Adding High Resolution Images to the Online Database of Insect Primary Types in the Museum of Comparative Zoology

Harvard University, Cambridge MA

Investigators

Abstract

A grant has been awarded to Harvard University under the direction of Brian D. Farrell to provide high-resolution images of type specimens in the insect collections of the Museum of Comparative Zoology. Type specimens are the objective bearers of the names of the species they represent, and serve in comparing other specimens for identifications. For insects and there very diverse groups, the types are crucial for identifications by taxonomists and other users of biodiversity because the descriptive literature is inadequate for this purpose. The Department of Entomology of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University has an NSF-supported online database of the approximately 28,000 insect primary types in it's holdings. This collection of types is second in the United States only to the National Museum. Over 50 percent of these types are from developing countries, where insect diversity is highest, yet resources for taxonomic studies are most limiting. With the assistance of technical support personnel we have, in two years time, have established three state-of-the-art camera/computer stations and an efficient protocol and placed high resolution images for 2,500 of these types online and archived them for long term storage. We now propose to accelerate the process of producing high resolution images of our primary types online by hiring additional technicians and procuring associated camera equipment to complete the imaging, uploading online and archiving of the five largest insect orders over the next three years time. The intellectual merit of the proposed activity lies in the enhancement to the scientific practice of taxonomy. Examination of types is a bottleneck in the description of species that will be much alleviated by instantaneous access to high quality images on the internet. The broader impact resulting from the proposed activity consists of the new access to crucial information on type specimens, specifically the high quality images, given to an audience of scientists and concerned laypersons in the developing countries from which these specimens originated, thus repatriating the information. This will speed the documentation of biodiversity in such countries and foster local expertise.