paperback 363 pages (includes index and pictured glossary of terms)
780 black and white pen and ink illustrations
Publisher: Dover
Copyright Date: 1987
ISBN: 0-486-25395-3
This book deals with the Orthopteroid insects and as such includes walkingsticks (Order Phasmida), praying mantids (Order Mantodea), rock crawlers (Order Grylloblattaria), cockroaches (Order Blattaria), termites (Order Isoptera) and zorapterids (Order Zoraptera) besides the insects now considered to compose the Orthoptera (grasshoppers, crickets and katydids). All the species presented are from the United States. The bulk of the illustrations present the entire insect.
While slightly dated, this is a useful reference source for these insects - in fact the only one I have found for many of these insects. Keys are provided for a number of species and some life history and other identifying features are included. A number of descriptions include information on similar species. General distributions are given.
There are better guides for the grasshoppers (some web accessible) as these can have strong economic significance. The katydids and crickets as singing insects are also attracting web interest (see the Singing Insects of North America site) but except for pest species the other orders indicated above are not covered well in print or as yet (2003) on the web.
Note: This is a personal web site and is not affiliated with the National Park Service or Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Contact information for the author, Ron Lyons, is accessible through the Index Page referenced below. Thank you.