This book is a synthesis of both previously published information and abundant new data derived from extensive recent field studies on Galapagos beetles, and is a companion to a previous book on 18 other orders of Galapagos insects. The dynamics and patterns of evolution, ecology, and distribution of the entire beetle fauna are presented in general. The core of the book is an account of the 486 species of beetles now known from the archipelago, with details on their distribution and bionomics.
This work will serve entomologists, island ecologists, evolutionary biologists, and conservation scientists as a framework to further the study and protection of the beetles, the fauna and flora in general, and the islands themselves. It is a contribution to a comparative global understanding of the origin, evolution, and ecological structuring of oceanic island beetle faunas.