Preserving a Legacy: Ensuring the Access and Conservation of the Harold (Harry) G. Fowler (1950-2018) Ant Collection and Data

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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 ; Freitas, Gisely Da Silva ; Brandao, Carlos Roberto Ferreira ; Morini, Maria Santina De Castro

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Zootaxa; v. 5418, n. 4, p. 18-pg., 2024-03-01.

Abstract

Biological collections are important repositories of biodiversity, as they include various types of data potentially useful to different areas of science and can contribute to the establishment of biodiversity conservation policies. For a long time, scientific collections were considered only as physical databases; in this context Harold G. Fowler (1950-2018) built an ant collection at the Universidade Estadual Paulista, campus Rio Claro (Sao Paulo state, Brazil), over the course of a 34 -year career, comprising around 20,000 ant specimens. Most specimens came from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, but many others came from distinct locations in Brazil and abroad. After his death, the collection was left without the necessary curatorial care for a period of time, which required a project to be conceived for its recovery and conservation, with the goal of incorporating it to the Zoology Museum of the University of Sao Paulo (MZSP). In addition to applying modern technical curation protocols, other activities such as checking, material identification and digitization of the information contained on the sample labels were carried out, forming an accurate database. This process enabled the identification of new distribution records and the discovery of possible undescribed species and unpublished natural history data. After validating this information, we counted 524 valid species and 201 morphospecies belonging to 105 genera and 10 subfamilies. In addition, we integrated technical curation activities with scientific outreach to draw the general public's attention to the importance of biological collections, thus fostering interest in science, biodiversity and nature conservation. Our work highlights the importance of preserving the areas sampled by Fowler's research group. The preservation of vouchers using curatorial practices reinforces the role of scientific collections as important tools for the study, understanding and preservation of biodiversity. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 22/04144-6 - Harold G. Fowler ant collection (1950 - 2018): identification and nomenclature update
• Grantee: Claudia Tiemi Wazema
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Technical Training Program - Technical Training
• FAPESP's process: 22/06517-4 - Harold G. Fowler ant collection (1950 - 2018): availability of a database
• Grantee: Paulo Henrique Alves da Silva
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Technical Training Program - Technical Training
• FAPESP's process: 23/06390-7 - Ant Collection Harold G. Fowler (1950 - 2018): Organizing the Collection Is Necessary - Part 2
• Grantee: Nathalia Sampaio da Silva
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Technical Training Program - Technical Training
• FAPESP's process: 19/24810-8 - Phylogenomic species delimitation and mosaic evolution in the genus Hylomyrma Forel, 1912: revealing species and understanding morphological novelties from museum collections material using ultraconserved elements
• Grantee: Mônica Antunes Ulysséa
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• FAPESP's process: 22/11329-2 - Harold G. Fowler ant collection (1950 - 2018): organizing the collection is necessary
• Grantee: Juliana Aparecida Calisto Vaz
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Technical Training Program - Technical Training
• FAPESP's process: 21/01919-4 - Collection of ants Harold G. Fowler (1950 - 2018): recovery, incorporation and availability of a collection
• Grantee: Maria Santina de Castro Morini
• Support Opportunities: BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 22/01974-8 - Filling knowledge gaps of Hymenoptera species from the Neotropics
• Grantee: Lívia Pires do Prado
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• FAPESP's process: 18/11453-0 - Ants of São Paulo: State of the art and establishment of priority areas for research and conservation actions
• Grantee: Mônica Antunes Ulysséa
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• FAPESP's process: 22/04132-8 - Harold G. Fowler ant collection (1950 - 2018): organizing the collection is necessary
• Grantee: Gisely da Silva Freitas
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Technical Training Program - Technical Training