Thread subject: Diptera.info :: Collection labels

Posted by Jeroen K on 06-09-2010 11:54
#1

I was wondering which information is necessary to put on labels in an animal collection. Species, location, date and collector, I presume, but what else? Biotope? Gender? Person who identified the species (in case it is not the same person as the collector)? Other? Thanks in advance!

Posted by xylo on 06-09-2010 12:10
#2

I would like to point you to this resource.

so long,
xylo

Posted by ChrisR on 06-09-2010 12:57
#3

Good advice ... but basically you should have 2 types of label:

1. Data: information relating to how, where (including map reference), who & when it was caught - you can have a few of these if you perhaps reared the specimen from a host and you want to include that information. But please avoid writing on the under-side of the labels - the information there will be overlooked.

2. Determination: The species name (plus author if you have it), sex and also the name of the determiner followed by the year of determination.

Basically the data is fixed and will never change but the determination is just an opinion and might change over time so you don't want that written on the data label. The label closest to the specimen will be the data because it should never be removed but you may optionally remove/correct determination labels. :)

Posted by Nikita Vikhrev on 06-09-2010 15:22
#4

2. Basically the determination label never change too.
As Chris told, it is an opinion which may be either correct or wrong. But nodody has privilege to judge whoso opinion is correct. So one specimen may has 1 collector's label and several determination label from different experts. (In difficult cases it is better to put your second ID label even if you agree with previos determination, because 2 opinions are better than 1.)

Edited by Nikita Vikhrev on 06-09-2010 15:30

Posted by Jeroen K on 06-09-2010 22:49
#5

Thanks a lot, xylo, Chris and Nikita!