The Water beetles 1 RES Handbook covers the Hydradephaga (predaceous water beetles) of Britain and Ireland, including the Channel Isles. The Hydradephaga comprise the families Gyrinidae, Haliplidae, Noteridae, Paelobiidae and Dytiscida.
It features illustrated keys to families, genera, species and other taxa. Species notes include diagnostic features, characters for distinguishing the sexes, and reviews of distributions in Ireland and Britain, including the Channel Isles. A key to the families of all wetland beetles is included to help someone, not necessarily an entomologist, work through an array of Coleoptera for the first time. Also included is advice on collecting methods and the preparation of specimens.
This volume is a revision of A key to the adults of British Water Beetles (Friday, 1988), originally published in the AIDGAP series. Revision of the 1988 work had become essential because of many changes in the taxonomy and classification of water beetles. However, because almost 400 taxa require treatment, the authors have split the work into two volumes. Part 2 (concerned with the aquatic Polyphaga) is also available.
Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects is a series of books produced by the Royal Entomological Society (RES). Each Handbook provides illustrated identification keys to the insects of Britain, together with concise morphological, biological and distributional information. Accordingly all books contain line drawings, and the most recent volumes feature colour photographs. The RES Handbooks are suitable for experienced users. The series also includes several Check Lists of British Insects. Field Studies Council has published RES Handbooks for many years. Many out-of-print Handbooks are now available for free download from the RES.
