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The Coccinellidae are a family of beetles, known variously as ladybirds or ladybugs. In Britain alone, some 46 species belong to the Coccinellidae family, although only 26 of these are recognisably ladybirds. Composed largely of Professor Michael Majerus' lifetime work, and updated by two leading experts in the field, A Natural History of Ladybird Beetles reveals intriguing insights into ladybird biology from a global perspective. The popularity of this insect group has been captured through societal and cultural considerations, coupled with detailed descriptions of complex scientific processes, to provide a comprehensive and accessible overview of these charismatic insects. Bringing together many studies on ladybirds that have taken place over the last twenty years, A Natural History of Ladybird Beetles has been organised into themes, ranging from anatomy and physiology to ecology and evolution. This book is suitable for interested amateur enthusiasts, and researchers involved with ladybirds, entomology and biological control.
1. Ladybird, ladybird…
2. The structure of ladybirds
3. Where ladybirds live
4. What ladybirds eat
5. Sex and reproduction
6. Ladybird dormancy
7. Ladybird death
8. Ladybird colouration
9. Variation and evolution in ladybirds
10. Ladybirds and people
Index
M. E. N. Majerus (1954–2009) was Professor of Genetics in the Department of Genetics at the University of Cambridge, and Fellow of Clare College, Cambridge. He was a world authority in his field, a tireless advocate of evolution, and an enthusiastic educator of graduate and undergraduate students.
H. E. Roy is the Group Head and Principal Scientist at the NERC Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, where she leads zoological research within the Biological Records Centre, which is the UK focus for terrestrial and freshwater species recording. She is an ecologist with a particular interest in the effects of environmental change on insect communities.
P. M. J. Brown is an ecologist and Senior Lecturer in Zoology at Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, where he is also Course Leader for the MSc in Applied Wildlife Conservation. His research for over ten years has focused on ladybird ecology, and with Helen Roy he has co-authored two recent books on ladybirds.
