ESA BULLETIN
222
proposes that all of the Apterygota
from some myriapodous ancestors.
evolved independently
I doubt that many entomologists will accept Manton's
view that the Onychophora are truly arthropods, or that
they will find it particularly useful to consider the Insecta as being merely one of the "subphyla" of the Uniramia, or that they will be impressed by her 5 "classes"
of insects. They will find her book provocative and selfcongratulatory,
and her comments about some of her
peers immoderate (e.g., she refers to the important work
of Sharov as a "masterpiece of misinformation").
JACK COLVARD
JONES
Department of Entomology
University of Maryland
College Park 20742
THE INSECTS. Readings
from Scientific American.
Thomas Eisner and Edward O. Wilson, eds. 1977. 352
pages, 325 illus. W. H. Freeman and Company, San
Francisco.
The editors' intention in "The Insects" is to underline
the importance of insects to all biologists, not just to
entomologists.
A dominant theme, for instance, is that
of insects as ideal model systems for most basic research.
To accomplish this, they have selected a wide range of
insect articles published in Scientific A mericOl~ over the
years.
The book is a good one. Entomologists will enjoy it
fully as much as other biologists-if
not more so-from
the perspective of a general introduction to a number
of entomological specialities. We can peruse some areas
of interest outside our own on a casual basis. From that
point of view it is enjoyable.
However, it does have limitations; primarily by its
very nature. The book cannot cover all aspects of a
particular field. It is instead a smattering of ideas here
and there on various topics. But again, that is the aim
of the authors even if it is at times frustrating not to
get more on a topic of interest. Secondly, the material
is limited only to articles appearing in Scientific American. Some of them are over 20 years old and perhaps
they were selected because they were particularly illustrative of a particular point, or because the editors considered them still the best. However, 20 years is a long
time in any scientific field and much has been added since
many of these articles were written.
One article on
insect control, for example, dates from 1954.
With those objections aside, the book is still quite
enjoyable and will be read with pleasure by many. The
hard bound copy is $15.00 but there also is a paper cover
available for $7.95.
The book has five major sections. (I) The Keys to
Success: Anatomy and Physiology, (II) The Keys to
Success: Neurobiology and Behavior, (III) Processes of
Evolution and Ecology, (IV) A Diversity of Life Styles,
and (V) Insects and Mankind.
JAMES S. PACKER
Entomological Society of America
Box AI
College Park, MD 20740
THE CIRCULATORYSYSTEM OF INSECTS, by J. C. Jones,
1977, C. C. Thomas Publisher, Springfield, Ill. 255 pp.
$24.50.
The circulatory system of insects has been of interest
to scientists for a long time. As a result, a significant
body of literature has been accumulated on it. It is surprising to realize, therefore, that this area of research
has not achieved a high level of sophistication. At least
two reasons probably contribute to this situation. First,
it has proven to be a difficult area in which to do research,
and secondly, only a relatively small number of people
contribute regularly to this field.
Vol. 24, no. 2 1978
The present volume is a review of the literature on the
insect circulatory system. The chapter headings are (1)
Introduction, (2) Anatomy and Histology of Circulatory
Pumps, (3) Cardiac Nerves and Neurohemal Organs,
(4) Contractions of Circulatory Pumps, (5) Factors
Affecting Heart Rates, (6) Hemolymph Volume, Circulatory Pathways, and Pressure, (7) Anthocytes and the
Fat Body, (8) Structure and Classification of Hemocytes,
(9) Hemocytopoiesis, (10) Functions of Hemocytes, and
(11) Immunity. Appendices provide other detailed information. There are adequate indices and an extensive
bibliography.
The text is abundantly illustrated with
photographs and drawings.
The principal strength of this book is that the author
has made an obvious attempt to cover the literature as
completely as possible. As a result, the majority of published works on insect circulation have been brought together in one place. The bibliography alone covers more
than 50 pages. It will certainly make the work of those
who follow much easier. The author also is to be commended for pointing out areas in which additional research is critically needed, and even suggesting insect
species on which it might best be attempted.
As there are strengths in this book, there are also
weaknesses. Perhaps the most important are (1) in his
attempt at completeness the author is often not critical
enough of the work under review, particularly with some
of the older citations, and (2) the quality of the photographs and drawings could have been significantly improved upon. For example, Fig. 49 is a series of electron
micrographs in which the magnification presented is too
low to clearly show the structural details referred to in
the text. In addition, some of the line drawings (e.g.,
Fig. 29) are not of high quality and could have been presented better as photographs. However, the frontispiece
is a delight, and partially compensates for some of the
other figures.
There are a few errors in the text such as the misspelling of Periplaneta (p. 162), and the apparent discrepancy
on whether fat body cells divide (p. 102 vs. 132) (they
do). A questionable interpretation of the role of urate
cells in fat body occurs on p. 95, and a similar situation
dealing with the function of esterase enzymes in relation
to protein-bound juvenile hormone exists on p. 102. In
spite of these few problems, this is a useful book when
viewed on balance. It provides a great deal of information on the insect circulatory system, and it serves to place
this field in perspective. The book is a "slick" production
which probably contributed to its high cost.
DONALDG. COCHRAN
Department of Entomology
Virginia Polytechnic Institute
and State University
Blacksburg 24061
ARACHNIDA, by Theodore Savory, 2nd Edition, 1977.
Academic Press, London, New York, San Francisco,
viii-340 pp., with 197 figs. t 10.80.
The publication of the second edition of "Arachnida"
is the most distinguished achievement of a talented arachnologist who, during a long lifetime, has devoted himself
to study and analysis of the evolution and classification
of the Arachnida. It all began in his volume "The Arachnida," published in 1935, in a first attempt to provide a
comprehensive account of the biology of the arachnids
and to bring study of these chelicerates to a par with that
of the insects. Thirty years later, in 1964, Savory brought
to fruition the accumulation of information and ideas since
his earlier work and published the first edition of his
"Arachnida."
This handsome work quickly gained favorable recognition and praise for the authoritative data and
perceptive analyses offered to the general reader and
arachnid specialist in a field too little exploited by students. Theodore Savory can be described as naturalist