOFozbzluR3%5DqZzog#success
Butterflies (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea) are often regarded as one of the best taxonomically studied groups of insects. However, our understanding of their species richness may prove to be startlingly below common expectation and a disturbingly high number of unresolved nomenclatural issues surrounding names exists, especially in the Neotropical region. With over 30,000 names published for the purposes of zoological nomenclature, tracing the sources of Neotropical butterfly names and resolving their correct applications can potentially result in contention or confusion. Furthermore, in a rapidly changing world, the basis of understanding species diversity is facing many challenges. In this talk, Dr. Nakahara will explore the proverbial tip of the iceberg regarding Neotropical butterfly diversity, ranging from some of the rarest butterflies to common and widespread species in this region, and take this opportunity to reconfirm the importance of stable nomenclature as a progress towards understanding organisms which we share this plant with.
