STREAM BUGS AS BIOMONITORS
Guide to Pacific Northwest Macroinvertebrate Monitoring and Identification
Jeff Adams
with Mace Vaughan and Scott Hoffman Black - The Xerces Society (www.xerces.org)

Being able to associate an organism with their ecological characteristics is essential for evaluating the biological condition of a stream. In addition to the value of such skills in assessment work, being able to say "Oh look! A golden stonefly," can really add to your appreciation of the diverse and bountiful life hidden by the water and rock of a stream. This section of the guide is very large, covering nearly 500 different macroinvertebrates, using more than 5000 images. Each order or family page begins with a trail of links that show the path that lead you to that taxon. Next comes the title, then below the title is a link to a key to macroinvertebrates within that group and a taxa list. For this sample page, a stonefly (Plecoptera) family and a caddisfly (Trichoptera) family have been included so you can get a feel for what kind of information is included in the full CD-ROM.
Other topics covered in the Identify Taxa section of this Guide are in the box to the right. You can check out three of them in this sample version, though the links to taxa in "bugs by ecoregion" and Pacific Northwest taxa list" will be dead ends. If you're interested in a full version, contact the Xerces Society info@xerces.org for a copy of the CD-ROM. Other Identification Tools and Information bugs by ecoregion practice field ID Pacific Northwest taxa list macroinvertebrate life histories introduced macros
Order list:
Insect Orders Mayflies (Ephemeroptera) Stoneflies (Plecoptera) Caddisflies (Trichoptera) True flies (Diptera) Aquatic beetles (Coleoptera) Dobsonflies and alderflies (Megaloptera) Aquatic moths (Lepidoptera) Dragonflies and damselflies (Odonata) Aquatic true bugs (Hemiptera) Springtails (Collembola) incidental adults	Non-Insect Groups Water mites, Hydracarina (Acarina) Scuds, sowbugs, crayfish, and pals (Crustacea) Snails, limpets, clams, and mussels (Mollusca) Aquatic worms (Oligochaeta, Polychaeta) Crayfish worms (Branchiobdellida) Leeches (Hirudinea) Hydroids (Cnidaria) Flatworms (Turbellaria) Ribbon worms (Nemertea) Roundworms (Nematoda) Horsehair worms (Nematomorpha) Moss animals (Ectoprocta) Sponges (Porifera)

Home • Why macros? • Sampling process • Identify taxa • Interpret data • Use results
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