Gallery V · The reference desk
Where to
look next.
26 hand-picked databases, image libraries, citizen-science portals, and historical archives. Together they cover almost every described species on Earth — and the photographs to recognize them by.
Citizen Science
3 sources
iNaturalist
https://www.inaturalist.org/
Best for
Identifying insects from photos. Tens of millions of community-verified observations with images, GPS, and dates.Built by California Academy of Sciences + National Geographic. AI vision model (Seek) provides instant ID suggestions. The single best starting point for visual ID.
Global. Massive for popular insect groups (butterflies, dragonflies, beetles). · Imagery: Excellent
Project Noah
https://www.projectnoah.org/
Best for
Photo-based nature observations with community ID.Smaller community than iNaturalist but useful for finding insect imagery.
Global. · Imagery: Strong
iRecord
https://irecord.org.uk/
Best for
UK biological recording — the British counterpart to iNaturalist.Strong for European insect identifications, particularly for difficult groups verified by national recording schemes.
United Kingdom. · Imagery: Strong
Global Taxonomy
7 sources
GBIF
https://www.gbif.org/
Best for
Occurrence records, distribution maps, and dataset aggregation.Aggregates iNaturalist, museums, and 1,100+ datasets. Best for mapping where species occur worldwide. Free API for researchers.
Global. 3+ billion occurrence records from museums and citizen science. · Imagery: Strong
Catalogue of Life
https://www.catalogueoflife.org/
Best for
The authoritative global checklist of all known species.Built from 165 peer-reviewed taxonomic databases. The taxonomic backbone for GBIF, IUCN, EOL, and BOLD. Best for verifying valid scientific names and synonyms.
Global. 2+ million species, including ~1 million insects. · Imagery: Limited
Encyclopedia of Life
https://eol.org/
Best for
One-stop species pages with images, range, traits, and references.Originally led by Smithsonian, Field Museum, and Harvard. Pulls images and data from many partners. Great for written natural history overview.
Global. Pages for ~2 million species. · Imagery: Strong
Orthoptera Species File
http://orthoptera.speciesfile.org/
Best for
Authoritative global taxonomy for grasshoppers, crickets, and katydids.Part of the Species File project, a model for taxonomic databases of single orders.
Global, all Orthoptera. · Imagery: Strong
Phasmida Species File
http://phasmida.speciesfile.org/
Best for
Definitive global taxonomy of stick and leaf insects.Sister project to Orthoptera Species File. Comprehensive species-level data.
Global, all Phasmatodea. · Imagery: Strong
Trichoptera World Checklist
https://trichopt.app.clemson.edu/
Best for
Authoritative global checklist of caddisflies.Hosted at Clemson University.
Global Trichoptera. · Imagery: Limited
Tree of Life Web Project
http://tolweb.org/Insecta/8205
Best for
Phylogenetic relationships between groups — understand why orders are grouped the way they are.Older but classic resource. Built by scientists worldwide. Best for grasping the evolutionary story.
Global. · Imagery: Mixed
Regional ID
3 sources
BugGuide
https://bugguide.net/
Best for
Definitive North American insect identification with expert-vetted photos.Hosted by Iowa State University. Curated by professional and amateur entomologists. Best for going deep on a North American ID once you have a candidate family.
USA, Canada, northern Mexico. ~1 million images. · Imagery: Excellent
Butterflies and Moths of North America
https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/
Best for
Lepidoptera ID, range maps, and citizen-science observations across North America.Maintained by Big Sky Institute / Montana State University. Vetted records and high-quality photos.
North America. · Imagery: Excellent
Mayfly Central
https://mayflycentral.osu.edu/
Best for
Mayfly identification with a focus on aquatic stages.Hosted at Ohio State University. Useful for fly-fishers and aquatic ecologists.
North America with global reference. · Imagery: Strong
Image Library
6 sources
Biodiversity Heritage Library
https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/
Best for
Historical scientific illustrations of insects from the 1700s–early 1900s.Free, in-copyright-cleared scans of classic entomology books. Beautiful for art and historical research.
Global. Millions of pages of historical literature. · Imagery: Excellent
Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Insects
Best for
Free, public-domain or Creative Commons photos and illustrations.97 categories for insects by order. Includes high-resolution scientific illustrations, microscope images, and field photos.
Global. Tens of thousands of insect images by order, family, and species. · Imagery: Excellent
Insects Unlocked
https://www.flickr.com/photos/insectsunlocked/
Best for
Stunning, public-domain (CC0) macro photography of insects.Run from the Alex Wild Photography lab at UT Austin. Released entirely into the public domain — no attribution required.
Global, with North/Central American emphasis. · Imagery: Excellent
Moth Photographers Group
https://mothphotographersgroup.msstate.edu/
Best for
Tens of thousands of plate-style images of every described North American moth.Hosted by Mississippi State University. The single most important resource for moth identification.
North America, with some global coverage. · Imagery: Excellent
Insect Images (Bugwood)
https://www.insectimages.org/
Best for
USDA-affiliated entomology photo database with pests and beneficials.Part of the Bugwood Network (University of Georgia + USDA). Photos available for educational use with attribution.
Global, agricultural and forest emphasis. · Imagery: Excellent
Diptera.info
https://diptera.info/
Best for
Specialist photo gallery and identification forum for true flies.Community-driven — the best place to get expert ID help for difficult flies.
Global, with European emphasis. · Imagery: Excellent
Field Guide
2 sources
InsectIdentification.org
https://www.insectidentification.org/
Best for
Beginner-friendly North American insect ID with simple photo cards.Good entry point for non-specialists. Quick lookup without needing taxonomic knowledge.
North America. · Imagery: Strong
Discover Life
https://www.discoverlife.org/
Best for
Interactive ID keys (especially strong for bees and other Hymenoptera).Hosts the comprehensive Discover Life bee guides built by Sam Droege (USGS) and collaborators.
Global, with Nearctic depth. · Imagery: Strong
Government / Agency
2 sources
ITIS
https://www.itis.gov/
Best for
Authoritative U.S. taxonomic information.Partnership of U.S., Canadian, and Mexican federal agencies. Co-founded the Catalogue of Life.
Global, with U.S. emphasis. · Imagery: Limited
Xerces Society
https://xerces.org/
Best for
Conservation-focused info on invertebrates, especially pollinators and at-risk species.The leading invertebrate conservation organization. Excellent identification guides for bumble bees, monarchs, and dragonflies.
North America with global reach. · Imagery: Strong
Research / Genomic
3 sources
BOLD Systems
https://www.boldsystems.org/
Best for
DNA barcoding of life — identify any species from its genetic 'fingerprint'.Run by the Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, University of Guelph. Includes voucher specimen photos for many records.
Global. ~500,000 insect species barcoded. · Imagery: Mixed
NCBI Taxonomy Browser
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?id=50557
Best for
Browsing insect taxonomy by sequenced species. Links to genome and protein data.Maintained by U.S. NCBI. Best for researchers needing molecular references.
Global. ~500,000 named insect taxa with NCBI records. · Imagery: Limited
InsectBase 3.0
http://v2.insect-genome.com/
Best for
Multi-omics resource: genomes, transcriptomes, gene families, 3D images.Published in Nucleic Acids Research. Most comprehensive insect genomics portal as of 2026.
Global, sequenced species only. · Imagery: Strong