Rare, very rare and other classification...

[Robin Leech]

Well, let's try this for starters.  If a number of "beetle people" had
visited a place for a period of about
10 years, and found say 75 species of carabids, some represented by a
specimen only, it would be
assumed by many that certain species represented by 1 or 2 specimens were
"rare".

Along comes another "beetle person" who tends to think like a beetle, and
says to himself, "Now, where would I hide?"  The one person I am thinking
about found many, many of the so-called "rare" species,
and found, in one season, about 50 more species of carabids at the same site
(about a section of land,
or one square mile).

Look at the gazillions of new carabids that Terry Erwin found in supposedly
well-collected sites in
South America - he used a new process - fogging.

I am afraid that, for most species, the concept of rare is not real.  In
fact, it is meaningless.  It is really our ability to find the creature or
plant.  Often it is the ability of the collector to "suss out" the critters
(or plants).

Now, there are some rare species, but not as many as our egos would like to
think that there are.

Robin Leech

-----Original Message-----
From: ricardo <ricardo at ANS.COM.AU>
To: Multiple recipients of list TAXACOM <TAXACOM at CMSA.BERKELEY.EDU>
Date: Saturday, March 13, 1999 2:21 PM
Subject: Rare, very rare and other classification...


>Fear colleagues
>
>I would like to know why taxonomists stop using classification for
abundance
>like rare, common etc.
>
>Was it some threat from government and comapanies who wouldn't like to have
>rare insects on meadow which has to be converted to factory or construction
>site?
>
>Keep care and be of good cheer.
>
>Regards
>
>(name) Vratislav Richard Eugene Maria John Baptiste
>(surname) of Bejsak (Bayshark)-Collorado-Mansfeld
>
>Coleoptera - Australia, Tenebrionidae of World
>(incl. Lagriinae, Alleculinae)
>
>University of Sydney
>The Wentworth Bldg.,
>P.O.Box 62
>NSW 2006
>AUSTRALIA
>phone  :  +61 414 540 465
>e-mail: vratislav at bigfoot.com
>           ricardo at ans.com.au
>           (before Ricardo at compuserve.com
>             and    ricardo at login.cz )
>
>http://www.coleoptera.org
>
>Home address:
>32 Girrawheen Ave.
>Kiama NSW 2533
>Australia
>
>Only after the last tree has been cut down,
>only after the last river has been poisoned,
>only after the last fish has been caught,
>only then will you find that money can not be eaten.'
>        CREE INDIAN PROPHECY.
>