First published in 1948 as the second edition of a 1931 original, this book deals with the main types of insects found on British farms, the damage they can cause and the various weeds that can harbour them. The text is richly illustrated with photographs and drawings of the insects, their eggs and the symptoms of their attack on common farm plants. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in the history of entomology.

Originally published in 1914 as part of the Cambridge Nature Study Series, and intended as a guide for teachers and students, this book examines the types of animals found in British ponds. The text is illustrated by photographs and illustrations of aquatic insects and the necessary equipment for fieldwork, and includes suggested experiments and questions for discussion. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in the history of education or British fauna.

First published in 1923, as the second edition of a 1916 original, this book presents a practical introduction to farm and garden pests. The text was was written to provide a guide to the more common pests affecting crops so that market gardeners and farmers could increase their yields. Numerous illustrative figures are included, together with appendices. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in insects, agriculture and the history of science.

The book is a sequel of a similar book, edited by Randolf Menzel and Alison Mercer, Neurobiology and Behavior of Honeybees, published in 1987. It is a Festschrift for the 70th birthday of Randolf Menzel, who devoted his life to the topic of the book. The book will include an open commentary for each section written by Randolf Menzel, and discussed with the authors. The written contributions take their inspiration from a symposium on the topic, with all the authors, that was held in Berlin in summer 2010"

Barry Bolton's "New General Catalogue of the Ants of the World," published in 1995, was the first attempt in more than one hundred years to collect all taxonomic decisions for ants worldwide, including extinct as well as extant taxa. One reviewer said of it, "There is no longer an excuse for nomenclatural mistakes, since all past decisions are recorded here. All future revisions will use this reference as a point of departure." Now Gary Alpert, Philip Ward, and Piotr Naskrecki have joined Bolton to produce a completely updated and even more comprehensive edition of Bolton's monumental work.

The new edition incorporates all taxonomic papers--from 1758 through 2005--on 14,550 species and subspecies of ants. The CD allows every valid species name to be linked to the primary taxonomic citation and to all subsequent taxonomic literature that is relevant. As was true of the earlier edition, both fossil and living ants are covered from the species level up through the subgenus, genus, tribe, and subfamily rank. Each species description also records the caste--worker, queen, male, soldier, or minor worker--which was described, along with the page number and any illustrations. Ant larvae descriptions and chromosome papers can be searched within the data set. The ant's type locality on a country-by-country basis can also be queried from this catalogue.

Originally published in 1931, this book examines the Fabrician coleopteran specimens in the Hunterian Collection at Glasgow University. In this first of two volumes, Staig describes examples of the cicindelidae, carabidae, dytiscidae, silphidae, histeridae, erotylidae, scarabaeidae and seven of its subfamilies found in the collection, with drawings of specific beetles in their then-current state of preservation. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in entomology.

Originally published in 1940, this book examines the Fabrician coleopteran specimens in the Hunterian Collection at Glasgow University. In this second of two volumes, Staig describes examples of the endomychidae, coccinellidae, helodidae, buprestidae, elateridae, tenebrionidae, oedemeridae, rhipiphordae, meloidae and pyrochroidae found in the collection, with drawings of specific beetles in their then-current state of preservation. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in entomology.

A fascinating look at the world's most numerous inhabitants, illustrated with stunning images from the American Museum of Natural History's Rare Book Collection. To date, we have discovered and described or named around 1.1 million insect species, and thousands of new species are added to the ranks every year. It is estimated that there are around five million insect species on Earth, making them the most diverse lineage of all life by far. This magnificent volume from the American Museum of Natural History tells their incredible story. Noted entomologist Michael S. Engel explores insects' evolution and diversity; metamorphosis; pests, parasites, and plagues; society and language; camouflage; and pollination--as well as tales of discovery by intrepid entomologists. More than 180 illustrations from the Rare Book Collection at the Museum's Research Library reveal the extraordinary world of insects down to their tiniest, most astonishing details, from butterflies' iridescent wings to beetles' vibrant colors.

Fleas are one of the most interesting and fascinating taxa of ectoparasites. All species in this relatively small order are obligatory haematophagous (blood-feeding) parasites of higher vertebrates. This book examines how functional, ecological and evolutionary patterns and processes of host-parasite relationships are realized in this particular system. As such it provides an in-depth case study of a host-parasite system, demonstrating how fleas can be used as a model taxon for testing ecological and evolutionary hypotheses. The book moves from basic descriptive aspects, to functional issues and finally to evolutionary explanations. It extracts several general principles that apply equally well to other host-parasite systems, so it appeals not only to flea biologists but also to 'mainstream' parasitologists and ecologists.

Originally published during the early part of the twentieth century, the Cambridge Manuals of Science and Literature were designed to provide concise introductions to a broad range of topics. They were written by experts for the general reader and combined a comprehensive approach to knowledge with an emphasis on accessibility. Bees and Wasps by Oswald H. Latter was first published in 1913. Containing an engaging guide to British species of Hymenoptera, the text will remain of value to anyone with an interest in entomology and the history of science.

Originally published during the early part of the twentieth century, the Cambridge Manuals of Science and Literature were designed to provide concise introductions to a broad range of topics. They were written by experts for the general reader and combined a comprehensive approach to knowledge with an emphasis on accessibility. The Flea by Harold Russell was first published in 1913. The text contains a variety of information regarding fleas, much of which had only recently been discovered by zoologists at the time of publication.

Originally published during the early part of the twentieth century, the Cambridge Manuals of Science and Literature were designed to provide concise introductions to a broad range of topics. They were written by experts for the general reader and combined a comprehensive approach to knowledge with an emphasis on accessibility. The Life-Story of Insects by G. H. Carpenter was first published in 1913. The book contains an informative account of the facts and meanings of insect transformations, allowing scope for further entomological investigation in the field.

Carabid ground beetles, sometimes called "walking jewels," are among the most thoroughly investigated insects in the world. This book presents the results of molecular phylogenetic analyses of 2000 specimens, including 350 species and that cover more than 90% of the known genera, from 500 localities in 35 countries. These comprehensive analyses using mitochondrial DNA-based dating suggest that carabid diversification took place about 40 to 50 million years ago as an explosive radiation of the major genera, coinciding with the collision of the Indian subcontinent and Eurasian land mass. The analyses also lead to surprising conclusions suggesting discontinuous evolution and parallel morphological evolution. With numerous color illustrations, this book presents readers with the dynamic principles of evolution and the magnificent geographic history of the earth as revealed by the study of beetles.

Following the original initiative of the International Organisation for Biological Control some 15 years ago, research groups and agrochemical companies have been investigating the effects of pesticides on beneficial organisms, devising laboratory and field test methods and lately developing protocols for regulatory testing requirements in Europe. This work, and the application of agreed protocols for testing, is of crucial importance to the environmentally acceptable use of pesticides and to the further development of Integrated Pest Management systems, and the objective of this book is to review the origins and progress of the research - what has been accomplished, what is the current position and what still needs to be done.

This book brings together most of the information available concerning two species that diverged 2-3 million years ago. The objective was to try to understand why two sibling species so similar in several characteristics can be so different in others. To this end, it was crucial to confront all data from their ecology and biogeography with their behavior and DNA polymorphism. Drosophila melanogaster and Drosophila simulans are among the two sibling species for which a large set of data is available. In this book, ecologists, physiologists, geneticists, behaviorists share their data on the two sibling species, and several scenarios of evolution are put forward to explain their similarities and divergences. This is the first collection of essays of its kind. It is not the final point of the analyses of these two species since several areas remain obscure. However, the recent publication of the complete genome of D. melanogaster opens new fields for research. This will probably help us explain why D. melanogaster and D. simulans are sibling species but false friends.

This book was conceived to mark the Silver Jubilee of the British Butterfly Conservation Society. Interest in the conservation of butterflies has increased so rapidly that it is difficult to relate to the situation 25 years ago. Butterflies were on the decline in Britain, Europe and elsewhere but we lacked data on the extent of the decline and the underlying reasons, leaving us unable to implement effective conservation measures. An early recognition of the plight of British butterflies and moths led to the foundation of the society by a small group of conservationists in 1968. Today the society has over 10000 members, owns a number of reserves and sponsors research, conservation and monitoring activities at the local and national level. As part of the Silver Jubilee celebrations an international symposium was held at Keele University in September 1993 entitled 'Ecology and Conservation of Butterflies'. This symposium clearly showed how much important work has been done in recent years and also gave me the impression that the subject had reached a watershed. This was not because the decline of butterflies has stopped or even slowed down, far from it, the threat to our butterflies continues to increase from habitat destruction and intensification of land use. The watershed is in our understanding of the relationship between butterflies and their habitat.

This practical book covers all aspects of the biology of malaria vectors, with notes on the vectors of dengue. It is the first work in this field to concentrate on mosquitoes, rather than covering all disease vectors. Authored by renowned field entomologist Jacques Derek Charlwood, it disseminates his vast experience working on mosquito biology, ecology and the evaluation of new vector control tools across five continents over the past 40 years. Covering all aspects from classification and systematics, population dynamics, vector control, to surveillance and sampling, epidemics, and a selection of case histories, the book also considers genetics and resistance, Aedes biology, and malaria and dengue models. It is designed to fill the gap between very specialized texts and undergraduate books on general disease vectors, and is ideal as a textbook for postgraduate courses in entomology and mosquito vectors of disease.

Blood-sucking insects are the vectors of many of the most debilitating parasites of man and his domesticated animals. In addition they are of considerable direct cost to the agricultural industry through losses in milk and meat yields, and through damage to hides and wool, etc. So, not surprisingly, many books of medical and veterinary entomology have been written. Most of these texts are organized taxonomically giving the details of the life-cycles, bionomics, relationship to disease and economic importance of each of the insect groups in turn. I have taken a different approach. This book is topic led and aims to discuss the biological themes which are common in the lives of blood-sucking insects. To do this I have concentrated on those aspects of the biology of these fascinating insects which have been clearly modified in some way to suit the blood-sucking habit. For example, I have discussed feeding and digestion in some detail because feeding on blood presents insects with special problems, but I have not discussed respiration because it is not affected in any particular way by haematophagy. Naturally there is a subjective element in the choice of topics for discussion and the weight given to each. I hope that I have not let my enthusiasm for particular subjects get the better of me on too many occasions and that the subject material achieves an overall balance.

Insects are the most ecologically important multicellular heterotrophs in terrestrial systems. They play critical roles in ecological food webs, remain devastating agricultural and medical pests, and represent the most diverse group of eukaryotes in terms of species numbers. Their dominant role among terrestrial heterotrophs arises from a number of key physiological traits, and in particular by the developmental and evolutionary plasticity of these traits. Ecological and Environmental Physiology of Insects presents a current and comprehensive overview of how the key physiological traits of insects respond to environmental variation. It forges conceptual links from molecular biology through organismal function to population and community ecology. As with other books in the Series, the emphasis is on the unique physiological characteristics of the insects, but with applications to questions of broad relevance in physiological ecology. As an aid to new researchers on insects, it also includes introductory chapters on the basics and techniques of insect physiology ecology.

Originally published in 1925, this volume is adapted from lectures delivered by the author at the Royal Institution during the Christmas period of 1924. Its aim was principally to engage the interest of young people and provide them with the tools for increasing their own knowledge through methodical, scientific research. In this spirit, descriptions of the life histories of various insects are avoided in favour of explanations for how these life histories were worked out. Numerous illustrative figures of insects and insect habitats are also included. This is a highly readable and informative text that will be of value to anyone with an interest in entomology, natural history, and the history of education.

This handbook gives a comprehensive and copious illustrated description, with original art work, of the most common diseases in laboratory reared insect colonies, comprising Viruses (Baculoviridae, Reoviridae, Poxviridae, Iridoviridae); Bacteria (Bacillaceae, Pseudomonadaceae, Enterobacteriaceae); Rickettsia; Fungi and Microsporidia and Protozoa. Gregarine and Coccidian parasitoids are also depicted. Manuals for the diagnostic of insect diseases have been published in the 90 s, however, these were intended for professional insect pathologists or for proficient training in invertebrate pathology, hence requiring some scientific background in insect pathology. Currently, most guides are web based, not comprehensive and solely addressing the most common diseases in a particular insect, or group of insects, reared in laboratory facilities. A comprehensive and proficient practical handbook for students and technicians working with insect reared colonies is lacking in the current literature.

First published in 1914, this volume was written in response to rising concerns regarding the role of the house-fly in the dissemination of infectious diseases, and its relationship to unhygienic conditions. Given the role played by the house-fly in these circumstances, it was decided that a thorough study of its entomological and medical significance was required. The volume was not intended as a popular treatise on the subject, this role had already been fulfilled by the author's House-flies and How they Spread Disease. Instead, it was designed for professionals in entomology and public health, together with students developing a specific interest in these areas. Numerous detailed illustrations of house-fly anatomy are included. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in entomological studies and the history of public health.

Spiders are often underestimated as suitable behavioural models because of the general belief that due to their small brains their behaviour is innate and mostly invariable. Challenging this assumption, this fascinating book shows that rather than having a limited behavioural repertoire, spiders show surprising cognitive abilities, changing their behaviour to suit their situational needs. The team of authors unravels the considerable intra-specific as well as intra-individual variability and plasticity in different behaviours ranging from foraging and web building to communication and courtship. An introductory chapter on spider biology, systematics and evolution provides the reader with the necessary background information to understand the discussed behaviours and helps to place them into an evolutionary context. Highlighting an under-explored area of behaviour, this book will provide new ideas for behavioural researchers and students unfamiliar with spiders as well as a valuable resource for those already working in this intriguing field.

This revised and updated edition of Majerus & Kearns (1989) Ladybirds provides a succinct but comprehensive and accessible overview of the biology of ladybirds and their parasites, focusing on ecology in an evolutionary context. It provides the latest information, coverage of recent additions to the British list including the harlequin ladybird, and makes suggestions for further research, both short and long term, highlighting gaps in knowledge and showing readers how to get involved with recording and studying ladybirds. It includes updated keys for the identification of ladybirds at late-instar larval and adult stages, and techniques for studying ladybirds and their parasites in both laboratory and field. The authors hope that this book will be a valuable resource, not only for students, from school to university and beyond, but also for anyone with an interest in natural history, whether professional or recreational.

Large parts of the continents are covered by a green blanket of living plants. From an insect's point of view this green blanket is not uniform, but consists of a mosaic of resources of variable quality and with various levels of noxious secondary compounds. It is the challenge of phytophagous insects to orientate and reproduce within this mosaic of resources and among hostile competitors and natural enemies. The International Symposia on Insect-Plant Relationships (SIP) provides fora where scientists from different fields (mainly in biology and chemistry) meet and discuss the most recent findings which contribute to our understanding of the complex interactions between plants and insects. The meetings seek to unravel basic mechanisms as well as applied aspects. It is recognized that human activities now have major influence on virtually all the world's ecosystems, and a better understanding of the dynamics of insect-plant interactions may be useful for development of new crop protection strategies and for coping with the threatening loss of biodiversity.

The 11th International Symposium on Insect-Plant Relationships (SIP11), held on August 4-10, 2001, in Helsingor, Denmark, followed the tradition of previous SIP meetings and covered topics of different levels from chemistry, physiology, and ethology to ecology, genetics, and evolution of insect-plant relationships. The present volume includes a representative selection of fully refereed papers as well as a complete list of all the contributions which were presented at the meeting. Reviews of selected topics as well as original experimental data are included. The book provides valuable information for students and research workers interested in chemical and biological aspects of interactions between individuals and populations of different organisms. "