The Ouellet-Robert Entomological Collection: new electronic resources and perspectives

Abstract

AbstractThe Ouellet-Robert Entomological Collection (Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada) is one of the largest and most important university collections in Canada. Although officially dedicated in 1984, much of the material in the collection dates to the 1930s and 1940s work of the Clerics of Saint Viator, Joseph Ouellet and Adrien Robert. In order to establish curatorial priorities, a collection profile was conducted grading eight criteria on a scale of 1–4, the most important being the conservation status of the specimens. A taxonomic inventory of the collection was also conducted, including the number of pinned specimens and alcohol vials, as well as a brief geographic description: whether or not at least one specimen of each species was collected in Québec or in North America. Finally, the specimen metadata for Odonata, Ephemeroptera, and Trichoptera were digitised. The inventory and specimen data can be downloaded at Canadensys.net. The collection houses approximately 1.5 million specimens, of which one-third are pinned, representing 20 000 species. Half of those species are recorded from Québec. The inventory and profile will be updated and the specimen database grown as portions of the collection are re-curated by personnel and volunteers, including the student-run organisation, “Club QMOR”.