The Waterbug Book: A Guide to the Freshwater Macroinvertebrates of Temperate AustraliaWinner of the 2003 Eureka Science Book Prize and the 2003 Whitley Medal. Freshwater macroinvertebrates provide a useful and reliable indicator of the health of our rivers, streams, ponds and wetlands. As environmental awareness within the community increases, there is an increasing interest in the need to assess the health of our local waterways and school curriculums are changing to reflect this important ecological trend. The Waterbug Bookprovides a comprehensive and accurate identification guide for both professionals and non-professionals. It contains an easy-to-use key to all the macroinvertebrate groups and, for the first time, high quality colour photographs of live specimens. It provides a wealth of basic information on the biology of macroinvertebrates, and describes the SIGNAL method for assessing river health. The Waterbug Book is full of practical tips about where to find various animals, and what their presence can tell about their environment. Features * Easy-to-use key to macroinvertebrate groups * First book to feature more than 300 colour photographs of live specimens * 120 diagrams * Glossary |
Contents
Key to macroinvertebrate groups | 20 |
Freshwater snails mussels and clams Mollusca | 32 |
water fleas copepods clam shrimp and seed shrimp | 63 |
Toebiters Megaloptera | 89 |
Flies true flies Diptera | 134 |
True bugs Hemiptera | 144 |
Dragonflies and damselflies Odonata | 161 |
Stoneflies Plecoptera | 180 |
Caddisflies Trichoptera | 187 |
Listing of SIGNAL grades | 213 |
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Common terms and phrases
abdomen abdominal segment adults Albury algae amphipods animals antennae aquatic Atyidae Australia backswimmers Baetidae beetles body bugs caddisflies Caenids Centre for Freshwater chironomids Classification and distribution coloured common Cooperative Research Centre copepods crayfish crustaceans damselflies detritivores detritus Diptera Distinguishing characteristics diverse dorsal dragonflies Dytiscidae eastern Australia eggs Ephemeroptera families fast-flowing feed female fish flattened fleshy flies forelegs Freshwater Ecology freshwater macroinvertebrates gastropods genera genus gills Habitat and ecology hairs head capsule hind legs hydrophilids Identification guide insects instar invertebrates labial palps lakes larvae leeches leptocerids lifecycle live macroinvertebrates male mayflies mesonotum mouthparts Natural history nymphs occur oxygen pair Palaemonidae plants Plecoptera ponds Possible misidentifications predators prementum prey pro-legs pronotum rivers rocks sclerites sclerotised setae shell shrimp snails sometimes south-eastern Australia species spiders stoneflies streams swimming Tasmania taxonomic temperate Australia thorax Trichoptera underside usually vegetation ventral water striders water surface wetlands wings worms
Popular passages
Page 219 - Cummins, KW, and Klug, MJ (1979). Feeding ecology of stream invertebrates.
Page 219 - The ecology of two intermittent streams in Victoria, Australia. II. Comparisons of faunal composition between habitats, rivers and years.
Page 220 - BALL IR (1979) Contributions to the biology of freshwater planarians (Turbellaria) from the Victorian Alps, Australia. Hydrobiologia, 62, 137-64.
Page 220 - KF (1997). Changes in biofilms induced by flow regulation could explain extinctions of aquatic snails in the lower River Murray, Australia. Hydrobiologia, 347, 97-108.
Page 220 - Merritt, RW & Cummins, KW (eds) (1996). An Introduction to the Aquatic Insects of North America. 3rd edition, xii + 441 pp.
Page 224 - NM (2001). New genera of Veliidae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) from Australia, with notes on the generic classification of the subfamily Microveliinae. Invertebrate Taxonomy, 15,217-58.