Jim McClarin

Unido: 16.ene.2015 Última actividad: 14.sep.2024 iNaturalist Ecuador

I am a volunteer collector for the invertebrate section of the QCAZ Museum of the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador, focusing primarily on beetles. My chief interest is in finding species new to science, especially in the cloud forest region where I live on the eastern slope of the Andes. There are many, many species locally that are unknown to science and, via the museum, I am lining up specialists to send those I am finding for description, naming, and publication. (Afterwards, the specimens are returned to the museum.)

Most of my observations on iNaturalist will be just one per species (morphotype anyway) but will consist of several views of dead specimens laid out next to a millimeter rule for identification purposes. (I do very few "nature" shots.) I have way too many species to post to bother with repeat sightings. For more extensive species or morphotype photo records, mostly beetles arranged by family, see my albums at
https://www.flickr.com/photos/36494393@N00/albums.

For my jungle camp blogs and more varied photos, see "Jim McClarin" on Facebook.

For any interested in my profile photo, that's a real-size White Witch (Thysania agrippina), the moth species famous for having the widest wingspan of any moth in the world. It arrived at my UV light during the night and was still there near the edge of the moth sheet (beetle sheet for me) in the morning. Location, Wildsumaco Lodge, about 1400 meters elevation, Sumaco, Napo, Ecuador. It's the only moth photo you're likely to see from me since I don't do moths. (Too many beetles to post!)

Re identification help, a great many of the species I post here will be unidentifiable until they are described by a specialist for their group.

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