A StreamWatcher’s Reading List

Books

 

 

 

Compiled by StreamWatch volunteer Bob Henricks

Guidebooks for Identification of Aquatic Macroinvertebrates

  • Voshell, J. Reese, Jr. (Illustrations by Amy Bartlett Wright). A Guide to Common Freshwater Invertebrates of North America. Blacksburg, VA: The McDonald & Woodward Publishing Company, 2002. Probably the number one book for all stream monitors.
  • Bouchard, R.W. Jr. Guide to Aquatic Invertebrates of the Upper Midwest: Identification Manual for Students, Citizen Monitors, and Aquatic Resource Professionals. St. Paul, MN: Water Resources Center, University of Minnesota, 2004. Excellent black-and-white drawings and keys to identify all families.
  • Hafele, Rick, and Roederer. An Angler’s Guide to Aquatic Insects and Their Imitations for all North America. Boulder, CO: Johnson Books, 1987, 1995.Includes hatch dates for important insects for fly fisherman – but the key focus is identification of larvae and adults.
  • McCafferty, W. Patrick (with illustrations by Arwin V. Provonsha). Aquatic Entomology: the Fishermen’s and Ecologists’ Illustrated Guide to Insects and Their Relatives. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 1981, 1998.Excellent narrative, dichotomous keys for identification, plus superb illustrations.
  • The Izaak Walton League of America. A Guide to Aquatic Insects & Crustaceans. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2006. A concise field guide for stream monitors, with drawings and descriptions of all of the bugs in our streams. Available from VASOS.

Professional guides to identification of aquatic macroinvertebrates. (These are the manuals we use in the lab for precise identification of family and genus based on detailed anatomical features.)

  • Merritt, R.W., Cummins, K.W., and Berg, M.B., ed. An Introduction to the Aquatic Insects of North America. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co., 1978, 1984, 1996, and 2008.
  • Peckarsky, Barbara L., Fraissinet, Pierre R., Penton, Marjory A., and Conklin, Don J. Jr. Freshwater Macroinvertebrates of Northeastern North America. Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press, 1990. Very useful if you get involved in family and genus identification.

Books that focus on particular Orders ( Mayflies, Caddisflies, etc.).

  • Ames, Thomas Jr. Caddisflies: A Guide to Eastern Species for Anglers and Other Naturalists. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2009. High quality production by a naturalist, fly fisherman, and professional photographer. Provides the reader with multiple color photographs of Caddis larvae and adults of all Eastern families, often identified to the level of genus and species.
  • Jokinen, Eileen, The Freshwater Snails (Mollusca: Gastropoda) of New York State.
    Albany, NY: New York State Museum Bulletin 482, 1992. Provides identification keys for all of the snails in our watershed.
  • Knopp, Malcolm, and Cormier, Robert. Mayflies: An Angler’s Study of Trout Water Ephemeroptera. Helena, MT: Greycliff Publishing Company, 1997. Very thorough, with lots of drawings.
  • LaFontaine, Gary. Caddisflies: A Major Study of One of the Most Important Aquatic Insects – entomology, fly tying, and proven fishing techniques. New York: Lyons & Burford, 1981.
  • Schwiebert, Ernest G. Nymphs, Volume I: The Mayflies – The Major Species. Guilford, CT: The Lyons Press, 2007.
  • Schwiebert, Ernest G. Nymphs, Volume II: Stoneflies, Caddisflies, and other Important Insects, Including the Lesser Mayflies. Guilford, CT: The Lyons Press, 2007.
  • Smith, Douglas Grant. Pennak’s Freshwater Invertebrates of the United States: Porifera to Crustacea. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2001. Provides detailed information on, photos of, diagrams of, and identification keys for – among other things – Platyhelminthes (Flatworms), Annelida (includes Leeches and Aquatic earthworms), Gastropoda (Snails), and Crustaceans (Crayfish, Sowbugs, and Scuds).
  • Stewart, Kenneth W., and Stark, Bill P. Nymphs of North American Stonefly Genera (Plecoptera). Columbus, OH: The Caddis Press, 2002. Detailed and technical. But the only book to have if you wish to identify stoneflies to the level of genus.
  • Wiggins, Glenn B. Caddisflies: The Underwater Architects. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2004. Very readable book on Caddisflies by the world’s leading authority. Includes drawings and keys to diagnostic features of all North American Caddisfly families.

Works on Benthic Sampling and Stream Ecology

  • Allan, J. David. Stream Ecology: Structure and function of running waters. Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1995. A detailed textbook that covers the basics of stream ecology.
  • Dates, Geoff, and Byrne, Jack. Living Waters: Using Benthic Macroinvertebrates and Habitat to Assess Your River’s Health. Montepelier, VT: River Watch Network, 1997. A nice overview of a variety of sampling protocols, detailed instructions on setting up benthic macroinvertebrate studies, how to do a Habitat Assessment, and a look at the various metrics used to determine a score for the health of your stream. Includes an Identification Key and sample forms.
  • Hauer, F. Richard, and Lamberti, Gary A., eds. Methods in Stream Ecology. Amsterdam, etc.: Academic Press (Elsevier), 1996, 2007. A collection of 36 articles on a variety of topics, including “Landscapes and Riverscapes,” “Transport and Storage of FPOM
    [Fine Particulate Organic Matter],” “Predator-Prey Interactions,” “Stream Food Webs,” and “Macroinvertebrates as Biotic Indicators of Environmental Quality.”
  • Hynes, H.B.N. The Ecology of Running Waters. Caldwell, NJ: The Blackburn Press, 1970, 2001. Classic study originally published in 1971.
  • Karr, James. Restoring Life in Running Waters: Better Biological Monitoring. Washington, D.C.: Island Press, 1999.
  • Ward, J.V. Aquatic Insect Ecology: 1. Biology and Habitat. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1992. A book that focuses on types of aquatic habitat and environmental factors (temperature, types of substrate, etc.) that affect the lives of aquatic insects.

CDs and DVDs

  • Adams, Jeff, with Vaughan, Mace, and Black, Scott Hoffman. “Stream Bugs as Biomonitors: a Guide to Pacific Northwest Macroinvertebrate Monitoring and Identification.” Produced by the Xerces Society, 2003. Click here to purchase.
  • Cutter, Ralph and Lisa. “Bugs of the Underworld: the Natural History of Aquatic Insects,” 2008. “…underwater video footage follows the life cycles of mayflies, stoneflies, caddisflies, and other amazing underwater bugs.” Click here to purchase.