Field expeditions
Sampling is carried out in different Dominican Republic habitats using methods such as light trapping, active collecting, baiting, searching microhabitats and opportunistic observations.
The project
Documenting insect diversity of the Dominican Republic
EntomoDR is a long-term field and taxonomy initiative focused on selected insect groups of the Dominican Republic. The project connects expedition-based collecting, specimen preparation, expert identification, museum deposition and scientific publication.
Official title
Distribución y Biodiversidad de Grupos de Insectos Seleccionados de la República Dominicana
Why we do it
A public record for a rich but still incompletely documented fauna
The Dominican Republic has a highly diverse insect fauna, but many groups remain insufficiently studied. Field expeditions regularly produce material that can represent new distributional data, new country records, poorly documented taxa, or species that are new to science.
The aim of EntomoDR is not simply to collect specimens, but to build a curated scientific pipeline: material is collected and documented in the field, sorted and prepared after the expedition, studied with appropriate specialists, and transformed into publications, faunistic records and long-term reference material.
Important specimens, including type material whenever possible, are deposited in public collections, especially at Naturéum, Lausanne, so that the results remain accessible for future research.
Local collaboration and permits
Working within the Dominican Republic research framework
EntomoDR is carried out in collaboration with Dominican institutions and under the relevant collecting and research permits. The project collaborates with the Museo Nacional de Historia Natural Prof. Eugenio de Jesús Marcano and with the Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales.
Our key local scientific collaborator is Gabriel de los Santos, curator of arachnids at the Museo Nacional de Historia Natural Prof. Eugenio de Jesús Marcano, who has been essential in helping with permits and is also listed as our main local collaborator in the DNA/barcoding permit.
The project also benefits from collaboration with Prof. Yolanda M. León from the Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo (INTEC), president of the NGO Grupo Jaragua.
These local collaborations are essential for responsible fieldwork, long-term documentation of Dominican Republic biodiversity, and future use of the collected material for scientific research.
How the project works
From fieldwork to published knowledge
Sorting and preparation
Material is sorted by taxonomic group, prepared, labelled, photographed when useful, and organised so that specialists can study it efficiently.
Expert identification
Specimens are sent or shown to specialists working on particular families or groups. This expert network is essential because no single researcher can reliably cover such a broad fauna.
Deposition and publication
Results are developed into faunistic notes, taxonomic papers, new species descriptions, checklists and other scientific outputs. Reference and type specimens are deposited in appropriate collections.
Expert network
Target groups and collaborators
The project is deliberately broad. Instead of focusing on a single insect family, EntomoDR works with a network of specialists covering Coleoptera, Lepidoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera, Hemiptera and other selected groups. The overview below is a living collaboration map and will be updated as identifications and manuscripts progress.
43
entries already linked to a publication, submitted manuscript, manuscript in preparation, or candidate output
Coleoptera 40 groups
| Group | Specialist collaborator(s) | Current output status |
|---|---|---|
| Alticini | Shawn Clark, Alex Konstantinov, Adelita M. Linzmeier | Under evaluation |
| Bostrichidae | Jiri Hava | 1 published paper |
| Bruchinae | Geoffrey Morse | In preparation |
| Buprestidae | Joshua P. Basham, Norman Woodley, Stephan Gottwald, Michael Hornburg | 1 manuscript in preparation |
| Cantharidae | Vinicius Ferreira, Patrice Bouchard | Specialist collaboration |
| Carabidae | Peter Messer, Jean Michel Lamaire, Pierre Moret, Danny Shpeley | 1 published paper |
| Cerambycidae | Steve Lingafelter, Julien Touroult | 1 published paper |
| Ceratocanthus | Alberto Ballerio | In preparation |
| Chelonariidae | Michael Ivie | In preparation |
| Cleridae | John Leavengood | In preparation |
| Coccinellidae | Jaroslav Vetrovec, Guillermo Gonzalez | Candidate manuscript |
| Cryptocephalinae | Davide Sassi, Federico Alejandro Agrain, Lourdes Chamorro, Matteo Montagna | Candidate manuscript |
| Cucujidae | Radomir Jaskula | Specialist collaboration |
| Curculionidae | Jennifer Girón, Robert Anderson, Lourdes Chamorro, Jens Prena | Candidate manuscript |
| Dascillidae | Kyle Schnepp | Specialist collaboration |
| Dermestidae | Jiri Hava | 2 published papers |
| Elateridae | Paul Johnson | 2 published papers; 1 submitted manuscript |
| Erotylidae | Paul Skelley | Candidate manuscript |
| Histeridae | Tomas Lackner, Gerardo Arriagada | Specialist collaboration |
| Hydrophilidae | Matthew Pintar | Specialist collaboration |
| Lampyridae | Oliver Kellner, Vinicius Ferreira | Candidate manuscript |
| Melolonthinae | Kyle Schnepp, Androw Robert | Under evaluation |
| Melyridae | Michael Ivie | Specialist collaboration |
| Mordellidae | Enrico Ruzzier, Ben Patterson | Candidate manuscript |
| Nitidulidae | Gareth Powell | In preparation |
| Phalacridae | Matthew Gimmel | Specialist collaboration |
| Phengodidae | Vinicius Ferreira | 1 published paper |
| Prioninae | Steve Lingafelter, Julien Touroult | Specialist collaboration |
| Ptilodactylidae | Robin Kundrata | Specialist collaboration |
| Ptinidae | Zahradnik Petr | Candidate manuscript |
| Ripiphoridae | Jan Batelka | In preparation |
| Scarabaeidae | Brett Ratcliffe | Specialist collaboration |
| Scirtidae | Rafał Ruta | 1 published paper |
| Scolytinae | Enrico Ruzzier | Specialist collaboration |
| Staphylinidae | Jordan Rainey | Specialist collaboration |
| Tenebrionidae | Enrico Ruzzier, Michael Ivie | Specialist collaboration |
| Trichodesma | Kyle Schnepp | In preparation |
| Trogidae | David Kral | Specialist collaboration |
| Trogossitidae | Mike Kippenhan | In preparation |
| Zopheridae | Rudolf Schuh | Specialist collaboration |
Lepidoptera 8 groups
| Group | Specialist collaborator(s) | Current output status |
|---|---|---|
| Arctiinae | Benoit Vincent, Michel Laguerre | 2 submitted manuscripts |
| Cossidae | Ramon Hulsbosch, Thomas Turner, Vaughan Turland | In preparation |
| Crambinae | Bernard Landry | 1 published paper |
| Lasiocampidae | Guy R. Durand | In preparation |
| Noctuidae | Joe Martinez | Specialist collaboration |
| Pterophoridae | Deborah Matthews | Under evaluation |
| Sphingidae | Jiri Hodecek | 1 published paper |
| Tortricidae | Jason Dombroskie | Under evaluation |
Diptera 9 groups
| Group | Specialist collaborator(s) | Current output status |
|---|---|---|
| Asilidae | Alexssandro Camargo | Under evaluation |
| Calliphoridae, Sarcophagidae | Krzysztof Szpila | Specialist collaboration |
| chosen Nematocera | Jan Sevcik | Specialist collaboration |
| Dolichopodidae | Marc Pollet | Specialist collaboration |
| Muscidae, Fanniidae | Andrzej Grzywacz | Specialist collaboration |
| Phoridae | Olga Sivell | Specialist collaboration |
| Syrphidae | Ximo Mengual, Zachary Dankowicz | 2 published papers |
| Tachinidae | Pierfilippo Cerretti | Specialist collaboration |
| Tephritoidea | Spencer Pote, Allen L. Norrbom, Marcoandre Savaris | Specialist collaboration |
Hymenoptera 4 groups
| Group | Specialist collaborator(s) | Current output status |
|---|---|---|
| Anthophila | Julio A. Genaro | Under evaluation |
| Bethylidae | Wesley Colombo | Specialist collaboration |
| Braconidae | Augustijn De Ketelaere | Specialist collaboration |
| Ichneumonidae | Augustijn De Ketelaere | 1 published paper |
Hemiptera 5 groups
| Group | Specialist collaborator(s) | Current output status |
|---|---|---|
| Auchenorrhyncha | Adilson Pinedo, Charles Bartlett, Marco de Haas | Candidate manuscript |
| Coreidae | John Leavengood | In preparation |
| Pentatomidae | Joe Eger | Specialist collaboration |
| Phymatinae | Paul Masonick | Under evaluation |
| Reduviidae | Hélcio R Gil-Santana, Jader de Oliveira | In preparation |
Dermaptera 1 group
| Group | Specialist collaborator(s) | Current output status |
|---|---|---|
| Dermaptera | Petr Kocarek | Candidate manuscript |
Trichoptera 1 group
| Group | Specialist collaborator(s) | Current output status |
|---|---|---|
| Trichoptera | Alex Orfinger | 1 published paper |
Ephemeroptera 1 group
| Group | Specialist collaborator(s) | Current output status |
|---|---|---|
| Ephemeroptera | Michel Sartori, Jean-Luc Gatolliat | 1 published paper |
Zoraptera 1 group
| Group | Specialist collaborator(s) | Current output status |
|---|---|---|
| Zoraptera | Petr Kocarek | Specialist collaboration |