Lepidoptera Pupae: Central European Species [two-volume set]

This outstanding work is a manual that enables one to identify pupae, or empty pupal skins, of about two thirds (some 2,600 species) of the Central European Lepidoptera. The text consists of 560 pages comprising a short introduction, identification keys, and species. The species accounts include succinct descriptions of pupal morphology as well as information about habitats, life-style and food plants. The section of illustrations consists of 271 plates including more than 8,000 line drawings of the treated pupae and/or structural details pertinent for their identification. Lepidoptera Pupae of Central Europe should be useful for anyone with a primary interest in Central European Lepidoptera. It will also be indispensable for population ecologists studying predators and parasites of Lepidoptera, for soil biologists (since so many Lepidoptera pupate in/on the soil), and for applied entomologists in need of identifying lepidopteran pests without rearing the adults. All families are well covered except for the Nepticulidae and Coleophoridae, for which much basic research on pupal structure still remains to be done, and a few of the smallest families.