Whole-drawer imaging for digital management and curation of a large entomological collection

Whole-drawer imaging is shown to be an effective tool for rapid digitisation of large insect collections. On-line, Whole-drawer images facilitate more effective collection management, virtual curation, and public engagement. The Whole-drawer imaging experience at the Australian National Insect Collection is discussed, with an explanation of workflow and examples of benefits

Morphometric measurements of dragonfly wings: the accuracy of pinned, scanned and detached measurement methods

Large-scale digitization of museum specimens, particularly of insect collections, is becoming commonplace. Imaging increases the accessibility of collections and decreases the need to handle individual, often fragile, specimens. Another potential advantage of digitization is to make it easier to conduct morphometric analyses, but the accuracy of such methods needs to be tested. Here we compare morphometric measurements of scanned images of dragonfly wings to those obtained using other, more traditional, methods. We assume that the destructive method of removing and slide-mounting wings provides the most accurate method of measurement because it eliminates error due to wing curvature. We show that, for dragonfly wings, hand measurements of pinned specimens and digital measurements of scanned images are equally accurate relative to slide-mounted hand measurements. Since destructive slide-mounting is unsuitable for museum collections, and there is a risk of damage when hand measuring fragile pinned specimens, we suggest that the use of scanned images may also be an appropriate method to collect morphometric data from other collected insect species

Morphometric measurements of dragonfly wings: The accuracy of pinned, scanned and detached measurement methods

Large-scale digitization of museum specimens, particularly of insect collections, is becoming commonplace. Imaging increases the accessibility of collections and decreases the need to handle individual, often fragile, specimens. Another potential advanta

Towards web-based semantic enrichment of 3D insects

Natural history collections are an invaluable resource housing a wealth of knowledge with a long tradition of contributing to a wide range of fields such as taxonomy, quarantine, conservation and climate change. It is recognized however [Smith and Blagoderov 2012] that such physical collections are often heavily underutilized as a result of the practical issues of accessibility. The digitization of these collections is a step towards removing these access issues, but other hurdles must be addressed before we truly unlock the potential of this knowledge

Skeletal muscle atrophy occurs slowly and selectively during prolonged aestivation in Cyclorana alboguttata

We investigated the effect of prolonged immobilisation of six and nine months duration on the morphology and antioxidant biochemistry of skeletal muscles in the amphibian aestivator Cyclorana alboguttata. We hypothesised that, in the event of atrophy occurring during aestivation, larger jumping muscles were more likely to be preserved over smaller non-jumping muscles. Whole muscle mass (g), muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) (μm2), water content (%) and myofibre number (per mm2) remained unchanged in the cruralis muscle after six to nine months of aestivation; however, myofibre area (μm2) was significantly reduced. Whole muscle mass, water content, myofibre number and myofibre CSA remained unchanged in the gastrocnemius muscle after six to nine months of aestivation. However, iliofibularis dry muscle mass, whole muscle CSA and myofibre CSA was significantly reduced during aestivation. Similarly, sartorius dry muscle mass, water content and whole muscle CSA was significantly reduced during aestivation. Endogenous antioxidants were maintained at control levels throughout aestivation in all four muscles. The results suggest changes to muscle morphology during aestivation may occur when lipid reserves have been depleted and protein becomes the primary fuel substrate for preserving basal metabolic processes. Muscle atrophy as a result of this protein catabolism may be correlated with locomotor function, with smaller non-jumping muscles preferentially used as a protein source during fasting over larger jumping muscles. Higher levels of endogenous antioxidants in the jumping muscles may confer a protective advantage against oxidative damage during aestivation; however, it is not clear whether they play a role during aestivation or upon resumption of normal metabolic activity.</p

A DNA ‘Barcode Blitz’: Rapid Digitization and Sequencing of a Natural History Collection

DNA barcoding protocols require the linkage of each sequence record to a voucher specimen that has, whenever possible, been authoritatively identified. Natural history collections would seem an ideal resource for barcode library construction, but they have never seen large-scale analysis because of concerns linked to DNA degradation. The present study examines the strength of this barrier, carrying out a comprehensive analysis of moth and butterfly (Lepidoptera) species in the Australian National Insect Collection. Protocols were developed that enabled tissue samples, specimen data, and images to be assembled rapidly. Using these methods, a five-person team processed 41,650 specimens representing 12,699 species in 14 weeks. Subsequent molecular analysis took about six months, reflecting the need for multiple rounds of PCR as sequence recovery was impacted by age, body size, and collection protocols. Despite these variables and the fact that specimens averaged 30.4 years old, barcode records were obtained from 86% of the species. In fact, one or more barcode compliant sequences (&gt;487 bp) were recovered from virtually all species represented by five or more individuals, even when the youngest was 50 years old. By assembling specimen images, distributional data, and DNA barcode sequences on a web-accessible informatics platform, this study has greatly advanced accessibility to information on thousands of species. Moreover, much of the specimen data became publically accessible within days of its acquisition, while most sequence results saw release within three months. As such, this study reveals the speed with which DNA barcode workflows can mobilize biodiversity data, often providing the first web-accessible information for a species. These results further suggest that existing collections can enable the rapid development of a comprehensive DNA barcode library for the most diverse compartment of terrestrial biodiversity – insects

Primer sets employed in amplification of the COI barcode region from Lepidoptera in ANIC.

<p>Primer sets employed in amplification of the COI barcode region from Lepidoptera in ANIC.</p

Variation in percentage of specimens yielding a sequence versus collection year and the length of these records for Lepidoptera from ANIC.

<p>Variation in percentage of specimens yielding a sequence versus collection year and the length of these records for Lepidoptera from ANIC.</p

Heat map showing the collection sites for the 41,650 specimens of Lepidoptera analyzed in this study.

<p>The numbers indicate the count for each state or territory.</p

Impact of specimen age on the percentage of specimens yielding either a barcode compliant (≥487

<p> <b>bp) sequence or a partial barcode sequence.</b> Results are those for 12,031 specimens of Lepidoptera from the first ANIC batch. These results reflect the overall sequence length after amplification of 307 bp, 407 bp, 609 bp and 658 bp amplicons followed by failure tracking for 164 bp, 189 bp, 259 bp amplicons.</p