Moths, Myths, and Mosquitoes

Moths, Myths, and Mosquitoes PDF Author: Marc Epstein
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0190215275
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 320

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Book Description
On September 26, 1924, the ground collapsed beneath a truck in a back alley in Washington, D.C., revealing a mysterious underground labyrinth. In spite of wild speculations, the tunnel was not the work of German spies, but rather an aging, eccentric Smithsonian scientist named Harrison Gray Dyar, Jr. While Dyar's covert tunneling habits may seem far-fetched, they were merely one of many oddities in Dyar's unbelievable life. For the first time, insect biosystematist Marc E. Epstein presents a complete account of Dyar's life story. Dyar, one of the most influential biologists of the twentieth century, focused his entomological career on building natural classifications of various groups of insects. His revolutionary approach to taxonomy, which examined both larval and adult stages of insects, brought about major changes in the scientific community's understanding of natural relationships and insect systematics. He was also the father of what came to be known as Dyar's Law, a pragmatic method to standardize information on insect larval stages as they grow. Over the course of his illustrious career at the U.S. National Museum, Smithsonian Institution from 1897-1929, Dyar named over 3,000 species, established the "List of North American Lepidoptera," an unrivaled catalog of moths and butterflies, and built one of the nation's premier lepidoptera and mosquito collections. However, Dyar's scientific accomplishments are a mere component of this remarkable biography. Epstein offers an account of Dyar's complicated personal life, from his feuds with fellow entomologists to the scandalous revelation that he was married to two wives at the same time. Epstein also chronicles Dyar's exploration of the Baha'i faith, his extensive travels, his innumerable works of unpublished fiction, and the loss of his wealth from bad investments. Comprehensive and engaging, Moths, Myths, and Mosquitoes will delight entomologists and historians alike, as well as anyone interested in exploring the zany life of one of America's virtually unknown scientific geniuses.

Moths, Myths, and Mosquitoes

Moths, Myths, and Mosquitoes PDF Author: Marc Epstein
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0190215275
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 320

Get Book

Book Description
On September 26, 1924, the ground collapsed beneath a truck in a back alley in Washington, D.C., revealing a mysterious underground labyrinth. In spite of wild speculations, the tunnel was not the work of German spies, but rather an aging, eccentric Smithsonian scientist named Harrison Gray Dyar, Jr. While Dyar's covert tunneling habits may seem far-fetched, they were merely one of many oddities in Dyar's unbelievable life. For the first time, insect biosystematist Marc E. Epstein presents a complete account of Dyar's life story. Dyar, one of the most influential biologists of the twentieth century, focused his entomological career on building natural classifications of various groups of insects. His revolutionary approach to taxonomy, which examined both larval and adult stages of insects, brought about major changes in the scientific community's understanding of natural relationships and insect systematics. He was also the father of what came to be known as Dyar's Law, a pragmatic method to standardize information on insect larval stages as they grow. Over the course of his illustrious career at the U.S. National Museum, Smithsonian Institution from 1897-1929, Dyar named over 3,000 species, established the "List of North American Lepidoptera," an unrivaled catalog of moths and butterflies, and built one of the nation's premier lepidoptera and mosquito collections. However, Dyar's scientific accomplishments are a mere component of this remarkable biography. Epstein offers an account of Dyar's complicated personal life, from his feuds with fellow entomologists to the scandalous revelation that he was married to two wives at the same time. Epstein also chronicles Dyar's exploration of the Baha'i faith, his extensive travels, his innumerable works of unpublished fiction, and the loss of his wealth from bad investments. Comprehensive and engaging, Moths, Myths, and Mosquitoes will delight entomologists and historians alike, as well as anyone interested in exploring the zany life of one of America's virtually unknown scientific geniuses.

Mosquitoes and Other Insects of the Year 1902

Mosquitoes and Other Insects of the Year 1902 PDF Author: Rufus Hiram Pettit
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Insect pests
Languages : en
Pages : 16

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Book Description


Mosquito, Housefly and Common Clothes Moth

Mosquito, Housefly and Common Clothes Moth PDF Author: Phyllis Ladyman
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780416167603
Category : Clothes moths
Languages : en
Pages : 24

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Book Description


The Infested Mind

The Infested Mind PDF Author: Jeffrey Lockwood
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199374937
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 240

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Book Description
The human reaction to insects is neither purely biological nor simply cultural. And no one reacts to insects with indifference. Insects frighten, disgust and fascinate us. Jeff Lockwood explores this phenomenon through evolutionary science, human history, and contemporary psychology, as well as a debilitating bout with entomophobia in his work as an entomologist. Exploring the nature of anxiety and phobia, Lockwood explores the lively debate about how much of our fear of insects can be attributed to ancestral predisposition for our own survival and how much is learned through individual experiences. Drawing on vivid case studies, Lockwood explains how insects have come to infest our minds in sometimes devastating ways and supersede even the most rational understanding of the benefits these creatures provide. No one can claim to be ambivalent in the face of wasps, cockroaches or maggots but our collective entomophobia is wreaking havoc on the natural world as we soak our food, homes and gardens in powerful insecticides. Lockwood dissects our common reactions, distinguishing between disgust and fear, and invites readers to consider their own emotional and physiological reactions to insects in a new framework that he's derived from cutting-edge biological, psychological, and social science.

Brown Tail Moth, Housefly and Mosquito

Brown Tail Moth, Housefly and Mosquito PDF Author: Thomas Baddeley Symons
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Browntail moth
Languages : en
Pages : 36

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Book Description


Insect Physiological Ecology

Insect Physiological Ecology PDF Author: Steven L. Chown
Publisher: OUP Oxford
ISBN: 0191523348
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 256

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Book Description
This book provides a modern, synthetic overview of interactions between insects and their environments from a physiological perspective that integrates information across a range of approaches and scales. It shows that evolved physiological responses at the individual level are translated into coherent physiological and ecological patterns at larger, even global scales. This is done by examining in detail the ways in which insects obtain resources from the environment, process these resources in various ways, and turn the results into energy which allows them to regulate their internal environment as well as cope with environmental extremes of temperature and water availability. The book demonstrates that physiological responses are not only characterized by substantial temporal variation, but also shows coherent variation across several spatial scales. At the largest, global scale, there appears to be substantial variation associated with the hemisphere in which insects are found. Such variation has profound implications for patterns of biodiversity as well as responses to climate change, and these implications are explicitly discussed. The book provides a novel integration of the understanding gained from broad-scale field studies of many species and the more narrowly focused laboratory investigations of model organisms. In so doing it reflects the growing realization that an integration of mechanistic and large-scale comparative physiology can result in unexpected insights into the diversity of insects.

Mosquitoes

Mosquitoes PDF Author: Cheryl Coughlan
Publisher: Capstone
ISBN: 9780736882149
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 30

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Book Description
Simple text and photographs describe the physical characteristics of mosquitoes.

Medical and Veterinary Entomology

Medical and Veterinary Entomology PDF Author: Gary R. Mullen
Publisher: Academic Press
ISBN: 0080919693
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 646

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Book Description
Medical and Veterinary Entomology, Second Edition, has been fully updated and revised to provide the latest information on developments in entomology relating to public health and veterinary importance. Each chapter is structured with the student in mind, organized by the major headings of Taxonomy, Morphology, Life History, Behavior and Ecology, Public Health and Veterinary Importance, and Prevention and Control. This second edition includes separate chapters devoted to each of the taxonomic groups of insects and arachnids of medical or veterinary concern, including spiders, scorpions, mites, and ticks. Internationally recognized editors Mullen and Durden include extensive coverage of both medical and veterinary entomological importance. This book is designed for teaching and research faculty in medical and veterinary schools that provide a course in vector borne diseases and medical entomology; parasitologists, entomologists, and government scientists responsible for oversight and monitoring of insect vector borne diseases; and medical and veterinary school libraries and libraries at institutions with strong programs in entomology. Follows in the tradition of Herm's Medical and Veterinary Entomology The latest information on developments in entomology relating to public health and veterinary importance Two separate indexes for enhanced searchability: Taxonomic and Subject New to this edition: Three new chapters Morphological Adaptations of Parasitic Arthropods Forensic Entomology Molecular Tools in Medical and Veterinary Entomology 1700 word glossary Appendix of Arthropod-Related Viruses of Medical-Veterinary Importance Numerous new full-color images, illustrations and maps throughout

Influential Passengers

Influential Passengers PDF Author: Scott L. O'Neill
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN:
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 240

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Book Description
The ways in which bacteria can manipulate reproduction of their invertebrate hosts for their own benefit is attracting increasing attention among scientists. It has been discovered that certain bacteria can determine the likelihood of their fruit fly hosts finding a partner to mate with, andthat bacteria infecting woodlice can even cause changes in woodlice offspring. Written by leading experts, this is a timely and readable exploration of a new, exciting, and rapidly expanding area of science.

Lepidoptera

Lepidoptera PDF Author: Farzana Khan Perveen
Publisher: BoD – Books on Demand
ISBN: 9535136593
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 156

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Book Description
This book contains seven chapters divided into two sections. The first section is "Lepidoptera Systematics." It covers introduction classification and external and internal morphology. It also includes the importance and modern approaches of Lepidoptera collection curation and data management. It also describes molecular phylogeny and taxonomy of Lepidoptera for ecological and evolutionary studies. The second section, "Lepidoptera as a Model for Research," describes eyespot color pattern formation mechanism in the peacock pansy, Junonia almana (L.). The complete mitochondrial genome of the American potato tuberworm, Tecia solanivora (Povolny), is presented to study a mitogenome in insects. Lepidoptera are sensitive to physical and climatic changes. Therefore, their taxocenotic and biocenotic study was conducted in three environments, i.e., the grassland, forest, and ecotone of Rucamanque, a forest remnant.