Information on the Required Insect Collection
A collection of aquatic insects will be required as a part of this course. The collection will represent 30% of your final grade. Collections will be preserved in ethyl alcohol and stored in glass vials and other containers. (See "Supplies and Equipment" for information on what one will need to have during the course).
Collection Grading
Grading of the collections will be based upon the number of different specimens and the level of identification as follows:
Taxa |
Points |
Order |
1 |
Family |
3 |
Genus |
5 |
species |
6 |
additional life stages (i.e., pupa, adult) |
+1 point |
For example, a specimen identified only to order, e.g., Collembola, would be worth 1 pt. A specimen identified to family, e.g. Ephemeridae (Ephemeroptera), would be awarded 3 pts. A genus or species-level identification, e.g., Ephemera or Ephemera simulans Walker, would garner 5 or 6 pts., respectively. Incorrect identifications (at any level) will be penalized 3 points each, so don't make wild guesses! The following table of a hypothetical submittal would be graded as follows:
| Submitted Taxa | GSI Determined Taxa | Points |
||||||||
| Order | Family | Genus | species | stage | Order | Family | Genus | species | stage | |
| Collembola | Adult | Collembola | Adult | 1 |
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| Ephemeroptera | Caenidae | Larva | Ephemeroptera | Caenidae | Larva | 3 |
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| Heptageniidae | Stenonema | Larva | Heptageniidae | Stenonema | Larva | 5 |
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| Heptageniidae | Stenacron | interpunctatum | Heptageniidae | Stenacron | interpunctatum | Larva | 6 |
|||
| Heptageniidae | Epeorus | Larva | Heptageniidae | Epeorus | Larva | 5 |
||||
| Heptageniidae | Epeorus | Adult | Heptageniidae | Epeorus | Adult | 1 |
||||
| Heptageniidae | Heptagenia | Larva | Heptageniidae | Leucrocuta | Larva | -3 |
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| Total Points | 18 |
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Specimen Labels
Each specimen must contain a label carrying the information regarding the identity of the organism, and the locality from which it was collected. Labels should be made with ink or computer print that is water- and alcohol-proof, as the label will be placed inside the specimen's vial. Labels should have taxonomic information on one side, locality information on the other. This easily done with a permanent ink marker. The following information must be included on every label:
Front: Taxonomic Information
- Order
- Family (if applicable)
- Genus (if applicable) - must be italicized or underlined
- species (if applicable) - must be italicized or underlined or, if no species, then Genus sp.
- sex (for adult specimens)
- life stage (egg, larva, pupa or adult)
- person determining specimen
Back: Collection Locality Information
- Country, State and County
- Water body or landmark (road, city or other locational information)
- Latitude-longitude coordinates or some other standardized mapping coordinate
- Collection date
- Name of collector(s) (note: use "leg." for collected by, rather than "coll." as the latter can refer to "in the collection of")
Below is an alternative and acceptable method for a one-sided label that is easier to create with computers and laser printers:
Odonata |
Remember, however, that the long-term archival quality of laser print on paper in alcohol storage has yet to be demonstrated. Further, do NOT print labels on ink-jet printers, as the alcohol will dissolve the ink. (There are some ink-jet toners that are water- and alcohol-proof, but these are not common. Always test your ink on a sample label in alcohol for a few days to check for "bleeding").
Field Notebook
A field notebook must be turned in with the collection. The notebook should contain site descriptions for each collecting trip made, description of collecting activities (collection gear, habitats collected etc.), and a list of the taxa found at each site.
Page created: January 16, 2001
Page last edited: January 25, 2005 (EB)
