Syncroscopy Auto-Montage Pro at the Natural History Museum - Rapidly Generates over 400 Accurate Images for Major Entomology Project

20 May 2005 Cambridge, UK: Syncroscopy, the world leader in unique digital imaging solutions for microscopy, is proud to announce that Auto-Montage Pro, its automated system for producing focused images of 3-D specimens, is being used at the Natural History Museum in London, UK. The software is being used as part of a project led by Dr Paul Williams to summarise information on world bumblebees and the images produced can be viewed at: www.nhm.ac.uk/entomology/bombus .

Scientists in the Department of Entomology at the Natural History Museum are using Auto-Montage Pro to generate images of male bumblebee genitalia, by which bumblebee species can be accurately identified. Bees are among the most important pollinators of plants worldwide, and are sensitive to environmental changes, thus providing early warning signs of future problems. Therefore, it is important to identify them correctly, in order to track changes.

Dr Andrew Polaszek, a research scientist at the Natural History Museum explained: “We are using male bee genitalia as an identification method because bumblebee colour patterns can be very similar across species and this makes using gross body morphology as a guide, quite difficult.”

“As bumblebee genitalia are small but not flat, in the past we have had to use scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to produce accurate images of them. However, since installing Auto-Montage Pro we have produced over 400 superb images, which are detailed enough to identify species, without using SEM. This is a major benefit as it has considerably reduced the time and expense of generating precise images and means we have been able to make a good proportion of the Natural History Museum’s Bombus collection available via our web site,” added Dr Polaszek.

Martin Smith, Syncroscopy’s Divisional Manager commented: “To see Auto-Montage Pro being used to publish such high quality images by a world-renowned institute like the Natural History Museum, is very exciting. Their work is a great example of the advances in imaging Auto-Montage Pro can bring to taxonomic studies, and should encourage entomologists everywhere to consider using this exceptional software.”

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Image generated by Auto-Montage Pro of dorsal and posterior aspects of the male genitalia of bombus type species: mendax

Dr Andrew Polaszek, Department of Entomology, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD, UK.

Note to Editors

About Syncroscopy

Syncroscopy develops and manufactures world-leading digital imaging solutions for extending the capabilities of optical microscopes. Syncroscopy's innovative brands include: Auto-Montage, unique software that produces infinite depth of focus images and has 3-D modelling and measurement features; Montage Explorer software, for accurate seamless image stitching of large sample images; and SyncroScan, an automated system, which attaches to digital microscopes to allow high speed sample scanning and precise image stitching. Syncroscopy's software and systems are used by more than 2,000 organisations internationally and include many of the world's major research institutes.

Syncroscopy, founded in 1998 is a division of the Synoptics Group based in Cambridge, UK. The Group’s other divisions, Syngene and Synbiosis, specialise in digital imaging solutions for molecular biology and microbial applications respectively. Synoptics currently employs 60 people in its UK and subsidiary operation in Frederick, USA. The Group has profitable revenue of almost $10 million and continues to grow rapidly.

About the Department of Entomology

The Department of Entomology at the Natural History Museum in London, UK is an international centre of excellence for the study of insect and arachnid systematics, taxonomy, identification and comparative biology. The department has a leading position in insect natural history, based on the expertise of its 100 strong staff and their use and development of the Museum's unrivalled collections of around 28 million specimens of insects, mites and spiders; outstanding library resources; and modern laboratory facilities.