The Other Insect Societies

Science News,  Oct 28, 2006  

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THE OTHER INSECT SOCIETIES JAMES T. COSTA

An ant colony is often viewed as the prototypical insect society, notable for its unique and efficient division of labor. In this lengthy treatise, costa, a professor of biology at Western Carolina University, explains how the idea of eusocial behavior (what occurs in most ant colonies) has dominated entomology and how it has led to the neglect of noneusocial insect societies. This latter category is further divided into four types of insect societies: maternal and biparental care, paternal care, fortress defense, and herds. Costa also explores the noneusocial arthropod phylum, which includes spiders, crustaceans, crickets, aphids, beetles, and moths. Belknap, 2006, 767 p., color plates, hardcover, $59.95.

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