Links
MDFRC Australian Freshwater Invertebrates
www.mdfrc.org.au/bugguide/index.htm The Murray Darling Freshwater Research Centre's online guide to the identification and ecology of Australian freshwater invertebrates. An excellent resource for senior students and anyone interested in identifying specimens down to family and genera. The site incorporates an interactive key with full colour digital imagery including features only visible under microscope, and notes on the taxonomy and ecology of the animals. There is also a downloadable colour guide to identifying the major groups and an extensive range of references for further taxonomic work.
Bugasaurus Explorus
www.bugsurvey.nsw.gov.au
This is a fun colourful website containing a great deal of information on macroinvertebrates. It is a NSW website, so not all the critters found in South Australia are featured on this site. The site also encourages communities to become involved in "bug" sampling.
Stream Invertebrate Grade Number – Average Level SIGNAL2
To learn more about SIGNAL2, the simple scaling system used to identify between macroinvertebrates that are sensitive to or tolerant of poor water quality, read the journal article “New sensitivity grades for Australian river macroinvertebrates” found on the NSW Water Bug Survey website.
The Waterbug Net
www.thewaterbug.net/media2.html This is the site of the team that brought you The Waterbug Book. Have a look at these short movies of beetle larvae catching and devouring their prey, a mayfly nymph beating it's gills to increase it's dissolved oxygen uptake, and the water boatman foraging.
The Nature Explores
www.naturegrid.org.uk/pondexplorer/pond3.html
A Virtual Pond Dip activity. This “Nature Explores” website looks at many different topics about nature. Themes include exploring pond habitat, identification key, teacher notes and much more. A very detailed website.
Books
CSIRO has published a great book on Australian aquatic macroinvertebrates, with many superb colour photos and clear, detailed drawings.
The Waterbug Book
John Gooderham & Edward Tsyrlin
232 pages; 215 x 147 mm
Indexed; with bibliography
Published 2002
ISBN 0 643 06668 3
CSIRO Publishing
PO Box 1139
Collingwood Vic 3066
Email: publishing.sales@csiro.au
The Co-operative Research Centre for Freshwater Ecology has published some excellent identification guides to Australian aquatic invertebrates, with many clear colour photographs.
Colour Guide to Invertebrates of Inland Australian Waters
Identification Guide No. 8
John H. Hawking & Felicity J. Smith
213 pages; 210 x 110 mm
Indexed; with bibliography
Published 1997
ISBN 1 876144 09 2
ISSN 1321 – 280X