Essential websites for additional information
Internet Identification - all insects
BugGuide.net Focused on the North American Insect fauna, it has a wealth of images, also a clickable billboard, which help to identify insects.
EcoWatch Insects gives a description and image of most insect orders, no formal key however.
Bug identification If you've found an insect and you don't know what it is then you can use the on-line Key below to find out what order your insect belongs to. It is a good idea to have the insect in a 'Bug Box' whilst you use the Key - it's much easier than relying on your memory. - Please read all the text below before using the Key.
British Insects: the Insect Orders Interactive Key and Information Retrieval using Intkey (Windows 95/NT or later) If Intkey (dated 5 September 2000 or later) is already installed on your computer, you can start the key. To install the latest version of Intkey: download intk32.exe (2MB) to any folder, and run it. So, you need to install software on your computer.
GUIDE TO INSECT FAMILIES, WITH EMPHASIS ON PARASITOIDS & PREDATORs by E. F. Legner, University of California, Riverside. This key is in a form commonly used in North America. If the statement is true, proceed to the designated couplet, whereas if it is false, go to the "b" portion of the couplet. Numbers in parentheses refer to the previous couplet or couplets read. Details on families may be found in <taxnames.htm>. See MORPHOLOGY to learn about insect structure.
Gordon's Key to the Identification of Insects to Order
Insect Identifier The identification of insects is not fundamentally different from the identification of birds, fish, mammals, flowers, trees or any other form of life. It is simply a matter of knowing what to look for and being able to see it. Insect identification is made difficult by the tremendous number of different species. Formal ID key.
Kendall-Bioreasearch: Insect Identification
IDnature guides are run by 20q identification software developed by The Polistes Corporation. This software presents text, line drawings, and photographs in Web forms to help you identify things. It should work on all computers running modern browsers such as Firefox, Internet Explorer, Mozilla, Netscape, and Safari. It was first used by specialists to identify tropical wasps and beetles. We are now building guides for widespead use at the 4th grade level and above. Ultimately, we hope that super-friendly guides to species will be available for all living things.
Internet Identification - Pests
PaDIL - Pests and Diseases Image Library Offering high-quality colour diagnostic images and information on pests and diseases. PaDIL helps protect against invasive threats to Australia's plant health. Guarding against pest and disease invasion is a key component of Australia's National Plant Health Strategy. Rapid recognition of Emergency Plant Pests is critical to ensure appropriate response strategies are implemented. PaDIL is one tool that can greatly enhance this process.
Books and Printed Identification Keys
Scholtz CH, Holm E (1985) Insects of Southern Africa. University of Pretoria, South Africa. 502pp. ISBN 0409 10486 8. Out of Print .
Picker M, Griffiths C & A Weaving (2004) Field Guide to the Insects of South Africa. Struik, Cape Town. A field guide with many wonderful images, relevant to Eastern Africa, but no formal keys.
CSIRO (1991) Insects of Australia. Melbourne University Press. For all orders, there are keys to the families although Australia is one of the southern continents, not all African families occur in Australia and are this ommited from the keys.
Many general textbooks on entomolgy have identification keys to the insects orders, or other useful information for identifications at this level.