Entomology Lab Syllabus

7/27/2019 Entomology Lab Syllabus

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Entomology Lab Syllabus

Teaching Assistant:

Jose Crespo Georgia Sinimbu

ASB 370 ASB 540

Phone: (801) 581-4795 Phone: (801) 585-9853

Office hours: by appointment Office hours: by appointment

- , . . . . . .

Insect Biology and Diversity. 3rd Ed. Oxford University Press.

- Borror, D.J. and R.E. White. 1970. A Field Guide to the Insects of America North

of Mexico. Houghton Mifflin.

Lab meets: Tu 12:25-2:55 pm JTB 230

Tu 3:05-5:35 pm JTB 230

Field Trip: 7-9 September, Rio Mesa Center, Utah

(Required)


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Grading: Based on a total of 300 points allocated as follows:

2 Lab practical exams (50 points each)

5 Lab quizzes (10 points each)

2 Lab reports (25 points each)

1 Insect collection (100 points)

Lab quizzes and practical exams will test your practical knowledge of Entomology. Exams

will consist of a series of stations at which you will be asked to identify anatomical features


, ,

use a key to make the identification.

Laboratory reports will be in the style of a scientific paper and will be based on the results

of the experiments conducted during the two following labs (invertebrate systematics and

insect flight labs).

Every student is expected to put together a referenced insect collection with specimens from

at least 50 different insect families. Evaluation of each collection will be based on number

of insect/arthropod families included, correctness of identifications, completeness of the

collecting information on the labels, and proper presentation of the specimens. Students will

be provided with all necessary equipment to make their collection.


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Exams: Laboratory exams will be based on all the laboratory material covered until the day

of the exam and might also include some lecture material. In general though, the exams

include material covered in quizzes, reports, handouts, and laboratory presentations. Exams

will be graded as quickly as possible and returned to you in class. There will be no makeup

exams. In the event of a true emergency (e.g., you are hit by a car on the way to the examand are in the process of a blood transfusion during the scheduled exam period), OBTAIN

WRITTEN DOCUMENTATION of the emergency and contact me as soon as you are able

and I will try to work something out with you.


Quizzes: 10-20 min. assessments of laboratory material. There are only 5 quizzesthroughout the course and you will not be allowed to take them in other than the specified

dates on the syllabus.

Reports: These are reports based on the two experimental laboratories. More on that later in

the course.

Regrade policy: Laboratory exams are graded with care against a predetermined key. We

will correct any addition errors on exams, but we will NOT regrade exams.


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Course Drop Policy: The course withdrawal policy is the same as the University of Utah

policy described in the Class Schedule. Wednesday, August 29 is the last day to drop with

no tuition and no notation on the transcript. Tuesday, September 4 is the last day students

can elect the CR/NC or audit option. Friday, October 19 is the last day students can

withdraw from classes, but tuition will be assessed Friday, November 30, is the last day toreverse a CR/NC option. Withdrawal from the course after October 19 requires special

permission from the instructor. It will NOT be allowed except in cases of significant

medical or personal emergency that must be documented by a medical professional or


Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): The University of Utah Department of Biology

seeks to provide equal access to its programs, services and activities for people with

disabilities. If you will need accommodations in this class, reasonable prior notice needs to

be given to the instructor and to the Center for Disability Services, http://disability.utah.edu/,

162 Olpin Union Bldg, 581-5020 (V/TDD) to make arrangements for accommodations. Thisinformation is available in alternative format with prior notification.


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Entomology Lab Schedule

Introduction

Orders

Collection


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Scientists have used morphological features to determine phylogenetic relatedness betweenorganisms for a long time.

Why? Is it accurate? Is there anything else that we could be using?

Phylogenetic context

Well, since morphological features are inherited genetically, the tree of life alsorepresents a tree depicting evolutionary trends through time


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How do we organize different groups of organisms in terms of relatedness?

The Linnaean hierarchy has been adopted by general agreement for zoologicalclassifications and which is the basis for the zoological nomenclature.

This hierarchy was mainly developd in the 17th and 18th century and reached nearlydefinitive form in the tenth edition of the Systema Naturae published by Carolus Linnaeus

(Carl Linnaeus) in 1758.

Linnaean hierarchy

The sequence from top to bottom and theindentations indicate inclusiveness of the previous

levels

The number of organisms to be classified has now

become so enormous that seven levels are notenough and so additional levels have been added

(i.e. super- lying above the various basic levels and

sub- and infra- lying successively below them).


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Phylum: Arthropoda

Myriapoda: Chilopoda

Legs

Insecta: Hymenoptera

Crustacea: IsopodaRegier et al. 2010


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Which animals are included in Arthropoda?

Subphylum: Trilobitomorpha Trilobites (extinct)

Subphylum: Chelicerata Class: Arachnida (Spiders, Ticks, Mites, Scorpions)

Class: Merostomata (Horseshoe crabs and Eurypterids) Class: Pycnogonida (Sea spiders)

Subphylum: Crustacea Class: Branchiopoda (fairy shrimp, water fleas) Class: Cephalocarida (horseshoe shrimps) Class: Malacostraca (isopods, amphipods, krill, crabs, shrimp, lobsters) Class: Maxillopoda (copepods, barnacles)

Class: Remipedia (Remipedes)

Subphylum: Atelocerata or Labiata

Superclass: Myriapoda (centipedes, millipedes) Superclass: Hexapoda (insects, proturans)


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Arthropods: Characteristics

Arthropods are closely related to mollusks (e.g. octopuses, snails, clams) and annelids

(earthworms, leeches)

Characteristics shared with Annelida:

Tri loblastics three erm la ers: ectoderm, mesoderm and endoderm

Coelom (fluid filled cavity formed within the mesoderm)

Bilateral symmetry (Only sagittal plane divides an organism into mirror image

halves)

Metamerism (homonomous metamery in Annelida and heteronomous metamery in

Insecta)

Ventral nervous system (in contrast to Chordates that have a dorsal nerve cord)


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Arthropods: Characteristics

Characteristics unique to Arthropoda:

Jointed appendages (usually used for locomotion)

Tagmosis (fusion and modification of segments specialized for different functions)

Exoskeleton (chitinous cuticle)

Ecdysis (molting) Compound eyes (consists of many individual photoreceptor units called ommatidia)

Open circulatory system (the hemolymph bathes the organs directly with oxygen

and nutrients)

Reduced coelom (the principal body cavity is the hemocoel)

Respiration (tegument, gills, or tracheae)


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Insects

Appeared around 400 MYA

1 million species described (estimated 2 to 30 million)

Great adaptive radiation (found in almost every medium)

Chitinous exoskeleton

Uniramous jointed appendages

Respiration (tracheae and spiracles)

Mouthparts (mandibles, maxillae, and labium)

Body divided into three parts (head, thorax and abdomen)

Head with two compounds eyes and usually 3 ocelli

Two antennae

Each thoracic segment with a pair of legs (last two usually with wings)

Gonopores in segment 7,8 or 9 of the abdomen

Cerci (paired appendages on the last segment not in Protura and Collembola)

Direct development with gradual (Ametabolous and Hemimetabolous) or abrupt changes (Holometabolous)


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8- Endopterygota

Holometabola: Complete

metamorphosis

7- Hemipteroids: Piercing-

sucking mouthparts.

6- Orthopteroids:

Concentration of abdominal

an lia.67

8

Insect diversity

5- Neoptera: Wing folding

mechanisms.

4- Paleoptera: Primitive wing.

3- Exopterygota: Simple

metamorphosis.

2- Ectognathous: Mouthparts

external and visible, adapted

for either sucking or chewing.

1- Entognathous: Mouthparts

inconspicuous, more or less

internal, party hidden by oral

folds or cheeks.

1

2

34

5


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Keys

These consist of a series of numbered dichotomies or two-way choices.

A pair of choices is called a couplet.

Each half of a couplet leads either to a subsequent couplet (as indicated by the appropriate

number) or to the name of a taxon (order, family), which is then identified.

If a couplet lists more than one feature, the primary, or most diagnostic, character is comparedfirst. Secondary characters that follow should be used to confirm identifications made with the

primary character, or as alternatives when primary characters are missing or damaged.

Numbers in parenthesis indicate the couplet immediately preceding, so that the keys can beworked backward or forward (see page 326).


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Keys

A Wild


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Materials

1. Aerial net (Need to return it at the end of

the semester)

2. Aspirator (Sign in/Need to return it at the

end of semester)

3. Plastic flasks (2)

4. Large glass flasks (3)

5. Small glass flasks (3)

6. Pins ( size 0 and size 2)

7. Small container for flasks (1)

8. Large container with Styrofoam base (1)

9. Killing jar (1)


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Collecting and Preservation

(Chapter 47, Page 641)This chapter covers the following:

Basic equipment that entomologists and others use to catch insects (e.g. aerial nets,

aspirators, light traps, etc).

Killing methods (e.g. killing jars with different toxic agents).

reserv ng me o s:

- Ethanol is used for soft body insects or if soft tissue is to be examined

- Mounted in pins (dry)

- Double mounts: paper points and minuten pins

How to find insects.

Legal requirements (e.g. collecting insects in parks, foreign countries, etc).


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Specimens should be pinned as soon as possible after death.

Specimens should be mounted so that about 1 cm of the pin extends above the dorsalsurface.

A convenient surface for mounting is a block of high-density foam, but many peopleprefer to hold the specimen between the thumb and fingers while inserting the pin with

the other hand.

Most specimens are pinned in horizontal position with the pin just right to the midline

Pinning of an insect

of the mesothorax

-Grasshoppers, roaches, and beetles are usually pinned

through the right wing or elytra, and Heteroptera through the

right side of the scutellum.

-Dragonflies are best pinned through the sides with wings

folded over the back.

- Lepidoptera are traditionally pinned with the wings spread

horizontally, exposing the venation and color pattern

(Special spreading boards are available for this).


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For insects smaller than about 5 mm, we use double mounts

-Paper points: Small triangles cut or punched from light card stock,

are used with small Coleoptera, Hemiptera, and Hymenoptera, and

optionally for most other orders.

-The point is pinned through the board end and the specimen

glued to the pointed end (all of them should point to the same

direction which is bent with fine force s to conform to the side of

Pinning of an insect (Contd)

the specimen.

-Fingernail polish is a convenient source of glue, or special glues

that remain flexible are also good.

-Small Diptera and Lepidoptera are usually mounted through theventer or the sides on tiny pins called minuten, that are first thrust

through a small block of pith that is mounted on a standard insect

pin.


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All pinned specimens and all alcohol vials should receive an individual white label(printed or by hand but use indelible black ink for alcohol specimens!) bearing thecollection locality and date in black ink.

-The locality should include the country, state or province, county ordistrict (if appropriate), and a specific locality with orientation to a

place name on standard maps.

-Dates should include ear month and da .

Labeling and storage

-This locality label is usually placed on the pin just below the

specimen.

The collectors name usually appears on a smaller separate label.

Additional information, such as host plant name, time of day, or other specificecological information appears on one or more additional labels.

Labels should be as small as possible (usually no more than about 3cm long or 1.5 cmbroad)


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Show pages of the book that the students will be needing

Material that they can look at

Explain what they are going to do in this lab and the next

Dissection kit

They can look at the collection of orders that we have

I will try to get graduate students that work with insects to give a short presentation

Documents

Entomology Lab Syllabus