Collection of ants Harold G. Fowler (1950 - 2018): recovery, incorporation and availability of a collection

• Grant number: 21/01919-4
• Support Opportunities: BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Regular Research Grants
• Start date: May 01, 2022
• End date: December 31, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Zoology - Taxonomy of Recent Groups
• Principal Investigator: Maria Santina de Castro Morini
• Grantee: Maria Santina de Castro Morini
• Host Institution: Pró-Reitoria Acadêmica. Universidade de Mogi das Cruzes (UMC). Campus da Sede Mogi das Cruzes. Mogi das Cruzes , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Carlos Roberto Ferreira Brandão ; Gabriela Procópio Camacho ; Lívia Pires do Prado ; Mônica Antunes Ulysséa ; Otávio Guilherme Morais da Silva
• Associated scholarship(s): 23/06390-7 - Ant Collection Harold G. Fowler (1950 - 2018): Organizing the Collection Is Necessary - Part 2, BP.TT; 22/11329-2 - Harold G. Fowler ant collection (1950 - 2018): organizing the collection is necessary, BP.TT; 22/06517-4 - Harold G. Fowler ant collection (1950 - 2018): availability of a database, BP.TT; 22/04132-8 - Harold G. Fowler ant collection (1950 - 2018): organizing the collection is necessary, BP.TT; 22/04144-6 - Harold G. Fowler ant collection (1950 - 2018): identification and nomenclature update, BP.TT

Abstract

Reference collections are important tools for biodiversity studies. They include samples containing biological information from specific regions that serve as a basis for many scientific studies, in addition to contributing to the development of conservation and public health policies. The Reference Collection of the Alto Tietê Mirmecology Laboratory at the University of Mogi das Cruzes (São Paulo, Brazil) curator - the proponent of the present project - recently received a donation of the ant collection gathered by the researcher Harold G. Fowler (1950-2018). Fowler accumulated an expressive collection containing ant material mainly from the Semideciduous Atlantic Forest, but also with samples carried out in other biomes present in Brazil and abroad along more than 34 years of research carried out at Universidade Estadual Paulista - Campus Rio Claro. His collection is in need of technical curatorial care. In order to recover, conserve and make this material available for further research, the objective of this proposal is to organize and consolidate the collection of the "Harold G. Fowler ant collection", in addition to generating products aimed at qualification and availability information to the public. To this end, this proposal aims to provide technical and scientific solutions, organizing the assemblage, establishing partnerships for species certification and building databases that can be used in studies of different natures (e.g., natural history, taxonomy and ecology). Thus, technical curatorial work will be carried out, in addition to associated taxonomic and historical approaches. During the organization, we also hope to find new taxa and new records that will contribute to the expansion of knowledge about the diversity, distribution and natural history of ants, especially for the fauna of the Atlantic Forest. The collection will be incorporated to the Kempf-Borgmeier collections housed in the Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo, guarantying permanent technical care and full access by the Brazilian and foreign scientific communities. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

WAZEMA, CLAUDIA TIEMI; DA SILVA, OTAVIO GUILHERME MORAIS; MAGALHAES, FABRICIO SEVERO; DO PRADO, LIVIA PIRES; NAGATANI, VICTOR HIDEKI; DA SILVA, NATHALIA SAMPAIO; VAZ, JULIANA APARECIDA CALISTO; DA SILVA, PAULO HENRIQUE ALVES; ULYSSEA, MONICA ANTUNES; CAMACHO, GABRIELA PROCOPIO; et al. Preserving a Legacy: Ensuring the Access and Conservation of the Harold (Harry) G. Fowler (1950-2018) Ant Collection and Data. Zootaxa, v. 5418, n. 4, p. 18-pg., 2024-03-01. (22/04144-6, 22/06517-4, 23/06390-7, 19/24810-8, 22/11329-2, 21/01919-4, 22/01974-8, 18/11453-0, 22/04132-8)

SILVA, NATHALIA S.; MACIEL, EVERTON A.; PRADO, LIVIA P.; SILVA, OTAVIO G. M.; BARBOSA, DAVID ACIOLE; ANDRADE-SILVA, JOUDELLYS; SOUZA-CAMPANA, DEBORA R.; SILVA, ROGERIO R.; BRANDA, CARLOS R. F.; DELABIE, JACQUES H. C.; et al. Ant rarity and vulnerability in Brazilian Atlantic Forest fragments. Biological Conservation, v. 296, p. 15-pg., 2024-06-26. (10/50973-7, 10/50294-2, 22/01974-8, 21/01919-4, 13/16861-5)