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GLFC insect collection
The Ontario insect collection represents a composite of a collection begun in Ottawa and built up largely between 1938 and 1952, and the Sault Ste. Marie collection, which has continued to expand since its inception in 1944. Most of the insects in the Great Lakes Forestry Centre (GLFC) collection have been collected from Ontario and represent insects found feeding on forest trees and shrubs.
There are approximately 165,000 insects in the Great Lakes Forestry Centre insect collection. Each specimen or vial of material has been inventoried in a database that is accessible electronically. A specimen is recorded in the database according to what Order it belongs to and then it is listed alphabetically by genus and species. The database provides information about whether a certain species is contained in the collection and also where the insect is within the collection and how many specimens there are.
The actual physical placement of a specimen in the collection is also done alphabetically according to Order, Family, Genus, and species. This makes it easy for technicians and seasonal staff unfamiliar with insect taxonomy to readily locate species and supplement the collection with new records and specimens. The arrangement also permits quick access to material in unfamiliar families by experienced workers.
The insect collection has three component parts based on the kind of reference material, namely, pinned adults, blown larvae, and material preserved in alcohol. As a rule, several representative specimens of each kind are retained as reference and the remainder are designated as stores material. Pin-mounted adults and blown larvae are maintained in standard museum cases, and preserved materials, in standard metal filing cases. Stores material, both adults and blown larvae, are kept in specially constructed, covered, plywood drawers that fit into a wall-hung case. The preserved material is retained in wooden racks that fit into metal cabinets. The collection is kept free of pests that eat dried specimen collections by the use of a repellent known commonly as moth balls or napthelene.
There are primarily 6 orders of insects represented in the GLFC insect collection; Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, Diptera, Homoptera and Heteroptera.
Lepidoptera, the moths and butterflies, is one of the largest of the Orders with about 11,000 species occurring in the United States and Canada. In the GLFC collection 1,734 species are represented. Lepidoptera are of considerable economic importance. The larvae of most species are plant eaters (phytophagous); a few feed on fabrics, and a few feed on stored grain or meal. On a positive note, the adults of many species are beautiful and are sought after by collectors. Many serve as the basis of art and design. Natural silk is the product of the silk worm, a species of this Order.
Coleoptera, known as the beetles, is the largest Order in the world. This Order contains about 40 percent of all known insect species. Approximately 30,000 species of Coleoptera can be found in Canada and the United States. In the GLFC collection, 1,493 species are represented. Beetles feed on many types of plant and animal materials. Many are phytophagous (plant eaters), many are predaceous, some are scavengers, others feed on mould or fungi, and a few are parasitic. Many beetles are of value to man because they destroy injurious insects or act as scavengers.
The ants, bees, wasps, and sawflies are of the Order Hymenoptera. From the human standpoint this Order is probably the most beneficial in the entire insect class. A great many of the Hymenoptera are of value as parasites or predators of insect pests. This Order contains the most important insects, the bees, that are involved in pollination of plants and the making of honey, a food source for people and many other animals. They are also a very interesting group, exhibiting a great diversity of habits and complex behaviours culminating in the social organization of the wasps, bees and ants. There are 1,173 species represented in this collection.
The flies belong to the Order Diptera and we have 485 species represented in the GLFC collection. Diptera can be readily distinguished from other insects to which the term "fly" is applied by the fact that they possess only one pair of wings, the front wings, while the back wings have been reduced to small knobbed structures. Many of the flies are of economic importance; blood sucking flies are pests of man and animals and some along with some scavenging flies carry disease; some are pests of cultivated plants. On the other hand others are important predators of parasites of insect pests, others aid in pollination and some are enemies of noxious plants.
The Homoptera, known as cicadas, hoppers, psyllids, whiteflies, aphids and scale insects and the Hemiptera, known as the "true bugs," are represented by 500 species in this collection. All Homopterans are plant feeders, and many are serious pests of cultivated plants. Some species transmit plant diseases. A few are beneficial, serving as sources of shellac or dyes. Many of the Hemipterans feed on plant juices, and some are serious pests of cultivated plants. Others are predacious and some are of benefit to man. Still others attack man and other animals and suck blood, and a few carry disease.
This insect collection is a valuable tool for insect taxonomists (those who study the classification of insects). This is a method of arranging insects into groups based on structural characteristics. One way to identify an insect is by comparing the unknown insect to a known insect in an insect collection, hopefully leading to the determination of the unknown insects name.
Today insect taxonomists, with the help of molecular scientists, are mapping DNA from many insect species. The juvenile stages of an insect (the larvae, eggs, and pupae), are often impossible to identify, but by determining the DNA sequencing of an insect, even in a juvenile stage, the identification becomes timely, more reliable and extremely accurate. Insect collections, such as the one at GLFC, become valuable sources for examining insects for genetic studies from across geographical ranges.
Kathryn Nystrom is employed as an insect identification officer at the Great Lakes Forestry Centre.
Direct inquiries to: glfcweb@NRCan.gc.ca.