Showing 1–12 of 34 results
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Insects: Evolutionary Success, Unrivaled Diversity, and World Domination
Artist/Author: Rivers, David B.$187.00 Add to cartDesigned as an introduction to the intriguing world of insect biology, Insects: Evolutionary Success, Unrivaled Diversity, and World Domination examines familiar entomological topics in nontraditional ways. Author David B. Rivers gives important concepts relatable context through a pop culture lens, and he covers subjects that are not typical for entomology textbooks, including the impact of insects on the human condition, the sex lives of insects, why insects are phat but not fat, forensic entomology, and the threats that some insects pose to humanity.
Each chapter presents clear and concise key concepts, chapter reviews, review questions following Bloom’s taxonomy of learning, web links to videos and other resources, and breakout boxes (called Fly Spots) that capture student interest with unique and entertaining facts related to entomology. Focusing on both traditional and cutting-edge aspects of insect biology and packed with extensive learning resources, Insects covers a wide range of topics suitable for life science majors, as well as non-science students, including:
– the positive and negative influences of insects on everyday human life
– insect abundance
– insect classification (here presented in the context of social media)
– insect feeding, communication, defense, and sex
– how insects are responding to climate change
– forensic entomology
– how insects can be used as weapons of war
– how insects relate to national security
– why insects have wings
– how to read pesticide labels -
A guide to beetles of Borneo.
Artist/Author: Bosuang, Steven, Arthur Y.C. Chung and C.L. Chan.$60.00 Add to cartBorneo’s mesmerising natural biodiversity is made up of very many species, including beetles, and very many are also endemic or confined to this island. It follows that it is virtually impossible to attempt including all beetles in the present account. This pictorial guide covers more than 150 beetle species, including some of the most captivating or even inspiring forms known. To foster better awareness and showcase the high diversity of tropical beetles, we feature some large and interesting beetles as well as others commonly encountered in Borneo. More than a third of those featured in this book are endemic to Borneo.
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The insects: an outline of entomology.
Artist/Author: Gullan, P.J. and P.S. Cranston.$107.00 Add to cartThis established, popular textbook provides a stimulating and comprehensive introduction to the insects, the animals that represent over half of the planet’s biological diversity. In this new fifth edition, the authors introduce the key features of insect structure, function, behaviour, ecology and classification, placed within the latest ideas on insect evolution. Much of the book is organised around major biological themes – living on the ground, in water, on plants, in colonies, and as predators, parasites/parasitoids and prey.
A strong evolutionary theme is maintained throughout. The ever-growing economic importance of insects is emphasized in new boxes on insect pests, and in chapters on medical and veterinary entomology, and pest management. Updated ‘taxoboxes’ provide concise information on all aspects of each of the 27 major groupings (orders) of insects. All chapters are thoroughly updated with the latest results from international studies. It features an accompanying website with downloadable illustrations and links to video clips. All chapters to include new text boxes of topical issues and studies. It presents major revision of systematic and taxonomy chapter. Still beautifully illustrated with more new illustrations from the artist, Karina McInnes.
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Planet of the Bugs: Evolution and the Rise of Insects
Artist/Author: Shaw, Scott Richard.$38.00 Add to cartThis book provides a sweeping account of insects’ evolution from their humble arthropod ancestors into the bugs we know today. Leaving no stone unturned, Shaw explores how evolutionary innovations such as small body size, wings, metamorphosis, and parasitic behavior have enabled insects to disperse widely, occupy increasingly narrow niches, and survive global catastrophes in their rise to global dominance. Through buggy tales at turns bizarre and comical – from caddisflies that construct portable houses or weave silken aquatic nets to trap floating debris, to parasitic wasp larvae that develop in the blood of host insects and, by storing waste products in their rear ends, are able to postpone defecation until after they emerge – he not only unearths how changes in our planet’s geology, flora, and fauna contributed to insects’ success, but also how, in return, insects came to shape terrestrial ecosystems and amplify biodiversity. Indeed, in his visits to modern earth’s hyperdiverse rain forests to highlight the current insect extinction crisis, Shaw reaffirms just how critical these tiny beings are to planetary health and human survival. In this age of honeybee die-offs and bedbugs hitching rides in the spines of library books, Planet of the Bugs charms with humor, affection, and insight into the world’s six-legged creatures, revealing an essential importance that resonates across time and space.
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The infested mind: why humans, fear, loathe, and love insects.
Artist/Author: Lockwood, Jeffrey A.$30.00 Add to cartThe psychological connections between humans and insects are tantalizing and complex. Through both evolutionary associations and cultural representations, insects have deeply infested our minds. They frighten, disgust, and sometimes enchant us. Whatever the case, few of us are ambivalent in the face of wasps, cockroaches, spiders, maggots, crickets or butterflies. They arouse terror, nausea, fascination-but rarely, if ever, indifference. And the costs of fear can be high, both in terms of the quality of individual lives and with regard to our social responses, from soaking our food with insecticides to overlooking our dependence on the ecological roles of insects (including those on the brink of extinction). The book is an examination of what scientists, philosophers, and writers have learned about the human-insect relationship. Jeffrey Lockwood is an entomologist himself and yet still experiences bouts of entomophobia; in fact, his seemingly paradoxical response to certain insects and scenarios is what prompted him to write this book. The book explores the nature of anxiety and phobia and the line between them.
It examines entomophobia in the context of the nature-nurture debate, posing the question: how much of our fear of insects can be attributed to our ancestors’ predisposition to avoid insects to benefit their own survival, and how much is learned through parents? Using his own and others’ experiences with entomophobia as case studies, Lockwood breaks down common reactions to insects, distinguishing between fear and disgust, and inviting the reader to consider his/her own emotional, cognitive, and physiological reactions to insects in a new light. -
Handbook of agricultural entomology.
Artist/Author: van Emden, H. F.$145.00 Add to cartA landmark publication for students and practitioners of entomology applied to agriculture and horticulture. It can be used both as a reference and as a general textbook. The book opens with a general introduction to entomology and includes coverage of the major insects (and mites) that cause harm to crops, livestock and humans. The important beneficial species are also included. Organisms are described in a classification of insect Orders and Families. The emphasis is on morphological characters of major taxonomic divisions, “spot characters” for the recognition of Families, and the life histories, damage symptoms and economic importance of the various pest species. The book is beautifully illustrated in full colour with over 400 figures showing both the organisms and the damage caused to plants with diagnostic characters indicated by arrows. Coverage is world-wide and includes much material stemming from the vast personal experience of the author.
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Medical entomology for students.
Artist/Author: Service, Mike.$110.00 Add to cartThis book provides information on the recognition, biology, ecology and medical importance of the arthropods that affect human health. The fifth edition of this popular textbook is completely updated and incorporates the latest strategies for controlling insects, ticks and mites. Numerous illustrations, with new colour photographs of some of the most important vectors, aid recognition. A glossary of entomological and epidemiological terms is included, along with a list of commonly used insecticides and their trade names. Clearly presented in a concise style, this text is aimed at students of medical entomology, tropical medicine, parasitology and pest control.
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Forensic entomology: an introduction.
Artist/Author: Gennard, Dorothy.$95.00 Add to cartProvides undergraduates with a concise introduction to the subject. The book is written with the clarity necessary for students starting out in entomology yet authoritative enough to prove useful for more experienced researchers. Worked examples of the necessary mathematics, including how to use excel to process data, coupled with lab protocols and self-assessment questions make the book an essential starting point in the subject. Assuming little prior knowledge of either biology or entomology the book provides information on identification, life cycles and ecology of insects presented in a forensic context. Information is conveyed in an accessible style with practical tasks and suggestions for further reading included in each chapter.* Fully revised and updated to include new research in the field* New chapter on aquatic forensic entomology* New pictorial key to aid identification of species contributed by Dr.
Krzysztof Szpila, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Poland* Further coverage of civil applications of forensic entomology* Practical tasks and further reading included to aid understanding* Colour plate section and improved illustrations throughout to assist in the identification of insects associated with the corpse* Approaches the topic from the dual perspectives of basic entomology and its forensic applications* Covers the contributions to forensic investigations of both flies and beetles* Provides information on culturing insects collected from crime scenes* Guides students through the processes of writing entomological court reports and presenting in court alongside the scientific topics* Extended coverage of PMI calculations, role of professional associations for forensic entomologists and sampling at the crime scene* New sections to discuss the identification of traces of explosives found in larvae, puparia and pupae and DNA sampling from insects. Also available in hardcover [stock id 34407]. -
Insect photography: art and techniques.
Artist/Author: Bebbington, John.$45.00 Add to cartInsect photography is both a challenging and rewarding art. If an image is well shot it can yield stunning results, which can aid study and enhance enjoyment of the natural world. Through introducing insects and their behaviour, it advises on when and how to see nature at work and, by instructing on techniques, it shows how to capture the moment to dramatic effect. Aimed at all levels of naturalist and photographer, this practical guide also gives detailed advise on different cameras and equipment.
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Advances in the systematics of fossil and modern insects: honouring Alexandr Rasnitsyn.
Artist/Author: Scherbakov, Dmitry, Michael Engel, and Michael Sharkey, editors.$170.00 Add to cartZooKeys 130. Celebrates the 75th birthday of Alexandr P. Rasnitsyn, a pioneer in the alaeontology and phylogeny of Hymenoptera, as well as a leader generally in insect systematics and evolution. Born in Moscow, Russia, on 24 September 1936, he developed his passion for Hymenoptera at an early age. After completing his degrees in 1960 he joined the Arthropoda Laboratory in the Paleontological Institute of the USSR (now Russian) Academy of Sciences, Moscow, and worked his way from Technician to the Head of the laboratory, in this capacity leading the most productive group of paleoentomologists for 28 years. He has co-authored and edited several keystone books on insect paleontology and evolution, including History of Insects (2002), the first large-scale work of its kind in English. Rasnitsyn served as the first President of the International Palaeoentomological Society, and was bestowed Honorary Membership by the Russian Entomological Society and in 2008 with the Distinguished Research Medal of the International Society of Hymenopterists.
Herein colleagues from around the world have presented original contributions to the systematics of diverse insect orders, living and fossil, as a tribute to this pioneer of Hymenoptera and paleoentomological research. Numerous new taxa are described and their phylogenetic implications explored. A biographical sketch and a list of Rasnitsyn’s more than 360 scientific publications (spanning 52 years) are provided.
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Encyclopedia of insects.
Artist/Author: Resh, Vincent H. and Ring T. Carde.$156.00 Add to cartAwarded Best Reference by the New York Public Library (2004), Outstanding Academic Title by CHOICE (2003), and AAP/PSP 2003 Best Single Volume Reference/Sciences by Association of American Publishers’ Professional Scholarly Publishing Division, the first edition of “Encyclopedia of Insects” was acclaimed as the most comprehensive work devoted to insects. Covering all aspects of insect anatomy, physiology, evolution, behavior, reproduction, ecology, and disease, as well as issues of exploitation, conservation, and management, this book sets the standard in entomology. The second edition of this reference will continue the tradition by providing the most comprehensive, useful, and up-to-date resource for professionals. Expanded sections in forensic entomology, biotechnology and Drosphila, reflect the full update of over 300 topics. Articles contributed by over 260 high profile and internationally recognized entomologists provide definitive facts regarding all insects from ants, beetles, and butterflies to yellow jackets, zoraptera, and zygentoma.
This book contains: 66% new and revised content by over 200 international experts; new chapters on Bedbugs, Ekbom Syndrome, Human History, Genomics, Vinegaroons; expanded sections on insect-human interactions, genomics, biotechnology, and ecology; 273 articles that are updated to reflect the advances which have taken place in entomology research since the previous edition; 1,000 full-color photographs, figures and tables; a full glossary, 1,700 cross-references, 3,000 bibliographic entries, and online access save research time; and, an updated online access. -
Earwig’s tail: a modern bestiary of multi-legged legends.
Artist/Author: Berenbaum, May R.$40.00 Add to cartThroughout the Middle Ages, enormously popular bestiaries presented people with descriptions of rare and unusual animals, typically paired with a moral or religious lesson. The real and the imaginary blended seamlessly in these books – at the time, the existence of a rhinoceros was as credible as a unicorn or dragon. Although audiences now scoff at the impossibility of mythological beasts, there remains an extraordinary willingness to suspend skepticism and believe wild stories about nature, particularly about insects and their relatives in the Phylum Arthropoda. In “The Earwig’s Tail”, entomologist May Berenbaum and illustrator Jay Hosler draw on the powerful cultural symbols of these antiquated books to create a beautiful and witty bestiary of the insect world. Berenbaum’s compendium of tales is an alphabetical tour of modern myths that humorously illuminates aerodynamically unsound bees, ear-boring earwigs, and libido-enhancing Spanish flies.
She tracks down the germ of scientific truth that inspires each insect urban legend and shares some wild biological lessons, which, because of the amazing nature of the insect world, can be more fantastic than even the mythic misperceptions.
