Researchers discover more insect species in California than previously estimated

Researchers from the California Insect Barcode Initiative (CIBI) identified 60,000 unique insect species across California.

The team used a DNA barcoding system to catalog the diversity of insects in the state. This technology works by comparing the genetic information of an insect against a database to identify the specific species. To build this library, more than 100 volunteers collected tissue samples from museum collections and used Malaise traps, which are tent-like structures that capture insects in ethanol, across 72 ecoregions.

They also used various sampling methods at 454 other sites throughout the state. The results of the study, published in the journal Ecography, show that the number of insect species in California is likely near the high end of previous estimates. Before this research, scientists estimated the state held between 26,000 and 100,000 species. The new data suggests that the 60,000 identified species represent only 65% to 69% of the total insect fauna in California.

This means roughly one-third of the state's insect species remain undiscovered. The researchers found that almost every site they studied contained a unique insect community. They noted that species richness was highest in the Mojave Basin and Range and the Southern California Mountains ecoregions. Megan Barkdull, an assistant curator at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, stated that these findings emphasize the need to include insects in conservation decisions.

She noted that because insect diversity patterns differ from those of plants and vertebrates, current conservation maps cannot be used as perfect proxies for protecting insects.