Swat or Not? Identifying Insects in Virtual Reality

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Insect identification is difficult. This matters to us, because we need to identify insects in order to track changes in the abundance and distribution of important species, such as pollinators or pests. It also matters to other animals. For example, insect-loving birds can confuse harmless and palatable prey, such as hoverflies, with noxious or defended species, such as wasps or bees. This is why natural selection favours the evolution of Batesian mimics - species which seek to avoid predation by pretending to be something that they are not. In this project, we aim to understand the problem of species identification better by developing an immersive virtual reality (VR) game in which members of the public can encounter wasps and bees, and their hoverfly mimics, without fear of being stung. By playing the game, volunteers will learn how to identify important insect species, and help us to explore ideas about the evolution of mimicry.We will use high-resolution 3D images of real insects and cutting-edge VR technology to build two apps, one for training in species identification, and the other for use in research about mimicry. We will demonstrate the training app to school children and members of the public at a local science festival, and test it with university students on a field course. We will pilot the research app in a simple experiment designed to test how viewing angle can affect the ability of volunteers to distinguish between wasps and hoverflies. By using an immersive and playful approach, we hope to captivate an audience who might otherwise feel negatively towards insects. Our long-term goal is to engage citizens in entomology, and help them gain the insect identification skills they require to contribute meaningful data which can be used in scientific research seeking to understand the impacts of climate change and other human activities on biodiversity.