Distribution maps and the NBN Gateway

You might find it interesting to see a distribution map of your species for this country - which you'll be able to find at the NBN Gateway.

This is a hub for biological records - they've amassed over 100 million of them from diverse sources. Pop your species name in the search box at the top right, and you'll be given its map and a link to download it.

The result might not be very enlightening if you've got a species that's very common and is found across the whole country (i.e., a swathe of coloured dots). But if you have one that's geographically restricted like my Pomatias elegans snail, it might reassure you that you've made the right decision against a similar-looking species which is found elsewhere..

from the NBN Gateway - Pomatias elegans distribution

Of course there are issues with this sort of thing - if you're looking at the map of an obscure fly, it might look rare even if it isn't - there's unlikely to be so many records (because not so many people are looking for them;  they might be hard to identify correctly; and because the records only reflect where people have looked - probably where they live and where they go on holiday, rather than reflecting an equal effort in each square). But there we are.

It might still be something you'd like to add to your notebook as supporting material and for interest.

~I see from the 1st April 2017 the NBN Gateway will get replaced by NBN Atlas UK, and it will be much easier to access records (other than those for 'sensitive' and rare species). To begin with the BSBI will only be transferring Scottish plant records, but hopefully English and Welsh records will follow.