Caddis larvae AIDGAP
The Caddis larvae AIDGAP covers all caddis larvae found in Britain and Ireland.
The keys are for living specimens in the field, using features visible with a hand lens. Where possible caddis identification goes to species level. Unlike previous keys to caddis larvae, you do not need a microscope to use this guide.
Caddis larvae are very familiar aquatic insects. There is great fascination with their well-known case-building habits and abundance in many kinds of freshwater. But only a few of the 198 British and Irish species feature in popular guides. The challenge for the author was to produce identification keys for any caddis larva collected in Britain and Ireland. Ian Wallace is the organiser of the UK Caddis Recording Scheme. He has been collecting and identifying caddis larvae since 1970.
This guide is part of the FSC’s AIDGAP series (Aids to Identification in Difficult Groups of Animals and Plants). AIDGAP guides are accessible keys suitable for non-specialists from age 16+. 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.
Although written by specialists, all AIDGAP guides go through field tests in draft form. As with all guides in the series, the Caddis larvae AIDGAP underwent extensive testing before publication, by beginners and specialists alike. The author has revised this, the first published version, in the light of the testers’ experience.
