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  • Taxonomy Teaching Day

    In the July 2003 edition of the DeArGe journal ( a German spider group journal) there is an article where some of the German Taxonomists (and some French) had a training day where they showed/taught the basic fundamentals of Theraphosid taxonomy.

    How about one in the UK???

  • #2
    Sounds like a fantastic idea.

    I've got a short entemological taxonomy glossary that Soren wrote, explains things like Holotype, Neotype and terms such as plumose setae and so on.

    A proper course/lecture would be excellent though.

    Your thoughts Mr Gallon???

    Comment


    • #3
      Taxonomy Teaching Day

      Happy new year to one and all.

      The taxonomy day sounds like a fabulous idea, i for one would be happy to do my part in explaining general terminology (Thats if my MSc degree in 'taxonomy and biodiversity counts), or more happily doing a bit on taxonomy in the 21st century (if my PhD training counts). This would mean lots of explainations on new DNA methods, and discussions of why museums or specialists (you guys n gals) might be opposed to new trends in taxonomy.

      I could even suggest a lovely venue in south kensington if you wish, and could probably get some people from other fields involved if desired.

      regards
      stuart
      -------
      Mr. S.J. Longhorn (BSc, MSc)
      Dept. of Entomology. The Natural History Museum, S.Ken. London

      Comment


      • #4
        Hello,

        Sounds like it would make a very interesting day/weekend.

        It might also be a good oppertunity to explain to those who might wish to persue theraphosid taxonomy, which practices are concidered valid and acceptable (A bit like a code of practice/guidelines).

        Regards,

        Andy.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Taxonomy Teaching Day

          Originally posted by stul (stuart longhorn)
          Happy new year to one and all.

          The taxonomy day sounds like a fabulous idea, i for one would be happy to do my part in explaining general terminology (Thats if my MSc degree in 'taxonomy and biodiversity counts), or more happily doing a bit on taxonomy in the 21st century (if my PhD training counts). This would mean lots of explainations on new DNA methods, and discussions of why museums or specialists (you guys n gals) might be opposed to new trends in taxonomy.

          I could even suggest a lovely venue in south kensington if you wish, and could probably get some people from other fields involved if desired.

          regards
          stuart
          -------
          Mr. S.J. Longhorn (BSc, MSc)
          Dept. of Entomology. The Natural History Museum, S.Ken. London

          Stuart
          As you will be attending the BTS Lectures, how about giving us a hour of your precious time. You could open the day’s proceedings should you wish to. This would be ideal place to start this type thing off here in the UK.

          This year’s BTS Lectures and Dinner is seeing a record attendance and we are growing out of our little venue and if all goes well next year we will have to have the larger conference room. A lesson in Taxonomy and the new advances in such sound’s ideal for the BTS Lectures. And really the sort of road we wish to go down in the future.

          It’s up to us all to build this event into what we all wish it to be. Its not ever going to replace the BTS Expo, and rightly so! However it’s meant to run side by side, be somewhere to learn and gain knowledge as well as a being a unique social event.

          This goes for anyone else out there who feels they have something to offer
          We have Andrew Smith and Peter Kirk as well as Ray Hale giving us lectures this year, but we can always squeeze much more in, so don't hold back your public waits

          Let myself and Kim know.
          Regards
          Mark

          ------------------------------------------------------
          Serious Ink tattoo studio -
          Discounts on tattoo's for BTS members
          My Collection: - Support captive breeding

          Comment


          • #6
            taxonomy

            Anything which educates cannot be a bad thing! Having lived in Germany for several years, I know just how proactive they are at sharing information in order to not only educate themselves but make the hobby more interesting and satisfying.
            We have wonderfully talented members in the BTS and that knowledge, shared, would be fantastic. Best practice needs to be spread in any field and we should be no different.
            I applaud the idea and give it my full support.

            Comment


            • #7
              Love the bit about record attendances Mark.
              LOL

              Andy.

              A good idea to get Stewart L to do a talk. (If he wants to.) Then we could discuss the idea of a toxonomy talk/day over a couple of orange juices at the lectures.

              Comment


              • #8
                Just had a thought, obviously the Taxonomy day thing will have a cost, any surplus from the initial charge can go to the Pokie reserve fund.

                Comment


                • #9
                  What an excellent suggestion Ray. I would definitely be interested in a taxonomy day. It was one of my new years resolutions to do some more reading on tarantula taxonomy. We skimmed over it when I did my degree, but never went into any real detail.

                  I also think that pooling any surplus to the poke reserve fund would be a great idea too.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Hi all,

                    Ray is talking about this article:
                    • SCHNEIDER, F. (2003): Der Vogelspinnenbestimmungskurs in Saarbrücken am 05. April 2003. DeArGe Mitteilungen 8(4): 13 - 17.

                      Summary:
                      Once per year the DeArGe e.V. arranges a course to show interested members how to determinate tarantulas. This years course took place at »Institut für Umweltforschung« which is located at the University of Saarbrücken.
                      Nine members of the DeArGe e.V. joined into the course. Two of them arrived from Luxembourg and André Leetz came from France to participate in the course. Volker von Wirth, as the leader of the course, first of all gave an overview about the different species-concepts that have been developed during the history of biological science.
                      Starting with the Typological Species Concept of Linné the participants just learned about the Morphological Species Concept of Darwin, the Evolutionary Species Concept of Wiley & Mayden, the Phylogenetic Species Concept sensu Mishler & Theriot and the Phylogenetic Species Concept sensu Wheeler & Platnik and about the advantages and disadvantages these concepts »offer«. Most of these concepts do have disadvantages that prevent a sucessful determination and analysis of tarantulas. The Biological Species Concept of Mayr and the Hennigian Species Concept seem to be more objective than the other ones. After this the participants learned how to use a determination key for tarantulas and started determination of moltings.
                      Beginning with the question »Does this molting really belong to the family of Theraphosidae?« the exuviae of all participants were determined up to at least Genus level!

                    This course had been organized by the DeArGe (Deutsche Arachnologische Gesellschaft e.V. = the German Tarantula Society) – what's the BTS in the UK, that's the DeArGe here in Germany.
                    About one or two times a year (depending on the demand) we organize such courses. There are two kinds of courses: a sexing course and a taxonomy/determination course. The determination course will take two days (a whole weekend) and is for maximum 20 members (our next one in a few weeks is totally overbooked =. It has a "techinical" part and a practise part. In the technical part an overview about different species-concepts is given. The practical part starts with the introduction how to read a dichotomous identification guide/key and after that, the attendees train to ID the a molt with the help of the identification key and a stereomicroscopes. How to sex spiders is included in this course too!

                    Of course, after such a course you are not an expert in determinating tarantulas. You just know the basics, your head is bumming from all the information you got and you have to practise a lot at home.

                    For DeArGe members these courses are for free. Non-members have to pay 25 EUR, which is equal with the membership fee for one year => before a non-member will attend the course for 25 EUR, he joins the DeArGe for the same and this way we get a new member! =

                    BTW, after any course Volker has held, minimum one attendee had to change a label on one of his tanks because the spider is something different he has bought it for! => there are a lot of missIDed specimens in the pet trade => => never trust the name a dealer gives you!


                    => I think it's a gread idea if the BTS respectively it's members would offer/organise such courses in the UK too!

                    all the best,
                    Martin

                    PS.: Some photos taken at the DeArGe tarantulas determination course in april 2003:
                    photo 1
                    photo 2
                    photo 3
                    photo 4
                    photo 5

                    On the website of the DeArGe, there is another article about a determination course held in 2001: >>click here<<


                    ----------------------
                    This website contains a lot of photos of spiders, especially of tarantulas.


                    ----------------------
                    »ARACHNE« – The Journal of the German Arachnology Society

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Thats great Martin
                      I´m glad that course is held every year,as when the wife and I saw it addvertised we abit anoyed as we wouldn´t be able to make it this year,because of other commitents
                      I hope that we can get places on it for next year though as it sounds very intresting.

                      Wish we could make the bts lectures as well but travel expences don´t grow on trees,much to my dissapointment

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Thanks for all that information Martin,

                        For any other users the DeArGe journal is very good with a small summary in English for each article forthe non German reading members. Definately the second best spider journal available BTS is the best obviously.......LOL

                        Ray

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Hi!

                          Martin, could you please tell me the titles and authors of the books (determination keys) you were using on this event? I would like to have them (I have two books for determination european spiders). Maybe there even exists a website similiar to "Spinnen Mitteleuropas"?

                          Matjaz

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Hi,

                            the main reason why I perform this Identification-courses is, that I will teach the tarantula keepers the ways to identify their tarantulas, at least to Genus level. The course should also teach the participants in some theoretical aspects of Systematic/Taxonomy. It's not every time about the different Species Concepts. Before two Years ago, the theoretical part of this course was about the theoretical aspects of phylogenetical and cladistic methods. One of the main things I want to teach to my participants is, that they will be possible to assess the [edited word] publications from Dr. Günther Schmidt critical!
                            BTW, Richard, Andy and/or Peter should be possible to organise and perform such a course in the UK and I think that would be a great event for you!
                            Matjas, I use the ordinary keys for the identificaion of Theraphosidae (Bertani, Perez Miles, Gallon, Schmidt, Raven and so on).

                            With best Wishes, Volker
                            --------------------------------------
                            The only relationship you can have with a tarantula is a deep intellectual one! - Jim Friedman -

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Lots and lots of interest but no offers from the teachers???

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