Diptera.info

Posted by crex on 19-06-2006 22:44

There are many dipterists that aren't here (yet) so I wonder why you visit diptera.info? I specially wonder what you experienced entomologists think of the amateur photos that are beeing sent in for identification. Does it give you anything, maybe help you in some way, or are you just generous trying to help other less knowledgeable people?

My reason for being here? I'm more of a collector than a biolog ... so I guess it's about collecting records. The idea of discovering a really unusual find is appealing. I plan to report my findings to the upcoming Swedish Online Invertebrates Register. Perhaps this will help research a tiny bit. This wouldn't be possible if it weren't for other people that helped me with identifications.

I've been interested in insects/spiders since the late '70s, but I realized pretty soon I would never be able to manage a collection of dead animals. That stopped me then. I also did some lame efforts to photograph 'em, but the digital revolution nowadays has made it a lot easier for amateurs like myself to take acceptable macro photos.

Even though I'm a newbie here I've learned much by reading the forums with identification discussions and I love to see all the really good photos of the extraordinary creatures. It's truly inspiring. I'm just sorry I can't contribute with more than a few photos.

Posted by Robert Nash on 20-06-2006 08:26

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step " Mao Tse Tung. And don't forget a picture is worth a thousand words and yes the Diptera are "extraordinary creatures". All the best from Ireland Robert
PS. Take a look at the glossary for the word jizz

header=[jizz] body=[Jizz is the 'je ne sais quoi' of a fly's being, the not easily defined mix of characters which identify a taxon.
This is the concept of gestalt and the family species is a gestalt entity. A gestalt entity is a physical, biological, psychological, or symbolic configuration or pattern of elements, so unified as a whole that its properties cannot be derived from a simple summation of its parts.
<br /><img src='infusions//terms/images/no_image.gif' style='vertical-align:middle;' />] delay=[0] fade=[on]

this sums up what photos are all about I hope.

EDIT Paul Beuk: added the [glos] tags for jizz. Anyone can now use the tags in the forum (at least for existing terms).

Edited by Paul Beuk on 20-06-2006 08:44