Mr Chris Raper
Manager, UK Species Inventory
Division: LS Angela Marmont Centre
Summary
Manager of the UK Species Inventory, a database of the names of all British wildlife and used by most biological recording & reporting systems, such as the NBN Gateway, iRecord/Indicia, Recorder6 & iSpot. I work with the team in the Angela Marmont Centre for UK Biodiversity on a number of projects relating to biological recording, amateur taxonomy & digital imaging. I am a keen entomologist, naturalist & recorder with a passion for the taxonomy of 'parasite flies' (Diptera, Tachinidae) and as part of that I co-run the UK Tachinid Recording Scheme. In my spare time I am also the warden of Hartslock Nature Reserve, a site known for the rare Monkey Orchid (Orchis simia).
Employment history
- Manager of the UK Species Inventory, Natural History Museum, Life Sciences, United Kingdom, 2012 - ongoing
Academic
Non-academic
Lead Analyst Programmer, Trio Computing Ltd, 1986 - 2012
Committees
Member, National Forum for Biological Recording, 2014 - on going.
Member, Dipterist's Forum committee, 2014 - on going.
Publications
Sands RJ, Kitson J, Raper CMT, Jonusas G, Straw N (2015) Carcelia iliaca (Diptera: Tachinidae), a specific parasitoid of the Oak Processionary Moth (Lepidoptera: Thaumetopeodiae), new to Great Britain.. British Journal of Entomology & Natural History, 28 (4) : 225 - 228.
Raper CMT (2014) UK Tachinid Recording Scheme .
Raper C, O Hara J, Pont A, Whitmore D (null) Reassessment of Paleotachina Townsend and Electrotachina Townsend and their removal from the Tachinidae (Diptera). ZooKeys, 361 : 27 - 36. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.361.6448
RAPER C (2013) News from the UK Species Inventory / Species Dictionary. NBN eNews, February 2013. :
RAPER C (2013) Natural History Museum Species Inventory. National Federation for Biological Recording Newsletter 45, January 2013. :
Raper CMT, Bentley H (2010) Linnaemya picta (Meigen, 1824) (Diptera, Tachinidae) new to Britain.. Dipterist's Digest (Second Series), 17 (1) : 77 - 78.
Raper CMT, Smith MN, Gibbs DJ (2006) Carcelia laxifrons Villeneuve (Tachinidae) new to Britain and a revised key to the British Carcelia species. Dipterist's Digest (Second Series),
Raper CMT, Gibbs D, Collins GA (2002) Paracraspedothrix montivaga Villeneuve and Carcelia bombylans Robineau-Desvoidy (Diptera: Tachinidae) new to Britain. Dipterist's Digest (Second Series),
Courses taught
Introduction to Entomology
Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom
Invited and keynote speaker
Metabarcoding in the city: developing DNA methods for urban nature conservation, UK DNA Working Group Annual Conference: London, United Kingdom, 27/1/2020.
Public Engagement
External activities
Science Uncovered, 7/9/2013
Science Uncovered, 28/9/2012
Internal activities
Science Uncovered, 26/9/2014
Media
Broadcasts
Wilderness Walks with Ray Mears - episode 2, the Thames Path, A brief interview on the rare orchid hybrid Orchis purpurea x simia = O. x angusticruris, ITV, Mears R, 14/10/2014.
In pursuit of the ridiculous: Rare orchids, A light-hearted discussion around the subject of hybridisation - the pros and cons and the reasons why purists dislike hybrids. The discussion took place on the Hartslock nature reserve, sitting among the Orchis simia, purpurea and the hybrid Orchis purpurea x simia = O. x angusticruris., BBC2, Westwood B, 14/11/2012.