10:00 AM, Lectures:
The following list of speakers have confirmed that they will be speaking at the 2008 ATS conference, more to come! The final schedule of speakers and the times they will be speaking will be announced in the months ahead.
Digging for Insights into Tarantulas:
Presented by Steve Reichling, Ph.D.
An overview of field and lab studies of tarantula biology, and how these investigations are being used to address conservation issues in the neotropics.
Steve Reichling is Curator at the Memphis Zoo, overseeing the Herpetology, aquarium, small mammal, and invertebrate departments. He has been employed in the zoo profession for 30 years. He received a doctorate from the University of Memphis for studies on maternal care and phenotypic plasticity in tarantulas. He has 25 scientific publications in herpetology and arachnology, and is the author of Tarantulas of Belize and Reptiles and Amphibians of the Southern Pine Woods.
A History of Brachypelma vagans (Araneae: Theraphosidae) in Florida:
Presented by G.B. Edwards, Ph.D.
Everybody has heard of this introduced population Brachypelma vagans (popularly known as the Mexican redrump tarantula), but few know much about it! Now you can hear the whole story about how it came to be and what’s happening with them now.
A Pictorial Review of the Jumping Spiders of the Genus Phidippus (Araneae: Salticidae):
Presented by G.B. Edwards, Ph.D.
The genus Phidippus includes some of the largest and most spectacular jumping spiders, with their greatest species diversity in the Southwest.
G.B. Edwards has been the Curator of Arachnida & Myriapoda, Florida State Collection of Arthropods, FDACS/DPI for the past 30 years. G.B. earned his Ph.D. from the University of Florida in 1980, and has written more than 100 articles on arachnids and other arthropods.
A Synopsis of the Scorpions of Southern Arizona:
Presented by David Sissom
The scorpion fauna of Arizona is discussed, with special reference to the species occurring in the southeastern part of the state. Morphological characteristics that allow recognition of families and genera will be presented and discussed using images from digital microscopy. Species will also be characterized on the basis of bio-geographical and ecological parameters, with notes on natural history.
David Sissom earned his Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University working under Gary Polis. He is currently a professor of biology at West Texas A&M University where he teaches courses in zoology, entomology, arachnology and parasitology. His research specialty is systematics of North American Vaejovidae, with a lesser emphasis on other groups and regions.
