Stephen A. Marshall - Böcker

Stephen A. Marshall’s natural history titles — Insects: Their Natural History and Diversity (2017, ISBN 978 177085 962 3), Beetles: The Natural History and Diversity of Coleoptera (2018, ISBN 978 02281 0069 0) and Flies: The Natural History and Diversity of Diptera (2012; ISBN 978 177085 100 9) — are among the most respected books on the insect world published in the last 20 years. More admirable than the books’ rigorous science, however, is that they are wholly suitable for a lay audience, including high school students interested in entomology. The books have been adopted as classroom texts at the university level and are on the reference shelves of many practicing entomologists. In Hymenoptera, Marshall has again applied his broad knowledge of insects to the world of wasps, bees and ants. The subject of this book is an enormous one, since Hymenoptera is arguably the largest order of living things. Comprehensive and packed with richly illustrated keys and thousands of colour photographs identified with help from nearly 100 of the world’s best hymenopterists, this volume provides the reader with a colourful and enjoyable introduction to a huge group of organisms, along with an overview of the diversity of fascinating families included in the group. Marshall opens with a description of what makes a wasp a wasp, and then introduces the diversity, importance and natural history of the order with copious examples and explanations. Topics include the life histories of wasps, hymenoptera and plants, hymenoptera in history, culture and fiction, kleptoparasitism, and many more. Part two of Hymenoptera is a guided tour of the diversity of the order, with fascinating stops for almost all of the world’s 100 or so families of wasps as well as most of the significant subfamilies. Thousands of photographs, almost all taken in the field by the author, are used to capture the range of form and function in each family, with pages of photographs of the popular groups — such as bees, hornets and ants — but also with little-known groups ranging from pincer wasps to fairyflies. Essential information about importance, range, behaviour and biology is provided for each group, and easy-to-use photographic keys to most families are provided for those wishing to use the book as an identification guide. Like Marshall’s companion titles, Hymenoptera will be welcomed by the scientific, academic and naturalist communities, as well as the next generation of entomologists.

“Incorporating several newly identified species, this insect field guide provides single-page entries describing 500 of the world’s reported one million recognized varieties. The detail of each full-colour, highly magnified photograph is so stunning that, if you’re not fond of bugs, it will doubtlessly incite your flight reflex. Nevertheless, the vivid photographic detail is essential to the book’s scientific value: nothing is lost in creative translation.... Highly recommended for entomology collections.” —Library Journal. Fascinating insects from around the world, including some newly discovered species. Insects account for more than half of the approximately 1.7 million named species of all living things. The number of insect species yet undiscovered runs into many further millions. Stephen Marshall has selected 500 of the most interesting insects from his travels to North and South America, the Caribbean, Australia, New Zealand and beyond. Beautiful photographs show the insects in their natural habitats, and informative “factfiles” provide further details about the lives of these fascinating creatures. Some of the insects are new species, photographed here for the first time. In addition to the entries for each of the species, there is an introduction on insect biology, classification and distribution, along with information on collecting and photographing insects.

A groundbreaking guide to flower flies in North America This is the first comprehensive field guide to the flower flies (also known as hover flies) of northeastern North America. Flower flies are, along with bees, our most important pollinators. Found in a varied range of habitats, from backyard gardens to aquatic ecosystems, these flies are often overlooked because many of their species mimic bees or wasps. Despite this, many species are distinctive and even subtly differentiated species can be accurately identified. This handy and informative guide teaches you how.With more than 3,000 color photographs and 400 maps, this guide covers all 416 species of flower flies that occur north of Tennessee and east of the Dakotas, including the high Arctic and Greenland. Each species account provides information on size, identification, abundance, and flight time, along with notes on behavior, classification, hybridization, habitats, larvae, and more.Summarizing the current scientific understanding of our flower fly fauna, this is an indispensable resource for anyone, amateur naturalist or scientist, interested in discovering the beauty of these insects.· 3000+ color photos (field and museum shots)· Multiple images per species, with arrows highlighting key field marks· Grayscale images showing the actual size of the insect· Range maps for each species· Information on size, identification features, abundance, flight times, and more