This project is a collaboration of more than 40 experts worldwide, as well as Costa Rica’s Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad (INBio). Together, we will collect extensively and identify all groups, even the “impossible” ones like ceratopogonids, cecidomyiids, and phorids. We expect to find a number of species that will surprise even us!
This will be the first time that such an intense effort will be made for any mega-diverse group of insects in the tropics. We were inspired by Terry Erwin’s fogging samples in Peru (and elsewhere), but wanted to go a different route in understanding tropical biodiversity. The “All Taxon Biodiversity Inventory” (ATBI) model appealed to us, but we knew we had to restrict our collecting to prevent the project from getting out of hand. We therefore decided to collect in just two small ravines in an area 100 m x 200 m in size.
We are calling the project the “Zurqui All Diptera Biodiversity Inventory”, or ZADBI. Collecting will start in September; meanwhile we are getting organized for the massive job of collecting, preparing, and identifying the tens (or hundreds) of thousands of specimens we will collect. Of course, we will be broadcasting our discoveries and experiences both here on flyobsession and on the project’s website (TBD). Get ready for some more cool flies!
Congratulations! This is truly phenomenal!
Congrats, Brian.
Thanks, Guys. We can’t wait to get started.
Brian
Splendid, eagerly await results. Still flying in New Zealand. Hugh Oliver.
Congratulations!
Brian this is so amazing and exciting! I love hearing about non-charasmatic fauna getting some much needed attention. Congrats!!!
thanks Kristen, but who says flies aren’t charismatic? 😉
Congrats, Brian! This shows persistence paying off! Now if we can just get the Samoan NSF Survey funded … even MORE flies will be discovered!!
Thanks, Neal. It has been a long process getting this funded but hopefully the results will be worth it.