Dear Scarab Enthusiasts,

During the past couple of weeks, you have all been involved (some
unwillingly!) in discussions about scarab nomenclature and
literature.  I have been really encouraged by the discussion we have
had on various topics.  We have dug up long forgotten information.
We have shed light on the authors and dates of scarab names.  We have
agreed, and agreed to disagree about our interpretation of the rules
of nomenclature.

Most importantly, we have begun a rapid exchange of information
between several groups and individuals with a common interest: scarab
beetle taxonomy.  I think that this rapid exchange of information can
be extremely useful to all of us and will help to improve the scarab
taxonomic literature we produce.  Questions about interpretations of
the rules of nomenclature, the content of rare/old volumes, and
validity of published records can quickly be posted to numerous
experts.  If someone has encountered the question previously then
they can share their information and prevent others from wasting time
"re-inventing the wheel."  The answers we provide can be debate and
discussed if there are different points of view.  Then we can all
make informed descisions when it comes time to publish on these
issues.

WELCOME TO SCARABS-L!!!

In order to keep the discussion going I have set up a listserve here
at the University of Nebraska.  That way we can expand the group to
everyone who wants to sign up, without constantly changing an
unwieldly list of recipients in the address list of our emails.  To
get it started I have signed you all up.  (Please let me know if you
do not want to be on the listserve and I will remove you
immediately.)  I will also start spreading the word to other scarab
workers so we can have a wider discussion group.  Please feel free to
inform others about scarabs-l and encourage them to sign up.

To send a message to the group simply put "[log in to unmask]" in the
recipient field of your email and everyone who is signed up to
scarabs-l will receive it.  I will send a message with the details on
how to make adjustments to your account shortly.

Sincerely,
Andrew
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Andrew B. T. Smith
Ph.D. Candidate
Systematics Research Collections
W436 Nebraska Hall
University of Nebraska
Lincoln, NE 68588-0514  U.S.A.

Phone:  (402) 472-2664
Fax:    (402) 472-8949
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
http://www-museum.unl.edu/research/entomology/index.htm
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