This book brings together, for the first time, all known information on the 51 genera and 1095 described Neotropical species of biting midges. An overview of the group includes a discussion of bionomics, adaptations of the various life stages, habitats, their ecological roles (including disease transmission), collecting and preparation techniques, zoogeography and classification. A key to adults (including males) provides the first key to all the genera of this region. Limited keys to eggs and larvae are presented. Keys are written in both English and Spanish. A table of all previous descriptions of immatures and a catalog of all Neotropical species is included. This book will be of interest to systematists, ecologists, medical entomologists and students wishing to undertake innovative research in a remarkably interesting and instructive group of insects.

Thorp and Covich's Freshwater Invertebrates, Fourth Edition: Keys to Neotropical Hexapoda, Volume Three, provides a guide for identifying and evaluating a key subphylum, hexapoda, for Central America, South America and the Antarctic. This book is essential for anyone working in water quality management, conservation, ecology or related fields in this region, and is developed to be the most modern and consistent set of taxonomic keys available. It is part of a series that is designed to provide a highly comprehensive, current set of keys for a given bioregion, with all keys written in a consistent style. This series can be used for a full spectrum of interested readers, from students, to university professors and government agencies. - Includes zoogeographic coverage of the entire Neotropics, from central México and the Caribbean Islands, to the tip of South America - Identifies aquatic springtails (Collembola) and insects to the genus level for many groups, and family or subfamily level for less well known taxa - Presents multiple keys, from higher to lower taxonomic levels that are appropriate for each users' level of scientific knowledge and needs - Provides a general introduction and sections on limitations, terminology and morphology, material preparation and preservation, and references

Volume One of the thoroughly revised and updated guide to the study of biodiversity in insects The second edition of Insect Biodiversity: Science and Society brings together in one comprehensive text contributions from leading scientific experts to assess the influence insects have on humankind and the earth’s fragile ecosystems. Revised and updated, this new edition includes information on the number of substantial changes to entomology and the study of biodiversity. It includes current research on insect groups, classification, regional diversity, and a wide range of concepts and developing methodologies. The authors examine why insect biodiversity matters and how the rapid evolution of insects is affecting us all. This book explores the wide variety of insect species and their evolutionary relationships. Case studies offer assessments on how insect biodiversity can help meet the needs of a rapidly expanding human population, and also examine the consequences that an increased loss of insect species will have on the world. This important text: Explores the rapidly increasing influence on systematics of genomics and next-generation sequencing Includes developments in the use of DNA barcoding in insect systematics and in the broader study of insect biodiversity, including the detection of cryptic species Discusses the advances in information science that influence the increased capability to gather, manipulate, and analyze biodiversity information Comprises scholarly contributions from leading scientists in the field Insect Biodiversity: Science and Society highlights the rapid growth of insect biodiversity research and includes an expanded treatment of the topic that addresses the major insect groups, the zoogeographic regions of biodiversity, and the scope of systematics approaches for handling biodiversity data.

While volume 1 includes several introductory chapters and treats 42 families of flies in the Lower Diptera, volume 2 covers the remaining 64 families of flies that make up the Higher Diptera (or Cyclorrhapha). These include families of house flies, fruit flies, bot flies, flower flies and many other lesser-known groups. The text is accompanies by over 1660 line drawings and photographs.