Entomological labels

"Sometimes it is useful to give a duplicate label in the language of the country where the material is collected, especially for hieroglyphic writing, the Arabic alphabet, etc."

It turns out that it's time to learn the "language of a likely opponent"?

"Sometimes it is useful to give a duplicate label in the language of the country where the material is collected, especially for hieroglyphic writing, the Arabic alphabet, etc."

It turns out that it's time to learn the "language of a likely opponent"?

I solved the problem of language and alphabet for myself in the following way : I write at least a geographical label in English, i.e. in the modern world scientific language. In relation to a possible enemy, or rather duplication in a hieroglyphic letter, it is worth thinking about labels in Chinese. For the future

Dear fellow entomologists, My opinion on this issue is as follows: when writing (printing) entomological labels, it is necessary to proceed from several rules:: 1. It should be remembered that the label is the main scientific value of the copy, and therefore, we must try to make it as strong as possible (at least 180 g/m2) and more understandable (visible font, generally accepted abbreviations). My personal opinion is that labels in English are desirable, although not mandatory (Russian is a common language, this is not Hungarian for you). 2. It is advisable to indicate the country in large zagalavny letters, this facilitates a cursory inspection of collections. 3. when working with old labels, it is necessary to remember that the label has both scientific and historical value, and therefore it is unacceptable to replace even a poorly readable label (you can duplicate it with appropriate comments) 4. finally, labels should be aesthetic - you need to develop your own optimal standard. Thank you so much for Gorodkov's scan, very informative.

By the way, an interesting, but not new idea about the content of geographical labels. Since the generally accepted data that is traditionally indicated on the label (country, region, district, city/village, river/mountain, etc.) cannot be 100% accurate, it was an idea to indicate the point by latitude and longitude. The idea is also interesting because it is now quite affordable to buy GPS ($200-300). It's a stretch, but you can use the Google Earth program on a desktop computer (memorizing the fishing location and then searching for its coordinates in the program). But it is much more effective to install the same program on a laptop and wireless Internet, and print labels directly without leaving the place of capture. However, as practice shows, entomology is a conservative science and all innovations must go a long, thorny way before they become generally accepted. In addition, this equipment is expensive, and is available only to rich amateurs or very successful pros.

Grid coordinates have already become a generally accepted standard, another thing is that not all fans want to highlight the exact collection points (and this is possible literally up to a meter!). First, they will come and catch rarities, devalue the cost. Secondly, collectors are often not at all interested in disclosing their routes at all(competitors, security agencies, and all sorts of Greenpeace). It gets to the point of absurdity, sometimes the coordinates are deliberately distorted!

I learned the same thing using small-scale, but not staff topographic maps. They can lie for up to a dozen kilometers, apparently to confuse a likely opponent.

I learned the same thing using small-scale, but not staff topographic maps. They can lie for up to a dozen kilometers, apparently to confuse a likely opponent.

So it is

By the way, an interesting, but not new idea about the content of geographical labels. Since the generally accepted data that is traditionally indicated on the label (country, region, district, city/village, river/mountain, etc.) cannot be 100% accurate, it was an idea to indicate the point by latitude and longitude. The idea is also interesting because it is now quite affordable to buy GPS ($200-300). It's a stretch, but you can use the Google Earth program on a desktop computer (memorizing the fishing location and then searching for its coordinates in the program). But it is much more effective to install the same program on a laptop and wireless Internet, and print labels directly without leaving the place of capture. However, as practice shows, entomology is a conservative science and all innovations must go a long, thorny way before they become generally accepted. In addition, this equipment is expensive, and is available only to rich amateurs or very successful pros.

I use Google. Just before the trip, I print a snapshot of the map on paper. I go out and mark the meeting points. Then I return home and already determine the coordinates. Comfortable.

> Grid coordinates have already become a generally accepted standard, another thing is that not all fans want to highlight the exact collection points (and this is possible literally up to a meter!).
> They can lie for up to a dozen kilometers, apparently to confuse a likely opponent.

All this distortion is not a scientific or even a technical problem. Engage in "normal" insects, in the sense of not ground beetles, not barbels and not large butterflies, and life will immediately get better :-)

Exact coordinates are allowed on the label, but they should not replace the classic reference for localities and geographical elements. Having "normal" labels, you can get an idea of the distribution of the taxon by skimming the collection material.

The language in which the label is written depends on the tasks that the collection is used for. Many of my friends, who actively exchange material with the bourgeoisie, have completely switched to English.

In the case of English-language labels, it is very convenient to verify the names according to the MS Encarta Premium 2006 atlas. Plus, you can always refer to it, and not try to explain where it came from, what names it took and how it transliterated.

Still. When deciphering labels, as well as when translating domestic names into Latin, I encountered this problem. The fact is that in the English spelling of regions and districts, a locality (district or regional center, respectively) is written in the nominative case. Well, except for cases when the name of the region is formed not from the regional center-Kalmykia, Primorsky Krai, etc. That is, the Smolensk region will look like this: "Smolenskreg." Here, for example, is the Ivanovo district... What is the name of the locality itself? Maybe Ivanovo, maybe Ivanovo, Ivanovo, maybe something else... And there on atlases and maps of these Ivano... several pieces in different versions. Which one exactly was the importer referring to?

Opponents of laser printers who are afraid of shedding powder: in a hundred years it will no longer be our problem If this happens, the labels will crumble in more than one day. And not even in ten years. Followers will have time to deal with this hypothetical calamity. The round number "100"is also alarming. Laser printers were invented about 15 years ago. Well, give or take. The printing technology of printers from different manufacturers may differ significantly. Yes, and in different models, too. Printing technology has been constantly improving since the invention of printers. In general, the meaning is-don't panic :- ) If labels suddenly fall off in a hundred years, they will fall off not only in your country, but in the largest collections around the world. This is going to be a real disaster...

Gorodkov's recommendations are still partly relevant today (especially when it comes to the presentation of geographic data - abandoning districts, linking by major points, etc.), but still a lot of new things have been added...

Supporters of handmade items. It is good if you need to write five labels. And if you have a mass-produced material and you need to produce two thousand? And then another two thousand? You can't get enough pencils ;-)

This post was edited by Salix-08.01.2008 02: 53

By the way, an interesting development of the topic could be - quoting labels. Who faced what problems and in general?

What should the label look like? For example: a butterfly hatched from a pupa after a short diapause in winter (29.01.08); the pupa was obtained from a caterpillar found at the penultimate stage (15.08.07). Vologda region. Kaduisky district d. Pakino. Full Name

No, such details are unnecessary. For an adult obtained from an egg, caterpillar and pupa, respectively, the label is marked "ex ovo", "ex larva" and "ex pupa" with the corresponding dates. For example: ex pupa: 05.06.07, Ramenskiy district, Moscow region. Aksenovo, on the clover; imago: 01.08.07. leg. Last name Full name

Dear participants of the topic. I personally don't care about the safety of labels, I don't waste time (which I don't have anyway) inventing stuff .I print labels on plain glossy paper. For those who have order in the collection, I want to share my experience. I duplicate all the data in a simple notebook, you can use it on a storage medium. And in the future, I don't need to bother the material once again, as they say "I have everything written down". I repeat that this is my personal opinion, which I share with you.

Dear participants of the topic. I personally don't care about the safety of labels, I don't waste time (which I don't have anyway) inventing stuff .I print labels on plain glossy paper. For those who have order in the collection, I want to share my experience. I duplicate all the data in a simple notebook, you can use it on a storage medium. And in the future, I don't need to bother the material once again, as they say "I have everything written down". I repeat that this is my personal opinion, which I share with you.

Of course, if you are 100 % sure of your definition and the collection is on display, it is advisable to enter it in the electronic catalog (the notebook is old-fashioned and inconvenient). Especially if the collection is large. So you will understand for yourself what you have and where you have it from, and no one will steal anything from you without your knowledge. Especially if colleagues come to you, so to speak, to share their experience . By the way, you NEED to create the same database for articles in your group. In order not to break your head, you can use a simple WORD and search for the document.

to Dormidont.
Everything is fine with my collection, it's been like this for 19-20 years. A notebook is the best thing you can think of today. I still have records from 1901 from the museum, survived two floods and nothing else. The main thing is to write it down in pencil. And what will happen to the carrier in a few years? All the same, there is no better and more reliable paper. This is not a call to action, but an experience.

And it is better to have both printed files and on a storage medium. But a pencil is for sure. I don't know anything more persistent. Yes, and tired of fooling around and looking for special pens.

special pens are not difficult to find, but they are expensive.. But even this is not the worst part, but the aesthetics.. With ink, the label doesn't look cool.. Except for the butterflies.

Everything has its advantages. You can print and copy text files, and use the search and sort functions. A notebook and pencil are, by definition, the simplest, and therefore the most reliable. No computer or electricity is required for use.
Although I would probably prefer to use text files, but of course creating backups.

The advantage of the computer is indisputable - do what you want, how you want, easily change, make copies, etc.
But beyond all this, there is a personal predisposition.. For me, this is a pencil or pen and paper for writing, drawing - a pleasant job.. I get more pleasure looking at a notebook, confidently holding a pencil or pen, and more satisfaction from this.. We will not analyze according to Freud

Then the question appeared! And for the bred butterfly, what date should I sign in the label? The butterfly's exit from the chrysalis?
Sorry if the question was raised already, I didn't read the whole topic... Maybe of course the question is stupid - but I decided to play it safe...

Then the question appeared! And for the bred butterfly, what date should I sign in the label? The butterfly's exit from the chrysalis?
Sorry if the question was raised already, I didn't read the whole topic... Maybe of course the question is stupid - but I decided to play it safe...

here's the answer:

For an adult obtained from an egg, caterpillar and pupa, respectively, the label is marked "ex ovo", "ex larva" and "ex pupa" with the corresponding dates. For example: ex pupa: 05.06.07, Ramenskiy district, Moscow region. Aksenovo, on the clover; imago: 01.08.07. leg. Last name And Full name

Can you tell me what the prefix aff means in the type name on the defining label?

Can you tell me what the prefix aff means in the type name on the defining label?

"In the case when the preservation of [a specimen - L. A.] is quite complete, but the object of definition is somewhat different from the typical species," aff. "is written between the generic and specific names, where" aff." is an abbreviation of the word affinis-related, close. " -
p. 15. Nemkov G. I. et al. Short course of paleontology, Moscow, "Nedra", 1978, 247 p.

In general, all these affinis, conformis are loved by paleontologists, the specifics of the material are such.

Nepaleontologists love it too. It is quite convenient when there are differences from the typical species, but they are not enough to describe a new taxon.

Those. as far as I understand aff is put when you are not quite sure of your definition?

 
Why not just in Latin?

If the collector lived in Ancient Rome, then yes.

But seriously, English has long been the language of scientific communication. IMHO, material that has scientific significance (SCIENTIFIC, not necessarily for school collections) should be labeled in English.. On the other hand, for languages that do not use the Latin alphabet, a "native" label is very desirable. Now, with the spread of GPSS, this is not very relevant, but for fees without exact binding , it is very desirable.

I had to try to find out the points of the expedition of the late XIX, early XX centuries in China, written in Cyrillic. It's hopeless.

I didn't want to offend anyone by comparing it to "school collections".
Just in case, I apologize, otherwise the flame will ignite again.

Absolutely! You, my dear, will be a Russophobe. Or you've already forgotten where you live in the middle of the tropics. So, the fees of the 19th century are often difficult to parse in Cyrillic, even in the Moscow region. First of all, they wrote mainly in ink by hand. Secondly, the collectors of that time did not really bother with the meaning of exact coordinates. "Ocd. Moscow" as a rule, and all the cases. You can translate it into English. But it won't help much. And those who will be interested in the fees made on Russian soil, will translate, will not die of tension. This applies to the entire length of Russia. If I collect in England or in the United States, then of course I will strive to be accessible to local residents and specialists.
PS Maybe you should settle in the countryside and not leave there?

About labels I want to note..
If the collection is intended to be included in a foreign museum or collection, then of course it is better to write in Latin (i.e. in English or Latin letters)..

Personally, I do this - Russian fees, Moldovan, I write in Russian. I write foreign ones either in my native language, if they are received in that language, or in English, since this is available to everyone..
I think that if someone decides to visit Russia to catch a certain bug, then it is better for them to know the labels in Russian, so it will be easier to find out from the locals where and how to get there..

I write to Russian insects in Russian, and to everyone else in English.

And in general, if we talk about value, then my insects with Russian labels feel just as good in the museum's collections as with English ones, like this.

Why should we settle in the jungle?
It's all very strange. I've seen how Alai is transliterated in Altai etc.
Moreover, everyone will read it, both Russian, Japanese, and German.
Our poor ancestors marinated behind the iron Curtain and now ask-why study Africa, and what is there in Borneo. Who needs it?
Need.
And the types to study, and drugs in euparal to do, and Africa to explore.
Now in Japan, I am faced with a delusional situation that I had to re-photograph hundreds of butterflies with labels, so that later I could send them to the Japanese for decoding. So much time... And all from the fact that someone who collected insects on the "Japanese land", i.e. in China, the Kuril Islands,Sakhalin, Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia was a passionate non-lover of the Latin alphabet.

Have they been marinated there since the 19th century?! Poor people, they had a hard time of it. Unhappy, poor Plavilshchikov, Yakobson, Mochulsky. They didn't even think that Yakovlev would come and teach them how to write labels in the correct language. And then, after all, they probably did not know the English language, behind their curtain.

Recently, I had to spend half an hour deciphering the abbreviation on the English-language label of Russian places. I myself write labels for Russian beetles in Russian, who will need to figure it out later.

Plavilshchikov, among other things, liked to rob the institute's cash registers with a revolver
Eh, Omar, how you like to distort, who am I teaching...
It's just that I've faced a lot of problems before, and not just me...
Why so much irony, skepticism...???

Science is an international space.
The breakdown of standard series is correct, but there is only one nomenclature type, and it is advisable to place it in reliable depositories.
I will briefly share my experience. I put holotypes for the former Soviet Union in the ZIN, holotypes for the tropics, and all sorts of foreign territories in the Witt Museum (a branch of the Munich Museum). Of course, except for those that are processed from museums. For example, one holotype stands in Tiflis.
Now from Tokyo ponaprivez.
My only thoughts are about making life easier for each other, because making life easier for a colleague is both a sign of good upbringing and a good scientific style. So the diagnoses of new species can be translated into English... Here is the bot code. nomenclatures - there are diagnoses in Latin, but in our country... Disaster.

I don't really understand what the robbery of cash registers has to do with writing labels and in general, with scientific activities? Let's also remember that Jacobson got married "wrongly". What did I do wrong? Read the posts of Anthrenus in the topic at the label. He faced exactly the opposite problems. My position is unequivocal - labels on fees within the country should be written in its official language, if it is not rare and little-known (such as Zulu). In such cases, there is a second, commonly used language adopted in that country. Then obviously labels should be written on it.

Yes, more. My position is also based on the fact that the names of many places in the world have their own, characteristic spelling. Writing them in the language of another country can distort the meaning of what is written and mislead. A simple example. The city, let's say, Yelets. This is in Russian, so Yelets. And in English? Elez? Elezh? Elec?
This is the very first thing that came to my mind.

This post was edited by omar - 28.01.2009 11: 21

There are English atlases, there is an Encart.
Although of course a lot of problems arise. Very much. And name changes and so on...
Yelets - Elez or Elets. There are fairly simple transliteration rules. But Japanese is spoken more than Russian and even more so in Chinese. Although the coordinates will help us all a lot. I think it is advisable to put them.

Excuse me, where is Japanese spoken more than Russian? In Japan? In America? In Russia? Or in Europe? You probably haven't left your trip to the Land of the Rising Sun yet. Do not write at least obvious nonsense.

2 omar
Science, you see, must be international, otherwise it will turn sour. If we are dealing not with a private collection, but with a scientific one, then labels in "common" languages are a relic, getting rid of which and switching to the Latin alphabet will allow many scientists to breathe more freely. This is what Yakovlev showed in the example given. I can recall a little bit from another area, for example, the speech of the Chinese at the conference on numerical modeling of crystal growth. The topic is great, the data is very interesting, but not a damn thing is clear, because they speak and write in English just like I do in Chinese.
By the way, Yelets is spelled Yelets - not difficult to find in Google.