Ecology, Systematics, and the Natural History of Predaceous Diving Beetles (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae) [E-Book]

Chapter 1. An Introduction to the Dytiscidae: Their Diversity, Historical Importance, Cultural Significance, and Other Musings -- Chapter 2. Larval Chaetotaxy of World Dytiscidae (Coleoptera: Adephaga) and Implications for the Study of Hydradephaga -- Chapter 3. The Phylogeny and Classification of Predaceous Diving Beetles (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae) -- Chapter 4. Predaceous Diving Beetle Sexual Systems -- Chapter 5. Morphology, Anatomy, and Physiological Aspects of Dytiscids -- Chapter 6. Chemical Ecology and Biochemistry of Dytiscidae -- Chapter 7. Community Patterns in Dytiscids -- Chapter 8. Predator-Prey Ecology of Dytiscids -- Chapter 9. The Unique Australian Subterranean Dytiscidae: Diversity, Biology, and Evolution -- Chapter 10. Habitats Supporting Dytiscid Life -- Chapter 11. Dispersal in Dytiscidae -- Chapter 12. The Conservation of Predaceous Diving Beetles: Knowns, Unknowns and Anecdotes.

The 2nd edition of this comprehensive book provides one of the most complete overviews of the aquatic beetles in the family Dytiscidae, also known as predaceous diving beetles. Dytiscids constitute one of the largest families of freshwater insects with approximately 4,650 named species that come in a variety of sizes, colors, and habitat affinities. Although dytiscid adults and larvae are ubiquitous throughout a variety of aquatic habitats, and are important predators on other aquatic invertebrates and vertebrates, there are no compilations that have focused on summarizing the knowledge on aspects of their ecology, systematics, and biology. Chapters in this book summarize hitherto scattered topics, including their anatomy and habitats, chemical and community ecology, phylogenies and larval morphology including chaetotaxy, sexual systems, predation, dispersal, conservation, and cultural and historical aspects. The 2nd edition offers updates on the newest scientific findings on dytiscids and also includes a new chapter on the subterranean fauna from Australia. The information in this new edition is potentially beneficial to anyone working in aquatic systems where dytiscids are an important part of the food web. Moreover, readers will gain a greater appreciation of dytiscids as model organisms for investigations of fundamental principles derived from ecological and evolutionary theory. Contributed chapters are by authors who are actively engaged in studying dytiscids, and each chapter provides color photos and future directions for research.