Entomologist Derek Sikes is leading an intensive effort to document the vast, largely uncatalogued insect life across Alaska. while the state is estimated to host as many as 30,000 insect species, researchers have only identified roughly 9,000 of them so far.
The 200-year gap between Sweden and Alaska
Alaska faces a significant taxonomic deficit when compared to other regions at similar latitudes . While Sweden has identified more than 30,000 insect species since the 1700s,Alaska has only documented about 9,000. According to University of Alaska Fairbanks entomologist Derek Sikes, Sweden's head start is largely due to two centuries of continuous identification efforts.
This historical discrepancy highlights how much of the Alaskan wilderness remains biologically unmapped. Most of the species currently waiting for documentation are likely obscure beetles and flies that have inhabited the region for millennia without being formally recorded by science.
Expanding the UAF Museum of the North to 2 million specimens
The University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) Museum of the North serves as a critical permanent record for the state's biodiversity. Since Sikes took charge of the insect collection in 2006, he has expanded it from roughly 1,000 records to more than 400,000, which now represent approximately 2 million individual specimens.
As the report notes, these museum collections are vital for the long-term study of the environment. By preserving these insects, scientists create a biological archive that allows future generations to study species that may eventually become rare or face total extinction due to environmental changes.
Blow-drying bees in the Aleutian chain
Fieldwork for the University of Alaska Fairbanks involves traveling to some of the most remote locations in the state, including the Aleutian chain, the Pribilof Islands, and the North Slope. after collecting specimens in ethanol , researchers use specialized methods to prepare them for study, such as rinsing bees in soap and using hair dryers to maintain their "fluffy" appearance for easier identification.
This meticulous process is essential for distinguishing between closely related species. For example, Sikes' research helped clarify the distinction between the European forest-dwelling Nicrophorus vespilloides and the species Nicrophorus hebes,which occurs in the rest of North America.. Sikes, a world expert in carrion beetles, has even used his expertise to name several species himself.
The mystery of the 21,000 missing species
The primary challenge for the small crew of taxonomists at the University of Alaska Fairbanks is the sheer volume of unknown life. With an estimated 21,000 species still unaccounted for, several specific questions remain: which obscure beetles and flies are currently hiding in the Alaskan Interior, and how many of them will vanish before they are ever found?
Because the task of identifying these thousands of specimens falls to a very limited number of specialists, the speed of documentation is a major concern. The source indicates that while the fieldwork in places like Savoonga and the Southeast rainforests provides the raw material, the months of intensive cataloging required in the lab remain a massive bottleneck in closing the Alaskan biodiversity gap.
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