Countless times, when I am typing in a species name for an ID, and iNaturalist offers its choices to click on, the first name offered by iNaturalist to click on looks like the species name, but is actually the name of a species complex, or the like. I then may click on that without noticing that I …

I do agree with this but in another kind of situation : it’s annoying when making a checklist for a place with a list and iNaturalist chooses the complex instead of the species. You then need to manually correct all of those, and it can take a lot of time.

I would disagree. Too many users still click on the first name that comes up among the proposals without thinking or knowing that it is not always possible to identify to species. The first proposal of a complex at least allows one to think about it or just not make a mistake.

The annoying thing about the “complexes” is that if you explore your observations for a genus the complexes frequently will not show up on the species tab. So while for the plume moth Hellinsia I have 15 observations, it only tallies 4 species on the species tab and doesn’t show the “homodactylus c…

I agree that “Complex” should be a lower option for selections. If I type the genus and begin to type the epithet I don’t want the prefix of “Complex.”

I have to agree, it would be nice if a complex could come after. I may be biased though as I ID bombus 99.9% of the time on here. I rather often see a bombus fervidus complex ID in the Midwest to Eastern United States. The complex is restricted to where B.californicus and B.fervidus range overlap. w…

I agree! I name my photos with the species name and then when I upload them, iNat assigns an ID based on my photo filenames. It defaults to the species complex when there is one. I don’t usually notice this until much later, when someone provides an ID and I review it, or when I am querying my ob…

Please no, it just causes people to click on the species ID having no idea that there is a complex of species. It’s would be hell of a mess for identifiers on the site.

I agree completely. And even more than with “complexes”, I really wish this were the case with “sections”. With moth IDs, which are mostly what I do, it seems the majority of the “complex” options are just for species groups which, over most of their ranges, only have one species option anyway. The …

I am with those who prefer it the way it is. Someone clicking the species when they should click the complex creates errors which take more effort to put right, the opposite mistake just means it needs to be refined.

[image] thomaseverest: I would disagree. I disagree as well.

Species "Complex" shouldn't come up as the first choice to click on, when we intend to choose the species we typed in, not the complex

General

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Species "Complex" shouldn't come up as the first choice to click on, when we intend to choose the species we typed in, not the complex

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