Experience in application of databases of bloodsucking insects to zoological studies

Abstract

The paper summarizes our long-term experience of accumulating and summarizing the faunistic information by means of separate databases (DB) and information-analytic systems (IAS), and also prospects of its representation by modern multi-user information systems. The experience obtained during development and use of the IAS PARHOST1 for the study of the world flea fauna and work with partial databases created for the study of bloodsucking insects (lice and blackflies) is analyzed. Research collection material of the type series of 57 species and subspecies of fleas of the fauna of Russia was made available via a multi-user information retrieval system on the Internet portal of the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The system provides the means of storing information in its authentic form as well as its gradual transformation, i.e., unification and structuring. In order to ensure ceaseless DB update, the possibility of work of operators with different levels of competence is provided.