Book excerpt: This established, popular textbook provides a stimulating andcomprehensive introduction to the insects, the animals thatrepresent over half of the planet's biological diversity. In thisnew fourth edition, the authors introduce the key features ofinsect structure, function, behavior, ecology and classification,placed within the latest ideas on insect evolution. Much of thebook is organised around major biological themes - living on theground, in water, on plants, in colonies, and as predators,parasites/parasitoids and prey. A strong evolutionary theme ismaintained throughout. The ever-growing economic importance ofinsects is emphasized in new boxes on insect pests, and in chapterson medical and veterinary entomology, and pest management. Updated'taxoboxes' provide concise information on all aspects of each ofthe 27 major groupings (orders) of insects. Key Features: All chapters thoroughly updated with the latest results frominternational studies Accompanying website with downloadable illustrations and linksto video clips All chapters to include new text boxes of topical issues andstudies Major revision of systematic and taxonomy chapter Still beautifully illustrated with more new illustrations fromthe artist, Karina McInnes A companion resources site is available at ahref="http://www.wiley.com/go/gullan/insects"target="_blank"www.wiley.com/go/gullan/insects/a. This siteincludes: Copies of the figures from the book for downloading, along witha PDF of the captions. Colour versions of key figures from the book A list of useful web links for each chapter, selected by theauthor.