1. Innovations and Challenges in
Cynipid Gall Curation
Crystal McEwen
University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
and
Matthew Buffington
Systematic Entomology Lab, USDA
c/o Smithsonian NMNH
6. USNM Collection
• Last cynipid-specific curator died
in 1964
• Roughly 114 drawers
• Traditional methods
– The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
– Limitations and problems
• New methods
• New problems and questions
19. New Problems and Questions
• What is the status of galls? Type galls?
– How do polythalamus galls affect this?
– What do we consider galls that don’t have a
corresponding wasp?
• What are our options for barcoding?
• What do we do with huge galls?
20. Extra Notes and Treasures
• Hand writing
• Vials of nectar
• “Pieces of history”
21. Thank you
Acknowledgments: Systematic Entomology Lab (USDA-
ARS) for funding this project. Thanks are given to Ray
Gagne (SEL Emeritus) and Boris Kondratieff (CP Gillette
Museum, Colorado State University) for their
assistance, and Smithsonian Combined Entomology for
additional support.
Top photo by Whitney Cranshaw