The Department of Invertebrate Zoology staff, volunteers and research associates participate in a variety of efforts aimed at Lepidoptera biodiversity, including the
Ohio Long-Term Butterfly Monitoring Project (LTBM). Museum personnel participate in running some of the nearly 50 transects throughout Ohio used for frequent monitoring of butterfly populations in the state. This program is run by the
Ohio Lepidopterists. The Museum is responsible for maintaining the database for the transects. The oldest transects were established in 1996.
The Moths of Kelleys Island, Lake Erie
Beginning in 1999, Museum Associate Barb Coleman initiated a long term survey of the moths of Kelleys Island. To date, more than 200 species have been recorded from this small island. Research Associate Jim Ciha has expertly identified all specimens and prepared voucher specimens that are housed in the Museum's Entomology Collection. Based on the species accumulation curve, we estimate that the actual species list could top out at some 350 species!
Barb, Jim, and former Curator Joe Keiper have published the results on the first three years of work on the island in the January 2004 issue of Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington. This paper also documents the associated flora, and is coauthored by Museum botanists Jim Bissell and Trish MacKeigan.