Oliviera de Almeida J.P., Kerkhof S., Dekoninck W. & Van Roie M. 2021. An overview of the moth (Insecta: Lepidoptera) type material in the Fastré collection at the RBINS. Bulletin S.R.B.E. / K.B.V.E.  157: 171–175.

A type specimen is the reference voucher for a species. Type material plays a crucial role in the identification of species and description of new species. Many species were described a long time ago and the whereabouts of the type specimen is not always clear. In this project, we catalogued the types of the moth family Noctuidae from the Fastré collection in the RBINS. A published overview like this will help experts access the information in this collection.

 Van Roie M., De Wint F., Güngor A., Huyghe C., Dekoninck W. & Sekerka L. 2019. An annotated checklist of the leaf beetles (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) from El Salvador, with additions from the Bechyné collection in the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences. ZooKeys 856: 137-196.

The RBINS collection includes leaf beetle specimens from El Salvador which were identified by J. Bechyné. As an expert in entomology, Bechyné studied numerous (Neotropical) Chrysomelidae between 1942 and 1978. This valuable reference collection will help compile a preliminary checklist of El Salvador’s Chrysomelidae, a poorly known species group in the region.

 Merckx J., Van Roie M., Gomèz-Zurita J. & Dekoninck W. 2018. From theory to practice: using a photographic inventory of museum collections to facilitate species identifications. Biodiversity Informatics 13: 38–48.

A pilot study was set up to test our digitization method by digitizing one specific genus: Calligrapha (Coleoptera – Chrysomelidae). Most species within this genus can be identified by the markings on their elytra, which made it possible for Dr. Gomèz-Zurita to identify all specimens based on photographic material alone. This allowed for more efficient and correct sorting of the museum specimens and showed how our method could also improve collaboration with experts abroad by reducing costs and the ability to plan taxonomic research more.

 Mertens J.E.J., Van Roie M., Merckx J. & Dekoninck W. 2017. The use of low cost compact cameras with focus stacking functionality in entomological digitization projects. Zookeys 712: 141–154.

A method for digitization was developed to meet two main requirements: low cost and quick processing. These aims were met by using a compact camera with focus stacking functionality in combination with a simple light box. We compared our method to that of the professional RBINS digitization setup by testing photo quality, cost and processing time. Results showed our method is a good alternative to the expensive museum setup and achieved similar results, although important specimens such as type specimens would still benefit from being photographed with a professional setup. At the moment, two of our camera setups are operational in the RBINS.

 Jocqué M., Vanhove M., Creedy T., Burdekin O., Nuñez-Miño J. & Casteels C. 2013. Jewel scarabs (Chrysina sp.) in Honduras: Key species for cloud forest conservation monitoring? Journal of Insect Science 13, art.nr. 21.

Jewel scarabs (Chrysina) are wonderfully coloured large beetles living in the canopy of central America. Habitat destruction and a high demand from beetle collectors worldwide are major drivers endangering their survival. In this museum project, we studied a collection of Chrysina from Cusuco National Park in Honduras. Species were plotted again an elevational gradient and an identification key was assembled. An as yet undescribed species was discovered.