International Symposium on Gracillariidae

International Symposium on Gracillariidae
September 26-28, 2014
Kozagawa, Wakayama, Japan
We are pleased to announce an International Symposium on Gracillariidae, to be held September
26-28, 2014 in Kozagawa, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. This symposium will bring together
researchers worldwide working on the systematics, evolution, and biology of leaf blotch mining
moths (Gracillariidae). Gracillariidae are an emerging model taxon in evolutionary genomics,
evolutionary ecology, insect-microbe interactions, and biodiversity research. The vast diversity
of Gracillariidae, much of which is undescribed, and their often specialized but poorly
understood interactions with host plants and parasites embody both how we think about
biodiversity, and the challenges inherent in biodiversity research. By bringing together
researchers worldwide studying Gracillariidae, we intend to inspire new questions and chart
strategy for international collaborative research on this model taxon.
Confirmed speakers include:
Plenary speakers:
Don Davis (Smithsonian Institution, USA)
Jurate De Prins (Royal Museum for Central Africa, Belgium)
Tosio Kumata (Hokkaido University, Japan)
Additional speakers:
Carlos Lopez-Vaamonde (Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, France)
Akito Kawahara (University of Florida, USA)
Shigeki Kobayashi (Osaka Prefectural University, Japan)
Tomoko Okamoto (Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Japan)
Issei Ohshima (Kyoto Prefectural University, Japan)
Atsushi Kawakita (Kyoto University, Japan)
David Hembry (Kyoto University, Japan)
Poster presentation applications will be considered for additional oral presentations.
Program
26 September 2014: Morning: Arrival in Kozagawa
Afternoon: Registration
Evening: Welcome dinner and keynote address
27 September 2014: Symposium talks and keynote addresses
Evening: Dinner, reception, and poster session
28 September 2014: Excursion to the Hokkaido University Wakayama Experimental Forest
Hirai, Wakayama Prefecture
http://forest.fsc.hokudai.ac.jp/~exfor/Wyef/2indexWy.htm (Japanese only)
Evening: Dinner and training course, “Rearing of leaf miners”
29 September 2014: Morning: Departure
For complete, updated program, please see
http://eureka.kpu.ac.jp/~issei/International_Symposium_on_Gracillariidae/Program.html
Depending on your point of origin and flight schedules, arrival on either September 25 or the
morning of September 26 is recommended.
Venue
The symposium will be held at the beautiful Botan-sō lodge and hot spring along the Koza River,
in the town of Kozagawa, a short distance inland from the Pacific coast. Kozagawa is in the far
south of Wakayama Prefecture, the southernmost part of the main Japanese island of Honshu.
Wakayama and the Kii Peninsula have a wet, warm temperate climate and extensive remaining
broadleaf evergreen forest that harbors a diverse gracillariid fauna, including both many Asian
temperate taxa as well as several primarily Paleotropical genera near the northern limit of their
distribution (e.g., Macarostola, Epicephala, Diphtheroptila). Botan-sō itself abuts onto diverse
warm temperate forest with a great diversity of gracillariids and their host plants. The
symposium excursion will be to the Hokkaido University Wakayama Experimental Forest, home
to a diverse temperate broadleaf evergreen forest whose gracillariid fauna has been extensively
surveyed over many decades by Tosio Kumata.
Travel and Access
The closest international airport to Kozagawa is Kansai International Airport (Osaka; KIX).
Kozagawa is accessible by train from Kansai Airport. Limited express JR Kuroshio trains run
from JR Wakayama Station, near Kansai Airport, directly to Koza Station in Kozagawa (travel
time approximately 3.5 hours).
For participants traveling by air within Japan, travel to Koza Station from Kansai Airport or
Nanki Shirahama Airport is more convenient than travel from Itami Airport. For participants
traveling by train from within Japan, Koza Station can be reached either by the JR Kisei Main
Line from Tennoji Station in Osaka, or by the JR Kisei Main Line from Nagoya Station. For
more details about domestic travel from within Japan to Kozagawa, please contact the
symposium organizers.
Botan-sō is approximately 10 minutes by car from Koza Station. Shuttle buses will be organized
to transport participants for arrival and departure.
Citizens of some East Asian nations and of most North American and European nations do not
require visas to enter Japan. If you are not sure if you need a visa, please consult the nearest
Japanese consulate in your home country. If you require an invitation letter for a visa application,
please contact the organizers as soon as possible.
To locate the nearest Japanese consulate or embassy to where you live, please see the following
list: http://www.mofa.go.jp/about/emb_cons/mofaserv.html
Accommodation
Participants will stay at Botan-sō (www.botansou.jp), which offers traditional Japanese-style
accommodation (futons on tatami mat floors). In addition to invited speakers, we can house
approximately 25 participants in rooms that each holds 3-4 people. Two large tatami rooms (a
women’s room and a men’s room) may be used for student attendees as needed.
Like many Japanese hotels, Botan-sō does not provide private showers; participants may use the
communal bath and hot spring. (As is the custom in Japan, men and women’s baths and hot
spring areas are entirely separate.)
Meals for the duration of the symposium will be provided in the restaurant at Botan-sō. Please
let the organizers know when you register if you have any eating restrictions and food allergies.
Registration
We welcome applications for poster presentations, pertaining to any aspect of Gracillariidae or
other leaf-mining insects. Poster presentation applications will be considered for additional oral
presentations.
Registration opens by February 2014. Please visit our webpage for updates:
http://eureka.kpu.ac.jp/~issei/International_Symposium_on_Gracillariidae/Welcome.html
Registration covers meals and lodging at Botan-sō for three days:
Accommodation (26th-28th)
Dinner on the 26th, 27th (reception), and 28th
Boxed lunch on the 27th and 28th
Breakfast on the 27th, 28th, and 29th
Student registration: ¥18,000 (Japanese yen; approximately USD$180)
Non-student registration: ¥25,000-¥30,000 (Japanese yen; approximately USD$250-$300; exact
amount to be determined later.)
Language
The official language of the symposium is English. However, the symposium organizers are
happy to answer inquiries in Japanese.
Inquiries
For inquiries, please write to Issei Ohshima at [email protected] or David Hembry at
[email protected].
This symposium is organized by Issei Ohshima (Kyoto Prefectural University), Atsushi
Kawakita (Kyoto University), and David Hembry (Kyoto University).

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