Nannochoristidae (=Nannomecoptera) and Boreidae (=Neomecoptera) are traditionally assigned to the holometabolan order Mecoptera. Both are presently in the focus of insect systematists. They differ strikingly from the "typical" mecopteran pattern, not only in their larval and adult morphology, but also in their life style and reproductive biology. Phylogenetic affinities between Boreidae ("snow fleas") and fleas have been postulated mainly based on molecular data, while morphological characters related to food uptake and larval features suggest a close relationship between Nannochoristidae and true flies. Both groups display fascinating features such as preferred temperatures around 0 C, extremely slender larvae adapted to running water, and a highly unusual mating behaviour. Despite the extremely low number of known species, there is no doubt that both groups are key taxa and in their own way highlights in the evolution of the extremely successful Holometabola. Their interesting characteristics and the impressive number of recent studies on various aspects of Nannochoristidae and Boreidae justifies a new volume in the Handbook of Zoology series dedicated to these highly unusual taxa."

The book provides a reference to biological control of arthropod pests in agriculture and of public health importance in Iran. A quick glance over the literature shows a long history of biocontrol attempts in the country. Some historically important events highlighting the interest of Iranian academic, research and extension fields to the natural enemies and their applied aspects are provided. Iran, with an exception of the former USSR, was a pioneer in both basic and applied biocontrol in West Asia. The book consists of four parts: three parts for predators, parasitoids and pathogens, and last part for other approaches and analyses of the current state of biological control in Iran. The book provides the most up-to-date information on pest control and related topics of entomology in Iran. The chapters are written by scholars from major Universities and research centers in Iran.

Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (Diptera: Drosophilidae), the spotted wing drosophila (SWD), is the most important pest affecting berry crop production worldwide. The global fresh fruit trade, coupled with the ability of the larvae to hide inside the fruit undetected until after transportation, facilitate their distribution. SWD is native to Asia, but is increasingly found in other regions: occurrences have been recorded in the Americas and Europe, and Africa, and the insects have the potential to adapt and become established in Oceania. Gathering the experiences of leading scientists in the management of D. suzukii around the globe, the book addresses D. suzukii monitoring; biological, chemical and cultural control; sterile insect technique (SIT); integrated pest management (IPM), and other control methods. It also discusses the use of drones, GPS, biotechnology, telemetry and other technological tools to make the management of this pest more efficient and accurate. As such, it is a valuable resource for scientists, professionals and students.

The subject of medical entomology contin- factors such as insecticide susceptibility, vec- ues to be of great importance. Arthropodborne tor competence, host preference and similar im- diseases such as malaria, yellow fever, dengue portant phenomena. Now, a variety of new and filariasis continue to cause considerable methods are available to study genes, and to human suffering and death. Problems in ani- genetically alter important characteristics in mal production, wildlife and pets of humans vectors as a potential means of controlling hu- caused by arthropods still exact a large eco- man and animal diseases. nomic toll. In the past 2 decades, the invasion Many of the traditional tasks of medical en- of exotic pests and pathogens has presented tomologists continue to be important. Arthro- new problems in several countries, including pod systematics is important because the need the USA. For example, the year 1999 saw the for accurate identification of arthropods is vital invasion of the eastern USA by Aedes japonicus, to an understanding of natural disease cycles. an Asian mosquito, and West Nile virus, a mos- Systematics has been made even more challeng- quito-transmitted African arbovirus related to ing because of the current appreciation of the St. Louis encephalitis virus. number of groups of sibling species among vec- At the same time old and new health prob- tors of important disease pathogens. New mo- lems with arthropods occur, the traditional ap- lecular tools are assisting in separating these proaches to arthropod control have become forms.

Egg Parasitoids in Agroecosystems with emphasis on Trichogramma was conceived to help in the promotion of biological control through egg parasitoids by providing both basic and applied information. The book has a series of chapters dedicated to the understanding of egg parasitoid taxonomy, development, nutrition and reproduction, host recognition and utilization, and their distribution and host associations. There are also several chapters focusing on the mass production and commercialization of egg parasitoids for biological control, addressing important issues such as parasitoid quality control, the risk assessment of egg parasitoids to non-target species, the use of egg parasitoids in integrated pest management programs and the impact of GMO on these natural enemies. Chapters provide an in depth analysis of the literature available, are richly illustrated, and propose future trends.

This textbook provides the first overview of plant-animal interactions for twenty years focused on the needs of students and professors. It discusses a range of topics from the basic structures of plant-animal interactions to their evolutionary implications in producing and maintaining biodiversity. It also highlights innovative aspects of plant-animal interactions that can represent highly productive research avenues, making it a valuable resource for anyone interested in a future career in ecology. Written by leading experts, and employing a variety of didactic tools, the book is useful for students and teachers involved in advanced undergraduate and graduate courses addressing areas such as herbivory, trophic relationships, plant defense, pollination and biodiversity.

This book compiles for the first time all the current information on the electronic monitoring of the feeding behavior of phytophagous true bugs. It includes state-of-the-art illustrations of feeding sites on the various plant structures, and examines how the different feeding strategies are related to the variable waveforms generated using the electropenetrography (EPG) technique. Further, the book describes the mouthparts and modes of feeding and discusses the physical and chemical damage resulting from feeding activities. Covering in detail all EPG studies developed and conducted using true bugs published to date, it explores the use of electronic monitoring of feeding coupled with histological analyses to improve strategies to control true bugs, from traditional chemical methods to gene silencing (RNAi).

The nature and diversity of presentations at the second International Conference on Insect Neurochemistry and Neurophysiology (ICINN--86) held at the University of Maryland on August 4-6. 1986, attest to the vital ity and broad scope of research in insect neuroscience. The present vol ume is a written account of the invited lectures, contributed papers, and posters presented at the conference, and as such, serves as a fair indica tor of the trends in current research in this field here and abroad. The principal portion of this book consists of seven review papers that were presented by invited speakers. Although the topics vary wide ly, they reflect on and emphasize the main theme of the conference, i. e., the nature and function of molecular messengers that communicate be meen the central nervous system and organs or tissues involved in the growth, development, reproduction, and behavior of insects. This empha sis is continued in the following three sections on neurochemistry, neuro physiology, and neuroanatomy, although no conscious effort was made by the organizers to highlight these particular fields of neuroscience. It is evident that the recent advances in both physical and chemical analyti cal techniques have made possible the acquisition of structurally defined probes, the long sought-after tools for unraveling the secrets of endogen ous communication. Each section of short papers derived from the oral and poster presentations at the conference is prefaced by an overview that highlights and summarizes the section's content."

Chitons form a peculiar and highly interesting class of molluscs, known with certainty to exist since the Ordovician, and widespread in all world seas to depths from 0 to over 7,000 m. In recent years taxonomists all over the world have much contributed to our knowledge of the chitons and their synonymy, so that the number of living species now amounts to some 800. The authors propose to not only compile all actual knowledge about the living chitons, but, where possible, a after a careful study of the type material, to systematically describe and illustrate every known -- or hitherto unknown -- species. In most cases the detailed figures are new and drawn by the senior author, P. Kaas. The "Monograph of Living Chitons" is planned to appear in ten volumes.

This book identifies all valid species belonging to the superfamily Mactroidea living in American waters, distributed across fourteen biogeographical provinces. It also provides an updated classification of the widely occurring Mactroidea superfamily, which comprises eight subfamilies grouped into four families: Mactridae (Lamarck, 1809); Anatinellidae (Deshayes, J.Gray 1853); Cardiliidae (Fischer, 1887) and Mesodesmatidae (J. Gray, 1840). The species included in this superfamily are known to have existed in North America since the Early Cretaceous.

Allen im Vorwort zu Band I und II angefuhrten Damen und Herren danke ich nochmals herzlich und ganz besonders auch wieder der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft fur ihre Hilfe. Ganz besonderen Dank auch wieder meiner lieben Frau, die mir unentwegt zur Seite stand und meinem lieben Freund Dr. Alfred KALTENBACH, der mir die Bearbeitung der Mantodea abnahm und sie vorzuglich durchfuhrte, und meinem verehrten Freund, Prof. Dr. Erwin SCHIMITSCHEK, Wien fur seine Hilfe, sowie meinen lieben Freunden Patricia HOLMES, Bir- mingham, und Michael SAMWAYS, London, fur die Durchsicht der englisc4en Manuskri ptteile. Weil sich die Gelegenheit bot in einer Sammlung Neotypen fur verschollene Typen einzusetzen, habe ich dies getan; naturlich nicht um des Neotypus willen, sondern um einwandfreies Vergleichs- material sicherzustellen, denn es hat sich doch wiederholt ergeben, dass seither als einwandfrei betrachtete Arten mit fortschreitender Untersuchungstechnik und Verhaltensstudien sich plotzlich in einige Arten aufspalten liessen. Selbstverstandlich habe ich mich zuvor in Rundschreiben an viele Kollegen in Europa nach dem Typenverbleib erkundigt und dann Neotypen von einem dem locus typicus moglichst nah liegendem Fundort eingesetzt. Wenn diese Neotypen nicht im- mer "Ausnahmefalle" im Interesse der Stabilitat der Nomenklatur waren, wie sie die "International Commission on Zoological Nomen- dature" vorschreibt, so geschah dies aus dem angefuhrten Grund; eines Tages mogen sie sich doch als nutzlich erweisen. Sie befinden sich alle samt allen Typen, Allotypen und Para typen mit meiner ganzen Sammlung im Museum d'Histoire Naturelle Geneve/Genf.

'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.

This book is mainly directed towards postgraduate students and professionals in the field of research and implementation of integrated pest and disease management programmes in greenhouse crops. After presenting the major pests and diseases that affect greenhouse vegetable and ornamental crops, several chapters deal with the tools for designing and implementing IP&DM in protected cultivation with particular emphasis on biological control. Current implementation and the future of IP&DM in the most important protected crops world-wide are presented in the concluding chapters. Protected cultivation is practised in many hundreds of thousands of hectares throughout the world under quite different social, economic and technical conditions. Contributions to the book reflect such a diversity of situations: from the high-technology glasshouses of northern Europe and America to the simple plastic tunnels of the Mediterranean area and temperate eastern Asia. Furthermore, the editors have entrusted each chapter to authors whose activity and perspectives could be complementary: pathologists and entomologists, from private and public sectors, and from differentiated geographical regions. Probably no book published to date has offered such a diverse yet integrated approach to pest and disease control in greenhouse crops. The book originated from an international course taught at the International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies in Zaragoza, Spain. The authors are specialists from universities, research institutions and companies in Europe, America, Asia, Africa and Oceania.

Ausser all den bereits im 1. Band angefuhrten Damen und Herren habe ich heute herzlich zu danken In addition to all the la dies and gentlemen mentioned in the Ist volume it is a pleasure to acknowledge the gratitude that I owe now to Prof. Dr. R. AGENJO, Madrid, H. BIERMANN, Ueberau, Prof Dr. F. CAPRA, Genua, Dr. F. CHL.\DEK, Brunn, Prof. Dr. M. DESCAMPS, Paris, Prof. Dr. v. M. DIRSH, London, Dr. N. DONSKOFF, Paris, Dr. H. ENGEL, Freiburg i.Br., Prof Dr. A. FABER, Tubingen, Dr. A. GALVAGNI, Rovereto, Prof. Dr. A. GOIDANICH, Torino, Prof. Dr. K. GUNTHER, Berlin, Dr. K. K. GUNTHER, Berlin, G. HANGAY, Budapest, Dr. B. HAUSER, Genf, Frau Dr. D. v. HELVER SEN, Freiburg i.Br., Dr. B. HOLLDOBLER, Frankfurt/Main, D. HOLLIS, London, J. HUXLEY, London, prof Dr. W. JACOBS, Dietenheim, Prof. Dr. c. A. w. JEEKEL, Amsterdam, Prof Dr. R. KINZELBACH, Mainz, Dr. G. KRUSEMAN, Amsterdam, Senora v. LLORENTE, Madrid, Miss J. MARSHALL, London, Prof. Dr. K. MULLER, Messaure/Schweden, P. und I. NOLL, Kaufering, Mag. A. NORDMANN, Helsinki, H. und L. OBERBAUER, Munchen, Prof Dr. M. PENER, Jerusalem, Dr. A. VOJNITS, Budapest, Senora I. WEIDNER V da. DE ZAR CO, Madrid."

It is widely acknowledged that life has adapted to its environment, but the precise mechanism remains unknown since Natural Selection, Descent with Modification and Survival of the Fittest are metaphors that cannot be scientifically tested. In this unique text, invertebrate and vertebrate biologists illuminate the effects of physiologic stress on epigenetic responses in the process of evolutionary adaptation from unicellular organisms to invertebrates and vertebrates, respectively. This book offers a novel perspective on the mechanisms underlying evolution. Capacities for morphologic alterations and epigenetic adaptations subject to environmental stresses are demonstrated in both unicellular and multicellular organisms. Furthermore, the underlying cellular-molecular mechanisms that mediate stress for adaptation will be elucidated wherever possible. These include examples of 'reverse evolution' by Professor Guex for Ammonites and for mammals by Professor Torday and Dr. Miller. This provides empiric evidence that the conventional way of thinking about evolution as unidirectional is incorrect, leaving open the possibility that it is determined by cell-cell interactions, not sexual selection and reproductive strategy. Rather, the process of evolution can be productively traced through the conservation of an identifiable set of First Principles of Physiology that began with the unicellular form and have been consistently maintained, as reflected by the return to the unicellular state over the course of the life cycle.

Offering an example for transnational cooperation and successful reduction of a neglected tropical disease, this volume shows how Chinese scientists and local physicians controlled schistosomiasis in Zanzibar. Over a four-year study, local medical specialists and the population of Zanzibar were taught how to diagnose the parasitosis caused by flukes (trematode worms) of the genus Schistosoma. Furthermore, methods to eliminate the disease and prevent new infections were established. The developed control system will avoid repeated increase of human schistosomiasis, which is still prevalent in the tropics and subtropics. Rural populations and poor communities lacking access to clean drinking water and adequate sanitation are most affected. This book is a blueprint of activities urgently needed to combat schistosomiasis in countries with low medical impact. The strategies outlined are particularly relevant to parasitologists and professionals in public health, physicians, medical personnel and also governmental, healthcare and pharmaceutical institutions.

Bumblebees are familiar and charismatic insects, occurring throughout much of the world. They are increasingly being used as a model organism for studying a wide range of ecological and behavioural concepts, such as social organization, optimal foraging theories, host-parasite interactions, and pollination. Recently they have become a focus for conservationists due to mounting evidence of range contractions and catastrophic extinctions with some species disappearing from entire continents (e.g. in North America). Only by improving our understanding of their ecology can we devise sensible plans to conserve them. The role of bumblebees as invasive species (e.g. Bombus terrestris in Japan) has also become topical with the growing trade in commercial bumblebee nests for tomato pollination leading to establishment of non-native bumblebees in a number of countries.
Since the publication of the first edition of the book, there have been hundreds of research papers published on bumblebees. There is clearly a continuing need for an affordable, well-illustrated, and appealing text that makes accessible all of the major advances in understanding of the behaviour and ecology of bumblebees that have been made in the last 30 years.