Invertebrates
Spiders, Insects and other Invertebrates
This category includes all animals without backbones: Arthropods (spiders, insects, and crustaceans—such as lobsters, shrimp, and barnacles), annelids (segmented worms such as earthworms), mollusks, and many other groups.
Richard Bailowitz and Douglas Danforth, 70 Common Butterflies of the Southwest Excellent color photos portray each species at life-size or larger. The authors state that almost 400 species are found in the southwest. The 70 you'll find in this work are among the most common or readily identified, which makes this book a great introduction to this fascinating and colorful group of animals.
Published by Southwest Parks and Monuments Association, 1997. Pages not numbered, I count 64; about 6 x 9 inches, saddle-stitched paperback. New.
Item #230. Shipping weight: 0.6 lb. Publisher's price: $8.95. Your price: $8.05
Donald J. Borror & Richard E. White, A Field Guide to Insects: America North of Mexico (Peterson Field Guide Series)Classic field guide for the truly diligent naturalist, a book for those not yet ready for more technical works, but which gives you enough technical detail (and the means to understand that technical detail) that it will enable you to more positively identify insect families than mere photographic guides can ever hope to do. Includes 1300 black and white drawings (most of these shaded to give a three-dimensional appearance) and 142 color paintings. These depict the details you need to know about better than most photos can show. Although genera and species of insects within families are sometimes mentioned, this guide does focus on families, for that is the one level of classification beginners can hope to pin down.
This book formed much of the basis of my own knowledge of insects, and I have both a fondness and continued admiration for its format and splendid illustrations.
Published by Houghton Mifflin, 1970. 404 pages, illus., about 4½ x 7¼ inches, paperback. New.
Item #928. Shipping weight: 1.2 lbs. Publisher’s price: $19.00. Your price: $17.10
Sidney W. Dunkle, Dragonflies through Binoculars: A Field Guide to Dragonflies of North AmericaA comprehensive field guide to all 307 species of dragonflies known from the United States and Canada, each illustrated by full color photographs of living specimens. This is the first book with such complete coverage, and many of the species have never before had their images published. Most users will probably spend the most time perusing the 47 pages of photographs; on facing pages there are range maps, with brief identification notes. The latter is cross-referenced to the main text, which devotes a half page or more to each species, describing them in more detail, providing notes on regional or individual variation, listing habitat, season active, and special notes of interest.
A thirty page introduction informs you on dragonfly-watching techniques, what kind of binoculars to use, dragonfly biology, how to photograph them, and special features of this book. This will be an exciting addition to any naturalist’s bookshelf or field pouch!
Published by Oxford University Press, 2000. 266 pages, illus., about 5½ x 8 inches, paperback. New.
Item #575. Shipping weight: 1.6 lbs. Publisher’s price: $29.95. Your price: $27.00
Eric R. Eaton & Kenn Kaufman, Kaufmann Field Guide to Insects of North America Exciting new field guide uses color images extracted from photos to help you identify many common and not-so-common groups of insects found in the US (excepting Hawaii) and Canada. As Kaufman rightly points out in the introduction, there are far too many insects in the area (almost 90,000, at last count) for a field guide to hope to cover more than a fraction, and no book exists, even in the technical plane, which has identification information for all species. Indeed, some groups are so obscure they are only written about in scattered scientific publications, and most insects can only be identified to species with any certainty by viewing highly technical characteristics under a microscope—or by sending a specimen to a specialist for determination.
That qualification stated, this book will help you learn the name of the family and often the genus of many insects, and give you an idea of what species it might be, which is as well as any layperson's guide book can hope to do. The book is packed with fascinating information as well.
Houghton Mifflin, 2007. 391 pages, about 4-3/4 x 7-3/4 inches, flexible hardcover. New.
Item #23. Shipping weight: 1.7 lbs. Publisher's price: $18.95. Your price: $17.05
Jean Henri Fabre, Fabre's Book of Insects "Hailed by Darwin as 'The Homer of Insects,' famed French entomologist Jean Henri Fabre (1823-1915) devoted hours of rapt attention to insects while they hunted, built nests, and fed their families. Working in Provence, in barren, sun-scorched fields inhabited by countless wasps and bees, he observed their intricate and fascinating world, recounting their activities in simple, beautifully written essays."
Dover, 1998 (originally published in 1921). 168 pages, about 5¼ x 8½ inches, paperback. New.
Item #223. Shipping weight: 0.8 lb. Publisher's price: $7.95. Your price: $7.15
Rainer F. Foelix, Biology of Spiders, Second Edition“An enormous amount of research in spider biology in recent years has resulted in significant new insights into this diverse group of organisms. The response to this outpouring is an updated edition of this widely regarded classic. First published in 1979, this was the first textbook on spiders in 50 years; the new edition contains all the information gathered since that time, including the entire world literature on spiders up to 1995. The author has completely updated and revised chapters on ecology, phylogeny and systematics to reflect current knowledge. Over 200 illustrations are included as well as an extensive reference section. The only modern textbook available on the subject, this will prove an invaluable resource for professionals, students, and researchers . . .”
Oxford University Press, 1996. 330 pages, illus., about 6 x 9 inches, paperback. New.
Item #605. Publisher’s price: $25.00. Your price: $25.00 (out of stock)
Jeffrey Glassberg, Butterflies Through Binoculars: The West: A Field Guide to the Butterflies of Western North AmericaExcellent photographic field guide to the over 1000 species of butterflies in the western United States, southwestern Canada, and Hawaii. Each are illustrated with one or more detailed color photographs; many are represented by two photographs, and variable species feature even more images. The description is on the facing page, along with a range map. Details given include identification features, habitat, relative abundance, food, and often other comments.
An introductory section gives photo tips, and emphasizes non-lethal butterfly enjoyment over collection. There is also information on butterfly gardening and binocular use.
Oxford University Press, 2001. 374 pages, illus., about 5½ x 8 inches, paperback. New.
Item #579. Shipping weight: 1.7 lbs. Publisher’s price: $19.95. Your price: $18.00
Herbert W. Levi and Lorna R. Levi, Spiders and Their Kin A Golden Guide. Revised and Updated.
Despite it's small size, this is probably the best guide to spiders suitable for the non-specialist that you are likely to find. Although it purports to be useful in Europe and other areas, it is biased in favor of North American species. It has more coverage of species than you'll find in the Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Insects and Spiders, and unfortunately there is no Peterson "Field Guide to Spiders." Packed full of color illustrations, including examples of webs. The last quarter of the book is devoted to spider "kin," including scorpions, ticks, wind scorpions, centipedes, millipedes, and sowbugs.
Despite it's small size, this is probably the best guide to spiders suitable for the non-specialist that you are likely to find. Although it purports to be useful in Europe and other areas, it is biased in favor of North American species. It has more coverage of species than you'll find in the Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Insects and Spiders, and unfortunately there is no Peterson "Field Guide to Spiders." Packed full of color illustrations, including examples of webs. The last quarter of the book is devoted to spider "kin," including scorpions, ticks, wind scorpions, centipedes, millipedes, and sowbugs.
St. Martin's Press, 2002. 160 pages, about 4 x 6 inches, paperback. New.
Item #743. Shipping weight: 0.5 lb. Publisher's price: $6.95. Your price: $6.25
Bob Stewart, Priscilla Brodkin and Hank Brodkin, Butterflies of Arizona: A Photographic GuideComprehensive new identification guidebook featuring 553 detailed close-up color photos of all 331 species known from the state. All the photos show the insects in their natural environments. Each species description includes both common and scientific names, field marks, times seen flying, host plants, range, habitat, and similar species. One unusual feature are the remarkable images of selected butterfly predators. Larvae (caterpillars) of some species are also illustrated and described.
West Coast Lady Press, 2001. 415 pages. New.
Item #234. Shipping weight: 2.7 lbs. Publisher's price: $24.00. Your price: $21.60
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