This is part of the collection "DToL Taxon-specific Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the Terrestrial and Freshwater Arthropods Working Group". The SOP collection contains guidance on how to process the various terrestrial and freshwater arthropod taxa within the scope of the Darwin Tree of Life project. The guidance specifically refers to the tissue samples needed for DNA barcoding (which takes place at the Natural History Museum (NHM)) and outlines the dissected tissues required for whole genome sequencing (WGS), which takes place at the Wellcome Sanger Institute . Every specimen is submitted for DNA barcoding first before potentially being sent to the Wellcome Sanger institute.

TSS3 = Taxon specific SOP for Terrestrial Arthropoda smaller than 5mm

Note : For genome sequencing, anything smaller than a lentil (5mm), or estimated to be around 5mm, should be frozen whole (live) after photography. There are numerous species that fit under this category. Tissue or extract from Sanger will be used for DNA barcoding.

Including : Arachnidae (especially Acari, Pseudoscorpiones), Amphipoda (under 10mm), Collembola, Diplura, Protura, Symphyla, Pauropoda and terrestrial insects (incl. terrestrial and aquatic life stages of freshwater taxa) smaller than 5mm: Archaeognatha, Phthiraptera, Psocoptera, Siphonaptera, Strepsiptera, Thysanoptera, Zygentoma, also small species from remaining orders, e.g. Blattodea (‘Isoptera’), Coleoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera, Mecoptera (Boreidae), Hemiptera.

DToL SOP Terrestrial and Freshwater Arthropod Taxa v4_IJ_with images.docx