Corresponding author: Jessica Awad (
Academic editor:
As an interaction between insect and plant, galls present unique challenges to natural history collections. Traditionally, insects and plants are stored in different ranges within a museum, and a preserved gall may reasonably be placed in either one. Unidentified galls are especially difficult to categorize, as they may also be formed by non-insect agents (
The entomological collection at SMNS houses an estimated 1000 to 2000 uncatalogued gall specimens, collected over approximately 200 years. Preservation methods include herbarium sheets, envelopes, albums, file folders, cardboard boxes, and folded newspaper. Some galls are also pinned in the dry insect collection alongside their inhabitants. The oldest of these are from the personal collection of Karl von Roser, who collected around Stuttgart in the early 19th century (Fig.
The study set included all specimens from the local state, Baden-Württemberg (n=395). Data were digitized via the DiversityCollection application in the Diversity Workbench (
Data standardization presented significant challenges. Both taxonomic and geographical nomenclature have changed over the last 200 years, so historical interpretation was often necessary. Geographical coordinates were approximated using Google Maps. This approach was labor intensive and required specialized cultural and linguistic knowledge. However, the end results were worthwhile, including many new faunistic records, discovery of surprisingly undersampled areas (e.g., the Black Forest), and creative implementations of the digital data (a computer game). Future streamlining of the process is needed to facilitate larger-scale ecological studies, such as understanding the effects of climate change and habitat loss on gall communities over time (
Jessica Awad
TDWG 2022
Drawer from the insect collection of Karl von Roser (1787–1861) showing gall specimens and their inhabitants, among other natural curiosities.
Photographic digitization of gall specimen, showing original label and newly assigned accession number.