The past, present and future of LepSoc

The Lepidopterists' Society of Southern Africa was born in 1983 as the Lepidoptera Study Group of Southern Africa. It is an organization not for gain, but to promote both the professional and amateur lepidopterists' interest with the main objective of significantly contributing to the overall knowledge of the diversity, taxonomy, habitats, distribution and life cycles of this fascinating group of insects.

Before 'Lepsoc', South African lepidopterists had not operated entirely alone, but as a series of small groups - separated largely by geography. Communication on such matters as localities and conservation had been sparse and uncoordinated. What the Society largely succeeded in doing was to create a forum where we could all communicate - our Journal, Metamorphosis, was an A4 stapled sheet until December 1990 and was a bit erratic in its publication, but it was eagerly anticipated. Also for the first time, lepidopterists who were members had access to a list of telephone numbers and addresses of fellow 'sufferers'. New friendships began and teams of butterfly and moth collectors began to make rapid, long distance trips to many prized localities. New discoveries were made and

Communication with the conservation fraternity began in earnest when Lepsoc started attending events such as 'Yebo Gogga' at Wits University, and survey weekends were arranged at private reserves.

In 1990, Metamorphosis was standardized as an A5 journal with occasional colour plates and in 1991 it was allocated International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) 1018-6409. As well as Metamorphosis, the Society has published, or assisted in the publication of, many books and papers on African lepidoptera. Examples are the South African Red Data Book - Butterflies in 1989 and A Practical Guide to Butterflies and Moths in 1992.

After the events of 1994, South Africans found a new welcome in Africa and trips further abroad began. This accelerated after the founding of the African Butterfly Research Institute in Kenya in 1997. Its inaugural Conference was held in May of that year and many Lepsoc members attended. New contacts were made and collaborative work began all over the continent. In recognition of this, the Society had already in 1996 changed its name to The Lepidopterists' Society of Africa.

One of the most significant developments that has taken the Society to where it is today has been the database collating system Lepidops, and the database itself, Lepibase. Conceived in 1998, it now has tens of thousands of data and is the prime vehicle for members to record their observations and catches. Also, the Society in 2004 entered into negotiations with Western Cape Provincial Nature Conservation (now CapeNature) which in 2007 culminated in an unprecedented agreement for cooperation between a private society and a provincial conservation authority.

Right now, the main project the Society is involved in, is the South African Butterfly Conservation Assessment (SABCA). Born on 8th August 2005, this project is about to go into its third year and has changed many things. Realizing that the scope of the project was so large that the small band of lepidopterists in the Society could not possibly hope to provide all the data required, SABCA provided for public participation in the form of a Virtual Museum. This held more than 7500 records after just over two years of operation, and continues to grow exponentially. We have made many new friends - and discovered some photographers of talent. Lepsoc has made contact with other nature lovers by holding meetings to which all are welcome - notably the birder community. It was highly significant that the main photographic prizes in recent competitions were won by people who would not consider themselves lepidopterists - but they surely are! Go to the SABCA website to learn more.

Steve Woodhall

President - Lepidopterists' Society of Africa