Identification Keys

These files are all keys for the identification of various kinds of organisms. They were created by or for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, or its predecessor agencies.

• Amphipod.exe - LeCroy, Sara E. 2000. An Illustrated Identification Guide to the Nearshore Marine and Estuarine Amphipoda of Florida, Volume 1 (self-extracting .zip to html, 6.5 MB)
• Amphipod Key Volume 2 - LeCroy, Sara E. "An Illustrated Identification Guide to the Nearshore Marine and Estuarine Gammaridean Amphipoda of Florida: Volume 2. (.pdf A, 6MB, .pdf B 6 MB)
• Amphipodkeyv3.pdf - LeCroy, Sara E. 2004. "An Illustrated Identification Guide to the Nearshore Marine and Estuarine Gammaridean Amphipoda of Florida," Volume III (.pdf, 18 MB)
• Amphipodkeyv4.pdf - LeCroy, Sara E. 2007. "An Illustrated Identification Guide to the Nearshore Marine and Estuarine Gammaridean Amphipoda of Florida," Volume IV (.pdf, 5 MB)
• Beetles.pdf - Epler, J. H. 1996. Identification manual for the water beetles of Florida (Coleoptera: Dryopidae, Dytiscidae, Elmidae, Gyrinidae, Haliplidae, Hydraenidae, Hydrophilidae, Noteridae, Psephenidae, Ptilodactylidae, Scirtidae). (PDF, 9.0 MB)
• Clams.pdf - Heard, W. H. 1979. Identification manual of the freshwater clams of Florida. (PDF, 2.7 MB)
• Cumacea Guide - Heard, R. T., D. Roccatagliata, and Iorgu Petrescu. 2007. An Illustrated Guide to Cumacea ( Crustacea: Malacostraca: Pericardia ) from Florida Coastal and Shelf Waters to Depths of 100 M. (PDF, 39MB).
• Decapods.pdf - Abele, L. G., and W. Kim. 1986. An illustrated guide to the marine decapod crustaceans of Florida. [with illustrations] (PDF, 35 MB) [with illustrations, 2 files] (PDF #1, 13 MB, PDF #2, 12 MB) [without illustrations] (PDF, 614 kB)
• Damselfly.pdf - Daigle, J. J. 1991. Florida Damselflies (Zygoptera): a Species Key to the Aquatic Larval Stages. (PDF, 208 kB)
• Dragonflykey.pdf - Richardson, J. S. 2003. Identification Manual for the Dragonfly Larvae (Anisoptera) of Florida.(PDF, 104 MB)
• Frnpnhdl.pdf - Ross, L. T. 1989. An identification guide to the ferns of the Florida panhandle. (PDF, 135 kB)
• Gastropoda Key - Thompson, Fred G.2004.An Identification Manual for the Freshwater Snails of Florida. Florida Museum of Natural History, Gainesville.
• Heteroptera.pdf - Epler, J.H.2006. Identification manual for the aquatic and semi-aquatic Heteroptera of Florida (Belostomatidae, Corixidae, Gelastocoridae, Gerridae, Hebridae, Hydrometridae, Mesoveliidae, Naucoridae, Nepidae, Notonectidae, Ochteridae, Pleidae, Saldidae, Veliidae). (PDF, 37 MB).
• Leeches.pdf - Klemm, D. J. 1995. Identification guide to the freshwater leeches (Annelida: Hirudinea ) of Florida and other southern states. (PDF, 3.1 MB)
• Leechx.exe (electronic version) - Klemm, D. J. 1995. Identification Guide to the Freshwater Leeches (Annelida: Hirudinea ) of Florida and other Southern States (self-extracting .zip to html, 1.4 MB)
• Mayflyguide.pdf - Pescador, M. and Richard, B. 2004. Guide to the Mayfly (Ephemeroptera) Nymphs of Florida, (PDF, 27.4 MB).
  • 2009 Update - September 2009 update to the 2004 Guide to the Mayfly (Ephemeroptera) Nymphs of Florida
• Megaloptera - A. K. Rasmussen, Pescador, M. L. 2002. A guide to the Megaloptera and Aquatic Neuroptera of Florida, 78 pages. (PDF, 4 MB)
• Midges.pdf - Epler, J. H. 1995. Identification manual for the larval Chironomidae (Diptera). (PDF, 9.2 MB)
• Mitekey.exe (electronic version) - Pluchino, E. S., Richardson, J., Riley, J., 1999. Guide to the common water mite genera of Florida (self-extracting .zip to html, 1.9 MB)
• Mites.pdf - Pluchino, E. S. 1984. Guide to the common water mite genera of Florida. (PDF, 1.05 MB)
• Mysids.pdf - Farrell, D. H. 1979. Guide to shallow-water mysids from Florida. (PDF, 664 kB)
• Oligofw.pdf - Milligan, M. R. 1997. Identification Manual for the aquatic Oligochaeta of Florida. Vol. I. Freshwater oligochaetes. (PDF, 5.7 MB)
• Oligoest.pdf - Milligan, M. R. 1995. Identification Manual for the aquatic Oligochaeta of Florida. Vol. II. Estuarine and nearshore marine oligochaetes. (PDF, 8.6 MB)
• Sflampds.pdf - Thomas, J. D. 1993. Identification manual for the marine Amphipoda: (Gammaridea), I. Common coral reef and rocky bottom amphipods of south Florida. (PDF, 1073 kB)
• Stonefly.pdf - Pescador, M. L., A. K. Rasmussen, and B. A. Richard. 2000. A Guide to the Stoneflies (Plecoptera) of Florida.  (PDF, 3.0 MB)
  • 2009 Update - September 2009 update to the 2000 A Guide to Stoneflies (Plecoptera) of Florida
• Tanaidacea.pdf - Heard, R., T. Hansknecht, and K. Larsen. 2003. An Illustrated Identification Guide to Florida Tanaidacea (Crustacea: Peracarida) Occurring in Depths of Less Than 200 m. (PDF, 42MB)
• Trichoptera - Pescador, M. L., A. K. Rasmussen, and S. C. Harris. 2004. Identification manual for the caddisfly (Trichoptera) larvae of Florida (Revised edition), 141 pages. (PDF, 3MB)
  • 2009 Update - September 2009 update to the 2004 (revised edition) identification manual for the caddisfly (Trichoptera) larvae of Florida