Horticultural Wednesday I

Phalaenopsis is a very popular orchid genus originating from southeast Asia, with several horticultural varieties. The fine specimen above was photographed in Puerto de la Cruz, in Tenerife.

Entomological Society of Malta - vol. 4 launch

Last Friday saw the launch of the 4th volume of ESM's excellent series of papers dealing with, as the name of the society implies, the entomology of the Maltese islands and their biogeographic context.

The event was held under the patronage of His Excellency Dr. George Abela, and three society members (including its chairman) delivered short speeches on the importance of scientific research, peer reviews, funding and the maintenance of high publication standards. 

The scope of the talks ranged from the general, all-encompassing importance of works by luminaries such as Max Planck and Thomas Kuhn, to the specialized methodologies employed by scientists dealing in what the public may perceive as the "dinja stramba ta' dud, nemel u nsetti oħra" (lit. strange world of bugs, ants and other insects).

On to the main issue at hand - and its contents. This collection contains:

1) a catalogue of the aphid species occurring in Malta, with 48 new records, together with a list of aphid parasitoids, with three new records, and a new record of a coccid

2) observations and records of tachinid, rhinophorid and cecidomyiid flies from Malta and other Mediterranean areas

3) observations and records of nepticulid and pyralid moths from Malta

4) a catalogue of Maltese Scarabeoidea with eight new records, with a discussion on possible extinction mechanisms for these very interesting beetles

5) short features aimed at the younger demographic

A sample illustration - Scarabaeus (Ateuchetus) semipunctatus Fabricius, 1792 and Scarabaeus (Ateuchetus) variolosus Fabricius, 1787

The website was not updated in time for the launch, therefore for more information on the society please contact

Dr. David Mifsud
Entomological Society of Malta
P. O. Box 9
Marsa, MRS1000
Malta

Wordplay

The tag cloud generated by the local html programming on blogspot.com invariably translates to the drab affair shown below, copied and pasted from my own blog.

On the other hand, custom-built generators such as wordle.com allow users to tweak fonts and designs according to personal taste (or lack thereof) to achieve far more interesting, attention-grabbing layouts. Here's one I finished earlier, in true pop-art abandon (click on image for a larger view).

Death of a Phoenix

Palms are a common sight in Malta, with the warm temperatures affecting the islands throughout most of the year being a perfect catalyst for their growth and proliferation. This said, indigenous species amount to just one - the low-growing, bushy Chamaerops humilis L., now practically extinct in the wild.

Chamaerops humilis L., photographed by Aron Tanti

The recent invasion of the red palm weevil Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier, 1790) has affected several of the ornamental palms of the genus Phoenix.

Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier, 1790) from www.cm-oaz.pt

 
The date palm, Phoenix dactylifera L., is a historically important North African species that may be distinguished by leaves arranged in wide silvery fronds. The picture beneath shows this species of palm affected by the Rhynchophorus beetle.

Phoenix dactylifera L. affected by the red palm weevil in Santa Venera, Malta

Phoenix sp. in Rome, Italy, with the one on the right showing symptoms of red palm weevil infestation

Phoenix canariensis Chabaud is a Canarian endemic which is frequently planted around the Mediterranean, not least in Malta. Unfortunately it is also affected by the weevil in question and several stately specimens from around the island have been destroyed.

Phoenix canariensis Chabaud in the main road of Floriana, Malta

The inhabitants of Tenerife certainly make excellent use of their endemic palm species!

Steno on Google

The 374th anniversary of birth of the 'father of geology' Nicolaus Stensen, better known by his latinized name Nicolas Steno, is commemorated today on Google with a doodle showing a stylized stratigraphic section similar to what he may have encountered to come up with his conclusions.

Steno was featured on this blog together with his contemporary Agostino Scilla in a post from 2010.