Arachnids
By: Jan Beccaloni
Contributors: Natural History Museum (London, England)
Publisher: Natural History Museum
Published: 2009
Place of publication: London
Language: eng
Number of pages: 320
ISBN-13: 9780565092207
Subjects: Arachnida
Description: "Arachnids is a detailed guide to this diverse and complex group of invertebrates. Although the term 'arachnophobia' means the fear of spiders, the class of Arachnida does not consist of spiders alone. It also contains ten other orders including harvestmen, ticks and mites, scorpions, palpigrades, schizomids and others which are lesser known." "Museum Curator Jan Beccaloni explores each of the eleven orders, their varied habitats and their often complex relationships. She also explains arachnid courtship, feeding techniques, defence strategies, silk production, as well as the unusual practice of autotomy - the deliberate shedding of a body part." "This accessible reference will appeal to arachnid enthusiasts and those with a wider interest in the natural world." --Book Jacket.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Introduction: Spiders aren't the only arachnids; title: Araneae (spiders); title: Amblypygi (whip spiders); title: Uropygi (whip scorpions, vinegaroons); title: Schizomida (short-tailed whip scorpions); title: Palpigradi (micro whip scorpions); title: Ricinulei (hooded tick spiders, tick beetles); title: Acari (mites and ticks); title: Opiliones (harvestmen, harvest spiders, daddy long legs spiders); title: Scorpiones (scorpions); title: Pseudoscorpiones (false scorpions, book scorpions); title: Solifugae (camel spiders, wind spiders, wind scorpions, sun spiders).