Books, books and more books ....

[jezlee]

Following on from many threads on the reference book question lately, does anybody know of a good fly book? Every time I go outside with my camera I seem to come across a new fly, and I can never find them in my Collins/Chinery Insect books – once you've eliminated Flesh Fly, House Fly, Bluebottle, Greenbottle, Tachina fera, you're stuffed!! ....

[bugbotherer]

The AIDGAP key to Diptera by Denis Unwin will get to most of the groups, but no colour pics and to make it work with digipics you need a variety of angles to be photographed. I've just been collecting the RES keys as they pop up and also became a member of the Dipterist Forum a number of years ago http://www.dipteristsforum.org.uk/
bugbotherer

[Wild-Woman]

Jez have you tried NHBS Environment Bookstore. Sorry I can't set up a link I'm not technical. I found this title for you--Blowflies by YZ Erzinclioglu (yes real name) Richmond Publishing.There's other fly books too that you maybe interested in. See....I don't pick on you all the time...I can be nice!! Jules

[eucera]

The late Dr Zak's book on Blowflies is terrific. He was a forensic entomologist of international repute. Other fly books include Stbbs & Falk's seminal volume on British Syrphids, and also Stubbs book on the Larger Brachycera (Horse flies, Soldier flies etc) These latter 2 vols are published by the British Ent Soc and are exceedingly good, and completely comprehensive).

[jezlee]

Originally Posted by Wild-Woman

Jez have you tried NHBS Environment Bookstore. Sorry I can't set up a link I'm not technical. I found this title for you--Blowflies by YZ Erzinclioglu (yes real name) Richmond Publishing.There's other fly books too that you maybe interested in. See....I don't pick on you all the time...I can be nice!! Jules

I have had a quick shufti, Jules .... I need to go back when my credit card comes back from hospital ....

[jezlee]

Originally Posted by eucera

The late Dr Zak's book on Blowflies is terrific. He was a forensic entomologist of international repute. Other fly books include Stbbs & Falk's seminal volume on British Syrphids, and also Stubbs book on the Larger Brachycera (Horse flies, Soldier flies etc) These latter 2 vols are published by the British Ent Soc and are exceedingly good, and completely comprehensive).

Cheers, eucera - I have the one on Hoverflies and will get around to the other one – as I said above to Jules, when my credit card has recovered sufficiently!!

[Paul mabbott]

The only comprehensive book on *all* British flies is very old and, actually, not all that comprehensive ... ho hum. No, as suggested, you need to use a general book to get you to the family and then get hold of the detailed books/keys - increasingly published recently.

[Laurence Clemons]

You might like to know that the current checklist of British Diptera is now just short of 7000 species. 114 species of lesser fungus gnat have just been added in one go! I have been studying Diptera for thirty years and do not have sufficient literature to cover all the species. The Royal Entomological Handbooks (many of which are now out of print) do not allow for identification of more than 50% of British species. There are some nice volumes in the Fauna Entomologica Scandinavica series written in English. Don't expect to be able to identify all but a handfull from picture books.

[jezlee]

Originally Posted by Laurence Clemons

You might like to know that the current checklist of British Diptera is now just short of 7000 species. 114 species of lesser fungus gnat have just been added in one go! I have been studying Diptera for thirty years and do not have sufficient literature to cover all the species. The Royal Entomological Handbooks (many of which are now out of print) do not allow for identification of more than 50% of British species. There are some nice volumes in the Fauna Entomologica Scandinavica series written in English. Don't expect to be able to identify all but a handfull from picture books.

All of which allows you to understand why so many people, when finding an interest developing in insects, are attracted to butterflies and the such, where a species can be readily identified with picture book in hand ....

[Paul mabbott]

Originally Posted by jezlee

All of which allows you to understand why so many people, when finding an interest developing in insects, are attracted to butterflies and the such, where a species can be readily identified with picture book in hand ....

Or develope very big arm muscles. *The* definitive work on beetles (Die Kafer Mitteleuropa) consists of many heavy (in all senses) volumes which cover about 2m on a book shelf.
There is talk of a CD/DVD of British beetles being produced - certainly a lot easier to carry around. I suspect that this, or web-based keys, is the way things will go.