Dr Christine buzzing with curiosity for flies at Mary
BOOK NOW for a workshop, talk or walk to discover the rainforest’s Tiny Giants for yourself – October 21–24.
Dr Christine Lambkin is the Curator of Entomology at the Queensland Museum whose main research interest is the evolution, taxonomy and biodiversity of flies.
There are an estimated 30,000 species of flies in Australia with only 25 per cent described – and this October, Dr Christine will discover which flies call Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve home during Tiny Giants – a study into Mary’s amazing invertebrates.
What research will you be doing?
I will be using three different methods to compare the numbers and types of flying insects at six sites in Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve. The research will concentrate on flies, not bush flies, rather more secretive Stiletto and Bee Flies.
Why is it important?
Little is known about most insects in Australia, when and where they occur, and in what abundance. This study in Mary Cairncross will gather base-line data for many insects, and especially the flies, a generally neglected group that perform significant ecosystem functions as pollinators, decomposers, parasites, and predators.
What will you do with the research after the event?
Every specimen in every sample collected has to be separated to Order then further identified, rehoused or pinned, labelled, and the data recorded. Then the fun starts finding out what species are present, what haven’t been recorded from Mary Cairncross before, and which haven’t yet been described.
BOOK NOW for a workshop, talk or walk to discover the rainforest’s Tiny Giants for yourself – October 21–24.
About Dr Christine Lambkin
Chris specialises in descriptions of new species and genera of bee flies and stiletto flies based on analyses of morphological and molecular data.
Twelve scientists joining in the research project
- Dr Christine Lambkin (QM Curator of Entomology)
- Dr Chris Burwell (QM Senior Curator of Insects)
- Dr Mike Rix (QM Principal Curator of Arachnology)
- Kathryn Ebert (Postdoctural researcher at University of Queensland)
- Owen Seeman (QM Collection Manager of Arachnids)
- Dr Penny Mills (Entomological Society of Queensland)
- Chris Moeseneder (Research Associate, Australian Museum)
- Jessa Thurman (PhD candidate University of Queensland)
- Dr Jason Maté (Entomological Society of Queensland)
- Dr Andrew Maynard ( Entomological Society of Queensland )
- Wesley Jenkinson (Entomological Society of Queensland)
- Dr Vivian Sandoval Gomèz ( Honorary Research Fellow of the Queensland Museum)
https://events.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au/event/13924852-a/tiny-giants-marys-amazing-invertebrates