Thread subject: Diptera.info :: Diptera DataBase

Posted by John Bratton on 12-06-2007 15:52
#16

I support Tony T's (why do people hide their full name?) suggestion of including habitat shots on Diptera.info. It would need some regulation so as not to be dominated by gardens supporting Episyrphus balteatus. But for the rarer species from natural habitats there would be several uses for views of the habitat. Firstly, it is just interesting to see where species are found. It helps you to search for the species in new places if you know what kind of habitat to look in. Several photos from different places may reveal a common feature of the sites where the species is found, so telling us something of its ecological needs. And it could promote conservation of the species, if 10 years from now, it allows a nature reserve owner to see what the habitat used to be like and convinces them of the need to clear some willow scrub from a marsh or thin a woodland.

John Bratton
North Wales