E. Geoffrey Hancock

Neotropical Copestylum Macquart (Diptera: Syrphidae) Breeding in Fruits and Flowers, Including 7 New Species

Ten species of Copestylum (Diptera: Syrphidae) were reared from fruits and flowers in Costa Rica, Ecuador and Trinidad. Seven were new and in this paper, we describe them, their development sites and the third stage larva and/or the puparium of all ten species. One new synonym is proposed, Copestylum pinkusi (Curran) [= Copestylum cinctiventre (Curran)]. Similarities and differences between these new and other Copestylum species, suggest they separate into two groups, referred to as the Vagum and Cinctiventre species groups. Features characterising these groups for both adult and early stages are assessed. Each species was also distinguished using adult and early stage characters. Within the Vagum group, adults were more disparate morphologically than the larval stage; this was reversed in the Cinctiventre group. Adult colour patterns are probably cryptic in function and for disguise. Vagum species have disruptive marks, while the Cinctiventre species have reflective colours. Biologically, the groups are almost distinguished by larval development sites. Vagum species use predominantly fruits and have a larval stage that is relatively generalised in form and habit. Cinctiventre species are confined to developing in flowers and the larva is more specialised. A key to both adult and early stages of all ten species is provided.

William Hunter's Goliath beetle, Goliathus goliatus (Linnaeus, 1771), re-visited

The first Goliath beetle was found floating in the mouth of the River Gabon in the Gulf of Guinea in 1766. It became the centre of eighteenth-century arguments concerning ownership and engendered petty jealousies between collectors. The search for more specimens was initially fruitless as its native habitat was unknown. Illustrations and descriptions of it appeared with varying degrees of accuracy. This paper develops the history of the individual beetle and the species to which it belongs as the result of finding additional contemporary sources.

An unusual preparation of an eighteenth-century spider and its consequences

AbstractInvestigation into an eighteenth-century spider in the collection of The Hunterian Museum, Glasgow, revealed an unusual and intriguing mounting method for a natural history specimen. This article discusses research into how and why the spider had been mounted using such a method, including attempts to replicate it to test the theories developed. The specimen exhibits interesting aspects of preservation linked to historical collecting practices of the period.