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15 Newsletter of the Biological Survey of Canada Insect Collections of Canada Series Canadian National Collection of Insects, Arachnids & Nematodes, Ottawa Owen Lonsdale & John T. Huber Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada K.W. Neatby Building, Central Experimental Farm, 960 Carling Ave. Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0C6 E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected] The Canadian National Collection of Insects, Arachnids & Nematodes (CNC) is one of the largest collections of its kind in the world, and certainly the largest in Canada, housing at least 15–17 million specimens. The CNC now resides primarily on the 3rd and 4th floors of the south wing of the K.W. Neatby Building, located at 960 Carling Avenue, Ottawa (Figs 63–66). This is on the north end of the Central Experimental Farm (CEF), a 427 hectare National Historic Site adjacent to Dow’s Lake and the Rideau Canal. The Neatby is recognized as a Heritage Building and the south wing (see photo at right), which was built to house the records of Canadian Southwestern view of personnel who served overseas in World War I, was constructed in the Neatby Building. 1936–1938 (the north and east wings were constructed by 1956). Since it was designed to hold the massive weight of row upon row of filing cabinets filled with paper, it is ideal for bearing the weight of the ~1500 cabinets that comprise the CNC. Although the CEF was initially positioned on the outskirts of Ottawa, it has since been enclosed by the expanding city, and the north end could be considered to be relatively close to downtown. The “Farm” is also home to several other institutions, including the Dominion Arboretum, the Canada Agricultural Museum, the Dominion Observatory, the National Collections of Vascular Plants, the National Mycological Herbarium, and the Canadian collection of Fungal cultures. One of the first homes for the insect collection was the Victoria Memorial Building on McLeod Street east of O’Connor (built 1905–1912) which contained the National Museum. Today, this building is known as the Canadian Museum of Nature. In 1917, the collection was moved to Entomology Branch on the fifth and sixth floors of the Birks Building, to make room in the Victoria for Canada’s parliamentarians after the Houses of Parliament burnt in 1916 (Fig. 3). Then in the Department of Agriculture, these insects comprised Canada’s “National” collection, and have continued under the custodianship of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC). The collection was moved once again in 1931, this time to the Confederation Building (Fig. 4), on the northwest corner of Bank and Wellington between Parliament Hill and the Supreme Court of Canada. It was transported to the Confederation Building by horse- drawn wagon by W. Brown and G.S. Walley, among the first insect taxonomists hired to work at the CNC (see Table 1, p. 38). The wagons were specially outfitted with rubber tires for the move, and were the first in the department to have them. By 1949 the collection had been moved to its current location on the CEF (Cumming et al. 2011). The year 2011 is particularly relevant for the CNC and the Central Experimental Farm. It was 125 years ago on June 2, 1886, when the first five Canadian research farms were created within the Department of Agriculture after receiving Royal Assent for the Experimental Farm Station Act. These farms were in Agassiz (British Columbia), Indian Head (Saskatchewan), Brandon (Manitoba), Ottawa (Ontario) and Nappan (Nova Scotia) (AAFC 2011). Return to front page Volume 30(2) Winter 2011 16 Newsletter of the Biological Survey of Canada Figures 1 to 5: Fig. 1: James Fletcher, first Dominion Entomologist (photo courtesy of K. Wonders). Fig. 2: Meeting of the Entomological Society at Ottawa, Nov. 18-20, 1912; C. Gordon Hewitt is in the front row, fourth from the left. Fig. 3: The Parliament buildings in Ottawa the morning after the Great Fire of 1916; originally printed in The New York Times, Feb. 13, 1916. Fig. 4: The Confederation Building, Ottawa, home to the National Collection of Insects 1931-1949. Fig. 5: Entomological Branch, Depart- ment of Agriculture, Ottawa Conference, Nov. 26-30, 1934; Arthur Gibson is standing in the front row, seventh from the left, and J. McDunnough is behind him to the right. Return to front page Volume 30(2) Winter 2011 17 Newsletter of the Biological Survey of Canada EARLY YEARS Systematics in Ottawa was inaugurated by James Fletcher (Fig. 1) (b. 1852, Ashe, Kent Co., England; d. 1908) when he donated his personal collection to Agriculture Canada in 1886. This was the seed that would later grow into what we now know as the CNC. Fletcher first came to Canada in 1874 as an employee of the Bank of British North America, and would later become an accountant in the Library of Parliament. His work at the Library continued after becoming an honorary entomologist in the Dominion Department of Agriculture in 1884, but he finally left his accounting position for entomology full-time when he was appointed the first Dominion Entomologist in 1886 (Cody et al. 1986). In 1899, Arthur Gibson (Fig. 5) became Assistant Entomologist to Fletcher and his material contributed greatly to the developing insect collection, along with accumulating donations from private collectors and entomologists from across the country. Gibson later worked with C. Gordon Hewitt (Fig. 2), who succeeded Fletcher as Dominion Entomologist until Hewitt’s early death of pleural pneumonia in February, 1920, a victim of the global influenza epidemic (Spencer 1964). During his short but intense career, Hewitt was able to oversee completion of the Destructive Insect and Pest Act of 1910, which prevented the spread of injurious/invasive insects and disease, and was essential to the development of professional entomology in Canada. Hewitt brought entomology to prominence, contributing to the creation of the Canadian Entomological Service, which was later transformed into the Entomology Branch (1914), a separate entity within the Department of Agriculture. Entomology Branch was initially divided into the Division of Field Crop and Garden Insects and the Division of Forest Insects. Five years later (1919), the Divisions of Foreign Pests Suppression and (most significantly for the CNC) Systematic Entomology were established. Gibson was made Chief of the Division of Field Crop and Garden Insects, and was promoted to Chief of Entomology Branch and Associate Director of the Service when the Branch became part of the new Science Service in 1938 (Cody et al. 1986). A GROWING COLLECTION Major early additions to the Canadian National Collection of Insects resulted from large- scale surveys motivated in no small part by war efforts and a maturing national identity. From 1913–1918 (during the 1st World War), the Canadian Arctic Expedition added many specimens to the collection. This coincided with the acquisition of material purchased from private collections such as the Geddes (Lepidoptera), Evans (Coleoptera), Young (Lepidoptera) and Harrington (Hymenoptera) collections. The collection of the Biological Division of the Geological Survey, Department of Mines was added in 1917 to form the National Collection, and in the coming years this was also to see incorporation of the collections of the Topographical Survey and those of various field officers. Among other specimens, the material of the Geological Survey contained what are now the oldest mite slides in the CNC (Figs 8, 9). These mites were collected by the interesting character Joseph Burr Tyrrell, who wandered much of northern Canada at a time when it was said that this could not be done, and later ended up making a fortune during the gold rush in northern Ontario (see Robertson 2008). By this time, the entire pinned collection of the CNC fit within 600 drawers in 12 cabinets (Cody et al. 1986). In 1919, Hewitt appointed James McDunnough (a Lepidopterist) Chief of the Division of Systematic Entomology, and gave him the mandate to develop the national collection and a taxonomic library, both of which were soon the largest in the country. The 1920s saw the purchase of additional collections, including the Wolley-Dod (Lepidoptera), Sladen (Hymenoptera), Cockle, Swaine (Scolytidae), Reherne (Thysanoptera) and Curran (Diptera) collections. In 1922, C.H. Curran was the first Ottawa entomologist hired to specialize on Diptera, but in 1928 he left for a position at the American Museum of Natural History, New York (Cumming et al. 2011). Acquisition of the D’Urban collection (Fig. 6) added some of the oldest material held by the CNC, with specimens dating to 1858, but a representative of the butterfly Papilio glaucus canadensis is certainly the oldest known, having been collected by R.T. Bell in 1846 (Fig. 7). Return to front page Volume 30(2) Winter 2011 Newsletter of the Biological Survey of Canada 18 Figures 6 to 9: Fig. 6: Part of the D’Urban collection of 1858 (primary types are kept separately); in- set: handwritten letter by E.B. Reed. Fig. 7: Papilio glaucus canadensis, collected by R.T. Bell, and the oldest known specimen in the CNC. Figs 8, 9: CNC type specimens of water mites (Tyrrellia circularis Koenike and Feltria minuta Koenike) collected by J.B. Tyrrell. Volume 30(2) Winter 2011 Return to front page 19 Newsletter of the Biological Survey of Canada These early years also saw collection increases due to focused taxonomic surveys by McDunnough and other CNC officers and, by 1930, the collection consisted of 2100 drawers in 42 steel cabinets (Cody et al. 1986). SURVEYS When considering collections of this size and age, it is difficult to determine exactly how much content is due to the collecting efforts of individual scientists, receipt of donations, or collection mergers. However, it is certain that much of the CNC is a result of many large-scale arthropod surveys that took place within Canada and elsewhere. One of the earliest of such surveys was the Forest Insect Survey (FIS) of the Canadian Forest Service (CFS), which at the time was part of the Department of Agriculture. The Survey was inaugurated in 1936 in eastern Canada as a result of a severe outbreak of European Spruce Sawfly. Coverage was increased until, by 1940, the more accessible forested areas of Canada were covered from five regional centres, later increased to a maximum of 11 centres (McGugan 1958, Danks 1984) (Fig. 10). The Survey, renamed the Forest Insect and Disease Survey (FIDS), was in continuous operation until it was disbanded in 1996. All unknown or doubtful adult material, as well as a selection of specimens of better known species collected during this long-running survey, was sent to the Insect Systematics and Biological Control Unit of the Entomology Division (as it was then named) for confirmation or authoritative identification. This material is still housed in the CNC and, for Lepidoptera alone, consists of about 1000 species. It is difficult to estimate the total number of FIDS specimens in the CNC because the proportion of specimens varies widely depending on the taxon. A rough estimate, however, is that this survey contributed about 5–10% of total CNC holdings, with most specimens representing wood borers, tree defoliators, and their parasitoids (especially Ichneumonoidea and Tachinidae). This scientifically valuable material has contributed to much of what is now known of the life history of forest insects. Other surveys were due in part to the personal taxonomic interests of individual scientists who collected at their favourite sites or where they felt the fauna was poorly known, but many surveys, including the Canadian Arctic Expedition (1913-1918), coincided with national interests (Vockeroth 1981). During the Second World War and the Cold War, the Department of National Defense (DND) established bases and the Distant Early Warning (DEW) stations in the north, with additional sites planned. The unfortunate workers and soldiers stationed in Alaska and northern Canada for these efforts were, of course, subject to legions of biting flies (Figs 13, 14). The entomologists of Ottawa were asked to head north to study the regional fauna and test various repellants, and could be seen sitting outdoors with pants and sleeves rolled up for King (or Queen) and country (Fig. 12). Drums of DDT were shipped north and this pesticide was used around the bases to mitigate fly problems, often being dispersed from Air Force planes equipped with sprayers (Fig. 11). This strongly supported survey was eventually to become the Northern Insect Survey (1946–1961) (Figs 11–23), and resulted in the creation of many new taxonomist positions for the CNC, which in turn contributed greatly to the size of the collection. The correlation between taxonomists and CNC holdings is seen clearly in Fig. 57, where CNC specimen number increases sharply from the late 1940s to the 1960s. A national interest in native insects was something new for Canada and, in the words of G.J. Spencer (1964), that interest owed “an enormous and hitherto completely unrealized and unacknowledged debt to Japan and to the Soviet Union in connection with the building up of the National Collection”. The Northern Insect Survey was developed largely under the direction of Thomas Freeman (Fig. 30), following an initial solo expedition he made to Baker Lake in 1947 with the cooperation of the DND and, presumably, the strong urging of the American government. The Northern Insect Survey was the first large-scale and unified effort to enlarge the holdings of the collection and resulted in the incorporation of an estimated 750,000 specimens collected by 66 field parties in almost 70 localities (Fig. 22) (Freeman 1959, Vockeroth 1981, Cody et al. 1986). Because of the importance and scope of this survey, a follow-up survey funded by NSERC and a variety of partners is currently underway. This second survey is largely ecological in focus and will examine changes in climate, as well as the northern fauna and its ecological structure (see http:// Return to front page Volume 30(2) Winter 2011 20 Newsletter of the Biological Survey of Canada Figures 10 to 19: Fig. 10: Regional organization of the Canadian Forest Insect Survey and the location of labs (from McGugan (1958)). Fig. 11: Spraying team, Churchill, 1947. Fig. 12: Testing insect repel- lants, Churchill, MB, 1947. Fig. 13: Tabanids swarming an entomologist in Churchill, 1947. Fig. 14: Joe Chambers and an unlucky dog surrounded by even more flies, Churchill, 1947. Fig. 15: J.R. “Dick” Vockeroth, Churchill, 1950, and, more recently (inset). Fig. 16: Scenery in Churchill, 1947. Fig. 17: Collecting larval tabanids, Churchill, 1949. Fig. 18: Blackfly emergence cage, Churchill, 1949. Fig. 19: Mosquito larval assessment, Whitehorse, YT, 1950. Return to front page Volume 30(2) Winter 2011 21 Newsletter of the Biological Survey of Canada insectecology.mcgill.ca/NBP/index.html and note the article by Patrick Shaeffer in this issue on the biting fly component of the new survey, p. 41). A second unit outside of the Survey included Veterinary and Medical Entomologists led by C.R. Twinn (Fig. 23) who investigated the life history, ecology and control of problematic insects (Figs 17–19) (Spencer 1964). The period of new discoveries up to the mid-1950s for entomologists specializing in all Orders of insects is well documented in Holland (1956). George P. Holland (Fig. 27), appointed head of Systematics in 1948 (Fig. 31), should receive much recognition for increasing staff numbers during the period of the Northern Insect Survey (Figs 24, 32, 33). He left a professional staff of 45 by the time he retired as director in 1976. Holland staffed the CNC with eager young entomologists who set forth to document life in the north. These included several dozen young summer students such as W.R.M. Mason (Fig. 29) (at CNC from 1948–1987) and Dick Vockeroth (Fig. 15) (at CNC from 1949–1991), who were later to become CNC taxonomists. The students and staff were dropped off at various locations in the middle of the tundra or sub-arctic forest at the beginning of each summer with the promise of being picked up before autumn set in. A party usually consisted of two men, and a locality was rarely visited twice. An excellent summary of the survey is discussed in Freeman (1959). Trips didn’t always go as planned, however, as Vockeroth was left at the wrong location one summer and had to scavenge old Inuit caches of canned food in order to survive. In another instance, another young student by the name of Wilhems was left at Coral Harbour (Inuit - Salliq) on Southampton Island, but at the end of the summer when the cold was setting in, nobody arrived to pick him up. He ended up having to hitchhike all the way back to Ottawa with his entire season’s collection. The number of taxonomists began to decline drastically in the late 1970s, resulting in 11 scientists in the late 1990s, a low not seen since about 1950. It must be noted that the continued increase in CNC specimen holdings after the loss of positions beginning in the mid-1970s is due to the continued processing of previously collected material and the incorporation of more efficient collecting techniques (Dang 1992). After the new millennium, however, the number of taxonomists (AAFC, CFS, and Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)) rose slowly to 16 by 2011. In addition to the above, several other large surveys (Figs 34–44) were conducted by researchers at the CNC, contributing to the approximately 1 million specimens held in 1948. This number increased to about 7 million in 1969, 13 million in 1984, 15 million in 1991, and potentially upwards of 17 million today. These surveys included Florida (1952); the Mojave Desert (1955); New Guinea (1957); North Carolina (1957); southern Manitoba (1958); southern Texas (1959); Terrace, British Columbia (1960); Colorado (1961); Mexico (1962, 1969); Nepal (1967); St. Lawrence Islands National Park, Ontario (1975–1976); Kouchibouguac National Park, New Brunswick (1977–1978); Riding Mountain National Park, Manitoba (1979); Kluane National Park, Yukon (1980); Waterton National Park, Alberta (1980); Gatineau Park, Quebec (1982); and Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Nova Scotia (1983–1984). Surveys since the 1980s have been slightly different in nature, with trips arranged through groups such as the North American Dipterists Society, or coordinated through projects such as the eastern United States Hymenoptera Survey and the Costa Rican biodiversity inventory. The parties now consist largely of individuals or groups of taxonomists who may come from different institutions as well, rather than large CNC expeditions. These surveys have greatly increased our knowledge of our native fauna and the variation in species composition across space and time, established taxonomic boundaries, discovered new taxa, and provided invaluable information on natural relationships, hosts, ecological roles and human impacts. Foreign excursions have additionally enabled the discovery of the sister taxa of our native fauna, and allowed us to broaden our overall knowledge of the invertebrate world so that we can make more informed decisions and develop predictive classifications and identification tools. Perhaps most importantly for agriculture, these expeditions have resulted in the discovery of potential pest species before they invade Canada, and foreign biocontrol species for pests that have already been introduced. By differentiating foreign from native we can preemptively search and prepare for potentially problematic groups that may cause trouble in Canada should they arrive, recalling the idiom: “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”. Return to front page Volume 30(2) Winter 2011 Newsletter of the Biological Survey of Canada 22 Figures 20 to 26: Fig. 20: Expedition team in Fort Nelson, BC, 1949. Fig. 21: Taking a break in Goose Bay, Labrador, 1950. Fig. 22: Tom Freeman and A.B. Klots (American Museum of Natural History, and author of the Peterson Field Guide to the butterflies of eastern North America, 1951) showing the locations sampled for the Northern Insect Survey. Fig. 23: E. van Steenburgh and C.R. Twinn, Whitehorse, YT, 1948. Fig. 24: The zenith of Nematology at the CNC, with 12 staff members in 1957. Fig. 25: The “Centennial of Entomol- ogy in Canada” Carleton University, September, 1963, with displays provided by CNC staff. Fig. 26: Most of the ethanol-preserved collection is still maintained as it was in 1960. Volume 30(2) Winter 2011 Return to front page Newsletter of the Biological Survey of Canada 23 PRESENT DAY While early Canadian entomologists mostly had their hands full with the exploration of the fauna of a new country and the naming of species, recent and contemporary entomologists (Figs 45–56) now build on the accomplishments of these pioneers. These contemporary workers produce not only alpha-level works, but also major taxonomic syntheses, e.g. Coleoptera and Hemiptera catalogues of Canada, and various parts of the Moths of North America (MONA) series. Today’s entomologists now work globally with molecular and morphological data to reconstruct the roots of life on the planet and examine patterns as they relate to biodiversity, biogeography, human health, and Canadian and global resources. As the collection increased in number of specimens, described species and taxonomic staff, generalists gave way to specialists and the CNC units were divided logically by major taxonomic group, i.e., by Order. In addition to the taxon-based curatorial units, research was organized from 1987–1991 into “Beneficial Insects” (Fig. 55), “Pests” and “Water and Soil organisms” (the “Mud” group, as recalled by one scientist) and later into “Bioindicator”, Biocontrol” and “Pests + nematodes”. Furthermore, two non-taxonomic components were included in Systematic Entomology from 1959-1984 - an Experimental Biology group and Apiculture. Individual and collaborative research of the staff remains based on AAFC priorities, but efforts are now grouped within a single Project led by P. Mason, a research scientist in biological control. Curatorial activities, however, are arranged among the eight units listed below. Currently, there are 16 AAFC taxonomists conducting research and curating the CNC supported by 17 technicians, but there has not been a “spider man” since the retirement of C. Dondale (1972–1990). There is also one scientist and technician from CFS and one contract scientist and three indeterminate biologists and scientists from CFIA housed within the CNC. Three more CFIA staff members are located in adjacent Building 18 [H. Douglas (Coleoptera), B. Gill (Coleoptera), D. Parker (general) (Fig. 67)], but appear frequently in the CNC to use the collection and Neatby library in performance of their duties. Regular appearances are also made by scientists from the Canadian Museum of Nature, particularly A. Smith, who recently curated much of the unidentified CNC Scarabaeoidea, and R. Anderson, a specialist on weevils (Curculionidae). In addition to research staff, the Collections Manager, O. Lonsdale (a Dipterist), is supported by three technicians for curation and loans, plus a Database Technician. There are also two illustrators, one of whom also illustrates for botanists in the Saunders Building. A complete list of research scientists, biologists and other professional staff from inception of the collection is provided in Table 1 (p. 38). CNC CURATORIAL UNITS The following are the current (2011) curatorial units, staff and research associates of the CNC (1Research Scientist (AAFC unless noted otherwise); 2Retired scientist/Honorary Research Associate; 3Technical staff or biologist; 4Research Associate). The Honorary and Research Associate Program was developed by Don Bright in the 1970s, mirroring the system developed by the American Museum in New York, which recognizes the important contributions of numerous scientists in Ottawa who are retired or not employed as indeterminate staff. 1) Arachnida: Fréderic Beaulieu1, Valerie Behan-Pelletier2, Charles Dondale2, Wayne Knee3, Evert Lindquist2, Michelle Mackenzie3, Ian Smith1. The Acari collection is the largest in North America and probably the World. There are approximately 3 million specimens in alcohol or Koenike’s solution, and well over 350,000 mites and larval ticks slide mounted in Hoyer’s medium or glycerine jelly (Fig. 71). Primary types include 185 oribatids, 251 water mites, and 251 other mite types, including 1 tick. Among the spiders and minor arachnid orders, there are nearly 200,000 specimens in ethanol in 22 cabinets, including about 200 primary types. There is a strong representation of the Nearctic fauna among this material, particularly from the boreal region. The spiders and minor orders are presently curated by O. Lonsdale and the Collections Unit, although most of the work is still done by specialists including C. Dondale and visiting scientists such as Robb Bennett (Royal British Columbia Museum). Significant research on spiders and mites began at the CNC with H.H.J. Nesbitt in 1939. Prior to this, it was pursued by officers at field labs in the divisions of Entomology and Forest Biology (Holland, 1956). Volume 30(2) Winter 2011 Return to front page 24 Newsletter of the Biological Survey of Canada Figures 27 to 31: Fig. 27: George Holland, in formal (inset) and field clothing, hunting rats for the collection of their fleas. Fig. 28: J. Frank McAlpine, preparing a display. Fig. 29: H. Townes, G. Heinrich, G.S. Walley and W. Mason (clockwise from front left), April 14, 1960. Fig. 30: Tom Free- man (right) visiting A.E. Brower in Augusta, ME, April, 1963. Fig. 31: The Division of Entomology, Ottawa, 1948-1950 Return to front page Volume 30(2) Winter 2011

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2: Meeting of the Entomological Society at Ottawa, Nov. 18-20, 1912; C. Systematics in Ottawa was inaugurated by James Fletcher (Fig. 1) (b. 1852, Ashe,. Kent Co. Insects and Arachnids of Canada Series, Part 23. 371pp.
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