- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Theme of annual ESA meeting, taking place Nov. 5-8 at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Md. is "Insects and Influence: Advancing Entomology's Impact on People and Policy."
Among those participating is UC Davis distinguished emeritus professor Frank Zalom. A highly celebrated entomologist, Zalom is an ESA Fellow (2008), past ESA president (2014), and he holds ESA's highest honor, Honorary Member (2021), an honor achieved by only four other UC Davis entomologists: Harry Lange, 1990; Don MacLean, 1993; Bruce Eldridge, 1996; and John Edman, 2001. He continues his research as a recall professor.
Evolutionary biologist Scott Carroll and his wife, entomologist Jenella Loye, both research associates of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology and owners of Carroll-Loye Biological Research (CLBR) are also among the participants.
Carroll is the co-author of the newly published “Spatial Sorting Promotes Rapid (mal) Adaptation in the Red-Shouldered Soapberry Bug after Hurricane-Driven Local Extinctions” in the journal, Nature Ecology and Evolution that is drawing worldwide attention.
Officers of ESA, all women scientists, are:
- President: Marianne Alleyne, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- Vice President: Jennifer Henke, Coachella Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District
- Vice President-Elect: Lina Bernaola, Texas A&M University
- Past President: Jessica Ware, American Museum of Natural History
Founded in 1889, ESA is the largest entomological organization in the world. Its more than 7,000 members are affiliated with educational institutions, health agencies, private industry, and government.
"The premier event of the Society is its annual meeting. Each year approximately 3,500 entomologists and other scientists gather to exchange scientific information. A program of symposia, conferences, submitted papers, and continuing education seminars provides attendees the opportunity to hear and present research results. The meeting also provides a chance to interact informally with peers and prospective employers."--ESA website.
(Editor's Note: Access the ESA program and the list of UC Davis attendees (go to the online program at https://entomology2023.
![Evolutionary biologist Scott Carroll and entomologist Jenella Loye, associates of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, are participating in the Entomological Society of America meeting in Maryland. Evolutionary biologist Scott Carroll and entomologist Jenella Loye, associates of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, are participating in the Entomological Society of America meeting in Maryland.](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/103049.jpg)
![UC Davis doctoral alumna Jill Oberski, formerly of the Phil Ward lab, is one of the ant specialists attending the Entomological Society of America meeting in National Harbor, Md. Here she chats with evolutionary biologist Scott Carroll, research associate UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology. (Photo courtesy of Jenella Loye) UC Davis doctoral alumna Jill Oberski, formerly of the Phil Ward lab, is one of the ant specialists attending the Entomological Society of America meeting in National Harbor, Md. Here she chats with evolutionary biologist Scott Carroll, research associate UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology. (Photo courtesy of Jenella Loye)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/103050.jpg)
![UC Davis distinguished professor Jay Rosenheim of the Department of Entomology and Nematology, weaves his way through the crowd at the Entomological Society of America meeting in National Harbor, Md. (Photo courtesy of Scott Carroll and Jenella Loye) UC Davis distinguished professor Jay Rosenheim of the Department of Entomology and Nematology, weaves his way through the crowd at the Entomological Society of America meeting in National Harbor, Md. (Photo courtesy of Scott Carroll and Jenella Loye)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/103051.jpg)
![UC Davis doctoral alumnus Marek Borowiec, formerly of the Phil Ward lab, shows his UC Davis affiliation. He is an assistant professor and insect systematics at Colorado State University. (Photo courtesy of Jenella Loye) UC Davis doctoral alumnus Marek Borowiec, formerly of the Phil Ward lab, shows his UC Davis affiliation. He is an assistant professor and insect systematics at Colorado State University. (Photo courtesy of Jenella Loye)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/103053.jpg)
![UC Davis graduate student and honey bee researcher Eliza Litsey (seated), staffing the Entomology Graduate Student Association's T-shirt table, chats with entomology student Tabby Vincentsen of the University of Florida. (Photo courtesy of Jenella Loye) UC Davis graduate student and honey bee researcher Eliza Litsey (seated), staffing the Entomology Graduate Student Association's T-shirt table, chats with entomology student Tabby Vincentsen of the University of Florida. (Photo courtesy of Jenella Loye)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/103060.jpg)
![UC Davis doctoral alumnus and ant specialist Brendon Boudinot, formerly of the Phil Ward lab, and now with the National Museum of Natural History, Washington D.C., gives a thumbs up. He is a previous winner of the John Henry Comstock Award. (Photo courtesy of Jenella Loye) UC Davis doctoral alumnus and ant specialist Brendon Boudinot, formerly of the Phil Ward lab, and now with the National Museum of Natural History, Washington D.C., gives a thumbs up. He is a previous winner of the John Henry Comstock Award. (Photo courtesy of Jenella Loye)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/103061.jpg)
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
This was the Entomology 001 art show, titled "Insects in the Anthropocene," hosted by assistant professor Emily Meineke and UC Davis distinguished professor Diane Ullman.
Among those attending: Helene Dillard, dean of the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CA&ES).
Meineke explained the gist of it: "The students were each assigned an insect species in decline or moving about the planet and becoming invasive in new habitats. The insects students were assigned are among those most impacted by humans, and students were given an opportunity to re-envision how people might interact more gently and intentionally with insects, our small, yet consequential co-inhabitants."
Ullman, a noted artist and entomologist, wasn't an "official co-teacher," Meineke said, but she "helped immensely."
A celebrated teacher, artist and researcher, Ullman is the founder and co-director of the UC Davis Art/Science Fusion Program, established in 2016. Highly honored by her peers, Ullman received the Entomological Society of America (ESA) National Excellence in Teaching Award in 2014 and the UC Davis Academic Senate's Distinguished Teaching Award for undergraduate teaching in 2022. She is a fellow of both the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2014) and the ESA (2011); former chair of the Department of Entomology (2004-05); and former associate dean for undergraduate academic programs for CA&ES (2005-2014).
Many of those attending brought a t-shirt to received a free screen print of one of the designs.
"We were kept busy," Ullman related.
Meineke, recently named one of the 12 UC Davis recipients of the prestigious Hellman Fellowships, an annual program supporting the research of early-career faculty, was among the scholars and artists who helped spearhead the newly created Harvard Museum of Natural History's “In Search of Thoreau's Flowers: An Exploration of Change and Loss." It's hailed as an examination of the natural world and climate change at the intersections of science, art and history. Meineke helped launch the project in 2017 when she was a postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard University Herbaria. The 648 plant specimens that Henry David Thoreau donated to the museum form the foundation of the exhibit. It opened to the public May 14.
UC Davis entomologist Jenella Loye of Carroll-Loye Biological Research shared some of her images with us. She and husband, Scott Carroll, are research associates with the Department of Entomology and Nematology.
And here...drum roll...are images from "Insects in the Anthropocene."
![](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/96502.jpg)
![This beautiful work by UC Davis student Elizabeth Liu is called simply This beautiful work by UC Davis student Elizabeth Liu is called simply](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/96503.jpg)
![UC Davis student Christian Dunston titled his work, UC Davis student Christian Dunston titled his work,](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/96504.jpg)
![UC Davis student Kathryn Sandberg created UC Davis student Kathryn Sandberg created](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/96505.jpg)
![This display of art, This display of art,](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/96507.jpg)
![The UC Davis students of instructor Emily Meineke (assisted by UC Davis distinguished professor Diane Ullman), display their work exhibited in the art show, The UC Davis students of instructor Emily Meineke (assisted by UC Davis distinguished professor Diane Ullman), display their work exhibited in the art show,](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/96510.jpg)
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
What are witchetty grubs?
Briefly, they're large, white, wood-eating larvae of the cossid moth Endoxyla leucomochla, which feeds on the roots of the witchetty bush (after which the grubs are named). "The term may also apply to larvae of other cossid moths, ghost moths (Hepialidae), and longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae)," Wikipedia tells us. "The raw witchetty grub tastes similar to almonds, and when cooked, the skin becomes crisp like roast chicken, while the inside becomes light yellow, like a fried egg."
Like a Pacifier
Turpin's abstract: "Edible insect larvae constitute a large part of the traditional Australian Aboriginal diet. Perhaps the most widely known example is the ‘Witchetty grub' (Endoxyla spp.). These played a role similar to that of a pacifier for infants being weaned. The term ‘witchetty' is the common name of the tree whose roots this popular grub dwells in (Acacia kempeana). The naming of specific larvae based on their host tree is a common naming strategy in the Aboriginal language Kaytetye, for which there are some 25 ethnospecies. This paper draws on Kaytetye people's knowledge, uses and naming of ethnospecies within the 'edible insect larvae' food class, which is one of five Kaytetye food classes."
Cooperative Extension specialist Ian Grettenberg, an agricultural entomologist and assistant professor in the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, coordinates the department's weekly (virtual) seminars, held every Wednesday, except during holidays.
Turpin's hosts are evolutionary ecologists and biologists Scott Carroll and Jenella Loye of the Institute for Contemporary Evolution who engage in Carroll-Loye Biological Research. The scientists are affiliated with the Sharon Lawler lab, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology.
"I've visited her pioneering entomophagy studies among the remnant, so-called 'remote' central Australian peoples," said Carroll. "Academic entomologists know almost nothing about the biology of these insects. I learned that Giant Moth witchetty grubs are the most delicious, energy-packed animals I have ever eaten. Myfany will tell us about these and many more that have been central to the diets of Australians. I am looking forward to this exciting interdisciplinary seminar."
Carroll describes Turpin as being "at the nexus of entomology, linguistics, and the indigenous human diet."
Important Source of Food
In an article on "Edible Insect Larvae in Kaytetye: Their Nomenclature and Significance," published in March 2017 in the Journal of Ethnobiology, she wrote: "Insects have traditionally constituted an important source of food in many cultures, but changes in dietary practices and other lifestyle traits are threatening the transmission of insect-related knowledge and vocabulary to younger generations of Indigenous Australians. This paper describes the rich cultural and culinary traditions surrounding an important insect group, namely a class of edible insect larvae consumed by a desert community in central Australia. Twenty-nine different edible insect larvae are named in the Kaytetye language, with the names encoding the identity of the host plant on which the larvae are found. We describe the complexities involved in the naming system, paying special attention to cultural and linguistic factors. The difficulties in the scientific identification of these ethnotaxa are discussed, as are the significance of our data to (1) questions of universal patterns in ethnoclassification and nomenclature and (2) the purported lack of binomially-labeled folk species in the languages of hunter-gatherer societies."
Turpin, with the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, has been working on Australian Aboriginal songs and languages since 1996, according to her website. "Her research interests include the relationship between language and music, especially of lesser-known cultures; and identifying ways to support the continuation of endangered languages and performance arts. More specifically, her work examines Aboriginal song-poetry and its relationship to spoken languages. She is also involved in linguistic documentation of the Aboriginal language Kaytetye as well as Indigenous ecological knowledge and the lexicon in Arandic languages."
Link to form for Zoom link and instructions: https://forms.
For technical issues, contact Grettenberger at imgrettenberger@ucdavis.edu. For more information on the seminar speaker contact Scott Carroll or Jenella Loye at scott@carroll-loye.com.
![Witchetty grub (Image courtesy of Wikipedia) Witchetty grub (Image courtesy of Wikipedia)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/74463.jpg)
![Myfany Turpin's work on insect larvae. Myfany Turpin's work on insect larvae.](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/74466.png)
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Grub? Food? Yes, think specifically of insect larvae.
Myfany Turpin of the University of Sydney will speak on "Grub's Up! The Category of Edible Insect Larvae in Central Australian Aboriginal Languages" at the UC Davis Entomology and Nematology's virtual seminar at 4:10 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 7.
This is the first of a series of fall seminars hosted by the department and coordinated by Ian Grettenberger, Cooperative Extension specialist and assistant professor.
"Dr. Turpin is a linguist and musicologist that has worked on the use of insects as aboriginal food sources," Grettenberger said.
In an article on "Edible Insect Larvae in Kaytetye: Their Nomenclature and Significance," published in March 2017 in the Journal of Ethnobiology, she wrote: "Insects have traditionally constituted an important source of food in many cultures, but changes in dietary practices and other lifestyle traits are threatening the transmission of insect-related knowledge and vocabulary to younger generations of Indigenous Australians. This paper describes the rich cultural and culinary traditions surrounding an important insect group, namely a class of edible insect larvae consumed by a desert community in central Australia. Twenty-nine different edible insect larvae are named in the Kaytetye language, with the names encoding the identity of the host plant on which the larvae are found. We describe the complexities involved in the naming system, paying special attention to cultural and linguistic factors. The difficulties in the scientific identification of these ethnotaxa are discussed, as are the significance of our data to (1) questions of universal patterns in ethnoclassification and nomenclature and (2) the purported lack of binomially-labeled folk species in the languages of hunter-gatherer societies."
Turpin, with the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, has been working on Australian Aboriginal songs and languages since 1996, according to her website. "Her research interests include the relationship between language and music, especially of lesser-known cultures; and identifying ways to support the continuation of endangered languages and performance arts. More specifically, her work examines Aboriginal song-poetry and its relationship to spoken languages. She is also involved in linguistic documentation of the Aboriginal language Kaytetye as well as Indigenous ecological knowledge and the lexicon in Arandic languages."
Turpin's hosts are evolutionary ecologists and biologists Scott Carroll and Jenella Loye of the Institute for Contemporary Evolution who engage in Carroll-Loye Biological Research. The scientists are affiliated with the Sharon Lawler lab, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology.
Link to form for Zoom link and instructions: https://forms.
For technical issues, contact Grettenberger at imgrettenberger@ucdavis.edu. For more information on the seminar speaker, contact Scott Carroll or Jenella Loye at scott@carroll-loye.com.
![These are the larvae that Myfany Turpin of the University of Sydney will discuss at a virtual seminar to the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology. These are the larvae that Myfany Turpin of the University of Sydney will discuss at a virtual seminar to the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology.](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/74417.png)
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Myfany Turpin of the University of Sydney will speak on "Grub's Up! The Category of Edible Insect Larvae in Central Australian Aboriginal Languages" at the UC Davis Entomology and Nematology's virtual seminar at 4:10 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 7.
This is the first of a series of fall seminars hosted by the department and coordinated by Ian Grettenberger, Cooperative Extension specialist and assistant professor.
"Dr. Turpin is a linguist and musicologist that has worked on the use of insects as aboriginal food sources," Grettenberger said.
Her abstract: "Edible insect larvae constitute a large part of the traditional Australian Aboriginal diet. Perhaps the most widely known example is the ‘Witchetty grub' (Endoxyla spp.). These played a role similar to that of a pacifier for infants being weaned. The term ‘witchetty' is the common name of the tree whose roots this popular grub dwells in (Acacia kempeana). The naming of specific larvae based on their host tree is a common naming strategy in the Aboriginal language Kaytetye, for which there are some 25 ethnospecies. This paper draws on Kaytetye people's knowledge, uses and naming of ethnospecies within the 'edible insect larvae' food class, which is one of five Kaytetye food classes."
In an article on "Edible Insect Larvae in Kaytetye: Their Nomenclature and Significance," published in March 2017 in the Journal of Ethnobiology, she wrote: "Insects have traditionally constituted an important source of food in many cultures, but changes in dietary practices and other lifestyle traits are threatening the transmission of insect-related knowledge and vocabulary to younger generations of Indigenous Australians. This paper describes the rich cultural and culinary traditions surrounding an important insect group, namely a class of edible insect larvae consumed by a desert community in central Australia. Twenty-nine different edible insect larvae are named in the Kaytetye language, with the names encoding the identity of the host plant on which the larvae are found. We describe the complexities involved in the naming system, paying special attention to cultural and linguistic factors. The difficulties in the scientific identification of these ethnotaxa are discussed, as are the significance of our data to (1) questions of universal patterns in ethnoclassification and nomenclature and (2) the purported lack of binomially-labeled folk species in the languages of hunter-gatherer societies."
Turpin, with the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, has been working on Australian Aboriginal songs and languages since 1996, according to her website. "Her research interests include the relationship between language and music, especially of lesser-known cultures; and identifying ways to support the continuation of endangered languages and performance arts. More specifically, her work examines Aboriginal song-poetry and its relationship to spoken languages. She is also involved in linguistic documentation of the Aboriginal language Kaytetye as well as Indigenous ecological knowledge and the lexicon in Arandic languages."
Turpin's hosts are evolutionary ecologists and biologists Scott Carroll and Jenella Loye of the Institute for Contemporary Evolution who engage in Carroll-Loye Biological Research. The scientists are affiliated with the Sharon Lawler lab, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology.
"I've visited her pioneering entomophagy studies among the remnant, so-called 'remote' central Australian peoples," said Carroll. "Academic entomologists know almost nothing about the biology of these insects. I learned that Giant Moth witchetty grubs are the most delicious, energy-packed animals I have ever eaten. Myf will tell us about these and many more that have been central to the diets of Australians. I am looking forward to this exciting interdisciplinary seminar."
Link to form for Zoom link and instructions: https://forms.
For technical issues, contact Grettenberger at imgrettenberger@ucdavis.edu. For more information on the seminar speaker, contact Scott Carroll or Jenella Loye at scott@carroll-loye.com.
![Some of the insects that Myfany Turpin of the University of Sydney researches. She will speak on Some of the insects that Myfany Turpin of the University of Sydney researches. She will speak on](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/74361.png)