Instructors

Dr. Andrew R. Deans
4322 Gardner Hall
ncsu.edu e-mail: andy_deans
office hours: by appointment

Keith Bayless
2322/2326 Gardner Hall
ncsu.edu e-mail: kmbayles
office hours: by appointment

About ENT 502

Welcome to the Insect Systematics (ENT 502) website. This course is designed to teach students about insect taxonomy, relationships, collection and preservation techniques, morphology, and natural history. We'll focus mostly on adult forms and emphasize insects found in North Carolina. There is a significant lab component, in which students will learn how to use diagnostic keys and to identify insects by sight. Collection techniques will be honed during multiple field trips.

Goals/Objectives

Upon completion of this course students should be able to:

  1. teach others how to collect, preserve, and transport hexapods properly
  2. name and sight-identify all of the hexapod orders and the common local families
  3. label a generalized hexapod diagram with external anatomy terms
  4. outline (i.e., draw a phylogentic tree of) the relationships between hexapod orders
  5. teach others how to read a phylogenetic tree, what kind of data are used to estimate trees, how those data are analyzed, and what it means to be monophyletic
  6. describe key innovations and life history strategies of major hexapod lineages
  7. solve taxonomic problems and describe how species and other taxa are named and described (i.e., understand the fundamentals of taxonomic practice)
  8. name and briefly describe the latest developments in insect biodiversity research (e.g., biodiversity informatics, DNA barcoding)
  9. describe how hexapods inform us about biodiversity and influence our conservation decisions

Prerequisites

Students should take ENT 425 (or its equivalent) before enrolling in this class. Contact the instructor to discuss alternatives.

Recommended Texts

Borror, D. J. & R. E. White. 1970. A Field Guide to the Insects. America North of Mexico. Houghton Mifflin, Boston, MA. 404 pp. ISBN-13: 9780395911709 Gibb, Timothy & Christian Oseto. 2006. Arthropod Collection and Identification: Laboratory and Field Techniques. Academic Press. 336 pp. ISBN-13: 978-0123695451 Grimaldi, David & Michael S. Engel. 2005. Evolution of the Insects. Cambridge University Press, New York. 772 pp. ISBN-13: 9780521821490 Johnson, Norman F. & Charles A. Triplehorn. 2004. Borror and DeLong's Introduction to the Study of Insects. Brooks/Cole (Thompson). 864 pp. ISBN-13: 978-0030968358

The NCSU Library maintains a wonderful collection of literary resources that students will find incredibly useful, and there is an extensive list of supplementary readings.

Where, When, etc.

The class is taught in Gardner Hall, room 4310 (map). Lectures are Mondays and Wednesdays, 1:30-2:20pm. Labs are Mondays and Wednesdays 2:35-4:25pm.

Feedback is always welcomed, and current students can submit course evaluations towards the end of the semester.

Students with Disabilities

Please feel free to contact the instructor(s) with regards to special accommodations. See also the Disability Services Office website for more details.