About Insecta.pro

We try to make the Insecta.pro website convenient and useful for people with different levels of training and different interests in the field of entomology. Check out a drop of history and the current features and principles of the project, and if you have something to suggest, let's discuss and apply!

The main entity on the site is a species. Not a photograph. Not an observation. Not an entomologist. Not a message. Not a family. Not a collection specimen. A species. And other taxa from subspecies to subclass, photos, specimens, observation point markers and other entities available on the website are linked to the species, directly or indirectly.
Until recently, the species on the site had such a priority over other levels of taxa that for genera and others there were no descriptions or local names at all — only a position in the system (tree), including daughter taxa plus an illustration. Now the situation is changing, and descriptions are appearing for supraspecific taxa too, but species still have priority.

Since the species is the most important thing, the website has a Species Catalogue along with the classic taxon tree (Taxonomy section) — a separate section in which we make selections specifically by species, using supraspecific taxa as just one of the parameters by which selection is possible.

Historical background: the website started its work in 2007 as a Lepidoptera catalogue. It became “Insecta” later. In some places you can still find elements of the old version, for example, names of photo angles, some sections in species descriptions, selection parameters that apply to Lepidoptera. We are gradually moving away from this specificity.

For those who are only interested in butterflies/moths, only beetles or another order of insects and who are bothered by information not about "their" order — the website has a special function “show only the selected order”. Pay attention to the top of any page of the site — there are buttons “show”, with which you can choose which of the popular orders (for example, Lepidoptera, Hymenoptera, Coleoptera) to leave visible, and which to hide.

The site covers a huge number of taxa, and there is no single, most “correct” classification of them, and none is expected. Therefore, we believe that in this area, the most important thing is to make it so that people with different opinions can find the taxon they need. Therefore, a large pool of taxa from different sources was previously uploaded to the site and the initial work was carried out to catch duplicates, errors, search for synonyms and alternative genera combinations. Secondly, it is necessary to make sure that the system on the website is not ancient, with long-recognized and corrected errors. In many cases, extreme innovation is not good for it either. Therefore, now, along with supplementing the system on the site with new species and synonyms, work is underway on a more thoughtful formation of the taxon tree based on "pointed" sources. Due to the constant updating of insect species descriptions on the website online, classic species essays, which are complete (until the next reprint) texts, are poorly applicable to them. Instead, the site uses the following system:
— The species description is divided into sections (there is nothing really new here).
— Users can add text information. In this case, for each section of data, the source must be indicated. As a result, for any statement in the species description on the site, you can find out where it came from and who added it. This helps to assess the adequacy of the data and avoid mistakes.
All registered users can add information on species, but in fact it turns out that the overwhelming majority of text data is added by the editor, moderators and curators of taxa. Therefore, there is not as much data as there could be. So do not hesitate to add information to the species descriptions on the website if you have access to adequate sources!

Based on this data, moderators formalize the characteristics of the species — so that these characteristics can be used to select species in the “Catalog” section.

Our site is completely bilingual. You can switch between versions by clicking on the link in the upper right corner or by simply changing the address in the browser line. The opportunity for entomologists and insect lovers from different countries to participate in the life of the site and communicate on it greatly expands its content. But keep in mind that quality of the translation might differ, so don’t hesitate to ask if you don’t quite understand something on the Community or other sections of the website.

Here I would like to draw your attention (primarily to our English-speaking colleagues) to the fact that on the site Latin names have unconditional priority, and local names, including English ones, are given as additional, optional information, so optional that, unlike any other data in the description of the species, it is not necessary to indicate the source.

We do not check the passport upon registration, but we ask you to indicate as registration data not some nickname, but your real first and last name, so that your participation in the project is more open and understandable to other users. Specifying a real name is a sign of respect for the community on the site.

Historically, the majority of comments on the website went to photographs and taxa, and communication in the “forum” format, although it was conducted, was noticeably less. Now the entomological forum has integrated to the Insecta.pro, and, accordingly, many topics and messages in the “forum” format. Therefore, you can find, for example, such topics as “Photos of insects” — despite the fact that most of the messages in them belong in the photo gallery of the site, and not on the forum. Let me remind you that, unlike the “simple forum”, the message system on the Insecta.pro site is site-through. That is, you see comments to the photo on the photo page and see all the comments to the photos in the Community section. Similarly — for other entities.
For the same reason (import of an external forum), you can find not only real names of the users on the site, but also nicknames. But only in the forum section and only inactive (i.e. archived records) of those people who have not synchronized their accounts.

The projects section is now almost empty. Its purpose is a separate functionality that goes beyond the general on the site. For example, to account for Myanmar ants. But at the same time with a link to the general tree on the site, gallery, comment system, etc. If you have a need to create such a thing, write to us, we will be happy to cooperate.

And finally. The quantity and quality of data on insects, as well as the presence of active and enthusiastic people on the site directly depends on the participation of other "active and enthusiastic". Therefore, if you are not indifferent to entomological topics, find time — show your activity and interest in the Community, in the Gallery, on the Maps, in the Catalog and/or in other sections of the Insecta.pro project.