An Introduction to the Aquatic Insects of North America serves as a standard guide on the immature and adult stages of aquatic and semiaquatic insects of North America. It offers information on the distribution, tolerance values, trophic relationships, and functional adaptations of aquatic insects that allows an additional tool for categorizing them.
This text is intended to serve as a standard reference on the taxonomy, biology and ecology of aquatic insects with updated keys to separate life stages of all major taxonomic groupings. To this aim, the authors have provided additional excellent color photographs of most all families of immature aquatic insects to assist the student and professional with correct identifications.
New to the 5th edition:
- Over 7000 references
- A chapter with a photographic overview of aquatic insects of North America
- A revision and expansion of keys, as well as new figures added to the taxonomic chapters
- Added figures to the General Classification and Key to Orders chapter
- All chapters have been updated with significant changes to chapters on Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Trichoptera, Coleoptera, Diptera and Tipuloidea
- Single chapters covering each Order of all stages of aquatic insects
Preface
Acknowledgments
List of Contributors
Chapter 1. Introduction / R. W. Merritt, K. W. Cummins, and M. B. Berg
Chapter 2. General Morphology of Aquatic Insects / M. B. Berg, K. W. Cummins, and R. W. Merritt
Chapter 3. Sampling Aquatic Insects: Collection Devices, Statistical Considerations, and Rearing Procedures / J. K. Jackson, V. H. Resh, D. P. Batzer, R. W. Merritt and K. W. Cummins
Chapter 4. Aquatic Insect Respiration / D. B. Buchwalter, V. H. Resh, G. A. Lamberti, and W.C.E.P. Verberk
Chapter 5. Habitat, Life History, Secondary Production, and Behavioral Adaptations of Aquatic Insects / A. D. Huryn and J. B. Wallace
Chapter 6. Ecology and Distribution of Aquatic Insects / K. W. Cummins, R. W. Merritt, and M. B. Berg
Chapter 7. Use of Aquatic Insects in Bioassessment / R. D. Mazor, D. M. Rosenberg and V. H. Resh
Chapter 8. An Overview of the Aquatic Insect Ecological Tables / M. E. Benbow, J. P. Receveur, and S. Nowak
Chapter 9. Adaptations and Phylogeny of Aquatic Insects / K. W. Will and V. H. Resh
Chapter 10. Aquatic Insects of North America: A Photographic Overview / G. W. Courtney and S. A. Marshall
Chapter 11. General Classification and Key to the Orders of Aquatic and Semiaquatic Insects / G. L. Parsons
Chapter 12. Aquatic Collembola / R. J. Snider
Chapter 13. Ephemeroptera / S. K. Burian
Chapter 14. Odonata / K. J. Tennessen
Chapter 15. Semiaquatic Orthoptera / H. Song
Chapter 16. Plecoptera / R. E. DeWalt and B. C. Kondratieff
Chapter 17. Aquatic and Semiaquatic Hemiptera / D. A. Polhemus
Chapter 18. Megaloptera and Aquatic Neuroptera / D. E. Bowles and A. Contreras-Ramos
Chapter 19. Trichoptera / J. C. Morse, R. W. Holzenthal, D. R. Robertson, A. K. Rasmussen, and D. C. Currie
Chapter 20. Aquatic and Semiaquatic Lepidoptera / M. A. Solis
Chapter 21. Aquatic Coleoptera / A. E. Z. Short and D. S. White
Chapter 22. Aquatic Hymenoptera / A. M. R. Bennett
Chapter 23. Aquatic Diptera / G. W. Courtney
Chapter 24. Tipuloidea / J. K. Gelhaus and V. Podeniene
Chapter 25. Culicidae / J. R. Wallace
Chapter 26. Simuliidae / P. H. Adler and D. C. Currie
Chapter 27. Chironomidae / L. C. Ferrington, Jr. and M. B. Berg
Glossary / B. W. Merritt
Bibliography
Index
Dr Richard W. Merritt, PhD, is an aquatic entomologist and ecologist specializing in the feeding ecology and biology of aquatic insects, especially the Diptera. He is currently Michigan State University Distinguished Professor Emeritus and previous Chair of the Department of Entomology. Dr Merritt has received the Award of Excellence from the North American Benthological Society (NABS, now the Society for Freshwater Science) and was recently made an inaugural fellow of this Society. While at MSU, Dr Merritt conducted lab and field research, directed graduate students, published research papers and book chapters, and taught courses in Aquatic Insects, Stream Biomonitoring, and Forensic Entomology. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Forensic Entomology, a Fellow in the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and received the Life Time Achievement Award from this Academy.
Dr Kenneth W. Cummins, PhD, is an Adjunct Professor of Humboldt State and Michigan State Universities. He held faculty positions at Northwestern, Pittsburgh, Michigan State, Oregon State, and Maryland Universities and was the Distinguished Scientist at the South Florida Water Management District. For over 50 years, Cummins taught ecology and taxonomic classes, trained graduate students, and conducted funded research. He has an extensive publication record that includes three citation classics and the widely cited River Continuum paper in 1980. He is the recipient of the ASLO Martin Award and the NABS Award of Excellence in Benthic Science.
Dr Martin B. Berg, PhD, is an aquatic entomologist specializing in the ecology of Chironomidae and assessing energy flow in aquatic systems. He is a Professor of Biology at Loyola University Chicago, where he teaches courses in Aquatic insects, stream ecology, general ecology, and biostatistics and experimental design. Dr Berg received his B.S. and M.S. from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and his PhD. From the University of Notre Dame. He has published numerous book chapters and research papers in scientific journals and has been an active member of the Society for Freshwater Science (formerly the North American Benthological Society) since 1983.