dustinlamont
Dustin
Joined: Feb 2, 2019 Last Active: Dec 10, 2023 iNaturalist NZ
A lifelong nature lover, in 2021 I finally uprooted my life and went to uni to follow my passion, starting a BSc in Conservation and Ecology at Lincoln University: one last summer course to go; almost finished! I'm particularly passionate about invertebrate ecology and taxonomy.
Some recent projects:
In the summer break between 2021 and 2022 I undertook an invertebrate inventory of Orana Wildlife Park and the surrounding area for a summer scholarship project, and as a mere amateur, iNat was a powerful tool for rapidly cataloguing and identifying my findings. Still lots of data to analyse there someday.
In the summer of 2022–3, I curated and identified approximately 1,700 invertebrate specimens associated with Aciphylla communities, which had been collected by Mike Bowie (and many others!) in the process of surveying the eastern South Island for the critically endangered Hadramphus tuberculatus from 2006–2023. Mike and I also carried out further sampling in the Rakaia Gorge and Mt Sinclair areas. Analysis/finer identifications of specimens were minimal due to the limited time available — another project for another time...
In February 2023 I reorganised the LUNZ collection of noctuoid families to reflect the currently accepted taxonomy, and in September I helped to move the entire entomology collection to the newly-constructed Waimarie building, after working with curator John Marris to develop an appropriate layout for the new facility.
In the second half of 2022 (and continuing into mid-2023) I also helped store a huge number of invertebrate specimens from wooden storage boxes in the main LUNZ collection drawers ahead of the aforementioned move, for a project funded by the Brian Mason Trust.
In semester 1 2023 I wrote up a simple visual identification guide to beetles of the Boyle River (Lewis Pass) area, covering 66 coleopteran taxa in 29 families.
In the summer of 2023–2024, I will be working on an invertebrate survey of the Tārerekautuku-Yarr's Lagoon reserve in Selwyn, Canterbury, as part of another summer scholarship.
Next year I intend to begin postgrad study (BSc Hons or MSc) at Lincoln.
