Simulic
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Specimen spotting gallery – identify and classify organisms

BiologyEvolutionAges 11–12Virtual lab

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Use with my class

A virtual spotting practical with 32 drawn specimens: bacteria, Oscillatoria, Spirogyra, Rhizopus, yeast, mushroom, liverwort, moss, fern, pine, a monocot, a dicot and a lichen; Amoeba, Hydra, liver fluke, tapeworm, Ascaris, leech, earthworm, prawn, silkworm, honey bee, butterfly, snail, starfish, shark, rohu, frog, lizard, pigeon and rabbit. Each shows two or three identifying features and its kingdom and group. A timed spotting test asks you to name and classify random specimens.

Lesson: Diversity of living organisms: identifying specimens and classifying them into kingdoms, phyla and classes

What it shows

Spotting is a practical exam in which you see a specimen for about a minute and must name it, classify it and give features that prove it. This gallery holds 32 schematic drawings of microscope slides and preserved specimens, from bacteria and algae to fungi, plants and the main animal phyla and vertebrate classes. Numbered markers point to two or three identifying features, and each card gives the kingdom (five-kingdom system), the group and the real size. The drawings are simplified textbook diagrams, not photographs; groups follow the five-kingdom system used in many school courses.

How to use

In Gallery, pick a Kingdom and a Specimen, or tap a card under All specimens. Tap a numbered marker to highlight its feature, and untick Show features to test yourself. For the Task, choose the specimen that has the feature shown and press Check. In Spotting test, set Spots and Time per spot, press Start test, then choose the Specimen and Group for each spot and press Check.

Parameters you can change

  • Screen Gallery, Spotting test
  • Specimen Bacteria, Oscillatoria, Spirogyra, Bread mould (Rhizopus), Yeast, Mushroom (Agaricus), Liverwort (Marchantia), Moss (Funaria), Fern (Nephrolepis), Pine (Pinus), Monocot plant (lily), Dicot plant (periwinkle), Lichen, Amoeba, Hydra, Liver fluke (Fasciola), Tapeworm (Taenia), Roundworm (Ascaris), Leech (Hirudinaria), Earthworm (Pheretima), Prawn (Palaemon), Silkworm (Bombyx), Honey bee (Apis), Butterfly, Apple snail (Pila), Starfish (Asterias), Dogfish shark (Scoliodon), Rohu (Labeo), Frog (Rana), Wall lizard (Hemidactylus), Pigeon (Columba), Rabbit (Oryctolagus)
  • Kingdom All kingdoms, Monera, Protista, Fungi, Plantae (plants), Animalia (animals)
  • Spots in a test 5–15
  • Time per spot 20–120 s

Questions to explore

  1. Which two features would you use to tell a liverwort from a moss?
  2. Why is Spirogyra placed with plants but Amoeba with the protists?
  3. Which features show that a prawn, a honey bee and a butterfly are all arthropods?

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