HO0VERFLIES Format: Paperback

Hoverflies are attractive, conspicuous and lively insects often seen visiting flowers. Their larvae are colourful but usually well hidden, emerging at night at feed on aphids or greenfly. They play a significant part in the biological control of crop pests. This book introduces the natural history of hoverflies with a thumbnail sketch of 42 of the species most likely to be found. It describes the biology and behaviour of the larvae, with their wide range of different diets, and discusses the tiny wasps that may parasitise them. In the adults, particular attention is paid to courtship behaviour and egg-laying, as well as flower-feeding. Selected species can be matched against the colour pictures, and their identification confirmed by a short list of critical characters. This book should provide the reader with ideas for his or her own investigation, and should provide help with identification and techniques.

Francis Gilbert is Professor of Ecology at the Univeristy of Nottingham. He studies the evolution of ecological and behavioural attributes of organisms, mainly in the field. He is particularly interested in the evolution of life histories and mimicry in insects, coevolution between plants and insects (especially in pollination), and in the importance of habitat fragmentation to populations and conservation.