2017 World Orchid Conference

The 22nd World Orchid Conference Show opens on November 7th in Ecuador, home of 1,710 endemic and over 4,000 native species of orchids, one of the most diverse families of plants on the planet. There will be exhibit halls full of dazzling award-quality species and hybrid plants from all over South America and around the world.

The five day conference also features the presentation of more than 80 papers on orchid science, conservation and horticulture, with symposia on Vanilla and Andean orchids. I will be speaking on the surprise discovery of the alien, and potentially invasive, Asian Flower Beetle (Protaetia fusca) during my quest to identify the pollinators of the Banana Orchid, Cayman’s national flower (Myrmecophila thomsoniana). Another flower beetle, Gymnetis lanius is the primary native pollinator but feral, non-native, honey bees also cause pollen transfer. The most unusual result of the research was finding an endemic weevil as the first confirmed pollinator of the orchid.

The new arrival of an exotic pollinator now sets up a natural experiment in increased pollinator attraction which may shed light on an orchid species responses to decreased pollinator limitation and forced increase of resource allocation to seed production.

Photographs: Weevil - Lachnopus sp. nov on labellum; Gymnetis lanius exiting flower with pollinia and anther cap falling away; Two Protaetia fusca carrying pollinia.