Hello, I’m wondering how one goes about finding experts in a particular taxon? Thank you!
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On explore or on a taxon page you can open experts tab and it will have a list of iders, which at least gives a glimpse of who ids group the most, then you can open top ones’ profiles and look what they have written in their bio, irl experts tend to mention what they study there. You can tag them or write a private message to them if you need help.
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You could check out the iNat accounts of the top observers and/or identifiers of the taxon, or if you specify taxon and place in this request, perhaps there are some on the forum who can help you.
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If you have a specific taxon in mind, mention it here and someone will be able to point to to the nearest expert, unless it’s quite obscure.
If there isn’t an expert here for the taxon and you need expert input, best next bet is to contact your nearest museum, they can usually forward on requests to the relevant expert on staff.
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To add to what has been said, make sure you put in your region with the taxon when looking for an identifier. There are a lot of cases where someone gets in the top 10 identifier list because they ID a lot, but just in North America.
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In the past, I’ve been able to reach out to taxon specialists through their published scientific journals (which I’ve come across on websites like Research Gate or BIOONE). Most of the authors I’ve contacted had provided their emails in their bios and were more than happy to discuss their research.
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Left a link on your Malvaceae obs.
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Welcome to the Forum! Always lots to talk about.
I can only echo what has already been said, especially about region. As an example, I know a fair bit about Noctuid moths in Canada, but very little about them in Mexico. I see that you are a botany person in Latin America, so I can be of no use!
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