every entomologist needs a plant press

[John Nelson]

Fri 29 Mmar 330p

Subject:        Re: every entomologist needs a plant press
To:             John Nelson <NELSON at CLS.BIOL.SC.EDU>


Robin Leech sez:

"It all depends.  If I can identify the plant to species, no, there is
no need. However, if I cannot identify the plant, then yes, a specimen
is collected."

GASP! That's the whole point! What if you mididentify your plant, or
have a faulty concept of what it really is? If there's a specimen of
it, maybe somebody down the road can correct your mistake.

Since we are still talking about the interface between field
collection of insects and plants, here's something to consider. Every
now and then we botanists are able to add notes on insect
pollinators, aphids, nectar robbers, etc that we may observe in the
field. I've always enjoyed adding stuff like "flowers visited by
small grey butterflies..." hoping that this info will someday,
somehow be of use to somebody studying the specimen. On the
other hand, I'll admit that most entomologists probably know more
botany than botanists know bugs. Finally, and I'll quit rambling, I
recall the best insect collection I ever did make was of a large
mantis (one of the Orthopterans, I think!). It was a completely
inadvertent collection...the insect foolishly remaining on the
plant while the press closed around it. Preserved now on the
herbarium paper for all to see!

John Nelson
givean't name many insectslarge yellow butterflies with whilstin

On Fri, 29 Mar 1996, John Nelson wrote:

> Fri 29 Mar  1248P
>
> Dr. Porcelli says:
>
>     "I am not able to verify many of these references because there
> are historical ones and/or only parts of the host plants was
> collected."
>
>     It seems that this would be yet another example of the absolute
> importance of making herbarium specimens, whenever possible.
> I'm not sure about this: do entomologists tend to collect voucher
> material of the hosts of the insects they are studying?
>
>     Have a good weekend, everybody!
>
>
>
> John B. Nelson
> Curator of the Herbarium
> Department of Biological Sciences
> University of South Carolina
> Columbia SC 29208
>
> nelson at biol.sc.edu
> 803-777-8196 phone
> 803-777-4002 fax
>



John B. Nelson
Curator of the Herbarium
Department of Biological Sciences
University of South Carolina
Columbia SC 29208

nelson at biol.sc.edu
803-777-8196 phone
803-777-4002 fax