Heath Blackmon
Evolution and Diversity of Coleoptera
Chromosome Evolution
Sex Determination Evolution
Speciation / Population Subdivision / Deme Sizes
Office ERB 450
heath.blackmon@mavs.uta.edu
Office Hours in LS129
Monday 12:30-2:00
Wednesday 5:00-6:30
Introductions
Entomology Lab
Syllabus
Collecting & Curation
Dichotomous Keys
Course Objectives
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Learn and demonstrate proper
methods of collecting and
preserving insects.
Learn and demonstrate proper use
of a dichotomous key to identify
specimens.
Supplies
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No lab manual is required.
Taxonomic keys and info sheets will
be supplied or emailed to you.
Supplies such as pins and collection
boxes will be provided as well.
Attendance
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Attendance is mandatory I will take
roll.
If you must miss a lab
E-mail me in advance and you can
then attend the other lab section.
Grading
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Lab is worth 200 points 1/3 of your
overall grade in the course
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Lab Practical 75 points
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Quiz 25 points
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Insect Collection 100 points
Academic Integrity
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Don't Cheat
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Don't buy a collection on Ebay
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Cheating
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buying a collection
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copying on a quiz or exam
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turning in work that is not your own
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Any of these will result in a zero
for the assignment and you will be
reported to the department.
Who are these guys and what
do they have in common?
Charles Darwin
Evolution by Natural
Selection
5 years on the Beagle
Alfred Russel Wallace
Natural Selection / Biogeography
/ Warning Coloration
4 years in the Amazon-shipwreck
8 years in the Malay Archipelago
Henry Walter Bates
Mimicry
11 years in the Amazon
Charles Darwin
Alfred Russel Wallace
Henry Walter Bates
Why do we build insect
collections?
Why do we build insect
collections?
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Document biodiversity
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Document changes in ecosystems
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Alpha Taxonomy
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Forensics
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Fun
Basic Collecting Equipment
Specialized Equipment
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Many collecting methods take advantage of
insect behavior.
Curating Equipment
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Insect Pins
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Forceps
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Pinning Block
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Point Punch
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Mounting / Spreading Board
Labeling Specimens
USA.TX.Tarrant Co. Arlington
River Legacy Park. 32.78°N 97.12°W
Malaise net 25 meters N of pond
Heath L. Blackmon 21 May 2010
Labeling Specimens
Collection Maintenance
Pests
Mold
Dichotomous Keys Identify
Organisms
Evolutionary Classification vs. Dichotomous Key
Pairs of contrasting descriptions
After each description you are directed to a new
couplet or the organism is identified
Today
Each of you will properly pin two large insects and point
mount four small insects
Large Insects
•1 Pin the insect
•2 Position at correct height
•3 arrange the appendages
Small Insect
•1 Prepare points on pins
•2 Bend point to match specimen
•3 Glue Specimen
Next Week
Non hexapod arthropod orders