Freshwater invertebrates AIDGAP
Freshwater invertebrates AIDGAP is an identification guide to the larger invertebrates of ponds, lakes, streams and rivers in Britain and Ireland.
- For use with living animals
- Illustrated with line drawings throughout
- Suitable for users with some experience of using identification keys (typically age 16+)
Freshwater invertebrates AIDGAP bridges the gap between popular wildlife guides and more specialist identification manuals. It uses a clear set of dichotomous keys to help users identify freshwater invertebrates with confidence. The author keeps technical jargon to a minimum, making the guide accessible to non-specialists.
No specialist equipment is needed, just a net, white tray and hand lens. The author draws on years of field experience. He has chosen features visible on living specimens, including behaviours that can help with identification. As a result, the guide works well with samples collected using a standard pond net.
To keep things manageable the guide excludes most animals under 2 mm long. Protozoa, Rotifers, and Nematodes are left out, but some small groups like planktonic crustaceans are included. Often these appear in such large numbers that excluding them would not make sense.
AIDGAP Freshwater invertebrates is part of Field Studies Council’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+. As with all guides in the series, the Freshwater invertebrates 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.
