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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Systematic Entomology Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #305558
Title: Ron Leuschner donates over 11,000 specimens of Pyraloidea to the National Museum of Natural History

Author
item SILVERSON, N. - Smithsonian Institute
item Solis, M Alma

Submitted to: News of the Lepidopterist's Society
Publication Type: Popular Publication
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/11/2014
Publication Date: 11/26/2014
Citation: Silverson, N., Solis, M.A. 2014. Ron Leuschner donates over 11,000 specimens of Pyraloidea to the National Museum of Natural History. News of the Lepidopterist's Society. 56(4):174-175.

Interpretive Summary: The Pyraloidea, or snout moths, are major pests of crops, trees, and stored products. Over 11,000 specimens were recently donated to the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC. This collection adds depth to the U.S. National Insect Collection especially from the Western United States. This information will be used by biologists and U.S. states to determine the distribution of snout moth species in the United States.

Technical Abstract: Ron Leuschner, Past President of the Lepidopterists’ Society, donated over 11,000 specimens of the Pyraloidea to the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC. This collection is strongly represented by specimens from the western United States and may prove to be one of a kind as habitats disappear. Alma Solis, Curator of the Pyraloidea, incorporated this collection into Main Collection. This was a team project with SEL support staff, Gary Oullette and Alicia Hodson; student interns, Nick Silverson and Alvira Hasan; and Kelly Richers in California and John Brown, SEL in Washington, DC.