Natural History Museum
News //
Scientists from the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM) attended The Crustacean Society (TCS) Summer Meeting held in Taipei, Taiwan, from 27 May to 1 June 2024. This annual event, held by The Crustacean Society and co-hosted by the Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica this year, convenes experts in crustacean biology from all around the world.
LKCNHM’s Advisor, Professor Peter Ng, was invited to be a keynote speaker at the conference and kicked off the scientific proceedings with his talk, entitled ‘A tale of 2 oceans: Crabs in the Indian and Pacific Oceans—connections and vicariance’, highlighting his insights into crab diversity, taxonomic discoveries, and the various forces at work that encourage and propel speciation events.
The days that followed were characterised by a rich array of engaging and informative presentations, allowing scientists to share their research findings and talk about all things crustacean. Other than the keynote lectures, there were also talks which ran in parallel sessions. These talks were grouped into themed sessions, facilitating focused discussions and exchanges within specialised areas of crustacean biology (e.g. ecology, physiology, genetics, taxonomy and systematics, and conservation).
Dr Jose Christopher Mendoza, Senior Curator of Crustacea at LKCNHM, presented his research on freshwater crabs with his talk, ‘Fresh goes better: Is the Southeast Asian freshwater crab genus Sundathelphusa Bott, 1969, monophyletic?’ as part of a special session on freshwater crabs of the world.
LKCNHM’s Head, Associate Professor Darren Yeo, also gave a talk showcasing the Museum’s SIGNIFY project (Singapore in Global Natural History Museums Information Facility), an initiative to locate and document all the species collected and described from Singapore and provide an accessible digital archive of Singapore’s historical biodiversity.
After five days of sharing knowledge and making new friends, the conference concluded with a dinner banquet on the final night, and a trip around Taipei the next day! Participants visited the Mountain City Jiufen, and the National Museum of Marine Science & Technology at Keelung.
Concluding the event with a sense of camaraderie and shared knowledge, the conference not only enriched our understanding of crustacean science but also forged new connections and collaborations among peers worldwide. It promises exciting prospects for future advancements in the field of carcinology!
