Includes bibliographical references and index.

List of insects detailed by whole-specimen, black-and-white illustrations -- pt. 1. Background. Introduction and organization -- Identifying aquatic insects -- Living in water -- From field to laboratory -- Arthropods and other cxommon freshwater macroinvertebrates -- pt. 2. Aquatic Insects. Key to the orders and stages of aquatic insects -- Mayflies (order Ephemeroptera) -- Damselflies and dragonflies (order Odonata) -- Stoneflies (order Plecoptera) -- Water bugs (order Hemiptera) -- Fishflies, dobsonflies, and alderflies (order Megaloptera) -- Spongillaflies (order Neuroptera, family Sisyridae) -- Water beetles (order Coleoptera) -- Caddisflies (order Trichoptera) -- Aquatic caterpillars (order Lepidoptera) -- Midges, mosquitoes, aquatic gnats and flies (order Diptera) -- pt. 3. Other Insects Associated With Aquatic Environments. Shore-dwelling insects -- Insects associated with emergent vegetation -- Tree hole and plant cup residents -- Diving wasps (order Hymenoptera) -- pt. 4. Other Freshwater Arthropods. Freshwater springtails (order Collembola) -- Common freshwater custaceans -- Common freshwater arachnids -- Appendix. A guide to fishermen's mayflies in North America.