Sample event data on ground beetles (Coleoptera, Carabidae) collected by Biological Station Wijster (BSW) in the years 1959, 1961, 1963, 1965 and 1966

Background
Historical data on invertebrates are rare and their preservation and FAIR publication are of high importance. Systematically collected historical data can greatly improve the baselines against which trends in biodiversity of these groups are measured. Therefore, we started a data publication project to digitise and publish one of the longest-running insect monitoring schemes in the world.

New information
The raw data presented in the dataset have not been published before. It consists of 45,486 records of 90,070 specimens from 134 species of ground beetles caught between 1959 and 1966 in the Province of Drenthe, the Netherlands. All specimens were identified to species level by taxonomic specialists. The data were collected using a standardised field study set-up with pitfall traps. Extensive cross-checking during digitisation guaranteed an error rate of < 0.1%.

The dataset presented here forms part of a much larger dataset of 300,000 records and close to 1 million individuals of 172 ground beetle species collected in the same area from 1959 to the present day, which will be further digitised in the coming years. The first part of the dataset has been registered in the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and can be found under: https://doi.org/10.15468/3mcqja.