SPATIAL PATTERNS OF SPECIES DESCRIPTION - HOW IS OUR KNOWLEDGE OF THE GLOBAL INSECT FAUNA GROWING

For the three most speciose orders of insects (Coleoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera), it appears that (i) most species are being described from temperate countries; (ii) the spatial distribution of descriptions does not conform with predicted levels of richness; and (iii) tropical countries have no more descriptions per unit area than have temperate countries. Such imbalances will have to be addressed if a firm taxonomic base is to be developed for the study of tropical insect faunas.