Hilsenhoff Family Level Biotic Index (HFLBI) – Entering Data into the
spreadsheet.
To use the HFLBI template you must have Microsoft Excel version 2003 or later. All the
computers available in the library or the Physical Sciences Computer Lab (Room WA 181) have
Excel 2003 or later installed.
1. Open the Hilsenhoff Biotic Index file. The worksheet will look similar to Fig.1 below:
Fig. 1 —Hilsenhoff Family Level Biotic Index worksheet for Microsoft Excel.
2. Find the family name of the first family on the worksheet and enter the abundance in the
Number Found column. Repeat this procedure for all families that you collected. When all
family abundances have been entered, the HFLBI will be displayed in Column C, Rows 54 and
55 (the two cells are merged so there will be only one number (see Fig. 2)).
IMPORTANT NOTE – Even though numbers will appear in the designated cells after entering
the information for each family, you must enter ALL information for ALL families before
the calculations will be correct.
Fig. 2 —Example entries for the Hilsenhoff Family Level Biotic Index.
A
B
C
D
E
F
Hilsenhoff Family Level Biotic Index
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
(Class) Order
Family
Amphipoda
Gammaridae
Talitridae
(Bivalvia)
Sphaeriidae
Coleoptera
Amphizoidae
Dryopidae
Elmidae
Gyrinidae
Georyssidae
Haliplidae
Hydrophilidae
Psephinidae
Decapoda
Diptera
Athericidae
Blephariceridae
Ceratopogonidae
Chironimidae (red)
Chironimidae (pink)
Culicidae
Dolochopodidae
Empididae
Ephydridae
Muscidae
Psychodidae
Simuliidae
Stratiomyidae
Syrphidae
Tabanidae
Tanyderidae
Tipulidae
Ephemeroptera
Baetidae
Baetiscidae
Caenidae
Ephemerellidae
Ephemeridae
Heptageniidae
Leptophlebiidae
Metretopodidae
Oligoneuriidae
Polymitarcyidae
Potomanthidae
Siphlonuridae
Tricorythidae
Pollution
Tolerance
Value
Total
Tolerance
Value
4.00
8.00
8.00
2.00
5.00
4.00
5.00
2.00
7.00
5.00
4.00
6.00
1
14
2.00
0.00
6.00
8.00
6.00
8.00
4.00
6.00
6.00
6.00
10.00
6.00
8.00
10.00
6.00
3.00
3.00
6
4.00
3.00
7.00
1.00
4.00
4.00
2.00
2.00
2.00
2.00
4.00
7.00
4.00
Σ=
Σ total tolerance values
Σ number found
Number
Found
411.00
61.00
(Gastropoda)
Lymnaeidae
Physidae
Planorbidae
Pleuroceridae
Hemiptera
Corixidae
Gerridae
Nepidae
5
(Hirudinea)
Isopoda
98 Asellidae
Lepidoptera
Pyralidae
Megaloptera
Corydalidae
Sialidae
Odonata
Aeshnidae
48 Calopterygidae
Coenagrionidae
Cordulegastridae
Corduliidae
Gomphidae
Lestidae
Libellulidae
Macromiidae
(Oligochaeta)
Plecoptera
Capniidae
Chloroperlidae
Leuctridae
Nemouridae
Peltoperlidae
Perlidae
Perlodidae
Pteronarcyidae
Taeniopterygidae
Trichoptera
Brachycentridae
Glossosomatidae
Helicopsychidae
Hydropsychidae
Hydropttilidae
Leptoceridae
Lepidostomatidae
Limnephilidae
21
151 Molannidae
Odontoceridae
Biotic Index Rhyacophilidae
6.74
for Sample
Sericostomatidae
Water Quality Extent of
Biotic Index
<3.75
3.76 - 4.25
4.26 - 5.00
5.01 - 5.75
5.76 - 6.50
6.51 - 7.25
7.26 - 10.00
(circle)
Excellent
Very Good
Good
Fair
Fairly Poor
Poor
Very Poor
(Class) Order
Family
Organic Pollution
Pollution Unlikely
Possible Slight Pollution
Some Pollution Probable
Fairly Substantial Pollution
Substantial Pollution Likely
Very Substantial Pollution
Severe Pollution Likely
Philopotamidae
Polycentropodidae
Psycomyiidae
G
H
I
Pollution
Tolerance
Value
Number
Found
Total
Tolerance
Value
6.00
8.00
6.00
1.75
5.00
5.00
8.00
10.00
28
224
2
10
2
18
8
8
40
260
8.00
5.00
0.00
4.00
3.00
5.00
9.00
3.00
5.00
1.00
9.00
9.00
3.00
8.00
1.00
1.00
0.00
2.00
2.71
1.00
2.00
1.75
2.00
1.00
0.00
3.00
4.00
4.00
4.00
1.00
4.00
6.00
0.00
0.00
3.00
3.00
6.00
2.00
Σ=