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| | IMLS Conservation Project Grant 2008
(Institute of Museum and Library Services)
The recent inventory and assessment of our entire insect holdings were carried out by a grant funded by IMLS. It involved consultation with Natural History Conservator, Catharine Hawks, and Entomologist, Dr. Robert T. Allen, followed by an "insect collection" conservation and care workshop, with a program on the history of the Fairbanks Museum's insect acquisitions. The resulting documentation, as well as website publication of a number of these specimens for public viewing, was the final culmination of a year's intensive work.
LEPIDOPTERA
Our largest collection of butterflies and moths dates back to the late 1800's and was purchased from an amateur collector who amassed a great number of specimens himself while trading with other collectors for species he could not collect. His name was Joseph E. Chase, from Holyoke, Massachusetts, and his collection covers the United States and Europe. Other locales are included in this collection, but until the data can be verified, it is not certain who amassed or collected these specimens.
Although the specimens were originally mounted on pins, they were transferred to Riker box mounts with the data buried in cotton underneath the specimen. This makes verifying the data difficult as dislodging the specimen can cause further damage to their already fragile condition. Though most of the specimens are visibly labeled with ID, country of origin, or a number, the real data remains hidden in the cotton batting. Some of the information was hand-recorded in a ledger upon their arrival to the museum. Further study of these 1200 specimens is needed before they can be fully substantiated.
COLEOPTERA
The bulk of the beetles collection was purchased from another amateur collector/trader named Alphonse Bel, from Middletown, Connecticut. Some 3,000 specimens (including butterflies) were amassed from trading New England specimens with entomologists around the world. The two most notable collectors were Leopold Melichar, a Czech Physician and Hemiptera (Leafhoppers) specialist who collected European beetles on the side, and John Sahlberg, a Finnish entomologist who described many new species, including some of our Arctic beetles collected during the Norwegian Vega expedition. With visible signs of climate change occurring in the arctic, these specimens may contribute important research data once they become available.
OTHER SPECIMENS OF NOTE:
An unexpected find was discovered when several old biscuit tins were found to contain small paper triangles of insects from the Philippines! The specimens were collected in the 1920's by an entomologist in the Bureau of Science (Philippines), Willy Schultze, and are for the most part in excellent condition, though they were never identified or mounted. With some detective work, the collector, locations and dates were determined from cryptic notations on the packets, and the next step will be to digitally document the specimens and post them on this website for further interpretation. Upon discovery this appears to be an important collection, acquired in 1982. The value of this collection deems it a priority for determining where and how to disseminate it, so that its research potential can be tapped.
For more information on the collection, contact our Director of Collections: mprondzinski@fairbanksmuseum.org
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Current Conditions
02/08/12 10:27 AM
St. Johnsbury, VT
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A cold start, with a small bubble of arctic high pressure over us. A storm over the Virginia's will pass well south, bringing high clouds to southern regions today. Sunny and milder tomorrow.
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