How Identification Works

Auswing Explorer identifies Australian Native Bees by analysing the shape and structure of wings. Instead of relying on colour or body size, we focus on wing venation - a stable, informative feature widely used in entomology.

In plain language: we measure where veins meet and compare that "shape signature" to a reference dataset.

Wing Venation Basics

Wing venation is the network of veins running through an insect's wing. These veins provide structural support and follow patterns that are often characteristic of different taxa.

  • Venation patterns can be more reliable than colour or size, which often vary with age and environment.
  • What matters most is the position and intersection of veins.
  • Closely related species may differ only by subtle geometric shifts.
Tip: Clear, well-lit wing images with minimal blur produce more reliable results.

What Is Landmarking?

Landmarking is marking specific, biologically meaningful points on a wing image - typically where veins intersect, or where veins meet the wing edge.

Common landmark locations

  • Vein intersections (junctions)
  • Vein endpoints on the wing margin
  • Consistent junctions shared across specimens

What happens next?

  1. We record landmark coordinates.
  2. We remove differences in size, rotation, and orientation.
  3. We compare only the remaining shape.
Why this works: removing size/rotation makes comparisons fair across photos taken at different scales and angles.

How the Identification Is Made

The system compares your wing's shape to reference specimens and finds the closest matches.

  1. Landmark coordinates are extracted from your wing image
  2. Your specimen is compared to reference wings
  3. The specimen is placed in a "shape space" (a mathematical map of similarity)
  4. We estimate which taxa your specimen most closely matches
Hierarchical predictions: results are produced from Family -> Genus -> Subgenus -> Species. Confidence generally decreases as you move down the hierarchy.

Why Species-Level Identification Is Hard

Species-level ID using wing venation alone can be difficult because some species are extremely similar in shape, and natural variation can overlap between species.

  • Some species are cryptic (nearly identical wings)
  • Within-species variation can overlap with between-species differences
  • Environment and development can subtly affect wing shape
  • Reference datasets may be incomplete for rare or undescribed species
Caution: A species label should be treated as a best-fit hypothesis, not a guarantee. Genus or subgenus-level results are often more reliable.

When Human Confirmation Is Required

Automated identification is a powerful screening and decision-support tool, but it does not replace expert judgement.

Seek expert confirmation when an identification has regulatory, biosecurity, or research implications, or when results are uncertain or ambiguous.

Experts may confirm identifications using:

  • Additional morphological characters beyond wing venation
  • Genitalic examination
  • Molecular methods (e.g. DNA barcoding)
  • Ecological or geographic context

What Auswing Explorer Is (and Isn't)

Auswing Explorer is:
  • A research-driven identification aid
  • A tool for exploring wing morphology
  • A way to rapidly narrow down likely taxa
Auswing Explorer is not:
  • A definitive species authority
  • A replacement for taxonomic expertise
  • A regulatory decision-making system

A Note on Responsible Use

Auswing Explorer does not currently present species-level predictions to the public. Results are intentionally limited to higher taxonomic levels to reduce misidentification risk and to support responsible use in research, education, and early detection contexts.

Privacy: We aim to minimise stored personal information. Where data is collected (e.g. for submissions), it is used only to operate and improve the platform.