CSBR: Natural History: Expanding the footprint and the reach of the Clemson University Arthropod Collection

Clemson University, Clemson SC

Investigators

Abstract

The Clemson University Arthropod Collection is a 90-year old archive of terrestrial and freshwater arthropods from the southeastern United States and other areas. The collection's globally significant strengths are in aquatic insects, which are important bioindicators of the health of freshwater ecosystems, and black flies, which are significant vectors of human disease. As South Carolina's primary insect collection, this resource serves regional pest diagnostic needs, vouchers a wide variety of survey and monitoring projects, and underpins conservation planning for the region's arthropod diversity. With holdings of over one million specimens representing over 11,000 species, the collection is rich in historical biodiversity data. However, the collection's storage systems are aging, and many parts of the collection are in jeopardy of loss from museum pests and evaporation of preservative. This project will involve transfer of all specimens to modern cabinetry, drawers, and vials, ensuring its longevity, and will digitize locality and specimen images in the process. Several new positions will be created, including a collection manager, graduate assistant, and several part-time undergraduate assistants over the three years of the project. The improved collections and data captured will greatly expand the reach of our extension and outreach programs, improve regional pest monitoring efforts, and offer great opportunities for training of graduate and undergraduate students in entomology and biodiversity science. Collection rehousing will follow renovation of two newly dedicated spaces adjacent to those currently occupied. Air-tight cabinetry will be employed throughout to eliminate dependence on fumigants for pest protection in the dry, pinned collection. In the alcohol-preserved collection, old vials with degraded stoppers will be replaced by secure screw-cap vials, and all vials will be moved into enclosed cabinetry to protect from light. As collection storage is upgraded, exemplars of each species in the collection will be imaged, and the associated data captured and transcribed with a combination of student and crowd-sourced assistance. Data will be ported to a relational, vouchered specimen database (Specify), and unique specimen identifiers will be applied to all specimens digitized. Data and images will be shared through the museum's web pages (https://sites.google.com/site/clemsonarthropodcollection/), as well as through such aggregators as iDigBio (http://www.idigbio.org) and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Outreach activities will include biodiversity events at Clemson's main campus and satellite facilities, participation in citizen science data gathering efforts, and expansion of our program of in-house tours.