Terrestrial Invertebrate Group

Terrestrial invertebrates (such as insects, spiders, slaters, centipedes, millipedes, snails and earthworms) are key members of our complex ecosystems. Despite this, they do not attract the level of interest that mammals, birds, reptiles, frogs, vascular plants and macro-fungi attract amongst many naturalists. Why? – there are probably too many species and not enough specialists to help identify and study them. The Terrestrial Invertebrate Special Interest Group (TIG) was established in order to overcome this deficiency. The FNCV did have an Entomology SIG many years ago, and more recently, an Invertebrate Survey SIG.

The current TIG was formed in 2002 and has meetings every second (odd) month that involve a guest speaker. Topics have included butterflies, freshwater insects, threatened insects, spiders, mites, just to name a few. It has held invertebrate sorting and identification workshops.

The next TIG event is:

Wednesday 17th February 2010
Topic: From alps to coast, gills to wings - some ancient insects in the Australian landscape.
Speaker: Di Crowther, Arthur Rylah Institute, Department of Sustainability & Environment.
Di will talk about her work on threatened aquatic insects: the stoneflies Thaumatoperla flaveola, T. alpina, and T. flaveola , and the primitive dragonfly Hemiphlebia mirabilis.
Meeting at FNCV Club Room at 8pm.

Wednesday 21st April 2010
Topic: Use of molecular techniques to identify Australian invertebrates
Speaker: Dr Mark Blacket, Department of Primary Industries
Insect identifications have historically used morphological characters. However, the advent of molecular techniques have provided new insights and a greater level of identification that would not have been thought about 50 years ago. Mark will give an introduction to the use of molecular techniques to identify insects.
Meeting at FNCV Club Room at 8pm.

Contact point

Alan Yen (03) 9722 1665 or 0409 194 788