I developed a competition for the public to name a new beetle species from Peru to raise awareness about species discoveries, biodiversity awareness, and the obscure science of taxonomy. The competition closes tomorrow! I look forward to seeing the submissions. The idea for this unusual outreach campaign grew from my interest to raise awareness about the work of the Amazon Conservation Association http://www.amazonconservation.org/. ACA has supported my research and teaching in Peru from the beginning, starting with a fellowship to visit their field station along the Madre de Dios River. Their three field stations (Los Amigos, Wayqecha, and Villa Carmen), with resident staff and facilities, have become a home to me and my students over the years and allow me access to pristine forests for my biotic inventory. I have been focused on processing specimens and getting collaborators to work on identifications, sorting out confusing synonyms, and preparing manuscripts about the known species in the ‘Beetles of Peru’ project. After publishing on the bulk of families, this international network of beetle experts estimates that we are looking at over a 1000 (and more) of new species and also new genera to describe. These beetle experts also agreed with me that we need to raise more awareness about the basic task of recognizing and naming species and that it is urgent to link our activity with the on-the-ground conservation efforts of ACA. So go ahead and name this new tiny featherwing beetle species from Peru and learn more about ACA: http://www.amazonconservation.org/beetlecomp/index.html
Update: My work featured in ACA’s monthly newsletter: http://us1.campaign-archive2.com/?u=0b64d04f172e9a35116a17faf&id=5c30ce901f&e=bfd722ffcd
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