Pests cause economic damage to crop and stored products, while vectors are responsible for transmission of disease-causing agents in human beings and livestock. Application of synthetic pesticides in agriculture though has given immediate relief but has also caused well known side effects, leading to a consensus among entomologists and agriculturists to shift towards other ecofriendly pest management. Insect natural enemies consisting of predators, parasitoids and pathogens have attracted the attention of scientists across the globe. These natural enemies exist in agroecosystems and suppress the populations of pests. Parasitoids are farmers' friends and most successful group of natural enemies. Highly specialized in their host choice, female parasitoid searches for a suitable host to lay eggs and larvae in or on or near the hosts. Exploiting this potency of parasitoids may yield successful results in controlling notorious pests in an ecofriendly way. This book covers information on the important biocontrol agents effective in pest suppression. It starts with insect parasitic groups followed by specific group of parasitoids. It is hoped that the book presents a comprehensive account of beneficial parasitoids and will be useful to Undergraduate and Postgraduate students of Entomology, Biological Control, Plant Protection, Agricultural Zoology and Zoology, besides those involved in competitive examinations and policy planning. Features Each chapter has been written by specialized senior persons. Every chapter contains Learning Objectives and Points to Remember. This book offers comprehensive knowledge of parasitoids and their application in pest management in a lucid way.

This book contains excellent reviews on significant topics in crustacean neurobiology, introductory texts for classroom usage, examples for exciting original research, an account of a new research strategy and a new concept for teaching the principles of neuroscience, all written by renowned scientists from all over the world. In short, exciting reading for every neurobiologist.

The go-to photographic guide to all the damselflies and dragonflies recorded in Europe, including the Macaronesian Islands and western Turkey Europe's Dragonflies is a comprehensive, lavishly illustrated and beautifully designed photographic field guide to the damselflies and dragonflies of Europe. Written by two well-travelled experts, the book covers all 140 resident and vagrant species recorded, focussing on the field identification of adult insects. Concise species profiles highlight key identification features and provide information on behaviour, habitat preferences, distribution, flight periods, status and conservation. Other sections cover identification tips, conservation status and legislation. Presenting an unsurpassed selection of images of the highest quality, this is the go-to guide for anyone wishing to know more about these amazing and fascinating insects. Comprehensive coverage of every species of damselfly and dragonfly recorded in Europe Stunning colour plates showing males, females, immatures, colour forms, subspecies and typical habitat for every species Over 1,200 superb photographs, supplemented with illustrations of fine details Detailed profiles for the 140 resident and vagrant species Unique comparison plates for difficult groups Easy to use by beginners and experts alike, avoiding technical terms

1. Encompass all major aspects of parasitoids in pest management 2. Presents a unique combination on different insect parasitoids for the insect pest management with emphasis on their taxonomic position, status, different groups, mass production and their use in pest biocontrol 3. Covers information on one of the most important biocontrol agents, which are most effective in the biocontrol of insect pests of crops 4. Discusses modern aspects of why insect pest management is necessary and what are different parastoids (parasitic insect groups) 5. Discusses most effective biocontrol of insect pests of crops

A unique and personal insight into the ecology and evolution of pollinators, their relationships with flowers, and their conservation in a rapidly changing world. The pollination of flowers by insects, birds and other animals is a fundamentally important ecological function that supports both the natural world and human society. Without pollinators to facilitate the sexual reproduction of plants, the world would be a biologically poorer place in which to live, there would be an impact on food security, and human health would suffer. Written by one of the world's leading pollination ecologists, this book provides an introduction to what pollinators are, how their interactions with flowers have evolved, and the fundamental ecology of these relationships. It explores the pollination of wild and agricultural plants in a variety of habitats and contexts, including urban, rural and agricultural environments. The author also provides practical advice on how individuals and organisations can study, and support, pollinators. As well as covering the natural history of pollinators and flowers, the author discusses their cultural importance, and the ways in which pollinator conservation has been portrayed from a political perspective. The book draws on field work experiences in South America, Africa, Australia, the Canary Islands and the UK. For over 30 years the author has spent his career researching how plants and pollinators evolve relationships, how these interactions function ecologically, their importance for society, and how we can conserve them in a rapidly changing world. This book offers a unique and personal insight into the science of pollinators and pollination, aimed at anyone who is interested in understanding these fascinating and crucial ecological interactions.

Corynoneura is recognized as one of the most difficult group to classify, and there has been a long history of nomenclatural changes. Taxonomy of Corynoneura Winnertz (Diptera: Chironomidae) provides detailed and accurate taxonomy of the Corynoneura generic group and discusses the scientific basis for phylogenetic studies of Chironomidae. Taxonomy of Corynoneura Winnertz (Diptera: Chironomidae) is a useful resource for researchers and practitioners in the field of entomology, systematics, phylogeny, biogeography, biodiversity, and ecology. This book is composed of four main sections: introduction, keys, classification, and zoogeography. Coverage includes a preliminary biogeographic analysis of the worldwide fauna based on the Corynoneura generic group and species distribution data, summaries of the typical features used to classify an adult, and keys to all the Corynoneura generic group and male species of Corynoneura in the world. Over 100 species of Corynoneura are described in detail with morphological figures.

Echinoderms, Volume 151, the latest release in the Methods in Cell Biology series, highlights advances in the field, with this update presenting chapters on Echinoderm Genome Databases, analysis of gene regulatory networks, using ATAC-seq and RNA-seq to increase resolution in GRN connectivity, multiplex cis-regulatory analysis, experimental approaches GRN/signal pathways, BACs, analysis of chromatin accessibility using ATAC-seq, analysis of sea urchin proteins /Click IT, CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing in sea urchins, super-resolution and in toto imaging of echinoderm embryos, and methods for analysis of intracellular ion signals in sperm, eggs and embryos.

This book covers the full breadth of forest entomology. It combines the work of forest entomologists working on the impact and management of forest pests with those involved in diversity assessment and conservation of insects in forests. Forests and Insects demonstrates that both these disciplines demand an understanding of population and community biology. The book covers such topics as colonization of trees by insects, population dynamics of forest insects, insect natural enemies, the effects of climate change and pollution on forest pests, spatial variation in the abundance of insects, the mineralization of carbon by termites, the impact of herbivorous insects, and the conservation of forest insect diversity, including the effects of forest fragmentation and deforestation. This Royal Entomological Society Symposium volume will be of great interest to all agricultural and forest entomologists, population and community biologists, pest management specialists and anyone concerned with the conservation of forest biodiversity.

Sex ratio, the proportion of a progeny that is female, is an extremely important fitness trait. It is particularly interesting in relation to haplodiploidy, a variety of parthenogenesis in which organisms reproduce without the benefit of fertilization. This study arrives at conclusions drawn from new empirical studies: that biased sex ratios are characteristic of haplodiploid species; that these species are characteristically colonizing species with genetics suited both to spatially and temporally unpredictable environments; that manipulation of haplodiploid biological control agents, or pests that are to be controlled, depends on understanding the determinants of sex ratio; and that because evolutionary theory predicts that haplodiploids have the capacity to evolve faster than diploid organisms, haplodiploid species are the organisms of choice in biological control strategies.

Researchers who study ancient human diets tend to focus on meat eating, since the practice of butchery is very apparent in the archaeological record. In this volume, Julie Lesnik brings a different food source into view, tracing evidence that humans and their hominin ancestors also consumed insects throughout the entire course of human evolution. Lesnik investigates the role of insects in the diets of hunter-gatherers and our nonhuman primate cousins in order to deduce what insect consumption looked like in the past. She approaches the question from the perspectives of primatology, sociocultural anthropology, reproductive physiology, and paleoanthropology. Lesnik posits that women would likely spend more time foraging for and eating insects than men, arguing that this pattern is important to note because women are too often ignored in reconstructions of ancient human behavior. Because of the abundance of insects and the low risk of acquiring them, insects were a reliable food source that mothers used to feed their families over the past five million years. Although they are consumed worldwide to this day, insects are not usually considered to be food in Western societies. Tying together ancient history with our modern lives, Lesnik points out that insects are a highly nutritious and very sustainable food. Lesnik believes that if we accept that edible insects are a part of the human legacy, we may have new conversations about what is good to eat-both in past diets and for the future of food.

Echinoderms, Volume 150 in the Methods in Cell Biology series, highlights new advances in the field, with this update presenting interesting chapters on procuring animals and culturing of eggs and embryos, cryopreservation of sea urchin gametes, emerging echinoderm models, culturing of sand dollars, cidaroids and heart urchins, culturing echinoderm larvae through metamorphosis, microinjection methods, injection of exogenous messages and protein overexpression, blastomere transplantation, visualization of embryonic polarity, larval immune cell approaches, methods for analysis of sea urchin primordial germ cells, and protocols and best practices for toxicology and pH studies using echinoderms and several new chapters outlining the use of sea urchins in the classroom.

The forests of West Africa are complex, beautiful and under continued threat of over exploitation. This monograph, in its second edition, remains the only comprehensive source of information on economically important forest insects in West Africa. Many pest insects discussed in this book have the potential to greatly alter the utilization of these valuable tropical forests. Several key pests such as mahogany shoot borer, odum gallfly and pests of endangered tree species like Pericopsis, are extensively discussed. This comprehensive treatise of insects includes information on the general forest cover types and insects of utilitarian value. The book will be a great value to foresters, forest entomologists, researchers, conservation biologists and others with a basic biological interest in West African forests.

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.

Based on the assumption that invertebrates as well as vertebrates possess factors regulating hematopoiesis, response to infection or wounding, studies dealing with the evolution of immunity have focused on the isolation and characterization of putative cytokine-related molecules from invertebrates. Until recently, most of our knowledge of cytokine- and cytokine receptor-like molecules in invertebrates has relied on functional assays and similarities at the physicochemical level. As such, a phylogenetic relationship between invertebrate cytokine-like molecules and invertebrate counterparts could not be convincingly demonstrated. In the present book, recent studies demonstrating cytokine-like activities and related signaling pathways in invertebrates are critically reviewed, focusing on findings from molecular biology and taking advantage of the completion of the genome from the fly Drosophila and the worm Caenorhabditis elegans.

Hemiptera - Heteroptera encompasses the three well-defined suborders of the true bugs which are adapted to an aquatic or littoral habitat. The book begins with a section on the biology these insects and provides illustrations of the basic features of their morphology and outlines the larval development. Brief outlines of the ecological and zoogeographical peculiarities of the three aquatic suborders are presented individually, and various methods for observing, collecting, preserving, rearing, and examining specimens are discussed.

Most of the book is devoted to keys for the identification of adults to species, and notes are provided that will help recognize the known larvae. Unlike most other aquatic insects, the larval instars of the heteropteran species closely resemble the adults in their morphology, preferred habitats, and feeding habits. Therefore, distinguishing features of those relatively few larvae which have been described in detail are usually mentioned in the keys to the adults rather than being included in separate keys. In addition to the most important features for determining the individual species, many keys include additional notes on the morphology, which is intended to give the user a better chance of recognizing specimens of species not yet known to science. After the currently recognized name of each species, the known range is provided. Regions of the world outside of South America, South American countries, and the states of Brazil from which the species has been reported are listed. Following the range information, major synonyms previously used for the species in the literature are provided. If subspecies have been described and are still recognized as such, they are also discussed. Finally, if the status of the species is regarded as uncertain because of a poor description, strong resemblance to another species, or any other reason, a note is added that a detailed study will be necessary to clarify the status of the taxon. Taxonomic revisions in the book itself are strictly avoided.

To provide the user of the keys with maximum assistance in making reliable identifications, the book is richly illustrated with pen and ink drawings of thousands of individual morphological structures arranged in 820 figures. The book is intended to make a significant impact toward popularizing the study of South American water bugs by assembling and condensing the information in hundreds of individual publications on the group, which appeared in many books and journals published in many different countries over the past 200 years. Some of these works are very difficult to obtain in South America, and their lack creates serious impediments to systematic, ecological, and zoogeographical research. In the more than 730 titles appearing in the bibliography, the original descriptions and revisions of almost all South American species can be found.

The first edition of Tanada and Kaya s "Insect Pathology" is the standard reference in the field for researchers and both undergraduate and graduate students and is well known worldwide among entomologists. However, the field has seen rapid advances in the 20 years since its original publication, and the new edition brings together an essential and updated resource for researchers with 13 chapters edited by Fernando E. Vega and Harry K. Kaya.

Many of these advances involve new insights on ecology as well as phylogenetics and molecular biology of viruses, bacteria, fungi, microsporidia, nematodes, and protists. All these aspects, as well as basic biology, diagnosis, infectious process and pathogenesis, host response, transmission and more, are covered by renowned experts in their respective fields. The second edition of "Insect Pathology" includes chapters on the history of this discipline, principles of microbial control and epizootiology, diseases of beneficial insects, host resistance, and Wolbachia. This thoroughly illustrated and up-to-date revision will provide insect pathologists, entomologists, microbiologists, mycologists, nematologists, protistologists, ecologists, and practitioners of biological control of insect pests with a solid and much-needed reference.
Covers all major groups of insect pathogens Includes chapters on the history of insect pathology, principles of microbial control and epizootiology, host resistance, Wolbachia and diseases of beneficial insectsIncludes contributions from the leading researchers and emerging leaders in their fields"

Problems of insect enumeration and assessment of needs are addressed in the contexts of rapid and substantial losses and changes to all key Australian terrestrial and freshwater environments and promoting awarenesss of the importance of insects. Further definition of the insect fauna and its peculiarities can aid threat alleviation and practical management to protect and conserve this unique and largely endemic biodiversity. Written for the many environmental managers and naturalists who are not primarily entomologists, the ten chapters expand from considerations of insect decline and diversity to the unique features of the Australian fauna and its characterisation. Cases and examples from throughout the world illustrate the major needs, approaches and priorities to sustaining a poorly known, diverse and ecologically varied insect heritage of global significance.

We think of bees as being among the busiest workers in the garden, admiring them for their productivity. But amid their buzzing, they are also great communicators and unusual dancers. As Karl von Frisch (1886-1982) discovered during World War II, bees communicate the location of food sources to each other through complex circle and waggle dances. For centuries, beekeepers had observed these curious movements in hives, and others had speculated about the possibility of a bee language used to manage the work of the hive. But it took von Frisch to determine that the bees' dances communicated precise information about the distance and direction of food sources. As Tania Munz shows in this exploration of von Frisch's life and research, this important discovery came amid the tense circumstances of the Third Reich.The Dancing Bees draws on previously unexplored archival sources in order to reveal von Frisch's full story, including how the Nazi government in 1940 determined that he was one-quarter Jewish, revoked his teaching privileges, and sought to prevent him from working altogether until circumstances intervened. In the 1940s, bee populations throughout Europe were facing the devastating effects of a plague (just as they are today), and because the bees were essential to the pollination of crops, von Frisch's research was deemed critical to maintaining the food supply of a nation at war. The bees, as von Frisch put it years later, saved his life. Munz not only explores von Frisch's complicated career in the Third Reich, she looks closely at the legacy of his work and the later debates about the significance of the bee language and the science of animal communication. This first in-depth biography of von Frisch paints a complex and nuanced portrait of a scientist at work under Nazi rule. The Dancing Bees will be welcomed by anyone seeking to better understand not only this chapter of the history of science but also the peculiar waggles of our garden visitors.

The use of hermit crabs as an experimental model for motivational studies is discussed in this book by expert behavioural ecologists. The book is timely since there is a growing recognition that the integration of causal and functional studies are needed, which is discussed by the authors. This book should be of interest to a wide range of behavioural ecologists.

Great Salt Lake is an enormous terminal lake in the western United States. It is a highly productive ecosystem, which has global significance for millions of migrating birds who rely on this critical feeding station on their journey through the American west. For the human population in the adjacent metropolitan area, this body of water provides a significant economic resource as industries, such as brine shrimp harvesting and mineral extraction, generate jobs and income for the state of Utah. In addition, the lake provides the local population with ecosystem services, especially the creation of mountain snowpack that generates water supply, and the prevention of dust that may impair air quality. As a result of climate change and water diversions for consumptive uses, terminal lakes are shrinking worldwide, and this edited volume is written in this urgent context. This is the first book ever centered on Great Salt Lake biology. Current and novel data presented here paint a comprehensive picture, building on our past understanding and adding complexity. Together, the authors explore this saline lake from the microbial diversity to the invertebrates and the birds who eat them, along a dynamic salinity gradient with unique geochemistry. Some unusual perspectives are included, including the impact of tar seeps on the lake biology and why Great Salt Lake may help us search for life on Mars. Also, we consider the role of human perceptions and our effect on the biology of the lake. The editors made an effort to involve a diversity of experts on the Great Salt Lake system, but also to include unheard voices such as scientists at state agencies or non-profit advocacy organizations. This book is a timely discussion of a terminal lake that is significant, unique, and threatened.

DIRECTLY APPLIES TO LIFE ON LAND SDG and CLIMATE CHANGE SDG. International organizations such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPPC), World Health Organization, Food and Agriculture Organization and World Organization for Animal Health have all reminded us that health impacts of climate change will become some of societies' greatest challenges. How we respond or adapt to climate change will have profound implications for people, animals, biodiversity, economies and ecosystems today as well as in the future. The book provides, in one easy reference, all of the information Animal Health practitioners need from defining the climate change concept, providing science-based evidence of climate change degradation of animal (ecosystem) health and successful mitigation and reversal strategies. Despite being arguably the most important challenges of the 21st century, engagement, and leadership from the animal health sector on climate change remains hard to find. This book attempts to support animal health professionals by providing information, knowledge, and experiences they can use to remedy this situation. There is no other book that covers anything like the proposed subject matter to this level of completeness and detail. The publishing of a text of this nature could help erode the power of the climate denialism lobby, shifting the debate and allowing mitigation efforts to gain higher priority. The tone of the book has an understated sense of urgency, leaning slightly toward presenting as a 'Manual for the apocalypse'. This has potential to be a benchmark publication. The text not only defines climate change but takes a proactive approach with intervention and corrective action examples: each chapter ends with suggestions on teachable and actionable ideas that could be used to mobilize concepts and information provided into education or advocacy. In this way, the book not only brings key ideas, principles and information to understand the implications for climate change for animal health, but will help translate the book's offerings into education and intervention. Teachers and researchers could use this one-of-a-kind book to frame a course or seminar series heightening student career engagement and stewardship of a more sustainable and healthier planet.

Viruses that are pathogenic to beneficial insects and other arthropods cause millions of dollars of damage every year to industries, such as sericulture, apiculture, and aquaculture (e.g. infecting honeybees and silk worms). On the other hand, viruses that are pathogenic to insect pests can be exploited as attractive biological control agents. Another fascinating feature of these viruses is that some, e.g. baculoviruses, have been commercially exploited for use as gene expression and delivery vectors in both insect and mammalian cells. All of these factors have led to an explosion in the amount of research into insect viruses in recent years, generating impressive quantities of information on the molecular and cellular biology of these viruses. This timely book reviews the exciting new developments in the field of insect virology. Written by internationally renowned insect virologists, the chapters review the current molecular biology of all the major groups of insect pathogenic viruse

Evolution gave rise to a prominent insect diversity at every level of ecological niche. Since then, hordes of insects have threatened human and cattle health as well as most of all green lands and agricultural crops. Now, the insect problem expands from many mutant forms of yellow dengue fever mosquitoes to highly-resistant larvae of most all various phytophageous species. The tremendous expansion of insects is due not only to an increasing resistance capacity to insecticides, but also to a strong capacity for adapting to different climate and environmental changes, including global warming. Obviously insects display a number of rudimentary systems to build an extremely efficient organism to survive in a changing world. In many species, one pheromone molecule is enough to trigger mating behavior. Therefore, insects have become crucial models not only for evolutionary studies, but also for understanding specific mechanisms underlying sensory-based behaviors. Most of insect species such as ants, beetles, cockroaches, locusts, moths and mosquitoes largely rely on olfactory cues to explore the environment and find con-specifics or food sources. A conglomerate of renowned international scientific experts is gathered to expose the insect problem on the various continents of the planet and propose an alternative to the use of toxic insecticides. Sex pheromones, specific chemical signals necessary for reproduction, and pheromone detection in insects are described with full details of the olfactory mechanisms in the antennae and higher centers in the brain. Thus, new synthetic pheromones and/or plant odors with specific molecular target sites in the insect olfactory system are proposed for sustainable development in agricultural and entomological industries. Disrupting insect pheromone channels and plant odor detection mechanisms is solemnly envisioned as a unique way to control invasive insect pest species while preserving human and environment safety.

Seit C. BRUNNER von WATTENWYL 1882 seinen Prodromus der europaischen Orthopteren veroffentlichte, ist keine zusammenfassende Arbeit mehr auf diesem Gebiet erschienen. Viele Anderungen haben sich seither in Syste- matik und Nomenklatur ergeben, zahlreiche neue Arten wurden beschrie- ben, andere eingezogen. Viele dieser Anderungen ergaben sich aus klei- neren Arbeiten, die zerstreut in den verschiedenen wissenschaftlichen Zeitschriften Europas in den vergangenen 86 Jahren erschienen, was ein umfassendes Arbeiten mit den Orthopteren Europas ungemein erschwerte. Urn eine neue Arbeitsgrundlage ftir diese uralte, im Verhalten und auch anderweitig hochinteressante Insektengruppe zu schaff en, habe ich in jahrelangen Vorarbeiten die Literatur und Material aus ganz Europa einge- hend studiert; nur ganz wenige Arten (sie sind im Textjeweils mit einem * gekennzeichnet) konnte ich nicht untersuchen, weil sie nicht zu erhalten waren. Meine liebe Frau stand mir bei der Arbeit unentwegt zur Seite und hat auch viele Tausend Messungen durchgefuhrt, urn die Variationsbreite in der GroBe der einzelnen Arten zu erfassen. Meine Untersuchungen im British Museum (Natural History), London, im Instituto Espanol de Entomologia, Madrid, und im Naturhistorischen Museum, Wien, wurden mir von der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft, Bad Godesberg, ermoglicht, der ich hiermit nochmals herzlich danke. Mit Material, Literatur und gutem Rat unterstutzten mich die Damen und Herren: ProGBP Dr. z. R. ADAMOVIC, Belgrad, ProGBP Dr. B. BACCETTI, Siena, Prof. Dr. M. BEIER, Wien, ProGBP Dr.