U.S. National Tick Collection

United States National Tick Collection
Ixodes hexagonus (aka)
Established 1996
Location Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, Georgia
Type Ticks
Curator Lorenza Beati
Website Tick Collection

The U.S. National Tick Collection is the largest collection of ticks in the world. The vital function of the collection is to separate ticks that are medically and financially important from those that are common.

The collection is owned and curated by the Smithsonian Institution, but housed on the campus of Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Georgia where it is under the auspices of the university's Institute of Arthropodology and Parasitology.[1] The current curator of the collection is Lorenza Beati who was appointed late in 2011 and who is also an associate professor of Biology at Georgia Southern University. Beati holds an M.D. and Ph.D. [2] The tick collection contains 850 separate species of tick.[1] Evidence suggests that the collection is "larger than all other world tick collections combined." [3] The tick collection catalyzes parasitic research which is of particular value to health and agriculture because some species of tick carry Lyme Disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.[1] The collection's specimens are freeze dried, bottled and coated so as to appear more vividly under a microscope.[4] A search on Google Scholar shows the collection referenced in approximately 295 scholarly articles.[5] The collection also functions as an off-the-beaten track tourist destination which is referenced at travel websites including RoadsideAmerica.com and ExploreGeorgia.org.[6] The collection is open to the public Wednesday afternoons by appointment between 3:30 and 4:30 PM.[1]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "U.S. National Tick Collection". Georgia Southern University. Retrieved 29 January 2011.
  2. ↑ "Lorenza Beati." Georgia Southern University Website. http://personal.georgiasouthern.edu/~lorenzab/
  3. ↑ Durden, L.A., Keirans, J.E., and Oliver, J.H. "US National Tick Collection: a vital resource for systematics and human and animal welfare" (abstract). American Entomologist, 1996. Reprinted on Ingentaconnect.com. http://gasou.library.ingentaconnect.com/content/esa/ae/1996/00000042/00000004/art00011
  4. ↑ Johnson, Barbara (23 April 2004). "Statesboro, GA - U.S. National Tick Collection". RoadsideAmerica.com. Retrieved 29 January 2011.
  5. ↑ "Google Scholar results". Google Search. Google. Retrieved 29 January 2011.
  6. ↑ "U.S. National Tick Collection (USNTC) - Georgia Attractions - Overview - Explore Georgia". Georgia Department of Economic Development. Retrieved 29 January 2011.