How far have we come: 170 years of research on Canadian Coleoptera

By

Majka, Christopher
Klimaszewski, Jan

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2008

Original Publication

ZooKeys

Volume

2

Pages

1-10

Subjects

Canada , Coleoptera , Ecology , History , Research , taxonomy

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.2.22

 

Abstract

A brief history of the research on Coleoptera in Canada is recounted. The Canadian fauna was first studied by Kirby (1837) from specimens collected during the first two Franklin expeditions to the Canadian Arctic. Over the next 170 years many investigators have turned their attention to Canadian beetles. In 1991, 7,436 species had been documented to occur in the country. Since then there have been many taxonomic, faunistic, ecological, and other studies. Despite this long history of research, it is evident that much still remains to be done. It is important to recognize that taxonomic research is the foundation for understanding the biological diversity of the natural world.