In 2001, the first two papers in the series of Guide to aquatic Heteroptera of Singapore and Peninsular Malaysia was published. This project has received significant contribution by experts in the field of aquatic bug taxonomy, i.e., Dr. John Polhemus (Colorado, USA), Dr. Dan Polhemus (Bishop Museum, Honolulu), Dr. Herbert Zettel (Natural History Museum, Vienna, Austria), the late Professor Nils M. Andersen (Denmark), Dr. Nico Nieser (the Netherlands), Dr. Damir Kovac (Research Institute and Natural History Museum, Senckenberg), Dr. Miroslav Papáček (University of South Bohemia, Czech Republic). Under the guide series, they have published articles on the families of Gerridae, Hermatobatidae, Veliidae, Pleidae, Notonectidae, Corixidea, Micronectidae, Hydrometridae, Mesoveliidae, and Helotrephidae of Singapore and Peninsular Malaysia in the Raffles Bulletin Zoology.
Dr. Tran Anh Duc (an alumni of DBS, NUS, now in Hanoi University of Science, Vietnam) later joined the team, co-authoring with Dr Herbert Zettel, to prepare the guide to the family Hebridae. The guide to remaining families of Nepomorpha and Leptopodomorpha (by Drs John and Dan Polhemus) are either in preparation or under review process for publication. These upcoming articles are also the results from the Singapore Aquatic Heteroptera Workshop organized by and in RMBR in October last year. As such, the project “Guide to aquatic Heteroptera of Singapore and Peninsular Malaysia” is coming close to completion.
However, since the first article of the guide series published, a number of new taxa have been continually identified and described from the region. Apart from recent articles and coming articles of the guide series, there is a need to re-update all previous articles of the guide. All the updates will be included in the proposed guidebook. This guidebook will provide (updated) keys with illustrations to species of aquatic Heteroptera that occur in the region, general life history, colour pictures in order to benefit both taxonomists and nature lovers.