California State Collection of Arthropods

For all users of the CSCA, including Research Associates, the following general guidelines apply (a more detailed Collection Management Policy is being developed): Loans will be made to all qualified researchers in accordance with general conventions about the borrowing and care of natural history specimens; specific rules and requirements are attached to CSCA loan forms (e.g.: loans are made for a period of 2 years, renewable; primary types must be returned; etc.).

1. All specimens loaned from the CSCA will be listed on a loan form, copies of which are signed by the borrower and a curator; the retention of identified duplicates is allowed in consultation with a curator per the guidelines given here.
2. For specimens loaned from the CSCA-FTC, all voucher materials from molecular studies will be returned, in addition to aliquots of any unused resulting products.
3. Arrangements can be made for use of the CSCA facilities for short- or long-term visitors engaged in scientific research and collection work.
4. Access to the support resources of CSCA, e.g. the library, the various literature files, computers, etc., will be subject to the same rules as collection use. Library materials and literature will not be loaned, although photocopying on-site is permitted
5. Those publishing on subjects that include specimens from CSCA or CSCA-FTC should list this coden in their publications, although the older CDFA and CDAE have been in use for years.
6. Those wishing to donate specimens or collections to CSCA can receive documentation on such donations for tax purposes. No evaluation or appraisal will be given.
7. Specimens submitted for identification or donated become the accessioned property of the CSCA.

For all users of the CSCA, including Research Associates, the following general provisions for permanent specimen retention of identifications from unsorted materials apply:

• Permanent retention of duplicate specimens from CSCA is only allowable for those identified to species level. No specimens sorted only to family, genus/subgenus or species-group may be retained.
• Unique specimens and pairs may not be retained. Also, the widest locality data possible must be represented in CSCA, thus unique-locality specimens may not be retained; retained specimens should be duplicate of at least one other from the same locality. A maximum of 8 specimens per species identified may be retained, as follows: male – 3rd, 6th, 9th, 12th; female – 3rd, 6th, 9th, 12th.
• All primary types are to be returned to CSCA. Paratype series may be split differently, on a case-by-case basis, with further retention allowable only for distribution to other collections (i.e., not adding to the 8 specimen maximum for the author)

The CSCA-FTC has the capacity to store over 30,000 samples at -80˚Celsius. Already preserved in the collection are over 1,400 DNA samples and over 2,200 samples of DNA voucher specimens (specimens from which DNA has been extracted) or whole identified specimens (whose DNA is preserved and may be extracted in the future). The exact location within the freezer and specific information associated with these samples is saved in a custom, protected Filemaker Pro v9 database that is served to the entire PPDB research and technical staff. The databasing of this material is critical for maintaining information regarding each of the specimens and for easy access to the specimens themselves. The taxa held in the CSCA-FTC can be searched via the CSCA inventory database.

The database can handle all material processed through the PPDB entomology lab, whether the samples originate as PDRs, donations, or research material and assigns exact freezer spaces for deposition as the material is acquired. For all databased samples, the collecting locality/PDR information is retained as well as specific information regarding its determination (determiner, date of determination, etc.). This data is linked to all information regarding DNA extraction and molecular diagnoses if present. The data is also linked, of course, to corresponding voucher material, with exact locations in the freezer for the DNA, the DNA voucher specimen, and remaining samples from the same collecting event, if present.

The CSCA-FTC also houses Mediterranean fruit fly DNA samples generated by Bruce McPheron and his lab at Penn State University. The data for these samples, originally created by the McPheron lab, has been integrated into the CSCA-FTC database and now information regarding each of these samples can be queried in a number of different ways and their exact location in the freezer is known.

Concise labels indicating critical voucher information are produced by the database and are placed with all associated physical specimens. For DNA extractions, labels are created using a small-font thermal printer with extremely resistant adhesive that is able to withstand harsh conditions including very cold temperatures. These labels are standardized so that information regarding each sample is consistent, complete, and easily read (as opposed to hand-written vial labels). The labels are affixed to the outside of each DNA-containing vial to indicate its contents and database association.

The proper curation and long-term preservation of specimens and their DNA is critical for DNA-based services that are now routinely provided by the lab.

To accommodate interested vocational and avocational entomologists locally, regionally, and worldwide, the CSCA has a Research Associate program which we hope will encourage the appreciation, use, growth and development of entomology and of this collection. For more information, or to request consideration for an appointment as a Research Associate with the California State Collection of Arthropods, please contact one of the members of the scientific staff and briefly outline:

• Your name and contact details
• Your qualifications and experience
• Your reasons for wanting to become a Research Associate

We hope that Research Associates will support the California State Collection of Arthropods (CSCA) in our attempts to enhance and improve this scientific resource. Possible avenues of support include giving time and expertise to improve the state of the collection holdings, and donating specimens and library resources to the CSCA. Along with independent research activities, research associates can collaborate with Entomology Lab staff on various projects, including systematics studies on agriculturally important arthropods. Research Associates can also help document and describe the unique and diverse fauna of California and the rest of the western United States. A possible outlet for publication of original research is the soon-to-be resurrected and improved "Occasional Papers in Entomology" series, which we plan to make electronic in the near future. Appointment as a Research Associate is for a period of three years, renewable at the conclusion of each period; individuals can serve as long as they maintain an interest in supporting the CSCA.