9781422278239

I N T R O D U C T I O N

Adult beetles characteristically have their first pair of wings modified to form hard wing cases which often bear a metallic sheen. At rest, the wing cases protect the second, fully functional pair of wings.

A s the sun sets over a clearing in the Amazon rain forest, the last of the day-flying insects heads for the shelter of trees. A faint buzzing heralds the arrival of the first of mosqui- toes that make up the vanguard of the nocturnal. The dark shapes of large moths and beetles reveal themselves but it is not until a lamplight glows that a clear idea of the amazing diversity of the forest’s insects is visible. Thousands of moths, beetles, cicadas, mantids and bugs move toward the light. The air is thick with the sound of their clattering and whirring wings. The tropics are, without doubt, the place to see a staggering range of insects. Their numbers and diversity, however, are still impres- sive in more temperate regions. Their abundance may be seasonal and the size of the largest specimens less imposing, but an inter- ested eye cannot fail to be impressed. Insects are by far the most populous group of animals on earth. Scien- tists now know of more than a million species in existence and estimate a total of up to thirty million more yet undiscovered species. The secret of their success lies in their structure. They have a tough, protective outer skeleton and joints that allow for flexibility.

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