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The number of described species on the planet is about 1.9 million, with ca. 17,000 new species described annually, mostly from the tropics. However, taxonomy is usually described as a science in crisis, lacking manpower and funding, a politically acknowledged problem known as the Taxonomic Impediment. Using data from the Fauna Europaea database and the Zoological Record, we show that contrary to general belief, developed and heavily-studied parts of the world are important reservoirs of unknown species. In Europe, new species of multicellular terrestrial and freshwater animals are being discovered and named at an unprecedented rate: since the 1950s, more than 770 new species are on average described each year from Europe, which add to the 125,000 terrestrial and freshwater multicellular species already known in this region. There is no sign of having reached a plateau that would allow for the assessment of the magnitude of European biodiversity. More remarkably, over 60% of these new species are described by non-professional taxonomists. Amateurs are recognized as an essential part of the workforce in ecology and astronomy, but the magnitude of non-professional taxonomist contributions to alpha-taxonomy has not been fully realized until now. Our results stress the importance of developing a system that better supports and guides this formidable workforce, as we seek to overcome the Taxonomic Impediment and speed up the process of describing the planetary biodiversity before it is too late.

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1997. Comparative morphology of the venom gland and reservoir in opiine and alysiine braconid wasps (Insecta, Hymenoptera, Braconidaek-Zool. Scr. 26: 23-50.Detailed venom reservoir and venom gland intima morphology was investigated in representatives of 178 species and 76 genera of Braconidae belonging to the subfamilies Opiinae (23 genera and 69 species) and Alysiinae (36 genera and 67 species of Alysiini, and 17 genera and 42 species of Dacnusini). The presence of an unsculptured sack-like expansion of the anterior end of the reservoir suggests a relationship between some members of the alysiine tribe Dacnusini, viz. Exotela and Chorebus, and the genera Oenonogaster and Glyphogaster, both of which are currently placed in the Alysiini. The same feature also suggests that Exotela, Chorebus, Oenonogaster and Glyphogaster may be derived from the Opiinae separately from other Alysiinae. Other dacnusines examined are indicated as forming a monophyletic taxon on the basis of their reduced and narrow reservoirs. An anterior insertion of the venom glands on to the reservoir generally supports the Phaenocarpa group of alysiine genera, with some modification, whereas the presence of a discrete, narrow posterior extension of the reservoir represents a synapomorphy for members of the Aspilota group of alysiine genera. The phylogenetic inferences from this venom apparatus study are discussed in the light of the biology of the taxa concerned. Twenty-one new combinations are made in the Opiinae and seven in the Alysiinae. 0 1997 The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters.