Australian Weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea) IV

Australian Weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea) IV

Author: Rolf Oberprieler

Publisher: CSIRO PUBLISHING

Published: 2020-12-01

Total Pages: 664

ISBN-13: 1486314511

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Australian Weevils: Volume IV covers the 11 smaller tribes of the weevil subfamily Entiminae (broad-nosed weevils), which comprises more than 100 genera and 700 described species in Australia. Around half of this fauna is covered in Volume IV, featuring keys to all the tribes, genera and described species as well as updated concepts and diagnoses of the tribes and summarising accounts of the taxonomy, nomenclature, distribution and known hostplants of all the genera and species. All the introduced species of Entiminae in Australia, most of which are regarded as agricultural or horticultural pests, are included, as are descriptions of 12 new genera and eight new species and identifications of about another 240 undescribed species. The book also includes an overview of the salient characters of the Entiminae, illustrated on 18 colour plates of diagnostic features needed for identifying these weevils, alongside a further 180 colour plates illustrating the habitus and genitalia of all the genera and of several other species and their diagnostic characters. The volume further includes an obituary and full publication list of the late Elwood C. Zimmerman as well as an updated list of recent literature on the Australian Entiminae and other weevils. The book is an essential reference work for researchers and students working with entimine weevils both in Australia and abroad. It is part of the Australian Weevils series.


Mechanical Design in Organisms

Mechanical Design in Organisms

Author: Stephen A. Wainwright

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 1982-07-21

Total Pages: 444

ISBN-13: 9780691083087

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This book deals with an interface between mechanical engineering and biology. It reviews biological structural materials and systems and their mechanically important features and demonstrates that function at any particular level of biological integration is permitted and controlled by structure at lower levels of integration.


Systematics and Phylogeny of Weevils

Systematics and Phylogeny of Weevils

Author: Rolf Oberprieler

Publisher: MDPI

Published: 2019-04-16

Total Pages: 474

ISBN-13: 3038976563

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This Special Issue on the Systematics and Phylogeny of Weevils presents 31 new research papers on one of the most diverse and successful groups of animals on Earth, the beetle superfamily Curculionoidea. It was in part inspired to commemorate the extraordinary life and scientific achievements of Guillermo (“Willy”) Kuschel (1918–2017), who shaped this field of science over the last century like no other weevil systematist. The papers in this memorial issue span weevil faunas from all over the globe, including South and Central America, Africa, Europe and the Near East, South-East Asia, New Guinea, Australia and New Zealand. They include major advances on the phylogeny and classification of the “broad-nosed” weevils (Entiminae), on the weevils associated with American cycads and on the unique extinct weevil fauna preserved in the 100-million-year-old Burmese amber, when weevils started to diversify alongside the oldest angiosperm plants. They comprise a tribute to Willy Kuschel, the proceedings of a weevil symposium held in his honor in 2016 in Orlando, Florida, 24 systematic studies (including seven phylogenetic analyses) and five other contributions on the diversity, biology, distribution, evolution and fossil history of weevils. In the papers collated in this volume, 30 new genera and 92 new species of weevils are described and a new family of extinct weevils is recognized.


The Weevil Rostrum (Coleoptera, Curculionoidea)

The Weevil Rostrum (Coleoptera, Curculionoidea)

Author: Steven R. Davis

Publisher:

Published: 2017

Total Pages: 76

ISBN-13:

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The current classification of weevils has witnessed vast improvements at higher phylogenetic levels, though much remains unstable at the lower levels. In order to develop a more robust morphological character system for cladistic analysis of the higher lineages and to gain a comprehensive understanding of the structure of a hallmark feature of weevils, a comparative study was conducted of rostra throughout Curculionoidea. Semithin sections were made of the rostra of 36 exemplar genera representing all seven currently recognized weevil families, as well as 19 of 21 subfamilies within the largest family, Curculionidae, and internal structures were examined for phylogenetically informative characters. While the morphological diversity of rostral forms is impressive, general trends are apparent with respect to life-history traits and modes of feeding. Exploration of internal rostral morphology has yielded valuable but previously unexplored characters that greatly complement the external characters of this structure. Together, these features provide new insight for settling current incongruence at the higher levels of classification.


Morphology of Baridinae and Related Groups (Coleoptera, Curculionidae)

Morphology of Baridinae and Related Groups (Coleoptera, Curculionidae)

Author: Steven R. Davis

Publisher: PenSoft Publishers LTD

Published: 2009-05-20

Total Pages: 144

ISBN-13: 9546424862

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This volume contains the first comprehensive review of baridine morphology to date and attempts to present this morphological diversity in a comparative framework by including comparisons of other weevil subfamilies thought to be more closely related. Although this is by no means an exhaustive treatment, it is in hope that this study provides a better understanding of the evolution of this large radiation and the similarities and differences that comprise this group and outline its boundaries. By including over 1000 figures, it was a desire to cover as much of the morphological variation within Baridinae as possible, however, much remains that is not included here. This treatment is being presented in advance of a cladistic analysis of the subfamily based on morphology, thus much of this review pertains to describing structures worthy of inclusion in phylogenetic studies.


The Book of Beetles

The Book of Beetles

Author: Patrice Bouchard

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Published: 2014-12-17

Total Pages: 657

ISBN-13: 022608289X

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“Profiles 600 of the most stunning, most wonderfully adapted beetles around . . . The result is a work that is nothing short of magnificent.” —Wired When renowned British geneticist J. B. S. Haldane was asked what could be inferred about God from a study of his works, Haldane replied, “An inordinate fondness for beetles.” With 350,000 known species, and scientific estimates that millions more have yet to be identified, their abundance is indisputable as is their variety. They range from the delightful summer firefly to the one-hundred-gram Goliath beetle. Beetles offer a dazzling array of shapes, sizes, and colors that entice scientists and collectors across the globe. The Book of Beetles celebrates the beauty and diversity of this marvelous insect. Six hundred significant beetle species are covered, with each entry featuring a distribution map, basic biology, conservation status, and information on cultural and economic significance. Full-color photos show the beetles both at their actual size and enlarged to show details, such as the sextet of spots that distinguish the six-spotted tiger beetle or the jagged ridges of the giant-jawed sawyer beetle. Based in the most up-to-date science and accessibly written, the descriptive text will appeal to researchers and armchair coleopterists alike. The humble beetle continues to grow in popularity, taking center stage in biodiversity studies, sustainable agriculture programs, and even the dining rooms of adventurous and eco-conscious chefs. The Book of Beetles is certain to become the authoritative reference on these remarkably adaptable and beautiful creatures. “Photographs of more than 600 colorful, glossy species, resembling bejeweled broaches morethan creepy crawlies, are presented at actual size.” —Publishers Weekly