Meetings programme

Schedule of upcoming meetings

The Society's meetings are open to Fellows, guests and members of the public.
Entry is free, but fellows and guests are reminded that if they wish to partake of refreshments before the meeting, there is a $4.00 charge to cover this.

Meetings are held on the second Thursday of each month, March to November inclusive. Meeting commence at 6.30 pm and are preceded by wine and nibbles at 6.00 pm. 

An invited lecture is normally arranged for each meeting. For ordinary meetings, the reading of papers and the presentation of exhibits of scientific interest.  

These meetings are usually held in the Society's Rooms. Meetings are occasionally organised jointly with other kindred societies and may be held elsewhere. Occasional Symposia on topical issues are also organised by the Society.

April 12th 2018
What can a blind beetle teach us about evolution? - Tales from the underworld.
Or
Lessons in evolution by Watts and Humphreys’ blind beetles from a subterranean archipelago in the Australian desert. Steven Cooper: Principal Research Scientist, Evolutionary Biology Unit, South Australian Museum.
 
Recent research of a relatively newly discovered subterranean fauna from the calcrete islands of central Western Australia. The fauna comprises a variety of invertebrate stygofauna (aquatic) and troglofauna (terrestrial/ cave), including insects and crustaceans, many of which are ancient evolutionary relicts from a time period when Australia was covered in rainforest. Of particular note is an amazing radiation of dytiscid diving beetles, which has become a model system for exploring the process of speciation underground and “regressive evolution”, the evolutionary process that leads to loss of characters such as eyes and body pigment. I will present some of the latest research we have conducted using genetic analyses of photoreceptor genes, which provides unique insights into these fundamental evolutionary processes.
 
Professor Cooper is a Principal Researcher at the South Australian Museum and an affiliated Professor at the University of Adelaide, where he is a member of the Australian Centre for Evolutionary Biology and Biodiversity. His research involves genetic analyses of the diversity, evolution and ecology of Australian fauna, with a strong focus on groundwater/cave invertebrates from the Australian arid zone, a major collaborative ARC-funded project involving researchers from The South Australian Museum, University of Adelaide and Western Australian Museum. He has also a strong interest in applying genetic analyses in the field of conservation biology, with recent projects focusing on the taxonomy of bandicoots and gliding marsupials.

May     Chris Daniels, Rewilding and the future of Parks, Zoos and the Nature Experience.
June   Prof Gavin Prideaux, 4th Ralph Tate Memorial Lect. 7.00 pm Mawson Lect Theatre