Leaf and seed beetles

[Paul mabbott]

Anyone interested in Bruchidae and Chrysomelidae might want to look into this book - lots of maps but also pictures and background info!

NHBS - Atlas of the Seed and Leaf Beetles of Britain and Ireland - Michael L Cox

[Dogghound]

Look's like a great book, i might well get that. Chrysomelidae being one of my personal favourite groups.

Cheer's for that Paul

[asheleaf]

Originally Posted by Paul mabbott

Anyone interested in Bruchidae and Chrysomelidae might want to look into this book - lots of maps but also pictures and background info!

NHBS - Atlas of the Seed and Leaf Beetles of Britain and Ireland - Michael L Cox

i'm interested too as leaf beetles are the ones i come across the most. Will this book help me to id them or do I need something else as well?

thanks, Ashe

[GRH]

This book is very nicely produced, it has a few colour plates of photographs, but will not help you to identify them (though it could be useful in checking a species with the species accounts once identified). It does have a section on identification which gives references for the best id guides for each group. Unfortunately the Chrysomelids are another group where there is no British key that is up to date or in print. There are various keys to genera scattered about, but getting hold of them can be tricky!

As with a depressing number of beetle families, the best bet is a copy of Joy (1953-ish, copies go for about £180-£250), plus reprints of papers since then (as it's doesn't cover all species) and the check list as a lot of names have changed. It's either that or some very expensive German books.

Apart from a few families, Coleopterology in this country is in a poor state.

Greg

[asheleaf]

Originally Posted by GRH

This book is very nicely produced, it has a few colour plates of photographs, but will not help you to identify them (though it could be useful in checking a species with the species accounts once identified). It does have a section on identification which gives references for the best id guides for each group. Unfortunately the Chrysomelids are another group where there is no British key that is up to date or in print. There are various keys to genera scattered about, but getting hold of them can be tricky!

As with a depressing number of beetle families, the best bet is a copy of Joy (1953-ish, copies go for about £180-£250), plus reprints of papers since then (as it's doesn't cover all species) and the check list as a lot of names have changed. It's either that or some very expensive German books.

Apart from a few families, Coleopterology in this country is in a poor state.

Greg

thanks greg, i hadnt realised just how many there were. Always seems to be the way with insects, that and the lack of material available. I guess a WAB member is just going to have write a book!

thanks for your help, Ashe

[JonSadler]

I also have this book. The pictures and lifecycle details are great and the distribution maps are as current as we get in UK Coleoptera! As noted earlier, beetles are a big order so there are not many up-to-date keys (notable exceptions include: carabids, ladybirds - plus numerous keys to generic groups in journals).

There are a good number of excellent beetlers out there but they are not writing the keys fast enough. Not surprising with so many species and lots of recent additions to the UK list since the older keys were created. If your German is up to it Freude, Harde & Lohse - Die Kafer Mitteleuropas is worth a look......

Regards
Jon