This illustrated book is a celebration of the insect universe, exploring their amazing forms and functions, their fascinating behaviour and the enormous impact they have on our lives. It looks at insects in all their extremes, from the biggest, fastest and fiercest to the best nest builder, most devious hunter and deadliest bride.

Insects are the most extreme organisms on Earth and, despite their diminutive size, they wield inordinate power. With the exception of the polar icecaps, every terrestrial ecosystem on earth is colonized by them, and they account for almost three-quarters of all named animals – that's one million species at the last count!

"Explains why caves are extreme environments and examines how vampire bats, giant water bugs, and other animals have adapted to the harsh conditions"--Provided by publisher.

Extreme Bugs takes a magnifying glass to some of the most striking and bizarre insects imaginable. From the Madagascar moon moth and rainbow leaf beetle to mantids and the billygoat plum caterpillar, all of the insects featured here have spectacular colors, patterns, shapes, behavior, or other extreme characteristics.

This book provides an overview of our current understanding of polyembryony in insects. The study of polyembronic insects has advanced considerably over the last several decades.The book shows the exciting potential of polyembryonic insects and their impact on life sciences. It describes the mechanisms of polyembryogenesis; tissue-compatible invasion of the host, which is the first case of compatible cellular interaction between phylogenetically distant organisms without rejection; the sex differences in defense; and the environmental regulation of caste structure. The first book devoted to polyembryony in insects, it draws on the author’s research on polyembryonic wasps from 1990 to the present day, covering various topics such as polyembryogenesis in vitro, host-parasite interaction, sex differences in soldier function/humoral toxic factor, and the transcription analysis of polyembryogenesis.It is intended not only for researchers in the field of entomology, parasitology, ontogeny, reproductive biology, developmental biology, sociobiology, and evolutionary developmental biology (Evo-Devo), but also for postgraduate students in these fields.

Insects can be very different, but they all have some important characteristics in common. Readers discover that these shared characteristics are what help scientists classify certain creatures as insects. As readers explore the basics of animal classification, they also discover freaky and fun facts about a variety of insects. These facts are presented alongside colorful photographs showing insects in amazing detail. Readers obtain additional insect information from helpful fact boxes, as well as clear diagrams and other graphic organizers. Focusing on these creepy and cool creatures makes learning basic science curriculum topics fun!