Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand abstracts
Morphospecies as a substitute for Coleoptera species identification, and
the value of experience in improving accuracy
B. I. P. Barratt
AgResearch, Invermay Agricultural Centre,
Private Bag 50 034, Mosgiel, New Zealand.
Email: barbara.barratt@agresearch.co.nz
J. G. B. Derraik
Ecology and Health Research Centre, Department of Public Health,
Wellington School of Medicine Health Sciences, University of Otago,
P.O. Box 734, Wellington, New Zealand.
C. G. Rufaut
Ecology, Conservation and Biodiversity Research Group, Botany Department,
University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand.
A. J. Goodman
Wharf Road, Colville, Coramandel, New Zealand.
K. J. M. Dickinson
Ecology, Conservation and Biodiversity Research Group, Botany Department,
University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Abstract Biodiversity studies are often limited by unavailability
or inaccessibility of taxonomic expertise; in New Zealand, taxonomic revisions
and keys to many invertebrate groups are far from complete. To make progress
with ecological and biodiversity studies, the separation of organisms into
recognisable taxonomic units or morphospecies has sometimes been adopted.
Coleoptera are speciose, trophically diverse, and taxonomically well known
compared with other large trophically diverse groups and so they are useful
to include in biodiversity studies. This study opportunistically examined
the accuracy of Coleoptera species separation using morphologically recognisable
features of specimens collected from three different vegetation communities,
by three student researchers with different levels of training and previous
expertise. Their morphospecies were examined by a single researcher with experience
in taxonomy of Coleoptera. In total, 155 morphospecies were separated by
the three students, compared with 151 determined by the specialist, which
included representatives from 23 families of Coleoptera. All three students
identified a total number of morphospecies within about 10% of the actual
number, irrespective of previous training. However, the proportion of correct
species separation increased from 63 to 87% in accordance with the level of
previous experience. Common errors in species separation made by parataxonomists
in relation to coleopteran families are discussed.
Keywords biodiversity; Coleoptera; morphospecies; parataxonomy;
taxonomy
R02021 Received 1 July 2002; accepted 21 February 2003; published 18 June
2003
© Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, Volume 33, Number
2, June 2003, pp 583-590
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