Diagnostic Service and Outreach

(visit the LSAM team at the annual AgMagic extravaganza)

The brown widow spider (Latrodectus geometricus) has become common in south Louisiana and elsewhere on the Gulf Coast during recent years. This specimen had set up housekeeping right next to the trunk latch button on my car, a typical situation. The characteristic spiked egg sac (right) is an indication of the presence of the species even if the adult is not visible.

The LSAM provides insect identification services to Louisiana and beyond

Need an insect identified?

Identifications of insect and other arthropod specimens are provided to private citizens of Louisiana free of charge. You may e-mail digital images or mail preserved or dried specimens to our mailing address at:

Curator

Louisiana State Arthropod Museum

402 Life Science

Louisiana State University

Baton Rouge, LA 70803-1710

Package the specimen securely and please do not mail glass containers in soft packages or envelopes. Please include the following information:

location and circumstances of collection and why you want the specimen identified;
date of collection, plant or animal hosts if relevant
name(s) and address(es) or collectors;
phone/fax number and/or e-mail (preferred).

We will do our best to provide you with an accurate identification and brief biological summary. But, be aware that we are not always able to provide exact species determinations, and our ability to identify poorly preserved specimens is limited. Also, we do not provide recommendations for control. For that information, contact the main entomology office at (225) 578-1634. For additional information and instructions, e-mail us at ccarlt@lsu.edu or vbayless@agcenter.lsu.edu. If you have a digital camera or other method of creating digital images, you can e-mail those to us as attached files instead of sending the specimens. But, again, poor images or failure to show diagnostic features limit our ability to provide a precise identification.

We provide this service at no charge. Your donation of $20 or more to our LSAM Foundation would be extremely helpful in ensuring that rapid, professional diagnostic services continue to be available through the LSAM.

Click here to support the LSAM with a donation!

The LSAM serves the needs of the citizens of Louisiana as a source of insect and related arthropod identifications and information. LSAM staff typically identify over 2000 specimens each year for the faculty, staff, and graduate students of LSU, the Cooperative Extension Service, branch research stations, other universities, museums and institutions, state and federal agencies, pest control operators, agricultural consultants, businesses, and the general public. Numerous visitors use the collection each year for identifications, information about taxonomy and nomenclature, literature citations, terminology, techniques, life history, distribution, hosts, and/or economic importance of various insects.

The LSAM is primarily a research collection and we do not maintain any public exhibits at our facility in the Life Science Building, nor do we have the space and staff to accommodate tour groups. Individuals wishing to visit the LSAM are welcome, but we ask that you call or e-mail us first to set up an appropriate time. This ensures that someone will be here to show you the collection and answer questions.

Visits to local schools are coordinated by volunteers in the the Entomology Club, our departmental graduate student organization. A representative may be reached by calling the department's office at (225) 578-1634.

Dubose Dobson and Bob Smith, April 1935

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