Enhancement of the Academy of Natural Sciences Orthoptera and Diptera Collections

该项目提出了一项系统学家的国际合作努力，重点是费城自然科学学院的直翅目(蚱蜢、蟋蟀、麒麟、螳螂、蟑螂、拐杖和相关昆虫)和双翅目(苍蝇)未经研究的、未确定的持有量。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多万个标本，4000多个主要类型，以及相关的昆虫歌曲收藏和已发表的研究文库。世界各地的科学家通过收藏访问和出借标本来使用该藏品，证实了它是一种世界性的科学资源。在本世纪的大部分时间里，它是北美洲唯一支持馆长对直翅目系统学进行积极研究的藏品。Diptera收藏(苍蝇)包含令人印象深刻的水蝇类收藏，如摇蚊科(水生吸虫)、EPhydridae(岸蝇)和Tipulidae(鹤蝇)，这些都是馆长通过50多年的积极研究收集的。这两个藏品通过战略收集和常驻馆长和其他科学研究人员的收藏研究继续积极发展。这两个收藏品中的大量标本(估计超过17万份)在标本制备后的几年里仍然没有进行分类研究。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，这些昆虫无法被找回，实际上，这些标本携带的数据现在对科学和社会来说是不可用的。这些标本没有被鉴定到分类学水平，这将允许检索以满足进一步科学研究的贷款请求，并属于常驻馆长所代表的特定分类学专业知识之外。此外，许多可能对研究这些昆虫感兴趣的科学家都在海外工作，发现很难参观这些藏品。标本本身太脆弱、体积太大、数量太多，无法有效地运送到研究人员手中，数量需要专家进行分类分类并随后纳入研究。该项目是第一次集中精力减少直翅目标本采集中的待定标本数量。支助将促进这一进程，方法是促进国家和国际专家进行短期、重点突出的访问，将其专长领域中积压的待定标本分类到有助于借阅、检索和研究的分类学水平(一般为属)。这些来访的馆长还将为提升其专业领域的藏品分类提供宝贵的建议，并引导我们找到可能从这些新分类的标本中受益的科学家。这些努力将增加对直翅目和双翅目标本的贷款和收集材料的研究，并将待定标本减少到最低限度、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，而且它们的提供将为启动新的研究路线提供动力。该项目的其他组成部分侧重于为来访的馆长做好标本准备，并在他们工作后组织和升级收藏馆藏。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批标本，将被准备并按分类分类。恢复，包括分类的更新，将在两个等级的专家来访之后进行。ANSP开发的直翅目物种档案是一个计算机化的分类权威文件，将首次在任何直翅目收藏中用于核实和更新学名，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收藏的典范项目。该项目已完成的所有方面将通过有针对性的信件、时事通讯、电子名录服务和科学会议进行宣传，以接触到广泛的收藏用户。

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.