1D Expeditions to Increase the Knowledge Base of Therevidae

Four expeditions, supported by Schlinger Foundation funds, have been undertaken since the PEET grant began in September 1995, one to New Caledonia, two in east central Australia, and the fourth to the southwestern US.

New Caledonia. Working through ORSTOM and its entomologist, Jean Chazeau, collecting permits were obtained for both provinces of mainland New Caledonia. PI Irwin, Collaborator Webb, and Dr. Evert I. Schlinger spent three weeks in January 1996 in New Caledonia. Specimens of Therevidae proved to be extremely scarce during this expedition; those specimens that were caught were, however, extremely valuable because they increased the knowedge base and expanded the taxa of therevids found on this ancient continental (Gondwanan) island.
Australia. During PI Irwin's sabbatical leave in Queensland, two expeditions were undertaken, a two-week expedition to the Mount Moffatt Section of Carnarvan Gorge National Park, Queensland. [Graduate student Gaimari joined PI Irwin and Co-PI Yeates on this expedition.] A one-week trip to the Warrumbungle Mountains National Park was also undertaken by PI Irwin. Collecting permits were obtained for both. Both of these trips produced large quantities of therevids that are scarce in collections. The material is currently being curated under the supervision of Collaborator Webb.

Southwestern U.S. In June 1996, PI Irwin, Collaborator Webb, and graduate students Gaimari, Holston, and Metz braved the summer heat and sought out elusive therevids in Colorado and New Mexico. The students learned trapping methods and honed field curation skills and several specimens were preserved for molecular studies in the Wiegmann lab. Many specimens of important taxa were collected, including many hundreds of specimens of several species of Ozodiceromyia and several species of Thereva. They are currently being curated.

1E Meetings to Communicate Advances and Plan Future Activities

A Year-One meeting of our PEET grant took place in Urbana, Illinois, from 17-20 July. Present were Dr. and Mrs. Schlinger, PI Irwin, Co-PI Wiegmann, Collaborators Webb and Kampmeier, Consultant Thompson, graduate students Yang (NCSU) and Gaimari, Metz, and Holston (UIUC). Minutes of the meeting are provided on our PEET web site.

Summary of work to be performed during the next year of support, if changed from the original proposal; an indication of any current problems or favorable or unusual developments; and any other significan information pertinent to the type of project supported by NSF or as specified by the terms and conditions of the grant.

2A Use of Electronic Media. This aspect is proceeding much as anticipated in the original proposal. Collaborator Kampmeier is moving this aspect along at a rapid pace. Our major constraint is getting the data from the tens of thousands of therevid specimens onto the database in a timely manner and having the entered data verified. We have hired several part-time student workers, but lack of computer entry points and the need to coordinate data entry to reduce the possibility of duplicate entries have created a significant bottleneck in our operations. We are now looking at options to increase our efficiency at inputting and verifying label data information.

Networking. Our Web page has been on line since late March 1996 and additions were made in early August. Our networking with collection managers is proceeding at a rapid pace. Progress is on track.
Databases. The design of the specimen-based databases is relatively stable, and significant progress has been made in entering specimens. We plan to expand the workstations for data input by the end of summer and merge the data from satellite workstations into the main database on a regular basis. This will enable workers in Australia to begin input of new collections. A major overhaul of the design of the literature-based databases is planned for this fall so that input may proceed.

It has been suggested that CD-ROMs be made and distributed on a periodic basis with the databases. This will either require the purchase of a runtime version of FileMaker Pro to put on the CD-ROM for distribution or that individuals have access to FileMaker Pro 3.0.

Interactive Keys. The University of Queensland will continue to develop this system, and, over the next two years, we will adopt it for keys of therevid taxa on the WWW.
Communications. The WWW site will continue to be upgraded and efforts are underway to make the databases searchable on the WWW.

A presentation on this PEET is planned for the December 1996 national meeting of the Entomological Society of America in Louisville, KY.

2B Training. The training component of this PEET is envisioned to contain elements to enhance graduate student comprehension of taxonomy. Thus, students are expected to gain experience in morphological and molecular systematics, in laboratory, computer-based, and field techniques, and in ways to mesh cladistic inference with other aspects of biology, such as behavior and biogeography. This means that a several month rotation into Co-PI Wiegmann's molecular laboratory (NCSU) is planned for each of the students (except the student resident in Wiegmann's lab, who will spend a rotation in either Irwin's or Yeates' lab). Similarly, all students are expected to participate in collecting expeditions, where they can make observations on the life history and ecological settings of the genus they are monographing.

University of Illinois. Mr. Mark Metz and Mr. Kevin Holston began their research assistantships in the spring of 1996. They will be taking courses for the next two years. Gaimari has finished all course work and will spend several weeks this fall and spring in Wiegmann's lab learning molecular techniques. Kthis will occur after he has collected and preserved in 100% ethanol specimens representing most of the species groups of Ozodiceromyia and other genera closely related to Ozodiceromyia.
North Carolina State University. Ph.D. graduate student Longlong Yang began in July 1996. Mr. Yang will enroll in classes offered at NCSU (molecular genetics, molecular evolution, statistics, insect systematics are possible courses). Laboratory training will include DNA extraction, gel electrophoresis, PCR amplification, manual and automated DNA sequencing. Mr. Yang will be encouraged to visit the University of Illinois for a week or two within the first year to gain experience identifying Therevidae at the genus level. Mr. Yang will also enroll in the NCSU Biotechnology summer course series in 1997.

Mr. Gaimari, who is preparing a largely morphological revision of Ozodiceromyia at UIUC, will complete a several-week rotation in the Wiegmann laboratory at NCSU. Gaimari will sequence specimens that represent genera forming the genus-group to which Ozodiceromyia belongs (the actual genera will be determined from the morphologically based cladistic analysis of Irwin and Yeates) and specimens representing several species-groups of Ozodiceromyia. These data will be included in the genus and/or genus-group level molecular systematic component of the project. All lab rotation students will receive molecular laboratory training in PCR, gel electrophoresis, and automated sequencing, as well as training in DNA sequence editing and analysis of molecular character sets using computer packages (STADEN, GCG, GDE, PAUP 3.1.1).

University of Queensland. Mr. Shaun Winterton will complete some core entomology coursework during the first year of his assistantship. He will revise the genus Noxexila and closely related Palassopella (mss. names) during 1996 and the first half of 1997 in preparation for a monograph of Agapophytus beginning in June 1997.

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