This book
authoritative
miscellaneous
reference for
will be a necessary complement of every
entomological
library.
Furthermore,
the
information it contains will make it a handy
every working systematist in Entomology.
Complete as it seems to be, the present state of
Ichneumonology is indicated by the authors' modest comment, " ...
it should be noted that the great bulk of
species in the area, probably about 80%, are still without
names. The present catalogue was prepared with the conviction that the weight of past confusion had almost halted
work on this important group of insects, and that only
this kind of a catalogue would clear the way for the
resumption of progress."
The book is neatly photolithoprinted and nicely clothbound.
RICHARDM. BOHART
Department of Entomology
University of California, Davis
THE BEETLESOF THE UNITED STATES (A MANUAL FOR
IDENTIFICATION),by Ross H. Arnett, Jr. 1961. Section
2, Fascicles 10-25, 211-368 pp. 102 figs. The Catholic
University
of America Press, Washington,
D
Price for complete manual $25.00, optional binder $3.95.
.c.
This is the second section of a continuously paged
manual dealing with the beetles of the United States (see
BULL. ENT. SOC. AMERICA7(2) :108-109) and is a continuation of the excellent style and format used in the
first section. This section includes the families: Sphaeriidae, Hydroscaphidae, Hydrophilidae, Limnebiidae, Georyssidae, Staphylinidae, Pselaphidae, Silphidae, Leptodiridae,
Leptinidae, Leiodidae, Ptiliidae, Limulodidae, Scydmaenidae, Scaphidiidae, and Brathinidae.
The reviewers fcel that this text is a distinct contribution to the teaching of entomology. The approach employed should make it a suitable textbook for use in teaching "applied entomology" to students who have had little
previous training in entomology. Its broad coverage of
ba,ic nrinciples in many phases of entomology should
make it a useful reference book in teaching "general entomology" or for reviewing the history and current
status of the science of entomology in America.
J. M. GRAYSON
R. L. PIENKOWSKI
J. L. BISHOP
Department of Ent011l0Io.oy,
Virginia Polytechnic Institllte,
Blacksburg
INTRODUCTION
TOTHE STUDYOF ANIMAL POPULATIONS,by
H. G. Andrewartha.
1961. The University of Chicago
Press, Chicago. xvii
281 pp., 52 figs. $5.00.
+
The 10.2 figures included in this section are by Miss
Eileen Van Tassell and are of the same high quality
as those in the first section. A few minor errors have
slipped by the proofreaders and the caption for figure 1,
fascicle 12 should read H ydrobiomorpha casta (Say).
Also, figure 1, fascicle 13 is not Limnebius discolor Casey
as labeled but is a species of the hydrophilid genus Laccobius. Approximately five remaining sections are expected
to be published by the fall of 1962.
Booksellers' shelves seem to have been saturated with
text books and encyclopaedic works in ecology published
in the past 10 years. But the recent publication by Andrewartha still fills a definite need in teaching as well as in
research.
The book has two parts: Theory and Practical course.
The first part covers the theoretical background of ecology
of individuals and populations, and the methods of analyses
of data. The second part covers a series of 20 laboratory
and field exercises. Cross references are made between
the two parts, a feature which undoubtedly will aid the
PAUL]. SPANGLER
Entomology Research Division
U. S. Department of Agriculture
beetles sa imong nawong!
FUNDAMENTALS OF ApPLIED ENTOMOLOGY.Edited by
Robert E. Pfadt, 662 pp. ilIus. The Macmillan Company, New York (1962). $9.50.
The stated objective of the authors to write a text in
applied entomology based on principles has been achieved.
This is accomplished by presentation of modern summaries
on insect structure, function, growth and classification;
followed by concise discussions of insect control, insecticides, and application equipment; and then follows a
rather novel manner of considering the major pests of
various agricultural crops. The glossary and appendix
of common-scientific names are valuable additions to the
book. The authors are to be commended for the excellent
coordination that exists between the 20 chapters.
The first chapter briefly presents in a highly interesting
fashion the history and development of entomology in
America under the title of "Insects and Man". The second
and third chapters contain detailed summaries of insect
morphology and physiology with a 6-page discussion of
the often-neglected subject of insect embryology. The detailed subject matter in these two chapters is so briefly
presented that considerable explanation on the part of
the instructor will likely be necessary unless the student
has some background in insect morphology and physiology.
Of significance in the chapter on classification is the consideration given to mites. The chapters on insect control,
chemical control and insecticide application equipment are
well written and, though brief, appear to give a very adequate presentation of the principles involved. Thirteen
chapters are devoted to the problems of different host
crops as follows: small grains, corn, legumes, cotton,
vegetable crops, tree fruits, small fruits, floricultural crops,
stored grain, household insects, livestock, poultry, and
insects of medical importance.
The material in these
chapters is arranged as a general discussion of the pests
that may be found. the type of injury, cultural and biolog-ical control, chemical control, control equipment, and detailed information on several specific pests of major importance. The coverage of agricultural crops is rather
broad, although some important ones are missing-, such
as tobacco, peanuts, and citrus fruits. The authors have
wisely avoided including material that is more likely to
change, thus extending the period in which the text will
remain up-to-date.
94
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the Family Ichneumonidac.
The treatment includes 19
subfamilies, 42 tribes, 383 genera, uncounted species, and
a prodigious number of synonyms. It is obvious that the
Townes and Virendra Gupta have taken meticulous care
in the preparation of this book. In the catalogue section
there are the usual synonymic references, but these are
amplified by generic type information; sex and type locality
of type specimens; and notations of pertinent descriptions,
keys, synonymy, figures and biology. More than 50 repository collections are listed together with addresses and
names of curators of most of the important entomological
museums in the world. This list alone will be of great
value to taxonomists in the future, whether or not they
are interested in Ichneumonidae. Personal visits to most
of the repositories by Henry Townes insures much of the
detail in the book.
Considerable credit should go to Gerd Heinrich, who
was responsible for the large section on the subfamily
Ichneumoninae.
He is listed on the title page as
collaborator.
As a part of the reclassification, 12 new genera and
subgenera are described. Of special value to the student
of Ichneumons is the generic key by Henry Townes. Although it is designed especially for the Indo-Australian
area, this is the only modern, up-to-date, comprehensive
key available, and it should prove quite useful for material
from other parts of the world.