Parent Times

From above, it's just a plain black beetle. But, turn it over and study it through a microscope, and you enter a fantastic world of colorful bulbous shapes and fibers that form the legs, eyes and abdomen of the insect. And, it takes a trained eye to tell one species from another, because the difference can be as minute as a slight variation in the shape of a tiny ridge called a corena.

Identifying beetles has become second nature to Andrew Short, a sophomore from Glasgow, Del., majoring in entomology. In fact, his expertise in his field is already making taxonomy specialists at places like the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences and the Smithsonian Institution sit up and take note.

"Andrew is an extremely well-motivated and precocious student," says Charles Bartlett, assistant professor in the Department of Entomology and Applied Ecology and Short's research adviser. "When I've introduced him to taxonomy experts, they've been really impressed. He's way beyond what you would expect for someone his age.

"Even before he came to UD, his knowledge of entomology was at the college level. In high school, he won an award from the American Entomology Society. As a freshman at UD, he approached me wanting to do his own research, and since then, he has pursued additional grants. He's really into the nuts and bolts and is carving out his own niche as an expert in water beetles. These are things that students usually aren't doing until the graduate level."

Short got attention last spring through his work with the Frenchtown Woods Critical Natural Area. Discovering last winter that the woods near his home were slated to be razed for development, Short worked closely with the Delaware Nature Society, Melody Meadows Civic Association and New Castle County Council to preserve the ecologically diverse area.

"I went to a lot of meetings and was constantly trying to stay informed," Short says. "It took a lot of time, but it was a good experience because I did a lot of networking."

And, his work paid off. Plans were redrawn to preserve critical parts of the area, which contains a wealth of rare species. The result was that only 31 of 69 acres within the natural area are now being developed.

"Ideally, I would have liked to have seen a lot more buffer to the wetlands," says Short, "but the development was not as destructive as it could have been. And, now the state has taken more of an interest in preserving what's left."

Short stumbled upon the proposed development while doing research on water beetles in the wetland areas of the property, which is located off Frenchtown and Frazer roads. There, he discovered a colony of zorapterans (an order of small insects that live in decaying wood) that are unknown in any other site in Delaware and, in fact, had not been found in the state in the last 60 years.

"The zoraptera colony was the catalyst that led me to finding out about the development because I went looking for the owner of the property," says Short.

But, although Short can identify zoraptera, his specialty is beetles, an order of insects that encompasses more than a quarter of a million species or some 40 percent of the Earth's species. Within this order, he devotes his energies to researching the family Hydrophilidae, commonly known as water scavenger beetles.

"Little is known of this family in Delaware," he explains. "No one else works on this group in this part of the country. I've always been interested in water habitats, so this was a natural choice for me."

Short keeps most of his extensive collection of between 2,000 and 3,000 specimens in his office in the basement of the insectary behind Townsend Hall. Among the clutter of boxes of vials, bottles of pickling solution, piles of books and binders and microscope and slides, his display cases are a wonder of organization. Each glass-covered drawer contains hundreds of mounted specimens, some as tiny as a pinhead, that are meticulously lined up and organized by genus and species. Mounted on pins and labeled by name, date and location of collection, they provide a record of his travels throughout the state and surrounding counties in Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey. Last summer alone, Short added some 1,300 specimens to the collection.

"My research focuses on the taxonomy and distribution of the water beetles: What species are found in Delaware, where they occur and in what habitats they live," he says. "I may extend the data geographically to include the Delmarva peninisula, or to include other families of beetles. But, I have all the data, and now I'm working on the paper."

Catching the insects is the first step, and nighttime collecting can be the most productive. Short uses a black light to attract them and an aspirator to suck them into vials. When he gets home, he freezes them and later sorts them, selecting the specimens he wants and preserving the rest in a solution of alcohol for later use.

"Anyone can collect and mount insects, but identifying them is where the expertise comes in," says Short, who has been collecting insects since he was 11 years old. "That's where you need the 'scope.'

"It can be tricky," he explains as he positions a specimen under the lens and adjusts the focus. "Sometimes, positive identification can only be made by observing the male genitalia. This often means you have to dissect it."

While Short's dissection technique and taxonomic knowledge may be growing exponentially, at heart he is the same nature-loving kid he was when he started picking up insects "just for something to do." Growing up, he "spent a lot of time outdoors." As a member of a 4-H club, he dabbled in insect collecting. At Glasgow High School, his interest in aquatic habitats blossomed as he studied the school's Smithsonian Institution-sponsored mesocosm, a simulated estuary. His mother, Lucille Short, remembers him as an inquisitive and self-sufficient child.

"He was always asking questions. And, he's a hands-on kind of person. He needs to
have firsthand knowledge of things," she says.

Now affectionately known as the "bug guy," the 6-foot, 2-inch Short still loves camping, fishing and "slopping about" in wetlands. It's not surprising his interests lie in the natural world. His paternal great-grandfather had a farm; his grandfather was an ag education teacher; and his mom grew up on a dairy farm.

"I have ag on both sides of the family," he says.

Not only the outdoors but also the state and the University seem to be in his blood. Short is a sixth-generation Delawarean and third-generation UD student. His dad, Edward, a retired biology teacher and guidance counselor, graduated from UD in 1967 in ag education and received his master's degree in secondary education in 1968. His mom, who works in the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, received a master's degree in 1977. Both of his paternal grandparents, Horace Edward, AG '42, '52M, and Elizabeth, also attended UD.

As an undergraduate teacher's assistant, Short juggles a full schedule while keeping up with his research and general coursework. His responsibilities include teaching introductory entomology, running study sessions and helping with class preparation, exams and grading for some 90 students. He also is involved in collegiate 4-H and the ag social fraternity, Alpha Gamma Rho.

Bartlett says he believes that after graduation, Short should be a strong candidate for one of the rare, highly competitive assistantship positions offered at major research institutions. Short himself is clear about his goals for the future.

"I see myself as either a college professor or a taxonomist or curator at an institution like the Smithsonian," he says.