Projects
The advancement in bioinformatics of Gracillariidae (Lepidoptera): a visualization of the comprehensive, taxonomically verified web-based global dataset with special emphasis on tropical taxa
The global taxonomic dataset of Gracillariidae www.gracillariidae.net presents detailed information on every 2660 gracillariid species-group name (1932 valid species) described up to the present and has been compiled based on 4650 publications. This information set includes: 1) checked and corrected spelling on the genus-group and species-group name; 2) checked and corrected authorship and date; 3) the original combination; 4) the first publication; 5) information on type specimens and their deposition; 6) type locality; 7) referenced larval host plants; 8) referenced parasitoids and 9) referenced detailed distribution per country / province.
In the recent post-genomic era with its molecular methods rapidly advancing and adjusting its protocols, so that small collection voucher specimens of mining moths could be kept as intact as possible, we linked the taxonomic dataset with a preliminary DNA barcode reference library (De Prins et al. 2013). The molecular reference library, based on authoritatively identified voucher specimens and freely accessible online (dx.doi.org/10.5883/DS-GRAC3), is intended for matching the obtained sequences from many different environmental samples taken in many tropical places to detect rapidly invasive species, to record new distribution data and to monitor the occurrence / spread of pest species.
Despite the efforts that have already been made to document the diversity of Gracillariidae moths in the tropics and verify their taxonomic status (De Prins & Kawahara 2012), we are well aware of probably hundreds of undescribed new species of gracillariids from the tropical areas. The tropical gracillariid species present in the natural history collections of the European museums and institutions in many cases have been awaiting official description and comparative diagnosis for many years due to the lack of a comprehensive and image-rich taxonomic dataset.
To accelerate the study and discovery of tropical Gracillariidae by the broadest community of lepidopterists, we suggest upgrading the relational taxonomic / molecular dataset of global Gracillariidae with a reliable and verified digital iconography. Advances in digital imaging, the presence of a complete web-based taxonomic informative dataset and tools already available in the bioinformatics of web-based platforms can offer visual nodes and properties to represent and store taxonomic data.
The visualization of gracillariid voucher specimens present in the BMNH collection, and linking every obtained image as a network element to the already existing gallery of gracillariid iconography, can speed up the association of already available data with the newly obtained de facto information. This visual linkage will encourage every website user to discover new taxa-orientated applications and will facilitate the testing of taxonomic hypotheses. The successful implementation of the project proposal to create a virtual visual collection of global Gracillariidae is intended to satisfy an acute need to search and sort out taxa by visual options and to detect novelties, especially in the tropics.
Furthermore, the novel methods in bioinformatics do not require an expensive infrastructure and costly operations. The high-tech software of digital imaging became broadly available and goes down in pricing very rapidly. The digital image information is easily compatible with the relational data-basing programmes.
The suggested iconography of the virtual collection of global Gracillariidae is intended to advance the studies on tropical taxa linking newly obtained data with advanced taxonomic and molecular datasets. The virtual collection will also open the door for many novice taxonomists of different ages, living in different parts of the world, often far from the major collections of natural history museums but close to the natural resources of the huge biodiversity of moths. This underestimated group of tropical biodiversity explorers would in most cases be very eager to participate in a global network and contribute to the global comprehensive system of tropical Lepidoptera if they had easily accessible, web-based and user friendly tools.
This would also lessen the workload of the museum based staff member-taxonomists who are determined to disseminate the collection–based taxonomic information as broadly as possible and at the same time present it in a structured, verified, complete, reliable, visually attractive and user-friendly way.
Thus the creation of an authoritative virtual collection of global Gracillariidae, proposed here, without any doubt will advance many other studies in other fields of applied and fundamental Lepidoptera science.
Principal investigator:
- Jurate De Prins
Dates:
2014 2014Museum staff:
- Jurate De Prins