Collection Requirements

The specimens in your collection must be acquired during the semester, from the wild, and for this class. Specimens collected for other purposes (e.g., other classes, lab cultures) are not eligible for credit. Exceptions can be made, however, for students already familiar with collecting and preservation techniques. If you want to start early so that you can collect seasonal families or if you are traveling to interesting habitats please discuss the options with your instructors. Insects collected during the field course in Crossnore are definitely allowed as part of your collection. Consult the collection handout for more information.

You may trade specimens with your fellow students, but they must be unidentified; you cannot offer specimens you determined already (e.g., absolutely no "I'll give you a pentatomid for your lucanid" exchanges).

Your student collection, minus the specimens you justify keeping as your own (you should supply your own drawers/boxes if you desire to keep specimens), becomes property of the NC State Insect Museum or the ENT 502 teaching collection upon completion of the course.

Grading of the Collection

The collection is worth 250 points (see grading) and breaks down as follows:

component points
each order 3
each family (minimum 125); see also the list of taxa worth extra points 1
each extra specimen in a family 0.5
each reared parasitoid (with evidence) identified to family 4 extra points each
maximum points for specimens/taxa plus rearing 250
doesn't have the minimum number of families - 10
no slide mounted specimen - 10
no double mounted lepidopteran - 10
no spread lepidopteran - 10
labeling problems, pinning problems, poorly organized spreadsheet, etc. - varies
total (for a perfect collection) 250

Each collection must include at least one spread lepidopteran, one lepidopteran on a minuten pin, and one slide mounted insect of an appropriate taxon. You should also include a completed insect collection sheet with your collection (example collection sheet).