| ODA Insect Collection |
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| Introduction |
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This website has been prepared to encourage greater use of and to provide information about the relatively modest, yet regionally significant, insect and arthropod collection at the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA). The collection coden, from the "Insect and Spider Collections of the World" website at the Bishop Museum (as of August, 2005), is ODAC. The ODAC has, understandably, been overshadowed by the much larger collection at Oregon State University, the Oregon State Arthropod Collection (OSAC). Many entomologists may be unaware of the ODAC, let alone its history and scope. It has often been overlooked by those seeking to borrow specimens for taxonomic work or by individuals or organizations wishing to acquire data on Oregon or Pacific Northwest insects and arthropods. Nonetheless, many significant records and data reside in the ODAC, e.g., LaBonte et al. 2005 and Westcott et al. 2006. Details on the scope and magnitude of the ODAC are addressed in the "Scope" section of this site. Loan and access issues, including a loan request form, are addressed in the "Loans and Access" section.
LaBonte, J.R., A.D. Mudge, and K.J.R. Johnson. 2005. Nonindigenous woodboring Coleoptera (Cerambycidae, Curculionidae: Scolytinae) new to Oregon and Washington, 1999-2002: consequences of the intracontinental movement of raw wood products and solid wood packing materials. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 107: 554-564.
Westcott, R.L., J.R. LaBonte, G.L. Parsons, and P.J. Johnson. 2006. New records andother notes on Oregon Coleoptera. Zootaxa 1142: 1-33.
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| History |
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The ODAC was started in 1945 by the Oregon Legislature, which created an insect survey and detection unit in the Plant Division of the ODA. The first entomologist hired for this unit, John E. Davis, housed the nascent collection in a single 24-drawer cabinet and numerous Schmitt boxes. Our second entomologist, F.P., "Pete", Larson, was hired in 1949 and added materially to the collection, mostly via specimens from ultraviolet ("black light") traps. It was not until 1954 that another cabinet was purchased. After 1955, the collection greatly expanded, largely because of the avid collecting and curatorial efforts of Kenneth J. Goeden, our third entomologist, hired in that year. Other ODA staff who added material to the ODAC, in approximate chronological order to date, include A.B. Black, Vincent D. Roth, Joseph L. Capizzi, Harold E. Foster, Dick Eppley, Robert Stephenson, Jean Fisher, Robert E. Brown, Eric M. Fisher, Richard L. Westcott, Richard L. Penrose, John Mellott, Paul J. Johnson, Gary L. Peters, Eric M. Coombs, James R. LaBonte, Richard A. Worth, and Steven A. Valley.
Until 1968, the activities of ODA entomologists were directed almost exclusively to survey and detection. At that time, a full time taxonomist/curator position was filled by Eric M. Fisher. Richard L. Westcott assumed this position in 1969, followed by James R. LaBonte in 2004. This position has enabled the ODAC to be better maintained, curated, and significantly enlarged, while simultaneously providing much needed taxonomic support for the expanding survey, detection, nursery inspection, and identification (provided to other agencies and the public) activities. Further taxonomic support has been provided by other ODA staff .
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| Scope |
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The ODAC has at least 100,000 pinned specimens representing about 6,000 determined species housed in 22 California Academy style 24-drawer cabinets and three 12-drawer cabinets. The remainder of the collection consists of approximately 1,500 alcohol vials and 3,000 slide mounts. Given the limited space and curatorial labor resources, no concerted effort has been made to attain a synoptic collection of the entire insect fauna of Oregon, which would encompass ~ 10,000 species. These constraints also restrict the series size, which is generally confined to a square California Academy unit tray, unless a species is of particular concern, interest, or is large.
Specimens collected in Oregon represent the vast majority of the holdings. Coleoptera, Diptera, and Lepidoptera comprise about 70% of the ODAC. Orthoptera comprise another 10%, primarily via the tireless efforts of Ken Goeden, including an especially well prepared and extensive array of Acrididae. Other taxa with good representations of Oregon species include Buprestidae (~ 90%), Carabidae, Cerambycidae, Curculionidae (including Scolytinae), Elateridae, and Scarabaeidae (Coleoptera); Asilidae (~ 80%), Dolichopodidae, Syrphidae, Tabanidae, and Tephritidae (Diptera); Cicadellidae (Homoptera); Siricidae and Tenthredinidae (Hymenoptera); Geometridae, Noctuidae (~ 600 spp.), and Tortricidae (Lepidoptera); and Odonata. Species associated with hot springs are also well represented, again due to the efforts of Ken Goeden.
As expected for a collection associated with an agricultural agency, the ODAC has an emphasis on distributional and seasonal occurrence of species known or suspected to have agricultural significance, particularly pests. Many specimens have supporting ecological data (this is true of non-economically significant species, as well). As a result of recent targeted surveys, the ODAC has particularly strong representations of wood-associated insects and of species associated with Prunus. A modest reference collection of agriculturally significant species not known from the USA or unrecorded from Oregon is also maintained. The ODAC serves as a voucher depository for insect biocontrol agents, particularly those utilized against weeds. Vouchers of exotic species newly detected in Oregon are also retained. Of late, the ODAC has generated many new records of beetles from Oregon. It has also served as a source of specimens for images for several projects in the regulatory entomology sphere.
The ODAC is not a type depository, but several series of paratypes have been placed in the collection.
The value and extent of the ODAC holdings have been greatly enhanced in recent years with determinations by taxonomic specialists who have given freely of their time. For this, we offer our enthusiastic thanks! However, much information on the Oregon insect fauna remains to be gathered, analyzed, and synthesized and expanded use of the ODAC is strongly encouraged.
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| Loans and Access to the Collection |
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The ODAC is available for tours by school classes and other groups. We encourage visitors to contact us at least two weeks prior to intended visits. Because staff availability is limited, we reserve the right to reschedule or refuse tour requests. Our museum and lab space are also limited, therefore it is recommended that groups be no more than a dozen or can be broken into groups of that size or smaller.
The ODAC is happy to loan specimens to researchers. Researchers desiring loans should submit a loan request form.
loan conditions
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| Taxonomic Expertise |
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The ODA staff in the Insect Pest Prevention and Management (IPPM) section have a wide range of taxonomic expertise to support IPPM programs. This expertise has also been made available to other government and public agencies, researchers, and the general public.
ODA taxonomic support staff
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