2 Why Collect Insects?

Why Collect Insects?

One of Darwin’s boxes of beetle specimens, collected on his voyage on HMS Beagle. The collection still exists, and is still used by entomologists!

Image: Emőke Dénes, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wiki

Many, many species of insects are still undescribed. Identification and description often require examination of fine details.

This beetle was collected by Darwin in Argentina, 1832, during his HMS Beagle voyage. The specimen was considered lost at the Natural History Museum in London, but was found again in 2008. The species was later described and named in 2014.

Chatzimanolis S, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

These specimens can last a long time, and they continue to provide information and material for study.

There are some other reasons why collections are important:

• Names can change, so it is important to be able to look at the actual specimens
• Can gain a better understanding of form and function, especially as we …
• Learn more about ecological relationships
• Improve our understanding of distributions, changes
• Aesthetics

e.g. Studies of climate change requires an understanding of baseline distributions in order to determine whether these are changing (or not!).

The Museu Nacional do Brasil held ~ 20 million items (2X British Museum), spread over ~200 years of history.

Paulo R C M Jr., CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

The museum was burned almost completely on Sept. 2, 2018. Its future is now dependent on collecting loans, material from other institutions, photos, notes… The fact is, much of the material is irreplaceable.

Felipe Milanez, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

We have a responsibility to collect and document biodiversity, aspects of which will, one day, be history. We also have a responsibility to do it in a way that will protect that knowledge. Your collections may seem small, but you are a part of that documentation. Take it seriously.