BOOK REVIEWS
A CATALOGUEAND RECLASSIFICATIONOF THE EASTERN
PALEARCTICICHNEUMONIDAE.Henry Townes, Setsuya
Momoi, and Marjorie Townes, 1965. Memoirs of the
American Entomological Institute no. 5. 661 p. PubJ ished by the American Entomological
Institute, 5950
Warren Road, Ann Arbor, :Mich. $18.00, clothbound.
This is a companion volume to the Catalogue and Reclassification of the Indoaustralian
Inchneumonidae, the
two works covering all of Asia and its outlying islands.
The principal countries included in the present volume
are Japan, Korea, Mongolia, Iran, China, and eastern
Russia. About 12,000 species are thought to occur in the
area and 2,474 described species are treated. A key to
subfamilies, tribes, and genera (with descriptions of several new ones) of the eastern Pale arctic are included. The
catalogue gives all pertinent information on generotypes
and species types. Host identity is given, when known,
as well as geographical distribution.
Not only critical
synonymy but also other known references are listed
under each species.
chapters on the symbolic relationships between ants themselves such as the parasitic and slave-making ants. Attributes which contribute to the social success of ants are
discussed in chapters on "Instinct and Intelligence,"
"Tastes and Smells," and "Organization."
Chapters are
devoted to myrmecophilous insects, the common tramp
species which have been distributed by man, the differences and similarities between ants and termites, and,
appropriately concluding the book, a chapter on "Keeping
Ants," giving methods of collecting and maintaining ants
for observation.
The 27 illustrations and photographs
supplement the text.
The total amount of information in this high quality
Although the lack of numerous pictures may deter the
youngest of ant admirers, this book will be a significant
addition to the list of references which are supplied in
answer to the numerous requests from students and others
searching for information on ants. It will undoubtedly
encourage their interest in these creatures and give
them a bird's-eye view of this vast subject.
DAVIDR. SMITH
Entomol. Res. Div., Agr. Res. Servo
book is immense. It would appear to be indispensable to
workers with parasitic Hymenoptera, to those interested
in biological control of insects and to those libraries in
which a file of the more important scientific literature on
insects is maintained. The text is neatly printed by photooffset and the binding is attractive and sturdy.
R. M. BOHART
Professor of Entomology
University of CalifoTllia
Da'vis, California 95616
ALL ABOUT ANTS, by Peggy Pickering Larson
Mervin W. Larson. 1965. The World Publishing
Cleveland and New York. 220 p., 27 fig. $5.95.
U.s. Department
Washington,
of Agriculture
D. C.
MYXOMATOSIS,by F. Fenner and F. N. Ratcliffe. 1965.
Cambridge University Press. London, New York, and
Ibadan, Nigeria. XIV
379 p. Illus. $19.50.
+
and
Co.,
In the authors' words, the spread of myxoma virus
through the wild rabbits of Australia and Europe offered
a unique opportunity to observe the interaction of a very
lethal parasite with a highly susceptible, very common,
and reasonably large mammalian host. The authors have
consolidated the results of investigations of the virus and
its host, to see what bearing these studies might have on
our knowledge of infectious diseases. The book will be
of interest to medical entomologists,
virologists, and
physicians, particularly those interested in epidemiology
and pathology. For the benefit of those readers whose
interest and training may not extend to the technical details of virology and pathology, all but 6 of the 18
chapters end with a summary.
There are fewer species of ants as compared with
some other insect groups, but the large numbers in their
colonies, their social behavior, and curious habits contribute to their popularity for naturalists, science students, and hobbyists. From such interests, another book
on ants has appeared, and, although not restricted to
the novice, it is to the nonspecialist that this book is
directed.
The Larsons' book presents a fairly complete nontaxonomic treatment of the ant kingdom in an informative,
nontechnical, and stimulating manner which will hold
the interest of professional
entomologists
and amateurs alike. The inclusion of the most recent knowledge
furnishes the reader with a thorough up-to-date survey
of the field of myrmecology. Owing to the brevity of the
book, the aspects discussed are by no means complete and
detailed, but the coverage of the habits, behavior, relationships of ants and other insects, and the interrelationships of ants themselves offers an intriguing insight into
the many facets of the study of ants. Although emphasis
is placed on New World ants and the authors' observations in the Southwestern United States, the discussions
are not restricted to the ants of this region.
This is a very thorough book. The U. S. scientist
who may without reflection tend to associate introduction of myxomatosis into Australia with an uncomplicated reduction in rabbit pest populations needs to read
all of the book. He needs to read with care and reflection,
not hurriedly, although the book is written lucidly, and
in an interesting style.
The first of the 22 chapters deals with the placement
of ants in the animal kingdom. The succeeding chapters
are then intended to "-look at the individual ants, at the
ants' general mode of living and social existence, and at
the many variations of these," and attempts "-to pull
together, dissect, and examine the factors that contribute
to the success of the ant societies." Several chapters serve
as an introduction, describing ants' structure, life cycle,
and habitats. The ants are then treated in groups on the
basis of their habits. This includes the "Primitives" or
ponerines, the "Huntresses" or army ants, the "Gleaners"
or harvester ants, the "Gardeners" or leaf-cutting or
fungus-growing ants, the "Dairymaids" or honey ants and
those that attend honey-dew excreting insects, and several
Doing this book justice in a review is difficult. It is
an 18-course banquet, with piquant items to please the
mental palate scattered throughout each course. For the
first course (Chapter 1), the reader is served the history of myxomatosis.
The disease originated in the
Americas, where it causes benign tumors in the skins of
cottontails (North and South America).
Myxomatosis
was first discovered in domestic rabbits in Uruguay in
1896. Chapter 2 is devoted to rabbits, their distribution
and habits. Primary interest is in cottontails, Sylvilaglls
spp. and the European rabbit, Oryctolagus wniculus.
Oryctolagus was apparently first domesticated by the
Romans in about the first century B.C.; domestication
then spread to other parts of Europe in the Middle Ages.
The first wild rabbits reached Australia in 1859, by
the efforts of the same man who introduced the (English ?) sparrow. He had evidently tried domestic rabbits
earlier, but they failed to adapt to Australian environments. In the next chapter, we learn that the first
myxomatosis epidemic in European rabbits in Australia
(1951-52) cut sheep and wool losses by £34,000,000,
which would be about $75 to $100 U. S. millions in 1953,
depending upon whether the value given is Australian or
British pounds.
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