September 18, 2009
Ah…! Gorgeous little Apodrosus weevils under study by Jennifer Girón. Jennifer has 10 new species in the exclusively Caribbean group of entimine weevils. Manuscript submission is planned for late 2009.

Ah…! Gorgeous little Apodrosus weevils under study by Jennifer Girón. Jennifer has 10 new species in the exclusively Caribbean group of entimine weevils. Manuscript submission is planned for late 2009.

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Another computer arrived last week and is presently functioning as the “server” that holds the Specify database(s) and is accessible to various curators in the Biology Department. Through the UPRM “Technology Quote” we were able to secure sufficient funds for a dedicated collection website/database/image server; a corresponding order was put recently in with our administration. Meanwhile, Hernán has overcome a glitch in Specify 6 in order to print out specimen labels and barcodes with the new networked machines.

Another computer arrived last week and is presently functioning as the “server” that holds the Specify database(s) and is accessible to various curators in the Biology Department. Through the UPRM “Technology Quote” we were able to secure sufficient funds for a dedicated collection website/database/image server; a corresponding order was put recently in with our administration. Meanwhile, Hernán has overcome a glitch in Specify 6 in order to print out specimen labels and barcodes with the new networked machines.

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Some millipedes, leaf litter weevils, bark beetles, ants, spiders - we’ll take it!

Some millipedes, leaf litter weevils, bark beetles, ants, spiders - we’ll take it!

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On Wednesday we took a small Berlese sample from the secondary Miradero forest located just east of the Biology Department.

On Wednesday we took a small Berlese sample from the secondary Miradero forest located just east of the Biology Department.

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We are getting more organized; several old cabinets were emptied out and stored away, and two additional new cabinets were set up and rapidly occupied in the main project room.

We are getting more organized; several old cabinets were emptied out and stored away, and two additional new cabinets were set up and rapidly occupied in the main project room.

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September 6, 2009
On Friday afternoon, ten of us - Deborah, Freddia, Hans, Hernán, Jessica, Laura, Jeffry, Melissa, Zamira and Nico - went to the Guánica Dry Forest to collect insects at night. Unfortunately we got rained out after less than hour by the remainders of “Erika” (tropical cyclone). Nevertheless we caught a series of beetles and other bugs that will be mounted and labeled soon.

On Friday afternoon, ten of us - Deborah, Freddia, Hans, Hernán, Jessica, Laura, Jeffry, Melissa, Zamira and Nico - went to the Guánica Dry Forest to collect insects at night. Unfortunately we got rained out after less than hour by the remainders of “Erika” (tropical cyclone). Nevertheless we caught a series of beetles and other bugs that will be mounted and labeled soon.

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August 31, 2009
Marleene Flores (left) and Patricia Faria (right) are sorting specimens of our large Hemiptera collection.

Marleene Flores (left) and Patricia Faria (right) are sorting specimens of our large Hemiptera collection.

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Edlín González has joined our group as a student from Agricultural Sciences, via David Jenkins (USDA-TARS), and is producing line drawings of select Puerto Rican ant species.

Edlín González has joined our group as a student from Agricultural Sciences, via David Jenkins (USDA-TARS), and is producing line drawings of select Puerto Rican ant species.

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Siomara Hernández has been working with odonates, and is using Specify to make identification labels for all species in the collection.

Siomara Hernández has been working with odonates, and is using Specify to make identification labels for all species in the collection.

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August 30, 2009
Success! We caught about 40 specimens of the green metallic E. roseipes. These are the first records in the UPRM collection since the mid 1980s (collected by the late Niilo Virkki) in addition to 10 (or so) Lachnopus curvipes (Fabricius), two specimens of Diaprepes abbreviatus (Linnaeus), and one specimen of Apodrosus wolcotti Marshall. In all, a productive morning.

Success! We caught about 40 specimens of the green metallic E. roseipes. These are the first records in the UPRM collection since the mid 1980s (collected by the late Niilo Virkki) in addition to 10 (or so) Lachnopus curvipes (Fabricius), two specimens of Diaprepes abbreviatus (Linnaeus), and one specimen of Apodrosus wolcotti Marshall. In all, a productive morning.

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When you look for entimine weevils and see lots of leaves chewed up like this, it is usually a good sign.

When you look for entimine weevils and see lots of leaves chewed up like this, it is usually a good sign.

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Yesterday (August 29, 2009) Anyimilehidi and Nico went to the Tortuguero Natural Reserve, located centrally along the northern coast of Puerto Rico. We were there in particular to catch an entimine species - Exophthalmus roseipes (Chevrolat) - that had eluded us for “years” (it seems). After beating forest understory plants in vain for nearly two hours, we arrived at this open, sandy habitat.

Yesterday (August 29, 2009) Anyimilehidi and Nico went to the Tortuguero Natural Reserve, located centrally along the northern coast of Puerto Rico. We were there in particular to catch an entimine species - Exophthalmus roseipes (Chevrolat) - that had eluded us for “years” (it seems). After beating forest understory plants in vain for nearly two hours, we arrived at this open, sandy habitat.

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August 27, 2009
More beetle specimens to deal with. It never really ends.

More beetle specimens to deal with. It never really ends.

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One of two new computers to support the project (in part).

One of two new computers to support the project (in part).

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Cleaning and sorting specimens remains a primary task, as Deborah and Freddie can attest.

Cleaning and sorting specimens remains a primary task, as Deborah and Freddie can attest.

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