# Old Insects collections **URL:** \ **Category:** General\ **Tags:** question\ **Created:** [March 31, 2020, 10:32am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/old-insects-collections/11128 "2020-03-31T10:32:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jtch](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/jtch/32/8203_2.png) [@jtch](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/jtch)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2020, 10:32am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/old-insects-collections/11128/1 "2020-03-31T10:32:22Z")
Is it okay to post dead specimens from an old insect collection of mine ? Yesterday I added a few beetles wich died recently in my swimming pool (so I have many informations to help ID them) and I kinda felt like it did not belong on Inaturalist with most observations being done directly in nature and not from pinned specimens. I really want to add my entire collection one day (at least the well preserved specimens) but I don’t think it is appropriate, especially when I lack so much informations about some specimens, like the date of collection or even the country in a few cases. (I wish I knew about proper labelling whern I was younger) I really want to put Latin names and labels on them eventually but I also don’t want “pollute” Inaturalist with some potentially useless observations. ---
**Author:** ![alexis\_orion](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/alexis_orion/32/30298_2.png) [@alexis\_orion](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/alexis_orion)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2020, 10:48am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/old-insects-collections/11128/2 "2020-03-31T10:48:19Z")
Many people post old specimens to iNat. It is fine as long as you put the date of collection (it’s okay if you don’t know precisely, just put as exact as you can), and the location you collected it (if you don’t know exactly, make the inaccuracy circle big enough to encompass the area where you know you collected it). ---
**Author:** ![astra\_the\_dragon](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/astra_the_dragon/32/37251_2.png) [@astra\_the\_dragon](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/astra_the_dragon)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2020, 11:23am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/old-insects-collections/11128/3 "2020-03-31T11:23:26Z")
Welcome to the forum! You are welcome to add your collection. It is better if you can include data on the specimens, but even if you don’t, it’s OK. The most important thing is that you have a good time using iNaturalist. Just know that observations with only partial data will not appear in default Needs ID searches, so it may be a very long time before you can get an ID. ---
**Author:** ![jtch](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/jtch/32/8203_2.png) [@jtch](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/jtch)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2020, 11:25am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/old-insects-collections/11128/4 "2020-03-31T11:25:23Z")
Thanks ! I sometimes don’t even have the year of capture … ---
**Author:** ![jtch](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/jtch/32/8203_2.png) [@jtch](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/jtch)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2020, 11:27am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/old-insects-collections/11128/5 "2020-03-31T11:27:55Z")
Thank you ! I have had a good time everyday for like 3 years now since i’ve been using Inaturalist :D I didn’t know about partial data and default searches, I’ll do my best to ID myself then ! ---
**Author:** ![benkendrick](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/benkendrick/32/7856_2.png) [@benkendrick](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/benkendrick)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2020, 1:11pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/old-insects-collections/11128/6 "2020-03-31T13:11:28Z")
I normally just tick the “captive” box for pinned specimens. Shouldn’t be too big a deal ---
**Author:** ![cmcheatle](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/cmcheatle/32/37_2.png) [@cmcheatle](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/cmcheatle)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2020, 1:31pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/old-insects-collections/11128/7 "2020-03-31T13:31:29Z")
You should only do this if it is clear the location and/or date are not reflective of when the specimen was obtained. If these data are accurately entered, then the observation is perfectly valid and should not be downgraded. ---
**Author:** ![tiwane](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/tiwane/32/54612_2.png) [@tiwane](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/tiwane)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2020, 6:20pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/old-insects-collections/11128/8 "2020-03-31T18:20:21Z")
> [@alexis\_orion](#): > > (it’s okay if you don’t know precisely, just put as exact as you can) If you don’t know the date, I think it’s best to not put a date. You can always write something in the description. This means the observation will remain at casual grade, however, but it’ll still be there. > [@benkendrick](#): > > I normally just tick the “captive” box for pinned specimens. Shouldn’t be too big a deal To reiterate what @cmcheatle said, these shouldn’t marked as captive if the date and location are the date and location for when and where the organism was collected. ---
**Author:** ![marina\_gorbunova](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/marina_gorbunova/32/31454_2.png) [@marina\_gorbunova](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/marina_gorbunova)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2020, 2:50am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/old-insects-collections/11128/9 "2020-04-01T02:50:03Z")
They shouldn’t be marked captive at all, they’re wild, it can be either date or place wrong, or both. ---
**Author:** ![kiwifergus](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/kiwifergus/32/1904_2.png) [@kiwifergus](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/kiwifergus)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2020, 4:07am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/old-insects-collections/11128/10 "2020-04-01T04:07:30Z")
Good point. There are occassions where larvae are reared to adult, and it can be argued that the adult observation is captive whereas the larval observation (assuming loaction and date are where it was caught) would be wild. The basis of the argument is that the adult stage may not have been reached without the assistance or protection provided by the capture… There are grey areas… ---
**Author:** ![marina\_gorbunova](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/marina_gorbunova/32/31454_2.png) [@marina\_gorbunova](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/marina_gorbunova)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2020, 3:23pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/old-insects-collections/11128/11 "2020-04-01T15:23:07Z")
Yes, that’s right, for some reason “collection” has too strong association with “collected” for me.) ---
**Author:** ![kiwifergus](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/kiwifergus/32/1904_2.png) [@kiwifergus](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/kiwifergus)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2020, 9:13pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/old-insects-collections/11128/12 "2020-04-01T21:13:49Z")
Ah…by that do you mean the motivation behind the collecting? ---
**Author:** ![marina\_gorbunova](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/marina_gorbunova/32/31454_2.png) [@marina\_gorbunova](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/marina_gorbunova)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2020, 9:25pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/old-insects-collections/11128/13 "2020-04-01T21:25:45Z")
Yes, in my head it’s right what you caught, not what you raised.) But it’s just a first stereotype. ---
**Author:** ![benkendrick](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/benkendrick/32/7856_2.png) [@benkendrick](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/benkendrick)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2020, 11:03pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/old-insects-collections/11128/14 "2020-04-01T23:03:40Z")
My bad! I’ll stop. ---
**Author:** ![tiwane](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/tiwane/32/54612_2.png) [@tiwane](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/tiwane)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2020, 11:06pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/old-insects-collections/11128/15 "2020-04-01T23:06:29Z")
No worries, it’s understandable! ---
**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/inaturalist/original/2X/7/7831452cf7f0d653ff1ffd34176334b7ef1b6a17.png) [@system](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/system)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2020, 11:06pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/old-insects-collections/11128/16 "2020-05-31T23:06:39Z")
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