Insects of Panama and Mesoamerica

Insects of Panama and Mesoamerica
Author: Diomedes Quintero
Publisher:
Total Pages: 732
Release: 1992
Genre: Nature
ISBN:

One of the highest concentrations of insect species in the world is found in Mesoamerica and the Isthmus of Panama. Yet visitors and others interested in this abudant region have until now been frustrated by the lack of literature useful for identifying and learning about this incredible array of insect life. This volume provides a wealth of information on many of the most common groups of these neotropical insects. Written for students and interested general readers as well as entomologists, the book aims to inspire increased interest in the study and conservation of this rich yet fragile biological region. The authors note that the volume was prepared with a special sense of urgency since the destruction of tropical forests has accelerated to such alarming proportions that today the Pacific lowland forests of Panama have been virtually extirpated, along with many of their native insect species, and other regions are threatened. Thus the gathering and publishing of information about this fragile and priceless natural heritage is an urgent task. The 42 chapters cover 20 insect orders and review the geology and biogeography of the area. The contributors offer a wide variety of viewpoints, ranging from natural history, to detailed ecological studies, to taxonomic treatments. The book introduces the majority of the smaller insect orders as well as diverse groups within larger orders. It is illustrated with hundreds of line drawings, distribution maps, and black-and-white photographs. A set of abstracts in English and Spanish is provided at the end of the book. This is the first work to focus on the insect fauna of Mesoamerica and Panama since Biologia Centrali-Americana, an exclusively systematic work published nearly 100 years ago.

Insect Biodiversity

Insect Biodiversity
Author: Robert G. Foottit
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 1044
Release: 2018-06-05
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1118945573

Volume Two of the new guide to the study of biodiversity in insects Volume Two of Insect Biodiversity: Science and Society presents an entirely new, companion volume of a comprehensive resource for the most current research on the influence insects have on humankind and on our endangered environment. With contributions from leading researchers and scholars on the topic, the text explores relevant topics including biodiversity in different habitats and regions, taxonomic groups, and perspectives. Volume Two offers coverage of insect biodiversity in regional settings, such as the Arctic and Asia, and in particular habitats including crops, caves, and islands. The authors also include information on historical, cultural, technical, and climatic perspectives of insect biodiversity. This book explores the wide variety of insect species and their evolutionary relationships. Case studies offer assessments on how insect biodiversity can help meet the needs of a rapidly expanding human population, and examine the consequences that an increased loss of insect species will have on the world. This important text: Offers the most up-to-date information on the important topic of insect biodiversity Explores vital topics such as the impact on insect biodiversity through habitat loss and degradation and climate change With its companion Volume I, presents current information on the biodiversity of all insect orders Contains reviews of insect biodiversity in culture and art, in the fossil record, and in agricultural systems Includes scientific approaches and methods for the study of insect biodiversity The book offers scientists, academics, professionals, and students a guide for a better understanding of the biology and ecology of insects, highlighting the need to sustainably manage ecosystems in an ever-changing global environment.

Insects and Other Arthropods of Tropical America

Insects and Other Arthropods of Tropical America
Author: Paul E. Hanson
Publisher: Cornell University Press
Total Pages: 384
Release: 2016-06-15
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 150170429X

Visitors to tropical forests generally come to see the birds, mammals, and plants. Aside from butterflies, however, insects usually do not make it on the list of things to see. This is a shame. Insects are everywhere, they are often as beautiful as the showiest of birds, and they have a fascinating natural history. With their beautifully illustrated guide to insects and other arthropods, Paul E. Hanson and Kenji Nishida put the focus on readily observable insects that one encounters while strolling through a tropical forest in the Americas. It is a general belief that insects in the tropics are larger and more colorful than insects in temperate regions, but this simply reflects a greater diversity of nearly all types of insects in the tropics. On a single rainforest tree, for example, you will find more species of ant than in all of England.Though written for those who have no prior knowledge of insects, this book should also prove useful to those who study them. In addition to descriptions of the principal insect families, the reader will find a wealth of biological information that serves as an introduction to the natural history of insects and related classes. Sidebars on insect behavior and ecological factors enhance the descriptive accounts. Kenji Nishida's stunning photographs—many of which show insects in action in their natural settings—add appeal to every page. A final chapter provides a glimpse into the intriguing world of spiders, scorpions, crabs, and other arthropods.

Field Guide to the Wildlife of Costa Rica

Field Guide to the Wildlife of Costa Rica
Author: Carrol L. Henderson
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Total Pages: 566
Release: 2002-06
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 9780292734593

At the biological crossroads of the Americas, Costa Rica hosts an astonishing array of plants and animals—over half a million species! Ecotourists, birders, and biologists come from around the world to immerse themselves in the country's unspoiled rain forests, mountains, and beaches, drawn by the likelihood of seeing more than three or four hundred species of birds and other animals during even a short stay. To help all of these visitors and local residents identify and enjoy the wildlife of Costa Rica, this field guide presents nearly three hundred species of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, butterflies, moths, and other invertebrates. Carrol Henderson, an experienced wildlife biologist, traveler, and tour leader in Costa Rica, has chosen the species that ecotourists are most likely to see, along with a selection of rarer, sought-after animals. He gives a general introduction to each group of animals, followed by individual species accounts that highlight identification features and interesting ecological adaptations for survival. His stunning close-up photographs and distribution maps complete each entry. In addition, Henderson includes a wealth of data about Costa Rica's natural environment, as well as a trip preparation checklist and lists of conservation organizations, wildlife tourism sites, and wildlife vocalization tapes and CDs. With so much information so readily and readably accessible, this field guide will be essential for planning and enjoying your time in Costa Rica.

Evolution of the Insects

Evolution of the Insects
Author: David Grimaldi
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 790
Release: 2005-05-16
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9780521821490

Insects are the most diverse group of organisms in the 3 billion-year history of life on Earth, and the most ecologically dominant animals on land. This book chronicles for the first time the complete evolutionary history of insects: their living diversity, relationships and 400 million years of fossils. Whereas other volumes have focused on either living species or fossils, this is the first comprehensive synthesis of all aspects of insect evolution. The book is illustrated with 955 photo- and electronmicrographs, drawings, diagrams, and field photos, many in full colour and virtually all of them original. The book will appeal to anyone engaged with insect diversity: professional entomologists and students, insect and fossil collectors, and naturalists.

The Other Insect Societies

The Other Insect Societies
Author: James T. Costa
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Total Pages: 824
Release: 2006-09-30
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 9780674021631

In his exploration of insect societies that don't fit the eusocial schema, James T. Costa gives these interesting phenomena their due. He synthesizes the scattered literature about social phenomena across the arthropod phylum: beetles and bugs, caterpillars and cockroaches, mantids and membracids, sawflies and spiders.

Butterflies, Moths, and Other Invertebrates of Costa Rica

Butterflies, Moths, and Other Invertebrates of Costa Rica
Author: Carrol L. Henderson
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Total Pages: 191
Release: 2010-05-01
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 0292719663

Whether you are a general nature lover, a rainforest enthusiast, or an avid international birder, you will find that the mix of biology, travel tips, and photography in this guide will provide you with great information for planning a trip, or vivid memories if you have already traveled in Costa Rica. The book will leave you eager to return for more adventures in this paradise for both wildlife and people. --Book Jacket.

Insect Outbreaks Revisited

Insect Outbreaks Revisited
Author: Pedro Barbosa
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 709
Release: 2012-06-29
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1118253841

The abundance of insects can change dramatically from generation to generation; these generational changes may occur within a growing season or over a period of years. Such extraordinary density changes or "outbreaks" may be abrupt and ostensibly random, or population peaks may occur in a more or less cyclic fashion. They can be hugely destructive when the insect is a crop pest or carries diseases of humans, farm animals, or wildlife. Knowledge of these types of population dynamics and computer models that may help predict when they occur are very important. This important new book revisits a subject not thoroughly discussed in such a publication since 1988 and brings an international scale to the issue of insect outbreaks. Insect Outbreaks Revisited is intended for senior undergraduate and graduate students in ecology, population biology and entomology, as well as government and industry scientists doing research on pests, land managers, pest management personnel, extension personnel, conservation biologists and ecologists, and state, county and district foresters.

Neotropical Biogeography

Neotropical Biogeography
Author: Juan J. Morrone
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 331
Release: 2017-04-07
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1315390647

Neotropical Biogeography: Regionalization and Evolution presents the most comprehensive single-source treatment of the Neotropical region derived from evolutionary biogeographic studies. The book provides a biogeographic regionalization based on distributional patterns of plant and animal taxa, discusses biotic relationships drawn from track and cladistic biogeographic analyses, and identifies cenocrons (subsets of taxa within biotas identified by their common origin and evolutionary history). It includes maps, area cladograms and vegetation profiles. The aim of this reference is to provide a biogeographic regionalization that can be used by graduate students, researchers and other professionals concerned with understanding and describing distributional patterns of plants and animals in the Neotropical region. It covers the 53 biogeographic provinces of the Neotropical region that are classified into the Antillean, Brazilian and Chacoan subregions, and the Mexican and South American transition zones.