Sphecid Wasps of the World: A Generic Revision
Sphecid Wasps of the World: A Generic Revision
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DOI:
10.1093/besa/23.1.106
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发表时间:
1977
期刊:
影响因子:
--
通讯作者:
H. Evans
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文献类型:
--
作者:
H. Evans
106 ESA BULLETIN Vol. 23, no. 1 1977 cotton plant and cotton boll weevil that control the wee- sound systematic background, not only in the form of viI's behavior and development, Hedin, Thompson, and workable keys but also of a careful survey of structure Gueldner of the USDA (Mississippi State) identified and apparent evolution. Furthermore, this must be done 252 compounds, extracted from the cotton plant, with from a world point-of-view, since persons on all conbiological activity. Boll weevil constituents, such as vola- tinents are engaged in studies of these insects. Bohart, tiles, lipid~, nitrogenous compounds, and sex pheromones, Menke, and their collaborators have undertaken this are also dIscussed. formidable task, and they have produced a monograph that will not only earn the undying gratitude of students The three basic chemical messenger systems in insects of comparative ethology but will serve as a model of and plants-allomones(defensive substances), kairo- excellence in scientific presentation. mones (attractants, arrestants, feeding stimulants, etc.), and pheromones (sex attractants)-are discussed by Hen- In a group of this size and complexity, it is not posdry, Koste1c, Hindelang, Wichman, Fix, and Korzeniow- sible to present keys to genera and higher taxa that ski of Pennsylvania State University. They point out students will find easy to use. However, the authors that these messengers are of plant origin and may be se- have carefully defined their terms and have illustrated questered by insects from their food plants. These plant- virtually all important characters. There are drawings derived messengers may have played important roles in of whole specimens belonging to many genera, as well the evolution of insect-host plant specificity. as innumerable drawings of heads, wings, and other body parts. There are also two colored plates. Each taxonThe concluding chapter, by Kurt Mothes, provides an is described in some detail, including notes on phylogeny, overview of the biological and ecological importance of distribution, and biology. Larval characters are given the secondary plant substances. Mothes, to whom the due consideration, and the classification based on larvae volume was dedicated, suggests that in the course of presented by this reviewer is considered carefully. The organic evolution, secondary plant substances evolved from species of each genus are listed alphabetically, with their physiologically unimportant to biologically important com- synonyms and with reference to their original description pounds. Typical growth hormones (auxins, kinins, and and an indication of their distribution. Bohart and Menke gibberellins) may have existed before the existence of have studied types in major museums throughout the the higher plants, as evidenced by the presence of the com- world, and one may have confidence that their genera are pounds in lower plants. Mothes discusses primarily the soundly based and most species correctly assigned. alkaloid character of certain medicinal plants. However, he points out that knowledge of secondary plant substances One feature that takes some getting used to is their can be useful in designing blueprints for breeding pro- inclusion of generic synonymies in a separate section, grams for higher plants to improve the chemical quality called a" Synonymic generic catalog," apart from the of seed proteins, which are similar to the secondary main text. I do commend them on their infrequent use substances. of subgenera.