Hemiptera - Heteroptera encompasses the three well-defined suborders of
the true bugs which are adapted to an aquatic or littoral habitat. The
book begins with a section on the biology these insects and provides
illustrations of the basic features of their morphology and outlines the
larval development. Brief outlines of the ecological and zoogeographical
peculiarities of the three aquatic suborders are presented individually,
and various methods for observing, collecting, preserving, rearing, and
examining specimens are discussed.
Most of the book is devoted to keys for the identification of adults to
species, and notes are provided that will help recognize the known
larvae. Unlike most other aquatic insects, the larval instars of the
heteropteran species closely resemble the adults in their morphology,
preferred habitats, and feeding habits. Therefore, distinguishing
features of those relatively few larvae which have been described in
detail are usually mentioned in the keys to the adults rather than being
included in separate keys. In addition to the most important features
for determining the individual species, many keys include additional
notes on the morphology, which is intended to give the user a better
chance of recognizing specimens of species not yet known to science.
After the currently recognized name of each species, the known range is
provided. Regions of the world outside of South America, South American
countries, and the states of Brazil from which the species has been
reported are listed. Following the range information, major synonyms
previously used for the species in the literature are provided. If
subspecies have been
described and are still recognized as such, they are also discussed.
Finally, if the status of the species is regarded as uncertain because
of a poor description, strong resemblance to another species, or any
other reason, a note is added that a detailed study will be necessary to
clarify the status of the taxon. Taxonomic revisions in the book itself
are strictly avoided.
To provide the user of the keys with maximum assistance in making
reliable identifications, the book is richly illustrated with pen and
ink drawings of thousands of individual morphological structures
arranged in 820 figures. The book is intended to make a significant
impact toward popularizing the study of South American water bugs by
assembling and condensing the information in hundreds of individual
publications on the group, which appeared in many books and journals
published in many different countries over the past 200 years. Some of
these works are very difficult to obtain in South America, and their
lack creates serious impediments to systematic, ecological, and
zoogeographical research. In the more than 730 titles appearing in the
bibliography, the original descriptions and revisions of almost all
South American species can be found.
