Seifert, B. (2018): The ants of Central and North Europe. Lutra Verlag- und Vertriebsgesellschaft, Tauer.
An illustrated determination key to 190 species recorded for the area and directly adjacent regions.
ISBN: 978-3-936412-07-9
407 Seiten, 581 Fotos und Zeichnungen von Ameisen, 1047 Titel im Literaturverzeichnis.
Oh, that´s pretty cool! Seifert is the absolute standard book for every ant fan and ant keeper. Thank you very much for the review!
Hm, I read it like a review from a scientist for other scientists and if the Seifert is a good tool for myrmecologists to identify species, or if not. I also got a little lost in the middle, as he wrote about several methods to identify (ant and spider) species and the complex of problems this is bringing (identification through optical systems like microscopes, like Seifert is doing it, mtDNA analysis, analysis of the chemistry of the cuticula, the problems with hybrids of several ant species etc.).
His conclusion is, that the general part about ants is suited for amateurs and aspiring myrmecologists due to its user friendliness, but the identification part is heavily to handle.
Considering potential user groups of the book, I would guess that the general part will entice amateur and aspiring myrmecologists. The identification keys may avert even experienced
(sic!) myrmecologists, but in difficult cases perhaps no alternative is available. User-friendliness always includes a risk of misidentification, and it needs a lot to balance between these risks and simplicity of keys. With growing experience, one may find a personal way of using the keys by deciding how much time one spends in mounting and measuring specimens – at own risk.
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