Insects are the most interesting and diverse group of organisms on earth, many of which are useful as pollinators of crops and wild plants while others are useful as natural enemies keeping pestiferous insects in check. It is important to conserve these insects for our survival and for this the diversity of insect species inhabiting the different ecosystems of our country must be known. The cornerstone to studies of any kind of organismal diversity is their taxonomic identity. Even after over two and half centuries of studies, so little is known of the insect wealth of our country. It has contributions from taxonomists who have been studying Indian insects for long, this book offers up to date information on many important groups of Indian insects seeking to fill the lacuna of a long felt need for a comprehensive work on the taxonomy of Indian insects. Salient features: Provides an up-to-date taxonomy of major insect groups of India Presents identification keys with illustrations of several important groups of Indian insects Gives a new insight into why insects are so abundant Addresses fundamental questions in mechanoreception and cross kingdom interactions using insects as model systems Indian Insects: Diversity and Science is a festschrift to Professor C. A. Viraktamath, an insect taxonomist par excellence. It has been designed to cater to the needs of academicians, researchers and students who wish to identify insects collected from local environments and will be an invaluable aid for those working in the areas of systematics, ecology, behaviour, diversity and the conservation of insects.

Their natural enemies largely determine the population size and dynamic behavior of many plant-eating insects. Any reduction in enemy number can result in an insect outbreak. Applied biological control is thus one strategy for restoring functional biodiversity in many agroecosystems. Predators and Parasitoids addresses the role of natural enemies i

A book of national and international importance, Fruit Fly Pests is an exhaustive compendium of information (with data provided by more than 100 contributors) that will appeal to a wide variety of readers. With huge losses experienced annually from fruit fly devastation, information on these high-profile insects is important to commercial fruit and vegetable growers, marketing exporters, government regulatory agencies, and the scientific community. Fruit flies impose a considerable resource tax, and the ones who suffer range from shippers to end users. The demand for world-wide plant protection requires up-to-date research information. This book meets that need. This book contains the proceedings from the most recent International Symposium on Fruit Flies of Economic Importance. Here you will find the major presentations given at the symposium, with an added feature - overviews from experts on topics not covered directly by participants in the symposium, filling in gaps in the current literature. The resulting publication is the most up-to-date and readable text to be found anywhere on the subject of tephritids.

Over 98% of sprayed insecticides and 95% of herbicides reach a destination other than their target species, including non-target species, air, water and soil. The extensive reliance on insecticide use reduces biodiversity, contributes to pollinator decline, destroys habitat, and threatens endangered species. This book offers a more effective application of the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach, on an area-wide (AW) or population-wide (AW-IPM) basis, which aims at the management of the total population of a pest, involving a coordinated effort over often larger areas. For major livestock pests, vectors of human diseases and pests of high-value crops with low pest tolerance, there are compelling economic reasons for participating in AW-IPM. This new textbook attempts to address various fundamental components of AW-IPM, e.g. the importance of relevant problem-solving research, the need for planning and essential baseline data collection, the significance of integrating adequate tools for appropriate control strategies, and the value of pilot trials, etc. With chapters authored by 184 experts from more than 31 countries, the book includes many technical advances in the areas of genetics, molecular biology, microbiology, resistance management, and social sciences that facilitate the planning and implementing of area-wide strategies. The book is essential reading for the academic and applied research community as well as national and regional government plant and human/animal health authorities with responsibility for protecting plant and human/animal health.

Fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) are among the most destructive agricultural pests in the world, eating their way through acres and acres of citrus and other fruits at an alarming rate and forcing food and agriculture agencies to spend millions of dollars in control and management measures. But until now, the study of fruit flies has been traditionally biased towards applied aspects (e.g., management, monitoring, and mass rearing)-understandable, given the tremendous economic impact of this species. This work is the first that comprehensively addresses the study of the phylogeny and the evolution of fruit fly behavior. An international group of highly renowned scientists review the current state of knowledge and include considerable new findings on various aspects of fruit fly behavior, phylogeny and related subjects. In the past, the topics of phylogeny and evolution of behavior were barely addressed, and when so, often superficially. Fruit Flies (Tephritidae): Phylogeny and Evolution of Behavior is a definitive treatment, covering all behaviors in a broad range of tephritids. This volume is divided into eight sections: