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Creating A Dichotomous Key To Identify Species of Beetles: Background Information On Beetles & Insects

This document provides instructions for students to create a dichotomous key to identify 18 species of beetles. It includes background information on beetles and insects to aid students. Students are advised to study illustrations of the beetles and to begin with more generalized characteristics before moving to more specific ones. The dichotomous key will be evaluated based on clarity, specificity, and ability to identify all 18 species. Students will also answer analysis questions about useful and less useful characteristics, alternative key designs, and tips for other students.

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171 views2 pages

Creating A Dichotomous Key To Identify Species of Beetles: Background Information On Beetles & Insects

This document provides instructions for students to create a dichotomous key to identify 18 species of beetles. It includes background information on beetles and insects to aid students. Students are advised to study illustrations of the beetles and to begin with more generalized characteristics before moving to more specific ones. The dichotomous key will be evaluated based on clarity, specificity, and ability to identify all 18 species. Students will also answer analysis questions about useful and less useful characteristics, alternative key designs, and tips for other students.

Uploaded by

tzy4sfp54y
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Name:______________________ Date:_______________________

SBI3U

Creating a Dichotomous Key to Identify Species of Beetles


If you find an insect you have never seen before, how could you discover its identity? Many
field guides help you match up the characteristics of your specimen with those of similar organisms
using a dichotomous key. This identification key uses a series of paired comparisons to sort
organisms into smaller and smaller groups. For this assignment you will be creating a dichotomous
key to correctly identify 18 species of beetle.

You will need to know some basic terminology and background information on insects and
more specifically beetles to help you with your dichotomous key. You many use any of the
terminology explained here in your dichotomous key; assume that the reader has the same
background information.

Background information on Beetles & Insects:

Insects are arthropods which first appeared


about 380 million years ago. Insects are different
from the other arthropods because they have only
three pairs of legs and most insects have wings.
Also, unlike most other arthropods, the insect’s
body is divided into three regions: the head, the
thorax, and the abdomen.

On the head of a beetle, the compound


eyes and antennae (feelers) are usually easy to
see. There are many forms of antennae among
the beetles. Some antennae are short, clubbed,
comb- like or even hidden in pockets. The mouthparts of beetles are jaws adapted for chewing or
biting; some beetles have long slender snouts with small jaws at the end of the snout. Attached to
most beetles’ mouthparts are short feeler-like palps. The palps act like fingers to handle the beetle's
food while it is eating it.

Hints & Tips:

1) You may create your dichotomous key in either a flow chart or table format.

2) Study the illustrations of 18 beetles provided before you begin!

3) As always begin with more generalized characteristics and choose more specific ones as you go.

4) It will probably take you several tries to create a clear and concise dichotomous key for this many
specimens, take your time and do it right.

5) Make sure there are always two choices and only two!!
Analysis Questions:

1) Which beetle characteristics were the most useful when creating your dichotomous key? Which
were the least useful?

2) Are there other possible ways of creating a dichotomous key for these beetles? Why or why not?

3) What tips would you give another student before they begin to try to make this particular
dichotomous key?

Evaluation:

Dichotomous Key
- two choices per step
- choices are clear, specific and easy to use /20
- all 18 species are identifiable using the key

Questions
- 2 points per question /6

Total /26

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