"This book series provides comprehensive information on distribution and ecological preferences of European freshwater organisms. The first three volumes deal with caddisflies (Trichoptera), stoneflies (Plecoptera) and mayflies (Ephemeroptera), respectively. The present volume on Plecoptera has been compiled by reviewing more than 1,400 literature references. It covers 571 European stonefly species, categorised into 40 genera and 7 families. The distribution within the European ecoregions as well as a wide variety of ecological preferences are presented as numerical codes, including feeding types, habitat and current preferences, temperature and altitude preferences, life duration and flight periods, and the response to environmental stress. Together with the other issues of the series, this compilation is a unique tool for analysing freshwater biota, both for basic and applied purposes such as ecosystem monitoring and the implementation of European directives in the fi eld of environmental protection."--Page 4 of cover.