Dear Taxonomic Community,

We are pleased to announce a new development and a significant expansion of our online Primary Type Specimen Database at the Entomology department of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University. The most significant change is the addition of over 4,000 high quality images of primary type specimens. At this point we have completed documenting the entire collection of long-horned beetles (Cerambycidae), with over 520 photographed types. The next group to be added shortly will be the Buprestidae, followed by Chrysomelidae and butterflies.

Each type record in the database contains information on the taxonomic placement of the species, the authorship, the species¹ current combination (if data are available), label data, the type of specimen preparation, and the biogeographic region. The images associated with each record include the general habitus of the insect (lateral and dorsal views), close-ups of diagnostic characters, and all labels associated with the specimen. In some cases the label photographs have been digitally enhanced to reveal faded text, no longer visible on the actual label.

We realize that in some cases no photograph will substitute a physical examination of the type specimen (e.g., one often needs to examine hidden genitalic structures), but in more cases than not a set of high quality photographs, together with appropriate identification keys, will be sufficient to establish the identity of the species. Frequently, our photographs are the first illustrations of the species, and for most species the first in color.

We welcome you to visit our database at http://mcz-28168.oeb.harvard.edu/mcztypedb.htm and send us your comments or suggestions. We hope that our effort may become an example of how museum type collections can be made more easily accessible to the scientific community worldwide. If you are interested in developing a similar database for your type collection, please don¹t hesitate to contact us.

With best regards, P. Naskrecki, P. Perkins, and B. Farrell Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University

---------------------------- Primary Type Specimen Database, Entomology Dept., Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University http://mcz-28168.oeb.harvard.edu/mcztypedb.htm