Lepidoptera Transcription: Guide for SCAN users

McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity

Laurel Kaminsky, March 17, 2020

Crowdsourcing Transcription Workflow

Make a SCAN account (if you do not have one):

  • Go to https://scan-bugs.org/portal/index.php
  • On top right, click new account. After making your account log out then log back in.
  • On the top menu there should be an icon called “Crowdsource”
  • Click on a link (name here when available) to go to page where Institutions post records.
  • Click on McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity.
  • Read guide for how to parse data according to MGCL standards (Below).
  • Begin Transcription.

 

Administrative Notes on How to Set up and manage (may differ slightly once live):

To add records to Crowd Sourcing

  • Must be an administrator
  • Go to crowd sourcing, click on the total counts page, and add specimens

 

To approve edits

  • Go to crowd source, click on your institution
  • It helps to examine transcriptions from one transcriber at a time, so select a person to edit/review
  • Review all the records, and make notes how the person could improve, contact person afterwards with suggestions and thank them for their work
  • After review go back to the crowd sourcing page, and submit the reviews. The specimens will leave the queue.

Key points:

  • Transcribe all data on the label (with the exception of the author who described species).
  • Be sure to check labels on all images for unique info.
  • Unsure of where to put data? Illegible cursive or numbers? Ask questions!
  • Transcribe data in a consistent manner and following the

Helpful hints:

  • Can make picture large by dragging corner of the box around the image and using mouse and control to focus on the labels.
  • In names can take out spaces and periods. For example if label says E.B. George, you can write EB George.
  • If a label is entirely in a non-English language then in “Save edits” at the bottom of the record page save as “expert required.”
  • Within Symbiota, click on the question mark above fields so that you can read a description of the field.

Below is how, we would like data parsed for all MGCL records.

  1. Catalog number: No need to reenter the number but make sure barcode and notes match the catalog (accession) #. All of our numbers have an underscore, while the labels do not have one.
  2. Other Cat. #s: There might be two catalognumbers. Catalognumbers either have a 1D or 2D barcode or they are a little green paper with MGCL on it. Transcribe as MGCL [number]
  3. Collector: Format is Lastname, First Middle. No periods.

Examples: H.D. Baggett should be transcribed as Baggett, H D

Henry Davis Goodson should be transcribed as Goodson, Henry Davis

 If collector not stated write [unknown]

  1. D) Number: Is equivalent of a collector’s #. Type verbatim. Note this is not the same as a field number (see field notes).
  2. E) Date: A standardized date format that is YY-MM-DD such 1983-09-15, 1983-07-00, 1934-00-00. “00” is used if the field is unknown. If there is no date then leave blank.
  3. F) Associated collectors: Anyone who is not the main collector. Format should follow format for collector (see above). If there is more than one additional collector separate collectors with a “;”.
  4. G) Verbatim Date: Type up the date exactly as on label. Periods and all including if collector uses Roman numerals.
  5. H) Scientific name. Type name exactly as written on the label. If a warning comes up that the taxa does not exist, click ok. These will get checked later on.
  6. I) ID Qualifier: if the scientific name has some “uncertainty” such as cf, s.l. Please use this verbiage. If there is a term not on this list, write verbatim.

                    aff; cf; near; sensu stricto; sensu lato

  1. J) Identified by: If there is an identified by or annotation slip, type the name following format for collector.
  2. K) Country- No abbreviations, write out full text. Do not modernize name. For example don’t change “Persia” to “Iran,” or change a colony to its modern name.
  3. L) State/Province- If USA, type if possible. If foreign country mark as expert required.
  4. M) County- Don’t fill this out. When specimens are georeferenced it will be autofilled. J
  5. N) Municipality vs Locality fields and parsing data:

    Here is the distinction. If a label only says “Gainesville, Florida.” Gainesville = municipality

        If it says “By Fifield Hall, Gainesville, Florida.” Gainesville= municipality. Fifield Hall= locality.

If it says something along the lines of  “10 miles E of Gainesville” municipality is blank, and locality is “10 miles E of Gainesville.” Municipality refers to a specific city, locality is data more specific than city.

Locality should always be:

  • Start with the most specific piece of information.

Example: La Chua Trail, Paynes Prairie State Preserve, 2 miles south of Gainesville

                  Abita Springs, 4.2 miles east

  • Not contain country, state, or municipality data.
  • If words are abbreviated, then write out the full text. For example “4 mi E of Gainesville, Williston Rd., Shell gas station” should be written as Shell gas station, Williston Road, 4 miles east of Gainesville”
  1. O) Latitude and Longitude: If it is written in decimal degrees write in these two fields. Be sure to add the period and negative signs. If a non decimal degrees latitude and longitude is written then please write that in verbatim coordinates field.
  2. P) Elevation: Use either the verbatim elevation if written in feet or the elevation in meters depending on units
  3. Q) Habitat: write verbatim to label (most specimens do not have this data)
  4. R) Substrate: unlikely to have, but if present write verbatim
  5. S) Occurrence Remarks: Notes that are written about the specimen not the collecting event. For example “specimen was dark green but color faded.”
  6. T) Field Notes: Notes that are specifically taken in the field, about field conditions. Such as “There was a freeze the week before.”
  7. U) Sampling Protocol- Use this verbiage below. If there is a wattage: Then format as Light UV 15W

HandDirect

NetAerial

Light  (nothing stated about light type)

LightUV

LightMV

LightMH

LightLED

LightOther  (for gas station lights for example)

Bait

TrapMalaise

Trap

  1. V) Field Number- If a field number was used write here, verbatim text.
  2. W) Processing status- use either expert required if it is unclear or foreign country or Stage 2.

 

 

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