Meet Franklin Howley-Dumit Serulle, whose online insect photo helped reveal a new hoverfly

An amateur naturalist’s photograph on iNaturalist helped scientists identify a new hoverfly species. Researchers later found a specimen in Valle Nuevo National Park, confirming the discovery. This new species, Monoceromyia ndidiae, was formally described after laboratory analysis. The discovery highlights how amateur observations contribute to understanding biodiversity. This finding earned the Swiss Systematics Society’s New Species of the Year 2026 title.

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