Belgian network for
species identification services

speciesID.be is a consortium of research centers
specialized in the identification of biological samples
through advanced morphological and molecular methods

The consortium

Identification services for
biological samples of policy concern

BopCo uses morphology and genetics to identify species from various taxonomic groups, including birds, mammals, amphibians, fish, crustaceans, insects, and flatworms.

BopCo provides on demand species identification services for a diverse range of stakeholders, to address societal needs such as the enforcement of animal and plant trade regulations (e.g., CITES), the prevention of infectious disease outbreaks, and the verification of the food chain.

Identification services for
timber and wood products

ENFORCE uses wood anatomy and chemistry to identify timber and wood products from around the world.

ENFORCE provides on demand species identification services for a diverse range of stakeholders, mainly to support the enforcement of timber trade regulations (e.g., EUTR, EUDR, CITES). ENFORCE also conducts scientific research to improve the routine techniques used in service delivery and to implement new identification methods.

Research and development of
molecular methods

JEMU provides scientific support to the partners in the speciesID.be consortium and beyond.

JEMU supports fundamental and applied molecular research on natural history collections, introduces new molecular technologies and analytical expertise to stimulate new research lines, and provides standardized protocols for DNA archival and DNA database implementation.

Sample manipulation at the lab of the AfricaMuseum

Our methodologies

State of the art

The speciesID.be consortium has experience with various scientific methodologies. We aim to continuously explore and implement new tools for species identification and origin verification.

Morphology

  • Stereo microscopy
  • Scanning electron microscopy (SEM)
  • Microtomy & sanding
  • µCT scanners
  • Artificial intelligence
DNA analysis in the lab at RMCA

Genetics

  • Various DNA extraction protocols
  • DNA sequencing
    • Sanger
    • High-throughput
    • Oxford Nanopore Technologies
  • qPCR assays
  • eDNA analysis

Chemistry

  • Mass spectrometry
    • DART-TOFMS
DART-TOFMS at US FWS

Our resources

An array of resources

The speciesID.be consortium has access to an extensive research infrastructure and a comprehensive taxonomic expertise.

Wood collection

  • Curated xylarium at the Royal Museum for Central Africa
  • More than 80 000 wood samples
  • More than 13 600 species
  • Global sampling
  • Macro- and microscopic sections
AfricaMuseum wood collection
RBINS collections on ethanol

Animal collections

  • Curated reference collections at
    • Institute of Natural Sciences
    • Royal Museum for Central Africa
  • More than 43 million specimens
  • Wide range of taxonomic groups
  • Global sampling

Laboratories

  • Molecular and morphological laboratories at
    • Institute of Natural Sciences
    • Royal Museum for Central Africa
  • Wide range of scientific equipment
Lab at the Institute of Natural Sciences

Stakeholders

Identification services on demand

Our species identification services cater to a diverse range of stakeholders, including national or regional governments, law enforcement agencies, research institutions, NGOs, private companies, nature conservation and citizen science initiatives, and the general public.

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