Center for Systematic Entomology, Gainesville, Florida
Document Type
Article
Date of this Version
April 1994
Abstract
Twenty years in the making, this book is more than just a replacement for Blatchley's “Coleoptera of Indiana.” It offers totally revised keys to the families, genera, and species of beetles found from the Arctic to the Potomac, west to the Mississippi. Each family, genus, and species is described. The books contain about 4,000 illustrations enhancing the descriptions of 7,500 included species.
These books are designed for use by amateurs and specialists. The non-entomologist (ecologists, wildlife managers, extension agents, and teachers) will find it useful not only to quickly determine the taxonomic name of any beetle that lives in the area covered, but as a source of information about the habits (behavior) and habitats (ecology) of these species. The work includes references to specialized literature for more detailed study.
Every species, genus, or higher taxon of beetle known to occur in northeastern America is conveniently numbered and indexed, making this the only complete single source for all of the names of families , genera. and species currently available for these insects in this area, in short, it is an annotated checklist of these beetles.
The most recent classification used for the beetles of the area, based on the most recent literature is included in the books. Although the family classification is arranged in traditional order, recent changes are discussed in the introduction and cross referenced with the text. This is done for the convenience of the user since the current classifications are undergoing rapid changes due to the use of cladistic and molecular techniques to determine the evolutionary relationships of families and genera.
Comments
Insecta Mundi, published by the Center for Systematic Entomology, is available online at http://centerforsystematicentomology.org/. Copyright © by Downie and Arnett, Jr.