Throughout the Middle Ages, enormously popular bestiaries presented people with descriptions of rare and unusual animals, typically paired with a moral or religious lesson. The real and the imaginary blended seamlessly in these books—at the time, the existence of a rhinoceros was as credible as a unicorn or dragon. Although audiences now scoff at the impossibility of mythological beasts, there remains an extraordinary willingness to suspend skepticism and believe wild stories about nature, particularly about insects and their relatives in the Phylum Arthropoda. In The Earwig’s Tail, entomologist May Berenbaum and illustrator Jay Hosler draw on the powerful cultural symbols of these antiquated books to create a beautiful and witty bestiary of the insect world. Berenbaum’s compendium of tales is an alphabetical tour of modern myths that humorously illuminates aerodynamically unsound bees, ear-boring earwigs, and libido-enhancing Spanish flies. She tracks down the germ of scientific truth that inspires each insect urban legend and shares some wild biological lessons, which, because of the amazing nature of the insect world, can be more fantastic than even the mythic misperceptions.

Used particularly when there has been a suspicious death, insect-related evidence is one of the most powerful, but least understood examples of modern forensic science. Entomology and the Law provides a detailed roadmap that can be followed from crime scene to courtroom by entomologists, law enforcement personnel and lawyers preparing for trial. Part I focuses on carrion flies as forensic indicators, exploring relevant biology clearly and concisely illustrated by real-life cases. Flies are usually first on the scene of a death, and knowledge of their habits and lifestyles can help to reveal time of death, weeks or even years later. Part II provides a thorough examination of the law of scientific evidence worldwide, complete with caselaw and applicable code provisions, and legal issues relevant to the admissibility and use of forensic entomology in litigation. It will prepare both scientists and lawyers for real-world forays into the world of forensic entomology.

Early entomology in east Asia; Early entomology in the middle east; Entomology in the western world in antiquity and in medieval; The early naturalists and anatomists during the renaissance and seventeenth century; Entomology systematizes and describes: 1700-1815; Systematics specializes between fabricius and darwin: 1800-1859; The history of paleoentomology; Evolution and phylogeny; Anatomy and morphology; The history of insect physiology; The history of insect ecology; The history of sericultural science in relation to industry; Insect pathology.

"Bibliographic references to works pertaining to the taxonomy of Coleoptera published between 1758 and 1900 in the non-periodical literature are listed. Each reference includes the full name of the author, the year or range of years of the publication, the title in full, the publisher and place of publication, the pagination with the number of plates, and the size of the work. This information is followed by the date of publication found in the work itself, the dates found from external sources, and the libraries consulted for the work. Overall, more than 990 works published by 622 primary authors are listed. For each of these authors, a biographic notice (if information was available) is given along with the references consulted"--[p. 1].

In the last decades a remarkable renaissance has materialized in insect morphology, mainly triggered by the development of new cutting-edge technologies. This is an exciting time for biological synthesis where the mysteries and data derived from genomes can be combined with centuries of data from morphology and development. And, now, more than ever, detailed knowledge of morphology is essential to understanding the evolution of all groups of organisms. In this “age of phylogenomics” researchers rely on morphological data to support molecular findings, test complex evolutionary scenarios, and for placing fossil taxa. This textbook provides an in-depth treatment of the structures and the phylogeny of the megadiverse Hexapoda. The first part presents an up-to-date overview of general insect morphology with detailed drawings, scanning electron micrographs, and 3-D reconstructions. Also included is a chapter covering innovative morphological techniques (e.g., μ-computer tomography, 3-D modeling), brief treatments of insect development and phylogenetic methods, and a comprehensive morphological glossary. The second part is of a modern synthesis of insect systematics that includes taxon-specific morphological information for all Orders. The work is an invaluable reference for students and researchers working in all facets of biology and is a must for evolutionary biologists. A detailed understanding of morphology is essential in unraveling phylogenetic relationships and developing complex evolutionary scenarios. Increasingly researchers in phylogenomics are re/turning to morphological data to support their findings, while the development of new cutting-edge technologies has further increased interest in this growing field. This definitive handbook provides an in-depth treatment of insect morphology. The first part presents an up-to-date overview of insect morphology with detailed drawings, brilliant scanning electron micrographs and 3-D reconstructions as interactive PDFs. This is complemented by a chapter on innovative morphological techniques (e.g., μ-computer tomography, 3-D modeling) and a comprehensive morphological glossary. The second part treats the state of the art in insect systematics and includes taxon-specific morphological information for all orders. Systematics are treated formally, with for example the arguments for relationships (“apomorphies”) always listed explicitly. The work is a useful reference for students and researchers working in different fields of biology and a must for those dealing with insects from an evolutionary perspective.