Insects of Panama and Mesoamerica

Together, Mesoamerica and the Isthmus of Panama harbour one of the highest insect species concentrations on Earth. Insects of Panama and Mesoamerica: selected studies aims to acquaint the entomologist, student, and interested layman with selected groups of neotropical insects, and to kindle more interest in the study and conservation of that rich yet fragile biological realm. The 42 chapters, pertaining to 20 insect orders (plus the springtails) and the geology and biogeography of the area, were prepared by 52 biologists whose viewpoints range from natural history, to detailed ecological studies, to taxonomic treatments. The book introduces the majority of the smaller insect orders, as well as diverse groups within larger orders. It is illustrated by more than 1260 line drawings, distribution maps, and black and white photographs. A set of abstracts in English and Spanish is provided at the end of the book. This is the first work to focus on the insect fauna of Mesoamerica and Panama since the exclusively systematic major opus, Biologia Centrali-Americana, published at the end of the last century.