Book Description
Walking a forest trail in Costa Rica, a visitor might be struck by the sight of an iridescent blue morpho butterfly fluttering ahead in the filtered daylight, or an enormous silk moth, as magnificently patterned and subtly colored as a Persian carpet, only emerging to fly at night. Elsewhere, vivid yellow and orange sulphur butterflies flock to puddles to sip the concentrated minerals. Such is the dazzling variety of the butterflies and moths unique to this region.
Gathered by biologists Daniel Janzen and Winifred Hallwachs in the forests of northwestern Costa Rica, 100 tropical butterflies and moths represent the diversity in large-format photographs by Jeffrey Miller that document the dizzying variety of shapes, colors, and markings. The photographs are accompanied by species accounts and images of the corresponding caterpillar. The authors recount these insects' feats of mimicry and migration, lift the veil on their courtship, and show how the new technology of DNA barcoding is changing the picture of Lepidopteran biodiversity.
The authors also tell the success story of Area de Conservacion Guanacaste, where the long-term work of Janzen and Hallwachs, a team of caterpillar collectors, and the participation of neighboring farming communities has deepened understanding of Costa Rica's Lepidoptera and has brought about advances in restoration ecology of tropical habitats, biodiversity prospecting, biotechnology, and ecotourism development.
Customer Reviews:
100 Butterflies and Moths: Portraits from the Tropical Forests of Costa Rica.......2007-09-07
Excellent! details in text and photographs. Highly recommended for biologists and folks interested in wild life.
Costa Rican Leps.......2007-05-24
This ia an excellant book that combines coffe-table quality photographs of the butterflies and moths with an excellent text describing interesting aspects of their biology.
Book Description
Understand the insect world with BORROR AND DELONG'S INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY OF INSECTS! Combining current insect identification, insect biology, and insect evolution, this biology text provides you with a comprehensive introduction to the study of insects. Numerous figures, bullets, easily understood diagrams, and numbered lists throughout the text help you grasp the material.
Customer Reviews:
Great Book.......2007-01-17
An entomologists must have. I have an older edition and bought this for my dad, who is an amateur entomologist.
Fantastic insect key.......2006-03-30
I purchased this book mostly as an insect key. It is organized well, and has a very extensive key, easy to understand, and covers a broad spectrum. If you are interested in insect ID or collection, or just want some information about them, this is a great book to get. Depending on your interests, I would also recommend the "Forest Entomology, Ecology and Management" book written by Coulson & Witter.
Important for both biologists and non-biologists.......2005-08-23
Everything about insects is fascinating, and this book gives a comprehensive overview of their behavior, anatomy, and classification. For non-experts in entomology, such as this reviewer, the book provides the necessary background for further study. Topics such as the molecular genetics of insects and the genetic engineering of insects are not covered, but there are plenty of other books that treat these topics in detail. Only the first four chapters were read by this reviewer, but only chapter four will be discussed here.
Early on in chapter four, the authors dispel the prejudice that since insects have small nervous systems and have short life spans, they are not automatons and can exhibit a remarkable degree of spontaneity. Insects can adjust to the circumstances of their environment and the organization of their activities can be extremely complex. What is most interesting about their discussion of insect behavior is the emphasis on how it depends on the internal state of the insect, and not only its nervous system but also its internal organs.
The authors view the basic unit of behavior in an insect as being a `reflex'. A receptor that is stimulated will cause a particular group of insects to contract, which is observed as a body movement of the insect. A `releaser' is the stimulus that actually triggers a specific collection of movements. This results in what is called a `fixed-action pattern', which, as the name implies, occurs the same way every time it occurs. To be contrasted with these are the `modal-action patterns' that adapt to changes in the body position of the insect relative to external objects. A `central pattern generator' the authors write, is responsible for the leg and wing movements of insects, and allows them to navigate in noisy environments. All of these considerations of insect behavior are interesting in themselves, but even more so considering that they are being applied to unexpected fields such as artificial intelligence. Indeed, the learning abilities of insects are being emulated in various machines in the last few years, with good success. And even, a new area of artificial intelligence called `swarm intelligence' has arisen that is based on the behavior of ants.
Along these same lines, the authors discuss four categories that he believes are useful in characterizing insect behavior. These categories clarify to a large extent the difference between `preprogrammed' and modified behaviors. The first of these are called `closed instincts', which are fixed programs. The second is more flexible and are called `open instincts', where experience feeds back and changes the program. The third consists of `restricted learning' and is the analog of classical conditioning. The last one is `flexible learning', wherein experience can result in significant changes in the behavior pattern. All of these categories have found expression in machines, as well as the types of learning that the authors believe exists in insects: habituation, and associative, latent, and insight learning. The authors admit though that insight learning, where familiarity with relationships among (neutral) stimuli is obtained, has not been established without controversy in insects. Honey bees though they quote as examples of insects that can engage in insight learning. Very interesting also in this discussion of the behavior of insects is the use of mathematical models. As expected intuitively, these models involve control theory, but even more "exotic" approaches such as optimality theory and dynamic stochastic modeling. Optimality theory is used with the assumption that insects evaluate their state variables and engage in decision-making that optimizes their gain according to some criterion.
Needless to say the learning abilities and behavior of insects is fascinating, and no doubt there are many surprises waiting for future entomologists. Their research efforts will not only assist in the better understanding of the most important representatives of the animal kingdom but they will be immediately used by those who are attempting to emulate this "primitive" intelligence of insects in machines.
Still an essential insect text despite a half-hearted update.......2004-08-06
Borror and Delong's weighty "Introduction to the Study of Insects" enters its 7th edition as the standard text for students of North American insect taxonomy. This latest edition is brought up to date by Charles Triplehorn and Norman Johnson after a 15 year gap.
As in earlier editions, Borror and DeLong is a comprehensive survey of North American insect diversity, containing identification keys for the insects and other arthropods along with brief overviews of each family and tips for collection and specimen preparation. Keys are mostly at the order and family levels of the Linnean hierarchy, with subfamily keys presented for select groups. This text is not a field guide; many groups are not illustrated, or are represented only by line drawings of particular parts of their anatomy. Rather, it is best used as a laboratory reference, a single-volume source for identifying insects and spiders to family. No other single reference has the breadth of this text, so Borror and DeLong should retain its place on the shelf of any serious entomologist.
"Introduction to the Study of Insects" also contains chapters on insect ecology, physiology, and systematics, but these are brief. More appropriate texts for these areas are available elsewhere (for instance, Gullan and Cranston's "An Outline of Entomology".)
The 7th edition has been sorely needed. A recent wealth of DNA sequence data and rapid advances in the methodology and philosophy of systematics have produced a flowering of research on insect relationships. As taxonomic improvements accumulated, the 6th edition- the only resource of its kind- had grown increasingly out of touch with the state of the field. So it should come as no surprise that the most noticeable changes in the new edition (aside from the leafy green cover and smaller font size of the text) are in the classifications. Gone is the order Homoptera, sunk at long last into Hempitera. A number of families have disappeared into synonymy (e.g., Anthophoridae into Apidae), while others have been split out (e.g., Stenopelmatidae from Gryllacrididae). Other changes include a completely new beetle key, a considerably improved treatment of spiders, and the inclusion of a newly-discovered order of African insects, Mantophasmatodea.
Triplehorn and Johnson unfortunately are uneven in adopting taxonomic updates across groups. For instance, the wasp family Sphecidae is retained in spite of a long-standing consensus among Hymenopterists that it does not represent a natural group, while other groups like the calyptrate fly family Fanniidae are split out in spite of a lack of consensus among Dipterists over its status. The authors also mix Linnean ranked categories (Family, Order, etc.) with non-ranked clades in several places, with confusing results. Given the extraordinarily dynamic state of the field, however, the authors can be forgiven for some of their decisions.
Many of the revisions appear hasty, as though the book were primarily product of a publisher's deadline. For example, the utility of Michael Ivie's improved beetle key is marred by its incongruous insertion into the largely unaltered text of the previous edition. The chapter introduction treats the user to explanations of 6th edition characters that no longer appear in the new key, while scores of new and often complex characters are not explained in the text, do not appear in the glossary, and are not illustrated. I had to refer to Arnett's American Beetles numerous times to make sense of the new characters. In fact, with few exceptions (like Trichoptera), the figures have not been updated for several editions and users are left to puzzle over scores of unexplained couplets. Microsetose antennal grooves in Coleoptera? Dorsal versus ventral abdominal spiracles in Lygaeoid bugs? Adequate explanations will not be found in the text.
The editing is sloppy. The formatting of taxonomic synopses appears not to have been checked as there are errors in indentation (e.g., the Calyptrate muscoid fly families are indented equal to their header). Page headers for keys persist well beyond the keys themselves. For instance, scale insect descriptions (pg. 324-328) are found on pages labeled, oddly enough, "Key to the Subfamilies of Cicadellidae." The index is conspicuously error-laden (e.g., the beetle family Ciidae is nowhere to be found, but appears erroneously as "Cidae" and "Cilidae". And who knew that "Cermanbycidae"(sic) were long-horned beetles?). Some figure references in the keys have not caught up to the new arrangement of the illustrations; couplet 53 in the fly key points to an illustration that has since moved elsewhere.
Distressingly, a few errors from the previous edition are left uncorrected, and new errors have been introduced. For example, couplet 11 of the Hymenoptera key still asks users to decide if certain wing crossveins are "present" or "present" (11' should read "absent"). Couplet 14 shunts wingless wasps to couplet 16 (the Apoidea) instead of couplet 106. Most moths in the common family Noctuidae will be incorrectly identified as Pantheidae because of a text error at couplet 59 in the Lepidoptera key.
The family descriptions that follow the keys in each chapter are a mixed bag. Usually they are succinct and accurate, but some of the assessments of North American species numbers are dated. There are occasional taxonomic errors that result from outdated text carried uncritically over from older editions. For example, our Nearctic army ants have been classified in the genus Neivamyrmex since the 1950s, yet the text several editions later still refers to them as Eciton.
The Borror and DeLong text remains without an equal as an all-in-one volume for the identification of North American insect families. As such, it is a shame that my impression of the 7th edition is one of missed opportunity. 15 years since the 6th edition should be plenty of time to draw up new figures to keep pace with taxonomic advances and illustrate the updated keys, and certainly enough time to put the text through the rigorous proof-reading that it apparently never received.
(note: the reviewer uses this text in teaching a field entomology class at the University of California at Davis)
An Updated Version of a Great Classic.......2004-07-05
This is the book on insect taxonomy that most entomologists had as their text in introductory courses. The current (7th) edition is revised to fit recent changes in classification and certainly continues the standard set by Borror and DeLong many years ago. It was never intended to be a text in physiology, behavior or ecology. There are texts for these subjects available and just covering the systematic aspects of insects thoroughly is enough of a task.
My only quibbles have to do with some changes in arrangement of orders that I am not sure of (such as the union of Hemiptera and Homoptera, and Anoplura and Mallophaga - the latter was also true of the 6th ed.) and the fact that scorpion taxonomy was apparently not revised at all, despite numerous changes in the last several years.
However, that said, this edition is a continued improvement of a great classic of entomology. Among highlights are Jeremy Miller's and Darrell Ubick's excellent revision of the spider section and the new format for keys to the insects making them easier to use.
Without a doubt this will remain the best standard textbook on insect taxonomy available and I recommend it with only the minor reservations noted.
Book Description
This book isn't just a guide to beekeeping or a honey cookbook; it's both. No other book on the market provides an in-depth review of beekeeping and what honey is good for and how to use it.
Beautifully illustrated, the Backyard Beekeeper is perfect for the health-conscious person who wants to sweeten up their life by saying no to processed sugars and yes to eating organic, healthy food.
This book is the complete "honey bee" resource with general information on bees; a how-to guide to the art of bee keeping and how to set up, care for, and harvest your own hives; as well as tons of fun facts and projects that are bee related. The second half of the book is the complete guide to honey. It reviews the different types of honey and their health effects as well as provides hundreds of ideas and recipes for using honey in recipes, cosmetically in facemasks and shampoos, and for medicinal uses.
Customer Reviews:
you need to have good vision to read this.......2007-10-09
This book has a lot of good information in it, the Photos are great, but the small and light print on the glossy pages make it very hard to read unless you just happen to have a magnifying glass.
It's Okay.......2007-07-20
But I wanted to read about Top Bar Hives and this book didn't really go into any detail about them.
Good beginner book.......2007-07-01
This covers bee keeping well for a beginner. Wish that they discussed more organic options for theatment of problems.
Great Pictures.......2007-05-14
This was an easy to read book for beginner beekeepers. This book had great pictures and was helpful for any level beekeeper.
Great.......2007-03-14
Good book for beginners from getting the right equipment to extracting the honey. Great color pictures that are very informative.
Average customer rating:
- A very easy to read and informative book
- This book is very good for any beginner or anyone just interested in beekeeping.
- Beekeeping for Dummies is awesome!!
- Cannot wait to get started
- recommended reading
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Beekeeping for Dummies
Howland Blackiston
Manufacturer: For Dummies
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Similar Items:
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The Backyard Beekeeper: An Absolute Beginner's Guide to Keeping Bees in Your Yard and Garden
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Hive Management: A Seasonal Guide for Beekeepers
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Beekeeping: A Practical Guide
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A Book of Bees: And How to Keep Them
ASIN: 0764554190 |
Book Description
Believe it or not, bees are one of the oldest species of domesticated animals. Archeologists have found evidence of beekeeping, or apiculture, in the Middle East dating back more than five thousand years. If you’ve ever tasted good clover honey, it’s not hard to understand why. But it’s not just for the honey that more than 125,000 people (and growing) in the United States, alone, keep hives. Anyone interested in nature can’t help but be fascinated by those buzzing yellow bundles of energy and the exotic world they inhabit, with all its weird rituals and incredible efficiency. Also, dedicated gardeners appreciate the extra bounty that pollinating bees bring to their fruits, flowers, and vegetable gardens.
In this easy-to-follow guide, Howland Blackiston, one of the nation’s most respected authorities on the subject, takes the mystery (and the sting) out of beekeeping. Taking a step-by-step approach to successful backyard beekeeping, he gets you up and running with all the information you need to:
- Build a hive
- Establish your first colony
- Inspect your hives with confidence
- Maintain healthy colonies
- Deal with pests and fix common problems
- Harvest and enjoy fresh homemade honey
- Bottle and market your honey
Howland Blackiston covers all the bases, from bee anatomy, society, and behavior, to identifying and healing common illnesses afflicting bees. He also offers inventive solutions to most common and many uncommon problems you’re likely to run into. Among other things, you’ll discover:
- Where to put your hive, basic equipment you’ll need, and how to assemble a hive
- The best and safest way to inspect and enjoy your bees
- Year-round tasks a beekeeper must perform to maintain a healthy colony
- How to recognize and deal with common problems with brood production and the precious queen
- How to harvest honey and decide what kind of honey you’d like to make
- Making products from beeswax and propolis
For both fun and profit, beekeeping has become a booming enterprise. A real honey of a book, Beekeeping For Dummies gets you on the road to enjoying this ancient, highly-rewarding, and oh-so-tasty hobby.
Customer Reviews:
A very easy to read and informative book.......2007-10-09
This is a very good and easy to read book and I believe you will learn a lot and enjoy reading it!
This book is very good for any beginner or anyone just interested in beekeeping........2007-09-30
After you get started you'll soon realize that there is a lot of information not in this book, so I think you'll naturally go out to seek for more knowledge, I know I did! For getting people interested and well informed this is a fantastic resource! Couple this will a membership in a local bee club and a saving account for more books, videos, and magazine subscription and your well on your way in wonderful world of beekeeping!
Beekeeping for Dummies is awesome!!.......2007-07-25
I'm new to the world of beekeeping and this book has got to be one of the best resources available. I would definently recommend it for beekeeper of all experience.
Cannot wait to get started.......2007-07-11
I loved the book and cannot wait to get started. Unfortunately, I will have to wait till Spring 2008. The book is very inspiring.
recommended reading.......2007-07-11
There is not a single "tell all" book for beginner beekeepers, however this is a must in the beginner library. My recommendations are
#1 Beekeeping for Dummies by Howland Blackiston
#2 Beekeeping-A Practical Guide by Richard Bonney
#3 Hive Management by Richard Bonney
in that order.
Product Description
Aquatic Biology and Natural History are subjects of interests to many, whether they be related to one's vocational education, one's avocation, or purely to one's appreciation for the living order of the world. This book has been written not only for entomologists, ecologists, and students of aquatic entomology, but also for sport fishermen, naturalists, and environmental assessment specialists. For those who may not have some vested interested in nature and ecology, this book will provide a pictorial introduction to some of the most fascinating life forms on earth and, hopefully, "wet" the appetite for understanding the aquatic insects, their environment, and their relationship to human life.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent insects!.......2007-02-12
I am very pleased with this text, as an up and coming fisheries biologist, I hope to use it in my future.
book review.......2006-02-25
This book is very detailed and gives accurate descriptions of all aquatic insects. The pictures with in each chapter also depict what the specimen look like. With all the information on the aquatic insects that is provide by this book it would be hard to believe that there is a better book out there.
Buy it for the pictures.......2005-08-16
This book is amazingly beautiful. The illustrations alone make it worth the money. As an aquatic entomologist who teaches an aquatic entomology lab to college students, I find this book to be an invaluable source of high quality images for use in my classes. The pictorial keys are also very helpful - they are very easy to follow and make it almost a simplistic task for a lay person to identify aquatic insects down to the family level. Some of these keys are a little outdated since publication of the book, but they are still helpful for the most part.
My only complaint with this book is that it doesn't go into as much scientific detail as is necessary for a serious student of entomology. Still, this isn't meant to be a textbook or an identification manual for complex identifications lower than the family level. If the book is used as intended by fishermen and ecologists, this is a very helpful book.
And did I mention the ilustrations are amazing?
Aquatic Entomology.......2005-08-10
This is a must have for fly fishermen looking to study entomology as it applies to fishing and fly tying. I saw this book at my local Orvis store (reference only) and one look told me I needed it in my library. The plates and drawings are fantastic. This is a detailed study, but not over the head of most fly fishermen. Match it with Gary Lafontaine's "Caddisflies", Shane Stalcup's "Mayflies - Top to Bottom" and/or Dave Hugh's "Matching Mayflies" and you have the start of a good entomology library for fly fishermen.
Aquatic Entomology even has sections marked by a small image of a tied fly, which are of special interest to the fisherman. Get this book!!
An oldie, but goodie..........2004-12-17
The book is now quite old. There have been several regroupings at the family level since this book has been published so even if you use it correctly, you can incorrectly identify insects. Also, if you are serious about identifying aquatic insects, the family-level keys of this book are insufficient to give your work credibility. Those are the two problems with this book... 1- it is a little out of date AND 2- it is a limited tool for identifying organisms.
All that aside, it is a very good book to teach the CONCEPTS of taxonomy to students. The keys have nice flow charts that teach students to make the kinds of decisions that they need identify insects.
Does it have legs? Or not?
Does it have wings? Or not?
Does it have one claw? Or two?
The keys use pictures so that the process does not become bogged down in terminology. Thus I highly recommend it to teachers and to parents that are helping there child build their own entomology collection. I keep a copy for work shops.
The color plates in the back are beautiful and help convey the appearance of specimens in life. Most of the book has nice grey-scale illustrations.
The Author is a mayfly specialist... one of THE mayfly specialists in the world...
If you are interested in this book there are other titles you may find interesting. Try Reese Voshell's book if you are interested in teaching insects to older kids, or for watershed monitoring groups. [2002: A Guide to Common Freshwater Invertebrates of North America]; it also contains lots of interesting ecologic information.
If you are interested general taxonomy of aquatic insects, try Merritt and Cummins 1996 [An Introduction to the Aquatic Insects of North America]. It provides the best keys to genus-level for most insects. But be aware that a new edition should be out in 2 years or so... this book is not real friendly if you have not had a college-level entomology... but i heard a rumor that that there will be a nice glossary in the new edition that should make it more accessible...
of course not all aquatic invertebrates are insects... if you are interested in these critters (amphipods, snails, etc) try Thrope and Covich 2002 [Ecology and Classification of Freshwater Invertebrates]
Note that, for genus-level-taxonomy, the last two books will require access to a medium to High-quality dissecting microscope and may require a compound microscope. The Books by McCafferty and by Voshell do not require as much magnification...
If you would like further information you can email me and I will be glad to help. brett@thebugguy.org
Book Description
Meticulously researched and illustrated with color photographs,
Insects is a landmark reference book that is ideal for any naturalist or entomologist. To enhance exact identification of insects, the photographs in this encyclopedic reference were taken in the field -- and are not pinned specimens.
Insects enables readers to identify most insects quickly and accurately. The more than 50 pages of picture keys lead to the appropriate chapter and specific photos to confirm identification. The keys are surprisingly comprehensive and easy for non-specialists to use.
Insects features:
- Detailed chapters covering all insect orders and the insect families of eastern North America
- A brief examination of common families of related terrestrial arthropods
- 4,000 color photographs illustrating typical behaviors and key characteristics
- 28 picture keys for quick and accurate insect identification
- Three indexes -- common family names, photographs, general index
- Expert guidance on observing, collecting and photographing insects.
Almost 80 percent of all named animal species are insects and closely related arthropods. This book is required reading for anyone interested in entomology.
Customer Reviews:
Great for Novice and Advanced Entomologists Alike.......2007-09-06
The descriptions of each insect family and the many color photos of representatives of each family are interesting and memorable. This book gave me a fun overview of most insect families, and has a nice picture key that is much easier to use than conventional keys. I am a novice to insects, but as I learn more and more, I have no doubt that I will continue turning back to this book with its wealth of information and photos. This book is truly an intellectual gem - fun to read, and packed with interesting information. A MUST-HAVE for anyone interested in insects.
A top basic reference pick for serious science libraries........2007-05-08
Stephen A. Marshall's INSECTS: THEIR NATURAL HISTORY AND DIVERSITY isn't for the general-interest holding so much as the college-level collection catering to entomologists or students of such. Insects of Eastern North America are the focus in a jam-packed colorful reference displaying insects within their order and including notes on their introduction, habitats, coloring and more. It's the professional's solid reference to identification and habits, making it a top basic reference pick for serious science libraries.
Great Reference.......2007-05-07
My wife and I have a landscaping company and teach gardening. I have been looking for a complete book insects, not just the problem ones. This book has great pictures of the life cycle of the insect not just the adult or larve. Another great book is Garden Insects of North America by Whitney Cranshaw.
Very Happy Customer.......2007-01-09
The book arrived in a timely manner, and was in perfect (new) condition. It was purchased for a Christmas gift, the person receiving it was happy, too! It's an excellent book, well worth the price!! Lots of photographs and information to aid in identifying insects. The best part is that Amazon had this book for sale 20 to 30 dollars less than the first place I has seen it for sale.
Beautifully Photographed Book.......2007-01-04
I bought this book for my entomologist husband and was very impressed with the book.
Book Description
This established and popular textbook is the definitive guide to the study of insects - a group of animals that represent over half of the planet 's biological diversity. In this new, third edition the authors maintain the clear, concise approach of the previous editions, examining all aspects of insect biology.In addition to updating the whole text with the latest research, the third edition features:a new chapter on the methods and results of studies of insect phylogeny;a new review of insect evolution and biogeography;strategies in insect conservation, covered for the first time, reflecting the increasing threat to natural ecosystems from introduced species and environmental changes; anda review of the Mantophasmatodea - the first new order of insects described for many decades.Written in an accessible and stimulating style, the book includes boxes highlighting key themes, suggestions for further reading, and is extensively illustrated with specially commissioned drawings and color plates. This book is the ideal principal text for students taking courses in entomology and for wider degree courses in which the study of insects is important, such as ecology, agriculture, fisheries and forestry, paleontology, zoology, and medical and veterinary science.
Amazon.com
There are about 100,000 kinds of insects in North America, so obviously they can't have a field guide in the same way the 650 species of birds do: something both portable and complete. The National Audubon Society has produced a remarkably useful compromise. This guide has photographs and descriptions of 550 insect species and 60 kinds of spiders. Most of the families of arthropods on the continent are covered, as are all of the most common species. It's a very useful resource for any North American naturalist, and the best choice for an adult who is not an expert entomologist. --Mary Ellen Curtin
Book Description
Spiders, bugs, moths, butterflies, beetles, bees, flies, dragonflies, grasshoppers, and many other insects are detailed in more than 700 full-color photographs visually arranged by shape and color. Descriptive text includes measurements, diagnostic details, and information on habitat, range, feeding habits, sounds or songs, flight period, web construction, life cycle, behaviors, folklore, and environmental impact. An illustrated key to the insect orders and detailed drawings of the parts of insects, spiders, and butterflies supplement this extensive coverage.
Customer Reviews:
On par with all the Audobon Guides.......2007-08-30
Very informative like all the Audobon Guides, and lots of photos, which really helps. Only caveat is that I'd like to see them have several volumes to cover ALL insects in North America, as there are too many to cover in just this one guide. Although I am aware that they have separate guides for butterflies.
National AuddubonGuide ;to North American insects &Spiders.......2007-08-11
Absolutely wonderful !!! my dinnette has windows to the West and North, and every morning while having my coffee I find myself referring to it as the butterflies and bees and birds share my lovely flowering trees and bushes...along with the ground squirrels, chip monks, rabbits and multiple birds.....if people could only take their example, it could be a better world.
a good solid field guide.......2007-06-01
As with all the Audubon Field Guides, so with this one: The color photos are the best of the guides; the durable construction with leatherette cover is very good; and the information is generally accurate and descriptive. The index is organized to cross refererence the color plates with the descriptions - it's pretty straight forward when looking up a bug. Yet, the summaries, as in all the Audubon books, are just too brief; this may be the most glaring of its deficiencies. Any future edition could use a fleshing out on the details.
The Audubon books are better than the Stokes and Peterson guides. As a general all round guide, these books have a place in any naturalist's library.
Extracts: A Field Guide for Iconoclasts
Good quality guide and colorful images.......2007-05-15
Good quality, very comprehensive book with great color pictures. It could benefit from telling you if the creatires pose any threat to humans or are poisonous, as that's why I bought it!
How to find a spider!.......2006-12-23
I bought this book to look up a particular spider that I get at my house each summer. The book gave me the name and I looked up poison information on the net. The pictures are great and I am very happy with it. This year, we got a different type of spider and this book did not list it, but as a guide to the major varieties, it is the best...
Average customer rating:
- A solid text
- Good text for advanced students
- Illinois Physiology Class Recommends Chapman's Text
- AN ESSENTIAL BOOK !!!!!!!!!
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The Insects: Structure and Function
R. F. Chapman
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
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Similar Items:
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Principles of Insect Morphology (Comstock Book)
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Borror and DeLong's Introduction to the Study of Insects
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Insects: Their Natural History and Diversity: With a Photographic Guide to Insects of Eastern North America
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Physiological Systems in Insects, Second Edition
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Evolution of the Insects
ASIN: 0521578906 |
Book Description
The Insects takes a detailed look at how insects function as animals. This textbook brings together basic anatomy and physiology and relates them to behavior. Coverage emphasizes the roles of different functional systems in the context of the whole organism using studies of many different species as examples. Unlike other texts, The Insects does not dwell on classification, opting instead to take an in-depth look at physiology, providing any biologist with a better basic understanding of how insects work. A long-awaited update of a well established standard text and respected reference work for students and researchers in zoology, entomology and physiology, this fourth edition has been rewritten throughout, while retaining the successful structure of the earlier editions. Illustrations have been augmented with electron micrographs, and expanded reference sections will make this volume a valuable addition to all biologists' bookshelves.
Customer Reviews:
A solid text.......2001-07-10
This is a solid text on the structure and physiology of insects. It has been used in two of my graduate level entomology classes, and none of the instructors have said "I wish Chapman had done ... differently".
Good text for advanced students.......2000-05-04
Chapman's book is a comprehensive and well-written entomology text. Not only does he cover all the basic topics in entomology, he does so in depth. This text may be too detailed and overwhelming for begining entomology students but is great for more advanced students. The one problem I have with this book is that Chapman often uses jargon without defining or explaining it, leaving the reader to look it up or remain confused.
Illinois Physiology Class Recommends Chapman's Text.......2000-05-01
The following comments were written by graduate and undergraduate members of an advanced class in insect physiology taught Spring Semester 2000.
Chapman's book is interesting and covers a variety of topics. It is interesting for learning about how much insects differ between orders. Chapman gives many examples of different phenomena in insects. As a student, though, all the examples and different phenomena make studying from the book difficult and overwhelming. It is useful as a reference, a book to read to clarify topics discussed in lecture. But it is very specific with the examples.
Chapman's textbook is comprehensive. It covers all aspects of insect physiology. It has full and updated literature citations for each chapter, which is very helpful for further reading. The language is simple and precise. But it is a little bit conservative and has slight coverage of some hot topics. The coverage favors insect structure and morphology.
For me as a student the Chapman text was very helpful, because it is clearly structured and it covers nearly all important fields of insect physiology and structure. The new edition is very up-to-date and gives good examples from recent investigations. It is a bit too focused on research conducted in the US, but this probably reflects the fact that most of the important research is conducted there. The illustrations are very clear and helpful.
I used this textbook in an advanced insect physiology class. To be perfectly honest, this book was a minor part of the class for me. I skimmed through it, used it for references, and as a sort of entomology handbook. From my perspective, it was a very complete source of information. At times it was a bit heavy on detail, but the information I needed was all there and clearly stated.
This book is not one that is useful to read from front to back. It is an excellent reference book that should be owned by all entomologists. Three or more specific examples are given for each topic instead of a generic example for all insects. This is useful because it gives you the range of known physiology of insects that can be compared to the reader's "insect of choice."
Chapman gives all the details an entomologist needs to know about insects. It may be a bit confusing due to the vast number of insects, but it is a good resource to own and keep. Chapman is very thorough.
One of the strengths of Chapman's new edition of Insects, Structure and Function is the wealth of examples. Every section of the book has examples from just about all of the orders of insects, although grasshoppers seem to rule disproportionately. A weakness with all of these wonderful examples is the cumbersome way Chapman places a list of them at the beginning of a section. He intends them to be as authoritative fleet of representatives who give some scale and scope to the subject being presented. They unfortunately end up as a heavy flotilla that diverts the reader's attention from the information sought. There are places in the book where subjects that are usually treated together or that work as a whole system are poorly integrated. Digestion and nutrition are so separately treated (they are in different chapters) that the reader finds herself having to cross reference from section to section to make cogent sense of what nutrients have to do with digestion. Strangely, when Chapman presents the great variety of insect form and function one has a sense of cacophony. Instead of giving us a unity, or even the illusion of unity, of how form and function interact we are presented with vignettes of research. But these vignettes do not provide us with the pretty and easy to get to views that we find on the Internet. We find ourselves lost somewhere in a tome that is more intent on directing our attention to variation than to presenting us with direct descriptions. But then again, how do you argue with the only author in English who has been brave enough to try to make a synthetic analysis of the most diverse group of animals on earth?
AN ESSENTIAL BOOK !!!!!!!!!.......1999-02-05
If you have Wiggleswort's Insect Physilology, Borror's Introduction to Entonology and Chapman's Insects Structure and Function, you have the best basic Entomology sources. Yes, is a little expensive but, It is not the life expensive too?. Buy it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Book Description
Many insects are difficult even for the experts to identify. In the new Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America, readers will find a wealth of information on the amazing observable behaviors of insects and their fascinating life histories. Naturalists Kenn Kaufman and Eric Eaton use a broad ecological approach rather than overly technical terms, making the book accessible and understandable for everyone. The lively and engaging text emphasizes the insects that are most likely to catch our attention but includes information on all groups that can be recognized. The guide is lavishly illustrated, with more than 2,000 digitally enhanced photographs representing every major group of insects found in North America north of Mexico. Comprehensive yet compact, authoritative yet easy to understand, this is the perfect guide for anyone who wants to know more about the fascinating and diverse insects of North America.
Customer Reviews:
Easy to use field guide for everybody........2007-09-16
The Kaufman guide has descriptions of many common species, with excellent photographs on the facing page (not on plates grouped together elsewhere in the volume, so that you have to have two different pages open at once). Eric Eaton's text makes for entertaining reading as well. It is impossible for any one guide to cover all the insects of North America. Although the authors claim to have only the most common species represented, I have identified some fairly obscure insects among my photographs. As a biology professor, people bring me all kinds of insects for identification. From now on, I'll be reaching for the Kaufman guide first whenever someone brings me an unknown bug.
Good Pictorial Identification.......2007-09-10
This book gives a good picture reference for trying to identify insects of North America. It does come up lacking if you are trying to critically identify through more than just an image. I would recommend using this book in concert with the Peterson Field Guide which provides much more detail for key characteristics useful for identification. What Kaufman lacks in that area however it makes up for with great photographs.
Great book for budding entomologists........2007-08-31
This book was recommended to us by the local 4H entomology judge at the county fair. We had been struggling with identifying insects using an old Peterson guide and Audubon guide. This book has them all! Great pictures and well-organized. Nice to see the corresponding caterpillars with the butterfly pictures.
another general insect book.......2007-07-14
The book is an excellent complement to the Peterson insect book. The range of insects pictured is wide. This does not teach about insect biology and the information for each species is very little. The species you run across in everyday life are here, or close relatives are here. Once you know a name you can start to find out more!
Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America.......2007-05-12
The best field guide to the common insects of North America available. An excellent selection of taxa has been chosen as representatives. Anyone interested in insects needs this book.
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