Subject: 30,000,000 Aliens (fwd)

From: Thomas Kral <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 30 Apr 1996 11:12:02 -0700

Lets just try to have a fun an interesting discussion for a change.  I'm
posting this to Leps-l as well because I'm familiar with how extensively
the taxonomy and systematics is developed with butterflies in classifying
them (so many more subspecies, clines, forms, ecotypes, etc. than for any
other insect order).  I wonder if work in lepidoptera systematics has
contributed to the now estimated 30,000,000 species of insect worldwide.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 30 Apr 1996 09:33:14 -0700 (MST)
From: Thomas Kral <[email-masked]>
To: Entomology Discussion List <[email-masked]>
Cc: Multiple recipients of list ENTOMO-L <[email-masked]>
Subject: 30,000,000 Aliens

I'm just interested in asking a question.  I saw ALIEN EMPIRE a while
back in which at least twice, the total number of insects species
believed to occur in the world was mentioned.  One figure was about
1,000,000 different species, but later on the claim of 30,000,000
different species was mentioned!

    I was always lead to believe that about 1 million insect species is
the true figure.  The old Borror & White figure was 703,500 described
species, so when considering what has been decribed since, and what
remains to be discovered, the 1,000,000 figure seems reasonable.  My
question is: Where does the 30,000,000 figure come from?

     I would be interested in knowing what manner of estimate and
systematics is used to come up with the 30 million figure?

Sincerely

Tom

---

From: Andrew Stagg <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 1 May 1996 06:38:12 +-100

I also watched the Alien Empire program a few weeks back.
The 1,000,000 figure was given as the approximate total number of insects
thus far classified. The 30,000,000 figure was given as the approximate
potential number of insect species on the planet, considering our lack of
classification of species in such biodiverse areas as the amazon etc. The
tone of the figure was such that if in-depth searches were made such
numbers of species could be found.

Andrew Stagg