The Global Lepidoptera Names Index (LepIndex) is now on-line.

[George Beccaloni]

Dear Lepidopterists,

We are pleased to announce the launch of a new on-line database called the 
Global Lepidoptera Names Index (LepIndex) (see 
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/entomology/lepindex/).

LepIndex is essentially a computerised and updated version of the Natural 
History Museum's (UK) unique card index archive to the scientific names of 
the living and fossil Lepidoptera of the world. This archive was produced 
by NHM taxonomists over many decades and it contains 290,891 cards, 
representing ~95% of all published Lepidoptera names, plus misspellings and 
misidentifications. LepIndex has electronic images of all these cards, and 
anyone with access to the Internet will now be able to view them and obtain 
information such as who named a butterfly or moth species and where the 
original description was published.

Please note that LepIndex currently contains images of the cards (27,577 in 
total) for the following moth superfamilies:- Alucitoidea, Hyblaeoidea, 
Pterophoroidea, Pyraloidea, Simaethistoidea, Thyridoidea and 
Whalleyanoidea. All card images will be on-line by October this year and 
major improvements to the data will also have been made by then.

If you want to test LepIndex but don't know the names of any moths in the 
above superfamilies, then try searching for the genus name "Dysodia".

Any comments on LepIndex will be gratefully received:- please send them to 
George Beccaloni at g.beccaloni at nhm.ac.uk.

Best wishes,

George Beccaloni, Malcolm Scoble, Gaden Robinson, Brian Pitkin

..........................................................................................................................................
George Beccaloni PhD
Research Entomologist
Entomology Dept.
The Natural History Museum (formerly British Museum (Natural History))
Cromwell Rd
South Kensington
London SW7 5BD

Tel. 020 7942 5361 Fax. 020 7942 5229
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