Entomology Technician Invasive Species Centre Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada
A picture is worth a thousand words and finding illustrated dichotomous keys are every budding entomologist's dream. Scolytinae (Curculionidae: Coleoptera) are a forest group of beetles that are commonly trapped in provincial and state monitoring programs throughout North America. These monitoring programs are key to early detection of potential invasive species introduction. Accurate identification of native and non-native species are important for rapid response to new invaders. Nitidulidae (Coleoptera) are a known pathway for the spread and dissemination of fungal pathogens such as oak wilt. With oak wilt occurring in close proximity to the Canadian border, monitoring programs are becoming more frequent. An updated key from Parsons 1943 family review was needed to help with the identification of this genus in Canada. These two families are important for forest health monitoring programs and can be used as a resource tool for identification. The process of creating these keys is a great way to review the diversity of genera in Canada and collect photos that can be used on multiple platforms. The end goal was to create easy-to-use descriptions and image associations to improve accuracy in identification and provide improved knowledge of the morphological features.
