Hints on using Intkey

29 September 2018

M.J. Dallwitz

Introduction

Intkey is an app for interactive identification. Instructions for downloading and installing Intkey are at delta-intkey.com/www/programs.htm.

The app is initially in Normal Mode, which is suitable for most purposes. For more options, select ‘Advanced Mode’ from the ‘File’ menu. Help for all the Intkey options is available in Advanced Mode.

Examples of how to use Intkey are available at:

• Butterflies and moths - demonstration of an interactive key: Introduction and Detailed instructions. You can experiment with this key without any taxonomic knowledge of the group (it was designed for use at Open Days at the CSIRO Division of Entomology).
• An Intkey example: identification.
• An Intkey example: differences.

Toolbars

To get help for an active toolbar button (one that is not grey), first click the button at the right of the main toolbar, then click on the button for which you need help.

Identification

At startup, the top-left pane is headed ‘Best Characters’. Your identification will usually be quicker and more accurate if you use characters near the top of this list. However, if you want to see the characters in their ‘natural’ order, click the button.

1. In the top-left pane, click on a character that you feel confident you can use.
2. The app displays a list of character states, or a box for entering values such as lengths. If there is an illustration for the character, it will be displayed automatically. There may also be a ‘Notes’ button, which displays more information about the characters. Click on the state, or enter the value, that applies to your specimen, and click ‘OK’. If you aren’t sure, don’t guess a single state or value. Instead, click on more than one state, enter a range of values, or click ‘Cancel’ and try another character. To deselect a previously selected state, click on it again.
3. The ‘Taxa Remaining’ (top-right) pane shows the taxa that match the information that you have entered. The ‘Taxa Eliminated’ (bottom-right) pane shows the taxa that do not match, with the number of mismatches in parentheses. Repeat from step 1 until ‘Identification complete’ or some other message is displayed in the top-left pane. A ‘Help’ button is also displayed; click this to obtain information on how to proceed (for example, how to confirm the identification).

If, at any stage, you think you’ve made a mistake and want to correct it, click on the appropriate character in the ‘Used Characters’ (bottom-left) pane. The app again displays the box for selecting character states or entering values, and you can change the information you previously entered. You can remove the character from the identification by clearing all the information.

Checking identifications

Tentative identifications should be checked against further information. Full descriptions, diagnostic descriptions, and illustrations are available via the (Information) button.

Another way of checking is to increase the error tolerance. Click the button, enter a higher value, and continue the identification. A taxon is not eliminated until the number of mismatches between the specimen and the taxon is greater than the value of the error tolerance.

For more information, click the ‘Help’ button that is displayed at the completion of an identification (i.e., when 1 or 0 taxa remain).

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