Official websites use. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Many insect species have shown dramatic declines over the last decades, as a result of man-related environmental changes. Many species which were formerly widespread are now rare. To document this trend with evidence, old records of collected specimens are vital. Most of the specimens come from France and include data on named species.
For most of these specimens, the geographical location, including geographical coordinates, is based on the locality town or village where they were collected. The specimens were captured from the beginning of the nineteenth century to The identifications of specimens, mainly belonging to the genus Bombus , are considered reliable, as these were performed or been checked since All the other reported identifications are the original ones given by the original collectors.
There has been a dramatic decline in insect populations over the last 70 years, both in terms of abundance Hallmann et al. To document the past occurrences of species in areas where they have now decreased or vanished, entomologists mostly rely on material preserved in collections e. Decker et al. Museum materials are what remains of past ecosystems; for some species, they represent the last testimony of their presence in a region or country and it appears crucial to extract as much information as possible from these specimens Raven and Miller , such as photographs of key specimens.
In many natural history museums around the world, there are thousands of specimens stored in collections for which we barely have any information. This is particularly the case for insects, which are difficult to preserve because of pests and difficult to identify due to the taxonomic impediment Engel et al.
Yet, the importance of insects in the functioning of ecosystems should urge precise monitoring of museum collections contents. In the present time of rapid anthropogenic ecological changes at all scales, we must find ways to preserve these specimens as well as we can for as long as we can.
