Jurassic flies thrive, taxonomists face extinction
Australian stiletto flies will boost the chances of an endangered profession - taxonomists.
The Aussie flies are part of a special project of the US National Science
Foundation, which has called for enhanced training in taxonomy, to counteract
the decline in numbers of practising taxonomists.
Scientists fear that the loss of biodiversity caused by world-wide changes of
habitat is being matched by a loss of scientific expertise, as ever fewer
researchers take up the discipline.
Taxonomy is the study of the classification of all living things.
The result is a special program, Partnerships for Enhancing Expertise in
Taxonomy (PEET), which supports research projects targeting groups of poorly
known organisms.
"We are taking part in a PEET project to unravel the mysteries of a group of
insects dating from the Jurassic era, the stiletto flies," says CSIRO's Dr
Christine Lambkin.
"An important part of Australia's biodiversity, stiletto flies or Therevidae
are poorly known and among the least understood of the flies worldwide.
"The Australasian region is exceptionally rich in Therevidae, with more than
a third of the total world species. Yet it is the least collected and least
studied of the world's regions", she says.
"Stiletto flies are fascinating and diverse. Their larvae feed on immature
insects and small organisms in the soil," says Dr Lambkin. "They are important
to the health of arid and semiarid environments, including agro-ecosystems and
forests in those zones. Their presence may be a measure of soil productivity and
biodiversity".
Dr Lambkin says the ancient group could also provide information about
continental drift.
"Many areas of the world are poorly collected, and Therevids can be difficult
to collect even when they are abundant, so there are enormous gaps in our
knowledge of these insects," she says. "We are involved in a world-wide research
project, with expeditions to targeted areas of the globe collecting material for taxonomic
study."
CSIRO is committed to the training of the next generation of taxonomists and
considers the international partnership with the PEET project to be of great
strategic value, according to Dr Rob Floyd, leader of CSIRO Entomology's
biodiversity research program.
The project meets other goals of the PEET program - training the next generation of taxonomists; developing information
management for electronic dissemination; and preparing monographs on poorly
studied species.
Dr Lambkin's research is also supported by the Schlinger Foundation, and the
Australian Biological Resources Study.
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Their long slender body gives stiletto flies their name. This Ectinorhynchus species is still unnamed. Photo: Anthony O'Toole, University of Queensland.
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More information from:
Chris Lambkin, CSIRO Entomology, 02 6246 4251
David Yeates, CSIRO Entomology, 02 6246 4282
Rob Floyd, CSIRO Entomology, 02 6246 4089
Malcolm Robertson, CSIRO Entomology, 0408 627 685
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