Collecting invertebrates - some more reassurance

Volucella zonaria. CC image by Martin Cooper.

Last night at home we were looking at some photos, and one of them was of the strange creature above. It was in August and we'd found it sunning itself on a trellis. At first sight it looked like a massive wasp or hornet, but closer inspection proved it had two wings (not four) and no thin waspy waist - it was actually a type of fly.

I've got an excellent book on hoverflies (these wasp mimics are often hoverflies, i.e. in the Syrphidae family) - it's by Stuart Ball and Roger Morris and called 'Britain's Hoverflies'. And because this animal is so distinctive I was able to identify it with the time-honoured practice of page-flicking. But the book is excellent and the keys are easy to use - you'd probably not have too much problem with less obvious species. However, hoverfly season's doubtless pretty much over, so maybe save your money for next year.

However, I read some very useful advice which applies to other invertebrates too. It's reassuring if you're experiencing squeamishness about killing specimens for your collection. If you take what you're doing seriously, your collecting can be for the greater good.

Ball and Morris say: "Many naturalists frown upon the collection of specimens. The prevailing ethos is 'leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but photographs.' [But] this approach does not work for a large proportion of Diptera, or indeed for many other invertebrates. It is often necessary to examine a dead specimen rather closely in order to ensure an accurate identification.

"So is there a potential conflict between collection and conservation? The authors of the book have both spent most of their working lives employed by conservation organisations and do not consider there to be a conflict. Whilst we recognise that a few rare species have such restricted breeding sites that collecting could be damaging, we believe that insect faunas are at far greater risk through not knowing which sites are important and how they should be managed.

"The collection of a few voucher specimens is extremely unlikely to be damaging to hoverfly populations and, in our view, responsible collecting that adds to our knowledge of the distribution and biology of hoverflies, should be encouraged. However, we would stress that if an animal has died to generate an identification then use should be made of the resulting record! It should be lodged with the Recording Scheme and subsequently made available to conservation organisations and researchers. Although not a good reason to condone collecting, it is worth bearing in mind that you will kill many more hoverflies on the front of your car driving to and from a site than you are ever likely to collect."

Another use for dead flies. CC image by James F Carter

At the risk of quoting half their book, they also offer these thoughts on 'Why keep a collection?"

"Vouchers: You can prove to yourself and others that you got the identification correct. This is especially important when you are starting off. The best way to learn is to try naming some specimens and then to get them checked by an expert. Nevertheless, however expert you may become, it remains important to keep vouchers for difficult and uncertain identifications.

Comparison: The identification process often involves comparative judgements (e.g. bigger than...; eye hairs darker than...). In these cases, it is very useful to have material you have previously identified to hand so that you can remind yourself what the various options look like."

They also link to an updated version of the Code of Conduct for Collecting Insects and Other Invertebrates (2002).

You might also like the discussion on why collecting specimens is still relevant and useful (and will remain so) here on ResearchGate.