The Bibikely Biodiversity Institute (pronounced bee-bee-KAY-lee) is the primary research and training organization for the study of arthropods in Madagascar.
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Since the first inventory in 1992, the Institute's activities have evolved into one of the most important projects for the advancement of arthropod training and research across Madagascar.
The Institute was founded in 1992 by Dr. Brian Fisher, preeminent field biologist, and the curator and chairman of the entomology department of the California Academy of Sciences. Dr. Fisher is also the present executive director of the Institute.
Inventory
This project has become one of the largest arthropod inventory programs ever undertaken.
Over the last 12 years, field crews have inventoried 112 sites across Madagascar. In Madagascar, a team of 15 taxonomic assistants sorted and processed over a million specimens. For ants alone, over 800 new species have been discovered. The Arthropod Inventory of Madagascar project has demonstrated the feasibility of the effort to collect, process, and prepare enormous quantities of taxonomically rich specimens across diverse, large-scale landscapes.
Inventory of the island's rich arthropod fauna remains incomplete, but the success of the current effort has brought us closer to achieving this goal.
Education
Many students receive a significant part of their education working with the Institute. A particular focus is training students from Madagascar.
Biodiversity Center
The Institute is the driving force behind the incipient Madagascar Biodiversity Center.
Support
The following organizations have provided funding for the Institute: