An accessible but comprehensive overview of beetles, illustrated with 4,500 photographs. Among Stephen Marshall's many other natural history titles are Insects: Their Natural History and Diversity and Flies: The Natural History and Diversity of Diptera, two of the most respected books on the insect world published in the last 20 years. More admirable than the books' rigorous science, however, is that they are wholly suitable for a lay audience, including student readers from high school on. The books have been adopted as classroom texts and assigned as required reading at the university level and are on the references shelves of many practicing entomologists. In Beetles: The Natural History and Diversity of Coleoptera, Marshall has again applied his deep knowledge of the insect world. Comprehensive and packed with 27 pages of richly illustrated keys and 4,500 colour illustrations, it provides the reader with a colourful and enjoyable introduction to the natural history of a huge group of organisms, along with an overview of the diversity of fascinating families included in the group. The subject of this book is an enormous one, since the beetles, or Coleoptera, include almost 400,000 named species. Marshall opens with a description of what makes a beetle a beetle, and then introduces the natural history of the order with copious examples and explanations. Part one of the book includes: 1. Life Histories of Beetles: Form and Function: Eggs; Larvae; Pupae, Prepupae and Cocoons; Adults; Courtship and Mating Behaviors. 2. Defense and Deception: Tanks, Tricks and Coleopteran; Chemical Warfare; Brilliance and Bioluminescence in the Beetles. 3. Freshwater and Marine Beetles: Freshwater beetles; Marine beetles. 4. Beetle Associations with Fungi, Dung and Carrion: Beetles and Fungi; Beetles and Dung; Beetles and Dead Bodies 5. Beetles, Plants and Plant Products: Beetles and Flowers; Phytophagy and Beetle Diversity; Aposematic Beetles and Their Plant Hosts; Beetles as Agricultural and Garden Pests; Beetles and Biological Control of Weeds; Beetles and Trees 6. Beetles and Other Animals: Dangerous Beetles; Coleoptera and Culture; Beetles Indoors; Rare, Endangered and Threatened Beetles; Beetles, Birds and Wild Mammals; Beetles and Other Invertebrates. Part two of Beetles is a guided tour of the diversity of the order, with fascinating stops for all of the world's 180 or so families of beetles as well as most of the significant subfamilies. Thousands of photos, almost all taken in the field by the author, are used to capture the range of form and function in each family, with pages of examples of the popular groups - such as fireflies, tiger beetles, jewel beetles - but also with unique photographs of little-known groups ranging from longlipped beetles to the rarest rove beetles. Essential information about importance, range, behaviour and biology is provided for each group, and easily used photographic keys to most families are provided for those wishing to use the book as an identification guide. The profusely illustrated keys in Beetles, linked to the unprecedented photographic coverage of the world's beetle families and subfamilies, enable readers to identify most families of beetles quickly and accurately, and to readily access information about each family as well as hundreds of distinctive genera and species. Like its companion titles, Insects and Flies, Beetles will be welcomed by the scientific, academic and naturalist communities, including the next generation of students of entomology.

Horticultural sector presents many opportunities for economic development and improving livelihood of growers but several factors constrain production and limit the potential for trade of fruits and vegetables. Tephritid fruit flies constitute a major constraint. They cause enormous losses through direct feeding damage and loss of market opportunities through imposition of quarantine restrictions by importing countries to prevent entry and their establishment. In Africa, several native (Ceratitis and Dacus spp) and exotic (Bactrocera and Zeugodacus spp.) species inflict considerable losses to horticulture causing losses ranging from 30-90%. Over the past 10 years of R&D, extensive information has been generated on bioecology and management of several native and exotic fruit flies in Africa. While several specific reviews have addressed various aspects of the biology, ecology and management of economically important tephritid fruit flies; coverage of African native species has been limited largely to Bactrocera oleae and Ceratitis capitata - which are not economically important species in many Africa countries. Indeed, no book exist that have explicitly addressed economically important African fruit flies and none of the various reviews, have specifically focused on the status of the bioecology, economic impact and management of exotic and native fruit flies - including several potentially invasive Dacus species attacking vegetables - in Africa. This book consolidates this status of knowledge and socio-economic impact of various intervention techniques that are currently being applied across Africa. The timing of the book is especially pertinent due to the changing fruit fly landscape in Africa - caused by arrivals of the highly destructive alien invasives (Bactrocera dorsalis, B. zonata, and B. latifrons) - and the priorities African countries have placed recently on export of fruits and vegetables to international markets. This is an important reference material for researchers, academics and students that are keen at improving horticulture and enhancing food and nutrition security in Africa and beyond.

Ever been tempted by the thought of trying juicy deep fried mealworms, proteinrich cricket flower, or swapping your Walkers for salt and vinegar flavoured grasshoppers? If so then you are not alone! Over 2 billion people regularly eat insects as part of their diet, and the world is home to around 1,900 edible insect species. For adventurous foodies and daring dieters comes the newest way to save the planet, eat more protein, and tickle taste buds. But this isn't an insect cookbook. Instead it's an informative field guide: exploring the origins of insect eating, offering tips on finding edible bugs and serving up a few delicious ideas of how to eat them once you've tracked them down! It includes a comprehensive list on edible insects and where to find them, how to prepare them, their versatile usage and nutritional value as well as a few recipes. A bug-eating checklist covering all known edible bugs so readers can mark off the ones they've eaten and seek out new delicacies concludes the book. This is a perfect introduction to the weird, wonderful, and adventurous side of entomophagy.

This book will cover several topics to elaborate how proteomics may enhance agricultural productivity. These include crop and food proteomics, farm animal proteomics, aquaculture, microorganisms and insect proteomics. It will also cover several technical advances, which may address the current need for comprehensive proteome analysis.An emerging field of the proteomics aim is to integrate knowledge from basic sciences and to translate it into agricultural applications to solve issues related to economic values of farm animals, crops, food security, health, and energy sustainability. Given the wealth of information generated and to some extent applied in agriculture, there is the need for more efficient and broader channels to freely disseminate the information to the scientific community.

The Definitive Guide to Insects as a Sustainable Food Source In The Insect Cookbook, two entomologists and a chef make the case for insects as a sustainable source of protein for humans and a necessary part of our future diet. They provide consumers and chefs with the essential facts about insects for culinary use, with recipes simple enough to make at home yet boasting the international flair of the world's most chic dishes. "Invite politicians to dinner and let them tell the world how delicious it is...They will proudly go around and say, 'I ate crickets, I ate locusts, and they were delicious.'"-Kofi Annan The Insect Cookbook features delicious recipes and interviews with top chefs, insect farmers, political figures, and nutrition experts, including chef Rene Redzepi, whose establishment was elected three times as "best restaurant of the world"; Kofi Annan, former secretary-general of the United Nations; and Daniella Martin of Girl Meets Bug. The book contains all you need to know about cooking with insects, where to buy them, which ones are edible, and how to store and prepare them at home and in commercial spaces.

Visitors to tropical forests generally come to see the birds, mammals, and plants. Aside from butterflies, however, insects usually do not make it on the list of things to see. This is a shame. Insects are everywhere, they are often as beautiful as the showiest of birds, and they have a fascinating natural history. With their beautifully illustrated guide to insects and other arthropods, Paul E. Hanson and Kenji Nishida put the focus on readily observable insects that one encounters while strolling through a tropical forest in the Americas. It is a general belief that insects in the tropics are larger and more colorful than insects in temperate regions, but this simply reflects a greater diversity of nearly all types of insects in the tropics. On a single rainforest tree, for example, you will find more species of ant than in all of England.Though written for those who have no prior knowledge of insects, this book should also prove useful to those who study them. In addition to descriptions of the principal insect families, the reader will find a wealth of biological information that serves as an introduction to the natural history of insects and related classes. Sidebars on insect behavior and ecological factors enhance the descriptive accounts. Kenji Nishida's stunning photographs-many of which show insects in action in their natural settings-add appeal to every page. A final chapter provides a glimpse into the intriguing world of spiders, scorpions, crabs, and other arthropods.