All kits & tests

Welcome to the full catalogue of the NatureMetrics eDNA store kits, tests and other products.

Top tip: Use the filter 'Number of tests on a kit' to further reduce the number of options displayed.

Each product includes the following

For each product purchased, you will receive:

  • One sampling kit, to collect / store / transport your eDNA
  • One report / set of insights per test (assay)

Kits options

Our kits provide you with all you need to collect, store and transport your eDNA sample. The following kits are available from this store. For full details of all kits, please view our kits page here.

Aquatic: Contains a hand-operated syringe, for manually pushing water through the kit's eDNA filter. If 4 or more tests are included with the kit, kit will contain 2 filters (rather than just 1).

Aquatic - for pump: Contains tubing and adaptors for use with powered peristaltic pumps (e.g. Vampire Samplers). If 4 or more tests are included with the kit, kit will contain 2 filters (rather than just 1).

Aquatic - DOT-NM: A x9 filter kit engineered for seamless integration with the Dartmouth Ocean Technologies 'DOT-NM' in situ autosampler.

Sediment, Soil & Tissue kits: These contain a pot for safe storage & transport of your sample, plus tools to assist with the taking of the sample.

Preservation buffer, to help maintain the integrity of your sample, is provided with all kits, except for the DOT-NM kit (Dartmouth Ocean Technologies provides preservation buffer for these kits).

Kit instructions

Instruction protocols for sampling with all our eDNA kits are available here.

Please select tests validated for the country in which you are sampling

Please review the list below to ensure the tests you're purchasing have been validated in the country in which you're sampling:

Multi-species:

'Bivalves (excl. Unionid mussels)' and 'Unionid mussels' are validated for use in the UK. They can be used outside of the UK, but we have less data available on what they will detect. All other multi-species tests can be used in the habitats for which they are designed, across the globe.

 

Single-species:

Our single-species, qPCR tests (assays) have been developed and validated for use in specific countries / regions. They can perform equally well outside of these regions, but, when deploying them outside of their validated regions, we advise running some preliminary surveys, before deploying more widely.

Regions in which each test has been validated are listed below.

Global:

  • Chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis)

UK, Canada, Europe, Mexico & USA:

  • Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) (estuarine & marine waters only)

UK & Europe:

  • Chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans)
  • Crayfish plague (Aphanomyces astaci)
  • European eel (Anguilla anguilla)
  • Great crested newt (Triturus cristatus) (not for UK licensing)
  • Signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus)

UK & Ireland:

  • Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) (available for both freshwater and marine & estuarine waters)
  • Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis) (available for both freshwater and marine & estuarine waters)
  • Dreissenid mussels (genus level)
  • White-clawed crayfish (Austropotamobius pallipes)
  • Zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha)

Canada:

  • Blanding's turtle (Emydoidea blandingii)
  • Burbot (Lota lota)
  • Silver shiner (Notropis photogenis)

Canada & USA:

  • Brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis)
  • Brown trout (Salmo trutta)
  • Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens)
  • Rainbow trout (Onchorynchus mykiss) (available for both freshwater and marine & estuarine waters)
  • Redside dace (Clinostomus elongatus)
  • Round whitefish (Prosopium cylindraceaum)

 

To discuss regional considerations with a member of our team, please contact us.

Please select the correct soil or estuarine & mangrove sediment kit for the country in which you are sampling

When ordering these kits, due to licencing and regulations around the movement of ecological material across borders, we have two kit options available:

UK/EU+: For use when sampling in the UK, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and the 27 EU member countries.

Outside UK/EU+: For use when sampling in any other country.

 

The 27 EU member countries are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden.

Single-species (qPCR) tests: What's the best time of year to sample?

To help you choose the months where you're most likely to detect the species you're surveying for, we have created sampling guidance calendars for both Europe and USA & Canada.

Can't find the combination of kits & tests you're looking for? Please contact us

320 products

Which species is each multi-species (metabarcoding) test optimized to detect?

    Surveying in estuarine waters? Please use our marine water products. Freshwater products for use in freshwater systems, such as rivers, ponds and lakes

    Freshwater

    Bivalves (excl. Unionid mussels)

    Used to identify mussels in the family Veneridae, and can detect presence of zebra mussels, quagga mussels, and Asian clams.

    Designed for use in the UK. Can be used outside of the UK, but we have less information on what it can detect.

    Fish

    Optimised for ray-finned fish (Actinopterygii) such as tuna, seahorses, gobies, cichlids, flatfish, wrasse, perch, anglerfish and pufferfish.

    This test does not perform as well for detecting sharks and rays.

    In some cases, this test does not provide species level data, e.g. river lamprey and brook lamprey; ide and dace.

    Insects

    Detects mayflies, stoneflies, caddisflies, beetles, mussels and other invertebrates and insects. Particularly useful for detecting chironomid flies (non-biting midges) which are used in many parts of the world to monitor freshwater health.

    Identifies many taxa to species level that are otherwise difficult to disambiguate (e.g. chironomids).

    Detects many species that are important indicators of water quality.

    Designed for arthropods, this test carries a bias towards soft-bodied taxa (e.g. Diptera spp.) over hard-bodied taxa (e.g. Coleoptera spp.).

    Invertebrates (from tissue samples)

    Groups detected include arthropods, invertebrates, mayflies, stoneflies, caddisflies, beetles, chironomid flies (non-biting midges) and others.

    Species detected are important indicators of water quality.

    Detects freshwater invertebrate species collected by multiple sampling methods, e.g. kick-net sampling.

    Tissue must be larger than 0.3mm (300um).

    Mammals

    Detects aquatic and semi-aquatic mammals, and many terrestrial mammals who have visited the water or are nearby – as terrestrial mammal eDNA can often end up in nearby water courses, via runoff.

    Detection of terrestrial species can be sporadic as they are less likely to contact water and deposit eDNA. Detection of terrestrial species is dependent on the species either directly interacting with water and/or their eDNA being transported from other waterbodies/via runoff.

    Unionid mussels

    Used to identify mussels in the family Unionidae, which includes the endangered freshwater pearl mussel.

    Designed for use in the UK. Can be used outside of the UK, but we have less information on what it can detect.

    Vertebrates

    Detects fish, amphibians and mammals, generally to species level. Some closely related fish species, such as perch and zander cannot be separated.

    Terrestrial mammal eDNA can often end up in nearby water courses, so this test can have the added benefit of delivering detections for some terrestrial vertebrates.

    Results are often comprised of a high percentage of fish species (especially ray-finned fish, Actinopterygii) and can include marine mammals, and high (family) level identification for some bird species.

    Birds and reptiles can be detected, but this test should not be relied upon as a comprehensive test for these groups.

    For use in marine water systems, such as oceans, seas, ports, harbours and estuarine areas

    Marine & estuarine waters

    Bacteria (from tissue samples)

    Assess the community composition of the microbiome of your sample. Detects 99% of the bacteria in your sample. Generally identifies to the taxonomic level of 'family' or higher.

    Can be purchased only in addition to either the eukaryotes from tissue samples or invertebrates from tissue samples tests. (We process the bacteria attached to other organisms in the sample.)

    Eukaryotes (from aquatic or tissue samples)

    Detects algae, macroalgae species (chlorophyta, phaeophyceae, rhodophyta), phytoplankton, zooplankton, protists, ciliates, dinoflagellates, diatoms, annelids, molluscs, crustaceans, tunicates, invertebrates and some cnidarians (including jellyfish) and sponges.

    Due to the broad nature of this test, detections will generally be assigned to family or genus level. Test excludes bacteria and archaea. Can sometimes detect vertebrates and fungi.

    When running this test on a tissue sample, please note: in order for it to be processed, the tissue must be larger than 0.3mm (300um).

    Fish

    Optimised for ray-finned fish (Actinopterygii) such as tuna, seahorses, gobies, cichlids, flatfish, wrasse, perch, anglerfish and pufferfish.

    This test does not perform as well for detecting sharks and rays.

    In some cases, this test does not provide species level data, e.g. river lamprey and brook lamprey; ide and dace.

    Invertebrates (from aquatic or tissue samples)

    Groups typically detected include crustaceans, tunicates, cnidarians (including jellyfish), annelids, molluscs, echinoderms, and sponges.

    May also detect some vertebrate species.

    When running this test on a tissue sample, please note: in order for it to be processed, the tissue must be larger than 0.3mm (300um).

    Mammals

    Detects aquatic and semi-aquatic mammals, and many terrestrial mammals who have visited the water or are nearby – as terrestrial mammal eDNA can often end up in nearby water courses, via runoff.

    Detection of terrestrial species can be sporadic as they are less likely to contact water and deposit eDNA. Detection of terrestrial species is dependent on the species either directly interacting with water and/or their eDNA being transported from other waterbodies/via runoff.

    Vertebrates

    Detects fish, amphibians and mammals, generally to species level. Some closely related fish species, such as perch and zander cannot be separated.

    Terrestrial mammal eDNA can often end up in nearby water courses, so this test can have the added benefit of delivering detections for some terrestrial vertebrates.

    Results are often comprised of a high percentage of fish species (especially ray-finned fish, Actinopterygii) and can include marine mammals, and high (family) level identification for some bird species.

    Birds and reptiles can be detected, but this test should not be relied upon as a comprehensive test for these groups.

    For use in marine systems including estuarine muds and offshore sands

    Marine sediment (inc. estuarine & mangrove sediment)

    Bacteria

    Assess the community composition of the microbiome of your sample. Detects 99% of the bacteria in your sample. Generally identifies to the taxonomic level of 'family' or higher.

    Eukaryotes

    Detects algae, macroalgae species (chlorophyta, phaeophyceae, rhodophyta), phytoplankton, zooplankton, protists, ciliates, dinoflagellates, diatoms, annelids, molluscs, crustaceans, tunicates, invertebrates and some cnidarians (including jellyfish) and sponges.

    Due to the broad nature of this test, detections will generally be assigned to family or genus level. Test excludes bacteria and archaea. Can sometimes detect vertebrates and fungi.

    When running this test on a tissue sample, please note: in order for it to be processed, the tissue must be larger than 0.3mm (300um).

    Invertebrates

    Groups typically detected include crustaceans, tunicates, cnidarians (including jellyfish), annelids, molluscs, echinoderms, and sponges.

    May also detect some vertebrate species.

    When running this test on a tissue sample, please note: in order for it to be processed, the tissue must be larger than 0.3mm (300um).

    For terrestrial soil systems, including agricultural land, woodland, forest and grassland

    Soil

    Bacteria

    Assess the community composition of the microbiome of your sample. Detects 99% of the bacteria in your sample. Generally identifies to the taxonomic level of 'family' or higher.

    Fungi

    Detects indicator groups such as waxcaps*, 'CHEGD**' fungi, as well as the wider assemblages of ectomycorrhizal fungi, yeasts, and mushrooms. Generally identifies to family or genus level. Does not perform well for detecting arbuscular or orchid mycorrhizal fungi.

    *Nearly 90 per cent of all waxcap species are on one or more European national Red Lists for threatened fungi. 

    **CHEGD stands for: Clavarioids (spindles, club and coral fungi); Hygrocybe genus (waxcaps); Entoloma (pinkgills); Geoglossum and relatives (earthtongues); and Dermoloma and relatives (crazed caps).

    Invertebrates

    Detects communities such as nematodes, platyhelminths, annelid worms and some arthropods.

    Generally identifies to family or genus level.

    For use with terrestrial-based trapping methods e.g. pit-fall or malaise traps (not included)

    Terrestrial

    Invertebrates (from tissue samples)

    Detects invertebrates commonly collected in traps such as: pitfall, malaise, light, pan, Winkler etc.

    In order to be analysed, tissue must be larger than 0.3mm (300um).