macroinvertebrates.org

Macroinvertebrates.org organizes its collection as a browsable taxonomic tree, so you can reach a specific group either by drilling down through phylum → class → order → family → genus, or by jumping straight to a list or index. Use the Insect Order View when you already know the order you want, the Full Taxa List or Full Collection when you want to scan everything, and the Phyla Index when you are starting from a phylum other than insects. The Identification Key is the better entry point when you don't yet know what you're looking at.

Navigation options and when to use each

Walking the hierarchy

The site nests each group under its parent rank, and each level is labeled with its rank name in quotes. A typical path looks like this:

• Phylum Annelida ("Annelids")
  • Class Hirudinea ("Leeches")
    • Order Rhynchobdellida
      • Family Glossiphoniidae
        • Genus Placobdella

At any level you can choose View to open the next rank down. So to reach the leech genus Placobdella, you go Annelida → Hirudinea → Rhynchobdellida → Glossiphoniidae → Placobdella.

The same pattern holds for insects. Under Arthropoda ("Arthropods"), you'll find classes such as Insecta ("Insects") and Collembola ("Semi-aquatic Springtails"). Within Insecta, orders are split by life stage where relevant — for example, Coleoptera appears twice, once as "Adult Beetles" and once as "Larval Beetles," each with its own family and genus listings.

Example: locating a family and genus

Suppose you want the riffle beetle genus Stenelmis:

1. Open Arthropoda → Insecta → Coleoptera ("Adult Beetles").
2. Select Elmidae (View).
3. Choose the genus Stenelmis from the list, which also includes Ancyronyx variegatus, Dubiraphia, Macronychus glabratus, Microcylloepus, and Optioservus.

If you were after a mayfly instead, the path runs Ephemeroptera ("Mayflies") → Heptageniidae → one of Epeorus, Heptagenia, Leucrocuta, Maccaffertium, Rhithrogena, or Stenacron.

Combining browsing with the Identification Key

Browsing assumes you already have a rough idea of the group. When you don't, start with the Identification Key to narrow a specimen down, then use the taxonomic tree to confirm the family or genus and read its page. The two work together: the key gets you to a candidate, and the hierarchy shows you where that candidate sits relative to similar taxa.

Supporting resources

Alongside the browsing views, the site provides Training Materials, a Practice Quiz, a Glossary, a Quick Start Guide, a Video Tutorial, and FAQs. The PocketMacros App is also listed for field use. If a page or link misbehaves, there is a Report Site Issues option, and a General Inquiry contact for other questions.

Macroinvertebrates.org provides three support paths under its Help menu: the Quick Start Guide, Video Tutorial, and FAQs for self-service answers, Report Site Issues for technical problems or errors, and General Inquiry for anything else. Start with the FAQs and Quick Start Guide — most questions about navigation and identification are already answered there, and you'll get a faster resolution than waiting on a reply.

Self-Service Help Options

Before submitting anything, check the three resources the site lists under Help:

These cover the common friction points: how to move between Insect Order View, Full Collection View, and Full Taxa List, how the Identification Key works, and how to read the Phyla Index. If your question is "how do I do X on this site," it's likely already documented.

Reporting a Site Issue

Use Report Site Issues when something on the site is broken or wrong rather than when you need general information. This is the right channel for:

• A page or view that won't load or displays incorrectly
• A broken link or missing image
• A taxonomic listing that appears incorrect or misplaced
• The PocketMacros App not behaving as expected

When you report, be specific: name the view or taxon you were on (for example, a genus page under Ephemeroptera or Diptera), describe what you expected versus what happened, and note your browser or device if the problem looks display-related. A precise report is far more actionable than "the site is broken."

General Inquiries

General Inquiry is the catch-all contact for questions that aren't site bugs — for example, questions about the project, its data sources, or collaboration. If your question is about content or the project itself rather than a malfunction, this is the appropriate route.

A Practical Order of Operations

1. Check the FAQs first. Most "how do I…" questions end here.
2. Skim the Quick Start Guide or Video Tutorial if you're new to the identification tools.
3. If it's a bug or error, go to Report Site Issues with specifics.
4. If it's anything else, use General Inquiry.

Following this order keeps the issue-reporting channel focused on actual problems and usually gets you an answer without waiting for a response.

Macroinvertebrates.org provides a set of training and learning resources designed to support both classroom teaching and independent study of aquatic macroinvertebrate identification. The main resources include Training Materials, a Practice Quiz, a Glossary, a Quick Start Guide, and a Video Tutorial, with the PocketMacros App serving as a mobile companion tool. These resources are accessible from the site's main navigation under the "Resources" and "Help" sections.

Core Training and Learning Resources

The site organizes its educational support into several distinct tools, each serving a different purpose in the learning process.

Training Materials

The Training Materials section is intended for structured instruction. It supports educators who need ready-made content for workshops, courses, or lab sessions, as well as self-learners who want a guided path through identification skills. This is the starting point for anyone building a formal training program around macroinvertebrate identification.

Practice Quiz

The Practice Quiz lets users test their identification skills interactively. It is useful for reinforcing what you have learned from the identification key and taxa pages. For teaching, it works as a low-stakes assessment tool; for self-study, it provides immediate feedback on whether you can correctly distinguish between similar organisms.

Glossary

The Glossary defines the morphological and technical terminology used throughout the site. Because macroinvertebrate identification relies heavily on anatomical terms (e.g., gills, segments, mouthparts), the glossary helps beginners and students decode descriptions they encounter in the identification key and taxa pages.

Getting Started Quickly

Two resources are specifically aimed at new users who need orientation before diving into identification work.

• Quick Start Guide — A concise walkthrough that explains how to begin using the site's core features, so you can start identifying specimens without reading extensive documentation first.
• Video Tutorial — A visual demonstration of the site's tools and workflow, helpful for users who prefer watching a process rather than reading step-by-step instructions.

These two resources are the recommended entry point if you are unfamiliar with the site or with macroinvertebrate identification in general.

Mobile and Field Support

PocketMacros App

The PocketMacros App extends the site's functionality to mobile devices. It is positioned as a field or mobile-side aid, meaning you can reference identification support while sampling in the field rather than being tied to a desktop browser. This is particularly relevant for environmental monitoring, stream surveys, or educational field trips where a laptop is impractical.

How These Resources Fit Together

A practical learning path would be: start with the Quick Start Guide or Video Tutorial to understand the site layout, use the Glossary to build vocabulary, work through the identification key and taxa pages, then test yourself with the Practice Quiz. For field work, carry the PocketMacros App as a mobile reference.

Key Takeaways

• The site offers five main learning supports: Training Materials, Practice Quiz, Glossary, Quick Start Guide, and Video Tutorial.
• The Quick Start Guide and Video Tutorial are the fastest way to get oriented.
• The Practice Quiz and Glossary reinforce identification skills and terminology.
• The PocketMacros App provides mobile access for field use.
• All resources are accessible from the site's navigation under "Resources" and "Help."

Macroinvertebrates.org is a web-based identification and teaching resource for freshwater macroinvertebrates—the insects, worms, leeches, and other organisms used in biological monitoring of streams and rivers. It is built around a browsable taxonomic collection and an identification key, with supporting training materials, a glossary, practice quizzes, and a companion PocketMacros app. It is most useful if you need to identify aquatic macroinvertebrate specimens, teach others how to do so, or prepare for water-quality biomonitoring work.

What the site covers

The collection is organized taxonomically rather than by region or habitat type. From the navigation you can move through:

• Insect Order View — a browse path starting at the order level
• Full Collection View and Full Taxa List — complete listings of what is included
• Identification Key — a structured key for working toward an identification
• Phyla Index — an entry point organized by phylum

The taxa shown span both insects and non-insects. Examples from the site's listings include:

Each entry is navigable down through phylum, class, order, family, and genus, so you can drill from a broad group to a specific genus (for example, Stenelmis under Elmidae, or Baetis under Baetidae).

Supporting resources

Beyond the collection itself, the site groups a set of resources under Resources and Help:

• Training Materials — instructional content for learning identification
• Practice Quiz — self-testing on taxa
• Glossary — terminology used in the key and taxon pages
• Quick Start Guide and Video Tutorial — orientation for new users
• FAQs and Report Site Issues — support and feedback
• PocketMacros App — a mobile companion for use in the field
• Project and Blog — background on the project and updates

Who it is for

This resource fits three main audiences:

1. Biomonitoring and water-quality practitioners who need to identify macroinvertebrate samples as part of stream or river assessment.
2. Students and educators in freshwater ecology, entomology, or environmental science who need a reference collection and practice tools.
3. Citizen-science and volunteer monitoring groups that want a structured key plus training materials and a field app.

How to start using it

1. Open the site and choose an entry point: Insect Order View if you know the order, Identification Key if you are working from a specimen, or Phyla Index for a broader browse.
2. Navigate down the taxonomic levels (phylum → class → order → family → genus) to reach the taxon you are considering.
3. Cross-check unfamiliar terms in the Glossary.
4. Test your recognition with the Practice Quiz.
5. If you are new to the site, read the Quick Start Guide or watch the Video Tutorial first, and use PocketMacros if you need the reference in the field.

One practical note: because the site is organized taxonomically, it helps to have at least a rough idea of the group you are looking at (for example, "this is a mayfly" or "this is a beetle larva") before browsing. If you are starting from a completely unknown specimen, the Identification Key is the more appropriate entry point than the collection views.

The Identification Key on Macroinvertebrates.org is a step-by-step tool for narrowing a freshwater specimen down to a taxon, and you reach it from the "Identification Key" link in the site's top navigation menu. Use it when you have a specimen in hand (or a clear photo) and want to work from observable characters rather than browsing a list. If you already know roughly what you're looking at, the taxonomic browse pages are faster; the key is for when you don't.

Where the key sits in the site

The top menu groups the site's main tools:

• Navigational Views – browse the collection by taxonomy
• Resources – training materials, practice quiz, glossary
• Help – quick start guide, video tutorial, FAQs
• PocketMacros App, Project, Blog, About

The Identification Key appears alongside Insect Order View, Full Collection View, Full Taxa List, and Phyla Index as one of the primary ways into the content. That grouping tells you what each entry point is for: the key is the decision-tree route, while the others are direct-browse routes.

How the step-by-step process works

A dichotomous key presents a pair (or set) of contrasting statements at each step. You pick the statement that matches your specimen, and that choice sends you to the next step, until you arrive at a taxon.

1. Start at the first couplet. Read both options fully before choosing — the wrong turn early is the most common way to end up at a taxon that doesn't fit.
2. Compare against the specimen, not memory. Look at the actual structure the statement describes (body form, appendages, gills, tail structures, etc.).
3. Select the matching statement and continue to the next step.
4. Repeat until the key resolves to a taxon.
5. Verify the result by opening that taxon's page and checking that the described characters match what you see.

The expected result at the end is a named taxon you can then look up in the collection. If the final taxon's page contradicts your specimen, back up a step or two rather than forcing the match.

Cross-check with the browse pages and glossary

The key works best when paired with the site's other views, because a key can only describe characters in words — the browse pages show you what those words mean in practice.

• Full Taxa List / Full Collection View – confirm the taxon the key gave you actually exists in the collection and see its entry.
• Insect Order View – useful when you only need to place a specimen at the order level.
• Phyla Index – the entry point for non-insect groups; the collection covers Annelida (e.g., leeches under Hirudinea) and Arthropoda (including Collembola and Insecta) among others.
• Glossary – look up any anatomical term in a couplet you don't recognize. Skipping this is a frequent source of misidentification.

The collection is organized down to genus in many groups — for example, within Coleoptera you can reach genera such as Agabus, Copelatus, Stenelmis, and Psephenus, and within Ephemeroptera genera such as Baetis, Ephemerella, and Hexagenia. Knowing this depth helps you judge how far the key can take you.

Practice before you rely on it

The Practice Quiz under Resources lets you test identification against known specimens before using the key on real, unknown samples. This is the cheapest way to find out which character groups you consistently misread. The Training Materials, Quick Start Guide, and Video Tutorial cover the same ground if you prefer guided instruction over trial and error.

Common sticking points

• Choosing on a partial view. If a structure is hidden or damaged, the couplet may be unanswerable — note it and try the other branch to see whether both converge.
• Skipping the glossary. Terms like the ones used for gills, mouthparts, and tail filaments are precise; guessing at them defeats the key.
• Stopping at the first match. Always open the resulting taxon page and confirm the characters line up.
• Using the key when browsing is faster. If you can already place the specimen to order or family, go straight to that branch of the collection instead.