National Wildlife Federation field guide to insects and spiders & related species of North America

Although illustrating less than 1 percent of the North American fauna, this guide presents a glimpse of the incredible array of colors, shapes, and forms found within the phylum Arthropoda. Evans (Smithsonian Institution) introduces morphology, development, and general life history, and offers a "Synopsis of Hexapod Orders" that will help users place an unknown specimen into a basic group. Over 380 pages of color photographs follow, most showing two or three different species. The species chosen exhibit a nice range, with larger orders that contain large or showy species getting the lion's share of attention (moths and butterflies, 94 pages; beetles, 68 pages). Smaller orders, or those containing very small species, are presented on one or two pages. This is not really a shortcoming since many users may not have a microscope, and most tiny specimens will not be identifiable in the field. Although coverage of other arthropod groups such as spiders, mites, ticks, centipedes, millipedes, and crustaceans is not extensive, the book does provide diagnostic images and other helpful information concerning these less popular groups. Overall, this is a very good guide that will find a wide audience, particularly among amateur naturalists. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-/upper-level undergraduates, professionals/practitioners, and general readers. P. K. Lago University of Mississippi