[Syrphidae] Re: Andre's question about publishing Chris' notes

Tue Mar 2 17:18:51 GMT 2021

Hi everyone,

Although André's  suggestion of publishing all of Chris' unpublished notes
sounds good at first, this is not something we should do. Betty would be
very displeased as she is very sensitive about seeing his work taken over
and Chris would not have agreed with this approach. Scientifically it is
also not a good idea. As you all know, Chris had dozens of unpublished
manuscripts, notes, lectotype designations, and of course several regional
conspecti. The value of these is immense but each will have to be worked on
and brought up to scientific publication standard. For example, a lectotype
designation for Pelecocera lugubris Perris has taken Gabriel Neve, the
Paris collection manager (Daugeron), Xavier Lair and myself several weeks
to unravel. And that is just one little lectotype designation. Chris' new
species all need to be validated and placed in context, and preferably,
specimens should be sequenced so that we have comparative genetic data as
well. Usually Chris did not illustrate genitalia (or even make habitus
images) so much needs to be done there. He also often did not update the
manuscripts for years so many more recent specimens are available and need
to be incorporated into these papers. This is no shame on Chris as his
world knowledge of Syrphidae was arguably unparallelled and we all have
papers that have been sitting for years waiting to be finished (yes,
Daniele, I need to get moving on our Chrysotoxum paper). I will be
publishing two new species that were unnamed in the field guide following
this approach. I have obtained photos of all characters, DNA barcoded
specimens, updated the material examined, and fleshed out the descriptions.
Chris had planned to include these two species in his Nearctic conspectus
but that will never be published as a whole as it would take years of work
to complete. So yes, we can work on his papers and get them ready to
publish following these suggestions/guidelines but most will require a
great deal of work and specimens are not accessible for many while covid
continues to plague us.

If you wish to work on Nearctic or Australian syrphids that Chris started
working on, I would appreciate knowing about it as I have invested a lot
getting DNA barcodes on most of the species and in some cases assembling
material, descriptions, photos, etc in preparation of publication. I can
also hopefully help coordinate loans of material once this covid plague is
over as I intend to work with Betty on Chris' specimens and home office and
with Torsten on the USNM syrphid collection. I expect to spend at least 2
months late this year or early next year getting his loans organized for
return and starting the large task of organizing the USNM collection. I
expect to find some lost types and exciting material as I sort everything
out. My parting message is about lost types. I would not recommend
nominating syrphid Neotypes until we get the USNM collection sorted out.
Chris has a lot of old loans, many that may not be registered in some
collection systems and I expect a lot of things to turn up. Assuming
everything opens up by the end of the year I will start to work on this. I
would be very happy to have a couple more volunteers go to Washington to
help me with this undertaking. It will be a lot of fun and very rewarding
to get that collection into an organized state and loans all returned. Just
contact me directly if you are interested in helping. There may be a bit of
funding from Washington to support a couple of people doing this. I know
Torsten is keen to get this sorted out.

Jeff

On Tue, Mar 2, 2021 at 10:19 AM <syrphidae-request at lists.nottingham.ac.uk>
wrote:

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> Today's Topics:
>
>    1. special issue of Studia dipterologica Supplement in honor of
>       Dr F. Christian Thompson (Kurt Jordaens)
>    2. Re: special issue of Studia dipterologica Supplement in honor
>       of Dr F. Christian Thompson (Andre van Eck)
>
>
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: Kurt Jordaens <kjordaens2 at gmail.com>
> To: hoverfly discussion list <syrphidae at lists.nottingham.ac.uk>
> Cc:
> Bcc:
> Date: Tue, 2 Mar 2021 13:52:07 +0100
> Subject: [Syrphidae] special issue of Studia dipterologica Supplement in
> honor of Dr F. Christian Thompson
>
> *An Invitation to Contribute to the Special Issue of Studia dipterologica
> Supplement in honor of Dr F. Christian Thompson (* 24 April 1944 - † 4
> February 2021)*
>
> Dear colleague,
>
> It is our pleasure and privilege to serve as guest editors for a special
> issue of the journal *Studia dipterologica Supplement* in honor of our
> colleague Chris Thompson. The volume of Chris’s work and accomplishments
> are inspiring and in fact difficult to capture. Suffice it to say that
> Chris’ global knowledge of the Syrphidae fauna was immense and, amongst
> numerous other scientific contributions, he has erected 28 new generic
> names and 150 species within the family! In addition, Chris had a profound
> effect on other things, including the promotion of databasing of museum
> collections and establishing and maintaining the world database of flies *Systema
> Dipterorum*.
>
> *Topics of Interest*
>
> The special issue will be dedicated to highlight Chris’ contribution to
> the study of Syrphidae, or other Diptera families.
>
> Potential (but non-exclusive) topics will include:
>
> 1) overviews of Chris’ contribution to dipterology and/or syrphidology, or
> of particular taxa and/or (bio)geographical areas;
>
> 2) species descriptions dedicated to Chris, hover fly species descriptions
> / revisions, previous and/or ongoing/unfinished collaborations with Chris,
> etc.;
>
> 3) literature overview of Chris’ work;
>
> 4) historical overview of *Systema Dipterorum* or the influence of *Systema
> Dipterorum* in current work.
>
> If choosing to contribute, please submit a brief summary (maximum 5 lines,
> including estimated length of article including plates) for pre-review by
> the guest editors before April 15, 2021. Contributions will not be accepted
> without pre-submission approval (guest editors want to avoid duplication of
> content).
>
> Apart from the scientific contributions we also offer the possibility to
> share short stories and memories on your collaboration with Chris, as well
> as pictures of Chris (*e*.*g*., at conferences, ISS). We will compile all
> stories, memories and pictures into one chapter of the special issue.
> Please provide a caption for each picture and add a photo credit.
>
> We also welcome pictures of hoverfly species (imagoes, larvae, pupae etc.)
> described by Chris which we will compile in plates and that will be
> published in the special issue as well. Please provide a caption for each
> picture and add a photo credit to each picture.
>
> *Submission Guidelines*
>
> You may consult the journal’s website for more information on the journal:
> http://www.studia-dipt.de/index.html
>
> Manuscripts should be submitted electronically at: paragoides at gmail.com
>
> Author guidelines are the same as for *Studia dipterologica* and may be
> consulted in the following pdf http://www.studia-dipt.de/authorse.pdf or
> on the journal’s website http://www.studia-dipt.de/instruce.htm
>
> Submissions must neither have been submitted nor published elsewhere. All
> the manuscripts submitted to this special issue will be peer-reviewed and
> selected in accordance with the journal standards.
>
> Contributions are free-of-charge. Each author will receive to 4 copies of
> the entire volume free of charge (hard-cover; printed in color), plus a
> free pdf of her/his article 3 months after the publication. Co-authors will
> receive 2 copies of the entire book.
>
> *Timeline*
>
> Expression of interest: April 15, 2021
>
> Submission due date: August 31, 2021
>
> Final decision notification: October 31, 2021
>
> Publication date (tentative): December 2021 or  January 2022
>
>
>
> *Guest Editors*
>
> Dr  Kurt Jordaens
>
> Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium
>
> E-mail: kurt.jordaens at africamuseum.be
>
>
>
> Dr Jeffrey Skevington
>
> Canadian National Collections of Insects, Arachnids and Nematodes, Ottawa,
> Canada
>
> E-mail: jhskevington at gmail.com
>
>
>
> Dr Ximo Mengual
>
> Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig, Bonn, Germany
>
> E-mail: x.mengual at leibniz-zfmk.de <X.Mengual at zfmk.de>
>
>
>
> Thank you very much for your time and consideration in this matter. We
> would appreciate it if you could let us know at your earliest convenience
> (kindly before April 15, 2021) whether or not you will be submitting a
> paper. We are looking forward to hear from you soon!
>
> Best regards,
>
> Guest editors: Kurt Jordaens, Jeff Skevington and Ximo Mengual
>
> --
>
> *Kurt Jordaens*
>
> Department of Biology - Invertebrates
>
> *ROYAL MUSEUM FOR CENTRAL AFRICA*
>
> LEUVENSESTEENWEG 13, B-3080 TERVUREN
>
> M +32 (0)489 73 76 74
>
> T +32 (0)2 769 53 73
>
> KURT.JORDAENS at AFRICAMUSEUM.BE
>
> WWW.AFRICAMUSEUM.BE
>
>
>
> P  Before printing, think about the environment
>
> This message and any attachment are intended solely for the addressee
> and may contain confidential information. If you have received this
> message in error, please contact the sender and delete the email and
> attachment.
>
> Any views or opinions expressed by the author of this email do not
> necessarily reflect the views of the University of Nottingham. Email
> communications with the University of Nottingham may be monitored
> where permitted by law.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: Andre van Eck <eckvana at xs4all.nl>
> To: Kurt Jordaens <kjordaens2 at gmail.com>, hoverfly discussion list <
> syrphidae at lists.nottingham.ac.uk>
> Cc:
> Bcc:
> Date: Tue, 2 Mar 2021 16:19:36 +0100 (CET)
> Subject: [Syrphidae] Re: special issue of Studia dipterologica Supplement
> in honor of Dr F. Christian Thompson
> Just an idea:
> Chris Thompson had many unfinished papers and millions of notes. He
> visited a great number of collections and had an enormous knowledge on so
> many fields of study, which is difficult to catch in a paper. However, his
> work is of great use to many of us, and would be lost, or at least heavily
> fragmented, without further action. So, here's my (wild?) idea:
>
> Would it be interesting to publish all of Thompson's unpublished documents
> and notes, without [our] comments, in this supplement of SD?? So all of us
> can make use of it and study its scientific value?
> What we might want to add, eg. is where we used his unpublished notes
> already. For example: Mengual et al (2015)  designate a lectotype of *Pelecocera
> latifrons*, based upon his unpublished notes. They also make other
> remarks based on Thompson's unpublished notes.
> This cross-linking can be very useful for future studies.
>
> We would need his families consent.
> What would Chris Thompson himself have wanted?
>
> Best wishes,
> André
>
> # # #
>
> BioMongol Foundation
> Korte Hoefstraat 30
> 5046DB Tilburg, The Netherlands
> Web: www.biomongol.org
> https://www.whydonate.eu/fundraising/BioMongol/en
>
> Op 02-03-2021 13:52 schreef Kurt Jordaens <kjordaens2 at gmail.com>:
>
>
> *An Invitation to Contribute to the Special Issue of Studia dipterologica
> Supplement in honor of Dr F. Christian Thompson (* 24 April 1944 - † 4
> February 2021)*
>
> Dear colleague,
>
> It is our pleasure and privilege to serve as guest editors for a special
> issue of the journal *Studia dipterologica Supplement* in honor of our
> colleague Chris Thompson. The volume of Chris’s work and accomplishments
> are inspiring and in fact difficult to capture. Suffice it to say that
> Chris’ global knowledge of the Syrphidae fauna was immense and, amongst
> numerous other scientific contributions, he has erected 28 new generic
> names and 150 species within the family! In addition, Chris had a profound
> effect on other things, including the promotion of databasing of museum
> collections and establishing and maintaining the world database of flies *Systema
> Dipterorum*.
>
> *Topics of Interest*
>
> The special issue will be dedicated to highlight Chris’ contribution to
> the study of Syrphidae, or other Diptera families.
>
> Potential (but non-exclusive) topics will include:
>
> 1) overviews of Chris’ contribution to dipterology and/or syrphidology, or
> of particular taxa and/or (bio)geographical areas;
>
> 2) species descriptions dedicated to Chris, hover fly species descriptions
> / revisions, previous and/or ongoing/unfinished collaborations with Chris,
> etc.;
>
> 3) literature overview of Chris’ work;
>
> 4) historical overview of *Systema Dipterorum* or the influence of *Systema
> Dipterorum* in current work.
>
> If choosing to contribute, please submit a brief summary (maximum 5 lines,
> including estimated length of article including plates) for pre-review by
> the guest editors before April 15, 2021. Contributions will not be accepted
> without pre-submission approval (guest editors want to avoid duplication of
> content).
>
> Apart from the scientific contributions we also offer the possibility to
> share short stories and memories on your collaboration with Chris, as well
> as pictures of Chris (*e*.*g*., at conferences, ISS). We will compile all
> stories, memories and pictures into one chapter of the special issue.
> Please provide a caption for each picture and add a photo credit.
>
> We also welcome pictures of hoverfly species (imagoes, larvae, pupae etc.)
> described by Chris which we will compile in plates and that will be
> published in the special issue as well. Please provide a caption for each
> picture and add a photo credit to each picture.
>
> *Submission Guidelines*
>
> You may consult the journal’s website for more information on the journal:
> http://www.studia-dipt.de/index.html
>
> Manuscripts should be submitted electronically at: paragoides at gmail.com
>
> Author guidelines are the same as for *Studia dipterologica* and may be
> consulted in the following pdf http://www.studia-dipt.de/authorse.pdf or
> on the journal’s website http://www.studia-dipt.de/instruce.htm
>
> Submissions must neither have been submitted nor published elsewhere. All
> the manuscripts submitted to this special issue will be peer-reviewed and
> selected in accordance with the journal standards.
>
> Contributions are free-of-charge. Each author will receive to 4 copies of
> the entire volume free of charge (hard-cover; printed in color), plus a
> free pdf of her/his article 3 months after the publication. Co-authors will
> receive 2 copies of the entire book.
>
> *Timeline*
>
> Expression of interest: April 15, 2021
>
> Submission due date: August 31, 2021
>
> Final decision notification: October 31, 2021
>
> Publication date (tentative): December 2021 or  January 2022
>
>
> *Guest Editors*
>
> Dr  Kurt Jordaens
>
> Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium
>
> E-mail: kurt.jordaens at africamuseum.be
>
>
> Dr Jeffrey Skevington
>
> Canadian National Collections of Insects, Arachnids and Nematodes, Ottawa,
> Canada
>
> E-mail: jhskevington at gmail.com
>
>
> Dr Ximo Mengual
>
> Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig, Bonn, Germany
>
> E-mail: x.mengual at leibniz-zfmk.de <X.Mengual at zfmk.de>
>
>
> Thank you very much for your time and consideration in this matter. We
> would appreciate it if you could let us know at your earliest convenience
> (kindly before April 15, 2021) whether or not you will be submitting a
> paper. We are looking forward to hear from you soon!
>
> Best regards,
>
> Guest editors: Kurt Jordaens, Jeff Skevington and Ximo Mengual
>
> --
>
> *Kurt Jordaens*
>
> Department of Biology - Invertebrates
>
> *ROYAL MUSEUM FOR CENTRAL AFRICA*
>
> LEUVENSESTEENWEG 13, B-3080 TERVUREN
>
> M +32 (0)489 73 76 74
>
> T +32 (0)2 769 53 73
>
> KURT.JORDAENS at AFRICAMUSEUM.BE
>
> WWW.AFRICAMUSEUM.BE
>
>
>
>
> P  Before printing, think about the environment
>
> This message and any attachment are intended solely for the addressee
> and may contain confidential information. If you have received this
> message in error, please contact the sender and delete the email and
> attachment.
>
> Any views or opinions expressed by the author of this email do not
> necessarily reflect the views of the University of Nottingham. Email
> communications with the University of Nottingham may be monitored
> where permitted by law.
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Syrphidae mailing list
> Syrphidae at lists.nottingham.ac.uk
> http://lists.nottingham.ac.uk/mailman/listinfo/syrphidae
>
> _______________________________________________
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-- 
Jeff Skevington, Research Scientist
Canadian National Collection of Insects, Arachnids and Nematodes
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
960 Carling Avenue, K.W. Neatby Building
Ottawa, ON, K1A 0C6, Canada
Phone: 613-720-2862
FAX: 613-759-1927
E-mail: jhskevington at gmail.com
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