In this extensive update of his definitive reference, Charles D.
Michener reveals a diverse fauna that numbers more than 17,000
species and ranges from the common honeybee to rare bees that feed
on the pollen of a single type of plant. With many new facts,
reclassifications, and revisions, the second edition of The Bees of
the World provides the most comprehensive treatment of the 1,200
genera and subgenera of the Apiformes. Included are hundreds of
updated citations to work published since the appearance of the
first edition and a new set of plates of fossil bees.
The book begins with extensive introductory sections that
include bee evolution, classification of the various bee families,
the coevolution of bees and flowering plants, nesting behavior,
differences between solitary and social bees, and the anatomy of
these amazing insects. Drawing on modern studies and evidence from
the fossil record, Michener reveals what the ancestral bee -- the
protobee -- might have looked like. He also cites the major
literature on bee biology and describes the need for further
research on the systematics and natural history of bees, including
their importance as pollinators of crops and natural vegetation.
The greater part of the work consists of an unprecedented treatment
of bee systematics, with keys for identification to the subgenus
level. For each genus and subgenus, Michener includes a brief
natural history describing geographical range, number of species,
and noteworthy information pertaining to nesting or floral
biology.
The book is beautifully illustrated with more than 500 drawings
and photographs that depict behavior, detailed morphology, and
ecology. Accented with color plates ofselect bees, The Bees of the
World will continue to be the world's best reference on these
diverse insects.
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