We are a small group (students and me) in the insect biotaxonomy laboratory, Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, IPB University. Our work mostly deals with the taxonomy and biodiversity of agricultural insects, including pests, predators, and parasitoids. Our aim is to support Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs on agricultural commodities as well as lecturing in Entomology and Insect Taxonomy classes. We are interested in not only insect identification but also constructing dichotomous and computer based identification keys of some insect groups from certain locations.

With in the EFForTS project, we collaborate with the Z02 sub project in the monitoring of arboreal arthropod communities across a land-use gradient from rainforest to jungle rubber and monocultures of rubber and oil palm. Our contributions include:

• sampling and identification of selected arthropod groups (ants, butterflies, and possibly others)
• molecular based identification (barcoding) of lepidopteran larva and adult butterflies using COI DNA sequences
• phylogenetical analysis of various DNA sequence data
• construction of dichotomous and computer based (LUCID) identification keys selected arthropods

Involved student:
Ms. Rizky Nazaretta, master degree student