True Bugs of the World (Hemiptera Heteroptera): Classification and Natural History
Bugsis a term we use freely for anything from a spider to a moth to a beetle to an ant. Most insects are not bugs.True Bugs of the Worlddescribes the insects known as the Hemiptera: Heteroptera, the largest group of insects in the world and the most diverse. There are 75 families and some 38,000 species found on all continents except Antarctica.Sixty-nine major works covering the true bugs are noted in detail in the introductory portion of the book. The first 10 chapters of this descriptive text give historical perspectives on the study of bugs, information on how to collect and preserve specimens, and biological background needed to identify individual bugs. The remainder of the book describes in detail each of the 75 families, providing general and diagnostic descriptions, classification, morphology, natural history, distribution, and faunistics. Provided are excellent line drawings of the adult bug as well as photographs of details of key identifying parts under the microscope. Although bugs can be colorful insects, there are no color illustrations.This is a book for the researcher, not the general layperson, as the text can be highly technical. There are 30 pages of literature citations, a glossary, and detailed indexes, making this one of the most complete recent books on the true bugs. It is highly recommended for any academic library supporting research in entomology. Large public libraries may want a copy, but most libraries serving the general public and students would be better served with a copy of Peterson'sField Guide to the Insects of America North of Mexico(Houghton, 1970) or Facts On File'sEncyclopedia of Insects(1986).