How to operate the identification system
- This identification system is computer driven and is designed to function automatically, by selecting the button "Best"
and alternating this with the button "Prune Redundant Features" 
. It will NOT function well if character states are selected randomly merely because they seem obvious on a particular specimen (but see 7 below).
- If you find that a character suggested by the system as “best” is difficult to see, then click for a second or third time on “Best” to find the “next best” option.
- Try to select character states that you can see easily and can evaluate confidently. Several "short cuts" are available based on highly unusual, even unique, character states; these are listed below this symbol
.
- View an image of a Feature by clicking the image icon
next to it. Or you can turn on the Feature Thumbnails by clicking the "Feature Thumbnails" button 
.
- With a multi-state character, you can select two states if you are not confident about selecting any single state.
- To view information about each thrips species, click the page icon
next to the species name. Identification of isolated individuals is often difficult due to structural and colour variation, and each identification should be checked against comments on the relevant genus datasheet. This checking is particularly important in Phlaeothripidae because some genera include species in which one or two characters are in a state that is divergent from most of the congeners.
- For an experienced thrips identifier it may be convenient to select character states that, from previous experience, are known to be particularly useful. But “obvious” states such as colour of wings, legs or antennae are liable to considerable variation within and between populations, and should not be used in the early stages of an identification.
