The Aquatic Adephaga (Coleoptera) of Fennoscandia and Denmark, Volume II. Dytiscidea

Book excerpt: This volume treats the 157 species of predaceaous diving beetles (Dytiscidae) found in Finland, East Fennoscandia, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and the Baltic States. Introducing chapters provide general information about the state of knowledge and distribution, morphology of adults and larvae, bionomics, collecting and rearing. The main part comprises keys and descriptions for identification of adult beetles, including information on distribution and biology of all species. A catalogue shows provincial records in Fennoscandia and Denmark. The book contains 608 figures and 3 plates. An up-to-date, well illustrated identification manual for the Fennoscandian and Danish Dytiscidae has been wanting for decades. This work is based on the latest advances in synonymy and taxonomy of the family, and on the study of thousands of specimens in collections and field.