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Enhancing Taxonomic Coverage and Diversity of Heteroptera: Insights from the Miridae Family

The study focuses on the extensive family of Heteroptera (true bugs), specifically the Miridae (plant bugs), which encompasses approximately 40,000 described species across several infraorders and families. With a concentration on the Orthotylinae and Phylinae subfamilies, new databases aim to document and enhance taxonomic, geographic, and host plant knowledge. Key efforts include specimen collection from diverse regions, aimed at improving host documentation and showcasing the increase in species diversity, host associations, and taxonomic understanding over recent years.

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Enhancing Taxonomic Coverage and Diversity of Heteroptera: Insights from the Miridae Family

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  1. Heteroptera: True Bugs • 7 infraorders • 85 families • 40,000 described species

  2. Miridae: Plant Bugs • 1,300 valid genera • 10,000 valid species • mostly phytophagous and host specific

  3. PBI Target Taxa:Orthotylinae & Phylinae Monophyletic; worldwide • 486 described genera • 90 new genera • 3905 described species • 1200 new species

  4. Exemplar Orthotylinae & Phylinae

  5. Species Accumulation Curves

  6. Plant Bug PBIIndividual Participants • 4 senior scientists • 4 postdoctoral trainees • 2 doctoral trainees • 2 research assistants • 3 undergraduate trainees • IT support staff

  7. PBI Database Goals • 650,000 total specimens • 100,000 specimens from 15 PBI-supported field trips • 3500 host plant specimens

  8. Acquisition of Collections

  9. Appeal for Specimens • To improve taxonomic coverage • To improve geographic coverage • To improve host documentation • Please contact me during the conference or via email at: schuh@amnh.org

  10. Australian Miridae:changes from 1995--2004 • 210 described species: +10% • 1,500 predicted spp.: +750% • 1,400 recorded hosts: +4000% • 75,000 specimens: +300 %

  11. South African Collecting and museum visits, October 2004 • ~15,000 specimens: + 700% • ~250 species: + 150% • ~200 new hosts: + 300%

  12. Processing of Collections • Insects • Mounting & labeling centralized in AMNH New York • Rough sorting centralized in AMNH • Host plants • Vouchers identified by specialists • Vouchers deposited in recognized herbaria

  13. Processing of Collections • Management of Taxonomic activities distributed by group • Phylinae: American Museum • Orthotylinae: Australian Museum

  14. Creating Specimen Database • Software Choices • Use off the shelf product • Develop specialized application • Platform Approaches • Browser-based data entry • Open source programs • – MySQL Database Engine

  15. Specimen Database Concept • Browser based • Data entry on local machines • Upload to web server • Minimize fields • Maximize efficiency • Multiple Modes • Museum Mode • Field Mode

  16. Field Mode: Locality Data

  17. Field Mode: Host Data

  18. Georeferencing • GEOLocate • Stand alone program • Easy to use • Individual & batch processing • Manual correction capability • Limitations • – parsing of locality names • – still under development • http://www.museum.tulane.edu/geolocate/default.aspx

  19. Unique Specimen Identification • Is it necessary? • Machine readability • Bar codes • Matrix codes • Alpha-numeric readability

  20. Web Presentation of Taxonomic Information

  21. Summary - Hurdles • Tracking progress of specimen processing • Management of host identification and vouchering • Coordination of data entry and unique specimen identification • Effective and efficient geocoding

  22. Summary - Accomplishments • 20 % increase in total specimens • 20 % increase in known diversity • increase in geographic coverage • dramatic increase in host- documented specimens • dramatic increase in host vouchers

  23. Acknowledgements • Sheridan Hewson-Smith • Steve Thurston • Other PBI project participants & collaborators • National Science Foundation • American Museum of Natural History • Australian Museum

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