Members of the aquatic dance fly genus, Clinocera, are significant predators in temperate freshwater lotic habitats. Some 14 000 museum specimens were examined in detail to produce this book, which is dedicated to the classification, taxonomy, distribution and zoogeographic history of 67 New World species of Clinocera, including the description of 49 new species. Identification keys to genera of the subfamily Clinocerinae of North and South America are included and keys are provided to species groups and all known New World species of Clinocera. Descriptions are accompanied by 5 colour plates, 83 line drawings, 11 scanning electron photographs, 44 wing photos and 34 distribution maps.
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 and male 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. The authors Rdiger Wagner is a retired Researcher on zoology and limnology of the former River Station of the Max-Planck-Society and University of Kassel, interested in effects of environmental change on aquatic Diptera in the course of time. Marija Ivkovi is Associate Professor at the University of Zagreb, Croatia, interested in ecology, systematics, phylogeny and biogeography of aquatic Diptera, with special emphasis on aquatic Empididae, Clinocerinae and Hemerodromiinae. Adrian Plant is a Senior Researcher at Mahasarakham University, Thailand, interested in systematics, ecology and behaviour of Empidoidea, especially Hemerodromiinae.
After providing a historical overview, this book highlights the current state of knowledge, gaps in our knowledge, recent findings and future prospects with regard to the biological, chemical, geological, and geographical specificities of the Plitvice lakes in Croatia. The Plitvice lakes are a unique environment and home to tufa – a type of calcium carbonate deposit that provides a substrate for living organisms. Its formation process has resulted in a vastly diverse environment of lakes, streams and riparian habitats. The Plitvice lakes have, therefore, historically been both an inspiration and a challenge for scientists, nature enthusiasts, artists, etc. Today, the lakes continue to offer an in-situ laboratory for new discoveries in all aspects of freshwater science. As in most habitats, global changes have become an important issue. Since the Plitvice lakes have remained largely untouched by direct human impacts and have a long historical tradition in research, they represent an ideal subject for assessing the effects of global changes in a temperate freshwater system. This book provides an ecological overview of the biogeochemical processes at work in a unique and virtually pristine European freshwater tufa-forming environment.
This is the first comprehensive synopsis of the biodiversity of Diptera, which with more than 150.000 described species contain more than one tenth of all described animal species. The first part is a review of what is already known, with treatments of all the major biogeographical regions and important archipelagoes; the second part contains case studies on open-ended taxa, Diptera as ecological indicators, and how to estimate the still unknown proportion of our fauna; and the third part discusses the digital and molecular tools needed to document the fauna. The book has an emphasis on principles and analytical approaches as well as on practical ‘how-to’ information and is intended for academicians and other professionals but with a significant outreach to students.
The Invertebrate World of Australia’s Subtropical Rainforests is a comprehensive review of Australia’s Gondwanan rainforest invertebrate fauna, covering its taxonomy, distribution, biogeography, fossil history, plant community and insect–plant relationships. This is the first work to document the invertebrate diversity of this biologically important region, as well as explain the uniqueness and importance of the organisms. This book examines invertebrates within the context of the plant world that they are dependent on and offers an understanding of Australia’s outstanding (but still largely unknown) subtropical rainforests. All major, and many minor, invertebrate taxa are described and the book includes a section of colour photos of distinctive species. There is also a strong emphasis on plant and habitat associations and fragmentation impacts, as well as a focus on the regionally inclusive Gondwana Rainforests (Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves of Australia) World Heritage Area. The Invertebrate World of Australia’s Subtropical Rainforests will be of value to professional biologists and ecologists, as well as amateur entomologists and naturalists in Australia and abroad.
