The Norwegian Entomological Society (Norwegian : Norsk entomologisk forening, NEF) was established in 1904. [1] The purpose of the society is to promote an interest in and the study of entomology in Norway and to establish contact between the interested parties. The society is open to both amateurs and experts. Anyone with an interest in insects or other arthropod groups can become a member. [1] [2]
Local branches of the society are located in the largest Norwegian cities, and they organize excursions to particularly interesting sites and guides who offer advice on identifying species and preparing collected material.
The society was founded by ten enthusiasts; [3] none of them were entomologists by profession, but two were biologists. All of them shared an interest in insects. Thomas Georg Münster originally came up with the initiative, and he served as the society's first chairman. [3] [4] The following year, two more members joined the society and it received its first charter. Work with butterflies and beetles occupied the society's members during its early years.
Institutions were allowed to become members of the society in 1921, the first one being the Norwegian College of Agricultural in Ås. in 1922 the society started admitting individual members from abroad. Membership of the society gradually grew, and in 1930 there were about 40 individual members. The society had about 400 members in 2008. The society is open to anyone that would like to be a member.
This has not always been the case; previously, another member had to recommend individuals for membership in the society, and membership was approved after assessment by the board. For example, Arne Semb-Johansson became a member in 1939 at the recommendation of Fridthjof Økland. In the process, he received a letter from Leif Reinhardt Natvig, stating: "Through Dr. Økland I have been informed that you would like to become a member of the Norwegian Entomological Society. To that end, I am bound to obtain some information from you: date of birth, place of birth, position, and which insect group you collect or are especially interested in. I will then present the matter at the society's next board meeting. Yours, Leif Reinhardt Natvig." Later Semb-Johansson received a second letter: "I have the honor to inform you that you have been admitted as a member of the Norwegian Entomological Society." [5] [6]
In order to be able to survey the prevalence of Norwegian insects, a simple geographical system for locating sightings was needed. In 1924, Thomas Georg Münster and others created a system that divided Norway into bio-geographical sectional areas for botanists and zoologists using number codes. [7] Eventually it turned out that this was little used.
In 1943, Andreas Strand came up with a new system called Inndeling av Norge til bruk ved faunistiske oppgaver (Division of Norway for Use in Fauna Tasks), popularly known as the Strand System. In it, Norway was divided into 37 regions based on municipal and county boundaries, and it took into account that the fauna in the interior parts of the country differed from the fauna on the coast. Therefore, most Norwegian counties are divided into smaller areas (e.g., inner, outer, north, or south). Strand chose letter codes instead of numbers; for example, HOY is the code for outer Hordaland (Hordaland,ytre). [8]
The system was revised in 1981 by Karen Anna Økland [9] because the municipal boundaries had also been revised. This system is recommended by the society and is used in all publications.
Since the 1960s, UTM coordinates have routinely been used for mapping species.
Since 1978, the European Invertebrate Survey (EIS) system has been recommended. In this system, Europe is divided into squares of 50 by 50 kilometers (31 mi × 31 mi). In a separate limited system for Norway, the squares are adapted to the Norwegian map and numbered from 1 to 189. For example, Oslo is in the square designated EIS 28. This gives the Norwegian map a grid that is well-suited for demarcating a species' distribution.
In May 2008, the Norwegian Species Observation System (Artsobservasjoner) was launched; [10] this is an internet-based service where sightings can be published. The Norwegian Entomological Society is one of five organizations working with the Norwegian Biodiversity Information Centre (Artsdatabanken) to operate the website.
There were no Norwegian entomological journals in the early years. The first publications by Norwegian entomologists appeared in the Swedish Entomologisk Tidskrift (Entomological Journal), which was not unexpected because Norway was in a union with Sweden. Other articles also appeared in series published by the Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters and in Nyt Magazin for Naturvidenskaberne (New Journal for the Natural Sciences). This situation was not satisfactory, and the first issue of Norsk Entomologisk Tidsskrift (now Norwegian Journal of Entomology) appeared in May 1921. [11]
Embrik Strand was an entomologist and arachnologist who classified many insect and spider species, including the greenbottle blue tarantula.
Robert Collett was a Norwegian zoologist. Collett was director and curator of the Zoological Museum at University of Oslo.
Astrid Løken was a Norwegian entomologist and member of the Norwegian resistance movement during World War II. Spending most of her career at Bergen Museum, from 1949 to 1979, she was the first female member of the Norwegian Entomological Society, and specialized in the bumblebee genus Bombus.
Leif Randulff Ryvarden is a Norwegian mycologist.
Jacob Liv Borch Sverdrup was a Norwegian educator and farmer, known for establishing the first agricultural school in Scandinavia.
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Ole Andreas Krogness was a Norwegian physicist. He worked for the establishment of a geophysical institute in Tromsø, and served as the institute's manager from 1918 to 1922. He was instrumental in many geophysical accomplishments in northern Norway in the early 20th century.
Einar Hoffstad was a Norwegian encyclopedist, newspaper editor, writer and economist. He remains best known as the editor of the encyclopedia Merkantilt biografisk leksikon and the business periodical Farmand. Although initially a classic liberal, Hoffstad embraced fascism and collectivism at the beginning of the Second World War.
Hjalmar Broch was a Norwegian zoologist and university professor at the University of Oslo (1937–1952). His specialty was biology of lesser marine animals; he published extensively on the biology of fish.
Arne Semb-Johansson was a Norwegian zoologist. He was born in Kristiania. He chaired the Norwegian Entomological Society from 1950 to 1953. He was assigned as a professor of zoology at the University of Oslo from 1959. Among his early works were studies of the nervous system and endocrine system of insects. He edited the six volume encyclopedia Cappelens Dyreleksikon, published 1979–1981. He was decorated Knight, First Class of the Order of St. Olav in 1987.
Ragnhild Andrine Sundby was a Norwegian zoologist who specialized in entomology. She was the first female professor at the Norwegian College of Agriculture.
Thor Hiorth Schøyen was a Norwegian entomologist.
Wilhelm Maribo Schøyen was a Norwegian entomologist. He was Norway's first government entomologist.
Thomas Georg Münster was a mine manager. He was also a diligent entomologist with a particular interest in beetles.
The Norwegian Journal of Entomology is a biannual peer-reviewed scientific journal covering entomology, and arthropodology more in general, with an emphasis on Norway. It was established in 1920 as the Norsk Entomologisk Tidsskrift, obtaining its current title in 1974. From 1979 to 1998 it was published under the name Fauna Norvegica Serie B. The journal is published by the Norwegian Entomological Society and the editor-in-chief is Øivind Gammelmo.
Karl Harald Adolf Haanshus was a Norwegian physician and entomologist. He joined the Norwegian Entomological Society in 1915. He was its vice chairman from 1933 to 1935, and he was also a member of the editorial committee of the Norwegian Journal of Entomology.
Leif Reinhardt Natvig was a Norwegian entomologist. He was employed throughout his entire career at the Oslo Zoological Museum, and he contributed to a stronger connection between the museum and the Norwegian Entomological Society.
Ejnar Fischer was a Norwegian engineer and entomologist. He especially collected beetles, many from his time spent in Australia. He was one of the founders of the Norwegian Entomological Society, which was established in 1904.
Andreas Strand was a Norwegian entomologist that specialized in Nordic beetles. Strand became a member of the Norwegian Entomological Society in 1920, and he is one of the leading figures in Norwegian entomology. His professional career included work as an administrator, secretary, vice chairman, and accountant.
Lauritz Sverdrup Sømme is a Norwegian entomologist. His work has focused on insects in houses and stored foods, and especially the wintering and cold tolerance of certain arthropods. Sømme has been on several expeditions to the Antarctic, participated in field trips to Svalbard, and visited various other extreme places on Earth in his research on arthropods and cold tolerance.