Keys for the identification of British ColeopteraWelcome to my selection of illustrated identification aids for insects. The amazing diversity of insects illustrates and celebrates the creativity and imagination of God and my hope is that you will not only find these keys useful and attractive but also that they would lead you to worship.
These dichotomous keys are designed for use on screen. I would like to envisage them being used on a PC at home or in a lab, or used in the field, for example on a smart phone or tablet. They are not designed to be printed. The layout with one couplet for each page is deliberate and moving through the keys should be possible using the hyperlinks, or if using a tablet, by swiping through the document. It is my conviction that good quality keys should be available online for all users freely so that advances in natural history knowledge are not hampered at the first hurdle of identification.
My first keys were updated and illustrated versions of the keys to British coleoptera published by Joy in 1932. Since some of the out of print Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects have now been published on the web under a Creative Commons License I have started to write illustrated keys with updated nomenclature based on these as well. You will also find a growing number of keys that I have translated and adapted from French and German works including those by Arved Lompe who has given me permission to translate and publish here. All these keys are supposed to be works in progress. Any key can be improved by "field testing". Please join the group of coleopterists who have made suggestions of improvements based on their own trials of the keys. I am usually able to respond quickly to any errors etc. If you have some suggestions based on your experience please contact me on mikesinsectkeysATgmail.com. If you find that a key is missing please let me know and I'll see what I can do to forward you something. I am also a keen botanist and am trying to write illustrated keys for the plants of North Hampshire in southern England. Follow the blog at http://mikehackston.blogspot.co.uk. One function of the blog is that it informs of any new keys published here and also amendments that have been made to existing keys.
Links to the keys to Coleoptera species pages Edits and additions during the last 12 months 14th November 2017 - revised key to the genera and most species of Nitidulidae published 16th November 2017 - key to Staphylinidae, subfamily Aleocharinae, tribe Athetini published 19th December 2017 - key to Staphylinidae, subfamily Aleocharinae, tribe Oxypodini published 23rd December 2017 - new keys to Curculionidae published - subfamilies Baridinae and Curculioninae 1st January 2018 - key to the British subfamilies of Curculionidae published; updated after "field testing" on 15th January 4th January 2018 - new key to family Eucnemidae to species published 5th January 2018 - new key to family Staphylinidae, subfamily Aleocharinae, tribe Hypocyphtini 12th April 2018 - key to the genera of Galerucinae, Chrysomelidae extensively edited after checking characters against museum specimens. 28th July 2018 - edited key to Oedemeridae published 29th July 2018 - key to the British species of genus Tachyporus, Tachyporinae, Staphylinidae published 18th October 2018 - update to the British species of Cleridae to include Dermestoides sanguinicollis 19th October 2018 - update to the British species of Endomychidae to include Symbiotes gibberosus 19th October 2018 - update to the British species of Cercyon (Hydrophilidae) to include the split of castaneipennis and obsoletus. For keys to Diptera - please go to https://sites.google.com/site/mikesinsectkeys2 For keys to Hymenoptera and other insect orders - please go to https://sites.google.com/site/mikesinsectkeyshymenoptera/ |