CSBR: Natural History: Building a specimen-based Biologia Centrali-Americana for weevils: Improved access to the Charles W. and Lois B. O'Brien Collection

Arizona State University, Scottsdale AZ

Investigators

Abstract

This project will enhance physical and on-line data access to the Charles W. and Lois B. O'Brien insect collection, with an estimated 1,000,000 specimens of weevils and 250,000 planthoppers. This collection has particular strengths in New World tropical groups, where 60-90% of the known genera and species of these megadiverse plant-feeding insects are represented. The project will raise Arizona State University's profile as a center for understanding the systematics and evolution of two highly diverse and economically impactful insect groups. The collection transfer and mobilization will involve multi-generational specialists and train diverse populations of students and citizen scientists. Media-based outreach will include a series of podcast episodes about specialized life histories of weevils and planthoppers, and sharing of high-quality specimen photographs through the #YourDailyWeevil Twitter hashtag. To house the O'Brien collection at Arizona State University, the project will acquire and install 30 entomological double cabinets and matching Cornell-sized drawers and unit trays. All specimens will be reorganized into the new infrastructure according to a single, well-referenced classification. The collection's impact is reflected in more than 300 publications, nearly 400 primary types that anchor species names, rare specimen material pertaining to multiple thousands of species new to science, and a legacy of expert mentorship. Existing identifications will be updated, and the legibility and consistency of identification labels for unit trays and pinned specimen sets will be improved, thereby resolving current challenges to access. Focusing on the biologically distinctive weevil sub-families Dryophthoridae, Conoderinae, and Entiminae from Central America, all unique taxon/collecting event instances will be digitized; representing an estimated 1,200-1,500 species and 8,000-12,000 specimens. Digitization will include georeferencing and the production of high-resolution species images. The occurrence data and images will be published as a Symbiota Collections of Arthropods Network (SCAN) checklist, shared with iDigBio, and submitted upon completion to a biodiversity data journal. The checklist will be promoted as a first specimen-based update of the seminal Biologia Centrali-Americana for weevils, published more than 100 years ago. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.