A FEW TIPS FOR USING THIS GUIDE:
1) Most orders (for insects) and families or class (for non-insects) have an introduction page for that taxa.
2) There are links to a taxa key and a taxa list on each introduction page that looks like this:
| Key to Families | Family list |
3) Some information is provided at every level of identification, but the deeper you can go into the key, the more specific and usually technical the information will be for the organism you're looking at. In general, this key only goes as far as family for each taxon.
4) Clicking the highlighted text in each key will take you to the next level of the key or to a taxon.
5) The more common taxa are usually (not always) at the top of each key.
6) Many taxa have a section called "not common in Pacific Northwest wetlands," featuring those taxa more likely to be found in other regions, in faster flowing waters or other ecosystems.
7) Clicking on an image will enlarge the image.
8)The list of links with arrows between them at the very top of every page will allow you to go backwards in your identification.
9) Many words, especially those having to do with anatomy, are linked to their definition in the glossary. For instance, you might be wondering what the definition of the word taxa is.
10) Keep in mind that macroinvertebrates are generally quite small. Macroinvertebrate orders and families can often be identified with the naked eye or a hand lens, but a dissecting microscope is essential to identify many of the genera or species accurately.
If you do not have any experience in entomology, you will probably find the following links to basic entomological topics immensely helpful.
 For a brief introduction to invertebrate taxonomy, click here.
For an introduction to invertebrate natural history, click here.
For an introduction in invertebrate anatomy, click here.
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