Identification of specimens (either extant or fossil) is a crucial point for any study in biology: inventory of biodiversity, phylogenetic studies, ecology etc. During most of the last two centuries printed dichotomous keys have been the main tool for practical identification. The knowledge representation and computing capabilities available nowadays and the common use of microcomputers has suddenly opened new perspectives. Xper2 is a free access software available on Windows, MacOS or Linux. It requires no special computer skills. It is very easy to use for the amateur naturalist that wants to identify a specimen with an already made application, as well as for the professional taxonomist that creates new applications.
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