by Marilyn Pease, HCMG |
USE of
DICHOTOMOUS KEY for EASY
INSECT ID
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Now I can tell your eyes
are already starting to
glaze over and you are
considering skipping
reading my column this
month. DON’T!!! This is
a really easy way to
narrow down the
possibilities when
identifying an unknown
insect. According to
Webster’s Dictionary,
the word “dichotomous”
simply means “the
process of dividing a
group into two parts,
esp. mutually exclusive
or contradictory
groups.” Fine so far,
right? |
So let’s say you find an
unknown insect-like
critter in your garden.
You can first ask
yourself (or the bug),
“Do you have 8 legs or
only 6 (or maybe a whole
lot)?” If the answer is
6, you know you have a
true insect and not a
spider or other
Arthropod such as a
centipede. Now look for
wings. Are there 2 or 4?
Only 2 wings would
indicate a member of the
fly family. Are the
wings clear or scaled?
Scaled wings are the
type found on moths and
butterflies. You can
continue in this fashion
until you are satisfied
you have a handle on
what the critter may be. |
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This process can be as
simple or as complex as
you wish depending on
how closely you want to
come to exact species
ID. Depending on how
specific you want to get
with the insect, you can
go as far as what kind
of hairs it has on its
behind! Using this key
is a way to eliminate
what it cannot be. It is
similar to the way a
physician will approach
diagnosis of an unknown
disease or condition.
Doctors use clinical
tests to rule out
certain conditions the
same way you can use a
dichotomous key to rule
out what the insect
cannot be. |
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There are several good
dichotomous keys I have
found on the Internet.
One I especially like is
at the site of the
Amateur Entomology
Society. You can go to
www.amentsoc.org/
insects, click on
“What bug is this?” then
“key to adult insects”.
Another helpful site is
www.bugguide.net.
This site has a
pictorial key to help
you match up similar
shapes of insects. So
why not give it a go and
see if you can use this
simple process of
elimination to ID your
next unknown bug. You
will be very proud of
yourself and so will I! |
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