Moths, Myths, and Mosquitoes
Moths, Myths, and Mosquitoes

Author: Marc Epstein

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2016-01-28

Total Pages: 361

ISBN-13: 0190215275

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On September 26, 1924, the ground collapsed beneath a truck in a back alley in Washington, D.C., revealing a mysterious underground labyrinth. In spite of wild speculations, the tunnel was not the work of German spies, but rather an aging, eccentric Smithsonian scientist named Harrison Gray Dyar, Jr. While Dyar's covert tunneling habits may seem far-fetched, they were merely one of many oddities in Dyar's unbelievable life. For the first time, insect biosystematist Marc E. Epstein presents a complete account of Dyar's life story. Dyar, one of the most influential biologists of the twentieth century, focused his entomological career on building natural classifications of various groups of insects. His revolutionary approach to taxonomy, which examined both larval and adult stages of insects, brought about major changes in the scientific community's understanding of natural relationships and insect systematics. He was also the father of what came to be known as Dyar's Law, a pragmatic method to standardize information on insect larval stages as they grow. Over the course of his illustrious career at the U.S. National Museum, Smithsonian Institution from 1897-1929, Dyar named over 3,000 species, established the "List of North American Lepidoptera," an unrivaled catalog of moths and butterflies, and built one of the nation's premier lepidoptera and mosquito collections. However, Dyar's scientific accomplishments are a mere component of this remarkable biography. Epstein offers an account of Dyar's complicated personal life, from his feuds with fellow entomologists to the scandalous revelation that he was married to two wives at the same time. Epstein also chronicles Dyar's exploration of the Baha'i faith, his extensive travels, his innumerable works of unpublished fiction, and the loss of his wealth from bad investments. Comprehensive and engaging, Moths, Myths, and Mosquitoes will delight entomologists and historians alike, as well as anyone interested in exploring the zany life of one of America's virtually unknown scientific geniuses.

Moths, Myths, and Mosquitoes
Moths, Myths, and Mosquitoes

Author: Marc E. Epstein

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2016

Total Pages: 361

ISBN-13: 0190215259

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Marc E. Epstein provides a complete biography of Harrison Gray Dyar, Jr., one of the most influential biologists of the twentieth century. Epstein chronicles Dyar's impressive scientific accomplishments in the field of entomology, as well as his complicated personal life and many eccentricities.

Insect Physiological Ecology
Insect Physiological Ecology

Author: Steven L. Chown

Publisher: OUP Oxford

Published: 2004-07-15

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13: 0191523348

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This book provides a modern, synthetic overview of interactions between insects and their environments from a physiological perspective that integrates information across a range of approaches and scales. It shows that evolved physiological responses at the individual level are translated into coherent physiological and ecological patterns at larger, even global scales. This is done by examining in detail the ways in which insects obtain resources from the environment, process these resources in various ways, and turn the results into energy which allows them to regulate their internal environment as well as cope with environmental extremes of temperature and water availability. The book demonstrates that physiological responses are not only characterized by substantial temporal variation, but also shows coherent variation across several spatial scales. At the largest, global scale, there appears to be substantial variation associated with the hemisphere in which insects are found. Such variation has profound implications for patterns of biodiversity as well as responses to climate change, and these implications are explicitly discussed. The book provides a novel integration of the understanding gained from broad-scale field studies of many species and the more narrowly focused laboratory investigations of model organisms. In so doing it reflects the growing realization that an integration of mechanistic and large-scale comparative physiology can result in unexpected insights into the diversity of insects.

Medical and Veterinary Entomology
Medical and Veterinary Entomology

Author: Gary R. Mullen

Publisher: Academic Press

Published: 2009-04-22

Total Pages: 646

ISBN-13: 0080919693

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Medical and Veterinary Entomology, Second Edition, has been fully updated and revised to provide the latest information on developments in entomology relating to public health and veterinary importance. Each chapter is structured with the student in mind, organized by the major headings of Taxonomy, Morphology, Life History, Behavior and Ecology, Public Health and Veterinary Importance, and Prevention and Control. This second edition includes separate chapters devoted to each of the taxonomic groups of insects and arachnids of medical or veterinary concern, including spiders, scorpions, mites, and ticks. Internationally recognized editors Mullen and Durden include extensive coverage of both medical and veterinary entomological importance. This book is designed for teaching and research faculty in medical and veterinary schools that provide a course in vector borne diseases and medical entomology; parasitologists, entomologists, and government scientists responsible for oversight and monitoring of insect vector borne diseases; and medical and veterinary school libraries and libraries at institutions with strong programs in entomology. Follows in the tradition of Herm's Medical and Veterinary Entomology The latest information on developments in entomology relating to public health and veterinary importance Two separate indexes for enhanced searchability: Taxonomic and Subject New to this edition: Three new chapters Morphological Adaptations of Parasitic Arthropods Forensic Entomology Molecular Tools in Medical and Veterinary Entomology 1700 word glossary Appendix of Arthropod-Related Viruses of Medical-Veterinary Importance Numerous new full-color images, illustrations and maps throughout

Attracting Native Pollinators
Attracting Native Pollinators

Author: The Xerces Society

Publisher: Storey Publishing, LLC

Published: 2011-02-28

Total Pages: 385

ISBN-13: 1603427473

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With the recent decline of the European honey bee, it is more important than ever to encourage the activity of other native pollinators to keep your flowers beautiful and your grains and produce plentiful. In Attracting Native Pollinators, you’ll find ideas for building nesting structures and creating a welcoming habitat for an array of diverse pollinators that includes not only bees, but butterflies, moths, and more. Take action and protect North America’s food supply for the future, while at the same time enjoying a happily bustling landscape.

Edible Insects
Edible Insects

Author: Arnold van Huis

Publisher: Bright Sparks

Published: 2013

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9789251075951

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Edible insects have always been a part of human diets, but in some societies there remains a degree of disdain and disgust for their consumption. Although the majority of consumed insects are gathered in forest habitats, mass-rearing systems are being developed in many countries. Insects offer a significant opportunity to merge traditional knowledge and modern science to improve human food security worldwide. This publication describes the contribution of insects to food security and examines future prospects for raising insects at a commercial scale to improve food and feed production, diversify diets, and support livelihoods in both developing and developed countries. It shows the many traditional and potential new uses of insects for direct human consumption and the opportunities for and constraints to farming them for food and feed. It examines the body of research on issues such as insect nutrition and food safety, the use of insects as animal feed, and the processing and preservation of insects and their products. It highlights the need to develop a regulatory framework to govern the use of insects for food security. And it presents case studies and examples from around the world. Edible insects are a promising alternative to the conventional production of meat, either for direct human consumption or for indirect use as feedstock. To fully realise this potential, much work needs to be done by a wide range of stakeholders. This publication will boost awareness of the many valuable roles that insects play in sustaining nature and human life, and it will stimulate debate on the expansion of the use of insects as food and feed.

Aquatic Entomology
Aquatic Entomology

Author: Jill Lancaster

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 2013-06-20

Total Pages: 297

ISBN-13: 0199573220

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The book is a comprehensive text on all aspects of the biology of aquatic insects around the world. This fauna comprises many thousands of species that previously lacked a dedicated reference text.

Insects: a Very Short Introduction
Insects: a Very Short Introduction

Author: Simon R. Leather

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2022-03-03

Total Pages: 185

ISBN-13: 0198847041

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Insects are a fascinatingly diverse and beautiful group of animals. They are found on all continents, in caves, underground, inside other insects, in rivers, lakes, puddles, and in our houses. To date, over a million insect species have been named. In this Very Short Introduction, Simon Leather explores insects' evolution, behaviour, and development, highlighting their pivotal role in supporting ecosystems across the planet. He considers the threats of environmental change, including climate change, to insects globally and the potentially catastrophic impact of insect population declines.

Darwin's Man in Brazil
Darwin's Man in Brazil

Author: David A. West

Publisher:

Published: 2018-09-28

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780813064956

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"David West explores Fritz Meuller's (1821-1897) legacy as a Darwinist naturalist and seeks to return him to a cohort of some of the greatest nineteenth-century naturalists who conducted research in Brazil. West advances the theory that Meuller, a great yet often overlooked nineteenth-century German naturalist, was Darwin's closest intellectual kin"--

Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera

Author: Farzana Khan Perveen

Publisher: BoD – Books on Demand

Published: 2017-12-06

Total Pages: 156

ISBN-13: 9535136593

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This book contains seven chapters divided into two sections. The first section is "Lepidoptera Systematics." It covers introduction classification and external and internal morphology. It also includes the importance and modern approaches of Lepidoptera collection curation and data management. It also describes molecular phylogeny and taxonomy of Lepidoptera for ecological and evolutionary studies. The second section, "Lepidoptera as a Model for Research," describes eyespot color pattern formation mechanism in the peacock pansy, Junonia almana (L.). The complete mitochondrial genome of the American potato tuberworm, Tecia solanivora (Povolny), is presented to study a mitogenome in insects. Lepidoptera are sensitive to physical and climatic changes. Therefore, their taxocenotic and biocenotic study was conducted in three environments, i.e., the grassland, forest, and ecotone of Rucamanque, a forest remnant.