DEST - Taxonomy Training

Description of the project:
Spiders are among the most visible terrestrial invertebrates and are, thanks to international collaboration, well documented with family overviews for the Afrotropics and the World. The availability of an on-line world catalogue increases the accessibility of this mega-diverse group. Therefore, they are the taxonomic group par excellence for fine-grained studies in biodiversity and evaluations of habitat quality. The training provides a crash course for morphology based identification of Afrotropical representatives. The collection of the RMCA with more than 4000 identified species is of major importance in this respect.

Duration of training:
3 weeks

Training period:
To be discussed with mentor (training period only possible before 1 December 2011)

Target Audience:
MSc students, PhD students and early career researchers. Training can be adapted to individual level of trainees. 

Practical experiences: 

• Techniques (collection, preparation)
• Ecological sampling techniques
• Specimen database development
• Identification of Afrotropical spiders
• Literature search, use of catalogues

Lectures: 

• Zoogeography of the Afrotropical Region
• Systematics and phylogeny of the Araneae
• Zoological nomenclature

Seminars:

• Structure and complexity of spider genitalia; why so complex?

Name of mentor/supervisor:
Dr. Rudy Jocqué

Institution:
Royal Museum for Central Africa - Invertebrates non-insects
Leuvensesteenweg 13, B-3080 Tervuren, Belgium

Registration fee:
There is a registration fee per participant of 750 euro for students and researchers (or 3750 euro for persons coming from private companies and industry). Participants are responsible for their own travel and subsistence expenses.

Registration:
Register now as the 3-weeks training should take place before 1 December 2011!
Click here for the registration form.

Payment:
Payment details and deadline will be provided upon acceptance to the training.