Protocol for standard wings

For the main group of transparent insect wings the general protocol outlined step-by-step in the instructions is sufficient. Start the process by defining a box around the picture of the wing. The x.y coordinates of each mouse click on a vein junction will appear below the box.

Exterior junctions:

  1. After creating the box, outline the outside edge of the wing by clicking on each vein that reaches the margin.
  2. If you can’t tell if it truly reaches the edge or not, but looks like it does, click on where you expect it to join the edge.
  3. If there is a stigma (blackened swollen whole cell) along the margin, click on the veins that join the edge of the wing on both sides of it
  4. If two different veins join at the same point along the wing edge, indicate two separate veins by clicking twice at the same location
  5. If a long vein clearly approaches but does NOT join the wing margin, click on where it actually ends.

Interior junctions:

  1. Anywhere a true cross-vein creates an intersection, indicate by clicking on it once; in many cases the individual veins are offset a little bit and you should click separately for each intersection.
  2. If a longitudinal vein does not have any intersections and peters out before the margin, simply ignore it (you have already indicated where it ended).
  3. The veins at the base of the wing are complex. Even with a wing mounted on a microscope slide it is hard to tell whether the major veins are joined or separate at their bases. Any curved junction at the base of the wing can be ignored. However, if a regular wing vein seems to join with it at a nearly perpendicular angle do indicate the junction (see picture of higher Diptera wing).
  4. In the primitive Diptera, some of the major longitudinal veins of the wing fuse distinctly before the wing base and are accompanied by a distinct set of bridging crossveins. You do NOT need to indicate all of the confusing junctions toward the base. The computer will automatically ignore all such questions because they are very hard to see clearly, especially in a whole insect specimen.

 

Protocol for bee wings whose veins do not reach the margin

Follow the same process with these extra instructions:

  1. for bees: in most specimens the costa and subcosta are in fact separate, but appear fused into a single vein to the casual observer. Treat them as a single vein terminating in the inner half of the stigma.
  2. The stigma of Hymenoptera appears to have an inner edge (where the costa and subcosta join – click there), and an outer terminus (where the costa continues along the forward wing margin as part of the “marginal cell” – click there). The stigma itself may receive 1-2 other wing veins; even though it is not along the actual margin click on where these veins terminate in the stigma (see picture – not on the wing edge).

 

Protocol for wings with numerous veins and cells

Dragonfly-type wing:

  1. Start on posteromedial corner of “big rectangle” (see below, outer points = blue)
  2. Proceed outwards to tip of “triangle” (ignore subdivisions) [triangle may point out towards wing tip OR down towards hind margin of wing]
  3. Proceed by shortest method to hind margin
  4. Proceed along hind margin to base of wing. Save “outer points”
  5. Fill in all junctions within the encircled portion. Save “inner points”

 

Damselfly-type wing:

  1. locate break, trident and triangle
  2. start at the base of wing (see image), click on first vein to reach front margin
    • proceed along front margin of wing, marking veins to “break” (3)
    • proceed posteriorly (down) for 3 intersections to anterior branch of the “trident”
    • proceed to the junction of the 3 veins of the trident (5)
    • proceed to anteromedial base of triangle (6)
    • proceed along edge of triangle to posterolateral corner (7)
    • proceed along nearest vein to hind edge of wing (8)
    • finally proceed towards wing base to last junction on margin. (See End) Save as “outer points”. asdasd

 

Then fill in all junctions basally of the border you just made.

Save “interior points”. This should finish the process. The identity of the specimen should appear.