Stings,Wings and Crawly Things

Description:

David Wright, author of Toxins and Fungi, examines invertebrate organisms from tarantulas to honeybees through multiple lenses: physiological research, environmental toxicology, cultural mythology and literary history.

This book deals with some of the major groups of invertebrate animals that dominate the earth’s fauna. Of the nearly 9 million known animal species in the world, the vast majority, perhaps 97%, are invertebrates. In terms of overall numbers, invertebrates number approximately 70%, usually grossly under-reported. Insects alone comprise approximately 1.5 million described species, whereas, because of their hidden lifestyles, it has been estimated that the true number of insect species is likely to be closer to 10 million. Large-scale underestimates also apply to vermiform groups such as the phylum Nematoda. Like most other invertebrates, nematode worms are ubiquitous yet largely invisible throughout the globe, yet have a major effect on human health and other resources such as cultivated plants and livestock. Similar stories apply to the multitude of other invertebrate organisms that share the planet Earth.