Language: Bilingual in English and German
One of the aims of this work is to reduce existing uncertainties and misinterpretations, particularly in biological water analysis. The key is built largely from macroscopically visible features. It identifies 11 species and species groups of significance to water quality evaluation whose ecological requirements are known sufficiently and whose larvae are reasonably diagnosable in terms of taxonomy. Where the respective configuration of characters does not allow further taxon separation with reliable results, the identification sequence is ended (example result: Chironomus sp.). Collective key terminals are used also, where the ecological valences of the corresponding taxa have not been sorted out. The ecological requirements and indicator properties of the identifiable taxa are summarised in a table.