Hello Naturalists,

Thanks again for contributing to the 2016 Biodiversity Big Year for San Benito County – all 117 of you that participated! And thanks to everyone who made a final push these past several weeks to add more 2016 observations and help review additional records to gain more species level identifications. As of March 1, the project has collectively documented 5,809 observations representing 1,333 different species. Collectively, the total number of species exceeded the total (1,310) of all the targets I dreamed up at the beginning of project for the various taxonomic groups. While a couple of the targets were perhaps a bit optimistic, a few others were greatly exceeded – Lepidoptera, Other Insects, and Spiders in particular. Here’s how our totals shook out for different taxonomic groups.

598 Plants (target of 750 – thanks to Brent Johnson, I didn’t overreach further and aim for 1,000)
154 Birds (just over the target of 150 – well done)
52 Fungi (including lichens – target was 100, but I never got around to organizing a lichen blitz)
250 Lepidoptera – 64 Butterflies and 186 Moths (way past the target of 100 - amazing!)
29 Odonata (just shy of the target of 30)
134 Other Insects (target was 100 – great to see this group explored)
30 Spiders (target was 20 – surpassed by 50%)
30 Mammals (right on the nose – target was 30)
22 Reptiles (zipped past the target of 20)
10 Amphibians (again, right on the target of 10)

What a year!

Special appreciation goes to the out-of-towners who traveled to the county and really rocked the BBY: @gbentall, @rjadams55, @jmaughn, @dpom, and @abr each documented over 100 species. What an amazing assembly of records! And thanks to @euproserpinus for work on generating the totals above and helping move this update forward.

If you haven’t already, please join the 2017 Biodiversity Big Year project for San Benito (http://www.inaturalist.org/projects/biodiversity-big-year-2017-san-benito-county) and extend the invitation to other iNaturalist users that you know frequent San Benito County or are planning a trip here this year. In 2017, I would love to hone in on species that have been documented in the county in other databases or on species lists for the area but do not yet have any iNaturalist records. There are currently 2,110 species documented in the county in iNaturalist and while I haven’t reviewed many county lists yet to look at likely gaps that we might fill, I bet we can increase that total by 10% or more. Perhaps we could even bring that up to 2,500 by the end of 2017. In case there are any lichen fans out there up for a treasure hunt, I have included a list at the bottom of this post with 252 species of lichen known to occur at Pinnacles National Park and for which there is not an iNaturalist record yet. Many might be cryptic, but if we get a bit more rain it could be a great time to photograph some of the larger ones. I’ll aim to post more target groups in the coming weeks. Spring wildflower bloom is right around the corner!

Thanks go out to everyone that participated: @euproserpinus, @danielgeorge, @gbentall, @rjadams55, @jmaughn, @dpom, @abr, @brentjohnson, @leslie_flint, @mikeshelley, @avocat, @dryan, @ewrubel, @scstroller, @tiwane, @matty, @anudibranchmom, @stephanomeria, @deviirao, @icosahedron, @aly_cat, @asemerdj, @jnegreann, @joelle, @biofam, @sarahsnail, @atwelch, @jkatjs, @psweet, @kaela04, @karinakilldeer, @gyrrlfalcon, @ldjaffe, @animebirder, @ligocsicnarf, @misserika, @jay, @marinmaverick, @gonhiking, @smithlinnea, @chiemvirida, @mcduck, @nawaters, @loloscheiner, @eib9, @gatoboy, @asjones, @bbell, @parobbert, @serpophaga, @sullivanribbit, @birdgal5, @borisdelahaie, @bronte2, @dclump, @edefranco, @haynack, @l2wahl, @m_aniket, @maxdavenpm, @megangnekow, @nancygoehring, @airshark, @ajbell, @alacia, @apatten, @apunzalan, @avecita, @bettencourtabby, @biohemian, @bwitzke, @chalsch, @cordulegaster58obliqua, @elisefleishman, @esschan, @flygrl67, @imdezus2, @jenniferwestphal, @johngrett, @kairality, @kaylinchang, @kphillips, @kristinrh, @krosehughes, @kvanesky, @lesleychapman, @lorri-gong, @marian7, @mermaid-mermaid, @nelsonb, @paultravis, @rangerronni, @sarasalamander, @sckate, @scott_scherbinski, @srrgr16, @stephen_sikes, @yanikpohl, @zdshelby, @andrewmiddletontrc, @brian4, @brian62, @brieana, @ericanderson, @jacob24, @jeankoch, @joaaelst, @katie1994, @omargisme, @philipcaltabiano, @sharksfanatic, @shewalkssoftly, @stubek, @thebuilders, @thomas58, @tiannaj66, @yongling

Cheers,

Daniel

Lichens Not Yet in iNaturalist for San Benito County
Acarospora glaucocarpa
Acarospora obpallens
Acarospora schleicheri
Acarospora thelococcoides
Amandinea punctata
Aspicilia caesiocinerea
Aspicilia calcarea
Aspicilia californica
Aspicilia cinerea
Aspicilia contorta
Aspicilia gibbosa
Aspicilia reptans
Buellia disciformis
Buellia lepidastroidea
Buellia penichra
Buellia sequax
Buellia stillingiana
Buellia turgescens
Caloplaca bolacina
Caloplaca chrysophthalma
Caloplaca chrysopthalma
Caloplaca demissa
Caloplaca ferruginea
Caloplaca flavorubescens
Caloplaca holocarpa
Caloplaca ignea
Caloplaca impolita
Caloplaca luteominia
Caloplaca oregona
Caloplaca saxicola
Caloplaca trachyphylla
Caloplaca variabilis
Candelaria concolor
Candelaria pacifica
Candelariella aurella
Candelariella rosulans
Candelariella spraguei
Candelariella terrigena
Candelariella vitellina
Catapyrenium plumbeum
Catapyrenium squamulosum
Chrysothrix chlorina
Cladonia asahinae
Cladonia chlorophaea
Cladonia conista
Cladonia fimbriata
Cladonia humilis
Cladonia ochrochlora
Cladonia pyxidata
Cladonia rei
Cladonia subulata
Cladonia verruculosa
Collema furfuraceum
Collema nigrescens
Collema subflaccidum
Cornicularia californica
Cyphelium inquinans
Cyphelium tigillare
Dermatocarpon miniatum
Dermatocarpon reticulatum
Dimelaena oreina
Dimelaena radiata
Dimelaena thysanota
Dimelaena weberi
Diploschistes diacapsis
Diploschistes gypsaceus
Diploschistes muscorum
Diploschistes scruposus var. scruposus
Diplotomma alboatra
Diplotomma alboatrum
Endocarpon pusillum
Flavoparmelia caperata
Flavopunctelia soredica
Fuscopannaria annita
Fuscopannaria californica
Fuscopannaria coralloidea
Fuscopannaria cyanolepra
Fuscopannaria pacifica
Fuscopannaria praetermissa
Heterodermia leucomela
Heterodermia namaquana
Hypocenomyce scalaris
Hypogymnia imshaugii
Imshaugia aleurites
Kaernefeltia merrillii
Lecania fuscella
Lecania hassei
Lecanora crenulata
Lecanora demissa
Lecanora gangaleoides
Lecanora hybocarpa
Lecanora melaena
Lecanora meridionalis
Lecanora muralis
Lecanora pinniperda
Lecanora pseudomellea
Lecanora pulicaris
Lecanora rupicola
Lecanora saligna
Lecanora sierrae
Lecanora strobilina
Lecanora symmicta
Lecanora varia
Lecidea atrobrunnea
Lecidea auriculata
Lecidea fuscatoatra
Lecidea fuscoatra
Lecidea fuscoatra var. grisella
Lecidea lapicida var. lapicida
Lecidea lapicida var. pantherina
Lecidea mannii
Lecidea protabacina
Lecidea tenayucae
Lecidea tessellata
Lecidella carpathica
Lecidella elaeochroma
Lecidella euphorea
Lempholemma cladodes
Leproloma membranaceum
Leptochidium albociliatum
Leptogium californicum
Leptogium corniculatum
Leptogium gelatinosum
Leptogium lichenoides
Leptogium pseudofurfuraceum
Lichinella nigritella
Lichinella stipatula
Megaspora verrucosa
Melanelia elegantula
Melanelia exasperatula
Melanelia fuliginosa
Melanelia glabra
Melanelia glabroides
Melanelia multispora
Melanelia subargentifera
Melanelia subelegantula
Melanelia subolivacea
Melanelia tominii
Mycobilimbia beringeriana
Mycocalicium subtile
Neofuscelia loxodes
Neofuscelia subhosseana
Neofuscelia verruculifera
Nephroma helveticum
Ochrolechia subpallescens
Ochrolechia upsaliensis
Parmelia hygrophila
Parmelia sulcata
Parmeliella cyanolepra
Parmelina quercina
Peltigera canina
Peltigera ponojensis
Peltigera praetextata
Peltigera rufescens
Peltula euploca
Peltula obscurans var. hassei
Pertusaria chiodectonoides
Phaeophyscia constipata
Phaeophyscia decolor
Phaeophyscia hirsuta
Phaeophyscia orbicularis
Phaeophysicia hispidula
Phyconia enteroxantha
Physcia aipolia
Physcia caesia
Physcia callosa
Physcia dimidiata
Physcia dubia
Physcia phaea
Physcia stellaris
Physcia tenella
Physcia tribacia
Physciella chloantha
Physconia americana
Physconia californica
Physconia detersa
Physconia enteroxantha
Physconia isidiigera
Physconia muscigena
Physconia perisidiosa
Placidium squamulosum
Placopyrenium zahlbruckneri
Placynthiella icmalea
Placynthiella uliginosa
Pleopsidium chlorophanum
Pleopsidium flavum
Polychidium muscicola
Polysporina simplex
Porpidia macrocarpa
Protoparmelia badia
Psora globifera
Psora nipponica
Psora pacifica
Psora russellii
Psora tuckermanii
Psorula rufonigra
Punctelia perreticulata
Punctelia subrudecta
Ramalina farinacea
Ramalina subleptocarpha
Rhizocarpon bolanderi
Rhizocarpon distinctum
Rhizocarpon geographicum
Rhizoplaca chrysoleuca
Rhizoplaca melanophthalma
Rinodina bolanderi
Rinodina californiensis
Rinodina capensis
Rinodina confragosa
Rinodina conradii
Rinodina endospora
Rinodina exigua
Rinodina glauca
Rinodina tephrapsis
Sarcogyne clavus
Sticta fuliginosa
Tephromela atra
Texosporium sancti-jacobi
Thelomma mammosum
Thelomma occidentale
Toninia massata
Toninia ruginosa
Toninia sedifolia
Trapelia involuta
Trapeliopsis californica
Trapeliopsis flexuosa
Trapeliopsis glaucopholis
Trapeliopsis granulosa
Trapeliopsis wallrothii
Umbilicaria polyphylla
Umbilicaria polyrhiza
Usnea hirta
Usnea subfloridana
Usnea substerilis
Verrucaria aethiobola
Verrucaria nigrescens
Vouauxiella lichenicola
Vulpicida canadensis
Xanthomendoza oregana
Xanthoparmelia angustiphylla
Xanthoparmelia coloradoensis
Xanthoparmelia cumberlandia
Xanthoparmelia lineola
Xanthoparmelia mexicana
Xanthoparmelia plittii
Xanthoria candelaria
Xanthoria elegans
Xanthoria fallax
Xanthoria hasseana
Xanthoria oregana
Xanthoria oregona
Xanthoria polycarpa less ↑