WATER BEETLES OF TAIWAN

Adephaga & Hydrophiloidea

Taiwan’s first water beetle Illustrated book. Co-authored by renowned Taiwanese water beetle researcher Hsing-Che Liu and MiniB’s Uitsiann Ong, this groundbreaking book documents 113 species of water beetles across 8 families under Adephaga and Hydrophiloidea recorded in Taiwan. Featuring high-quality specimen and ecological photographs. It also includes illustrated family-level keys, habitat introduction, hand-drawn illustrations of male genitalia, and a Taiwanese species checklist, making it an authoritative and practical resource for researchers and insect enthusiasts alike.

Highly recommended by
Dr. Ming-Luen Jeng.

Director of the Biology Department at the National Museum of Natural Science

“…This book upholds the high standard of Ministry of Beetles’ illustrated series, featuring clear, high-definition images of each species, with sharp depth of field and vivid surface details. Few countries have produced an aquatic beetle guide of this quality, and no other similar publications on the market match this level.”

About Water Beetles

Water beetles are beetles that spend at least one stage of their life cycle in aquatic environments. Ranging in size from 1mm to over 40mm, they inhabit freshwater habitats such as ponds, paddy fields, streams, and wet rocks, with a few species found in coastal brackish or saltwater areas.

Globally, over 13,000 species are classified into two main groups:
1. Adephaga: Predominantly carnivorous, including diving and whirligig beetle.
2. Polyphaga: Includes water scavenger beetles feeding on decaying matter.

Adaptations like air sacs for respiration, swimming legs, and diving capabilities enable them to thrive in water. Water beetles are vital to ecosystems as predators, decomposers, and bioindicators of water quality, making them important for conservation and environmental monitoring.

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The Authors

Hsing-Che Liu

Master’s degree in Environmental Engineering and Management from Chaoyang University of Technology. Currently working as a freshwater ecology researcher at an ecological consulting company, editor-in-chief of the Journal of Taiwanese Entomology, and a member of the Taiwan Entomological Society, Taiwan Entomology Enthusiasts Society, and Taiwan Dragonfly Society. He has been fascinated by aquatic beetles since childhood, began researching them during university, focusing on Haliplidae and Dytiscidae. His current research expands to various groups of aquatic insects. He has published dozens of academic papers in both domestic and international journals, including the discovery of several new species and new records.

Uitsiann Ong

Master’s degree in Industrial Design from National Cheng Kung University. After graduation, he pursued a career in computer special effects, animation, and post-production. From a young age, he developed a strong interest in beetles and excelled in collecting, specimen preparation, and specimen photography, especially of the smallest beetles within Scarabaeidae. His passion for the beauty of jewel beetles led him into the research field. He has discovered dozens of new species of jewel beetles and collaborated with scholars from Italy, Japan, and the Czech Republic to publish over fifty new species and subspecies of Taiwanese jewel beetles. In 2019 and 2023, he published the first and second volumes of The Jewel Beetles of Taiwan.

‘Water Beetles of Taiwan: Adephaga & Hydrophiloidea’, 187p, hard cover, 175 mm x 235 mm. Printed in Taiwan.

ISBN: 978-986-97623-2-8

WILL SHIP WORLDWIDE.