Beetles of Britain and Ireland is a new identification guide to the adult Coleoptera of the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland, and the British Crown Depenedncy of the Isle of Man. It is the first comprehensive account of the beetles of the British Isles since Joy's A Practical Handbook of British Beetles, published in 1932.
The book is intended as a reference source for coleopterists, ecological consultants and museum curatorial staff, as well as naturalists wishing to make the transition from a casual to a more serious interest in beetles. By bringing together reliable modern keys and using the latest taxonomic arrangement and nomenclature, it is hoped that beginning coleopterists will more quickly learn how to identify beetles and gain added confidence in their identifications.
Keys are provided to every native and naturalised species, including ones which have become extinct in historical times. Copious line drawings are provided alongside the keys to illustrate critical characters. High resolution colour photographs of selected species, at least one per genus, are also provided in a series of colour plates.
- Volume 1: Sphaeriusidae to Silphidae
- Volume 2: Staphylinidae
- Volume 3: Geotrupidae to Scraptiidae
- Volume 4: Cerambycidae to Curculionidae
Volume 2 covers just the very large family Staphylinidae or rove beetles. An extended preface to this volume provides information on finding rove beetles, collecting equipment, identification tips, rove beetle morphology, specimen preparation and curation, taking measurements, and changes to the checklist.
Volume 2 features:
- keys to 1148 species in 19 subfamilies and 254 genera, with family, subfamily and genus introductions
- detailed species notes including supporting characters, habitat, phenology, distribution and abundance
- a bibliography
- 60 colour plates with 360 photographs of selected species
- an index to scientific and English names
