Enhancement of the Academy of Natural Sciences Orthoptera and Diptera Collections

加强自然科学院直翅目和双翅目馆藏

• 批准号: 9420188
• 负责人: Jon Gelhaus
• 金额: $ 18.47万
• 依托单位: Academy of Natural Sciences Philadelphia
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 1995
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1995-02-01 至 1998-01-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9420188&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Enhancement; Academy; Natural; Sciences; Orthoptera

This project proposes an international collaborative effort by systematists focusing on the unstudied, undetermined holdings of Orthoptera (grasshoppers, crickets, katydids, mantids, roaches walking sticks and related insects) and Diptera (flies) at The Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. ANSP holds the largest collection of Orthoptera in the world, comprising more than a million specimens from all regions, over 4000 primary types, and an associated collection of insect songs and library of published research. The use of the collection by scientists worldwide through collection visits and loans of specimens confirms it as a worldwide, scientific resource. It is the only collection in North Amer ica to have supported active research on systematics of Orthoptera by a continuum of curators for most of this century. The Diptera collection (flies) contains impressive collections in aquatic fly groups, such as the Chironomidae (aquatic midges), Ephydridae (shore flies) and Tipulidae (crane flies) assembled through active research by curators for well over fifty years. Both collections continue active development through strategic collecting and collection-based research by resident curators and other scientific researchers. Large numbers of specimens (estimated in excess of 170,000) in both collections remain unstudied taxonmically even some years after specimen preparation. In many cases, these insects cannot be recollected due to subsequent habitat destruction, logistical difficulties and other factors, and, in effect, the data carried by these specimens are now unavailable to science and society. These specimens are unidentified to taxonomic levels that would allow retrieval to fulfill loan requests for further scientific study and fall outside the specific taxonomic expertise represented by the resident curators. In addition, many of the scientists potentially interested in studying these insects work overseas and find it difficult to visit the collections. The specimens themselves are too fragile, bulky and numerous to efficiently ship to researchers in the numbers needed to allow taxonomic sorting by specialists and subsequent inclusion in research. This project represents the first such focused effort at reducing the number of undetermined specimens for any Orthoptera collection. Support will catalyze the process by facilitation short-term intensively-focused visits by national and international specialists to sort the undetermined backlog of specimens in their area of expertise to taxonomic levels (generally genus) useful for loan retrieval and study. These visiting curators will also provide valuable advice toward upgrading the classification of the collection in their area of expertise, and in directing us to scientists whose studies might benefit from these newly sorted specimens. These efforts will result in an increase in loans and study of the collection materials for Orthoptera and Diptera, and a reduction of the undetermined specimens to minimal, manageable amounts. In particular, the newly sorted specimens will not only supplement existing research projects, but their availability should provide the impetus for initiation of new lines of research. Additional components of this project focus on readying the specimens in anticipation of the visiting curators and organization and upgrading of the collection curation following their work. This project will complete the rehousing of all specimens of Orthoptera and Diptera from substandard units or vials to safe modern storage. Unprepared specimens in both orders, representing the first collections for these orders in geographic region or life stage, will be prepared and sorted taxonomically. Recuration, including an update of classification, will follow visits of specialists in both orders. The Orthoptera Species File, a computerized taxonomic authority file developed at ANSP, will be used for the first time in any Orthoptera collection to verify and update scientific names, allowing staff and other collection users to work more efficiently and accurately, and serving as a model project for curation of other Orthoptera collections. All completed aspects of this project will be publicized through targeted letters, newsletters, electronic listing services and scientific meetings to reach a wide variety of collection users.

该项目提出了一项由系统学家开展的国际合作努力，重点是费城自然科学院未研究的、未确定的直翅目（蚱蜢、蟋蟀、Katydids、螳螂、蟑螂、手杖和相关昆虫）和双翅目（苍蝇）。 ANSP拥有世界上最大的直翅目昆虫收藏，包括来自所有地区的100多万个标本，超过4000个主要类型，以及相关的昆虫歌曲收藏和已发表研究的图书馆。 世界各地的科学家通过标本采集访问和贷款使用这些标本，证实了它是一个世界性的科学资源。 这是唯一的收集在北美伊卡支持积极的研究直翅目系统学的连续性馆长为大多数这个世纪。 双翅目（蝇类）收藏品包含令人印象深刻的水生蝇类收藏品，如摇蚊科（水生蠓）、水虱科（海岸蝇）和提普利科（起重机蝇），这些收藏品是馆长五十多年来积极研究的结果。 这两个收藏继续通过战略收集和驻地馆长和其他科学研究人员的收藏研究积极发展。 即使在标本制备几年后，这两个收藏中的大量标本（估计超过170，000个）仍未进行分类学研究。 在许多情况下，由于随后的栖息地破坏、后勤困难和其他因素，这些昆虫无法被重新收集，实际上，这些标本所携带的数据现在无法为科学和社会所用。 这些标本是未经鉴定的分类水平，将允许检索，以满足进一步科学研究的贷款要求，并落在具体的分类专业知识所代表的驻地馆长。此外，许多可能对研究这些昆虫感兴趣的科学家在海外工作，发现很难参观这些收藏。 这些标本本身太脆弱，体积太大，数量太多，无法有效地运送给研究人员，以便专家进行分类分类，随后纳入研究。 这个项目代表了第一个这样的集中努力，在减少任何直翅目收集的未定标本的数量。 支持将通过促进国家和国际专家的短期密集访问来促进这一进程，以便将其专业领域内尚未确定的积压标本分类到有助于借出检索和研究的分类学级别（通常是属）。 这些来访的策展人还将提供宝贵的建议，以便在他们的专业领域升级收藏品的分类，并指导我们找到科学家，他们的研究可能会从这些新分类的标本中受益。 这些努力将导致增加贷款和对直翅目和双翅目收集材料的研究，并将未确定的标本减少到最小的、可管理的数量。 特别是，新分类的标本不仅将补充现有的研究项目，但它们的可用性应提供新的研究线的启动动力。 该项目的其他组成部分侧重于为来访的策展人准备标本，并在他们的工作之后组织和升级收藏品。 该项目将完成将所有直翅目和双翅目标本从不合标准的单位或小瓶重新安置到安全的现代储存设施。 两个目的未制备标本，代表这些目在地理区域或生活阶段的第一次收集，将进行制备和分类。 在两个订单的专家访问之后，将重新进行治疗，包括更新分类。 直翅目物种档案是ANSP开发的计算机化分类权威文件，将首次用于任何直翅目收藏，以核实和更新科学名称，使工作人员和其他收藏用户能够更有效和准确地工作，并作为其他直翅目收藏的管理模式项目。 将通过有针对性的信函、通讯、电子目录服务和科学会议，向广泛的收藏品用户宣传该项目所有已完成的方面。