Ross Taylor Bell and Joyce Rockenbach Bell Research Grant – 2025 Awards

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The Coleopterists Society is pleased to announce two winners of the 2025 Ross Taylor Bell and Joyce Rockenbach Bell Research Grant!  The awardees are:

Dr. M. Guadalupe del Río for the project “Unlocking biodiversity and applied research on the broad-nosed weevil tribe Naupactini (Curculionidae: Entiminae) in Colombia”. The principal investigator will curate naupactine weevils in Colombian entomology collections, which will culminate in an illustrated catalog, key to genera, and the baseline taxonomy for necessary generic revisions.

Dr. Guadalupe del Río in the lab and examples of Naupactini from Colombia.
Dr. Guadalupe del Río in the lab and examples of Naupactini from Colombia.

 

Dr. Vinícius da Costa-Silva for the project “An illustrated catalogue of Trogidae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea) type specimens from key European collections: a foundational resource for future taxonomic and phylogenetic studies”.  This project involves the principal investigator visiting the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle (Paris, France) and The Natural History Museum (London, UK) to catalog and curate specimens and take high-resolution photographs of all trogid primary types.

Vinícius Costa-Silva and dorsal habitus of Omorgus indigenus Scholtz, 1990
Dr. Vinícius Costa-Silva during a field trip to Mooinooi, North West Province, South Africa and a dorsal habitus image of the holotype of Omorgus indigenus Scholtz, 1990.

We would like to thank Joyce Bell for making this grant possible with her generous donation to The Coleopterists Society in memory of her husband, Ross Bell. This grant is awarded on April 23rd, which would have been Ross’s 96th birthday.

Special Publication No. 5 available for purchase

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We are pleased to announce the publication of the first installment of The Coleopterists Society Special Publications Series in 16 years!
The newly published Special Publication No. 5 is titled “Adventive Weevils Recorded from North America: A Review and Illustrated Manual for their Identification (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea, Excluding Scolytinae)” by E. Richard Hoebeke, James R. LaBonte, and Kent E. Loeffler.
This 604-page hardcover publication is beautifully illustrated with over 200 full-page color plates and is available for purchase for USD$120 (USD$220 institutional price).
All proceeds directly support the awards, programs, and activities of The Coleopterists Society.

Ross Taylor Bell and Joyce Rockenbach Bell Research Grant – 2024 Award

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With the continued high level of interest in the Ross Taylor Bell and Joyce Rockenbach Bell Research Grant in 2024, The Coleopterists Society is pleased to announce that two awards will be given again this year!  The awardees are:

Dr. Héctor Jaime Gasca Álvarez and Dr. Paul Skelley for their project titled “A survey of the pleasing fungus beetles (Coleoptera: Erotylidae: Erotylinae) of Colombia”.  This project involves the principal investigators travelling to major entomology collections in Colombia to curate specimens, work on taxonomy and diversity, and document this poorly known but highly endemic group.

Paul Skelley and Héctor Gasca at the Florida State Collection of Arthropods in 2012; on the right, habitus images of Dyslexia belamyi Skelley and Gasca-Álvarez.
Dr. Paul Skelley and Dr. Héctor Jaime Gasca Álvarez at the Florida State Collection of Arthropods in 2012 and habitus images of Dyslexia belamyi Skelley and Gasca-Álvarez, 2020.

 

Dr. Marianna Simões for her project titled “Towards a stable classification of Cassidini Chapuis (Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae) using low-coverage whole genome sequencing”. This project involves sequencing the DNA from museum specimens in order to study the phylogenetics and evolution of this leaf-beetle tribe, which will make advances towards a stable classification of the subfamily Cassidinae.

Cassidinae beetles on a leaf and Dr. Dr. Marianna Simões
Cassidinae beetles on a leaf and Dr. Marianna Simões.

We would like to thank Joyce Bell for making this grant possible with her generous donation to The Coleopterists Society in memory of her husband, Ross Bell. This grant is awarded on April 23rd, which would have been Ross’s 95th birthday.

Honorary Member 2023

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The Honorary Member of The Coleopterists Society for 2023 is

Victoria Bayless

Victoria Bayless serving at the first Booth of The Coleopterists Society in Austin, Texas, in 2013.
Victoria Bayless serving at the first Booth of The Coleopterists Society in Austin, Texas, in 2013.

The Coleopterists Society Honorary Member is awarded recognizing the devotion to the Society and dedication to the discipline.

Victoria is the Curator of the Louisiana State Arthropod Museum. She served as Society Councilor (2007–2008) and President (sequence, 2011–2016). She was also the creator of The Coleopterists Society Booth at the Entomological Society of America in 2013.

Congratulations, Victoria!

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