Aquatic Invertebrates of Alberta

Ian Wylie Toal is a Martindale-based freelance science writer.

Clifford has set out to accomplish a nearly impossible task: drawing up
a field guide for all the aquatic invertebrates in Alberta. This
difficulty is acknowledged by the author, who says, for example, that
the need for magnification means that it “is really not appropriate to
call this book a field guide at all.” As well, many of the organisms
must be associated with an adult form before precise identification can
be made. And most problematic are those groups like the Gastrotrichs,
which are so obscure that there have “been no studies” on which to
base the chapter.

In spite of these inherent difficulties, Clifford has put together a
well-written, well-referenced volume, complete with a set of
identification keys for all the aquatic invertebrates found in Alberta.

The introduction, which explains how to use the book, is followed by 38
identification chapters, each treating one taxonomic group. General
features, life cycles, specific collecting and preserving information, a
species list, and a survey of references are followed by a pictorial key
that can be used to identify a specimen.

The detail of each chapter depends directly on how well-known the group
is. The obscure Gastrotrichs, for example, are identified only by
family, while the abundant and well-known insects (occupying nearly half
the text), are broken down into family and genus.

This is accompanied by a decent glossary, an index to common and Latin
names, and 45 pages of references.

One major drawback of the book is that there is no key to the major
non-arthropod taxa, so unless you know that a mollusk is a mollusk you
will not know which chapter to turn to in order to find out which
mollusk you have. Clifford identifies this problem, and suggests a
laborious and potentially frustrating “eye-balling” method to
circumvent it. Overall, this is an excellent book for people who want
general information about Alberta’s aquatic invertebrates—teachers
grubbing around in streams with 8-year-old kids seem like a good
example. Those seeking more detailed information will certainly know
where to look for it.