Lincoln University Entomology Research Collection facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lincoln University Entomology Research Collection |
|
|---|---|
Pūriri moths in the collection
|
|
| Housed at | Lincoln University |
| Curators | John Marris |
| Website | https://bioprotection.org.nz/Facilities/entomology-research-collection/ |
The Lincoln University Entomology Research Collection is a huge collection of about 500,000 insects, spiders, and other creepy-crawlies. These specimens are kept at Lincoln University in New Zealand. It's one of the biggest insect collections in New Zealand. It is also the only one found at a university. Scientists use it to study and learn more about these amazing creatures.
Contents
History of the Insect Collection
The insect collection at Lincoln University started a long time ago. It began when the school first opened in 1880. A scientist named Frederick Hutton taught natural science there. He gave the school an insect collection. Some of these original specimens are still in the collection today. They were the very first pieces of this important research collection.
How the Collection Grew
At first, the collection mostly had specimens for students to study. It grew a lot when Roy Harrison became the first Professor of Entomology. Roy Harrison and another lecturer, Rowan Emberson, collected many specimens. From the late 1960s, they led trips all over New Zealand. They visited places like Mt Cook and Stewart Island. They focused on areas where insects were not well-known. These trips helped the collection grow into what it is today.
Where the Collection Has Been Housed
The collection moved to the Hilgendorf Wing in 1968. Later, in 1976, it moved again to the Burns Wing. In 1977, Carol Muir became the curator. She was especially interested in Lepidoptera, which are moths and butterflies. After Carol Muir left in 1990, John Marris took over. He is still the curator today, looking after all the specimens.
What's in the Collection
The collection was first called the Lincoln University Research Museum. Its main goal was to build collections for students. But it grew so much that it became a major research collection. So, in the 2010s, its name changed to reflect this. It is now known as the Lincoln University Entomology Research Collection.
In 2007, the collection moved from wooden boxes to glass-topped drawers. This move probably saved it from damage during the 2010 Canterbury earthquake.
Types of Specimens
This is the only university insect collection in New Zealand. It has over 250,000 pinned insect specimens. It also has over 70 "holotypes." A holotype is the single specimen used to describe a new species. The collection also has many specimens stored in ethanol.
It is one of the largest and most varied insect collections in New Zealand. It is strongest in species from the South Island. This includes areas like the West Coast and Southern Alps. It also has collections from the Chatham Islands and subantarctic islands.
The collection is especially strong in these areas:
- Spiders
- Beetles (Coleoptera), especially carabid beetles
- South Island tussock grassland moths (Lepidoptera)
- Parasitic wasps (Hymenoptera)
- Flies (Diptera), especially from the subantarctic islands
In 2019, an amateur entomologist named John Nunn gave thousands of foreign beetle specimens to the collection. This added even more to its amazing diversity.
Selected Type Specimens
These are some special "type specimens" from the collection. A type specimen is the original example of a species. It is used by scientists to describe and name a new species.
-
Dolomedes dondalei
Vink & Dupérré 2010 -
Anoteropsis cantuaria
Vink 2002 -
Creophilus rekohuensis
Clarke 2011 -
Amychus manawatawhi
Marris & Johnson 2010 -
Coptomma marrisi
Song & Wang 2003
Gallery
-
Left to right: curator John Marris, ecology tutor Nathan Curtis, Milen Marinov, and Marlene Leggett
-
A collection barcode on a pinned beetle specimen
-
Ethanol-preserved specimens, including wētā
-
John Marris in the collection
