Synopses of the British Fauna facts for kids

Synopses of the British Fauna is a special series of books that helps people identify different animals found in Britain. These books are published by The Linnean Society and The Estuarine and Coastal Sciences Association. Each book dives deep into a specific group of animals. They are designed to be a helpful step between a simple field guide and more detailed scientific books. Now, The Field Studies Council publishes the series for the other two groups.

The books are made to be easy to use, even when you're out in nature. They try to keep difficult scientific words to a minimum. If a technical word is needed, they include a list of terms to explain it. While they are user-friendly, the topics can be a bit complex, so they are best for people who already have some experience studying animals.

Cover of Sea-Spiders (2010)

How the Series Started

The idea for these books began a long time ago, on March 11, 1943. At a meeting of The Linnean Society in London, a scientist named TH Savory showed his work on "Harvestmen" (a type of spider-like creature). Everyone liked it so much that they decided right then to publish it. This first book became the start of a new series of "ecological fauna lists."

The series got a big boost in the mid-1960s when Dr. Doris Kermack helped relaunch it. It grew stronger and stronger! From book number 13 onwards, The Estuarine and Coastal Sciences Association also started to help fund the series, and Dr. RSK Barnes became a co-editor.

Since 1993, The Field Studies Council has been publishing the books. They also work with the AIDGAP project, which helps test and improve identification guides.

Books in the Series

The series includes many different books, and some of the older ones are no longer printed. Many books have been updated and reprinted. Sometimes their names change a little to reflect new scientific understandings or changes in how animals are grouped (taxonomy).

Here are some of the books in the series:

• Volume 62: Marine Snails 3: Neogastropoda (Wigham and Graham) 2018
• Volume 61: Marine Snails 2: Littorinimorpha and other types of Caenogastropoda (Wigham and Graham) 2017
• Volume 60: Marine Snails 1: Limpets and Vetigastropoda (Wigham and Graham) 2017
• Volume 59: Athecate hydroids and their medusae (Shuchert) 2012
• Volume 58: Centipedes (AD Barber) 2009
• Volume 57: Barnacles (AJ Southward) 2008
• Volume 56: Echinoderms (like starfish and sea urchins) (EC Southward and AC Campbell) 2005
• Volume 55: Lobsters, Mud Shrimps and Anomuran Crabs (RW Ingle and ME Christiansen) 2004
• Volume 54: Polychaetes: British Chrysopetaloidea, Pisionoidea and Aphroditoidea (SJ Chambers and AI Muir) 1998
• Volume 53: Free Living British Nematodes, Part 3 Monohysterids (RM Warwick, HM Platt and PJ Somerfield) 1998
• Volume 52: Ticks of North-West Europe (Paul D Hillyard) 1996
• Volume 51: Marine and Brackish Water Harpacticoid Copepods, Part 1 (R Huys, JM Gee, CG Moore and R Hamond) 1996
• Volume 50: North-west European Thecate Hydroids and Their Medusae (PFS Cornelius) 1995
• Volume 49: Woodlice Keys and Notes for Identification of the Species (PG Oliver and CJ Meechan) 1993
• Volume 48: Marine Planktonic Ostracods (MV Angel) 1993
• Volume 47: Copepods Parasitic on Fishes (Z Kabata) 1992
• Volume 46: Commensal and Parasitic Copepods Associated with Marine Invertebrates (and Whales) (V Gotto) 1993
• Volume 45: Polychaetes British Phyllodocoideans, Typhloscolecoideans and Tomopteroideans (F Pleijel and RP Dales) 1991
• Volume 44: Polychaetes: Interstitial Families (Second Edition) (W Westheide) 2008
• Volume 44: Polychaetes: Interstitial Families (W Westheide) 1990
• Volume 43: Marine and Brackish Water Ostracods (Superfamilies Cypridacea and Cytheracea) (J Athersuch, DJ Horne and JE Whittaker) 1990
• Volume 42: Freshwater Ostracoda (PA Henderson) 1990
• Volume 41: Entoprocts (C Nielsen) 1989
• Volume 40: Pseudoscorpions (G Legg and RE Jones) 1988
• Volume 39: Chaetognatha (Arrow Worms) (AC Pierrot-Bults and KC Chidghey) 1988
• Volume 38: Free Living Marine Nematodes Part II British Chromadorids (HM Platt and RM Warwick) 1988
• Volume 37: Molluscs Caudofoveata, Solenogastres, Polyplacophora (Chitons) and Scaphopoda (AM Jones and JM Baxtyer) 1987
• Volume 36: Halacarid Mites (J Green and M Macquitty) 1987
• Volume 35: Millipedes (J Gordon Blower) 1985
• Volume 34: Cyclostome Bryozoans (PJ Hayward and JS Ryland) 1985
• Volume 33: Ctenostome Bryozoans (PJ Hayward) 1985
• Volume 32: Polychaetes British Amphinomida, Spintherida and Eunicida (JD George and G Hartmann-Schroder) 1985
• Volume 31: Earthworms (RW Sims and BM Garard) 1985
• Volume 30: Euphasiid, Stomatopod and Leptostracan Crustaceans (J Mauchline) 1984
• Volume 29: Siphonophores and Velellids (PA Kirkpatrick and PR Pugh) 1984
• Volume 28: Free-Living Marine Nematodes Pt 1: British Enoplids (HM Platt and RM Warwick) 1983
• Volume 27: Tanaids (DM Holdich and JA Jones) 1983
• Volume 26: British Polyclad Turbellarians (S Prudhoe) 1983
• Volume 25: Shallow Water Crabs Keys and notes for identification of the species (RW Ingle) 1983
• Volume 24: Nemerteans (Ribbon Worms) R Gibson 1982
• Volume 23: British and Other Freshwater Ciliated Protozoa (Part 2) Ciliophora: Oligohymenophora & Polyhymenophora (CR Curds, MA Gates and D McRoberts) 1982
• Volume 22: British and Other Freshwater Ciliated Protozoa (Part 1) Ciliophora: Kinetofragminophora (CR Curds) 1982
• Volume 21: British Other Marine Estuarine Oligochaetes (Brinkhurst) 1982
• Volume 20: British Pelagic Tunicates (Sea Squirts) (JH Fraser) 1982
• Volume 19: British Planarians (Flatworms) (IR Ball and TB Reynoldson) 1981
• Volume 18: British Anthozoa (Sea Anemones and Corals) (RL Manuel) 1981
• Volume 17: British Brachiopods (Lamp Shells) (C Howard, C Brunton and GB Curry) 1979
• Volume 16: British Nearshore Foraminiferids (JW Murray) 1979
• Volume 15: Coastal Shrimps and Prawns Keys and Notes for Identification of the Species (Ed. G Smaldon, LB Holthius and CHJM Fransen) 1994
• Volume 15: British Coastal Shrimps and Prawns (G Smaldon) 1979
• Volume 14: Cheilostomatous Bryozoa, Part 2 Hippothooidea - Celleporoidea (PJ Hayward and JS Ryland) 1999
• Volume 14: British Ascophoran Bryozoans (PJ Hayward, JS Ryland) 1979
• Volume 13: British and Other Phoronids (Horseshoe Worms) (CC Emig) 1979
• Volume 12: Sipunculans (Peanut Worms) (PE Gibbs) 2001
• Volume 12: British Sipunculans (Peanut Worms) (PE Gibbs) 1978
• Volume 11: British Freshwater Bivalve Mollusca (AE Ellis) 1978
• Volume 10: Cheilostomatous Bryozoa, Part 1: Aeteoidea-Cribrilinoidea (PJ Hayward and JS Ryland)
• Volume 8: Molluscs: Benthic Opisthobranchs (Sea Slugs) (Mollusca: Gastropoda) (TE Thompson) 1989
• Volume 8: British Opisthobranch Molluscs (Sea Slugs) (TE Thompson, GH Brown) 1976
• Volume 7: British Cumaceans (NS Jones) 1976
• Volume 6: British Land Snails (RAD Cameron, M Redfern) 1976
• Volume 5: Sea-Spiders (Pycnogonida) of the north-east Atlantic (RN Bamber) 2010
• Volume 5: British Sea Spiders (PE King) 1974
• Volume 4: Harvestmen (PD Hillyard) 2005
• Volume 4: British Harvestmen (J Sankey, TH Savory) 1974
• Volume 3: Intertidal Marine Isopods (E Naylor, A Brandt) 2015
• Volume 3: British Marine Isopods (E Naylor) 1972
• Volume 2: Molluscs: Prosobranch and Pyramidellid Gastropods Keys and Notes for the Identification of the Species
• Volume 1: British Ascidians (Sea Squirts) (R Millar) 1970