Societas Europaea Lepidopterologica
Encyclopedia
Societas Europaea Lepidopterologica (also known as SEL) is the European society for the study of moth
s and butterflies and for the conservation of these insects and their natural habitat
s. The society was founded in 1976 with the aims of promoting collaboration among the lepidopterists
of Europe
, Western Asia
and North Africa
, and of promoting conservation of Lepidoptera and their habitat
s. The society now has in excess of 600 members.
The membership of the Societas Europaea Lepidopterologica comprises a large proportion of the active European professional researchers in the fields of Lepidoptera systematics
, morphology
, behaviour, faunistics, biogeography
, biodiversity
, ecology
and conservation biology
. It similarly comprises a large proportion of the European ‘amateur specialists’, whose contributions to the knowledge about this group of insects continues to be of paramount significance. For many SEL members Lepidoptera collecting is a major interest, and the society has a clear stand on this issue.
The Societas Europaea Lepidopterologica promotes research
in lepidopterology and dissemination of the findings therefrom primarily through the arrangement of the biennial European Congresses of Lepidopterology and through the publication of the scientific journal
Nota lepidopterologica. A newsletter, News — Nouvelles — Nachrichten, serves the communication within the society.
The society was founded by Dr. Otakar Kudrna, a Czechoslovakian lepidopterist who escaped to England from communist Czechoslovakia
to become Europe’s foremost authority on butterfly taxonomy. Kudrna's The Distribution Atlas of European Butterflies (2002) is based on the observations of collaborators all over Europe and is currently being used to investigate the effect of climate change and habitat loss. In 2009, Kudrna was awarded the Marsh European Lepidoptera Award in recognition of the efforts of those whose work has had a major and positive impact on butterfly and moth conservation within Europe.
Current President is Gerhard Tarmann from the Tyrolean State Museum
, which houses a sizeable entomological collection.
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
s and butterflies and for the conservation of these insects and their natural habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
s. The society was founded in 1976 with the aims of promoting collaboration among the lepidopterists
Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera is a large order of insects that includes moths and butterflies . It is one of the most widespread and widely recognizable insect orders in the world, encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies, skipper butterflies, and moth-butterflies...
of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Western Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
and North Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, and of promoting conservation of Lepidoptera and their habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
s. The society now has in excess of 600 members.
The membership of the Societas Europaea Lepidopterologica comprises a large proportion of the active European professional researchers in the fields of Lepidoptera systematics
Systematics
Biological systematics is the study of the diversification of terrestrial life, both past and present, and the relationships among living things through time. Relationships are visualized as evolutionary trees...
, morphology
Morphology (biology)
In biology, morphology is a branch of bioscience dealing with the study of the form and structure of organisms and their specific structural features....
, behaviour, faunistics, biogeography
Biogeography
Biogeography is the study of the distribution of species , organisms, and ecosystems in space and through geological time. Organisms and biological communities vary in a highly regular fashion along geographic gradients of latitude, elevation, isolation and habitat area...
, biodiversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
, ecology
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
and conservation biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
. It similarly comprises a large proportion of the European ‘amateur specialists’, whose contributions to the knowledge about this group of insects continues to be of paramount significance. For many SEL members Lepidoptera collecting is a major interest, and the society has a clear stand on this issue.
The Societas Europaea Lepidopterologica promotes research
Research
Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
in lepidopterology and dissemination of the findings therefrom primarily through the arrangement of the biennial European Congresses of Lepidopterology and through the publication of the scientific journal
Scientific journal
In academic publishing, a scientific journal is a periodical publication intended to further the progress of science, usually by reporting new research. There are thousands of scientific journals in publication, and many more have been published at various points in the past...
Nota lepidopterologica. A newsletter, News — Nouvelles — Nachrichten, serves the communication within the society.
The society was founded by Dr. Otakar Kudrna, a Czechoslovakian lepidopterist who escaped to England from communist Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
to become Europe’s foremost authority on butterfly taxonomy. Kudrna's The Distribution Atlas of European Butterflies (2002) is based on the observations of collaborators all over Europe and is currently being used to investigate the effect of climate change and habitat loss. In 2009, Kudrna was awarded the Marsh European Lepidoptera Award in recognition of the efforts of those whose work has had a major and positive impact on butterfly and moth conservation within Europe.
Current President is Gerhard Tarmann from the Tyrolean State Museum
Tyrolean State Museum
The Tyrolean State Museum in Innsbruck is also known as the Ferdinandeum after Archduke Ferdinand and was founded in 1823 by the Tyrolean State Museum Ferdinandeum Society ....
, which houses a sizeable entomological collection.