The Black Flies (Simuliidae) of North America (Comstock Books)
"In this well-executed and hefty volume, Adler, Currie, and Wood offer a comprehensive review of the black flies of North America. Although notorious for the bites and welts they inflict, these small, humpbacked flies also play prominent roles in freshwater systems. . . . Introductory chapters describe the history of research on this insect family, collection and curation techniques, and the natural history. . . . The authors treat in separate chapters aspects of the economic impact and management of these flies. . . . Highly recommended."-Choice"The Black Flies of North America . . . is a splendid contribution that literally compiles all worthwhile knowledge in existence on the subject. This regional monograph of almost 1,000 pages of text and illustrations is truly monumental in both contents and physical appearance and will no doubt stand as the ultimate source of information on Nearctic simuliidae for the next many decades. In addition, this book will also convey valuable knowledge and inspiration to students and applied entomologists working with black flies in other parts of the world."-Verner Michelsen, Insect Systematics and Evolution"This is a landmark publication. . . . This book is a labour of love for which the authors must be congratulated and thanked. Everyone interested in black flies, will need access to this mine of information, and any entomologists working on the Simuliidae with the North American continent should certainly buy it, as it will become the standard work. Given the variety of topics covered and the importance of black flies, the book will also be a valuable resource for entomologists of all specialities."-Robert A. Cheke, British Journal of Entomology and Natural History"Based on its title, one could expect this volume to be mainly a taxonomic reference for the North American black flies, but its actually much more. . . . Probably the most surprising two chapters are in what appears to be strictly a taxonomic review in Part III ('Economic Aspects'). These chapters on social and economic impact, and management give an applied view to a taxonomic tome and make it a very well-rounded volume for anyone interested in the field. The social and economic impacts are concisely, but dramatically, presented and well supported with photographs showing swarms of simuliids attacking livestock and poultry. The management chapter has a very helpful table that shows the control methods used against particular simuliid species in various locations. . . . Although recent trends tend to indicate the preference of digitally referenced materials over books, volumes are in many ways still indispensable at least at the current time. The Black Flies (Simuliidae) of North America is such a book. This is an encyclopedia on the subject that is up to date, portable, practical, and easy to use."-Jerome A. Hogsette, Jr., Quarterly Review of Biology