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Books > Science & Mathematics > Biology, life sciences > Zoology & animal sciences > Invertebrates > Insects (entomology)
Advances in Insect Physiology provides readers with the latest interdisciplinary reviews on the topic. It is an essential reference source for invertebrate physiologists, neurobiologists, entomologists, zoologists, and insect chemists.
The goal of much of the scientific work in natural history museums is to explore and document the biological diversity of the planet. This book is an outstanding example of the museum tradition, offering the results of global research on the biosystematics of one of the families of case-making caddisflies, the Phryganeidae. Throughout his career as a museum curator, Glenn Wiggins has studied and written extensively on caddisflies of the aquatic insect order Trichoptera. Information acquired from field work and museum collections, and from the biological literature is synthesized into a taxonomic monograph. The Phryganeidae are the largest of all the caddisflies, but existing literature has led to problems in species identification, especially in Asia; nine species names were found to be synonyms of others, an unsually high proportion of 10 per cent of the described species. Fifteen genera comprising seventy-four species are recognized here, including three that are new to science. Generic keys are provided for adults, larvae, and pupae; keys to species are given for adults. Morphological structures used in the keys are fully illustrated in 246 line drawings and half-tone plates. Distribution maps are provided for most of the North American species. Hypotheses are inferred for the phylogeny of the genera, and for the species in each genus; the fossil history of the Phryganeidae is reviewed. From this base, the biogeography of the family is interpreted. Of evolutionary interest is an extraordinary relationship between larval case-making and pupation behaviour and the degradation of functional pupal mandibles. Contrasting colour patterns of the wings in some species of the Phryganeidae are interpreted for the first time in the Trichoptera as part of a protective warning system to deter predators. Variation in genitalic morphology far exceeding normal species limits is documented in two species, and the evolutionary implications are considered. Combined with fossil evidence that the Phryganeidae are the oldest of the case-making Trichoptera still extant, several of the atypical morphological and behavioural attributes discussed in this book can be interpreted as plesiomorphic, placing the Phryganeidae in a pivotal position for inferring phylogeny in the Trichoptera. A revised classification embodying much new information is proposed for the family Phryganeidae. The taxonomy, biology, and evolution of no other family of caddisflies has been treated as extensively.
British mosquitoes are often overlooked by entomologists in favour of their wilder, tropical cousins. This book brings together all of the current research and information on British mosquitoes, providing a comprehensive, accessible guide to the study and identification of British species. Chapters cover life histories, identification and habitat, accompanied by detailed illustrations. Detailed keys for the identification of eggs, larvae, pupae and adults form the centre of the book, which also includes practical guidance for studying mosquitoes, including where to find them and how to recognise them in all stages of their life cycle. This book is a valuable resource for anyone seeking to broaden their knowledge of the British mosquito, from those with an amateur interest, to students and professionals seeking to publish research on the species. This is a reprint of the first edition published in 1990 (ISBN 0-85546-275-2).
Caddisflies constitute the insect order Trichoptera in which some 10,000 species are known in the world, including about 1400 in North America. Fossil evidence shows that caddisflies originated in the Triassic period, 200-250 million years ago. They are important links in the movement of energy and nutrients through freshwater ecosystems due largely to the extraordinary diversification in their larval architecture, which includes portable and stationary shelters, silken filter nets, and osmotically semipermeable cocoons. Glenn Wiggins's "Caddisflies" is the foremost comprehensive reference source about these insects and is concerned with behavioural ecology, evolutionary history, biogeography, and biological diversity. Wiggins outlines fundamental concepts of aquatic ecology, illuminating the ways in which caddisflies help to make fresh waters work. Essential features of morphology, biology, and distribution are outlined for the twenty-six North American families of caddisflies and illustrated diagnostic keys are provided for larvae, pupae, and adults. The author also brings together information on caddisflies from widely scattered sources and provides comprehensive coverage of the scientific literature.
Physiology, Behavior, Genomics of Social Insects provides comprehensive information on the social insect groups described, including new and unique reviews on emerging model social organisms. The book's interdisciplinary approach integrates behavior, genomics, and physiology, providing readers with great insights into the present state of a rapidly expanding area of research. It also discusses areas where new research tools will bring hope to longstanding problems.
The psychological connections between humans and insects are tantalizing and complex. Through both evolutionary associations and cultural representations, insects have deeply infested our minds. They frighten, disgust, and sometimes enchant us. Whatever the case, few of us are ambivalent in the face of wasps, cockroaches, spiders, maggots, crickets or butterflies. They arouse terror, nausea, fascination-but rarely, if ever, indifference. And the costs of fear can be high, both in terms of the quality of individual lives and with regard to our social responses, from soaking our food with insecticides to overlooking our dependence on the ecological roles of insects (including those on the brink of extinction). The book is an examination of what scientists, philosophers, and writers have learned about the human-insect relationship. Jeffrey Lockwood is an entomologist himself and yet still experiences bouts of entomophobia; in fact, his seemingly paradoxical response to certain insects and scenarios is what prompted him to write this book. The book explores the nature of anxiety and phobia and the line between them. It examines entomophobia in the context of the nature-nurture debate, posing the question: how much of our fear of insects can be attributed to our ancestors' predisposition to avoid insects to benefit their own survival, and how much is learned through parents? Using his own and others' experiences with entomophobia as case studies, Lockwood breaks down common reactions to insects, distinguishing between fear and disgust, and inviting the reader to consider his/her own emotional, cognitive, and physiological reactions to insects in a new light.
As we follow the path of a giant water bug or peer over the wing of a gypsy moth, we glimpse our world anew, at once shrunk and magnified. Owing to their size alone, insects' experience of the world is radically different from ours. Air to them is as viscous as water to us. The predicament of size, along with the dizzying diversity of insects and their status as arguably the most successful organisms on earth, have inspired passion and eloquence in some of the world's most innovative scientists. A World of Insects showcases classic works on insect behavior, physiology, and ecology published over half a century by Harvard University Press. James Costa, Vincent Dethier, Thomas Eisner, Lee Goff, Bernd Heinrich, Bert Hoelldobler, Kenneth Roeder, Andrew Ross, Thomas Seeley, Karl von Frisch, Gilbert Waldbauer, E. O. Wilson, and Mark Winston-each writer, in his unique voice, paints a close-up portrait of the ways insects explore their environment, outmaneuver their enemies, mate, and care for kin. Selected by two world-class entomologists, these essays offer compelling descriptions of insect cooperation and warfare, the search for ancient insect DNA in amber, and the energy economics of hot-blooded insects. They also discuss the impact-for good and ill-of insects on our food supply, their role in crime scene investigation, and the popular fascination with pheromones, killer bees, and fire ants. Each entry begins with commentary on the authors, their topics, and the latest research in the field.
"A name is forever, or at least as long as taxonomy continues," Barry Bolton writes, and here are all the names, antique and modern, of all the ants that are or ever were--from the arctic to the tropical, the fossilized to the living, the mislabeled to the newly christened members of the family Formicidae. For every name that has ever been applied to ants, the book supplies a history and an account of current usage, together with a fully documented indication of the present-day classification. Its comprehensive bibliography provides references to original description, synonymy, homonymy, changes in rank, status, and availability, and alterations in generic status. Organized by family group, genus group, and species group, this meticulously detailed but easily used volume is the ultimate resource for myrmecology. Along with Bolton's "Identification Guide to the Ant Genera of the World, it will be the essential reference for anyone, expert or amateur, with an interest in ants.
This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.
This book brings together scientific evidence and experience relevant to the practical conservation of wild bees. The authors worked with an international group of bee experts and conservationists to develop a global list of interventions that could benefit wild bees. They range from protecting natural habitat to controlling disease in commercial bumblebee colonies. For each intervention, the book summarises studies captured by the Conservation Evidence project, where that intervention has been tested and its effects on bees quantified. The result is a thorough guide to what is known, or not known, about the effectiveness of bee conservation actions throughout the world. Bee Conservation is the first in a series of synopses that will cover different species groups and habitats, gradually building into a comprehensive summary of evidence on the effects of conservation interventions for all biodiversity throughout the world. By making evidence accessible in this way, we hope to enable a change in the practice of conservation, so it can become more evidence-based. We also aim to highlight where there are gaps in knowledge. Evidence from all around the world is included. If there appears to be a bias towards evidence from northern European or North American temperate environments, this reflects a current bias in the published research that is available to us. Conservation interventions are grouped primarily according to the relevant direct threats, as defined in the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)'s Unified Classification of Direct Threats.
Why do bees buzz? How do they breathe? What is a 'waggle dance'? And just what happens if they run out of honey? Twenty-five thousand species of bees certainly create a loud buzz. Yet silence descended a few years ago when domesticated bee populations plummeted. Bees, in particular honey bees, are critical links in the vibrant chain that brings fruits, vegetables, and nuts to markets and dinner tables across the country. Farmers and scientists on the agricultural frontlines quickly realized the impact of this loss, but many others did not see this devastation. ""Why Do Bees Buzz?"" reports on the mysterious 'colony collapse disorder' that has affected honey bee populations, as well as other captivating topics, such as their complex, highly social lives, and how other species of bees are unique and different from honey bees. Organized in chapters that cover everything from these provocative pollinators' basic biology to the aggressive nature of killer bees, this insightful question and answer guide provides a honeycomb of compelling facts. With clarity and depth, bee biologist Elizabeth Capaldi Evans and coauthor Carol A. Butler examine the lives of honey bees, as well as other species such as orchid bees, bumblebees, and stingless bees. Accessible to readers on every level, and including the latest research and theory for the more sophisticated reader, the authors reveal more than one hundred critical answers to questions about the lives of bees. Concepts about speciation, evolutionary adaptation and pollination, as well as historical details about topics such as Mayan beekeeping and the appearance of bees in rock art, are arranged in easy-to-follow sidebars that highlight the text. Color and black and white photographs and drawings enhance the beauty and usefulness of ""Why Do Bees Buzz""?
In this landmark volume, an international group of scientists has synthesized their collective expertise and insight into a newly unified vision of insect societies and what they can reveal about how sociality has arisen as an evolutionary strategy. Jurgen Gadau and Jennifer Fewell have assembled leading researchers from the fields of molecular biology, evolutionary genetics, neurophysiology, behavioral ecology, and evolutionary theory to reexamine the question of sociality in insects. Recent advances in social complexity theory and the sequencing of the honeybee genome ensure that this book will be valued by anyone working on sociality in insects. At the same time, the theoretical ideas presented will be of broad-ranging significance to those interested in social evolution and complex systems.
The subfamily Rileyinae (Hymenoptera: Eurytomidae) is redefined to contain 6 genera and 69 species for which keys are provided. Two morphological data sets, analyzed via maximum parsimony with PAUP, yield hypotheses on the placement of Rileyinae within Eurytomidae and internal relationships of Rileyinae. Tables detailing host utilization for Eurytomidae (genera), Rileyinae (species), and confirmed/suspected plant associations for Rileyinae are included.
The purpose of this volume is to encourage and facilitate focused research and provide a forum for scholarly exchange about the status of Mayfly and Stonefly science. Professor John Brittain, whose research is focused on freshwater entomology, especially egg development and life cycle strategies of Ephemeroptera and Plecoptera, presents a chapter reflecting on the quality of mayflies as good indicators of global warming and the quality of streams and lakes. Professor Emeritus Andrew Sheldon, whose interests have encompassed community and population ecology of aquatic animals over a span of more than 40 years, especially insects and fishes, explores topics of Scale and Hierarchy and the Ecology of "Plecoptera, " discussing how studies emphasizing scale and perspective reveal importance of stoneflies to ecosystems. Other topics cover a broad base of disciplines including morphology, physiology, phylogeny, taxonomy, ecology and conservation. The chapters have been compiled into three sections for this volume: Ecology, Zoogeography and Systematics.
Shows readers the how, which, when, where, what and why of termite and wood borer control. The previous edition of this highly-regarded and indispensable text is now out-of-date, and the new edition has been refined and rewritten as a full fledged text and reference book for pest-control technicians and the people who train them. Now including a colour section for easier identification of problem species, it will result in better educated technicians and more precise termite management in the future.
A practical pocket-sized guide to the identification and use of precious and semiprecious stones, novelty stones, agates and crystals. The introductory part of the book describes the geology, chemistry and properties of gemstones in clear and accessible terms. The important properties of gemstones are explained, including crystal structures and optical and physical properties, and the book also examines synthetic gems and discusses how to tell them apart from natural stones. It then covers practical aspects of gemmology and the use of stones, including fashioning and cutting, types and shapes of cut, collecting, handling and storing gemstones, and weighing and measuring stones.
Insects and fungi have a shared history of association in common
habitats where together they endure similar environmental
conditions, but only recently have mycologists and entomologists
recognized and had the techniques to study the intricacies of some
of the associations. This new volume covers "seven wonders of the
insect-fungus world" for which exciting new results have become
available, often due to the use of new methods that include
phylogenetic analysis and development of molecular markers.
THE FORENSIC ENTOMOLOGIST turns a dispassionate, analytic eye on scenes from which most people would recoil -- human corpses in various stages of decay, usually the remains of people who have met a premature end through accident or mayhem. To M. Lee Goff and his fellow forensic entomologists, each body recovered at a crime scene is an ecosystem, a unique microenvironment colonized in succession by a diverse array of flies, beetles, mites, spiders, and other arthropods: some using the body to provision their young, some feeding directly on the tissues and by-products of decay, and still others preying on the scavengers. Using actual cases on which he has consulted, Goff shows how knowledge of these insects and their habits allows forensic entomologists to furnish investigators with crucial evidence about crimes. Even when a body has been reduced to a skeleton, insect evidence can often provide the only available estimate of the post-mortem interval, or time elapsed since death, as well as clues to whether the body has been moved from the original crime scene, and whether drugs have contributed to the death. An experienced forensic investigator who regularly advises law enforcement agencies in the United States and abroad, Goff is uniquely qualified to tell the fascinating if unsettling story of the development and practice of forensic entomology.
Back in print This classic introductory volume to a distinguished series is available again with a new foreword and biography of the author. Insects of Hawaii is a comprehensive and authoritative manual of the insects of the Hawaiian Islands, including their origin, distribution, hosts, parasites, predators, and control. It is among the most completely illustrated works of its kind.
The authors revise the genus "Anopina" of the leafroller family, Tortricidae (Lepidoptera). This genus ranges from southern Canada to Costa Rica, with its greatest species richness in the higher elevations of Mexico. The larvae are suspected to be leaf-litter feeders. Sixty-two species are treated, of which forty-nine are described as new to science. The authors provide a hypothesis of phylogenetic relationships of the species, propose a classification, supply a key to species groups based primarily on features of the genitalia, and include illustrations of adults, larvae, and male and female genitalia.
The "coenosus group, containing 34 species, is the most speciose clade of Histerini in the Americas. The author provides the first comprehensive revision of these species, including keys for identification, complete distributional data, illustrations of diagnostic characters, and a detailed phylogenetic analysis. He uses the phylogeny to examine the evolution of several biological characteristics, with particular emphasis on myrmecophily.
This study is the first revision in 35 years of the native Hawaiian sphecid wasps of the genus "Ectemnius." The author provides an original key to species, diagnoses, descriptions, distributions, and illustrations along with a compilation of all known biological information for each species.
Among the most ancient and powerful of insects, dragonflies fascinate scientists and nonspecialists in part because they are large enough for the behavior of individual insects to be observed and interpreted. Indeed, so much useful information exists about dragonflies that they serve as valuable models for interpreting the behavior and ecology of other taxa. Philip S. Corbet has devoted a lifetime to their study. His book A Biology of Dragonflies has been a standard text for more than thirty-five years. This latest book establishes a new benchmark for the Odonata, providing a comprehensive, critical review of past and current knowledge both published and unpublished about species from all biogeographical regions in both functional and evolutionary contexts. The volume emphasizes the diversity found in dragonfly behavior as well as unifying patterns. It describes the behavioral strategies that influence the fitness of individuals in physical and biotic environments and in all stages of the life cycle, and identifies the biological principles reflected in those strategies. The book also examines behavior associated with processes such as habitat selection, foraging, seasonal regulation, migration, territoriality, mating, and sperm competition, emphasizing the interdependence of all developmental stages as well as relationships among dragonflies and other animals, including humans. Dragonflies represents a remarkably thorough and searching appraisal of a single taxon, featuring 252 drawings and black-and-white photographs, 96 color plates, nearly 100 appendix tables, and more than 4,000 bibliographic citations to original sources. The wealth of information and its integrated treatment will indisputably make the book the definitive source on dragonflies for years to come."
This book is about the genetics and behaviour of individuals within colonies of social insects - bees, wasps, ants, and termites. Colonial living is characterized by division of labour and finely coordinated organization, by reproductive function being limited to certain individuals, by cooperative brood care, and by the presence of non-reproductive workers. Within a colony, however, may events are the result of conflicts between individuals seeking to maximize their own interests. Crozier and Pamilo's contribution is to analyse the genetic bases of the patterns of reproduction and resource allocation found in social insect colonies. This is done more comprehensively and with greater depth and insight than in any previous study, and is a significant step forward in the fields of population genetics and social evolution. This book is intended for researchers and advanced students in population genetics, ecology, evolution, animal behaviour, and entomology. |
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