SpiderID_APP: A User-Friendly APP for Spider Identification in Taiwan Using YOLO-Based Deep Learning Models
Cao Thang Luong,
Ali Farhan,
Ross D. Vasquez,
Marri Jmelou M. Roldan,
Yih-Kai Lin,
Shih-Yen Hsu,
Ming-Der Lin,
Chung-Der Hsiao,
Chih-Hsin Hung
Affiliations
Cao Thang Luong
Department of Chemical Engineering & Institute of Biotechnology and Chemical Engineering, I-Shou University, No. 1, Sec. 1, Syuecheng Road, Dashu District, Kaohsiung 84001, Taiwan
Ali Farhan
Department of Chemistry, Chung Yuan Christian University, Taoyuan 320314, Taiwan
Ross D. Vasquez
Research Center for the Natural and Applied Sciences, University of Santo Tomas, Manila 1015, Philippines
Marri Jmelou M. Roldan
The Graduate School, University of Santo Tomas, Manila 1015, Philippines
Yih-Kai Lin
Department of Computer Science, National Pingtung University, Pingtung 90003, Taiwan
Shih-Yen Hsu
Department of Medical Imaging and Radiological Science, I-Shou University, No. 8, Yida Road, Jiao-su Village, Yan-chao District, Kaohsiung 82445, Taiwan
Ming-Der Lin
Department of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, College of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, 701 Zhongyang Rd, Sec. 3, Hualien 97004, Taiwan
Chung-Der Hsiao
Department of Chemistry, Chung Yuan Christian University, Taoyuan 320314, Taiwan
Chih-Hsin Hung
Department of Chemical Engineering & Institute of Biotechnology and Chemical Engineering, I-Shou University, No. 1, Sec. 1, Syuecheng Road, Dashu District, Kaohsiung 84001, Taiwan
Accurate and rapid taxonomy identification is the initial step in spider image recognition. More than 50,000 spider species are estimated to exist worldwide; however, their identification is still challenging due to the morphological similarity in their physical structures. Deep learning is a known modern technique in computer science, biomedical science, and bioinformatics. With the help of deep learning, new opportunities are available to reveal advanced taxonomic methods. In this study, we applied a deep-learning-based approach using the YOLOv7 framework to provide an efficient and user-friendly identification tool for spider species found in Taiwan called Spider Identification APP (SpiderID_APP). The YOLOv7 model is integrated as a fully connected neural network. The training of the model was performed on 24,000 images retrieved from the freely available annotated database iNaturalist. We provided 120 genus classifications for Taiwan spider species, and the results exhibited accuracy on par with iNaturalist. Furthermore, the presented SpiderID_APP is time- and cost-effective, and researchers and citizen scientists can use this APP as an initial entry point to perform spider identification in Taiwan. However, for detailed species identification at the species level, additional methods like DNA barcoding or genitalic structure dissection are still considered necessary.
