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RPS Clouston. 1990. Langness Peninsula. Ecological evidence given on behalf of the Palace 



Group. RPS Clouston, Oxon. 

 Van Wingerden, W. K. R. E. & Bongers, W. 1989. De verspreiding van Stenobothrus stigmaticus 



(Rambur) 1839 (Orthoptera, Acrididae) in relatie tot de vegetatiestructuur van Deschampsia 



flexuosa bij begrazing. Nieuwsbrief Saltabel 2: 20-27. 

 Van Wingerden, W. K. R. E., van Kreveld, A. R. & Bongers, W. 1992. Analysis of species 



composition and abundance of grasshoppers (Orthoptera, Acrididae) in natural and fertilised 



grasslands. /. Appl. Ent. 113: 138-152. 

 Van Wingerden, K. R. E., Musters, J. C. M., Kleukers, R. M. J. C, Bongers, W. & 



van Biezen, J. B. 1991a. The influence of cattle grazing intensity on grasshopper abundance 



(Orthoptera: Acrididae). Proc. Exp. Appl. Ent. 2: 28-34. 

 Van Wingerden, W. K. R. E., Musters, J. C. M. & Maaskamp, F. I. M. 1991b. The influence 



of temperature on the duration of egg development in West European grasshoppers 



(Orthoptera: Acrididae). Oecologia 87: 417-423. 



BOOK REVIEW 



Hoverflies, by Francis S. Gilbert, with plates by Steven J. Falk, 67pp, 68 half-tone 

 figures & line drawings, 4 colour plates, Naturalist's Handbooks 5, Revised 2nd 

 edition, Richmond Publishing Co Ltd, Slough, 1993, ISBN 0-85546-266-8, paperback, 

 £7.95, ISBN 0-85546-256-6 hardback, £13.— This book was well received when 

 originally published by Cambridge University Press in 1986. The new revised edition 

 is very similar; in the acknowledgements the author refers to the opportunity to correct 

 mistakes and the adding of some of the more interesting discoveries in the last 

 few years. 



Among the extra information is that on p. 7 which refers to the possible use of 

 Eristalis as indicators of pollution, citing an example of such a project in Egypt, but 

 giving no advice as to the pollution thresholds of British species. Since the previous 

 paragraph refers to the larvae using the foulest of foul water, which is true of E. tenax, 

 the reader is left unaware that some (most/all?) British Eristalis species breed in natural 

 eutrophic conditions that are unpolluted by man. On p. 9 the over-wintering biology 

 of Eristalis tenax is a useful addition. 



Under Volucella (pp. 14-16), the reader is briefly told that the larvae show a range 

 of key evolutionary innovations which led to the evolution of other genera. In the 

 next chapter, on p. 17, there is a short new paragraph on the evolution of hoverflies, 

 with references. 



New ecological information is given, as on p. 23 where the discovery of larvae of 

 Callicera rufa is mentioned. At the end of chapter 4, p. 36, there is reference to new 

 work on the effectiveness of mimicry. 



Just over 18 pages are devoted to the identification of selected common species 

 as in the first edition, complemented by four colour plates; the tone of the plates 

 is different from my copy of the first edition but the quality is overall much the same. 

 The final chapter, on techniques, is essentially the same. The first edition had a 

 compilation of 85 references to hoverflies; the revised edition has 95. 



For anyone with the first edition of this book, it would not be worth buying the 

 second edition since the revision is minor. The book remains a useful one for 

 the target audience, especially students and the general naturalist. 



Alan E Stubbs 



