user338: Is it on-topic here to ask for the identification of any living organism? If not, on what site would this be accepted as a good question?

user239: I'd be hesitant to disallow them entirely, since species identification is a rather central part of biology.  That said, I do feel that, if we do allow them, we ought to write up some clear guidelines on what it takes to write a good, answerable species identification question, and to be proactive in closing questions that don't meet those guidelines.  The last few species-identification question I've seen (e.g. this, this and this) have been simply awful (as in, all but impossible to answer based on the details given).
(Alas, as a biomathematician with very little field biology experience, I may not be the best person to write those guidelines.  I'm willing to give it a try if no-one else steps up to the plate, though.)

user69: See here and here - in short we don't seem to have a clear consensus.  However, as long as the question includes enough detail and has a biological basis then I personally would say that it's worth posting.  

338: <p>Is it on-topic here to ask for the identification of any living organism? If not, on what site would this be accepted as a good question?</p>
 239: <p>I'd be hesitant to disallow them entirely, since species identification <em>is</em> a rather central part of biology.  That said, I do feel that, if we do allow them, we ought to write up some <strong>clear guidelines</strong> on what it takes to write a <em>good</em>, answerable species identification question, and to be proactive in closing questions that don't meet those guidelines.  The last few <a href="https://biology.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/species-identification" class="post-tag" title="show questions tagged &#39;species-identification&#39;" rel="tag">species-identification</a> question I've seen (e.g. <a href="https://biology.stackexchange.com/questions/1922/can-someone-identify-this-bird">this</a>, <a href="https://biology.stackexchange.com/questions/1826/whats-that-bug">this</a> and <a href="https://biology.stackexchange.com/questions/1808/small-worm-living-in-some-kind-of-cocoon-what-are-these-animals">this</a>) have been simply awful (as in, all but impossible to answer based on the details given).</p>

<p>(Alas, as a biomathematician with very little field biology experience, I may not be the best person to write those guidelines.  I'm willing to give it a try if no-one else steps up to the plate, though.)</p>
 69: <p>See <a href="https://biology.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/151/plant-identification-questions">here</a> and <a href="https://biology.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/181/species-identification-questions">here</a> - in short we don't seem to have a clear consensus.  However, as long as the question includes enough detail and has a biological basis then I personally would say that it's worth posting.  </p>
