Chelicerata are a basically terrestrial group of invertebrates, including many clades whose representatives have never found an evolutionary way to aquatic live. An exception is made by some spiders and the highly diverse aquatic mites which in inland water habitats are represented by members of numerous different clades having evolved an aquatic or amphibious lifestyle along various evolutionary pathways. For the first time in limnofaunistic bibliography, the present taxonomic knowledge about these different groups of invertebrates is brought together in an overview for the Central-European fauna.

This second volume includes taxonomic keys and ecological information for the two species-rich superfamilies Hydryphantoidea and Lebertioidea of the freshwater mites (Hydrachnidia). A further volume in preparation will include the remaining two superfamilies, Hygrobatoidea and Arrenuroidea.

The chelicerata volumes of this series are a basic tool for all limnologists interested in diversity and ecology - in particular for biologists investigating the ecotones between ground- and surface water, between benthos and plankton, and between water and land.

Reinhard Gerecke (editor), born in 1958; free-lance zoologist with teaching contract at the University of Tübingen. Main fields of interest: Ecology and conservation of spring habitats, systematics and zoogeography of water mites in the Palaearctic and Ethiopic regions.

Coauthors: Dr. Antonio Di Sabatino: Dipartimento di Scienze Ambientali Università dell'Aquila Via Vetoio 20, I - 67100 L'Aquila, Italy

CBiol MIBiol FLS Terence Gledhill: Freshwater Biological Association Windermere Laboratory The Ferry House, Far Sawrey GB - Ambleside Cumbria, LA 22 OLP, United Kingdom

Drs Harry Smit: Zoological Museum, University of Amsterdam Plantage Middenlaan 64 NL - 1018 DH Amsterdam, The Netherlands