Süßwasserfauna von Mitteleuropa – serie

Chelicerata are a basically terrestrial group of invertebrates, including many clades whose representatives have never found an evolutionary way to aquatic live. An exception is made by the spiders, which include a considerable number of hygrophilous species, and by the highly diverse aquatic mites which in inland water habitats are represented by members of numerous different clades having evolved an aquatic or amphibious lifestyle. For the first time the present taxonomic knowledge about these different groups of invertebrates is brought together in an overview for the Central-European fauna. This volume includes taxonomic keys and ecological information concerning hygrophilous and aquatic spiders, a general introduction to mites, and the treatment of three mite groups generally known from terrestrial habitats. Also, the freshwater-dwelling representatives of the originally marine Halacaridae are treated, and the species-rich true freshwater mites (Hydrachnidia) are represented in ageneral overview.

This book is an up-to-date synopsis of aquatic dance flies (Clinocerinae and Hemerodromiinae), insects that have been studied for more than 200 years in Europe. Its publication comes about 80 years since the last summary report and follows a period when new scientific methods were applied to long-standing unresolved taxonomical, systematic problems. In a period of environmental change, it also provides information for habitat conservation.The inclusion of data for larvae, pupae and adults is aimed not only at professional scientists, but will be of interest to amateur researchers. The work provides comprehensive information on the morphology, ecology, behavior, flight period and geographical distribution of individual species. Keys for males of all species together with drawings of terminalia are given, although females must still be associated with active males. Keys to larvae and pupae are provided wherever possible.Drawings and photographs of wings andmale terminalia are supplemented by photographs of larvae, pupae and adults of characteristic, widespread European species in their natural environment.The book covers the Central European Fauna and includes a few additional species from North Europe and Great Britain. Further, at the end of the presentation of every genus, all species described to date from all over Europe are listed so that people working in other European countries and even adjacent areas may get quick access to relevant information for their research and species identification. This is necessary because environmental change will affect distribution and abundance of genera and species restricted either to high-altitude mountains or to drying-up of streams and rivers.

Der vorliegende Band der Reihe „Süßwasserfauna von Mitteleuropa" umfasst in seinem Inhalt erstmals die gesamte Westpaläarktis (Europa, Nordafrika, Vorderasien). Er enthält zusammenfassende Angaben über die Morphologie, Biologie, Ökologie und Verbreitung der Scirtidae (Sumpfkäfer). Zusätzlich zur Charakterisierung der Familie werden die einzelnen Gattungen, Artengruppen (nicht bei allen Gattungen vorhanden) und Arten ausführlich dargestellt. Reich illustrierte Bestimmungstabellen führen zu den einzelnen Taxa. Viele Merkmale sind abgebildet und gemessen (über 1000 Einzelabbildungen, meist Fotos von Mikropräparaten, einige REM-Bilder, 8 Farbtafeln). Das führt dann zu einer sicheren Determination, wodurch ökologische und tiergeografische Aussagen ermöglicht werden.Für Limnologen, aber auch Entomologen, Biogeografen und Zoologen, die sich mit der Süßwasserfauna befassen, ist dieses Werk unverzichtbar.

For the first time in limnofaunistic bibliography, the present taxonomic knowledge about the different clades of chelicerata having adapted to an aquatic or amphibious lifestyle along various evolutionary pathways is brought together in an overview for the Central-European fauna. A total number of 746 taxa is covered, over 99 % of these at species level.In Volume 7/2-1 altogether 211 species are treated - 70 species of spiders, 7 species of Astigmata (3 of which to be identified only at family, genus, resp. species group level), 17 species of Oribatida, 27 species and one subspecies of Halacaridae, 45 species of terrestrial Parasitengona (4 of which to be identified only at genus level) and 45 species of Hydrachnidia (4 Stygothrombioidea, 3 Hydrovolzioidea, 16 Hydrachnoidea and 22 Eylaoidea). Volume 7/2-2 deals with 179 species of Hydrachnidia (58 Hydryphantoidea and 121 Lebertioidea).This third volume (Volume 7/2-3) includes taxonomic keys and ecological information for 355 species of the two highly diverse Hydrachnidia superfamilies Hygrobatoidea (241 species and one subspecies) and Arrenuroidea (113 species).The chelicerata volumes of this series are a basic tool for all limnologists interested in diversity and ecology – in particular for biologists investigating the ecotones between ground and surface water, between bottom substrata and open water, and between water and land.