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A Guide to the Katydids of Australia

Paperback
October 2010
9780643095540
More details
  • Publisher
    CSIRO Publishing
  • Published
    1st October 2010
  • ISBN 9780643095540
  • Language English
  • Pages 224 pp.
  • Size 5.25" x 8.75"
  • Images 4 color throughout
$49.95

Australian katydids are among the most commonly seen Australian insects. Most are spectacularly colorful and have highly photogenic adaptive shapes. They are masters of deception in imitating twigs, bark, leaves and stems, and other insects. A few are brightly colored and are distasteful to predators. They range in size from about 5 mm to well over 90 mm. They occur all over Australia in most habitats. Katydids continue to be research subjects in many university curricula, where students study their behavior, acoustical physiology and ecology.

A Guide to the Katydids of Australia explores this diverse group of insects from the family Tettigoniidae, which comprises about 2000 species in Australia. It covers the entire fauna, including Norfolk and Lord Howe islands, but not Christmas Island. It highlights their relationships to plants, humans and the environment, and includes color photographs of most species.

Key features
• Provides an accessible guide to this most conspicuous but little-known group of insects
• Highlights the environmental role with relationships to plants, humans and the environment
• Gives common names as well as scientific names

"This book is especially useful for readers interested in Australian Orthoptera and libraries with a focus on Australian insects. Summing Up: Highly Recommended."

- Choice

Preface
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Biology
Sound and Hearing
Collection and Studying Katydids
Habitats
Conservation
Guide to the Species
Key to Subfamilies of Australian Katydids
List of the Tettigoniidae (Katydids) of Australia
Glossary
References
Appendix 1: Keeping Katydids Alive and Preservation of Specimens
Appendix 2: Special Interest Groups and Entomological Supplies
Index

David Rentz

David Rentz AM specializes in katydids, crickets and other members of the suborder Ensifera. He spent 25 years as Curator of Orthopteroid Insects in the Australian National Insect Collection, Canberra. David is currently an Adjunct Professor at James Cook University and an Honorary Fellow of the California Academy of Sciences. He is the author of several books, including A Guide to the Katydids of Australia, which won a Whitley Award commendation for best field guide. David was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 2013.