Category Archives: Taxonomic Process

Photography of beetle microsculpture

Posted on 8 March 2013 by David Maddison

Here’s the setup I use to photograph microsculpture of beetles.  I also use the same setup to photograph whole beetles, or other parts, including genitalia, although there is some variation in lighting, position, etc., depending upon the part.  In some … Continue reading →

Posted in Revising Bembidiina, Scientific Illustrations, Taxonomic Process | Tagged | 1 Comment

Morphological subtleties and the value of n > 1

Posted on 18 February 2013 by David Maddison

Authors should consider illustrating two or more specimens of a species when trying to communicate the nature of some morphological trait in that species. Here’s why. In illustrating morphological features in a publication, authors typically choose one specimen to image … Continue reading →

Posted in Revising Bembidiina, Scientific Illustrations, Taxonomic Process | Leave a comment

The mysterious Bembidion ulkei

Posted on 15 February 2013 by David Maddison

In Carl Lindroth’s (1963) classic work on the Bembidiina of Canada and Alaska, he describes some species that do not occur in Canada or Alaska.  These species were always a source of some mystery to me when I was a … Continue reading →

Posted in Revising Bembidiina, Taxonomic Process | Tagged | 1 Comment

Names in native languages

Posted on 11 February 2013 by David Maddison

In an early post, I talked about how naming a species after the native people of an area should be done with caution, and ideally with permission.  While a name of a tribe is potentially offensive, I had thought that … Continue reading →

Posted in Revising Bembidiina, Taxonomic Process | Tagged , | 6 Comments

Wicked and confused Bembidion

Posted on 6 February 2013 by David Maddison

There are over 1200 known species of Bembidion.  Many of them are hard to tell apart.  They are small beetles.  Maybe for this reason some taxonomists have struggled with them, and their frustration occasionally is expressed when they name new … Continue reading →

Posted in Taxonomic Process | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Delightful DNA

Posted on 6 February 2013 by David Maddison

Well, it looks as if Bembidion (Plataphus) curtulatum is at least three species.  The above bits of DNA show parts of 28S ribosomal DNA.  Of the 950 bases that were sequenced, this shows only those sites that differ from one … Continue reading →

Posted in Revising Bembidiina, Taxonomic Process | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Naming species and the danger of good intentions

Posted on 3 February 2013 by David Maddison

It can be a bit of a challenge to come up with a meaningful name for a new beetle. I’m working on a paper or two in which I will be describing several new species of Bembidiina from North America.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Revising Bembidiina, Taxonomic Process | Tagged , | 2 Comments