Insects of the Krasnokutsk territorial commune (hromada), Kharkiv region, Ukraine

Study Extent

The data presented in the dataset were collected during field research in areas of forests, steppes, grasslands, agricultural landscapes and settlements on the territory of Krasnokutsk territorial commune.

Sampling

Data on moths are collected mainly by light baiting and photo-fixation. Special equipment was used for this: a white cloth and lamps. Part of the data was collected near street lights and other light sources, as well as when surveying the territory during the day. The number of individuals encountered in most cases was not estimated and marked as minimal (1). Mosquito adults were captured using a test tube on themselves and by light trapping at night. Larvae were caught using a scoop-net, a metal cuvette, and a plastic pipette, depending on the conditions of the catch. Fixation of insects at all stages of the life cycle was carried out in ethyl alcohol with a concentration of 98%. To determine the imago of Culicidae males, micropreparations were made from their hypopygium on the basis of Canadian balsam. Identification of insects was carried out using binoculars. Aphids were collected together with a piece of the plant. In laboratory conditions, insects were fixed in alcohol and micropreparations were made. Identification of aphids was carried out using binoculars. Aphid samples from the collection of the State Museum of Nature of V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University were also digitized. Records of insects were mapped using a GPS-navigator. Information about the finds was entered into a thematic geodatabase. The database of field work results has been reformatted according to Darwin Core Archives standards. For some recods coordinates were not determined. We georeferenced them based on Google Satellite images, OpenStreetMap data (decimal latitude/decimal longitude as the centroid of the terrain point, followed by UncertaintyInMeters coordinates as the distance from the centroid to the farthest terrain point).

Method steps

1. Field data collection: recording of insects; mapping records using a GPS-navigator; collection of material for species identification.
2. Identification in the laboratory: preparation of samples; determination of external structure and reproductive system features of insects
3. Database creation: digitizing the data of field diaries; digitization of the museum collection; reformatting thematic databases according to Darwin Core Archives standards; editing data sent by other researchers and adding them to the general database
4. Georeferencing
5. Data checking and cleaning in OpenRefine

1. Arthropoda
   rank: phylum
2. Insecta
   rank: class
3. Lepidoptera
   rank: order
4. Animalia
   rank: kingdom
5. Diptera
   rank: order
6. Hemiptera
   rank: order

Krasnokutsk territorial commune (hromada), Bohodukhiv district, Kharkiv region, Ukraine.