Why do people collect?
Hobby – for fun and entertainment.
Why do people collect?
Hobby – for fun and entertainment.
Curiosity – what is it?
Why do people collect?
Hobby – for fun and entertainment.
Curiosity – what is it?
To gather data to answer questions.
For scientists, these may be ecological,
biological, or phylogenetic.
What constitutes a useful adult Lepidoptera
specimen?
Well prepared (features visible to facilitate identification)
pinned correctly
wings spread (wing fringe)
Morphological features in tact (also for identification)
mouth parts and antennae
abdomen
Reliable data
Location (including latitude/longitude)
Date
Collector
Hosts or other associations
What information can be obtained from a
specimen?
FROM SPECIMENS
Assess variation in morphological characters (dissections)
Assess phenotypic variation (comparing long series)
Discover novel features (SEMs)
Tissue samples for DNA analyses (legs or entire specimens)
FROM DATA
Geographic distribution (range)
Temporal distribution (flight period)
Plant associations (larval hosts)
How can the information be used?
Specimens represent the raw material upon which all systematic,
morphological, ecological, and faunistic studies are based.
Collection = library of information (morphological, biological,
geographic, etc.).
Document biodiversity – how many species are there?
Prepare faunal surveys – what species occur in a place?
Prepare monographic treatments – diagnoses and descriptions.
Tissue samples for DNA analyses – relationships.
Assess bio-control agents – is this species host specific?
Assess invasive species – is this species new to this place?
Manage pest species – when and where does it occur?
The specimens may become vouchers for all kinds of studies….
or even Types of new species!
No comprehensive guides to Lepidoptera
Holland’s (ca. 1910) moth book – an oldie but a goodie
Covell’s (ca. 1980) book on eastern moths
Powell and Opler’s (2008) moths of western North
American
Websites – Moth Photographer’s group
Lynn Scott’s Lepidoptera Images
MONA – Moths of America north of Mexico
Monographic treatments of specific genera, tribes or
families
How man specimens are in Lepidoptera
collections worldwide?
British Museum – ca. 8 million
Paris Museum – ca. 4-6 million
Vienna Museum – ca. 3.5 million
American Museum – ca. 3.5 million
McGuire Center – ca. 3 (to 9) million
U.S. National Museum – ca. 3 million
Canadian National Collection – ca. 1.5 million
Most easily accessible when in public institutions.
How are species described?
Consult the scientific literature – catalogs, checklists,
monographic treatments, faunistic work.
Borrow material from institutional collections and
usually from private collections, as well.
Circumscribe “species” and compares them against type
specimens.
Write the results, complete with illustrations.
Submit to a scientific journal for peer review.
Paper is reviewed and returned to author for revisions.
Journal publishes the paper.
How are species named?
International Code of Zoological
Nomenclature
The name must be published.
The name must include only characters
of the Latin alphabet.
The name of a species may be derived from
Latin (or Latinized), Greek, or an “arbitrary
combination of characters.”
How are species named?
International Code of Zoological
Nomenclature
“Recommendation 25C: Responsibility of
Authors forming new names. Authors
should exercise reasonable care and
consideration in forming new names to
ensure that they are chosen with their
subsequent users in mind and that, as far as
possible, they are appropriate, compact,
euphonious, memorable , and do not cause
offence.”
How are species named?
International Code of Zoological
Nomenclature
Easy ways to Latinize names:
Patronyms – “i”, “ae” “orum”
Place names – “ensis”
Others – “ana”, “ella”, etc.
Tautonomy – okay
Homonymy – avoid
How are species named?
William Kearfott species names:
bobana
cocana
dodana
fofana
gogana
hohana
kokana
lolana
momana
nonana
popana
rorana
sosana
totana
vovana
zozana
How are species named?
William Kearfott species names:
bobana
cocana
dodana
fofana
gogana
hohana
kokana
lolana
momana
nonana
popana
rorana
sosana
totana
vovana
zozana
dandana
fandana
gandana
handana
kandana
mandana
nandana
pandana
randana
sandana
tandana
vandana
wandana
How are species named?
William Kearfott species names:
bobana
cocana
dodana
fofana
gogana
hohana
kokana
lolana
momana
nonana
popana
rorana
sosana
totana
vovana
zozana
dandana
fandana
gandana
handana
kandana
mandana
nandana
pandana
randana
sandana
tandana
vandana
wandana
baracana
caracana
daracana
faracana
haracana
maracana
naracana
yaracana
How are species named?
Edward Meyrick’s response:
“On some impossible scientific
names in Micro-lepidoptera.”
“…openly and obviously based on a
barbarous and unmeaning
gibberish.”
How are species named?
Some interesting names:
Abra cadabra – a fossil mollusk
Agra vation – carabid beetle
Agra culture – carabid beetle
Ah ha – an Australian wasp
Castnia inca dincadu – a castniid
Cephise nuspecez – a skipper
Eubetia bigaulae – a tortricid moth
Pieza kake –fly
Pieza pi - fly
Piera rhea - fly
How are species named?
Some interesting generic names:
Phrygonidia – oak moth
Dyaria – pyralid moth
Batman – a fish
Jerapowellia – tortricid moth
Doa – moth
Oops – a beetle (x2)
Polychisme, Dolichisme, Peggichisme –
true bugs
Sayonara – a fish
Do theses names pass the test?
International Code of Zoological
Nomenclature
Recommendation 25C: Responsibility of
Authors forming new names. Authors
should exercise reasonable care and
consideration in forming new names to
ensure that they are chosen with their
subsequent users in mind and that, as far as
possible, they are appropriate, compact,
euphonious, memorable , and do not cause
offence.
CONCLUSIONS
Collect a lot of Lepidoptera
Prepare them well
Label then accurately
Make the available to experts
POSSIBLE RESULTS
Legs for DNA
Data for monographic revision
Document a new host/range extension/invasive
Get a patronym!