National Museum Of Natural History Research Articles

The Deep Freeze Redux: Cold Storage Packaging of Ektachrome Color Film

At the 2017 SPNHC meetings in Denver, a five-minute Storage Techniques for Art, Science and History (STASH) talk was presented on the cold storage of film-based media. Herein, a more in-depth presentation of the Smithsonian's archival project with a status update is provided. In February 2016 world-renowned ichthyologist John E. Randall (Jack) donated his 10,559 film-based slide collection of fishes to the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History (NMNH). Beginning in the 1970’s, Jack used predominately 120mm Ektachrome film to photograph marine fishes. The first-generation slides were stored in cool storage, approximately 40F/4.5C, for much of their lives, thus preserving film color quite well as well as extending the life expectancy of film. Although digital surrogates of the slides have been created, the Division of Fishes intends to ensure the stabilization of the original color film by placing the slides in cold (-4F/-20C) storage. Color dyes used in Ektachrome slide film are fairly fugitive, and a known strategy to slow the rate of fading is to store slides in the coldest storage possible. NMNH Division of Fishes rehoused slides based on methods developed by the US National Park Service and the US National Gallery of Art. Prior to placing into cold storage, the slides were rehoused using archival supplies. The packaging methods we used are to prevent or reduce inherent deterioration as well as to help prevent any condensation buildup during the acclimation period that can occur when moving between quite differing temperature environments. In this discussion, I will evaluate the processes and materials used as well as to reflect on post-mortem takeaways.

The discovery of Lepeophtheirus acutus Heegaard, 1943 (Copepoda: Caligidae) from two new elasmobranch hosts in the Mediterranean Sea, and a comparative redescription of Lepeophtheirus rhinobati Luque, Chaves et Cezar, 1998.

In this study, supplementary information on the morphology of the siphonostomatoid copepod Lepeophtheirus acutus Heller, 1865 is given based on new material collected from the ventral body surface and mouth cavity of common guitarfish, Rhinobatos rhinobatos (Linnaeus) and from the branchial cavity of bull ray, Aetomylaeus bovinus (Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire) caught in Iskenderun Bay, Turkey. This is the first report of L. acutus from Mediterranean waters. Key diagnostic characters of both sexes are reported, supported by light and scanning electron microscopy observations. In addition, Lepeophtheirus rhinobati Luque, Chaves et Cezar, 1998, which is closely related to L. acutus and has been reported from the same host genus, Rhinobatos, is reexamined based on paratypes stored in the collections of the United States National Museum of Natural History. Some of the key diagnostic characters which were incompletely known or lacking in the original description of both sexes of L. rhinobati are redescribed and/or presented for the first time.

Un magisterio en la distancia: la relación epistolar entre los entomólogos José María Dusmet y Modesto Quilis

José María Dusmet (1869-1960) fue un reconocido entomólogo español, especialista en macrohimenópteros, que desarrolló su labor vinculado al Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales aun sin ocupar oficialmente puesto alguno. En 1925 un joven universitario de Valencia, Modesto Quilis (1904-1938), contactó con él para solicitarle consejo para progresar en su afición por los insectos. A partir de ese momento, y durante más de diez años, Dusmet fue iniciando a Quilis en la práctica entomológica profesional. Así, le asesoraba en la adquisición de ejemplares y bibliografía, al tiempo que le facilitaba contactos entre especialistas nacionales y extranjeros y le resolvía dudas de nomenclatura y taxonomía. Además, le inició en un cierto ethos caballeresco de la práctica naturalista. Con el tiempo, Quilis logró una inserción profesional como entomólogo especialista en microhimenópteros y control biológico de las plagas del campo, iniciando una prometedora carrera que frustró su temprana muerte. Las cartas que ambos intercambiaron, conservadas en el Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, ponen de relieve los detalles de un magisterio en la distancia intensamente cargado de admiración mutua y cultivo de la amistad.

Mitigation of Mercury Contamination in an Ore Collection

The National Rock and Ore Collection at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History includes mercury ore specimens stored at its Museum Support Center in Suitland, Maryland. Two decades after the ore collection was moved from historic metal clad wooden cabinets with felt gaskets to modern steel cabinets with neoprene foam gaskets, it became apparent that elemental mercury vapor generated from the specimens was accumulating within the storage units, creating visible mercury deposits on cabinet interior surfaces and drawers, as well as the paperboard storage trays and paper specimen labels inside the drawers. Concerns were raised about the potential health hazard to users of the collection, as well as potential cross-contamination of non-mercury-bearing specimens, housing materials and equipment. The Museum’s collection manager, conservator, and industrial hygienist developed three phases of mitigation strategies, which were applied and analyzed for effectiveness between 2011 and 2016. The first phase involved creating special vapor barrier packaging for each mercury ore using Marvelseal®, welded on three sides by the supplier, and frame sealing tape to secure the fourth side; disposal of all trays and replacement of trays for the non-mercury-bearing specimens; extensive cleaning of the cabinet interiors using Mercury Absorb Sponges; and lining each drawer and cabinet with MicroChamber scavenger sheets. Utilizing a Jerome Mercury Vapor Analyzer, measurements indicated a 40-50% reduction in mercury concentrations within the affected cases. There were still visible residual mercury deposits, so a second, more rigorous phase of cleaning was conducted on all accessible interior cabinet and drawer surfaces, paying special attention to unpainted metal hardware. A modified solution of Lugol’s iodine was used, followed by isopropyl alcohol wipes to remove the residual iodine solution. This second phase led to a further reduction in mercury vapor of 60-80% from the original measurements. The cases were securely closed for one year, and subsequent measurements indicated a significant re-accumulation of mercury vapor. During the third phase of mitigation, zeolite scavenger sheets were inserted between drawers and over bagged specimens, and MicroChamber sheets from the second phase were replaced. This resulted in mercury vapor concentration reductions back to 60-80% of the original measurements. However, the median concentration still exceeded the conservative occupational health exposure limit of 0.025 mg/M3. Subsequent investigation suggests that residual mercury residue on inaccessible interior cabinet surfaces is the limiting factor preventing complete and permanent mitigation.

Taming Extinct Beasts: Strategies, Projects, and Metrics for Managing the World’s Largest Fossil Collection, the United States National Fossil Collection at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) Department of Paleobiology (Paleo) is the steward of the world’s largest fossil collection. The collection is made of 40 million objects housed in 11,000 cases plus 2,600 square meters in oversized housing, all spread over four separate facilities. The collection contains fossil representatives of the entire history of life. The Smithsonian has been accessioning fossils since the late 1880s, and the collection is actively growing through field research of museum scientists as well as through the acquisition of sizeable orphaned collections. The collection database (Axiell EMu) contains about 660,000 specimen catalog records of the estimated 14,000,000 records required to digitally database the entire collection. NMNH Paleo strives to care for and manage the collection in a way that meets the highest standards for collections accessibility and accountability. Our collections management priorities are: ensuring the collections are physically preserved, housed, and arranged to ensure long-term preservation and accessibility; making the collections holdings and associated data digitally discoverable and accessible through Smithsonian data-management systems and global data-sharing utilities; establishing and implementing best-practice systems for managing research-quality specimen data and data-lifecycle management; implementing sustainable workflows for mass-digitization specimen databasing, 2D and 3D imaging, georeferencing, and transcription of relevant collections labels and analog records; requiring all registration activities including acquisitions, loans, borrows, disposals, shipments, permits, and repository agreements meet the highest ethical and legal standards for documentation; leveraging our professional expertise in collections management to train students and avocational collectors in fossil collections care; and to actively collaborate with paleobiologists and other museum researchers and stakeholders to advance the discipline of paleobiology and collections-based research. Addressing these priorities at the scale of the NMNH Paleo collection requires a deliberate strategy and disciplined project management, especially given that staff and resources are limited. The NMNH and the overarching Smithsonian organizational structure use several museum- and institution-wide metrics and reporting systems for evaluating the collections against its strategic goals. Within NMNH Paleo, these metrics are applied to and enhanced by projects that address the priorities listed above. The projects presented here were developed as part of a strategy to meet departmental, museum, and institutional goals. They are integrated across the department and include surveys, assessments, and the development of data standards and workflows. The success of the projects is most dependent on strong communication and teamwork among the department staff.

Osteo Preparation Lab: Preserving the Smithsonian Tradition of Collections Access and Collections-based Research

The National Museum of Natural History is committed to long-term stewardship of collections and to supporting their use by scientists and the general public. Smithsonian’s Osteo Preparation Lab (OPL), in particular, maintains a long-standing tradition of collections access and collections-based research. This tradition of preparing and cataloging osteological specimens traces its origin to the beginning of the Smithsonian Institution itself. In the mid 1800's, James Smithson's legacy called for an Institution with a mission to pursue the “increase and diffusion of knowledge.” Under Spencer Baird, that mission later evolved into a system called collections-based research. This system involved preparing and curating animal specimens for scientific research, which was particularly important for the emerging field of comparative anatomy of vertebrate skeletons. Today, OPL staff work to catalogue and document vertebrate specimens, which contributes greatly to continuing the historic tradition of collections-based research done at Smithsonian Institution. The preparation and curation procedures of vertebrate specimens relies on the commitment of the OPL staff, as well as the use of dermestid colonies, composting, and other maceration techniques. The lab’s sizeable space and state of the art necropsy equipment for large animal dissections are used on a regular basis by visiting scientists studying vertebrate anatomy. Additionally, the OPL is integrally involved in tissue collection from animal remains, which are held by the museum for research purposes in both collections spaces at the museum and our unique biorepository at the museum support center (MSC). In terms of collections access, the osteology specimens in the museum’s research collections draw scientists from around the world. The research done on the specimens has resulted in many intriguing discoveries. In terms of public engagement and access, the Smithsonian Institution can boast maintaining a three hundred year old exhibition on vertebrate osteology, which began in 1881. The “Osteology: Hall of Bones” provides visitors with an opportunity to examine the skeletons of a vast array of vertebrate species, ranging from minute birds to giant mammals. The display, while mirroring the selection of species found in the original exhibit from the nineteenth century, enhances the user experience through the integration of modern technologies, like the app “Skin and Bones.” And so, despite the rather unpleasant smell and macabre nature of the work, the Osteo Prep Lab's activities are integral to both the public outreach and research activities of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History.

Collections Support Services (CSS) - 25 Years of Improving Access and Care to our Nation’s Collections

Originally formed in the early 1980s as the Move Crew to move museum collections to the newly opened state of the art Smithsonian Institution’s Museum Support Center, Collections Support Services has evolved into a team of highly skilled museum professionals recognized as trusted experts, innovators, project managers, and problem solvers in all aspects of collections stewardship. We have packed, moved, and stored MILLIONS of objects across Smithsonian museums including the National Museum of Natural History and several of our art museums; the Freer Sackler Gallery, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, and National Museum of African Art. Our vast experience with Natural History collections has been with objects ranging from microscopic invertebrates, fragile bird eggs, 40’ war canoes, whale skulls, giant squids and EVERYTHING in between! Many of these collections came from overcrowded and dusty attics, basements, and warehouses prone to flooding, pest infestation, and poor climate control. We have spent the last 25 years moving these collections into our climate controlled storage pods furnished with new metal cabinets designed for long term preservation. Some of the unique packing and transportation methods we will highlight in this presentation are “airbags” that encompass fragile bird skeletons and uniform shipping containers made of ethafoam planks and old wooden drawers. In addition, we have designed and constructed aluminum pallets for oversized collections, specialized elephant skull pallets, and plaster jackets for paleo fossil specimens. These storage solutions have greatly improved access to collections by allowing researchers to study specimens with minimal handling necessary. This presentation will specifically demonstrate these and other dramatic improvements that we have made as well as highlight innovative solutions we developed to safely transport, store, and provide better access to our Natural History collections for future generations.

Catalogue of Chrysomelini species (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Chrysomelinae) from the new leaf beetles collection of “Grigore Antipa” national museum of natural history (Bucharest) (part III)

Abstract The paper presents data on the Palaearctic species of Chrysomelini tribe (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Chrysomelinae) preserved in the new leaf beetles Collection of “Grigore Antipa” National Museum of Natural History (Bucharest). A total of 4,442 specimens, belonging to 21 species from eight genera of tribe Chrysomelini, are listed. Among the rare species in Romanian fauna, stored in this collection, Chrysomela lapponica Linnaeus, 1758, Prasocuris junci (Brahm, 1790) and Chrysomela cuprea Fabricius, 1775 should be mentioned.

National Scientific Validation for Data in the Information System on Nature and Landscapes (Système d'Information sur la Nature et les Paysages - SINP)

As part of the Biodiversity Information System on Nature and Landscapes (Système d'Informations Nature et Paysages or SINP), the French National Natural History Museum has been appointed by the French ministry in charge of ecology to develop mechanisms for biodiversity data exchange, especially taxon occurrences (there are also elements on habitat occurrences, geo-heritage, etc.). Given that there are thousands of different sources for datasets, containing over 42 million records, such a development brings into question the underlying quality of data. To add complexity, there can be several layers of quality assurance: one by the producer of the data, one by a regional node, and another one by the national node. The approach to quality issues was addressed by a dedicated working group, representative of biodiversity stakeholders in France. The resulting documents focus on core methodology elements that characterize a data quality process for, in the first instance, taxon occurrences only. It may be extended to habitats, geology, etc. in the near future. For scientific validation, two processes are used: One automated process that uses expertise upstream (automated validation based on previous databases created through the use of said expertise), with several criteria such as comparison with a national taxonomic reference database (TAXREF), and with species reference distributions. The outcomes of this process will indicate error potential and can be used to automatically flag data above a certain threshold for the following process. A second, manual process, that allows for further scrutiny in order to reach a conclusive evaluation. The combination of both processes allows experts to focus on data that has a higher likelihood of being erroneous, thus saving time and resources. One objective of the INPN (Inventaire National du Patrimoine Naturel, or National Inventory of Natural Heritage), after one or both approaches, is to have each record assigned a confidence level. The poster will be about National scientific validation of data in the SINP. It will show for whom and why it is done, whether the expertise lies upstream or downstream (manual validation through expert networks), what documents may exist, and what attributes have been considered to be added to the national standards so as to convey the information derived from these processes.

Data Quality in Data Exchanges: a Tri-Part Approach in the French Information System on Nature and Landscapes

As part of the Biodiversity Information System on Nature and Landscapes (SINP), the French National Natural History Museum has been appointed to develop biodiversity data exchanges by the French ministry in charge of ecology. Given there are, quite literally, thousands of different sources, such a development brings into question the underlying quality of data. To add complexity, there can be several layers of quality: one being appraised by the producer himself, one by a regional node, and one by the national node. The approach to quality issues was addressed by a dedicated working group, representative of biodiversity stakeholders in France. The resulting documents focus on core methodology elements that characterize a data quality process for taxon occurrences only in the first instance (It may be extended to habitats, geology, etc. in the near future). Three processes are covered, how to ensure: data conformity by checking for the presence of compulsory elements or that a given attribute is of the right type, data consistency by checking information versus other information (for example, an end date has to be later than a start date), and scientific validation, through either manual (use of expertise) or automated (comparison with knowledge databases) means, or even a combined approach that provides users with a quality appraisal of said data. Within the SINP, only data that has passed conformity and consistency tests can be exchanged with any and all types of validation levels. For example, should there be no expert existing on a specific taxon group, unvalidated data can be shared. For scientific validation, two processes are used, one automatic that uses several criteria such as comparison with a national taxonomic reference database (TAXREF), and with species reference maps. The combination of all these elements can be used to automatically flag data for a second, deeper, manual process that allows for further scrutiny in order to reach a conclusive evaluation. This allows experts to work only on “doubtful” data, thus saving time. In the future, other criteria that are currenly used with the manual approach, such as for example congruity, data scarcity on a given species, determination difficulty, existence of associated proof (specimen, picture…), knowledge of the ability of the observer, databases on most frequent determination errors etc., could be added to the automatic process. Some elements must be included in the data to allow for comprehensive testing, and have been included in a national data standard so that the result of the validation process can be shared with users, allowing them to judge how the data is fit for their use. The presentation will deal with how such a work was undertaken and how conformity, consistency and scientific validation have been treated and issues solved by the workgroup. For example, there could be a 40 million data record backlog. The presentation will also show how the required elements could be integrated into the French national standard.

Editorial introductions

Editorial introductions

自然史標本の新しい価値 : 新しい自然史博物館を(2014年度日本動物分類学会シンポジウム)

自然史標本の新しい価値 : 新しい自然史博物館を(2014年度日本動物分類学会シンポジウム)

Redescription of Tenuipalpus palosapis Corpuz-Raros (Trombidiformes: Tenuipalpidae) from the Philippines, with comparison to related species

ABSTRACTTenuipalpus palosapis Corpuz-Raros, 1978 was described based on specimens collected on Anisoptera thurifera Blume and Shorea squamata Benth. and Hook.f. (both Dipterocarpaceae), from Laguna, Republic of the Philippines. In this article, we redescribe T. palosapis based on paratype specimens deposited at the National Insect and Mite Collection, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution (NMNH), located at Beltsville, Maryland, USA. We compare T. palosapis with three other morphologically similar species of Tenuipalpus from the Asia-Pacific region, Tenuipalpus antipodus Collyer (New Zealand), Tenuipalpus guamensis Baker (Guam), and Tenuipalpus orilloi Rimando (Republic of the Philippines), and we demonstrate that the females of these species share a well-developed and similarly shaped, genitoventral plate. Based on literature, the latter three species have been recorded on a broader range of host plants than has been recorded for many other species of Tenuipalpus, and have been intercepted at ports of entry in the United States and New Zealand. A key to these four species is provided.

A contribution to the knowledge of Quadraseta brasiliensis Goff and Gettinger, 1989 (Trombidiformes: Trombiculidae), with description of the deutonymph instar

In the Neotropical region the genus Quadraseta Brennan, 1970, includes 14 species, with ectoparasitic habits during the larval stage. Quadraseta brasiliensis Goff and Gettinger, 1989, was described from larvae collected on the rodent Hylaeamys megacephalus (Fisher), cited as Oryzomys capito (Olfers). According to these authors, the holotype was deposited in the Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo and the paratypes were deposited in three other collections: Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History and United States National Museum of Natural History, however, no type specimens were found in any of these museums. Here we redescribe the larva, describe the deutonymph instar obtained from field-collected larvae, and report new hosts and localities for this species in Brazil. In addition we provide sequences of the 18S ribosomal RNA gene for this species.

Taxonomic clarification and neotype designation for three Indian xyleborine species (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae).

Xyleborini currently consists of more than 1168 species in 36 genera, nearly all of which were described in Xyleborus (Hulcr et al. 2015; Smith 2017). The tribe has been the focus of considerable taxonomic attention over the last decade resulting in phylogenetically based revisions and the erection of new genera (e.g. Hulcr et al. 2007, Hulcr and Cognato 2010). However in the Old World these efforts have largely been restricted to faunas of particular countries such as Taiwan (Beaver and Liu 2010), Thailand (Beaver et al. 2014), and Papua New Guinea (Hulcr and Cognato 2008). The region's fauna was primarily described from the 1890s to the 1940s by three authors, W.F.H. Blandford, Hans Eggers and Karl Schedl. During the 1920s to the 1940s Eggers described numerous Xyleborus species from India and Myanmar (Burma), typically from single specimens or a small series, and deposited them in the Forest Research Institute (FRI) in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India. Cotypes (paratypes), if present for the species, were kept in his collection. Upon his death, his collection was sent to the United States National Museum of Natural History but Schedl retained many of the types that are now at the Naturhistorisches Museum Wien (NHMW). In all, FRI houses 50 xyleborine holotypes, and most of these species are solely known from the holotype.

Collecting the Puerto Rican Colony: Spanish‐American War Material Encounters between Officer‐Wives and Puerto Ricans

AbstractWithin a current moment characterized by widespread diaspora and debate about national identities, the American commonwealth of Puerto Rico stands at an economically perilous, politically liminal classificatory intersection as both American and a “cultural other.” This article presents an on‐the‐ground, collection‐oriented intervention for documenting and interpreting the origins of the island's complex colonial relationship with the United States. Tacking between objects, texts, and photographs, the historical context of the Spanish‐American War is explored through the case study of the Puerto Rican Ethnological Collection at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History (NMNH). The NMNH's assemblage reveals previously unrecognized intercultural exchanges between officer‐wife collectors (collectors who were the wives of military officers stationed in Puerto Rico) and local makers. The perspectives of these two differentially disenfranchised, yet agential, groups, which formed part of the ideological formation of Puerto Rico within a nationalist museum imaginary, simultaneously reconstruct and complicate Puerto Rican narratives. [Puerto Rico, Caribbean, Spanish‐American War, women collectors, miniatures]

An Emissary from Berlin: Franz Boas and the Smithsonian Institution, 1887–88

AbstractEthnographic objects in museums are physical evidence of the networks through which they circulate and manifestations of the scientific terrain as inscribed by those networks. Combined with archival documentation of their intra‐institutional circulations, these objects can also aid in the reconstruction of the historical development of science. This avenue of research offers a new perspective that brings object collections into dialogue with the history of science and highlights the under‐realized research value of the millions of objects that lie tucked away in collections storage. This article focuses on the first transaction of ethnographic material between the Königliche Museum für Völkerkunde in Berlin and the National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) in Washington, D.C. Reconstructing the contexts and networks through which a particular accession came to reside in the NMNH, this research documents the process by which material exchange promoted international communication between practitioners in the emerging science of ethnology. [exchange networks, Franz Boas, Berlin, Washington, D.C.]

Description of the male of Antodice quadrimaculata Martins Galileo, 2003 (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Lamiinae), with new country record for the species.

The genus Antodice Thomson, 1864 was revised by Martins Galileo (1998) and currently includes 27 species (Tavakilian Chevillotte 2017), distributed from Mexico to southern South America. Based on a single female specimen collected in Arroyo Cristal, Ka'azapá, Paraguay, the species Antodice quadrimaculata was first described by Martins Galileo in 2003. The holotype specimen was collected on 20 November 1999 by J. Jensen and is deposited in the Museum of Zoology of the University of São Paulo, Brazil. With the help of Carlos Aguilar, from Paraguay's National Museum of Natural History, we were able to determine the exact location where the holotype was collected. With the collection and the description of the male, presented herein, we describe the male of this species record its occurrence in Brazil, a new country record.We identified this species as belonging to the group of Antodice species with yellowish flagellomeres and a black apex, resembling Antodice venustula Lane, 1973 in its elytral color pattern. In A. venustula, the elytra are covered with whitish pubescence and exhibit only two patches of compact white pubescence. In A. quadrimaculata, according to Martins Galileo (2003), the elytra are of a reddish color with whitish pubescence on the dorsal anterior area and close to the apexes, and they also have three patches of compact white pubescence. The specimens of A. quadrimaculata cited herein were collected in the Iguaçu National Park (Parque Nacional do Iguaçu-PNI), the largest fragment of Atlantic forest in southern Brazil, located in the western region of the state of Paraná. The insects were collected using light traps, set up on nights with a new moon. The artificial light source was a 500-Watt incandescent lamp powered by a Honda EP 2500 generator. Sampling began at 6 p.m., ending between midnight and 3 a.m. the next day. The studied material was deposited in the entomological collection of the Museum of Zoology at the State University of Londrina (Universidade Estadual de Londrina), Londrina, Brazil (MZUEL). To better represent the expansion of the geographical distribution of the species from the holotype recorded in Paraguay (Fig. 5, 6), the cartographic material (Fig. 1) was produced using ArcGIS Software 9.0®. The map database was obtained from the Institute of Land, Cartography and Geosciences, (Instituto de Terras, Cartografia e Geologia do Paraná), Curitiba, Brazil (ITCG).

Late Pleistocene Birds from Binagada (Azerbaijan) in Collection of the National Museum of Natural History (Kyiv, Ukraine)

Abstract Bird fossils from the Late Pleistocene locality Binagada, deposited kept in the National Museum of Natural History in Kyiv (Ukraine), are described in this paper. Twenty six bird species are identified, including five (Little Stint, Great snipe, Jack snipe, White-winged lark and Rosy Starling) which have not been previously known from this locality. The validity of extinct species Calidris binagadensis (Serebrovsky, 1940) is confirmed and the invalidity of subspecies Anas platyrhynchos paleoboschas Serebrovsky, 1940 is shown. The finding of Rosy Starling fossils in Transcaucasian region confirms the range reduction of this species at the end of Pleistocene.

First report ofPineus strobi(Hartig, 1839) (Hemiptera: Adelgidae) in western North America

The pine bark adelgid, Pineus strobi (Hartig, 1839) (Hempitera: Adelgidae), is native to eastern North America and is found throughout the natural range of its main host species, eastern white pine, Pinus strobus L. (Pinaceae), which stretches from the Atlantic coast, west to Ontario and Minnesota (Drooz 1985). For the first time, we confirmed the presence of P. strobi west of this range in Washington, Colorado, and Saskatchewan by identification of contemporary samples using morphology and DNA barcodes. We also include information from existing slide-mounted specimens of P. strobi putatively originating from Oregon that are deposited in the United States National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) Entomology Collection. To our knowledge, this is the first published report of this species in western North America.