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The Ouellet-Robert Entomological Collection: new electronic resources and perspectives

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 June 2019

Colin Favret Open the ORCID record for Colin Favret [Opens in a new window] ,
Étienne Normandin  and
Louise Cloutier
Colin Favret*
Affiliation:
Département de sciences biologiques, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, H1X 2B2, Canada
Étienne Normandin
Affiliation:
Département de sciences biologiques, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, H1X 2B2, Canada
Louise Cloutier
Affiliation:
Département de sciences biologiques, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, H1X 2B2, Canada
*
1Corresponding author (e-mail: [email protected])
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Abstract

The Ouellet-Robert Entomological Collection (Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada) is one of the largest and most important university collections in Canada. Although officially dedicated in 1984, much of the material in the collection dates to the 1930s and 1940s work of the Clerics of Saint Viator, Joseph Ouellet and Adrien Robert. In order to establish curatorial priorities, a collection profile was conducted grading eight criteria on a scale of 1–4, the most important being the conservation status of the specimens. A taxonomic inventory of the collection was also conducted, including the number of pinned specimens and alcohol vials, as well as a brief geographic description: whether or not at least one specimen of each species was collected in Québec or in North America. Finally, the specimen metadata for Odonata, Ephemeroptera, and Trichoptera were digitised. The inventory and specimen data can be downloaded at Canadensys.net. The collection houses approximately 1.5 million specimens, of which one-third are pinned, representing 20 000 species. Half of those species are recorded from Québec. The inventory and profile will be updated and the specimen database grown as portions of the collection are re-curated by personnel and volunteers, including the student-run organisation, “Club QMOR”.

Résumé

Résumé

La Collection entomologique Ouellet-Robert (Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada) est une des collections universitaires les plus importantes au Canada. Bien que dédiée en 1984, elle héberge beaucoup de matériel qui date des travaux des Clercs de Saint-Viateur, les frères Joseph Ouellet et Adrien Robert. Pour établir des priorités de conservation, un profil de la collection a été établi en évaluant huit critères sur une échelle de 1 à 4, le critère le plus important étant le statut de conservation des spécimens. Un inventaire taxonomique de la collection a été récemment effectué, incluant les nombres de spécimens épinglés et de fioles de spécimens conservés en alcool. Une brève description de la provenance géographique des spécimens, si au moins un spécimen a été collecté au Québec ou en Amérique du Nord, a également été ajoutée. Finalement, les métadonnées des spécimens d’Odonates, d’Éphéméroptères, et de Trichoptères ont été numérisées. L’inventaire et les données des spécimens peuvent être téléchargés à partir du site Canadensys.net. La collection héberge environ 1,5 million de spécimens, dont un tiers sont épinglés, représentant 20 000 espèces. La moitié de ces espèces a été récoltée au Québec. L’inventaire et le profil seront mis à jour et la base de données des spécimens agrandie au fur et à mesure que les différents éléments de la collection seront remaniés par le personnel et les bénévoles de la collection, y compris l’organisation étudiante, « le Club QMOR ».

Type
Forum
Information
The Canadian Entomologist , Volume 151 , Issue 4 , August 2019 , pp. 423 - 431
Copyright
© Entomological Society of Canada 2019 

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Footnotes

Subject editor: Derek Sikes

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