Eduardo Domínguez and Hugo R. Fernández,
eds.Fundación Miguel Lillo, Tucumán, Argentina,
2009, 656 pp., soft cover,
ISBN 978-950-668-015-2

For a long time, the study of insects and biodiversity in general has depended on the scientific effort devoted to the taxonomy of particular biological groups. For this reason, it is no surprise that the Nearctic fauna has received considerably more attention than its Neotropical counterpart. Mexico is an exception, being adjacent to the United States, as much of the Nearctic literature could be applied with considerable success. However, Neotropical and endemic groups that are not present in the United States and Canada remain problematic. Specialists or local scientists need to be tapped as descriptions focus on the species level or on regional or local fauna. Multinational scientific efforts are needed to describe fauna from regions that cross political boundaries, and nowhere is this more true than in South America. First, South America is a huge area represented by some of the most species-rich habitats in the world. Important geological formations, such as the Andes and the tepuyes of Venezuela, as well as a uniqueness of life forms, perhaps best exemplified by the biota of Chile, support one of the most interesting biotic areas of the world. The efforts by editors Eduardo Domínguez and Hugo R. Fernández, from Universidad de Tucumán, Argentina, to overcome these political challenges and produce a volume on South American Benthic Macroinvertebrates should be praised.

This profusely illustrated book, which has an attractive cover with a color picture of a male dobsonfly, had a former version, Guía para la Determinación de los Artrópodos Bentónicos Sudamericanos, published in 2001. The present book, with its 20 chapters, is much more than a field guide, and synthesizes information on habits, collection techniques, and morphology for each group. Genus-level keys to many of the families of freshwater macroinvertebrates (including noninsects) also are included. The first and last chapters, on sampling techniques and the use of macroinvertebrates as water quality indicators, respectively, are up-to-date versions of these subjects and are of general application to field entomologists. The core chapters are taxonomic, treating a key to orders of aquatic insects (Chapter 2), Ephemeroptera (3), Odonata (4), Plecoptera (5), Hemiptera (Gerromorpha, Nepomorpha; 6), Megaloptera (7), Neuroptera and Mecoptera (8), Trichoptera (9), Lepidoptera (10), Diptera general (11), Simuliidae (Diptera; 12), Chironomidae (Diptera; 13), Coleoptera (14), Crustacea (Syncarida, Amphipoda, Decapoda; 15), Acari (Parasitengona, Hydrachnidia; 16), Oligochaeta (Annelida; 17), Bivalvia (Mollusca; 18), and Gastropoda (Mollusca; 19).

I liked the book overall, especially the high-quality illustrations. The keys are for both immature and adult stages, and the contents are thorough and updated, thanks to the 35 recognized specialists that prepared individual chapters. In particular, I am impressed by some of the chapters on the several diverse South American groups, such as Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Hemiptera, and Coleoptera. It is also noteworthy that some difficult insects groups, such as black flies (Simuliidae) and midges (Chironomidae) are thoroughly treated. Although all families receive a brief diagnosis and bibliography of essential literature, some more complex families (e.g., Tipulidae) are not treated at the genus level. The book is particularly valuable in that it discusses several noninsect groups (e.g., crustaceans, mites, oligochaetes, and mollusks) as well.

Most of the authors are South American, mainly from Argentina, but also from Brazil, Colombia, and Ecuador. The rest are from Germany, Mexico, Spain, and the United States. A preface by Dr. Richard W. Merritt (Michigan State University) is the only English piece in the book. One chapter is in Portuguese (Chapter 5). A prologue by the editors not only describes the process of revision and the book's construction but also emphasizes a social side of the study of freshwater macroinvertebrates, which in Latin America is crucial, due to the scarcity of freshwater resources and their recent steady decline and its implications for biodiversity.

As an aquatic entomologist in Latin America, I am glad for the creation of this volume. Large, comprehensive works like this book stimulate additional studies and motivate new students to purse aquatic entomology, in both systematics and ecology. Access to highly illustrated keys and summaries of biology and ecology are welcome resources that will facilitate student theses, as well as formal research programs by universities, government agencies, and other organizations. The book can be obtained in purchase or exchange from Centro de Información Geobiológico del Noroeste Argentino (inquires should be directed to Sra. Mariángeles Prieto, e-mail: maprieto@lillo.org.ar; or biblioteca@lillo.org.ar; http://lillo.org.ar/index.php).

Atilano Contreras-Ramos, Ph.D.
Instituto de Biología, UNAM, Depto. de Zoología,
Apdo. Postal 70-153, 04510 México, D.F., Mexico,
E-mail: acontreras@ibiologia.unam.mx

Annals of Entomological Society of America
Vol. 103, No. 4, July 2010, Page 695 - 695