title: Species identification by experts and non-experts: comparing images from field guides.
abstract: Accurate species identification is fundamental when recording ecological data. However, the ability to correctly identify organisms visually is rarely questioned. We investigated how experts and non-experts compared in the identification of bumblebees, a group of insects of considerable conservation concern. Experts and non-experts were asked whether two concurrent bumblebee images depicted the same or two different species. Overall accuracy was below 60% and comparable for experts and non-experts. However, experts were more consistent in their answers when the same images were repeated, and more cautious in committing to a definitive answer. Our findings demonstrate the difficulty of correctly identifying bumblebees using images from field guides. Such error rates need to be accounted for when interpreting species data, whether or not they have been collected by experts. We suggest that investigation of how experts and non-experts make observations should be incorporated into study design, and could be used to improve training in species identification.
authors.affiliation: Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, School of Anthropology and Conservation, Marlowe Building, University of Kent, Canterbury CT2 7NR, UK.
authors.forename: G E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Austen
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Keynes College, University of Kent, Canterbury CT2 7NP, UK.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bindemann
authors.affiliation: Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, School of Anthropology and Conservation, Marlowe Building, University of Kent, Canterbury CT2 7NR, UK.
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Griffiths
authors.affiliation: Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, School of Anthropology and Conservation, Marlowe Building, University of Kent, Canterbury CT2 7NR, UK.
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Roberts
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001516:Bees / Q000145:classification*; D011361:Professional Competence; D015203:Reproducibility of Results