Enhancement of the Academy of Natural Sciences Orthoptera and Diptera Collections

该项目提议由系统学家进行国际合作，重点研究费城自然科学院未研究的、未确定的直翅目（蚱蜢、蟋蟀、蝈蝈、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标本收藏，包括来自所有地区的100多万标本，超过4000种主要类型，以及相关的昆虫歌曲收藏和已发表的研究图书馆。世界各地的科学家通过藏品参观和标本出借使用这些藏品，证实了它是一种全球性的科学资源。它是北美唯一一个在本世纪的大部分时间里由连续的策展人积极支持直翅目系统学研究的收藏。双翅目（苍蝇）收藏了令人印象深刻的水生蝇类，如Chironomidae（水生蠓），Ephydridae（岸蝇）和Tipulidae（鹤蝇），这些都是通过馆长50多年的积极研究而收集的。这两个收藏都通过战略收藏和常驻策展人和其他科学研究人员的基于收藏的研究继续积极发展。大量标本（估计超过17万）在标本制备后仍未进行分类研究。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。这些标本在分类学水平上是不确定的，这将允许检索以满足进一步科学研究的借阅请求，并且超出了常驻馆长所代表的特定分类学专业知识。此外，许多对研究这些昆虫有潜在兴趣的科学家在海外工作，很难参观这些藏品。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，以便由专家进行分类分类并随后纳入研究。该项目首次集中精力减少任何直翅目标本中未确定标本的数量。支助将促进这一进程，便利国家和国际专家进行短期集中访问，将其专门知识领域内尚未确定的积压标本分类到有助于检索和研究的分类水平（一般属）。这些来访的策展人还将提供宝贵的建议，以提升他们专业领域的藏品分类，并指导我们找到可能从这些新分类的标本中受益的科学家。这些努力将导致增加对直翅目和双翅目收集材料的贷款和研究，并将未确定的标本减少到最低限度和可管理的数量。特别是，新分类的标本不仅将补充现有的研究项目，而且它们的可用性应该为开展新的研究提供动力。该项目的其他组成部分侧重于准备标本，以期待来访的策展人和组织，并在他们的工作之后升级收藏策展。该项目将完成所有直翅目和双翅目标本的重新安置，从不合格的单位或小瓶到安全的现代储存。这两个目的未准备标本，代表了这些目在地理区域或生命阶段的第一次收集，将被准备和分类。复诊，包括更新分类，将在两科专家会诊后进行。“直翅目物种档案”是ANSP开发的一个计算机化的分类权威档案，将首次用于任何直翅目馆藏，以验证和更新科学名称，使工作人员和其他馆藏用户更有效和准确地工作，并作为其他直翅目馆藏管理的示范项目。该项目的所有已完成的方面将通过有针对性的信件、通讯、电子清单服务和科学会议进行宣传，以接触到各种各样的收集用户。

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.