Identifying Invasive Species with the SnapDragon™
Every scientist understands the delicate balance of any ecosystem. World history is peppered with cases where a non-indigenous species is introduced into an isolated environment. The results can be catastrophic. Non-indigenous snakes decimated the bird population of the island of Guam. Pacific starfish have hitchhiked through the Panama Canal and are wreaking havoc on the Yucatan coral reefs, second only in size to the Great Barrier reef of Australia. And in the United States, the Asian Long-Horned Beetle has the potential to eradicate over 90% of the deciduous forest.

With all the benefits to the world transportation system, there is one potentially catastrophic drawback - the further introduction of non-indigenous species into areas of the planet where no natural predator exists to keep the population in check. Most often, insects enter through shipping ports by hitchhiking in boxes. Great measures have been taken to quarantine organisms before they can escape into the wild. Many of these insects are harmless but some are extremely dangerous to the ecosystem. Identifying these harmful insects is a top priority. The trouble is that in general, the variety of insects is so great that differences between species are often very subtle, especially to the untrained eye. However, through the use of modern technology such as the SnapDragon™, entomologists can inspect these insects for themselves and categorize them quickly as harmless or harmful. And efficiency of inspection is particularly good for perishable shipments such as fruits and vegetables.

The SnapDragon™ is a remotely operable inspection station capable of imaging nearly any kind of specimen. Full robotic control over the microscope is accomplished via proprietary remote control software while live video streaming of the specimen is sent back to the controlling computer. This makes the SnapDragon™ a very effective training tool as well as a remote inspection system.

For more information, please visit http://bugimaging.com