This website and the underlying database were prepared in cooperation with the Orthopterists' Society. The decision to proceed in this manner was deliberate for two reasons:  to provide continuity, and because of the magnitude of the job. The database should be a growing and evolving thing that continues past the careers of those who have responsibility for it from time to time. This database was started by Daniel Otte, enhanced first by Piotr Naskrecki and later by David Eades.  Someday David Eades will relinquish the responsibility, and it will be up to a committee of the Orthopterists' Society to select a successor.  In addition to the matter of continuity, it seems clear the tasks of maintaining the site and updating the database to keep it current are too much for any single person.

Members of the Orthopterists' Society are invited to participate in making this website and database better.  Participation can be at various levels.

• Communicate comments, suggestions and corrections to any of the experts listed on the home page or to Maria Marta Cigliano (send mail).
• Send reprints to David Eades, Illinois Natural History Survey, 1816 S. Oak Street, Champaign, IL 61820, USA.  Reprints received will be given priority for incorporation of data into the database.
• Submit images and/or sound recordings for inclusion in the database.  The source will be acknowledged when users view images or listen to sound recordings.
• Be the expert for a group that is of particular interest to you.  Experts are listed in the lower part of the home page.  Responsibilities are:
  • Once a year review the information shown for the group and note any problems.
  • Either edit the database over the Internet to fix any problems, or else communicate the problems to Maria Marta Cigliano.  Changes to the database should conform to the editorial policy.
  • If you have your own dataset for a specific taxonomic group within Polyneoptera, a separate species file could be created for this group. Hyperlinks between your hierarchy and any other species file hierarchy are easily specified which allow users to navigate between related groups.
  • Develop new types of information.  There are many useful ways the project could be expanded.  This final level of participation requires some knowledge of computer programming and a serious time commitment.  Contact David Eades if you are interested.

The Orthopterists' Society has funds available for support of database work in amounts that vary from year to year.  The Orthoptera Species File Committee is responsible for determining the recipients of such funds.  Committee members are:

• María Marta Cigliano (send mail), Division Entomologia, Museo de la Plata, Paseo del Bosque S/N, 1900 La Plata, Argentina
• David Eades (send mail), Illinois Natural History Survey, 1816 S. Oak Street, Champaign, IL 61820, USA
• Sigfrid Ingrisch (send mail), Zoologisches Forschungsinstitut und Museum Alexander Koenig, Adenauerallee 160, D-53113 Bonn, Germany
• Michel Lecoq (send mail), CIRAD, Département amis Acridologie opérationnelle (Prifas), TA40/D, Campus International de Baillarguet, 34398 Montpellier Cedex 5, France
• Piotr Naskrecki (send mail), Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
• Daniel Otte (send mail), Academy of Natural Sciences,1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA 19103, USA
• David Rentz (send mail), CSIRO, Division of Entomology, Canberra, Australia
• Hugh Rowell (send mail), Chalet Oreïna, 3961 Ayer, Switzerland
• Hojun Song (send mail), Department of Biology, University of Central Florida, 4000 Central Florida Blvd. Orlando, FL 32816-2368, USA

Committee members are appointed by the President of the Orthopterists' Society.  The responsibilities of the committee are:

• To advise on design of database and priorities for tasks.
• To grant awards from the endowment (currently about US$28,000 each year).   For more information, see grants.
• To review proposed changes to higher ranks within the database.  This has been proposed, but there is no current consensus that this should be a committee responsibility.

Acknowledgments

In addition to those listed on the home page, Marilyn Beckman, Lesley Deem, Richard Flood, Elizabeth Frank, Peggy Hill, Mike Maehr, Fay Mayer, Patti Peek, David Rentz, Klaus Riede, Hugh Rowell and Thomas J. Walker have contributed to the development of or entered data into the OSF database.  The illustration on the home page at the left comes from Orthoptera Species File, version 1.  To view copyright information or other attribution for one of the randomly-displayed images, click on the image caption. This will take you to the taxa display for the pictured species.  Click on the same image to see associated information.