Insectopedia uncovers the fascinating and infinitely varied world of insects. It explores their intriguing behaviour and biology – from mating and breeding, metamorphosis and movement to sight, smell, hearing and their adaptations to heat and cold.

A chapter on superorganisms probes the curious phenomenon of social communities among insects; another covers the critical role that these creatures play in maintaining the fragile balance of life on our planet. The book concludes with a 60-page illustrated field guide, describing most insect orders and their main families.

Previously published as Insectlopedia of Southern Africa, this fully revised and redesigned edition includes up-to-date information throughout, an expanded ID section, and several hundred new photographs.

When the original edition of British Hoverflies was published in 1983, it established a popular style of user-friendly identification keys that resulted in many more people taking an interest in these colourful and attractive insects. This second edition retains the layout and approach of the original but it also includes much additional information about the family as a whole, as well as extended and revised species accounts. Revised by Stuart Ball, Alan Stubbs, Ian McLean, Roger Morris, Steven Falk and Roger Hawkins, the new edition includes all 276 species known from Britain, compared with 256 in the first edition. The keys and text have been updated extensively to take account of our increased knowledge of hoverflies, and some species from continental Europe that might be expected to occur here are described in the keys and species accounts. The second edition comprises 469 pages, including the 12 widely-acclaimed, original colour plates by Steven Falk, as well as 17 new detailed black and white plates of Cheilosia genitalia (by Steven Falk) and Sphaerophoria genitalia (by Stuart Ball). The summaries of the distribution of species and their flight periods have been updated following the publication of the Provisional Atlas of British Hoverflies in 2000. A check list of all British species gives the current nomenclature for the family, while a bibliography of over 800 references facilitates access to much of the published literature on hoverflies. This new edition will appeal both to experienced dipterists and to those starting to study flies for the first time.

Insektopedie lê die betowering en ryke verskeidenheid van die wêreld van insekte bloot. Dit deurgrond hul fassinerende gedrag en biologie – van paring en broeigedrag, metamorfose en beweging tot sig, reuk, gehoor en hul aanpassings by hitte en koue.

’n Hoofstuk oor superorganismes ondersoek die merkwaardige verskynsel van sosiale gemeenskappe; ’n ander een dek die kritieke rol wat dié diertjies speel om die fyn balans van lewe op ons planeet in stand te hou.

Die boek sluit af met ’n 60-bladsy geïllustreerde veldgids wat die meeste insekordes en hul belangrikste families beskryf. Voorheen as Inseklopedie van Suider-Afrika gepubliseer, maar die nuwe uitgawe is nou grondig hersien en herontwerp, met die nuutste inligting, ’n uitgebreide ID-seksie en ’n paar honderd nuwe foto’s.

A BEAUTIFULLY ILLUSTRATED LOOK AT THE LIVES AND MIND-BOGGLING BEHAVIOURS OF INSECTS How to Read an Insect takes you on an unforgettable tour of the insect world, presenting these amazing creatures as you have never seen them before. This stunningly illustrated guide puts a wealth of fascinating behaviours under the microscope - from elegant displays of courtship to brutal acts of predation. Along the way, Ross Piper charts the evolution of insects and reveals everything you need to know about how they nest, feed, reproduce and defend themselves. He concludes by discussing the impact of the human world on insects, and what we can do to prevent their decline in numbers. * Explores the remarkable lifestyles of exotic insects as well as those in your own garden. * Includes highlights from a wide range of new insect behaviour studies. * Features a wealth of breathtaking colour photos, illustrations, and graphics.

'A funny and beautifully written welcome to the enigmatic, weird and wonderful world of wasps' DAVE GOULSON, author of SILENT EARTH There may be no insect with a worse reputation than the wasp, and none guarding so many undiscovered wonders. Where bees and ants have long been the darlings of the insect world, wasps are much older, cleverer and more diverse. They are the bee's evolutionary ancestors - flying 100 million years earlier - and today they are just as essential for the survival of our environment. A bee, ecologist Professor Seirian Sumner argues, is just a wasp that has forgotten how to hunt. For readers of Entangled Life, Other Minds and The Gospel of Eels, this is a book to upturn your expectations about one overlooked animal and the wider architecture of our natural world. With endless surprises, this book might teach you about the wasps that spend their entire lives sealed inside a fig, about stinging wasps, about parasitic wasps, about wasps that turn cockroaches into living zombies, about how wasps taught us to make paper. It offers up a maligned insect in all its diverse, unexpected splendour; as both predator and pollinator, the wasp is an essential pest controller worldwide. Inside their sophisticated social worlds is the best model we have for the earth's major evolutionary transitions. In their understudied biology are clues to progressing medicine, including a possible cure for cancer. The closer you look at these spurned, winged insects - both custodians and bouncers of our planet - the more you see. Their secrets have so far gone mostly untapped, but the potential of the wasp is endless.

Gardens are often crawling with all kinds of garden bugs, and even the smallest plot can be an important haven for wildlife. But can you distinguish between a Garden Snail and a Strawberry Snail? Or can you tell a False Widow Spider from a Harvestman? These are just some of the more than 2,000 different species of garden bugs that are found in the British Isles, many of which we depend on for our own survival. RSPB ID Spotlight Garden Bugs is a reliable fold-out chart that presents illustrations of more than 50 of our most widespread and familiar garden bugs by renowned artist Richard Lewington. - Species are grouped by family and helpfully labelled to assist with identification - Artworks are shown side-by-side for quick comparison and easy reference at home or in the field - The reverse of the chart provides information on the habitats, behaviour, life cycles and diets of our garden bugs, as well as the conservation issues they are facing and how the RSPB and other conservation charities are working to support them - Practical tips on bug houses and implementing wildlife-friendly garden practices are also included The ID Spotlight charts help wildlife enthusiasts identify and learn more about our most common species using accurate colour illustrations and informative, accessible text.

RSPB ID Spotlight Ladybirds is a reliable fold-out chart that presents illustrations of 27 of our most widespread and familiar ladybirds by renowned artist Richard Lewington. - Species are grouped by family and helpfully labelled to assist with identification - Artworks are shown side by side for quick comparison and easy reference at home or in the field, or the chart can be fixed to the wall as a beautiful poster - The reverse of the chart provides information on the habitats, behaviour, life cycles and diets of our ladybirds, as well as the conservation issues they are facing and how we can support them The ID Spotlight charts help wildlife enthusiasts identify and learn more about our most common species using accurate colour illustrations and informative, accessible text.

The Inside Out of Flies is a look under the bonnet at the astonishing mechanics of fly anatomy. Erica McAlister reveals the engineering miracles embodied in numerous species of fly and some of the fascinating implications they hold for human technology. Discover the physics of the mysterious 'scuba diving fly', marvel at the venomous horse fly larvae which prey on frogs, and glimpse the golden ratio in these creatures' spiral flight patterns. McAlister touches on the emerging field of biomimetics - the study of evolutionary adaptations to devise new technology - and anticipates everything from medical needles based on the mosquito's proboscis to hearing aids inspired by Ormia ochracea, a tiny fly with ears on its thorax. At every juncture she uncovers unique and surprising science lessons encapsulated in the form and function of the humble fly.

Packed with beautiful scenes showing butterflies of the world flitting among flowers. Simply brush water over the black and white designs to watch the butterflies burst into a rainbow of colours.

Being among bees is a full-body experience, Mark Winston writes from the low hum of tens of thousands of insects and the pungent smell of honey and beeswax, to the sight of workers flying back and forth between flowers and the hive. The experience of an apiary slows our sense of time, heightens our awareness, and inspires awe. Bee Time" presents Winston s reflections on three decades spent studying these creatures, and on the lessons they can teach about how humans might better interact with one another and the natural world.

Like us, honeybees represent a pinnacle of animal sociality. How they submerge individual needs into the colony collective provides a lens through which to ponder human societies. Winston explains how bees process information, structure work, and communicate, and examines how corporate boardrooms are using bee societies as a model to improve collaboration. He investigates how bees have altered our understanding of agricultural ecosystems and how urban planners are looking to bees in designing more nature-friendly cities.

The relationship between bees and people has not always been benign. Bee populations are diminishing due to human impact, and we cannot afford to ignore what the demise of bees tells us about our own tenuous affiliation with nature. Toxic interactions between pesticides and bee diseases have been particularly harmful, foreshadowing similar effects of pesticides on human health. There is much to learn from bees in how they respond to these challenges. In sustaining their societies, bees teach us ways to sustain our own."

Whether you are out in the countryside or at work in the garden, you might encounter several different kinds of caterpillars. The larval stages of butterflies and moths, caterpillars come in many shapes, sizes and colours, and each has its own particular charm. But can you tell a Comma from a Small Tortoiseshell? Or distinguish between the caterpillar of a Drinker and Fox Moth? These are only a few of the hundreds of caterpillars found in the UK, many of which are just as beautiful and varied as their adult counterparts. RSPB ID Spotlight Caterpillars is a reliable fold-out chart that presents illustrations of 60 of our most widespread and familiar caterpillars by renowned artist Richard Lewington. * Species are grouped by family and helpfully labelled to assist with identification * Artworks are shown side by side for quick comparison and easy reference at home or in the field * The reverse of the chart provides information on the habitats, behaviour, life cycles and diets of our caterpillars, as well as the conservation issues they are facing and how the RSPB and other conservation charities are working to support them * Practical tips on how to make your garden more caterpillar-friendly are also included The ID Spotlight charts help wildlife enthusiasts identify and learn more about our most common species using accurate colour illustrations and informative, accessible text.

This two-volume book is an up-to-date revision of methods and principles of phylogenetic analysis of morphological data. It is also a general guide for using the computer program TNT in the analysis of such data. The book covers the main aspects of phylogenetic analysis, and general methods to compare classifications derived from molecules and morphology. Practical application of all principles discussed is illustrated by reference to TNT, a freely available software package that can perform all the steps needed in a phylogenetic analysis. Key Features Provides in depth discussion of the connections between hypotheses of homology and the parsimony criterion Helps understand the basis for designing different aspects of a morphological study, from hints on delimiting the problem and data collecting, to character definitions and analysis Discusses the applicability of statistical models coopted from sequence analysis to the analysis of morphological data Gives detailed descriptions of the principles behind algorithms for evaluating and searching phylogenetic trees Presents extensive information on commands and options of the TNT computer program

-- Beat Wermelinger has been researching forest insects for 25 years. This book also showcases his impressive photography, taken from his archive of more than 14,000 insect pictures. In addition to conveying knowledge, the author also reveals the aesthetics and subtleties of this often unknown and seemingly strange group of animals. The book not only presents the importance of insects, but also intrigues and surprises the reader -- The recently reported loss of insect biomass has increased awareness of the importance of insects and will stimulate public as well as professional and academic interest in this book. The book deals with many topical insect groups (like bark beetles) that increase its relevance in today's era of climatic shifts and insect outbreaks. -- This is the only book on the importance of forest insects published for a non-American market. It will be adoptable on undergraduate and graduate entomological courses (Insects and Ecology modules) as well as having both professional and public appeal.

'A funny and beautifully written welcome to the enigmatic, weird and wonderful world of wasps' DAVE GOULSON, author of SILENT EARTH There may be no insect with a worse reputation than the wasp, and none guarding so many undiscovered wonders. Where bees and ants have long been the darlings of the insect world, wasps are much older, cleverer and more diverse. They are the bee's evolutionary ancestors - flying 100 million years earlier - and today they are just as essential for the survival of our environment. A bee, ecologist Professor Seirian Sumner argues, is just a wasp that has forgotten how to hunt. For readers of Entangled Life, Other Minds and The Gospel of Eels, this is a book to upturn your expectations about one overlooked animal and the wider architecture of our natural world. With endless surprises, this book might teach you about the wasps that spend their entire lives sealed inside a fig, about stinging wasps, about parasitic wasps, about wasps that turn cockroaches into living zombies, about how wasps taught us to make paper. It offers up a maligned insect in all its diverse, unexpected splendour; as both predator and pollinator, the wasp is an essential pest controller worldwide. Inside their sophisticated social worlds is the best model we have for the earth's major evolutionary transitions. In their understudied biology are clues to progressing medicine, including a possible cure for cancer. The closer you look at these spurned, winged insects - both custodians and bouncers of our planet - the more you see. Their secrets have so far gone mostly untapped, but the potential of the wasp is endless.

A beautifully illustrated introduction to the incredible variety of bees from around the world When many people think of bees, they are likely to picture the western domesticated honey bee, insects that live in large, socially complex societies inside a hive with a single queen and thousands of workers. But this familiar bee is just one of more than 20,000 species of bees-and almost none of the others is anything like it. In Bees of the World, Laurence Packer, one of the world's foremost experts on wild bees, celebrates the amazing diversity of bees-from size and appearance to nests and social organization. Providing clear, accurate accounts of the seven bee families, Bees of the World presents all the key information on generic characteristics, habits, and habitat, illustrated with incredible and often rare photographs that show bees in their natural habitats-foraging, nesting, raising their young, and more. The book reveals the secrets of these extraordinary insects as well as their importance in the global ecosystem and the ways humans can help protect them. Provides a richly illustrated exploration of bees from around the world Examines more than 100 genera of bees, giving a taste of the remarkable breadth of bee appearance and biology Explores bee anatomy, behavior, classification, evolution, life cycle, and habitats

An eagerly anticipated addition to the New Naturalist series. The shieldbug is an amazing and beautiful species, rich with diversity in shape, form, size, life history, ecology, physiology and behaviour. But they are not commonly known, outside of specialist circles. Richard Jones’ groundbreaking New Naturalist volume on shieldbugs encourages those enthusiasts who would otherwise be put off by the, to date, rather technical literature that has dominated the field, providing a comprehensive natural history of this fascinating and beautiful group of insects.

Pyle's classic account of discovery along the migration trail of monarch butterflies is part natural history, part road trip adventure Although no one had ever followed North American monarch butterflies on their annual southward journey to Mexico and California, in the 1990s there were well-accepted assumptions about the nature and form of the migration. But to Robert Michael Pyle, a naturalist with long experience in monarch conservation, the received wisdom about the butterflies' long journey just didn't make sense. In the autumn of 1996 he set out to uncover the facts, to pursue the tide of "cinnamon sailors" on their long, mysterious flight. Chasing Monarchs chronicles Pyle's 9,000-mile journey to discover firsthand the secrets of the monarchs' annual migration. Part road trip, part outdoor adventure, and part natural history study, Pyle's book overturns old theories and provides insights both large and small regarding monarch butterflies, their biology, and their spectacular migratory travels. Since the book's first publication, its controversial conclusions have been fully confirmed, and monarchs are better understood than ever before. The Afterword for this volume includes not only updated information on the myriad threats to monarch butterflies, but also various efforts under way to ensure the future of the world's most amazing butterfly migration.

With over 100 colour photographs and illustrations, Raising Resilient Bees is the comprehensive source for new and experienced beekeepers, offering a sustainable, natural and repeatable model of care for hive health and production. Global pests and diseases present an unprecedented challenge for the modern honey bee. Hobby and commercial beekeepers alike continue to experience troubling rates of mortality for their colonies, with potentially deleterious consequences for the stability of our wider ecosystems and overall food security. It is time for a global focus on restoring the health of the shared apiary by naturally rearing genetically diverse and resilient lines of bees. Raising Resilient Bees establishes these parameters and provides guidance for new and experienced beekeepers alike to translate these goals into real practice, thereby safeguarding the honey bee from the unknown threats of the future. Authors Eric and Joy McEwen take two decades worth of beekeeping experience, experiments and professional production to deliver groundbreaking methods in queen-rearing, varroa mite management and Natural Nest hive design. Inside, you’ll discover: Revived and adapted heritage Integrated Pest Management techniques How to naturally rear queens and select for resilient, mite-resistant genetic lines without relying on swarming or grafting Key tenets of apicentric beekeeping Advice for establishing a flourishing and sustainable business with beekeeping at the centre How to naturally rear bees with distinctive characteristics suitable to their locale As in large-scale agriculture, the trend toward genetic homogenization is having long-term implications for bees’ capacity to withstand diverse environmental stressors. With expert advice, enthusiasm and easy-to-follow instructions, Raising Resilient Bees delivers important and timely information for every beekeeper to create a healthier future.

The shieldbug is an amazing and beautiful species, rich with diversity in shape, form, size, life history, ecology, physiology and behaviour. But they are not commonly known, outside of specialist circles. Richard Jones’ groundbreaking New Naturalist volume on shieldbugs encourages those enthusiasts who would otherwise be put off by the, to date, rather technical literature that has dominated the field, providing a comprehensive natural history of this fascinating and beautiful group of insects.

An ambitious and beautifully illustrated account of the evolution and biology of insects. Insects are the busy, teeming arthropods on whose activities much of life on earth depends, and whose global populations are currently under the gravest of threats - with unimaginable consequences for us all. In Alien Worlds, Steve Nicholls explores nothing less than a complete natural history of insects, bringing us on a journey through a world of a million species and their phenomenal and extraordinary diversity. A fantastically authoritative and congenial guide, led by a fluent and entertaining writer with the ability to make complex ideas comprehensible, it is not only a feast for the curious mind but also contains beautiful and visually arresting imagery of the tiny beasts whom we depend on greatly.

Provides new insights into the persistent species "problem." Focuses on conceptual history and identifies pivotal landmarks in the history of the concept of species Argues for a scientific consistency of species pluralism. Discusses the "evolving species-hood" in the context of new essentialism.

The field of insect nutritional ecology has been defined by how insects deal with nutritional and non-nutritional compounds, and how these compounds influence their biology in evolutionary time. In contrast, Insect Bioecology and Nutrition for Integrated Pest Management presents these entomological concepts within the framework of integrated pest management (IPM). It specifically addresses bioecology and insect nutrition in modern agriculture. Written for graduate students and professionals in entomology, this book covers neotropical information in three sections:

• General Aspects: Basic bioecology and insect nutrition; artificial diets; insect/plant interactions; insect symbionts; the interface of chemical ecology with the food; and insect cannibalism
• Specific Aspects: Specific feeding guilds of insects including ants, social bees, leaf chewers, seed suckers, seed chewers, root feeders, gall makers, detritivorous feeders, pests of storage grains, fruit flies, aphids, endo- and ectoparasitoids, predators, crisopids, and hematophagous insects
• Applied Aspects: Host plant resistance and the design of IPM programs in the context of insect bioecology and nutrition

Much of the research on which these chapters were written was done in Brazil and based on its neotropical fauna. The complexity and diversity of the neotropics provides enough data that readers from all zoogeographical regions can readily translate the information in this book to their specific conditions. The book s value as an entry point for further research is enhanced by the inclusion of approximately 4,000 references.

The theories of evolution are themselves evolving with new findings and changes in the fundamental underlying concepts. It is true that today's theory, which goes back to Darwin, is persistently successful. But there remain many unanswered questions. Increasingly strong calls are emerging to expand synthetic evolutionary theory comprehensively. Scientific findings of the last decades require continuous rethinking and integration of new data and concepts into the theory of evolution. This comprehensibly written and excellently researched book provides the exciting new insights on constantly transforming view of evolutionary theory using fascinating new examples from evolutionary biology. Key Features Comprehensively reviews the Extended Evolutionary Synthesis Understandably written for a broad audience Includes interviews with world-leading evolutionary biologists Outlines the historical outline of evolutionary theory with explanations of the open, unanswered questions Explains concepts with powerful illustrations

A richly illustrated introduction to the incredible world of beetles With some 400,000 species, beetles are among the largest and most successful groups of organisms on earth, making up one-fifth of all plant and animal species. No other animals exhibit such a dazzling range of size, form, and color. Mostly small, sturdy, and compact, beetles are incredibly well-equipped to find food, reproduce, and avoid predators. Additionally, their collective roles as herbivores, hunters, and recyclers are critical to the sustainability of terrestrial ecosystems. In this lavishly illustrated book, beetle expert and author Arthur Evans presents an inviting and comprehensive introduction to the fascinating lives of the world's beetles. Universal in scope, The Lives of Beetles is packed with the latest scientific findings, presented in an accessible way. Individual chapters cover beetles' structure and function; evolution, diversity, classification, and distribution; communication, reproduction, and development; feeding habits; uses in medicine, science, and technology; and study and conservation. Each chapter concludes with nine stunningly illustrated profiles that highlight the lives of some of the world's most beautiful and interesting species. The book also features an up-to-date family classification, a glossary, and suggestions for further reading. We need beetles for the ecological services they provide, the technological innovations they inspire, and the scientific insights they reveal, so it is essential that we all get to know beetles better and strive to conserve their habitats. The Lives of Beetles is the perfect place to begin this journey of discovery and understanding.

While we may have always assumed that insects employ auditory communication, our understanding of it has been impeded by various technical challenges. In comparison to the study of an insect's visual and olfactory expression, research in the area of acoustic communication has lagged behind. Filling this void, Insect Sounds and Communication is the first multi-author volume to present a comprehensive portrait on this elusive subject. The text includes 32 chapters written by top experts from all corners of the globe. Divided into two major sections, this groundbreaking text starts with a general introduction to insect sounds and communication that leads into a discussion of the technical aspects of recording and analyzing sounds. It then considers the functioning of the sense organs and sensory systems involved in acoustic behavior, and goes on to investigate the impact that variables such as body size and temperature have on insect sounds and vibrations. Several chapters are devoted to various evolutionary and ecological aspects of insect communication, and include rare information on seldom-studied groups, including Neuropterida and Plecoptera. The second section of the book includes chapters on communication and song repertoires of a wide diversity of insects, including Heteroptera, Auchenorrhyncha, Psylloidea, Diptera, Coleoptera, and Hymenoptera . Insect Sounds and Communication is packaged with a DVD, which holds sound and video recordings of many of the insects discussed throughout the text, as well as many full color illustrations not included in the printed text. The DVD also features an unabridged discussion in French of the contribution of the famous French cicadologist, MichelBoulard.