BOOK REVIEWS
Iridescences: The Physical Colors of
Insects
Serge Berthier
Springer International, Dordrecht, The
Netherlands
2007; 160 pp.
Price: $111.00 (hardcover)
ISBN-10: 0-387-34119-6
Iridescences: The Physical Colors Of Insects
was written by Serge Berthier, a French
physicist and materials scientist with a
passion for beautiful insects. Iridescence, or
more specifically, structural colors, are produced by refraction from microstructures
smaller than the wavelength of light, such
as the rainbow effect produced by compact
discs. The gorgeous blue in Morpho butterflies and the bright metallic gold of many
tropical beetles are the result of submicron
chitinous structures in the cuticle. These
structural, refractive mechanisms of generating color are fundamentally different from
the more familiar and intuitive mechanism
of coloration via pigment, or the differential absorption of wavelengths of light by
pigment molecules. In addition to being an
important aspect of insect natural history,
structural colors are of interest to physicists
and materials scientists because many of
the tiny structures responsible for some of
the more impressive insect phenomena are
still impossible to fabricate. In some cases,
the study of insect structural colors has revealed optical phenomena that were never
imagined or characterized by physicists.
Berthier explores and explains color-generating structures and mechanisms in insects,
as well as other relevant topics in natural
history and biological optics.
The most useful and unique portion of
the book is the three chapters detailing the
impressive array of structures that generate
color in beetles and butterflies. Although
this information is scattered throughout the
literature, to my knowledge, this is the first
time it has been assembled in one place using
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clear, specific biological examples. There is
one chapter each on one-, two-, and threedimensional structural colors that explains
the very different physical mechanisms by
which each dimension of geometry produces
color, with photographs and examples of
each type in insects.
In addition to this core information,
the book contains chapters on color space
and color theory, the anatomy of butterfly
wings and beetle cuticle, the natural history
of butterfly coloration, insect thermoregulation via pigments and structural colors, and
a primer on biological pigments. The rest
of the material in the book is helpful, but
it can be found elsewhere, and essentially
supports and provides background for the
chapters on the dimensional aspects of
structural color.
The major flaw of the book is the
generally sloppy editing. First, strange
French–English hybrid grammar appears in
almost every sentence. Most of the time, the
important ideas are communicated, and the
French flavor occasionally adds a little fun
to the narrative, but it was often a struggle
to read through the awkward phrasings
and then parse what the author meant. Occasionally, the careless translation obscures
real physical meaning, such as the author’s
repeated use of the term “dispersion” where
he apparently means “diffusion”—these
terms have physical definitions in English
that are evidently different from the French
cognates. In another example, the term
“photonic microscope” appears throughout
the book, which at first I thought might be a
sophisticated piece of physics equipment I’d
never heard of, but evidently means “light
microscope.” In addition, the editing of the
figures is problematic—in several captions,
panels are labeled “top” and “center”
when they are sitting left and right of one
another, and vice versa. Other figures are
miscaptioned.
The book strangely has no reference section, although the scientific work of other
authors is implicitly discussed. For instance,
Berthier describes a concentration gradient
model of butterfly eyespot development that
is evidently from the work of Fred Nijhout
and others, but those authors are never mentioned in the main text or any bibliography.
This is problematic not only because these
ideas should be properly acknowledged,
but also because it is difficult for readers to
know where to turn if they would like more
information about a topic or to verify the
author’s claims.
Underneath the sometimes awkward
translation and editing problems, however,
is a very good introduction and reference for
biologists who are interested in the optical
aspects of their study organisms, as well as
a primer in animal diversity and biological mechanisms for physical scientists. On
a second reading, after deciphering the
translation and captioning issues, I realized what a valuable collection of physics,
biology, and unpublished micrographs this
work could be as a resource for scientists
interested in the interface of photonics and
biology, or as a text for a seminar course
on the subject.
The many photographs of butterfly scales
in transmission illumination, immersed
in index-matching fluid, and in SEM are
an invaluable collection that would take
many hours or days to assemble from other
sources, and in many cases may not be available in the literature. These photographs are
generally of very high quality, and are beautifully reproduced on the book’s glossy paper.
In most cases, the photographs are more
informative than the text in understanding
the topics at hand. Especially effective and
useful are the nested photographs of the
same cuticular structure shown at several
different size scales. Having these marvelous
photographs collected in a single place is
probably worth the book’s price for scientists
interested in this topic.
I found most of the physical and mathematical explanations in the text to be accessible to a physics-minded biologist. For most
of the optical subjects discussed, there is a
American Entomologist • Fall 2008
“back of the envelope” intuitive diagram of
a given phenomenon, as well as equations to
describe the phenomenon, although the author avoids long mathematical derivations.
This approach provides some useful physical
insight to biologists who have likely forgotten any background they may have had in
matrix math, but it also gives context and
an analytical starting point to the physicists
in the audience.
This book could work well as the foundation of an interdisciplinary graduate
seminar or advanced undergraduate course
on structural color and photonics, as long
as the editing and referencing issues were
considered beforehand. It would also be
useful to people working at the interface
of physics and biology, as a reference and
source of photographic examples of many
different biological optical phenomena,
or as an introduction to these topics for
someone with traditional biology training
who hopes to learn some optics, and vice
versa.
Alison Sweeney
California NanoSystems Institute
University of California
Santa Barbara, CA, 93106
E-mail: [email protected]
Insect Poetics
Eric C. Brown, Editor
University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis
2006, 405 pp.
Price: $25.00, soft cover
ISBN: 0-8166-4696-1
In Insect Poetics, Eric Brown has assembled
18 original essays that focus on the role
insects play in a variety of literary, artistic,
and cultural works, and thus he offers an
opportunity to explore how insects have
been perceived by others throughout history and outside the field of entomology.
In his introduction, Brown links insects
to the arts when he notes Pliny’s need to
justify the study of small organisms such
as insects and concludes that “the details
required to shape the intricacies of the insect
require an artist.” And while not disputing
that insects are a common element of the
human experience, Brown emphasizes the
formidable distance between insects and
humans that “must be mediated—by art,
American Entomologist • Volume 54, Number 3
artifice, technology.” These ideas set the
stage for a challenging and insightful treatment of how insects have inspired a range
of artistic and literary endeavors. The contributions to this book are
organized into three parts. Part I, Literary Entomologies, includes eight essays
that deal with the appearance of insects
and insect imagery in a variety of literary
works. Whereas the insect-themed work
of Don Marquis and Franz Kafka may
be familiar to most entomologists, the
influence of insects and the entomological
reflected in the writing of authors including
Virgil, Shakespeare, Thoreau, Sylvia Plath,
Virginia Woolf, and Kobe Abé will likely
be a revelation to many readers. With the
exception of May Berenbaum’s survey of
insects in poetry, which is written for a
general audience, the essays in this section
provide critical literary analyses that seem
to be written for the authors’ peers in the
humanities. However, the insects and entomological phenomena that are featured in
these works, including themes of metamorphosis, social insects, swarming locusts, and
cockroaches, are familiar to entomologists.
The analyses are thought provoking and,
for the most part, biologically tenable.
For example, Tony McGowan argues that
Thoreau’s views of slavery and immigration
were influenced by having read descriptions
of slave-making ants and swarming locusts,
respectively.
The five essays in Part II, Rhetoric and
Aesthetics, cover a range of topics about
how insect images and entomological works
either reflect or have influenced prevailing
cultural views and attitudes. Subjects include
the use of emblematic beetles during the
Renaissance, the contrasting economic views
(particularly as to the value of labor) based
on analysis of beekeeping and sericulture
manuals from 17th-century England, and the
impact of the microscope and corresponding
increased powers of observation on 18thcentury aesthetics.
Most powerful is Cristopher Hollingsworth’s essay on how the use of insect
metaphor has played an important role in
dehumanizing racial and ethnic groups.
Not surprisingly, “cockroach” is a label
commonly applied to undesirable groups,
from the Tutsis in Rwanda to Mexican immigrants in the United States. Use of this
negative metaphor is compromised by the
positive view of the cockroach in Mexican
folklore. This essay makes an interesting
contrast with Marion Copeland’s essay
in Part I that discusses the biocentric and
ecocentric themes in literary works featuring cockroaches. Part III, Unsettling Insects, contains four
essays that emphasize the theme of insects
as being distinctly “other” from humanity
that Brown develops in his introduction.
Charlotte Sleigh notes the transition of
entomologists from avid collectors and
natural historians into professionals devoted to controlling insect pests in the early
20th century as she explores psychological
aspects of the widespread view of insects
as “creepy,” undesirable organisms. Nicky
Coutts explores malevolent portrayals of
insects in a variety of artistic media from
the Middle Ages to the present. Richard
Leskosky analyzes the prevalence of giant
insects and other arthropods in science fiction/horror films (i.e., big bug films). Insect
images from early cinematic works and
more recently produced films are included,
along with the many classic big bug films
from the 1950s, such as THEM! Sarah
Gordon concludes this section with a discussion of the spectacle of entomophagy,
particularly as portrayed in Western society. Her analyses of television shows such
as Fear Factor and insect-cuisine features
on the Food Network channel, seem to be
an important and original contribution to
discussions of entomophagy. Most authors provide adequate background information and quotations from
the pieces they are analyzing to support
their theses and help readers follow their
analyses. There are, however, relatively
few figures in the book, which is frustrating
when an author is discussing a visual image
that is not pictured in the text. Endnotes,
including citations of works mentioned in
the text, are included at the end of each
essay. A helpful index is provided that
includes scientific and common names of
insects mentioned in the text, artists and
authors, and general topics such as “film
treatment of insects,” which includes the
title, date, and director of all films mentioned in the book.
The essays in Insect Poetics offer an
interdisciplinary treatment of insects that
stretches the boundaries in which most
entomologists think about their subject.
Readers may find some essays, particularly
in Part I, inaccessible at first reading because the style and language of academic
discourse differ dramatically from that of
the sciences. Essays in Parts I and II seem to
draw upon more entomological information
than those in Part I, and thus may be more
accessible to readers with a scientific background. Those readers hoping for a work
of popular science with a focus on insects
in the arts are likely to be disappointed.
Some essays from this collection could be
assigned to supplement standard texts and
would generate interesting discussion in
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undergraduate classes in which the goal is
to consider how the influence of insects is
realized in other fields.
This collection would be a valuable addition to university libraries and of interest
to those whose entomological interests are
eclectic and interdisciplinary. I particularly recommend this book to instructors
of courses on insects and human society,
who will find the essays helpful for class
preparation and for identifying additional
literary and artistic works that feature insect
images. Tracey M. Anderson
Division of Science and Math
University of Minnesota, Morris
Morris, MN 56267
Email: [email protected]
Ladybugs of Alberta: Finding the Spots
and Connecting the Dots.
John Acorn
University of Alberta Press, Edmonton
2007; 198 pp.
186
Price: $29.95 (soft cover)
ISBN: 978-0-88864-381-0
This is the third book by John Acorn in
a series on the natural history of Alberta
insects, and it is an excellent introduction
and field guide to ladybugs (Coleoptera:
Coccinellidae). The book is aimed at the lay
audience of Alberta. But even as he presents
the ladybug fauna of this one Canadian
province, Acorn provides a lot of general
information about this family of insects.
Many of the species featured in the book, for
example, are widely distributed throughout
large parts of North America. The drawings
and photographs that illustrate these species are outstanding, and the general layout
of this well-produced book immediately
draws the reader in. Acorn writes engagingly (at turns light and witty or provocative and profound), and he draws deeply on
his many years of ladybug collecting and
naturalizing (and tasting!). Each of these
strengths allows him to reach and educate a
broad audience, with plenty of material to
offer to amateur enthusiast and hard-core
professional alike.
In the preface and early chapters, Acorn
introduces the reader to ladybugs and major
ecological, evolutionary, and conservation
themes about them. He draws on a selec-
tion of studies published in the primary
literature, while effectively mixing in his
own experiences, ideas, and interpretations. In so doing, he introduces a host of
interesting facts and questions about this
group of insects, addressing such diverse
topics as evolutionary origins, coloration,
cannibalism, food habits, hibernation, and
natural enemies.
Acorn also includes an historical account
of ladybug study in Alberta, introducing
people who paved the way. For example,
we find here, a captivating photograph of
Colonel Edgar H. Strickland, founding chair
of the Department of Entomology at the
University of Alberta, as he sits in formal
attire amongst the grasses of the Canadian
prairie to examine a yucca. (Acorn suggests, “no doubt alert for rare ladybugs at
the time.”)
The book has a strong central theme that
gets full attention in a chapter devoted to
introduced ladybugs and conservation. This
is the theme of whether and how ladybugs
newly added to the fauna may be affecting
numbers and lives of other ladybug species
that were already present. In setting out
to write this book, Acorn began with deep
apprehensions that the recently introduced
seven-spot ladybug was wreaking faunal
havoc among Albertan ladybugs. But as
American Entomologist • Fall 2008
research, and recreational activities, for all
those seeking to learn more about ladybugs
within and beyond Alberta.
Edward W. Evans
Department of Biology
Utah State University
Logan UT 84322-5305
E-mail: [email protected]
This is a grasshopper hieroglyph
on the northeast wall of the Second
Court of Medinet Habu, the mortuary
temple of Ramses III, located on the
west bank of Luxor, Egypt.
What is it?
answer.
American Entomologist • Volume 54, Number 3
provides notes filled with insights on the
habits and distinctive natural history of
the species, based on his own extensive
field observations and those of others. In
a whimsical twist, Acorn introduces each
species with a short rhyme to help the reader
remember it and some key aspect about it
(e.g., for Macronaemia episcopalis [Kirby]:
“Episcopalian, bishop on high, Deep in the
sedges, looking up to a fly”).
By the time the reader has met the weetiny ladybug (Psyllobora vigintimaculata
[Say]) and arrived at the Checklist (Appendix A), the full fascination of this group
of insects has taken a firm hold. I envy the
Albertan who can thumb through this book
in the field and quickly identify most of the
ladybugs encountered.
A set of strongly synthetic books and
treatments of ladybugs has been published
over the years, drawing many of us into
the study of these insects. As a richly illustrated and informative North American field
guide, Acorn’s book has a unique style and
approach. It complements the other introductions to the ladybugs and should draw
many more readers to this family of insects.
With its wealth of information and its highly
reader-friendly format, this book would be
equally suitable for extension, teaching,
If you have a color photograph of an
insect, insect part, or entomological
apparatus that you would like to
submit for the “What is it?” feature,
please e-mail a 300 dpi TIFF and a
description of the image to the editor
at [email protected].
the project grew, so did his perceptions
and understanding, even of the vexing
philosophical and semantic issues tied to
describing ecological change. In the end,
Acorn came to the conclusion that some
other ladybugs have been affected by having
the seven-spot in their midst, but even so, it
has not been an unmitigated environmental
disaster for the ladybugs of Alberta. Striking, however, are Acorn’s observations that
the once-widespread transverse ladybug
now appears largely restricted to marginal
habitats and may well be evolving rapidly
in adapting to these habitats that are unwelcoming to the seven-spot. (Another
adventive species of much concern to many,
the Halloween ladybug, has yet to establish
in the province.)
In the second half of the book, Acorn
presents the 75 ladybug species of Alberta
individually. He does so in a lively fashion. With the illustrations for each species
(including a distribution map for North
America), Acorn gives a common name.
This is often one that he proposes if none
exists (e.g., the once-squashed ladybug,
sister species to the twice-stabbed ladybug!). He also gives the scientific name
and its pronunciation. He points out key
characters for field identification, and he
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