Book review 



JESO Volume 139, 2008 



BOOK REVIEW 



Insects: Their Natural History and Diversity, by S.A. Marshall. Firefly Books Ltd. 

 Richmond Hill, Canada. 720 pp. ISBN-13: 978-1-55297-900-6; ISBN-10: 1-55297- 

 900-8 (Hard cover: 2006). $ 95.00 CAN. 



Over the course of the last two years this 'big green book' has become my favourite 

 (and most often used) entomological reference. With its interestingly written text and 

 outstanding photographs, this comprehensive and user friendly book is a must have for 

 professionals and amateurs alike. 



Although large, Insects: Their Natural History and Diversity is far from 

 intimidating. The introduction opens with a basic explanation of insect anatomy and biology, 

 and the reader is instructed to "get your hands on a grasshopper" and follow along as the 

 text explains the different body segments. The chapters that follow are organized either by 

 insect order or in logical groups such as "The Wingless Insects (Springtails, Diplurans and 

 Bristletails)." Also included is a valuable chapter on methods of collecting, keeping and 

 photographing insects, as well as a fantastic picture key to the insect families. 



Chapters in the main body of the book are organized into two sections. The first 

 comprises brief biological overviews of the insect families or superfamilies found in each 

 chapter. This introduces the reader to the fascinating biology and behaviour of a particular 

 group of insects. In these introductions Marshall gives the reader insight into the most 

 interesting and unusual aspects of that family. It reminded me of early mornings as an 

 undergraduate at the University of Guelph, when an 8:30AM class seemed more like story 

 time than a lecture (please note that Steve has not commissioned me to say nice things about 

 his lectures!) The second portion of each chapter provides spectacular photographs of many 

 of the species representing each family discussed. Almost all of the photographs are of the 

 insect in nature, quite often engaging in one of the interesting behaviours discussed in the 

 introductory section of the chapter. Captions for each photo contain at least the genus (most 

 often species), as well as an explanation of the photograph. 



The last section of Insects contains the picture keys. Again designed with the 

 amateur entomologist in mind, the illustrations eliminate the need for specific taxonomic 

 knowledge; and most of the characters used can be seen without a microscope. The first two 

 keys take the reader down to order, while further, more specific keys help the reader identify 

 their insect to family. Picture keys of common immature insects can also be found in this 

 section. Once a family is reached a page number is given; the reader can then refer to that 

 section of the book to look at photographs of individuals from that family. I have found that 

 this is often a great way of affirming my original decision about a specimens identity. 



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