Specialist Group for Systematic and Phylogenetic Odonatology (SGSPO)

© Günter Bechly, Böblingen, Germany, 1997

SGSPO
c/o GÜNTER BECHLY
Am Stadtgarten 4
D-71032 Böblingen
GERMANY

The SGSPO is an informal non-profit association of scientists who are interested in systematics and phylogenetics of fossil and extant Odonata, with special reference to Phylogenetic Systematics or Cladistics.

Membership:

Membership in the SGSPO is without charge and open to any person in any country. Sustaining membership is possible and welcome, the annual due is 15,- DM. Payment with eurocheque, postal-money-order or cash. For membership-application please contact The Editor of PETALURA.

Publications:

The SGSPO is publishing the irregular electronic periodical "PETALURA Online-Journal of the SGSPO". The journal is free available on the Internet website of SGSPO. PC-formatted 3,5"-diskettes with all issues of PETALURA and an offline-version of the complete SGSPO-website and "Phylogeny of Odonata"-website as HTML-files are available for a prepayment of 15,- DM from the Editor of PETALURA (including surface mail). Please note: there are no free reprints, and hard-copies of PETALURA are no longer available!

Chairman and Editor of PETALURA:

Presently SGSPO does not have or need a formal constitution. The establishment of a formal constitution and the election of a new chairman and/or editor can be decided at any time by a qualified majority of the membership. Until then Mr. Günter Bechly (Böblingen, Germany) is acting as executive chairman of the SGSPO and as executive editor of the journal PETALURA. SGSPO and PETALURA, as well as all current contents of the SGSPO-websites are protected by copyright of Günter Bechly (Böblingen, Germany, 1997).

Subjects:

1.) Close communication and co-operation between all specialists in the field of systematic and phylogenetic odonatology. The major purpose of the SGSPO is the promotion of the development and acceptance of a modern phylogenetic system of fossil and extant Odonata, above the generic level.

2.) Publication of the irregular journal PETALURA.

3.) Establishment of an "Odonatological Homepage" on the Internet, which shall include the following components (or links to such):

odonatological online journal PETALURA (plus SGSPO-Members-Directory)
odonatological bibliography (incl. abstracts), with special reference to systematics
catalogue of fossil and extant Odonatoptera, including synonymy, data concerning types, distributional data and major references (and as far as possible also illustrations of wing venation, and the habitus of imagines and larvae)
phylogenetic trees with lists of the referring autapomorphies (incl. illustrations and a data bank of molecular sequences)
interactive computerised keys to fossil and recent odonates (incl. illustrations)
odonatological glossary (incl. illustrated morphological atlas (esp. SEM), graphical evolutionary scenarios, and even animations or videos of certain behavious, e.g. copulation), plus a list of standard keywords, abbreviations and codens, and a list of vernacular names of odonates in different languages
synoptic tables of the different anatomical terminologies (e.g. for wing venation and genitalia)
map of recent biogeographical regions, and paleo-biogeographical maps
paleo-entomological time-table, with data to the most important localities of fossil odonates
red list of threatened odonate species (IUCN)
international directory of odonatologists (plus short biographies of famous odonatologists), odonatological societies, and odonatological collections
Internet "surf-board" with links to all other known odonatological websites (including short descriptions)
email discussion forum (newsgroup) for all aspects of systematic odonatology
odonatological news and announcements
(All sections shall be continuously revised and updated)

4.) Close co-operation with W.D.A. and other odonatoloical societies and institutions (e.g. DSA, GdO, BDS, SFO, IORI, and IDF).

Last Update: 25th July, 2005