陆牙甲亚科Sphaeridiinae是昆虫中生境最复杂的类群之一，几乎在各种生境中都可以找到该类昆虫。这一类群也是伴随人类活动而进行世界性传播最为普遍的一类。本项目拟通过全国范围内在流水、静水、泥沙、潮湿悬崖、动物粪便、腐烂植物、海边、土壤、叶脉和枯枝落叶等各种生态环境进行陆牙甲亚科Sphaeridiinae昆虫采集，检视国内各大博物馆收藏标本，查看和交换国外模式标本、邀请国际专家鉴定标本等方法进行我国陆牙甲的准确的分类研究，最终建立一套可靠地、今后可为他人提供核对依据的定名标本。研究各种生境下陆牙甲亚科昆虫的多样性，我国各大区陆牙甲的区系组成、分布、各种的生境状况、区系起源的问题以及人类活动导致的传入的问题。进一步从形态学方面研究陆牙甲与复杂多样的生境适应的关系。

Sphaeridiinae is one of the most complex group of insects in the habitats. They can be found in almost each kind of habitats. This group is very common to introduced by activities of man in the world. This project will focus on the study of fauna of Sphaeridiinae (Coleoptera, Hydrophilidea) by collecting the beetles in running water, stagnant water, sediments, wet rocks, animal excrement, decomposed plants, seashore, soil with leaf litter and leaf sheath, and by checking the specimens deposited in museums of China and exchangeing and checking types in European, American and Japanese museums. The foreign specialists on the Sphaeridiinae will be invited to identify the specimens correctly. This project will establish a series of identified specimens that will be deposited in Chinese museums in order that other scientists can identify this group by checking the specimens with the name labels in the future. The diversity of Sphaeridiinae will be studied in various habitats. The fauna, including consistant of species, distribution, habitat diversity and the origin of fauna will be studied. The occurrence of introduced species in China will studied. Furthermore,the relationship beween Sphaeridiinae and habitat diversity will be studied base on morphology.