Lepidoptera Conference at the McGuire Center

A group photo of meeting attendees standing outside under an oak tree.

Two societies for studying Lepidoptera, the Southern Lepidopterists’ Society and the Association for Tropical Lepidoptera combined their annual meetings and gathered at the McGuire Center 13-15 October 2023. More than 50 people attended and enjoyed a variety of Lepidoptera talks and posters by society members and McGuire Center students and staff. Eleven of the participants traveled from outside of our state to enjoy the warm weather and Lepidoptera collecting around Northcentral Florida.

Events started on Friday with a reception and nearby collecting at the Split Rock Conservation Area which were hosted by Bob Belmont. Nineteen talks were given on Saturday and Sunday at the McGuire Center’s conference room. During the banquet on Saturday night, guests were treated to an exciting account of Bill Berthet’s travels to photograph Lepidoptera in Bhutan. Attendees also had the opportunity to study the McGuire Center’s collections before and after the conference.

People in conference room watching a presentation.

Saturday morning in the McGuire Center’s Conference room.

Picture of program cover with a pink and yellow moth.

The Pink Star Moth, Derrima stellata, was featured on the meeting program cover.

Southern Lepidopterists’ Society chairman, David Fine, presented his discoveries on the Amethyst Hairstreak, Chlorostrymon maesites.

A woman and man standing in a room with insect drawers and a microscope.

McGuire Center collections volunteer Laura Gaudette and visiting researcher Hugh McGuinness working in the collections before the meeting.

Two men photographing moths at a light sheet.

Stuart Marcus and Hugh McGuinness prepare to photograph the first arrivals at the moth sheet.

A man sitting at the table with a piece of pie.

Reception attendees enjoyed pizza, salad, and pie, while visiting with old friends and keeping an eye on the moth sheet.

A man at podium with projected moth slide in the background.

McGuire Center graduate student Jacob Bethin presented his work on the systematics of aquatic moths.

A man and two women standing together in the McGuire Center conference room.

The Neal family, Tom, Ada, and Megan.

McGuire Center visiting moth curator, Charlie Covell.

Richard Brown (Mississippi State University) and David Auth (Gainesville,Florida).

People sitting at tables in a banquet hall.

The Saturday evening banquet was held at the Gainesville Woman’s Club.

David Fine (Keysmoths.com) and Lance Durden (Georgia Southern University).

The full meeting program is available on the Southern Lepidopterists’ Society website. Southern Lepidopterist’s Chairman, David Fine, produced a video for his Keys Moths YouTube channel showing some meeting highlights and his talk on the life history of the Amethyst Hairstreak, Chlorostrymon maesites.