How do you find out an observation is an iNat first?
Or, first for a region?
Go to the taxon page, and click View All under the observations count. These are listed from most recent to oldest (by submission date), so the last one in this list is an iNat first, at least for the definition of “oldest observation currently identified as this taxon”.
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In the last week, I am responsible for the first through sixth observations of Perdita marcialis on iNat, as identified by Zach Portman. One of the males: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/120093315
I share it here as an example of bee/small organism problems. This bee has been collected literally hundreds of times across the southwest in formal bee surveys, using traps or nets to sample and microscopes to identify. It’s literally random that I started a new job next to this patch of wildflowers, then the observation had to be viewed by one of the leading Perdita experts. Even with millions of users, I’m sure we’re still missing many “first” species like this. Or maybe they’ve been uploaded, but it’s too challenging to identify from photos only (many Hymenoptera face this challenge).
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I’ve come so close this week. Found many things only observed a dozen or less times, I think one was a second upload, but no firsts yet that I know of!
(unless undescribed plant galls count, I think I’ve been the first iNatter to upload a couple of those, but they don’t have names for me to brag about)
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I got a first observation of Salix kangensis, quite proud of that as it’s hard to find a new plant, but also sad that again I didn’t photograph as much as possible.
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Last seen in 1814. Herbarium specimen at Kew. Living plant found on 11 June!
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What a lengthy discussion! It’s cool to see digital collaboration work out.
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The plot thickens. It is, yet another, also one and only!
Assuming we’ve got the correct ID, I may have found the first observation of the gall-former Procecidochares anthracina!
It might be fun to set up an iNat treasure hunt for some of the species without any observations. I’m sure a lot of them could be found quite easily if people just knew what to look for. Hmm… anyone feel inspired to work on such a thing with me?
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That’s the fun part, yeah!
Just going through moth observations with MPG open in another tab and sufficient patience could make a nice dent. I identified an iNat first a few days ago in New Mexico. Also, there was a forum post recently about searching for rare robber flies by @Myelaphus.
I just added a whole new Genus to iNat… I am thrilled about that, but I am even more excited that me researching for several hours to find the right genus (it looks so distinctive that I was not willing to accept family level only and was convinced it must be possible to narrow it down g) resulted in success
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I spent the afternoon causing trouble after a wedge-shaped beetle popped up in my New Mexico needs ID stream. Tentatively, there are now 5 North American Ripiphorus species represented by 1 observation each:
- Ripiphorus mutchleri
- Ripiphorus nevadicus
- Ripiphorus scaber
- Ripiphorus popenoei
- Ripiphorus hyalinus
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I always wonder how people know it is a first observation. Is there an easy way to see such info?
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Generally no taxon photo is a good sign 
Many arthropods are hard (impossible) to ID to species without specimens in hand or the perfect macro angle, or it’s not worth trying because the keys are old/outdated.
If you really want to be thorough, you could check “ident_taxon_id” in case a previous observation is stuck in limbo and places like gbif and bugguide to see what other records exist. There should be at least one type specimen somewhere, unless it’s a totally undescribed species. One of the cool things about iNaturalist is any observation could be the first modern/living/photographic record in history.
Invasive across Australia, but we found the first wild one returning where it is endangered in South Africa! Obs was a year ago, perhaps more this year??
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/95143107
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All spiders:
Theridion cheimatos
Cicurina japonica
Agyneta unimaculata
Clubiona saltitans
Mermessus fradeorum
Genus Maro
Nodocion floridanus
Ocrepeira georgia
Drassyllus creolus
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I found another iNat first! Polymerurus nodicaudus: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/127318438
Happened to be swimming around in some scummy pondwater I looked at under the microscope.
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Another pollinator garden success! I thought I had a first state record (New Mexico) for Grotea anguina, so I posted it to bugguide and learned that I missed a subtle field mark for Grotea lokii. Turns out this species has no pictures on either website!
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https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/129392867
A rust fungus. I get a chuckle out of the number 1 in data. Looks like this fungus just exists on one ski hill now.
(last deleted post accidentally replied to a specific person)
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