A summer among specimens: Two student interns help preserve historical insect collection at UOG

Despite the very meticulous and time-consuming nature of their work, the interns — Ava Rios, a senior applied biology major at the University of Guam, and Kai Anderson, a high school student at Harvest Christian Academy — were enthusiastic to share what they’d been learning.

An intimate entomological experience

For both students, the internship has been an eye-opening experience that goes beyond textbook biology.

“We’ve learned a lot about identifying different insect families and orders,” Anderson said. “I like dobsonflies because they look so alien — they’re big and have such weird proportions.”

Rios was surprised by how old and well-preserved some of the specimens are, including one particularly interesting fly from 1945 that was collected from the body of a deceased soldier.

Under the mentorship of Dr. Alfred Daniel Johnson, an extension entomologist with UOG Land Grant, they have been learning scientific nomenclature, how to identify and classify insects based on their features, and how to properly curate and maintain them.

The work can be painstaking, Rios said, as some of the specimens are smaller than the width of a human hair.

“With butterflies or moths, many specimens have wing damage. To repair them, you carefully use a needle with a bit of glue or clear nail polish,” Rios explained. “It’s a very delicate process because you don’t want to cause further damage, but it’s also very satisfying.”

They’ve also gotten experience in the field collecting parasitoids, which are insects that live in or on the body of other insects and are a subject of Johnson’s research.

“They’re such complicated insects, and they can be incredibly small,” Anderson said, as Johnson pointed out one preserved in the collection. He explained that it is among the world’s smallest flying insects, visible only under a microscope and not to the naked eye.

‘Collection precedes conservation’

The UOG Insect Collection reflects years of entomological preservation in Guam and is among the few in Micronesia.

The first specimens in the collection were contributed by Judson Linsley Gressitt and George Edward Bohart, two prominent entomologists known for their work in the Pacific. It was later expanded by UOG entomologists Rangaswamy Muniappan, Donald Nafus, and Ilse Schreiner and eventually digitized and modernized by UOG entomologists Aubrey Moore and Ross H. Miller. Today, the UOG Insect Collection serves as an essential reference library for researchers studying biodiversity, invasive species, and island ecology.

“Collection precedes conservation,” Johnson said. “If we want to conserve native or endemic insects, a reference collection is a must.”

In addition to local specimens, UOG’s collection includes loans from the Bishop Museum in Hawaiʻi, as well as extremely rare finds and endangered butterflies, such as the Mariana eight-spot butterfly (Hypolimnas octocula marianensis), the Mariana wandering butterfly (Vagrans egistina), and the Marianas monarch butterfly (Euploea eleutho).

He said the overall goal is to maintain and expand the collection and, eventually, turn it into a museum for public visitations to create awareness for biodiversity conservation. The current collection is open to the public by appointment for research and education purposes.

Inspiration for future career paths

The unique scientific journey expanded the interns’ understanding of Guam’s fragile ecosystem, which is heavily impacted by invasive species, and could serve as inspiration for their future career paths.

“We already had a grasp on how Guam’s ecosystem has been affected,” Anderson said, “but this hands-on learning helped us realize just how bad it’s gotten and how much we need to work on bringing it back together.”

Rios initially had an interest in entomology but didn’t know what jobs were possible. She got connected to Johnson through NextGen COMPASS, a USDA-funded program that facilitates internships to grow the next generation of professionals in the fields of food, agriculture, natural resources, and human sciences.

“I had no idea what I was coming into, but I just knew I was prepared and more than happy to learn anything more about entomology. I think this is a good steppingstone — it gave me an idea of what I’d want to do next,” she said.

For Anderson, who’s just 17, the experience has helped him explore a long-time interest in insects.

“I had an interest in bugs and arthropods before this internship, and I wanted to have more experience dealing with them, so I emailed UOG,” he said. “This is definitely a good framework to know what I’d be doing if I got into this field.”

If they wanted to pursue similar work on island after graduation, Johnson said they could potentially work for the Department of Agriculture or as quarantine officers. Or, if an insect museum comes to fruition, they could become curators. However, even if they don’t work specifically in the field of entomology, he said what they’ve learned would benefit them in other fields as well — as collection and identification are the basis for all biological research. 

Reflecting on their summer experience, Anderson said he felt the experience was not only educational, but gratifying. “It feels like we’re doing something important,” he said.

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Want to get involved? 

Internships: If you'd be interested in an internship focused on entomology or another field related to agriculture, food, natural resources, the NextGen COMPASS Program can help! Call (671) 735-2130 or visit https://url.uog.edu/nextgen-compass for more info. 

Volunteer: Join UOG Land Grant as a volunteer in the UOG Insect Collection and gain hands-on experience while learning! Our collection requires ongoing care and curation, and we’d love your help in preserving it. By volunteering, you’ll not only contribute to this important work, but also become part of a community passionate about insects, biodiversity, and island ecology. For more information about the UOG Insect Collection, please contact Dr. Alfred Daniel Johnson at johnsona17274@triton.uog.edu.