Rarities - What are 'Data Books'?

[Jason Green]

I have recently heard of these Data Books, associated with rare insects. Is there a website that lists the common and rare insects, or are they literally books? I.E.- Red Data Book species

It's probably an obvious answer, but I don't know much on this subject.

Could Someone Explain This Subject Of Data Books Please? Thankyou.

[JeffH]

The Red Data books are produced by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) and you'll find more details here -
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species | Search Home

Hope that helps

Jeff

[oxycera]

The Joint Nature Conservation Committe has produced a number of books over the years on scarce and threatened insects in the UK. Very useful and perhaps not as well known as they ought to be.

[JonSadler]

The Red Data Book for insects in the UK was compiled by D.B. Shirt and lists species that are threatened and vulnerable in the UK.

Shirt, D.B. (editor) 1987. British Red Data Books: 2 Insects. Peterborough: Nature Conservancy Council.

The IUCN books relate to global species that are under threat and although they include some UK insects there are not that many. The UK Red Data Book includes many more species and the JNCC lists (Scarce and Threatened species - the updated red data books) added many more to that. Check out the JNCC website for the classifications and their meaning (e.g. RDB1-3, RDBK etc and nationally scarce N, Na and Nb) and a spreadsheet of species designations:

Red Data Books

All the best

Jon

[eucera]

Hi Everyone

Jon is quite right that JNCC published the RDB on British Insects (21 years ago), and in so doing, created its own criteria for assigning species statuses (based on dot-counting).

The IUCN has, since 1987, created criteria that can be used at varying spatial scales (from global level, continental, biogeographic region, nation state.... etc.) and attempts to make the criteria transferable across taxa. The UK insect lists are now seriously out of date and due for revision using the new criteria... and this takes expertise, time and funds (of which 2 at least are in short supply). For instance, the "Bee Wolf" (Philanthus triangulum) is still listed as an RDB2 species, despite its massive expansion of range and of abundance. Using the IUCN criteria this would now be classified as LC (Least Concern).

The situation regarding bees has recently been resolved for the whole of the island of Ireland, as they have a brand new RDB for bees. This was a cross-border initiative, and driven by Trinity College, Dublin, and Queen's University Belfast. The UK bee, wasp and ant fauna is due to be re-assessed this winter. Despite being very quick off the mark 25 years ago, we now lag behind many of our European collegues. Bee Red Lists now exist for Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland (of sorts), Germany, Switzerland, Slovenia, Moldova, The Czech Republic, ... and partial lists for Russia, Hungary (Bumblebees only) and Spain (endemics only).

Hope this helps

Stuart

[Jason Green]

Is there an updated Red-list book of insects, any newer than the 1987 version that could be bought online?

[Laurence Clemons]

See Publications catalogue