Re: ATBI Arthropod sorting...
Date: Thu, 4 Feb 1999 15:26:09 -0600 (CST) To: pick@pick.uga.edu (John Pickering) From: m-irwin2@uiuc.edu (Michael E. Irwin) Subject: Re: ATBI Arthropod sorting, URL, Deadlines, ... John, I have had lots of experience sorting malaise samples and what you propose below is a good way to go about it. I would add one early step: sieve the material gently into size allotments. It will be easy to then sort the larger material by taxon. One problem with this is that many small specimens seem to get stuck to tarsi etc. on the larger specimens, so it would be important to sort the larger sample right away and dump the small specimens back into their appropriate alloquat. The other suggestion is that moths muck up the samples with scales. I have not found any Lepidopterist that is interested in alcohol material, so I normally toss the leps (or at least get them out of the original sample) before I proceed with the sieving. That cuts down on the number of scales in the sample and consequently the amount of ethanol one needs to use. Just a few suggestions. Mike >John, > >Thanks for you speedy input. We need to develop sorting protocols through >discussion across the arthropod taxonomy teams. To help coordinate this >effort, Heather will maintain a section on our website where we can record >our correspondence and develop protocols. Please see ><www.discoverlife.org>, link to "Great Smokies," then "Planning & >Organization," and finally "Collection Management of Arthropods." >Everyone, please copy all correspondence on this subject to ><dl@discoverlife.org>. I'm setting deadlines of 6 April for comments and >discussion from everyone, and, of 15 April for when we must finish the >protocols that we will test this year. Without these deadlines, we will >run into problems getting our sorting centers equipped, staffed, and >running by late May. > >John, your advice of first sorting to order is very reasonable. I concur. >My first suggested refinement is that we combine certain orders to make the >General Sorting Centers' job more efficient. For example, if aquatic >insects are rare in a sample, we should combine them into a vial of >"Aquatic Orders" that will be sent to our Aquatic Insect Sorting Center. >This minimizes the number of vials we need to label and ship. > >My second suggestion is that we not pull certain taxa immediately but >recover them as residual after the samples have been processed by one or >more of the taxonomy teams. For example, if we sort some samples by size, >as we should, then it would be more efficient for the General Sorting >Center to leave microhymenopterans in with the small flies, allow the >Diptera Center to remove flies, and then ship the microhymenopterans to >Lubo and his team. We've found that pulling microhymenopterans and small >flies bogs down our general sorting process and damages specimens. For >smaller specimens, I recommend that we allow the dipterists to sort the >material first, pull their flies, which are easily damaged, and then ship >their residuals to the microhymenopterists, followed or preceeded by the >heteropterists, who can each pull their gems. The remaining material >should then be sorted to order to recover the remaining, now concentrated, >less numerous taxa. > >Everyone, please send in other refinements and suggestions for sorting. We >need both general and taxon specific input. > >Cheers, >Pick > >Pick, >> >>Of course, various aquatic insect orders also are captured in Malaise traps >>(and other trapping devices), even when those traps are far from water. >>While we do not expect that the number of "aquatic" specimens found in your >>Malaise traps will be large, they will, nonetheless, be very interesting. >> >>At the very least, I would encourage you to sort raw entomological samples >>to orders. The various taxon groups can then decide efficient means for >>carrying the effort beyond that point. I.e., if DLIA can fund the sorting >>to orders, the TWIGS will be more inclined to make special effort to fund >>the sorting of their particular critters. Does this seem reasonable? >> >>John >>jmorse@clemson.edu >> >>----------------------------------------------- >> >>>Mike, >>> >>>Delighted that you are interested in helping with the ATBI and are >>>interested in working with the Therevidae from the Smokies. This email >>>considers your specific needs and our general goals of recruiting taxonomic >>>experts and of setting up a network of arthropod sorting centers. >>> >>>I recommend that you and other taxonomists wishing to join us do the >>>following: >>> >>>1) Explore our website <www.discoverlife.org> and then register yourself >>>under "Get Involved." This will allow everyone who needs to contact you to >>>get your address, email, phone number, etc. through our "Who's Involved" >>>section. You can similarly get the addresses of the contacts that you >>>need. >>> >>>2) Contact your taxon's team coordinators (see "Who's Involved" under >>>"Organizational Structure" then "Taxonomy Teams;" in your case, for the >>>Diptera, contact Peter Adler, Steve Marshall, and Chris Thompson) and offer >>>your services. Your correspondence and the coordinators' response should >>>be copied to <dl@discoverlife.org> so that we can list you on our website >>>as our Therevidae expert. Based on Peter's response to you, I'll presume >>>that you are game and have completed this step. >>> >>>3) In your specific case where you want Malaise trap samples, lets work out >>>a plan with the Diptera Team and other parties interested in processing >>>Malaise trap samples to get your specimens pulled. I'll help facilitate as >>>best I can. The following discussion raises a larger issue that I want all >>>entomologists (and other creepy-crawly-ophiles) to consider. >>> >>>First, what's currently available. Elizabeth Skillen and I have run 16 >>>Malaise traps in GSMNP continuously since April, 1997 (8 in hardwood coves >>>and 8 on drier ridges). We have pulled the Ichneumonoidea and Symphyta >>>from some of these samples (from all 1997 samples and most of 1998). Our >>>residuals (including flies) are store in 70% ethanol, frozen, in >>>heat-sealed plastic bags (which require a heat-sealer to close, if samples >>>are not transferred to vials). If you need fresher material, for DNA >>>analysis or whatever, we can arrange for you to work with newer material >>>from our on-going trapping. Addition trapping is planned this year in >>>other habitats. >>> >>>While you are welcome to visit my lab in Athens, Georgia, and pick through >>>our samples, I'm more interested in solving the larger issue and developing >>>a protocol with all the dipterists (and hymenopterists, coleopterists,...) >>>to distribute all taxa from bulk samples. The ATBI is establishing General >>>Sorting Centers that will sort samples to order (or groups of orders) for >>>distribution in ethanol. One set of these fractions will include flies. >>>Could you help the Dipterists to develop detailed protocols for sorting and >>>distributing these flies? Could you and the other dipterists arrange for >>>laboratory facilities and labor for Fly Sorting Center(s) that would >>>receive flies from our General Sorting Centers and then distribute them to >>>all participating dipterists. I hope to avoid the alternative in which >>>each dipterists pulls selected taxa and then sends residuals to another >>>dipterist, who in turn does the same, ad nauseam, in an inefficient, >>>specimen-damaging, serial process. >>> >>>What costs could the dipterists cover? Could they help finance some of the >>>General Sorting Centers' costs of getting things sorted to diptera? What >>>fraction of the cost could they or you cover of the Diptera Sorting >>>Center(s)? Could your PEET grant cover Therevidae? What about your fellow >>>dipterists and their taxa? While Discover Life in America is seeking >>>funds to help ALL taxa, we currently have very limited funds and are >>>seeking all the help that we can get. Our first General Sorting Center >>>will be in a Park house near the Cosby Camp Ground, opening in March with a >>>new iMac with Biota databasing software; we'll add microscopes, etc. as we >>>can commit funds. We may be able to provide you an army of volunteers and >>>students willing to help, but we'll need help from experts to train them. >>>How might we involve entomology courses and high schools in this >>>undertaking, for example? >>> >>>Mike, sorry to blast you with more than you were expecting. This email is >>>as much to you as it is to the other dipterists (and entomologists, ...) >>>who need to come up with integrated and taxon specific plans for handling >>>bulk samples. I hope it prompts us into action. >>> >>>Do the dipterists wish to take the lead on this, or should I poke the >>>Hymenopterists or another team into action? >>> >>>4) Spread the word to your colleagues. We need their help too. >>> >>>Cheers, >>>Pick >>> >>>P. S. Ev & Marion, "Hi." It's been a while! >>> >>>_________________________________________________________ >>>John Pickering >>>Institute of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602-2602 >>>Office: 706-542-1115 Messages: 706-542-3379 >>>Laboratory: 706-542-1388 FAX: 706-542-3344 >>> >>>e-mail: pick@pick.uga.edu Home: 706-353-7076 >>>Web sites: <www.discoverlife.org> <http://dial.pick.uga.edu> >>>_________________________________________________________ >>> >>>>Dear John, >>>> >>>>I have just heard from Mike Sharkey, and then Peter Adler, that you are >>>>heading up the new ATBI that has been initiated for the Smoky Mountains. >>>>As you may know, our group has been working on a world assessment of the >>>>fly family Therevidae (stiletto flies). We are currently in the third year >>>>of a five year NSF/PEET grant and are hoping to renew the project for >>>>another five years, through 2005. Several of us will be joining the >>>>expedition of the North America Diptera Society (NADS), headed by Brian >>>>Wiegmann--who is a member of our team--and wondered how one becomes >>>>involved in the ATBI that is underway. Therevids are quite secretive in >>>>nature but are collected in large numbers by malaise traps. I also >>>>understand that you have been running malaise.traps in the ATBI area for >>>>several years. Would it be possible to either borrow the therevid material >>>>that has been extracted or look through the soups and extract the therevids >>>>from them? I am copying Ev Schlinger because he, too, is interested in the >>>>malaise material, but specifically the family Acroceridae. >>>> >>>> >>>>Best wishes, >>>> >>>>Mike >>>> >>>>================================== >>>>Michael E. Irwin, Professor >>>>Department of Natural Resources >>>> and Environmental Sciences (NRES) >>>>University of Illinois >>>>134 Envir. Ag. Sci. Bld., MC-637 >>>>1101 West Peabody Drive >>>>Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA >>>>(217) 333-1963 (office telephone) >>>>(217) 333-6784 (office fax) >>>>http://www.aces.uiuc.edu/~nres/faculty/directory/irwin_me.html >>>>http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/cee/therevid/stiletto_fly.html >>>>================================== ================================== Michael E. Irwin, Professor Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences (NRES) University of Illinois 134 Envir. Ag. Sci. Bld., MC-637 1101 West Peabody Drive Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA (217) 333-1963 (office telephone) (217) 333-6784 (office fax) http://www.aces.uiuc.edu/~nres/faculty/directory/irwin_me.html http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/cee/therevid/stiletto_fly.html ==================================
| Discover Life in America | Science | Collection Management of Arthropods | Irwin - 04 February, 1999 |