Insects of the World [antikvár]

Preface It is curious to reflect, as we stand on the threshold of interplanetary exploration and speculate about the possibility of life forms on other planets, that we are still lamentably ignorant about the most numerous and -arguably - important class of animals on earth. Insects comprise well over three-quarters of all the world's living creatures - and that is to consider only those 800 000 or so that have been catalogued and given names, for the plain fact is that no-one has even the remotest idea of how many species of insects there are in existence, except that the figure almost certainly runs into several millions. Even the life history and general habits of a great many 'known' species have been only sketchily studied, and in some cases they have not been studied at all. All this may strike readers new to entomology as rather strange since, as everyone knows, insects tend to be extremely intrusive on our lives. They eat our crops, sting or take samples of our blood, assume squatters' rights in our houses, or even - as in the case of the fearsome driver or army ants - actually put us to flight. The fact is, though, that while some insects force their attentions upon us in this way, the vast majority are far more secretive and retiring and scarcely bother us at all. Myriads of them live in remote areas, which have been only sparsely explored by man (especially in regard to insects), or are very small and easily overlooked. In fact, one reason for the insects' staggering success as a group lies in their limited size and consequent ability to exist in all parts of the world and in almost every conceivable type of habitat. They occur from the arctic tundra to steamy jungles, from arid deserts to homely, grassy meadows; hosts of them live in wood or waste materials, in water or other liquids; and, taking the class as a whole, they can feed on just about anything, as well as breed at a truly astonishing rate. Just about the only major habitat the insects have not yet managed to conquer is the sea and, even here, some species have made tentative steps towards so doing. Will they, one wonders, add these great turbulent wastes to their domain in a few million years? It is not beyond the bounds of possibility. After all, since insects have a far longer pedigree than man, there is absolutely no reason why they should not still be here long after Homo sapiens has finally become extinct or blown himself up. The post-holocaust insect is unlikely to be the man-sized ant of popular science fiction, but it will probably be able to develop strains resistant to atomic radiation, for there is no question that insects are quick to adapt to changing conditions and,