You can quite literally experience the creature comforts of staying at home with Macroinvertebrates.org, an innovative, web-based resource to support aquatic macroinvertebrate identification by citizen scientists, water-quality professionals, students, educators, and entomology hobbyists alike!
Funded by the National Science Foundation and created collaboratively by the Human-Computer Interaction Institute at Carnegie Mellon University with Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Stroud Water Research Center, and Clemson University, this online Atlas of Common Freshwater Macroinvertebrates of Eastern North America features highly interactive, gigapan images of 150 total taxa. The vast collection includes nine orders of aquatic insects plus other benthic macroinvertebrates commonly used in water quality biomonitoring and environmental education, such as mussels/clams, snails, and crayfish.
Make the most of this cutting-edge macroinvertebrate learning tool by exploring the following Training Resources:
- Quick-Start Guide to Macroinvertebrates.org: Great reference for the beginner on website features and user tips.
- Site Tutorial Video: Used as an introduction to website features and navigation.
- Trainer Guide: A guide for trainers on when and how to use the website.
- Identification Key with two versions: interactive (found on the Macrinvertebrates.org homepage) or printable (found on the resources page as a PDF).
- Order Sheets: These printable files show images, morphological character drawings and life history summaries of these three orders: Ephemeroptera (mayflies), Plecoptera (stoneflies), and Trichoptera (caddisflies).
- Poster: This is a printable PDF of all the images in the website collection.
- Training Deck Templates (presentations): These can be downloaded and customized for the particular taxa covered in your workshops. Great as an introduction and as a follow-up guide.
- Site Rack Card: Can be used to share and promote the website, or as a handout for the public or novice groups.
- Order Illustrations: Download drawings of 13 orders! Macroinvertebrate Image Gallery: Features a subset of vector images, ready to use! Visit Training Resources and scroll down to view and download illustrations.
- Macroinvertebrate ID Quiz: A self-practice quiz for identification (to the common taxa used in volunteer monitoring programs).
