Turn over a log or stone in most waterways and you will find leeches – but how do you identify them? More...

Aquatic wildlife is hugely under-recorded but offers a fascinating goldmine of species. A new photographic guide from the FSC makes this relatively easy – and at just £4 how can you resist? Leeches live in all types of water bodies, from ditches, streams and rivers to lakes, ponds, canals and wetlands. in general there are fewer species in running waters than in standing waters. So if you’re familiar with pond dipping, then you have probably found freshwater leeches. Often leeches remain clinging to your tray once you have released everything else back to the pond. Hand searching potential habitats is also a useful collection method. Target sites include the underside of stones, the base of reeds and rushes and the wet surface of leaf litter. Your garden pond is a good place to start! This is the first guide to freshwater leeches for many years. It covers all 17 species of free-living freshwater leech in Britain and Ireland. Around half of all these can be identified from live animals in the field, while the rest need microscopic examination.

• Photo-based identification guide to freshwater leeches
• No specimen preparation needed: identify live animals in the field where possible
• Complete coverage of all free-living species found in Britain and Ireland