Checklist of the Diptera of the Netherlands + CD-ROM

Samenvatting: Checklist of the Diptera of the Netherlands + CD-ROM (zoals op de achterkaft)

Checklist of the Diptera of the Netherlands The order of flies and midges (Diptera) represents one of the largest among the insects. The diversity is enormous and the range of families goes from well-studied and conspicuous flies to virtually unknown and obscure midges. In this book a list is given of all Dutch flies and midges, their recent and historic scientific names, and for most families an indication of which species the occurrence in the Netherlands was recently confirmed. Altogether, 4967 species of flies and midges are listed. A huge increase since De Meijere published the previous list in 1939. His list comprised 3354 species. Evidently, the knowledge about Dutch Diptera has increased enormously in the 20th century. The purpose was to make this book extend beyond just a list of species. Introductory chapters are included and general paragraphs are given for each family. This work will be very useful for everybody who is interested in the occurrence of Diptera species in the Netherlands. Not only students of taxonomy and zoogeography may use the information, but also those involved in surveys of areas of special interest. Managers of nature reserves may find it useful while establishing the species richness of their sites. Policy makers can find out how many and which species of Diptera occur, giving an estimate of biodiversity beyond that of birds and plants. This publication encloses a CD-rom which contains the whole checklist in browsable format (HTML). An off-line search-engine is included to enable searches with Boolean operators (and, or, not), so in theory it is possible to search for all families that contain species added in a certain publication or described by a certain author.