Collection layout

[jamesd]

Hey. I'm a generally a newbie to insect collecting, so I just wanted to clarify some technical things about proper collection layout.

Looking through 'show your favourite specimen' and other places, I've noticed that often, the specimens are arranged so that the wings overlap. Sometimes this isn't done. Why do it?
As for the identification labels, do they go above or below the specimen? Is anything else included besides the binomial/Gender?
In vertical columns should the specimens be aligned by the body, or the far left of the wings? (And biggest to smallest specimen is preferable, yes?)
Should males go on left, or right of female? (does this matter?)

Is there anything else that I'm forgetting, but should know?

[nomihoudai]

Do whatever you like or pleases you as long as the data label is pinned underneath each specimen individually.

I for myself overlap the wings of a species, this is because my collection is quickly growing and space is expensive. I use horizontal lines, from left to right, I always try to get the thorax at the same height as it looks tidier. I usually put not more than 5 specimen in a row so that I can get the middle specimen quick enough out of the drawer when I need it. When I can differentiate males and females I make two different rows for them, putting females under the males row.

I put a label with the species above the block of specimen that I got, when I have single specimen and ID them I often just write it on a small paperstripe and put that one on the needle under the specimen so I can put a printed out label later when I have more specimen and don't forget about the ID.

It doesn't matter too much how you put the specimen, the most important is the datalabel as I told. Sometimes people just put a data label where something got caught and then all the specimen from that place without label in a row just to be quick, but this is not that good. People in the museum will curse you later on when they have to relabel thousands of specimen.

[Deleted]

Claude said it pretty well.

Data label with every specimen is more important than layout. In fact, you should lay your's out so as to be pleasing to you. Others can rearrange your material someday the way they prefer.

Overlapping is largely due to space limitations. Believe me, one will run short of space as long as he/she collects. I do vertical rows, but used to do horizontal. Usually my females are below the males, but that is purely by personal preference.

One thing I do do, is to make up small ID labels to put between the antennae of the leps. This is more for quick ID reference since looking under the wings can be a bit tough to do when a drawer is full of specimens.

Beetles take up less space. Some (like me) do mount them with legs out(as if walking along) which takes up space, but is worth it as I see them. This does require special attn. to spacing, for tarsal claws can get tangled/broken easily.

For all 3 pics, each specimen is labelled. BTW---some might suggest you use a numbering system. I tend to (just my opinion) not do that. If the numbers reference chart would get lost, all specimens would be scientifically worthless. Also, when a specimen is traded, moved, or whatever, the data goes with it.

Pic 1 Leps in vert rows w label IDs for each between antennae and females below males
Pic 2 Ornithoptera---with this group, I started putting females above the males, ID labels
Pic 3 Coleops are done horizontally with the females generally on the right of the male. I also put ID labels between the rear legs of coleops for quick reference. With the smaller beetles, I skip the ID labels below the legs because the data can so easily be seen.

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Pic 2

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Pic 3

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Oops.....I forgot to mention my color reference markers.

When a spcimen is unusual, unique somehow, special, I put a yellow paper marker on the ID label.
Orange is for rare, very unique, costly, or very special and Red is for "I'm lucky to have it"--super rare, super unusual, or very costly.

Note that non-sexually-dimorphic females have small bits of pink underneath the ID label which protrude just a bit around the outer edges of the ID labels.

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One last pic using the larger ID labels of my good friend Norm Seaborg who passed on a year or so ago.

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[jamesd]

Ok, thanks to both of you.

Last summer I admit, I was a bit sloppy with the data labels, but this time I won't make the same mistake.

So far, what I've done is arrange them so that they are in vertical columns with the males in one vertical column, and females in the other (aligned horizontally with males). Maybe I'll do it differently later on. I don't know.

Nice images by the way.

[jamesd]

I've got another question: How exactly is an ID label written?

I've been doing it with the binomial and gender. But I've seen it with date and location of catch also... Isn't that already written on the data label?

[nomihoudai]

Always separate the ID label and the data label. Every serious collector comes across stuff he does not know in the first place no matter how knowledgeable he is, in that case you can just add the ID label later on. I put on mine genus, taxon and subspecies if there is and describor of subspecies/species but as always do whatever you like, the important thing is the data.

[jamesd]

Ok, thanks. And just making sure this is the correct data label format?

1st Data Label:
*Place of capture
*Date of capture
*Name of collector

2nd Data Label:
*Binomial
*Gender
*Name of determiner
*Year of determination

[nomihoudai]

Yes you can add the name and the date of the determination, I just wanted to give a quick note on this. That information is handy as later on if you ever give a specimen away to somebody else they might check how old you have been by the time of the identification and it might give an hint of how experienced you were back then. Personnaly I don't write it as I don't have an ID label on my regular specimens ( saves me the time of making a few thousands labels), I only write it on specimen I let identify by specialists, there I usually ad an ID label.

[jamesd]

Yeah... Good.
I rearranged my collection into vertical columns and relabelled all identified species. I'd say it looks better now. Thanks again.