Land snails AIDGAP
FSC Land snails AIDGAP is an identification guide to all 100 free-living terrestrial snails in Britain.
There are four sets of keys. The first two keys offer two alternative routes to taking identification to family level. Firstly there is a pictorial key, using shell height to width ratio and shell size. Secondly there is is a more traditional dichotomous key to families.
Then the next two keys take identification to species level. The third key uses dichotomous and tabular keys where these are appropriate. The fourth key covers the difficult identifications, for the small number of species requiring dissection.
This snail identification guide is part of the FSC’s AIDGAP series (Aids to Identification in Difficult Groups of Animals and Plants). Our AIDGAP guides are accessible identification keys, suitable for non-specialists from age 16+. Although written and edited by specialists, all AIDGAP guides undergo extensive field tests in draft form before final publication. The author revised the first published version in the light of the testers’ experience. Originally published in 2004, the Second Edition of Land Snails AIDGAP was published in 2008.
Accurate identification of specimens is an important part of biological fieldwork. Although popular groups such as wild flowers and butterflies are well-served, many other groups are neglected. Since 1976, the AIDGAP project has published over 40 straightforward and clearly written identification keys to many different groups of plants, animals and other taxa. In many cases the AIDGAP volume is the only non-technical work covering the group.
