500 Insects: A Visual Reference

by Stephen A. Marshall

Fascinating insects from around the world, including some newly discovered species From the Introduction
"Insect diversity, especially the almost untapped diversity of little-studied insects, should be seen as a rich ore to be mined for generations to come " Insects account for more than half of the approximately 1 7 million named species of all living things The number of insect species yet undiscovered runs into many further millions Stephen Marshall has selected 500 of the most interesting insects from his travels to North and South America, the Caribbean, Australia, New Zealand and beyond Beautiful photographs show the insects in their natural habitats, and informative "factfiles" provide further details about the lives of these fascinating creatures Some of the insects are new species, photographed here for the first time In addition to the entries for each of the species, there is an introduction on insect biology, classification and distribution, along with information on collecting and photographing insects

Genres: Nature, Science, Nonfiction

528 pages, Hardcover

First published August 15, 2008

Reviews

[Fred Kohn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not just I, but my four-year-old grandson as well enjoyed this book, especially "the bug with pokies" on the front cover. I never did find a picture of the bug from my back yard I was trying to identify via this book, and there sure did seem to be a lot of flies compared to other orders of insects. But maybe I'll hit pay dirt via some of the bug identification sites listed in the back of the book.

[ツツ]

(Taeniogonalos gundlachii) eggs will not hatch unless they are eaten along with the foliage by an herbivorous caterpillar, and even then the newly hatched larvae are doomed unless the caterpillar is then parasitized by a wasp or fly. If the caterpillar is parasitized by a tachinid fly or an ichneumonid wasp, the larval Taeniogonalos will then parasitize the parasitic larva of the fly or wasp.

😂

Snack of snack read 16 of 2025

[Rain · Rating 5 out of 5]

I only read the parts about beetles but I am still going to log it

[Jbondandrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

A incredible book of insects. Quite beautiful.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I use the book as a pictorial resource for my preschool students. Children are often fascinated by insects and Marshall's guide is perfect for exposing them to some of the vast diversity in the insect world. We don't usually use the book as a field guide, but the brilliant and detailed photographs make the book accessible to pre-readers. Plus, the captions are short -- offering tidbits of info for inquiring young minds.