1. Heath Blackmon Evolution and Diversity of Coleoptera Chromosome Evolution Sex Determination Evolution Speciation / Population Subdivision / Deme Sizes Office ERB 450 heath.blackmon@mavs.uta.edu Office Hours in LS129 Monday 12:30-2:00 Wednesday 5:00-6:30

2. Introductions

3. Entomology Lab Syllabus Collecting & Curation Dichotomous Keys

4. Course Objectives ● Learn and demonstrate proper methods of collecting and preserving insects. ● Learn and demonstrate proper use of a dichotomous key to identify specimens.

5. Supplies ● No lab manual is required. Taxonomic keys and info sheets will be supplied or emailed to you. ● Supplies such as pins and collection boxes will be provided as well.

6. Attendance ● Attendance is mandatory I will take roll. ● If you must miss a lab ● E-mail me in advance and you can then attend the other lab section.

7. Grading ● Lab is worth 200 points 1/3 of your overall grade in the course ● Lab Practical 75 points ● Quiz 25 points ● Insect Collection 100 points

8. Academic Integrity ● Don't Cheat ● Don't buy a collection on Ebay ● Cheating ● buying a collection ● copying on a quiz or exam ● turning in work that is not your own ● Any of these will result in a zero for the assignment and you will be reported to the department.

9. Who are these guys and what do they have in common?

10. Charles Darwin Henry Walter BatesAlfred Russel Wallace Evolution by Natural Selection 5 years on the Beagle Natural Selection / Biogeography / Warning Coloration 4 years in the Amazon-shipwreck 8 years in the Malay Archipelago Mimicry 11 years in the Amazon

11. Charles Darwin Henry Walter BatesAlfred Russel Wallace

12. Why do we build insect collections?

13. ● Document biodiversity ● Document changes in ecosystems ● Alpha Taxonomy ● Forensics ● Fun

14. Basic Collecting Equipment

15. Specialized Equipment ● Many collecting methods take advantage of insect behavior.

16. Curating Equipment ● Insect Pins ● Forceps ● Pinning Block ● Point Punch ● Mounting / Spreading Board

17. Labeling Specimens USA.TX.Tarrant Co. Arlington River Legacy Park. 32.78°N 97.12°W Malaise net 25 meters N of pond Heath L. Blackmon 21 May 2010

18. Labeling Specimens

19. Collection Maintenance Pests Mold

20. Dichotomous Keys Identify Organisms Evolutionary Classification vs. Dichotomous Key Pairs of contrasting descriptions After each description you are directed to a new couplet or the organism is identified

23. Today Each of you will properly pin two large insects and point mount four small insects Large Insects 1 Pin the insect 2 Position at correct height 3 arrange the appendages Small Insect 1 Prepare points on pins 2 Bend point to match specimen 3 Glue Specimen

25. Next Week Non hexapod arthropod orders