Canadian National Collection Databasing

ByDicky Sick Ki Yu

Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada

Canadian National Collection of Insects, Arachnids and Nematodes

CNC

• Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada• Started in 1886• Approximately 16 million specimens• 1,400 cabinets• 12,219 primary types

960 Carling Avenue, Ottawa, CANADA

960 Carling Avenue, Ottawa, CANADA

Curatorial Units

1. Arachnids – Dr. Fred Beaulieu2. Coleoptera – Dr. Pat Bouchard3. Diptera – Dr. Jeff Skevington4. Hemiptera – Dr. Bob Foottit5. Hymenoptera – Dr. Andy Bennett6. Lepidoptera – Dr. J.F. Landry7. Miscellaneous – Dr. Owen Lonsdale8. Nematodes – Dr. Qing Yu

Arachnida

• 350,000 slides of Acari (Mites, Ticks) with 1,000 primary types

• 200,000 specimens of Aranae (Spiders) with 200 primary types

Coleoptera

• 2,300,000 specimens• Primary types Total = 2,404• 231 Adephaga (Carabidae,Dytiscidae, etc.)

• 931 Cucujiformia (Curculionidae, Chrysomelidae etc.)

• 766 Staphylinoidea (Staphylinidae, Leiodidae etc.)

• 278 Elateriformia (Elateridae, Cantheridae etc.)

• 172 Scarabaeiodea (Scarabaeidae, Geotrupidae etc.)

Diptera

• >2,000,000 specimens• Primary types Total nearly 4,500• 28% Brachycera• 41% Schizophora (excl. Tachindae)• 31% Tachinidae

Hemiptera

• 850,000 specimens• Primary types Total = 721• 200 aphids• 500 Hemiptera• 21 Thysanoptera

Hymenoptera

• 3,000,000 specimens• Primary types Total = 3,317• 1,114 Ichneumonidae• 715 Braconidae• 531 Chalcidoidea• 403 Proctotrupoidea• 395 Bees• 115 Sawflies

Lepidoptera

• 1,600,000 specimens• Microlepidoptera – 417,000 specimens

(Pyraloidea, Gelechiodea, Tortricoidea)• Macrolepidoptera – 1,141,800 specimens

(Noctuoidea, Geometroidea, Papilionoidea)• 1,130 Primary types

Miscellaneous

• Ephemeroptera, Odonata, Plecoptera, Trichoptera, Orthoptera, Collembola, Mallophaga, Mecoptera, Neuropteroidea

• 1,397 drawers• 85,000 vials• 4,500 slides• 94 Primary types

Amber Fossil

• 1,432 specimens• 498 Hemiptera• 344 Diptera• 272 Arachnida• 155 Hymenoptera

• 24 Primary types

Nematodes

• 88,000 specimens• 29,000 slides• 5,000 vials• 266 primary types

Present Databases

• Excel files kept by Unit curators• FileMaker Pro on local area network• FoxPro on personal computers• Firebird (Borland) on personal computers• MS Access on personal computers• Associate with third party databases and

websites• No digital database

Proposed Database

• Create a centralised dynamic website with PHP scripts & MySQL database

• Specimen database with variable information• Taxonomic database with variable information• Users act as editors – direct interact with the

database anywhere in the world

Specimens with variable information

Specimen•Specimen ID•Date•Collection method•Collector•Location•Country/Province•Latitude/longitude•Elevation•Sex•Life stage•Preparation•Depository•Storage•Taxon•Common name

User defined field name

User defined content

User defined content

Notes

Content1.Images2.Files-pdf, doc, rtf3.Museum codes4.Country/Province5.People’s name6.Reference7.Taxonomic name8.Text9.Real number10.Latitude/longitude11.Web-link

Taxa with variable information

CNC-ottawa.ca – Specimen page

CNC-ottawa.ca – Taxon webpage

Taxapad – Taxon page

Taxapad – Taxon page

Taxapad – Combination history

Taxapad – Biology page

Taxapad – Morphology page

Taxapad – Morphological index

Taxapad – Taxon distribution

Taxapad – Graphic Distribution

Taxapad – Taxonomic Tree

Taxapad – Catalogue-style listing

CNC-ottawa.ca – Label Creation

Location label

Dissection slide label

Identification label

Loan label

front back

ID number labels

CNC-ottawa.ca

CNC-ottawa.ca – Specimen page

CNC-ottawa.ca – Taxon page

CNC-ottawa.ca – Taxon webpage

Challenges

• The size of the collection• Databases already in use

Possible Co-operations

• Taxonomic database is needed for all collection databases

• A centralized taxonomic database can be divided among co-operating institutions who have special expertise in their taxonomic groups

• Function taxonomic database can be downloaded to individual institute

• Link to centralized database for supporting information

Thanks for your attention!