Get 20M+ Full-Text Papers For Less Than $1.50/day. Start a 14-Day Trial for You or Your Team.

Learn More →

Zoological Catalogue of Australia, Volume 4 Coleoptera: Archostemata, Myxophaga and Adephaga (Part 1). 1987. ISBN 0 644 04896 4. Price AUS$ 34.95 (hc). - Available from Australian Government Bookshops and by mail order from AGPS Mail Order Sales, GPO Box 84, Canberra A.C.T. 2601, Australia

Zoological Catalogue of Australia, Volume 4 Coleoptera: Archostemata, Myxophaga and Adephaga... 108 Zoological Catalogue of Australia, Volume 4 Coleoptera: Archostemata, Myxophaga and Adephaga (Part 1). 1987. ISBN 0 644 04896 4. Price AUS$ 34.95 (hc). - Available from Austra- lian Government Bookshops and by mail order from AGPS Mail Order Sales, GPO Box 84, Can- berra A.C.T. 2601, Australia. This catalogue was written by J.F. Lawrence, B.P. Moore, J.E. Pyke and T.A. Weir. It lists all the Austra- lian species belonging to the families Cupedidae, Ommatidae, Microsporidae, Rhysodidae, Carabidae, Haliplidae, Hygrobiidae, Noteridae, Dystiscidae and Gyrinidae, some 2000 altogether. There are short introductions for the suborders and the families. These are well-written, concise and informa- tive, with useful lists of references. All the genera are arranged taxonomically according to the most recent revision. Generic synonyms are given only if they have relevance to the Australian fauna. The species are arranged alphabetically within a genus. Under every species there is information on synonymy, type material and type locality, geographical distribution and ecology. Specific synonyms are included only if they are based on Australian species. Several new synonyms are proposed in the families Rhysodidae and Carabidae. The sections dealing with type material are carefully compiled. If the information is based on a second-hand source, this is pointed out. The distibutional and ecolo- gical sections are short but useful as the first "standard- ized" effort on the subject in Australia. All the references are incorporated in the text making the use of this volume easy. Usually catalogues make boring reading and this is not an exception. It might be a good idea to include some illustrations in reference books of this nature to make them more enjoyable. The part dealing with the family Carabidae is perhaps the most valuable one, as it includes a lot of previously unpublished information. Dr B.M. Moore, a well- known expert of the family, has here found a place to publish some of his extensive field experience. I suspect much of this information might not have come out in any other connection, as it is often regarded to be "scientifi- cally unimportant". There is a conspicious error in the table of contents (Carbidae instead of Carabidae). However, this is not a sign of a trend. The main text of the volume contains very few typographical errors. I checked 20 randomly chosen pages and found only one. On the other hand, Appendix II is surprisingly badly done. Out of the 54 museums listed, the names of some 15 are incorrectly spelled. All the ones with Scandinavian or French names and most of the ones with German names are misspel- led. Some of the more obvious include "Wein" instead of "Wien" and "Museum far Tierkunde" instead of "fur". Evidently this section has not been checked at all. In Appendix III the publishing year of the only new name listed, Anomotarus monarensi,s Moore, is given as 1986. This is an error, the correct publishing date is 1987. The reviewer's copy contained 16 poorly printed, messy pages. This volume provides a wealth of information far exceeding the expectations created by the modest title "a Catalogue". Every taxonomist working with the Australian fauna or the families included should consult this volume. The data on geographical distribution and ecology are in such form that it can be easily used in comparative studies. This should make the book attractive to ecologists as well. One final note. Quite irrespective of our views on the value of the Australian dollar, this book is cheap. J. Muona Oulanka Biological Station University of Oulu, Finland. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Insect Systematics & Evolution Brill

Zoological Catalogue of Australia, Volume 4 Coleoptera: Archostemata, Myxophaga and Adephaga (Part 1). 1987. ISBN 0 644 04896 4. Price AUS$ 34.95 (hc). - Available from Australian Government Bookshops and by mail order from AGPS Mail Order Sales, GPO Box 84, Canberra A.C.T. 2601, Australia

Muona, J.
Insect Systematics & Evolution , Volume 19 (1): 108 – Jan 1, 1988
Download PDF
1 page

Loading next page...
 
/lp/brill/zoological-catalogue-of-australia-volume-4-coleoptera-archostemata-B5MnVZ0H42

References

References for this paper are not available at this time. We will be adding them shortly, thank you for your patience.

Publisher
Brill
Copyright
© 1988 Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands
ISSN
1399-560X
eISSN
1876-312X
DOI
10.1163/187631289X00087
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

108 Zoological Catalogue of Australia, Volume 4 Coleoptera: Archostemata, Myxophaga and Adephaga (Part 1). 1987. ISBN 0 644 04896 4. Price AUS$ 34.95 (hc). - Available from Austra- lian Government Bookshops and by mail order from AGPS Mail Order Sales, GPO Box 84, Can- berra A.C.T. 2601, Australia. This catalogue was written by J.F. Lawrence, B.P. Moore, J.E. Pyke and T.A. Weir. It lists all the Austra- lian species belonging to the families Cupedidae, Ommatidae, Microsporidae, Rhysodidae, Carabidae, Haliplidae, Hygrobiidae, Noteridae, Dystiscidae and Gyrinidae, some 2000 altogether. There are short introductions for the suborders and the families. These are well-written, concise and informa- tive, with useful lists of references. All the genera are arranged taxonomically according to the most recent revision. Generic synonyms are given only if they have relevance to the Australian fauna. The species are arranged alphabetically within a genus. Under every species there is information on synonymy, type material and type locality, geographical distribution and ecology. Specific synonyms are included only if they are based on Australian species. Several new synonyms are proposed in the families Rhysodidae and Carabidae. The sections dealing with type material are carefully compiled. If the information is based on a second-hand source, this is pointed out. The distibutional and ecolo- gical sections are short but useful as the first "standard- ized" effort on the subject in Australia. All the references are incorporated in the text making the use of this volume easy. Usually catalogues make boring reading and this is not an exception. It might be a good idea to include some illustrations in reference books of this nature to make them more enjoyable. The part dealing with the family Carabidae is perhaps the most valuable one, as it includes a lot of previously unpublished information. Dr B.M. Moore, a well- known expert of the family, has here found a place to publish some of his extensive field experience. I suspect much of this information might not have come out in any other connection, as it is often regarded to be "scientifi- cally unimportant". There is a conspicious error in the table of contents (Carbidae instead of Carabidae). However, this is not a sign of a trend. The main text of the volume contains very few typographical errors. I checked 20 randomly chosen pages and found only one. On the other hand, Appendix II is surprisingly badly done. Out of the 54 museums listed, the names of some 15 are incorrectly spelled. All the ones with Scandinavian or French names and most of the ones with German names are misspel- led. Some of the more obvious include "Wein" instead of "Wien" and "Museum far Tierkunde" instead of "fur". Evidently this section has not been checked at all. In Appendix III the publishing year of the only new name listed, Anomotarus monarensi,s Moore, is given as 1986. This is an error, the correct publishing date is 1987. The reviewer's copy contained 16 poorly printed, messy pages. This volume provides a wealth of information far exceeding the expectations created by the modest title "a Catalogue". Every taxonomist working with the Australian fauna or the families included should consult this volume. The data on geographical distribution and ecology are in such form that it can be easily used in comparative studies. This should make the book attractive to ecologists as well. One final note. Quite irrespective of our views on the value of the Australian dollar, this book is cheap. J. Muona Oulanka Biological Station University of Oulu, Finland.

Journal

Insect Systematics & Evolution – Brill

Published: Jan 1, 1988

There are no references for this article.