Water Beetle Surveys from Britain and Ireland

Quality Control

All records have been vetted by the Scheme Organiser. Many of the records, especially since 1979, have also been substantiated through checked specimens either by the Scheme Organiser or by other experts. Frank or Jack Balfour-Browne checked many of the earlier records. Data were compiled by the Scheme Organiser onto a Recorder database, and have been checked and validated prior to being submitted to the NBN Atlas. However, coverage of the country has been uneven in different places over time, and interpretation of species distributions needs to be approached with care. While many species show a probably accurate representation of their distribution and occurrence, other species, particularly commoner ones, are known to be under-recorded in many areas. Absence of a record of a species from an area may or may not indicate its genuine absence in a locality. While every attempt has been made to ensure the accuracy of records, the Recording Scheme Organiser cannot vouch for the authenticity of every record contained in the database.

Method steps

1. Various, ranging from systematic sampling procedures, through to casual collection and observation.

The whole of the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man, and much of the Republic of Ireland.