Regional patterns of diversity and estimates of global insect species richness

✍ Scribed by Kevin J. Gaston; Elodie Hudson

• Publisher: Springer
• Year: 1994
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 435 KB
• Volume: 3
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0960-3115
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00115155

✦ Synopsis

The total number of insect species in the world is an important if elusive figure. We use a fresh approach to estimate global insect species richness, based on biogeographic patterns of diversity of well or better documented taxa. Estimates generated by various calculations, all variations on a theme, largely serve to substantiate suggestions that insect species are likely to number around 10 million or less.