Biodiversity Data Journal :
Taxonomic Paper
|
Corresponding author: Michael Balke (balke.m@snsb.de)
Academic editor: Quentin Groom
Received: 31 Jul 2017 | Accepted: 22 Sep 2017 | Published: 10 Oct 2017
© 2017 Nano Suprayitno, Raden Pramesa Narakusumo, Thomas von Rintelen, Lars Hendrich, Michael Balke
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation:
Suprayitno N, Narakusumo R, von Rintelen T, Hendrich L, Balke M (2017) Taxonomy and Biogeography without frontiers – WhatsApp, Facebook and smartphone digital photography let citizen scientists in more remote localities step out of the dark. Biodiversity Data Journal 5: e19938. https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.5.e19938
|
|
Taxonomy and biogeography can benefit from citizen scientists. The use of social networking and open access cooperative publishing can easily connect naturalists even in more remote areas with in-country scientists and institutions, as well as those abroad. This enables taxonomic efforts without frontiers and at the same time adequate benefit sharing measures.
We present new distribution and habitat data for diving beetles of Bali island, Indonesia, as a proof of concept. The species Hydaticus luczonicus Aubé, 1838 and Eretes griseus (Fabricius, 1781) are reported from Bali for the first time. The total number of Dytiscidae species known from Bali is now 34.
Citizen Science, taxonomy, parataxonomists, handphone technology, internet, social media, diving beetles, Bali
Citizen science (CS) is a currently much promoted and well-funded approach that seeks to stimulate the public to support scientists and vice versa (e.g. www.citizen-science-germany.de; www.buergerschaffenwissen.de). CS has different origins based on different concepts that date back until the mid-nineties, and we here refer to
However, of the data generated by the "usual" CS projects, only a few (12% out of 388 projects) are being published in peer-reviewed scientific articles (
In a way, many taxonomists always were and still are highly advanced citizen scientists, i.e. extremely motivated amateurs educating themselves and often growing into world-leading authorities in their particular field. And recently, there has been increasing cooperation and exchange between such taxonomists and "professional" scientists (i.e. those whose job description includes taxonomy and systematics etc.). An example is DNA barcoding projects where museum scientists rely heavily on the expertise of amateur taxonomists who are often the only ones with knowledge of the taxonomy and ecology of certain taxa. Reassuringly, this has also led to co-authored publications (e.g.
However, most of the world’s biodiversity is not in central Europe, but in tropical countries where it is not always easy, even for professional taxonomists, to access data and exchange ideas, let alone citizens access adequate resources.
At the same time, internet utilization is growing worldwide. Particularly in developing countries, in 2015 the adult internet user and mobile technology ownership reached 54% and 37% of the total population respectively and social networking usage is likely to be higher than in developed countries (
Here, we describe a simple approach (Fig.
This is the focus of our study. We demonstrate the feasibility of our approach by providing empirical data on the biogeography (faunistics) and taxonomy of selected Balinese aquatic Coleoptera because the fauna of Bali is comparably well known and the species selected for our study can be identified based on photographs taken with a handphone camera. The longer-term project goal is an extensive inventory of the Balinese fauna, for which we will propose a collaborative project in the future.
We use an Indonesian made Polytron handphone 4G450. Habitat images were taken with the built-in camera (5MP, 2592 x 1944 pixels). The Geo-tagging function was used to map sampling localities in Google Maps.
For detailed photography of specimens, this camera was enhanced with clip-on magnification lenses according to beetle size, i.e. a 2.8X "macro lens" (article DCK004649) and a 20X "super macro/microscope lens" (article DCK004647) from dckina.com (obtained for approx. 12US$ each).
The citizen scientist (in Fig.
In general, some species can be identified based on photos. Merely using photographs, others can only be identified to genus, or species group. Many other species need to be examined by an expert and usually be dissected for proper identification. Thus, future investigation of the collected and documented specimens might be desirable. Our voucher specimens were, therefore, presented to a national repository, in this case the Indonesian Institute of Sciences, Zoological Museum: Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense (LIPI/MZB). From here, specimens can be shipped abroad as loans for taxonomic identification via standard inter-museum loan procedures.
The result of such a cooperative effort is scientific publications of new data gained as well as an improved national collection.
Here, we provide the original images taken with a handphone camera and publicized via WhatsApp and Facebook as the starting point of the present project.
Allopachria quadripustulata (Fig.
Cybister tripunctatus (Figs
Eretes griseus (Figs
Hydaticus bipunctatus conjungens (Figs
Hydaticus fabricii (Fig.
Hydaticus luczonicus (Fig.
Hydaticus pacificus (Fig.
Microdytes elgae (Fig.
Sandracottus hunteri (Fig.
Indonesia: Sumatra, Siberut, Bali, Flores.
The species was collected from a shaded stream margin with volcanic gravel and roots, that site can be strongly flooded after rain (Hendrich & Balke 1995, Bali: Ubud, Monkey Forest, this site was revisited by Suprayitno several times but without beetle observations which might be due to heavy pollution of the stream). A similar habitat was now encountered in Manggis at locality BALI_NS_2016_09 (Fig.
The species is widespread in the Australian, Oriental and Palearctic regions; the nominal subspecies is Afrotropical.
In a wide variety of stagnant water habitats such as lakes, ponds, paddies, where there is sufficient vegetation. Also in slowly streaming wide rivers with quieter, shallow and vegetated sections.
Widespread throughout warm regions of the Old World. First record for Bali.
Sunda islands as far east as Sumba, Sulawesi.
India, SE Asia, Sunda islands as far east as Sumba (
Philippines, SE Asia. First record for Bali.
SE Asia, Sunda islands as far east as Tanimbar; not on Borneo or Sulawesi. This species was first recorded for Bali by
The species occupies stagnant water bodies. In Bali, it was often found in pools of intermittent streams (Figs
Widespread through the SE Paleartic region and SE Asia (Bhutan, Indonesia [Bali, Lombok, Kalimantan], Malaysia [Peninsula, Sarawak], Singapore) (
Microdytes elgae inhabits small shaded or semishaded helocrenes as well as small streams in shaded forest environments. The beetles usually hide beneath leaves and in the gravel under only a very thin film of water (
Note, this species was to date treated under the name S. mixtus (Blanchard, 1843). However, this name is not applicable to the species treated here, with the available name being Hydaticus hunteri Crotch, 1872 (a taxonomic clarification will be presented by Hendrich, in prep.).
The workflow described here has proven useful to connect a highly motivated citizen scientist to expert taxonomists and museum curators. Online information exchange and training is leading to the formation of a parataxonomist, and has led to the enhancement of a national depository. We suggest that this approach would also be very beneficial for researchers at universities in less connected areas, such as ecologists and zoologists, who are frequently confronted with the need to identify species in the course of their work, but are often essentially operating at the same level of taxonomic expertise as an interested amateur. In addition to enabling these researchers to publish higher quality papers, the formation of links to national depositories would add sustainability to biodiversity research where it is most needed. Our approach can also aid in the formation of national as well as international networks using a technology that is fast, readily available and easy to use.
Here, we have presented new distributional data on the diving beetle fauna of Bali. Two new records for the island raise the total number of Dytiscidae species known from Bali to 34. In the future, it is our goal to compile a comprehensive faunistic review of the Balinese fauna using our approach.
Participation of MB and TvR was made possible with support from BMBF Biodiversity & Health Program, project 16GW0112 (Working Phase 6.4, 6 PM MfN), which is greatly acknowledged.