How to be an Entomologist: Educating the younger generation on the importance of insects

The Entomology Collection has inspired many users and uses. This blogpost is by Przemyslaw Glomski, undergraduate student at University of Manchester and reflects his curiosity for insects and his idea on developing a science communication project.

By Przemyslaw Glomski

Manchester Museum’s vast Entomology collection is awe-inspiring; however, the specimens rarely get a chance to be in the spotlight. As a Zoology student studying at the University of Manchester, I decided to dedicate my final year project towards the collection and displaying it to the public. I worked closely with the Museum to create an educational resource to use mainly in the classroom but also in other educational settings.

The educational resource that I created focuses on the importance of beetles (order Coleoptera) and highlights interesting phenomena displayed by this group, such as mimicry. Coleoptera is one of the most speciose insect groups, accounting for about 25% of the entire world’s animal species diversity. Even with such an abundance of beetles, they are often overlooked as important keystone species. For this reason, the resource I created aims to inspire a younger audience about the importance of entomology and more specifically beetles.

Selecting the best specimens for the educational resource

Specimens used

All the specimens used in the resource came directly from the Entomology Collection, Manchester Museum. Altogether, four boxes of specimens were created. The first box highlighted the wide diversity of beetles found in the UK (Rove Beetle – Cerophilus maxillosus, Great Diving Beetle – Dytiscus marginalis, Bloody-nosed Beetle – Timarcha tenebricosa, Oil Beetle – Meloe violaseus, Leafe Beetle – Chrysolina cercalis, Leaf Beetle – Chrysolina banksi, Wasp Beetle – Clytus arietis, Timberman Beetle – Acanthocinus aedilis, Stag Beetles – Lucanus cervus, Horned Dung Beetle – Copris lunaris, Dor Beetle – Geotrupes stercorarius, Burying Beetle – Nicrophorus humator, Burying Beetle – Nicrophorus investigator, Cockchafer – Melolontha melolontha, Cellar Beetle – Blaps mucranata, Rose Chafer – Cetonia aurata, Field Tiger Beetle – Cicindella campestris).

Box 1 containing British beetles and Box 4 British hoverflies; a Quiz and Task 2

Task 2 Find the imposters

The second box contained UK ladybirds: Seven-spot Ladybird – Coccinella septempunctata, Two-spot Ladybird – Adalia bipunctata, Eyed Ladybird – Anatis ocellata, Cream-spot Ladybird – Calvia quattuordecimguttata, and Harlequin Ladybird – Harmonia axyridis.

The third box had two non-UK beetles. Firstly, a Goliath Beetle (Goliaphus regius), found in the tropical regions of Africa, and secondly, a Hercules Beetle (Dynastes hercules), found in Central and Southern America.

Box 2 with UK ladybirds and Box 3 with two large beetles from the tropical regions and Task 1

The last box highlighted how mimicry is present in nature. This box contained wasp-mimicking hoverflies (Syrphidae) with the following text “These hoverflies are perfectly harmless and mimic wasps which have a nasty sting. All have yellow and black bodies, but some also have more subtle mimicry – when at rest wasps fold their wings along their bodies; hoverflies cannot do this, but in some species, the leading edge of the wing is darkened giving the impression that the wings are folded at rest. Other hoverflies are evolving longer antennae like their wasps’ models, and many adopt a zig-zag like flight to look even more like wasps!

Based on these boxes, two fun tasks were created to increase pupil engagement and independence. The first task was to list differences they could see between a Seven-spot Ladybird and a Hercules Beetle. This was an interactive task that got students thinking about how wide the biodiversity of beetles actually is. The second task, “Find the Imposters”, involved five images, three of them being wasps and two being wasp beetles. The pupils were asked to be detectives that can find the difference between the wasps and the beetles. This task introduced the topic of mimicry so that the pupils could see how some animals can be deceptive in their appearance and how hard it can be to tell the difference.

Using the educational resource

The educational resource was used in Hillcrest Academy, Leeds, on the 30^th of March 2023 and obtained a lot of positive feedback from the teachers and pupils. Having the chance to see real-life Museum specimens up close was a new and exciting experience for many pupils. After giving the lesson, multiple students were motivated to visit the museum’s collection so they could see all the interesting specimens themselves. Alongside the interactive tasks, I made a presentation that described the beetles, and all the important ecological roles they play. The same boxes and activities were used in the Manchester Museum at the Earth Day Celebration on the 22^nd of April 2023. Everyone that attended got to see how impressive beetles can get and got a chance to find the beetle imposters themselves.

Earth Day event at The Manchester Museum

Overall, the educational resource has been shown to be beneficial and useful in school and museum educational settings in the two trials. It has always been my hope to create an educational resource that can be used by anyone to educate the public about Coleopterans, and I hope that this resource starts to work towards that aim. If you are interested in either looking at or using the resource, please get in contact with the Museum. We are also interested in continuing to develop it to make it more accessible, so feedback from users is always welcome.

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Embarking on a different journey: volunteers in the Entomology collection

There is no better time to celebrate and recognise the support of museum volunteers, and particularly those in the Entomology during this Christmas festive season. While the Manchester Museum has been closed to visitors due to the “hello future project” (see here for more information), our volunteers have embarked on a different journey from the galleries to behind-the-scenes, showing the same enthusiasm and full dedication for the collections as they do to the museum visitors (see here the blogpost by Kate Glynn, Volunteer Manager).

During the last two years, since the Museum was closed, volunteers, usually in the galleries, have had the opportunity to support different collections and departments. They have played a key role in the Conservation Department helping to prepare the Japanese Incense Burner, which will become one of the central pieces in the newly built Museum’s entrance. Yet, in the Herbarium, they have been cataloguing plant specimens, transcribing labels with old, sometimes difficult to read handwriting, and bagging pressed plants to prevent the spreading of such biscuit beetles.

Since May 2022, the Entomology Department welcomed four enthusiastic volunteers. After an introduction given by Dmitri Logunov (former Curator of Arthropods) about possible tasks, our expectations and time required; it came as a big surprised when all the attendees decided to take up the challenge and to become part of the behind the scenes volunteer team. With no previous experience required, they were in good hands with full support from our small team along the way.

The Museum volunteers, Angharad, Niamh, Margaret and Vivien committed 4 hours per week, sometimes spending more time in the Entomology. They support re-arranging and documenting of the departmental archive, also and rehousing and databasing our spirit-preserved collections. A brief description of the tasks chosen by each volunteer is given below.

Angharad Denby has been rehousing Richard (Dick) Jones’ spider collection (around 10,000 tubes) acquired in 2017. This collection was re-curated and documented in 2019 but is still kept in small glass tubes with plastic stoppers in its original cabinet. However, a recent inspection revealed a high evaporation rate of the ethanol from sample tubes. It then became a priority to have this collection rehoused and stored more securely in the larger jars, in the spirit store. Angharad’s task is to change plastic stoppers of small glass tubes for cotton wool stoppers and to rehouse them in medium sized glass jars with clip-tops and airtight seals. She also conducts a similar task for Eric Duffey’s spider collection.

Angharad rehousing the identified and unidentified spiders from D. Jones’ collection

Niamh Roche has been supporting the digitization of the archive materials of Eric Duffey donated to the Museum by Rita Duffey (Eric’s widow). Eric was an ecologist and conservationist; he conducted spider faunas surveys in Britain and European regions. His archive contains long lists of species, habitats, maps from 1972, stories of spider bites and correspondence with other researchers. For more information about Eric’s legacy and life, see his obituary here.

Niahm documenting the archive of Eric Duffey

Vivien Mentern has been documenting a collection of European spiders donated by A. Russell-Smith. She is giving unique accession number to the samples, documenting species and specimens numbers and storing them more securely in clip-top jars after changing the plastic stopper to cotton wool ones. Her task will continue with the digitisation of the gained information to the Museum’s database.

Vivien working with samples of European spiders

Margaret McCadden has been digitizing beetle family (order Coleoptera) data from Colin Johnson (former Keeper of Entomology and British coleopterist). His archive contains species lists, many personal letters and documents, photographs and original beetle illustrations that were donated to the Museum by his family after Colin sadly passed away (see his obituary here). Margaret has made a digital list of the Manchester Museum Annual Reports from 1895 to 2003 also kept in the entomological archive. She also helps us to digitise the paperwork related to Acquisitions and Donations from 2004 to 2019.

Margaret digitising the acquisitions and donations received from 2004 to 2019

We would like to thank Phillip Rispin (former Curatorial Assistant and Honorary Curator) for his dedication to the collection and for sharing his knowledge and passion with visitors, researchers and volunteers.

Phil moving beetles specimens from a damaged box after a flooding in the Entomology store

We would also like to mention the work and commitment from the collection volunteers, many of them have gained experience in working with natural history collections and others have developed a real interest in insects. Many thanks to Beth Moran, Emily Hill, Piotr Korpak, James Jepson, Michael Pentland, Robert Tracey, Michael Dockery (Honorary Curator) and Libby (volunteered in Entomology for 3 months). The support given by all the volunteers will help us to better maintain and keep our entomological collections and increase their usefulness and value for various users.

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Publications related to the Manchester Museum’s Entomology Department, an 2021-22 update

A selection of the papers published in the last 2021-22 academic year, based on or containing references to specimens or collectors associated with Manchester Museum’s Entomology Department

This blogpost is the latest of the annual series summarizing publications based on Manchester Museum’s Entomology Collection over the last academic year. A total of 32 paper were published in the period between 1 August 2021 to 31 July 2022 referring to the specimens from our collection. Topics included the analysis of historical data, the support of conservation programs or ecological studies, and the legacy of collectors (including former Keeper of Entomology, Colin Johnson; Figure 1a). Descriptions of new species and accounts of particular MM’s arthropod collections are also presented. The publications were authored by more than 50 researchers from 12 countries (Belgium, France, Italy, Spain, Finland, Israel, Russia, Ukraine, India, Japan, South Africa and the UK), their list is given below.

The majority of the papers were devoted to descriptions of new species: viz., spiders from Spain, Portugal, Italy, UK, Russia, Ukraine, India, Nepal and Kenya; beetles from Côte d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone, Zambia, China and Taiwan; and stick insects from Vietnam (Figure 1a). Over two thirds of the papers focused on spiders (Araneae), with the remaining third dealing with five other arthropod groups (Figure 1b).

Figure 1a. Topics and taxonomic groups covered in the publications

Figure 1b. Distribution of papers according to principal taxonomic groups

The value of sharing data from specimens

The MM’s Entomology Department was one of many natural history museums and societies supporting conservation initiatives. By gathering and using historical data from specimens and records of the Chequered skipper butterfly Carterocephalus palaemon (Pallas, 1771), Wildman et al. obtained a better understanding of how this species declined to extinction in England in 1976 and used this information to recommend conservation activities for other declining or endangered species. Records of this species, including those from the Manchester Museum, are now part of the Butterflies for the New Millennium (BNM) database created by Butterfly Conservation and the Biological Records Centre (BRC) (Wildman et al. 2022).

The updated checklist of four families of the order Diptera (Atelestidae, Brachystomidae, Empididae and Hybotidae) for Lancashire and Cheshire is not just a species list. Compiled by Phil Brighton using museum specimens and other sources, including local and national recording schemes, the paper includes relevant information on distribution, ecology, habitats requirements, and national and local conservation status. Data from the records and specimens assembled by former Museum’s Keepers, Harry Britten (from 1920 and 1950) and Alan Brindle (1950s), made a major contribution to this checklist (Brighton 2021).

News from the Entomology Department

Colin Johnson, the last person to hold the title Keeper of Entomology at the Manchester Museum (1982 – 2003) sadly passed away last year. Colin was an internationally renowned expert on beetles who described an amazing number of species new to science (especially tiny beetles of the family Ptiliidae, Cryptophagidae and Latriididae; for more information see in the blogpost “A life devoted to describing tiny beetles”). Colin contributed greatly to the expansion of the British Coleoptera at MM (92% of known British beetles are represented in the collection). An account on Colin’s work and legacy was compiled and published by his friend, Roger Dennis, in the obituary published by the Entomologist’s Monthly Magazine (Dennis 2022; Figure 2).

J. C. Otero & J. M. Pereira described Atomaria (Atomaria) johnsoni, a new species of the family Cryptophagidae from China, dedicated to Colin Johnson (Otero & Pereira 2022), making a total of 19 species named after him.

Figure 2. Colin Johnson visiting the Entomology Collection at Manchester Museum, 2004; credit: Dmitri Logunov.

Accounts of the Museum’s collections

• A paper on the collections of mites and ticks (Acari) in the Manchester Museum, written by two of our honorary curators (Graham Proudlove and Laurence Cook) and the Curator of Arthropods (Dmitri Logunov), gives a brief account of the history of the collections and collectors (including the work of former Museum keepers and assistants). It is also includes an analysis of historical specimens and material acquired in the last decade, for the first time. This collection of 2900 slides preparations was recently recurated, documented and stored in the original standard Hill units and drawers (Proudlove et al. 2022; Figure 3a&b). This paper immediately started generating numerous enquires regarding this collection, which was never published before.

Figure 3a.

Figure 3b.

Figure 3a. Slide preparacions of the Acari collection. Figure 3b. Hill units storing slides preparation of mites. Published in Proudlove et al. 2022

• A publication regarding a small butterfly collection from Sierra Leone, given by Lieutenant Leech in 1895, explores not only the social life of the century and the colonial past, but also shares information on the natural heritage of west Africa. This collection had not previously been documented, apart from the handwritten labels. It contains 93 identified species of butterflies, moths and insects of various orders as well as other material. The specimens were collected between 1891 and 1893 in the vicinity of Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, however there are uncertainties about collection localities for a group of specimens. Many butterflies were kept in triangular paper envelops (Figure 4a). The specimens have been mounted, labelled, identified and accessioned (Cook et al. 2022; Figure 4a&b).

Figure 4a.

Figure 4b.

Figure 4a. Paper envelops and butterfly from Leech Lepidoptera collection; credit: Manchester Museum. Figure 4b. Specimens of the family Nymphalidae, from the Leech Lepidoptera collection; credit: Manchester Museum.

• In June 2022, a Special Issue (Vol 19) of Arachnology, edited by Dmitri Logunov, published 24 papers and proceedings from a symposium celebrating the life and legacy of John and Frances Murphy and Mike Roberts. Members of the British Arachnological Society (BAS), speakers from 39 countries and many spider enthusiasts, attended the online event. All symposium talks are available via the BAS YouTube channel. This volume contains eight papers based on the symposium presentations and 16 other contributions (freely available here).

Within the Special Issue, the scientific legacy of Murphy’s publications and archival material was analysed and summarised by Logunov (Logunov 2022a). This paper also includes a brief account of Frances and John’s life, fieldwork (Figure 5) and a brief description of the spider collection assembled over 45 years (Logunov 2022a; Arzuza Buelvas 2018). The Murphy Spider Collection and their archival materials are available at the Manchester Museum.

Figure 5. John and Frances Murphy collecting spiders in Singapore. Image published in Logunov 2022a

The issue also contained seven more taxonomy papers based on specimens of the Murphy spider collection (Azarkina 2022; Ballarin & Pantini 2022; Sherwood et al. 2022; Logunov 2022d; Pett 2022; Tanasevitch 2022; Zonstein & Marusik 2022). New species and a new genus from Kenya, and new species from Italy were described (Azarkina 2022; Ballarin & Pantini 2022; Pett 2022; Zonstein & Marusik 2022). The issue also contained an annotated catalogue of tarantulas (family Theraphosidae) retained at the Manchester Museum (Sherwood et al. 2022; Figure 6).

Figure 6. Figure 6. Tarantula Brachypelma sp. from Mexico. 2. Original educational display made by Robert Standen (former Assistant Keeper of Zoology, Manchester Museum, 1890–1925). 3-4. Views of the male palp). Published in Sherwood et al. 2022

Highlights of other papers and authors

• Laurence Cook and Chris Shortall analysed the frequencies of melanic forms of three moths over the last century, including the melanic morph, carbonaria, of the Peppered Moth Biston betularia, using data of the Rothamsted Insect Survey. This industrial melanic morph was not present in the analysed data. However, the intermedia morph (Biston betularia insularia) and the industrial melanic forms of the Scalloped Hazel (Odontoptera bidentata) and the Pale Brindled Beauty (Apocheima pilosaria) were found widely over Britain. Possible reasons to this finding are discussed in the paper (Cook & Shortall, 2022).

• Specimens of stick insects, genus Trachythorax, were used in a review of this taxonomic group. This project examined specimens from related taxa including type materials, records of images and data collected during citizen science initiatives and described stick insects new to science from Vietnam (Bresseell, J. & Constant, J. 2021; Figure 7).

Figure 7. Cover of the paper about stick insects from Vietnam, Bresseel & Constant 2021

A complete list of the publications:

1. Azarkina, G. N. 2022. A new species of Aelurillus Simon, 1885 (Araneae: Salticidae) from Kenya. – Arachnology, 19(Special Issue): 220–223. https://www.britishspiders.org.uk/system/files/library/190013.pdf
2. Azarkina, G. N., Pérez-Gómez A. & Sánchez-García I. 2022. Description of a stunning new species of Phlegra Simon, 1876 from southern Spain and redescription of an enigmatic Phlegra species from northern Africa (Araneae: Salticidae). – Zootaxa, 5162 (5): 557–575. doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5162.5.6 
3. Ballarin, F. & Pantini, P. 2022. A synthesis of the genus Palliduphantes Saaristo & Tanasevitch, 2001 in Italy, with a description of two new species (Araneae, Linyphiidae, Micronetinae). – Arachnology, 19(Special Issue): 302–315. https://www.britishspiders.org.uk/system/files/library/190020.pdf
4. Bresseell, J. & Constant, J. 2021. Review of the Oriental stick insect genus Trachythorax Redtenbacher, 1908 with two new species from Vietnam and comments on egg parasitism and morphological counteradaptations (Phasmida, Lonchodidae, Necrosciinae). – Belgian Journal of Entomology, 120: 1–56.
5. Brighton, P. 2021. Report: The Diptera of Lancashire and Cheshire: Picture-wing Flies (Opomyzidae, Pallopteridae, Platystomatidae, Tephritidae, Ulidiidae). Version 1.0 December 2021. Lancashire and Cheshire Entomological Society, National Museum Liverpool, Manchester Museum, Tanyptera Trust, iRecord, NBN Atlas and the Dipterists Forum. Available here.
6. Caleb, J. T. D., Sanap, R. V., Tripathi, R., Sampathkumar, M., Dharamaraj, J. & Packiam, S. M. 2022. Taxonomic notes on some South and Southeast Asian members of the genus Rhene Thorell, 1869 (Aranei, Salticidae, Dendryphantini). – Zootaxa, 5125 (4): 389–407. doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5125.4.3
7. Cook, L., Dockery, M. & Logunov, D. V. 2022. The Lepidoptera collection from Sierra Leone of Lieutenant Ellis Leech in the Manchester Museum. – Entomologist’s Monthly Magazine, 158: 115–127.
8. Cook, L. & Shortall, C. R. 2022. After carbonaria: melanic moth frequencies in the Rothamsted Insect Survey. – Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 20: 1–8.
9. Crespo, L. C., Silva, I., Enguídanos, A., Cardoso, P., Arnedo, M. 2022. Island hoppers: Integrative taxonomic revision of Hogna wolf spiders (Araneae, Lycosidae) endemic to the Madeira islands with description of a new species. ZooKeys, 1086: 84–135. http://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1086.68015
10. Déjean, S. & Danflous, S. 2021. Deux Scotinotylus (Araneae, Linyphiidae) nouveaux pour la faune de France. – Revue Arachnologique (2) 8: 18–25.
11. Dennis R.L.H. 2022. Obituary Colin Johnson M.Sc., F.R.E.S. – 30 April 1943–25 August 2021. Keeper of Entomology at the Manchester Museum 1982–2003. Entomologist’s Monthly Magazine 158: 72–76. doi: 10.31184/M00138908.1581.4121
12. Esyunin, S. L., Agafonova, O. V. & Ruchin, A. B. 2021. [Spider fauna (Aranei) of the Mordovian Reserve]. – Proceedings of the Mordovia State Nature Reserve 27: 53–133. (in Russian) 
13. Gnelitsa, V. A. 2022. Entelecara Simon, 1884 species in Ukraine (Araneae: Linyphiidae). – Arachnology, 19(1): 46–62.
14. Logunov, D. V. 2021a. Jumping spiders (Araneae: Salticidae) of the Na Hang Nature Reserve, Tuyen Quang Province, Vietnam. – Arachnology, 18(9): 1021–1055. doi:10.13156/arac.2021.18.9.1021
15. Logunov, D. V. 2021b. New species and records of the jumping spiders from India and Nepal (Aranei: Salticidae). – Arthropoda Selecta, 30(3): 351–361. doi:10.15298/arthsel.30.3.08 
16. Logunov D. V. 2022a. John Alan Murphy (1922–2021) and his contribution to arachnology. – Arachnology, 19(Special Issue): 77–103.
17. Logunov D. V. 2022b. Literature review: Suomen Hyppyhämähäkit. Katso silmiin ja ihastu! The Jumping Spiders of Finland. Look into their eyes and fall in love! (by Sami Karjalainen). – Newsletter of the British Arachnological Society, 154: 10–11.
18. Logunov D. V. 2022c. Literature review: All You Need to Know About Spiders (by Wolfgang Nentwig, Jutta Ansorg, Angelo Bolzern, Holger Frick, Anne-Sarah Ganske, Ambros Hänggi, Christian Kropf and Anna Stäubli). – Newsletter of the British Arachnological Society, 154: 13–15.
19. Logunov D. V. & Sherwood D. 2022. A resounding success: The John Murphy and Mike Roberts Memorial Symposium – Great Names in British and World Arachnology, 3 December 2021. Arachnology Letters, 63: i–iv.
20. Logunov, D. V., Tripathi, R. & Jangid, A.K. 2022. First record of Pseudomogrus Simon, 1937 (Araneae: Salticidae) from India, with description of a new species. – Arachnology, 19(1): 72–76.
21. Sherwood D., Logunov D. V. & Gabriel R. 2022. An annotated catalogue of the theraphosid spiders held in the collections of the Manchester Museum (Araneae: Theraphosidae). – Arachnology, 19(Special Issue): 209–219.
22. Logunov D. V. 2022d. On four species of Irura Peckham & Peckham, 1901 (Araneae: Salticidae) collected by John and Frances Murphy from south-east Asia. – Arachnolog,y 19(Special Issue): 229–237. 
23. Matsumoto, K. 2021. New species, new records and notes of Afrotropical Chaetophora Kirby & Spence, 1817 (Coleoptera: Byrrhidae: Syncalptinae). – Zootaxa, 5067(2): 211–223. doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5067.2.3 
24. Otero, J. C., Pereira Martínez, J. M. 2022. New species of Atomaria Stephens, 1829 (Coleoptera, Cryptophagidae) from China and Taiwan – Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology, 25: 101872; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aspen.2022.101872 
25. Pett, B. L. 2022. Two new species of dark sac spiders of the genus Patelloceto Lyle & Haddad, 2010 (Trachelidae) from Kenya. – Arachnology, 19(Special Issue): 224–228. 
26. Proudlove, G., Cook, L. & Logunov, D. V. 2022. Mites (Acari) in the Manchester Museum: Curators and a committee. – Entomologist’s Monthly Magazine, 158: 9–27. doi: 10.31184/M00138908.1581.4120 
27. Sherwood, D. & Logunov D. V. 2022. The John Murphy and Mike Roberts Memorial Symposium – Great Names in British and World Arachnology, 3rd December 2021. Newsletter of the British Arachnological Society, 153: 4–6.
28. Stenhouse, D. A. 2021. Report: The status and distribution of the leaf beetle Bromius obscurus (Linnaeus, 1758) in Cheshire in 2019 and 2020. National Museum Liverpool and Tanyptera Trust.
29. Tanasevitch, A. V. 2022. Revision of the Murphy collection of Linyphiidae (Araneae) from south-east Asia. – Arachnology, 19(Special Issue): 199–208. 
30. Wildman, J. P., Ollerton, J., Bourn, N. A. D., Brereton, T. M., Moore, J. L. & McCollin, D. 2022. The value of museum and other uncollated data in reconstructing the decline of the chequered skipper butterfly Carterocephalus palaemon (Pallas, 1771). – Journal of Natural Science Collections, 10: 31–44. https://www.natsca.org/article/2724
31. Zamani, A., Nadolny, A. A., Esyunin, S. L. & Marusik, Yu. M. 2021. New data on the spider fauna of Iran (Arachnida: Araneae), part VIII. – Zoosystematica Rossica, 30(2): 279–297. doi:10.31610/zsr/2021.30.2.279
32. Zonstein, S. L. & Marusik Yu. M. 2022. Descriptions of Sceliraptor gen. n. and two new species from Kenya (Araneae, Palpimanidae). – Arachnology, 19(Special Issue): 257–264.

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Supporting local communities: a “springwatch” event at the Royton Linear Park, Oldham

Banner of the Springwatch Event at Royton Linear Park, May 2022

On Sunday 15^th May 2022, as part of the event “Springwatch” organized by the community group called ‘Friends of Royton Linear Park’, Dmitri and I were invited to participate and talk about insects. The main idea was to develop interest in wildlife among local residents of this park in Oldham, which used to be a railway track.

Dmitri Logunov (Curator of insect collections at the Manchester Museum) and Diana Arzuza (Curatorial Assistant) with local residents during the “Springwatch” event at Royton Linear Park

The weather was perfect and the event itself was really a success. As soon as we set up our display table, some 40 minutes earlier than the official opening of the actual event, many interested visitors started to appear and engage with us. We shared stories about British insects, habitats and facts about their life cycles and natural histories, as well as showing some British endangered species and, of course, some showy foreign beauties. Other organizations, such as the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds – RSPB with birdwatching activity for kids and families, also supported this event. The hedgehog conservation group was talking about chances to create a more attractive environment for hedgehogs and discussing them with the local recording group.

A joint hunt for creepy-crawlies (left) and talking about insects (right); the “Springwatch” event at Royton Linear Park

The day was packed with many other activities for adults and children, including craft making, face painting and even tree-planting. There were also stalls with home-baked cakes, plants and goodies for selling, all towards fundraising for the maintenance of the Royton Linear Park.

This community group was established a year ago and have been working to keep this area free of litter/wastes and more family friendly. There are plans for different sections of the park, including incorporating art in tunnels and bridges. However, the most ambitious plan is to create a wildlife corridor connecting this linear park with other green areas/spaces in Oldham and Rochdale; ultimately, improving this green space for the benefit of the local residents and wildlife.

Local residents attending the “Springwatch” event at Royton Linear Park and enjoying the weather

Many thanks are due to Shirley Brown (the leader and organizer of the group and the event) for inviting us to participate. We were thrilled by positive responses from the visitors and amazed by how many people visited the Manchester Museum and remembered our Spider Crab.

If anyone reading this post wants to be involved and support Shirley Brown and her small group of enthusiasts, just join the Friends of Royton Linear Park on Facebook.

More information:

https://www.theoldhamtimes.co.uk/news/20128223.springwatch-event-comes-royton-weekend/

https://www.theoldhamtimes.co.uk/news/19979830.residents-team-mission-transform-royton-linear-park-oldham/

https://m.facebook.com/groups/roytoncommunityhub/posts/1895308613984362/

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Golden Standards of the Manchester Museum

Specimens of the collection of tortoise beetles (Cassidinae) from the Manchester Museum; those marked with pink and blue labels are types. © The Manchester Museum.

When a taxonomist is going to name a new species, s/he must designate a particular specimen as the reference standard of that species. Such specimen – one particular butterfly, pressed plant or mineral – is called the name-bearing type (=holotype). It is permanently associated with the published scientific name and official description of the species. Type specimens serve as the primary and unique references for all known species names. They play a key role in stabilizing the use of species names. The type must be unambiguously designated, because it is required for identifying other specimens or validating the use of a name. Types are deposited in reliable natural history museums, properly cared for and made available to researchers that need to examine them.

Similarly to the International Bureau of Weights and Measures which establishes a common understanding of such units as length, mass, time, electric current and others, natural history museums keep type specimens to provide unequivocally links to species names. A number of the type specimens in a particular museum reflects its scientific significance and international standing. The Manchester Museum holds some 22,000 types representing over 8,000 species names, and the number of the types is growing. The Museum is one of the most important taxonomic depositaries in the UK.

Traditionally, type specimens are kept in behind-the-scenes stores of natural history museums and never displayed. Their primary role is to support taxonomic research. Below a selection of type specimens from different collections of the Manchester Museum is presented.

The holotype of Rufous-backed Shrike (Lanius lama), one of the names under which Grey-backed Shrike (Lanius tephronotus) has been known; the bird is known from Tibet. © The Manchester Museum.

Type specimens of three corals: syntype of the hydrocoral Errina capensis from costal waters off Cape of Good Hope (left), syntype of the stony coral Stylasterina tiliatus from Pacific Ocean, Sulu islands (middle), and the holotype of the hydrocoral Errina novaezelandiae (red coral) from waters off New Zealand (right). © The Manchester Museum.

Holotypes of the liverworts described by Richard Spruce (1817-1893). © The Manchester Museum.

Holotype of wooldridgeite, a mineral containing calcium, copper, hydrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and sodium; named after James Wooldridge (1923-1995), a keen amateur from Worcestershire (UK) who discovered the material. © The Manchester Museum.

The female holotype of the species Dysaulophthalma nathani, described from the re-curated Indian collection of mantises (Mantodea). © The Manchester Museum

Well, the work of a taxonomist could apparently be compared even to that of a detective.

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Our visitors – studying net-winged insects: diversity and evolution

James Jepson working with Manchester Museum’s collection of Neuroptera. © The Manchester Museum.

The Manchester Museum welcomes all kinds of visitors: art and design students, members of local natural history organisations, school and college students, family groups, etc. Yet, about half of our visitors are researchers working on many interesting, often inter-disciplinary projects. For instance, Dr James Jepson (on photo) is a palaeontologist from the University of Manchester, looking at the evolution of insects, in addition to studying the evolution of lacewings and their allies (order Neuroptera). He is also involved in studying these insects in Cheshire and Lancashire and is responsible for the national recording scheme of these insects. Below is James’ brief report on what he does and how he uses the Manchester Museum’s insect collections.

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I have the pleasure of regularly visiting the entomology collections at the Manchester Museum to gather data for three projects that I am currently undertaking. The first being part of my postdoctoral research on insect relationships and evolution. I am using the specimens in the collection to code morphological characters, which I will then use to create a phylogeny to show the relationships of extant and fossil insect orders. From this phylogeny, I will be able to investigate the evolution of insects throughout geological time, from their beginnings to the present day.

The second project relates to the British Isles Lacewing and Allies Recording Scheme. I have recently become the co-organizer of the scheme, which we relaunched earlier this year. The scheme takes in records of the orders Neuroptera (Lacewings, Waxflies, Antlions & Spongeflies), Raphidioptera (Snakeflies), Megaloptera (Alderflies) and Mecoptera (Scorpionflies & Snowfleas) found in England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. If you want to know more about the scheme, and how you can contribute, please visit our website. At the museum, I am documenting the collection of British lacewings and allies in the collection for addition into the recording schemes database. Museum collections hold very important data not only on recently collected specimens but also on specimens collected in the past. These historical collections give us information on past distributions of species and can help us assess any changes that have happened over time.

The final project is looking at the museum’s collection of Neuropterida (Neuroptera, Raphidioptera, Megaloptera). In addition to the British specimens, I will also be looking at specimens from other countries, like India, Costa Rica, and others. I will be putting a name to the unidentified specimens and checking the identity of the others to take into account recent changes in neuropterid taxonomy. It is always an enjoyable experience visiting the collections at Manchester Museum; the staff are enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and always very helpful.

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Looking or behaving like a tiger – meet the ‘tiger insects’ from our Collection

In the traditional Chinese calendar, 2022 is the Year of the Tiger. In Chinese culture, tiger is the king of all beasts, symbolizing power, majesty and beauty. Let us to celebrate the beginning of the Chinese New Year 2022 with a selection of ‘tiger insects’ from the Manchester Museum’s Entomology Collection. In this blogpost, a few examples of tiger-like colour patterns in moths and butterflies and tiger-like predatory behaviour in some amazing beetles are presented.

Warning colouration

A tiger’s bold pattern of bright orange body coloration with dark stripes makes them less visible to their prey (it is the so-called disruptive colouration). On the other hand, the conspicuous dark and orange colouration of some moths and butterflies is a clear warning signal to predators. This is the case of the adults of the Garden tiger moth or Great tiger moth Arctia caja. When threatened, this moth can release neurotoxin, making it inedible.

The Garden tiger moth was one of the favourite moths for early collectors who were interested in creating unusual coloration patterns. This species is now protected in the UK; its population has declined by 89% over the past 30 years.

Left: Garden tiger moth Arctia caja and its hairy caterpillar. Right: Drawer with British Garden tiger moth specimens showing a great variety of their colour patterns – Entomology Department, Manchester Museum

The Harmonia tiger-wing or Harmonia tiger Tithorea harmonia shows the pattern of a toxic butterfly. This species is one of the common and most widespread of the toxic ‘tiger-like’ species that can be found from Mexico to South America. Its larvae feed on Prestonia acutifolia (Apocynaceae), a plant with toxins, and pass the poisons to adults. When eaten by predators, this butterfly leaves an unpleasant taste.

Harmonia tiger Tithorea harmonia – Entomology, Manchester Museum

The Tiger butterfly or Striped Tiger Danaus genutia is a very common species throughout India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, South-East Asia, and Australia (except New Guinea). It has the same appearance as the famous Monarch butterfly Danaus plexippus of the Americas. When the wings are open, both female and male show an orange or yellow-brownish coloration with black venation. Its larvae obtain toxins from plants, which also leave an unpleasant smell and taste to their predators when the adult is eaten.

Tiger butterfly Danaus genutia – Entomology, Manchester Museum

Aggressive predators and fast runners

Tiger beetles are known for their running speed and their aggressive predatory habits, just like true tigers. It is a large group of some 2600 (sub)species of the subfamily Cincidelinae. Their characteristics include large eyes, long legs adapted for sprinting, and a striking pair of curved and toothed mandibles (=jaws) for catching prey (see video here). The Tiger beetle species Rivacindela hudsoni from Australian deserts is considered the fastest insect in the world, with a running speed of 9 km/hr (120 beetle body lengths per second). More about Tiger beetle adaptations and characteristics here and here.

Tiger beetles lay their eggs in the sand. After hatching, the larvae dig a tunnel and wait in ambush in the tunnel’s mouth for any small invertebrates passing by. The larvae strike and catch their prey with powerful jaws (see video here). Such voracious larvae are known in all species of tiger beetles.

The larva of the Six-spotted green tiger beetle Cicindela sexguttata waiting for its prey. Photo: Katja Schulz Wikispecies: Rivacindela hudsoni

Adults of the Six-spotted green tiger beetle Cicindela sexguttata from North America – Entomology, Manchester Museum

There are five tiger beetle species in Britain, of which the Green tiger beetle Cicindela campestris is the only widespread and common. It is an agile hunter, catching invertebrates, especially spiders, caterpillars and ants. It can be recognised by long bronze legs, metallic green body colouration, and yellow spots on the wing cases.

Green tiger beetle Cicindela campestris – Entomology, Manchester Museum

The Wood tiger beetle or Heath tiger beetle Cicindela sylvatica is the largest tiger beetle in Britain, with dark/brown colouration and three or four pale yellow marks on its wings. Half of the population of the Heath tiger beetle has disappeared in the last 25 years in the UK due to habitat loss. This species is under priority status on the Biodiversity Action Plan.

Wood tiger beetle or Heath tiger beetle Cicindela sylvatica – Entomology, Manchester Museum

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Publications from the Manchester Museum’s Entomology Department – 2020-21

A selection of the papers published in the last academic year 2020-21, based on or containing references to specimens from the Manchester Museum’s Entomology Department

This blog is the third one of the annual series devoted to the publications based on or referred to the Manchester Museum’s entomology collections in the last academic year. During the period from 1st August 2020 to 31th July 2021, a total of 23 papers were published by 21 researchers from 13 countries (including the UK, Russia, Ukraine, Finland, Greece, Bulgaria, Germany, Iran, China, Italy, Costa Rica, Honduras and the US). Despite (inter)national lockdowns, travel cutbacks and limited access to the collection store due to the Covid-related restrictions, the Entomology department was able to continue to support research.

The majority of the authors are associated with universities or museums, for example: Museo di Storia Naturale dell’Università di Firenze (Italy); Museo de Zoología, Universidad de Costa Rica; Zoological Museum, University of Turku (Finland); University of Nebraska State Museum (US); Department of Invertebrate Zoology of the Tomsk State University (Russia); the Altai State University (Russia) and the Manchester Museum and School of Biological Sciences – Faculty of Biology, University of Manchester (UK). Other authors are affiliated with academic research institutes (e.g., Institute for Biological Problems of the North, the Russian Academy of Sciences) and one author is from the Hong Kong Entomological Society (China).

Taxa and topics

The main topic covered in these publications included the taxonomy: viz., taxonomic reviews of various taxa (some 40%), descriptions of new species (30%), and new faunistic records (18%). Less frequent topics were ecology, morphology, surveys, book reviews and memorabilia (Figure 1).

The majority of the papers (60%) were focused on spiders (the order Araneae). Taxonomic reviews, including descriptions of new species and new synonymy, were the main topics of 14 publications. More than 80 new species were described, particularly from Central and South Asia (Figure 2). New information on species records and distribution from India, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iran, and Sri Lanka was given.

Two papers for each of the following orders were published: Coleoptera (beetles), Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) and Phasmatodea (stick insects). The Coleoptera papers focused on descriptions of new species and new faunistic records of the feather-winged beetles, and the ecology of one Neotropical species of the tortoise beetles. A single paper of butterflies was devoted to morphology in two subspecies of the European Swallowtail butterfly; there is also a review of an ‘Illustrated History of Butterflies of the Afrotropical Indian Ocean Islands’. Two papers devoted to stick insects included a description of new species from Vietnam and new records from China. A complete list of publications is given below.

Figure 1. Topics covered by the 2020-21 publications using specimens from the Entomology Department, Manchester Museum

Geographical scope

Publications based on Manchester Museum’s specimens contributed to the knowledge of entomofaunas in 32 countries from such regions as the Middle East, Central, South and South-East Asia, Europe (including the UK) and the Neotropics (Costa Rica). The highest number of publications is devoted to Central Asia (Figure 2).

Figure 2. Number of the publications per country of origin of the studied specimens included in the 2020-21 papers related to the Manchester Museum Entomology Collection

Highlight of papers and authors

• Dmitri Logunov (Curator of the Arthropods Collection, Manchester Museum) made a major contribution as the author of 11, or nearly a half the papers published in this academic year. Most of his papers (70%) were dedicated to the taxonomy of spiders (order Araneae). Dr. Logunov diagnosed, described and illustrated 37 new species of spiders from India, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, as well as from other countries in the Mediterranean and the Middle East (Figure 3). Other publications included the jubilee article on Dr A.A. Zyuzin (an arachnologist and his colleague), marking his 70^th anniversary, work and achievement (Logunov, 2021c).

Figure 3. Jumping spider male of Chalcovietnamcus naga, the new species from the Philippines described by D. Logunov (from Figures 1-10, Logunov, 2020b)

• Researchers from the School of Biological Sciences (University of Manchester) measured British and European specimens of the Swallowtail butterfly (Papilio machaon) to determine if sexual selection was responsible for the “tail length” (elongated part of the hindwings) in this species. It seems that the length of the tail is more related to avoiding predators and does not exhibit sexual dimorphism (Koutrouditsou & Nudds, 2021; Figure 4).

Figure 4. Measurements to assess relative size of ‘tails’ in Swallowtail Butterfly (from Figure 1, Koutrouditsou & Nudds, 2021)

• Two new species of the rove-beetles of the genus Metolinus (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae), based on unpublished materials from the Horace Last Collection were finally described (Figure 5). These descriptions were published along with new records of this scarce genus in Papua New Guinea (Bordoni, 2021).

Figure 5. Two new species of the genus Metolinus (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae) recently published from specimens at Manchester Museum (from Figure 7 & 8, Bordoni, 2021)

• The holotype of Calyptocephala attenuata (Spaeth, 1919) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae: Spilophorini) from Costa Rica (Figure 6) accompanied with a description of a new host plant and further information of the natural history of this poorly known tortoise beetle from Costa Rica (Nishida & Chaboo, 2020).

Figure 6. The Holotype of Calyptocephala attenuata from Costa Rica, held in the Manchester Museum (from Figure 4, Nishida & Chaboo, 2020)

• Specimens of sticks insects (order Phasmatodea) from Manchester Museum were used in a taxonomic review of this group in Vietnam and China. In the two papers, eight new species and two new genera were described, as well as new synonyms and records from China (Ho, 2020; Ho, 2021).

A complete list of publications:

1. Bordoni A. (2021). New data on the Australasian Xantholinini (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Xantholininae) 13. Two new species of Metolinus from New Guinea of the Manchester Museum and new records. 305° contribution to the knowledge of the Staphylinidae. – Boll. Mus. reg. Sci. nat. Torino, 38(1-2): 23-29
2. Fomichev A.A. & Marusik, Y. M. (2020). Five new species of the Acantholycosa-complex (Araneae: Lycosidae) from Mongolia. – Zootaxa, 4497 (2): 271–284. doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4497.2.7 
3. Ho, W.C. (2020) New taxa of Clitumninae from Vietnam (Phasmatodea: Phasmatidae). – Zoological Systematics, 45(2): 104-117. http://doi: 10.11865/zs.202015
4. Ho, W.C. (2021) Contribution to the knowledge of Chinese Phasmatodea IX: First report of Xeroderinae (Phasmatodea: Phasmatidae) from China. – Zoological Systematics, 46(2): 187-190. http://doi: 10.11865/zs.2021205
5. Koutrouditsou L.K. & Nudds R.L. (2021). No evidence of sexual dimorphism in the tails of the swallowtail butterflies Papilio machaon gorganus and P. m. britannicus. – Ecology and Evolution, 11: 4744-4749. doi: 10.10 02/ece3.7374 
6. Logunov, D.V. (2020a). Further notes on the genus Stenaelurillus Simon, 1885 from India (Arachnida: Araneae: Salticidae). – Zootaxa, 4899(1): 201-214. http://doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4899.1.11 
7. Logunov, D.V. (2020b). New and poorly known leaf-litter dwelling jumping spiders from South-East Asia (Araneae, Salticidae: Euophryini and Tisanibini). – Arachnology, 18(6): 521-562. 
8. Logunov, D.V. (2020c). On three species of Hogna Simon, 1885 (Aranei: Lycosidae) from the Near East and Central Asia. – Arthropoda Selecta, 29(3): 349-360. 
9. Logunov, D.V. (2021a). Literature review: An Illustrated History of Butterflies of the Afrotropical Indian Ocean Islands (by James M. Lawrence & Mark C. Williams). – Antenna, online at: https://www.royensoc.co.uk/sites/default/files/Review_An%20Illustrated%20History%20of%20Butterflies%20of%20the%20Afrotropical%20Indian%20Ocean%20Islands.pdf 
10. Logunov, D.V. (2021b). Literature review: True Bugs of the World (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) Classification and Natural History (2nd edition) (by Randall T. Schuh & Christiane Weirauch). – Antenna, online at: https://www.royensoc.co.uk/sites/default/files/Review_True%20Bugs%20of%20the%20World%20Classification%20and%20Natural%20History%202nd%20ed.pdf 
11. Logunov, D.V. (2021c). [Alexei Alexandrovich Zyuzin – 70 years]. – Arthropoda Selecta, 30(1): 133-141. (in Russian) 
12. Logunov, D.V. (2021d). Further notes on the jumping spiders (Araneae: Salticidae) of Afghanistan. – Arachnology, 18(8): 821-828. 
13. Logunov, D.V. (2021e). Notes on the genus Chinattus Logunov, 1999 from India, Pakistan and Nepal (Arachnida: Araneae: Salticidae). – Zootaxa, 5006 (1): 110-120. http://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5006.1.15 
14. Logunov, D.V. (2021f). On three species of Plexippoides Prószyński, 1984 (Araneae: Salticidae) from the Mediterranean, the Middle East and Central Asia, with notes on a taxonomic validity of the genus. – Arachnology, 18(7): 766-777. http://doi:10.13156/arac.2020.18.7.766 
15. Logunov, D.V. & Fomichev A.A. (2021). A new species of Karakumosa Logunov & Ponomarev, 2020 (Araneae: Lycosidae: Lycosinae) from Tajikistan. – Arachnology, 18(7): 677-680. http://doi:10.13156/arac.2020.18.7.677 
16. Logunov, D.V. & Ponomarev, A.V. (2020). Karakumosa gen. nov., a new Central Asian genus of fossorial wolf spiders (Araneae: Lycosidae: Lycosinae). – Revue Suisse de Zoologie, 127(2): 275-313. http://doi:10.35929/RSZ.0021
17. Marusik, Y. M. & Nadolny, A. A. (2020). On the identity of Trochosa hispanica (Araneae, Lycosidae), with notes on the synonymy of West Palaearctic “Trochosa” species. – Zootaxa, 4859(1): 56-80. http://doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4859.1.2
18. Nishida K. & Chaboo C. (2020). A new host plant family for Cassidinae sensu lato: Calyptocephala attenuata (Spaeth, 1919) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae: Spilophorini) on Smilax (Smilacaceae) in Costa Rica. – The Pan-Pacific Entomologist, 96(4):263–267. 
19. Tchemeris A.N. (2020). Remarkable new species of epedanid from Vietnam (Arachnida: Opiliones: Laniatores: Epedanidae). – Zootaxa, 4858 (3): 427–437. http://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4858.3.8 
20. Zamani, A., Chatzaki, M., Esyunin, S. L. & Marusik, Y. M. (2021). One new genus and nineteen new species of ground spiders (Araneae: Gnaphosidae) from Iran, with other taxonomic considerations. – European Journal of Taxonomy, 751: 68-114. http://doi:10.5852/ejt.2021.751.1381 
21. Zamani, A., Dimitrov, D., Weiss, I., Alimohammadi, S., Rafiei-Jahed, R., Esyunin, S. L., Moradmand, M., Chatzaki, M. & Marusik, Y. M. (2020). New data on the spider fauna of Iran (Arachnida: Araneae), part VII. – Arachnology, 18(6): 569-591. http://doi:10.13156/arac.2020.18.6.569 
22. Zamani, A. & Marusik, Y. M. (2020). A survey of Phrurolithidae (Arachnida: Araneae) in southern Caucasus, Iran and Central Asia. – Zootaxa, 4758(2): 311-329. http://doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4758.2.6 
23. Zamani, A. & Marusik, Y. M. (2021). Revision of the spider family Zodariidae (Arachnida, Araneae) in Iran and Turkmenistan, with seventeen new species. – ZooKeys, 1035: 145-193. http://doi:10.3897/zookeys.1035.65767

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New equipment for macrophotography in the Entomology Department

A specimen of the Apple Maggot (Rhagoletis pomonella) of the family of Fruit Flies (Tephritidae, or here) from the collection of the Manchester Museum photographed by means of our new Olympus stereo microscope and digital camera. © The Manchester Museum.

A month ago, thanks to the CapCo grant, the Manchester Museum purchased a new stereo microscope (Olympus, SZX 16) with a digital colour camera (DP27-CU-1-2), which is designed for photographing small and diminutive objects. Two weeks ago, we had a training session and here is the first image taken by means of this microscope and camera (see above). We are about ready to start a large project aimed at the digitisation of tens of thousands of diminutive insects, including type specimens of the Feather-winged Beetles (Cryptophagidae), Fungus Beetles (Latridiidae) and many other small-sized groups, deposited in the Manchester Museum.

A training session on how to capture images; a diminutive shell is on the screen. © Diana Arzuza Buelvas.

Taking photo of the jumping spider Colopsus longipalpis from Vietnam. © Diana Arzuza Buelvas.

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Star objects of our collection – Bullet Ant, feared and poetized

Bullet Ant (Paraponera clavata) from the collection of the Manchester Museum; its sting is arrowed. © Manchester Museum.

Many species of ants (family Formicidae) hold a great fascination for the human from the ancient time. For instance, Pliny the Elder believed that ants are the only living creatures besides man that bury their dead. Ants have been greatly admired for the qualities of intelligence, hard work, good organisation, and harmonious social life. Moral lessons for mankind were frequently drawn from various aspects of their behaviour. In the Old Testament, one can find the following wisdom: ‘Go to the any thou sluggard; consider her ways and be wise: which, having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest’. Ant colonies in their anthills could be seen as both a microcosm of man and his world, and a positive example of communal cooperation. However, not all ants have acquired such a positive reputation among humans, some of them are feared: e.g., the Bulldog Ant (Myrmecia sp.), or the African Driver Ants (Dorylus spp.), which sometimes are depicted as merciless invaders that consume all creatures in their path, especially in Hollywood horror movies; for general information about myrmecophobia (=fear of ants) see here.

One of the feared ant species is the Bullet Ant (Paraponera clavata), a large black ant that can reach a length up to 2-3 cm (see photo). It is the largest ant of Central and South Americas, known from the Caribbean lowlands of such countries as Honduras and Costa Rica, southward to Peru and Brazil. Ants live in large subterranean colonies with the entrances situated at the base of large trees. Each colony contains from 700 to 1400 worker ants: i.e., members of the worker caste, all are infertile females. Workers are solitary hunters that search for their prey (various smaller insects) from ground level up to the canopy, and can be seen and encountered during both day- and night times; for more information about Bullet Ant see here and here.

This ant should be avoided as it can inflict an extremely painful sting (its sting is arrowed in the photo above). The venom of the Bullet Ant contains poneratoxin, a neuropeptide causing an acute pain and local paralysis, but not fatal to humans. The regional name of Paraponera clavata in Costa Rica is ‘hormiga bala’, meaning ‘bullet ant’. People who have been stung by this ant say that its bite feels like a bullet wound, or even like a 3-inch burning rusty nail in your heel; the pain can last for 24 or more hours, and a person may need 2 weeks to recover from a single sting. If someone scored various stinging insects like bees, wasps and ants on a pain scale from 1 to 4, еру Bullet Ant would surely get the highest, 4-point score. Hence, it is hardly surprising that Native Americans of the Yurok tribe in California believe that ants became venomous by catching chips in their mouths from a mythical burning arrowhead. In Brazil, members of the indigenous tribe Satere-Mawe, who reside along the border between the Pará and Amazonas states in Brazil, use Bullet Ants and their painful stings in a ceremony of initiating young men into adulthood; watch the video below.

Despite some undeniably negative qualities (from the point of view of humans, of course) that can be attributed to bullet ants, the ant still inspires some naturalists to poetize them. Here is the latest limerick dedicated to the Bullet Ant by Richard A. Jones (2021):

The bullet ant feared no attacker,

Because with her sting she fought backer.

The venom she dealt

Was the worst to be felt –

A true hypodermic fire-cracker.

References and further reading:

Henderson C. L. 2010. Butterflies, moths, and other invertebrates of Costa Rica. Austin, University of Texas Press, 173 pp.

Jones R. A. & Ure-Jones C. 2021. A natural history of insects in 100 limericks. Pelagic Publishing, 110 pp.

Kritsky G. & Cherry R. 2000. Insect Mythology. Writers Club Press, 140 pp.

Sleigh C. 2003. Ant. Reaktion Book, 216 pp.

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