Newsletter

January 2017

(updated on 28th January 2017)

other issues of our Newsletter:

August 2008 - March 2009 - November 2009 - October 2010 - December 2011 - May 2013 - December 2013 - April 2014 - December 2014 - November 2015

Papua-Insects.nl

The Papua Insects Foundation

 

 

The latest news of the Papua Insects Foundation, the website and other relevant items concerning the entomology study in New Guinea

With this newsletter we want to inform you about the latest developments, news and changes in the website and activities of the Papua Insects Foundation and other interesting entomological news of New Guinea. If you have any questions or comments on this, please contact us.

Digitalization of the Koleksi Serangga Papua (KSP) in Waena, Papua, Indonesia

We can now start with the project! Thank you for your donations!

Koleksi Serangga Papua (KSP) is a large butterfly and moth collection build up by the late Br. Henk van Mastrigt. The collection is under supervision of the Kelompok Entomologi Papua (KEP) and property of the Universitas Cenderawasih (UNCEN) in Waena, Papua. With more than 75,000 specimens, all from Papua and West Papua, the collection is the only testimony of the Lepidoptera fauna in Papua, now endangered by deforestation. Our goal is to open this collection for scientists and students to study and to ensure its preservation.

The KSP comprises many type specimens and other unique specimens, some even from species still undescribed by science. The collection is the most crucial tool scientists have to chart biodiversity, monitor populations and help designing protection policies. Despite its scientific importance, it remains very difficult to reach for many scientists and students worldwide. To make it accessible, The Papua Insects Foundation (PIF) aims to start a digitization project based on UNCEN. Digitized information and photographs will be put on line with open access (some exceptions for undescribed species in progress of publication).

The Dutch Uyttenboogaart-Eliasen Foundation financed the much needed material to photograph and register the specimens. Through a crowd funding we collected € 3000 to make a start with the project, but we still need money to finance the workforce and to guarantee continuity of the project. Please help us with making this project a success and donate whatever you can contribute.

You will be informed of our progress at all times and your contribution will be mentioned in publications related to this project.
You can send your contribution to ING Bank with IBAN number NL10INGB0673660087, BIC code INGBNL2A, Papua Insects Foundation, Stadskanaal, The Netherlands, with notification of “KSP Photo Project”. For more information, please contact chairman Rob de Vos.

On behalf of the members of KEP and biology students of UNCEN and PIF,
Thank you very much for your help!


SUGAPA digital is on line!

 

Since the death of chief editor Henk van Mastrigt in August 2015 the process of publishing of SUGAPA magazine was paralized. For the greater part this job was accomplished by Henk van Mastrigt himself. After he had died nobody knew about a list of subscribers and printing contacts, not even his way of publishing. To continue his magazine we had to start all over again. The decision was made to go on line and to make it free access so everybody, even the students in Papua, can have access in it. Henk was in the middle of completing a next issue and send out manuscripts to edit by the editors. The first issue of SUGAPA digital is therefore compiled of these manuscripts he never could finish editing anymore.

It is the intention to have also the previous issues on line in pdf formats. Not all these older issues are on line yet but they will be soon. To visit SUGAPA digital you go to www.sugapa.org.

The first issue is SUGAPA digital 10(1) and is released on 25th October 2016. SUGAPA digital will appear two times a year. If you have any contributions with relevant topics for the magazine you are welcome to publish in it. For this please contact the editors.

contents of SUGAPA digital 10(1):

1. Rob de Vos
In memoriam Henk van Mastrigt

2. A.P. Mackey
Two new species of Leucoma Hübner, 1822 (Lepidoptera: Lymantriinae) from Papua Indonesia

3. G.Withaar
New species of the genus Tmesisternus and Pascoea from New Guinea (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae, Lamiinae, Tmesisternini)

4. Stefan Schröder & Boris V. Stradomsky
Resolving the taxonomic status of Hypochrysops hypocletus Oberthür, 1880 (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae)

 

 

An addition to the board of the Papua Insects Foundation

The Papua Insects Foundation welcomes Mrs. Drs. Eulalia Gasso-Miracle to the board of the foundation.
Eulalia will strengthen our board with expertise on digitalization, an even more scientific approach of the data and cooperation with institutes like Naturalis Biodiversity Center (Leiden) and others. Eulalia is curator of the butterfly collection in Naturalis Biodiversity Center and will also take care of the butterfly pages in our website papua-insects.nl.

The other members of the board are: Rob de Vos (chairman), Siep Sinnema (secretary), Gerrit Withaar (treasurer), Piet Zumkehr and Frans Groenen (both ordinary members) and Mrs. Daawia Suhartawan and Miss Evie Lilly Warikar (both foreign members).


 

 

 

News on the website

"SUGAPA digital" link on the homepage

Jumping from the homepage of Papua Insects to SUGAPA digital has now become very easy by the direct link on top of the homepage. In time the link to the SUGAPA abstracts will be removed because all original publications (pdf's) will be found on SUGAPA digital soon.

Thumbnail pages

Check the availability of thumbnail pages by this icon:

As usual new thumbnail galleries have been added to the website and more are yet to come. Renovations and corrections in the website are part of a daily practice to keep the website up to date and are ongoing. Here follows a list of the major novities on the website since last newsletter. Minor changes are numerous and you will understand that we cannot list those.

Checklists

Of the insects pages the following list shows the new or renewed checklists of last year:

 

We hope that contributors who promissed us a checklist of their insect group will soon send it to us for preparing. If you have additional information or a new family to add to the website please contact the webmaster.

Appeal for more information on other insect groups and items for the next newsletter

At the moment we have contact with more than 50 entomologists in the world who more or less contribute to our website or promissed to do so. We would appreciate your cooperation to provide us of information and checklists of your specialism concerning New Guinea in general or Papua Indonesia in particular. If you know of some other specialists who potentially could be interested to contribute to our website, please let him/her know of us or inform us.

If you have interesting news or information to put in the next newsletter you are very welcome to. Please contact the webmaster to deliver and discuss your contribution.

We rely and depend on you!