The definitive photographic identification guide to the orthopterans of the region, complete with sounds. This is the first guide to the 261 species of orthopterans – the grasshoppers, crickets and katydids – of Britain and western Europe ever published. Set out in a clear and accessible format and featuring a combination of photographs and illustrations, the book covers identification criteria of all of the main species and subspecies, with detailed photographs of males and females, distribution maps, status, habitat descriptions, oscillograms, advice on where and when to find them, and tips to avoid confusion during the often tricky process of identification. Comprehensive general chapters also cover morphology, ecology and habitat, and assist with research in the field. What makes this work the total package? The book comes with a CD, featuring 222 orthopteran songs. Together, book and CD make this the definitive guide to these insects and a rich resource for any naturalist in the region.

Written by well-known naturalists and photographers, this guide will enable the easy identification of around 1,000 of the more common insects found in the region. The carefully chosen selection represents all insect groups, with a bias towards the more prominent species, so that all the butterflies, grasshoppers, crickets, damselflies and dragonflies occurring in Britain have been included. Over 700 colour photographs show the species in their natural habitats, and around 100 line-drawings clearly show important features, enabling accurate identification.

The go-to photographic guide to Britain and Ireland’s insects Britain’s Insects is an innovative, up-to-date, carefully designed and beautifully illustrated field guide to Britain and Ireland's twenty-five insect orders, concentrating on popular groups and species that can be identified in the field. Featuring superb photographs of live insects, the guide covers the key aspects of identification and provides information on status, distribution, seasonality, habitat, food plants and behaviour. It also offers insight into the life history of the various insect groups, many of which are truly amazing. This is the go-to guide for entomologists, naturalists, gardeners, wildlife photographers and anyone else interested in insects, whatever their level of knowledge. More than 2,600 stunning photographs, carefully selected to show key identification features Photo guides to every insect order, covering 316 families and almost 850 genera Covers 1,653 species, of which 1,476 are illustrated Designed to allow easy, accurate comparison of similar species Up-to-date distribution maps and charts summarizing adult seasonality QR codes that link to sound recordings of grasshoppers and crickets Information on photographing and recording insects to help conservation

Orthoptera is one of the most important and interesting Orders of the Class Insecta. They include grasshoppers and crickets that have a fundamental role in many terrestrial ecosystems. In this complete and updated publication all the 382 taxa (species and subspecies) of Orthoptera nowadays known from Italy are treated; 162 of these are endemic! Unfortunately, as well as for other groups of organisms, also orthopterans have many species suffering from maximum degree of threat, according to the Red List of Threatened Species compiled by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Therefore, Grasshoppers & Crickets of Italy is very important also from a conservation point of view; it allows to recognize the endangered species for planning interventions to safeguard them. This new volume is an absolutely innovative tool in the field of nature handbooks. The authors have succeeded in realizing a text with a new and appealing graphic design, easy to consult, full of photos of morphological details useful to identify the species also by non-experts. Furthermore, very useful for the field work are the maps of the distribution areas, detailed at provincial level, for each species. This book will be useful not only for orthopterists, but also for young entomologists who will be able to measure their ability in identifying species, for agricultural technicians and for all nature and entomology lovers. Gli Ortotteri sono uno degli ordini più importanti e interessanti della grande classe degli insetti. Essi comprendono grilli e cavallette, che rivestono un ruolo fondamentale negli ecosistemi terrestri. In questa pubblicazione completa e aggiornata sono trattati tutti i 382 taxa (specie e sottospecie) di Ortotteri conosciuti oggi in Italia; di questi ben 162 risultano endemici, cioè esclusivi del nostro Paese! Purtroppo, come per altri gruppi di organismi, anche tra gli Ortotteri figurano specie al massimo grado di minaccia, secondo la lista rossa stilata dall’IUCN. Grasshoppers & Crickets of Italy è utile, quindi, anche dal punto di vista conservazionistico, per conoscere le specie in pericolo e attuare interventi in grado di garantirne la tutela. Questa nuova guida è uno strumento assolutamente innovativo nel campo dei manuali naturalistici di campagna. Si tratta di un volume con una veste grafica moderna e accattivante, di facile consultazione, ricchissimo di immagini di particolari morfologici utili all’identificazione delle specie anche da parte di non esperti. Utilissime, per il lavoro sul campo, anche le mappe degli areali di distribuzione, dettagliate a livello di singola provincia. Una guida utile, non solo agli ortotterologi, ma anche ai giovani entomologi che vorranno misurarsi con la loro capacità di identificare le specie, ai tecnici agricoli e a tutti gli amanti della natura e dell’entomologia.

Most of the 170 species of grasshoppers and crickets included in this book can be identified instantly by their songs – and often more reliably than from their appearance. Orthopterans have recently become important subjects in evolutionary biological studies and are also increasingly used in the field of conservation as indicators of undisturbed habitat. The book comprises the following chapters: Introduction; Acoustic Methods; Sound Production and Reception of European Orthoptera; The Nature and Function of the Songs; The Value of the Songs in Taxonomy and Identification; Key to the singing Orthoptera of Western Europe, based primarily on their Songs; and other Animal Sounds that could be confused with Orthoptera Songs – illustrated with over 1600 oscillograms; three Appendixes (Check-list of the species included; Summary of Nomenclatural Changes; Data for the Song Recordings); Glossary; References; Index to Vernacular Names; and General Index.