More eyes on the prize: an observation of a very rare, threatened species of Philippine Bumble bee, Bombus irisanensis, on iNaturalist and the importance of citizen science in conservation biology

Creator

Joseph S. Wilson, Utah State University
Aaron D. Pan, Don Harrington Discovery Center
David Emmanuel M. General, University of the Philippines Los Banos
Jonathan B. Koch, University of Hawaii at Hilo

Issue Date

3-2020

Abstract

Of the two Bombus Latreille species found in the Philippines, only Bombus irisanensis Cockerell is endemic to the archipelago and is considered to be of vulnerable stasis by IUCN. While this species has not been reported since the 1990’s, here we report on two observations published on iNaturalist.org of B. irisanensis. These observations highlight the importance of natural history databases like iNaturalist, which enable users to upload photographs for expert identification, and we encourage conservationists to take advantage of the data in these repositories.

Source or Periodical Title

Journal of Insect Conservation

ISSN

1366-638X

Volume

24

Issue

4

Page

727-729

Document Type

Article

Physical Description

illustration; references

Language

English

Subject

Bee declines, Citizen science, Conservation monitoring, Pollinator

Recommended Citation

Wilson, J.S., Pan, A.D., General, D.E.M., Koch, J.B.U. (2020). More eyes on the prize: an observation of a very rare, threatened species of Philippine Bumble bee, Bombus irisanensis, on iNaturalist and the importance of citizen science in conservation biology. Journal of Insect Conservation, 24 (4), 727-729. DOI:10.1007/s10841-020-00233-3.

Identifier

DOI:10.1007/s10841-020-00233-3.

Digital Copy

yes

En – AGROVOC descriptors

BEE DECLINES; CITIZEN SCIENCE; CONSERVATION MONITORING; POLLINATOR