[NHCOLL-L:5085] Electronic keys

[Steve Heydon]

I would question the value of constructing dichotomous keys on the computer. Matrix based keys such as those suggested by the person from British Columbia really take advantage of the full computing power of the PC.

1. Inexperienced (or timid) users are able to skip difficult characters. In dichotomous keys there is always those one or two couplets where to proceed you have to interpret characters that are difficult to determine.

2. Partial specimens or specimens where a part is not visible for one reason or another are still "keyable"  .

3. Ecological, distributional or any other kind of information can be seamlessly incorporated on an equal footing with morphological characters.

4. Exceptional taxa can be entered into the matrix individually so there is no need for long couplets full or "and"s and "or"s.

5. Characters that work well in some taxa but not in others can be used.

6. Users with experience in a certain group can recognize unique features of the taxon being keyed and enter all those character states at one time and end up with only a very few remaining taxa to sort through.

7. incorporation of new taxa is just a matter of adding a new line of characters to the matrix.

8. Users can find errors and suggest corrections that just involve changes to the matrix rather than reworking a complex interconnected structure.


The Australians are way ahead of nearly everyone else with their Lucid Software (http://www.lucidcentral.com/). I use the beetle key quite often.


Dr. Steven L. Heydon
Bohart Museum of Entomology
University of California at Davis
One Shields Avenue
Davis CA 95616

Phone  (530)  752-0493
fax         (530) 752-9464
email     slheydon at ucdavis.edu