| Series | Field Studies Council AIDGAP Guides |
| Author | S.M. Tilling |
| Language | English |
| ISBN | 9781908819208 |
| Publisher | Field Studies Council Publications |
| Pages | 84 |
| Format | Paperback |
| Images | Line drawings |
| Year published | 2014 |
FSC Terrestrial invertebrates AIDGAP is an identification guide to the larger invertebrates (>2mm length) found on land in Britain and Ireland.
Many identification guides assume that you know which order the invertebrates belong to. But what if you’re not sure whether you have caught a bug or a beetle? A hoverfly or a bee? A harvestman or a spider? The Terrestrial invertebrates AIDGAP fills in the missing gap between popular picture books and difficult-to-use specialist guides.
It is designed for use with living specimens. The author has deliberately avoided characters which require considerable expertise or expensive equipment. Identification uses on external characters which are visible with a hand lens, or a low-power binocular microscope. Also included are ecological notes for all groups. The taxonomy is fully up to date. The author has included non-native invertebrates that sometimes occur in the wild, like scorpions and stick insects.
This guide is part of the FSC’s AIDGAP series (Aids to Identification in Difficult Groups of Animals and Plants). AIDGAP guides are accessible keys suitable for non-specialists from age 16+.
The accurate identification of specimens is an important part of biological fieldwork. Although popular groups such as wild flowers and butterflies are well-served, many other groups are neglected. Since 1976, the AIDGAP project has published over 40 straightforward and clearly written identification keys to many different groups of plants, animals and other taxa. Although written by specialists, all AIDGAP guides go through field tests as a draft key. As with all guides in the series, the Terrestrial invertebrates AIDGAP underwent extensive testing before publication, by beginners and specialists alike. The author revised the guide in the light of the testers’ experience.
