Mollusc species currently constitute a major threat to sustainable agriculture. This threat is associated with cultivation of new crops, intensification of agricultural production systems and the spread through human trade and travel of species adapted to these modified environments. In some crops, their significance is only now becoming apparent with the decline in the importance of other pest groups which can be effectively controlled. The book focuses on: toxicology of chemicals, deployment of molluscicides in baits, specific crop situations worldwide, current pest status of mollusc species and progress towards development of solutions.

What arachnologist worth his salt could forget the arachnid with a two-foot legspan? The Order Amblypygi not only contains world record species, but also some of the most improbable and unbelievable looking members of the Class Arachnida. Otherwise known as whipspiders, these creatures appear to have been formed in the deep recesses of a human nightmare, and yet are the only large arachnids that are entirely harmless to humans. Predatory whipspiders display advanced social behaviors and externally visible reproductive biology of immense complexity. This text presents cutting edge biological details, supporting Scanning Electron Micrographs, and unparalleled captive reproduction information with photographic documentation.

Invertebrates are conspicuous, influential components in all of the ecosystems of the world. Assemblages of invertebrates assume an organizing function and hence may be considered as "webmasters" in these ecosystems. This book reviews and assesses our current understanding of invertebrates in terrestrial and terrestrially-dominated (lower-order stream) ecosystems. It emphasizes the centrality of the activity of invertebrates, which influence ecosystems function far out of proportion to their physical mass in a wide range of situations, particularly at the soil interface between land and air (litter/soil), water and land (sediments) and in tree canopies and root/soil systems.

The Invertebrate World of Australia's Subtropical Rainforests is a comprehensive review of Australia's Gondwanan rainforest invertebrate fauna, covering its taxonomy, distribution, biogeography, fossil history, plant community and insect-plant relationships. This is the first work to document the invertebrate diversity of this biologically important region, as well as explain the uniqueness and importance of the organisms. This book examines invertebrates within the context of the plant world that they are dependent on and offers an understanding of Australia's outstanding (but still largely unknown) subtropical rainforests. All major, and many minor, invertebrate taxa are described and the book includes a section of colour photos of distinctive species. There is also a strong emphasis on plant and habitat associations and fragmentation impacts, as well as a focus on the regionally inclusive Gondwana Rainforests (Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves of Australia) World Heritage Area. The Invertebrate World of Australia's Subtropical Rainforestswill be of value to professional biologists and ecologists, as well as amateur entomologists and naturalists in Australia and abroad. Brings together a broad body of information otherwise scattered in journals of diverse specialist subject matter. Offers a unique perspective marrying invertebrates to their plant world and the landscape in which they live and are dependent upon. Original colour photographs illustrate the many iconic taxa discussed, highlighting Australia's outstanding (but still largely unknown) subtropical rainforests.

The sheath nematodes belonging to the superfamily Hemicycliophoroidea are unique amongst all plant parasitic nematodes known to man due to the presence of an extra cuticular covering or sheath over the inner cuticle and body of all juvenile and adult life stages. These plant-parasitic nematodes include species of agricultural and quarantine importance. In Systematics of the Sheath Nematodes of the Superfamily Hemicycliophoroidea John Chitambar and Sergei Subbotin provide a detailed review of the taxonomy and diagnosis of the superfamily, its member genera and 153 related species based on their morphological and molecular analyses, as well as a further understanding of the relationships within the superfamily using molecular phylogenetics. In addition, Chitambar and Subbotin also give detailed information on the global distribution, biology, host-parasite relationships and ecology of sheath nematodes.

A comprehensive survey of insects and terrestrial invertebrates referred to by Greek and Roman authors from the earliest times to AD 600. Explains the extent and accuracy of their knowledge compared to current beliefs, and discusses the role of each animal type in classical life, for example popular