The Bees of the World - Hardcover

Michener, Charles D.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0801885736 ISBN 13: 9780801885730

Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2007

Synopsis

In this extensive update of his definitive reference, Charles D. Michener reveals a diverse fauna that numbers more than 17,000 species and ranges from the common honeybee to rare bees that feed on the pollen of a single type of plant. With many new facts, reclassifications, and revisions, the second edition of The Bees of the World provides the most comprehensive treatment of the 1,200 genera and subgenera of the Apiformes. Included are hundreds of updated citations to work published since the appearance of the first edition and a new set of plates of fossil bees.

The book begins with extensive introductory sections that include bee evolution, classification of the various bee families, the coevolution of bees and flowering plants, nesting behavior, differences between solitary and social bees, and the anatomy of these amazing insects. Drawing on modern studies and evidence from the fossil record, Michener reveals what the ancestral bee―the protobee―might have looked like. He also cites the major literature on bee biology and describes the need for further research on the systematics and natural history of bees, including their importance as pollinators of crops and natural vegetation. The greater part of the work consists of an unprecedented treatment of bee systematics, with keys for identification to the subgenus level. For each genus and subgenus, Michener includes a brief natural history describing geographical range, number of species, and noteworthy information pertaining to nesting or floral biology.

The book is beautifully illustrated with more than 500 drawings and photographs that depict behavior, detailed morphology, and ecology. Accented with color plates of select bees, The Bees of the World will continue to be the world's best reference on these diverse insects.

About this title

About the Author:

Charles D. Michener is curator emeritus, Entomology Division, University of Kansas Natural History Museum and Biodiversity Research Center, and professor emeritus, Entomology Program, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas. His books include The Social Behavior of Bees.

Review:

"This definitive reference by an acclaimed expert accounts for 1200 genera/subgenera and 16,000 species of bees in the world... Useful guide for entomologists, biologists, botanists, ecologists, and students."

(Southeastern Naturalist)

"Michener has produced what is properly labeled a magnum opus. Ambrosia."

(Science)

"Magnificent book... Should appeal not only to entomologists interested in bees, but also to ecologists looking for an overview of bee biology."

(Nature)

About this edition

• Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0801885736
• ISBN 13: 9780801885730
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 992