











































Catalog: Oregon State Arthropod Collection   

Specimen records of Oarisma Scudder 1872 (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae) in the  
Oregon State Arthropod Collection, OSU, Corvallis OR

Jon H. Shepard
Christopher J. Marshall

Oregon State Arthropod Collection, Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis OR 97331

               Vol 1(1), 1-3

Abstract: A dataset of 260 skipperling specimens belonging to the genus Oarisma is presented along 
with information pertaining to how the label data was digitized and the metadata standards adopted.   
A brief synopsis of the dataset is provided along with a supplemental .csv file containing the data 
records themselves.

In 2016, as part of LepNet (Seltmann et. al., 2017) - a national effort to create digital records for North 
American Lepidoptera - the Oregon State Arthropod Collection began digitizing label data associated 
with its butterfly and moth collection.   While most of the Hesperiidae has not yet been digitally 
captured a concerted effort was launched across the LepNet participants to see if we could rapidly 
generate a dataset for Oarisma with the aim of assisting conservation efforts for Oarisma poweshiek 
(Parker, 1870; Fig 1) being led by Dr. Anna Monfils at Central Michigan University.  The dataset 
published herein contains the label data for all specimens residing at the Oregon State Arthropod 
Collection as of August 2017.

Introduction

Cite this work, including the attached dataset, as: 
Shepard, J. H, C. J. Marshall. 2017. Specimen records of Oarisma Scudder 1872 (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae) in the 
Oregon State Arthropod Collection, OSU, Corvallis, OR.. Catalog: Oregon State Arthropod Collection 1(1) p.1-3. 
http://doi.org/10.5399/osu/Cat_OSAC.1.1.3995

Methods

All specimens are given unique serial number (catalog number) that are printed using a machine-
readable barcodes as well as a human readable numerals on an acid-free card-stock labels that are 
placed as the bottom-most label.   

Data standards: All label data is consistent with Darwincore standards for occurrence data (http://
rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/Occurrence).

Taxonomic treatment: the taxonomic identity for all specimens was re-confirmed prior to digitization.  
To ensure nomenclatural validity, all names were checked and standardized according to Pelham 
(2008).

Locality and georeference data.  Locality data was transcribed into the DublinCore location fields 
(http://purl.org/dc/terms/Location).  Namely: country, stateProvince, county and locality. Missing 
information (e.g., no county printed on actual specimen label) was added to a record if it could 
be determined without ambiguity based on gazetteers, maps or in reference to other label data.  
Elevational data on labels were converted to minimumDistanceAboveSurfaceInMeters.  Elevational 
ranges (e.g, 500-1200m) were recorded as the lower of the two.  When available, decimalLatitude and 
decimalLongitude were included, but not all records were georeferenced at this time. 

1

http://doi.org/10.5399/osu/Cat_OSAC.1.1.3995
http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/Occurrence
http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/Occurrence
http://purl.org/dc/terms/Location


Results

Acknowledgements

Metadata:  BasisofRecord for each occurrence was entered as preservedSpecimen with the collector(s) 
listed on the label stored in the recordedBy field.  The OccurrenceID is a URI for the specimen record 
itself, and includes the catalog number: “http://osac.oregonstate.edu/SP/OSAC_XXXXXXXXXX” 
where “XXXXXXXXXX” is the 10-digit unique catalog number for the specimen.  

Two hundred and sixty specimens identified as Oarisma were located, belonging to three species: 
O. poweshiek (Parker, 1870), O. garita (Reakirt, 1866), O. edwardsii (Barnes, 1897). 

Not surprisingly, the majority of specimens belonged to O. garita which occurs throughout the Pacific 
Northwest (Guppy & Shepard, 2001).  Fourteen records for the endangered species, O. poweshiek were 
found (Fig 1.) from two localities, one in Michigan and one in Iowa, all from the 1970’s and 1980’s. 

Discussion

References

With only two localities and 14 specimens the OSAC’s holdings may seem meager in the face of 
understanding present day distributional information for the endangered O. poweshiek.  Perhaps the 
distributional records for its PNW congener, O. garita, for which the OSAC has much better coverage, 
may provide useful clues in the distribution of its eastern relative.  It is hoped, that once these records 
are combined with those of other institutions, the larger dataset might provide more insights still.

Guppy, C. S. & J. H. Shepard. 2001. Butterflies of British Columbia, including western Alberta, 
southern Yukon, the Alaska panhandle, Washington, northern Oregon, northern Idaho, and 
northwestern Montana. UBC Press, Vancouver, British Columbia. 414 pp. 

Pelham, J.P. 2008. A catalogue of the butterflies of the United States and Canada. Journal of Research 
on the Lepidoptera 40: 1-658. 

Seltmann, K. C. et al. 2017.  LepNet: The Lepidoptera of North America Network. Zootaxa 4247 (1): 
073-077. http://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4247.1.10

This work was accomplished as part of  NSF DBI ADBC Award #1601888: Digitization TCN: 
Collaborative Research: Lepidoptera of orth America Network: Documenting Diversity in the Largest 
Clade of Herbivores.   This work was also made possible in part by the many years of curatorial work 
in the OSAC by Dr. Paul  Hammond.

Figure 1. Oarisma poweshiek specimens in the Oregon State Arthropod 
Collection.  From top left: OSAC_0001011091, OSAC_0001011092, 
OSAC_0001011099, OSAC_0001011090, OSAC_0001011088, OSAC_0000084234, 
OSAC_0000084245, OSAC_0000084232, OSAC_0000084261, OSAC_0000084258, 
OSAC_0000084247, OSAC_0000084236, OSAC_0001018094, OSAC_0001018093.

32

Catalog: Oregon State Arthropod Collection     Catalog: Oregon State Arthropod Collection                  Vol 1(1), 1-3Vol 1(1), 1-3

http://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4247.1.10
http://osac.oregonstate.edu/SP/OSAC_0001011091
http://osac.oregonstate.edu/SP/OSAC_0001011092
http://osac.oregonstate.edu/SP/OSAC_0001011099
http://osac.oregonstate.edu/SP/OSAC_0001011090
http://osac.oregonstate.edu/SP/OSAC_0001011088
http://osac.oregonstate.edu/SP/OSAC_0000084234
http://osac.oregonstate.edu/SP/OSAC_0000084245
http://osac.oregonstate.edu/SP/OSAC_0000084232
http://osac.oregonstate.edu/SP/OSAC_0000084261
http://osac.oregonstate.edu/SP/OSAC_0000084258
http://osac.oregonstate.edu/SP/OSAC_0000084247
http://osac.oregonstate.edu/SP/OSAC_0000084236
http://osac.oregonstate.edu/SP/OSAC_0001018094
http://osac.oregonstate.edu/SP/OSAC_0001018093

