The Congress was held at the Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México from 10 to 14 August 2026
There were 111 attendants – 43 of which students – from 27 countries, 70 talks and 35 posters (full program available here). Shared photos of the Congress are available here.
Winners of the student competitions were:
Oral presentations:
1st prize: Catherine Hébert
Smallest insects of Quebec: unsuspected diversity revealed by integrative taxonomy / Los insectos más pequeños de Quebec: taxonomía integrativa revela una diversidad insospechada.
2nd prize: Tareva-Chine Corazón Atkin-Zaldívar
It takes gall: Taxonomy and systematics of the gall-forming, chalcid family Tanaostigmatidae / Se necesitan agallas: Taxonomía y sistemática de los calcídidos formadores de agallas de la familia Tanaostigmatidae.
Posters:
1st prize: Alejandra del Rocio Rivera Estrada
Detecting viral sequences related to mutualistic viral lineages in parasitoid wasps of the subfamily Rogadinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) / Detección de secuencias virales relacionadas con linajes virales mutualistas en avispas parasitoides de la subfamilia Rogadinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae).
2nd prize: Sofia Rebeca Fernandez Flores
Integrative systematics of a new species of Belonocnema (Cynipidae: Cynipini) from Mexico / Sistemática integrativa de una nueva especie de Belonocnema (Cynipidae: Cynipini) de México.
Chalcidoidea talks:
Tareva-Chine Corazón Atkin-Zaldívar
It takes gall: Taxonomy and systematics of the gall-forming, chalcid family Tanaostigmatidae / Se necesitan agallas: Taxonomía y sistemática de los calcídidos formadores de agallas de la familia Tanaostigmatidae.
Post-Congress Field Excursion
A post-Congress field excursion took place at UNAM’s Chamela Biological Station in Jalisco, in which 18 people from 10 countries took part.
Gala/Farewell Dinner
The gala dinner of the 2026 International Society of Hymenopterists congress took place on Friday, 14 August at the Antigua Hacienda de Tlalpan, a historic venue located in the southern part of Mexico City.
Mid-Conference Excursion
Excursion to Teotihuacan Pyramids
On Wednesday, 12 August, a conference excursion took place to the Archaeological Zone of Teotihuacan, one of the most iconic and impressive ancient cities in the Americas. Participants will have the opportunity to explore its monumental pyramids—including the Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon—as well as the Avenue of the Dead and other remarkable structures that showcase the grandeur of this UNESCO World Heritage Site.
ISH Mexico 2026: Share your Congress photos with ISH members!
Please upload the photos and videos you are happy to share at https://we.tl/a-joqgAdJYwDJ9gLVs or by scanning the QR code below
You can view the photos at the wetransfer link above, or some are aksi added to a Polarstep trip at https://www.polarsteps.com/InternationalSocietyofHymenopterists/27897894-a-new-adventure?referral=true where we can all follow the Congress to see what everyone has been up to
Thank you to our wonderful archivist Alana for setting this up!
Many thanks to our sponsors: / Muchas gracias a nuestros patrocinadores:
Pensoft
Entomological Society of Washington
Instituto de Biología (IBUNAM)
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM)
Local Organising Committee
- Alejandro Zaldívar Riverón
- Jovana M. Jasso-Martínez
- Ismael A. Hinojosa Díaz
- Juana María Coronado Blanco
And team: Jaime Solís de la Rosa, Alejandra del Rocio Rivera Estrada, Isamara Silva dos Santos, Brenda Sotomayor Ruíz, Ana Celeste Martínez Cervantes, Rubén Castañeda Osorio, Arian Sonora Aguirre, José Ángel Vargas Hernández, Kevin Reynaga, Dina Abigail Castillo Castillo
ISH Executive Organising Group
- Natalie Dale-Skey
- Erinn Fagan-Jeffries
- Jess Awad
- Miles Zhang
- Juanita Rodriguez
Scientific Committee
- Stephania Sandoval Arango
- Rubén Castañeda Osorio
- Bernardo Santos
- Luke Kresslein
- Jessica Awad
- Yuanmeng Miles Zhang
- Alana McClelland
- Alejandra González
- Eduardo Shimbori
- Davide Dal Pos
- Ernesto Samacá
- Jovana Jasso Martínez
- Alejandro Zaldívar Riverón
- Ismael Hinojosa
- Juanita Coronado
Welcome video from the local organising committee:
Travel Guide
Student Travel Grants
Travel grants for students and Early Career (up to 3 years post terminal degree) are now closed.
Winners:
- Ana Cristina Garcia-Cordon, Washington State University, USA
- André Vital Ferreira, University of Brasília, Brazil
- Valeriy Govorov, Charles University, Czechia
- Wenqian Hu, Sichuan University, China
- Zixuan Li, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, China
- Robin Marquez, University of Central Florida, USA
Las becas de viaje para estudiantes e investigadores en etapas tempranas de su carrera (hasta 3 años después de obtener el grado terminal) ya están cerradas.
Ganadores:
- Ana Cristina García-Cordón, Universidad Estatal de Washington, EE. UU.
- André Vital Ferreira, Universidad de Brasilia, Brasil
- Valeriy Govorov, Universidad Carlos, República Checa
- Wenqian Hu, Universidad de Sichuan, China
- Zixuan Li, Universidad de Fujian de Agricultura y Silvicultura, China
- Robin Márquez, Universidad de Florida Central, EE. UU
Program
Keynote Speakers:
Rodrigo M. Feitosa
Rodrigo Machado Feitosa is an Associate Professor of Zoology at the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR), Brazil. He earned his Ph.D. in Entomology from the University of São Paulo and completed postdoctoral training at its Museum of Zoology. His research focuses on the systematics and biology of Neotropical ants, with an emphasis on phylogenetics, taxonomy, and biodiversity inventories. Beyond academia, he serves as President of the Brazilian Entomological Society, Taxon Coordinator for ants in the Brazilian Red List of Threatened Species, and coordinator of the ant specialist group within the IUCN Species Survival Commission. He is also an Associate Editor for several international entomology journals.
Juanita Rodriguez
Juanita Rodriguez is a research scientist and Hymenoptera curator at the Australian National Insect Collection (ANIC). Her research focuses on the use of morphological and molecular data to study the systematics, diversification, evolution and historical biogeography of various Hymenoptera groups (Pompilidae, Mutillidae, bees and others). She grew up in Bogotá, Colombia, where she obtained her B.Sc and M.Sc degrees at Universidad Nacional de Colombia. In 2014 she obtained her Ph.D. at Utah State University. She worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Auburn University between 2014-2016. In August 2016 she joined the Australian National Insect Collection. She is the current ISH President.
PDF program
Full Program (update 28 July 2026)
Program at a glance
Many thanks to our sponsors: / Muchas gracias a nuestros patrocinadores:
Pensoft
Entomological Society of Washington
Instituto de Biología (IBUNAM)
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM)