Cowles Amazing Arachnids

1. Auflage 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4008-9018-7
Verlag: De Gruyter
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 328 Seiten, EPUB

A richly illustrated and up-close look at the secret lives of spiders and other arachnids

The American Southwest is home to an extraordinary diversity of arachnids, from spitting spiders that squirt silk over their prey to scorpions that court one another with kissing and dancing. Amazing Arachnids presents these enigmatic creatures as you have never seen them before. Featuring a wealth of color photos of more than 300 different kinds of arachnids from eleven taxonomic orders--both rare and common species—this stunningly illustrated book reveals the secret lives of arachnids in breathtaking detail, including never-before-seen images of their underground behavior.

Amazing Arachnids covers all aspects of arachnid biology, such as anatomy, sociality, mimicry, camouflage, and venoms. You will meet bolas spiders that lure their victims with fake moth pheromones, fishing spiders that woo their mates with silk-wrapped gifts, chivalrous cellar spiders, tiny mites, and massive tarantulas, as well as many others. Along the way, you will learn why arachnids are living fossils in some respects and nimble opportunists in others, and how natural selection has perfected their sensory structures, defense mechanisms, reproductive strategies, and hunting methods.


Covers more than 300 different kinds of arachnids, including ones new to science
Features more than 750 stunning color photos
Describes every aspect of arachnid biology, from physiology to biogeography
Illustrates courtship and mating, birth, maternal care, hunting, and defense
Includes first-ever photos of the underground lives of schizomids and vinegaroons
Provides the first organized guide to macroscopic mites, including photos of living mites for easy reference

Autoren/Hrsg.

Cowles, Jillian

Fachgebiete

• Interdisziplinäres Wissenschaften Wissenschaften: Allgemeines Enzyklopädien, Nachschlagewerke, Wörterbücher
• Naturwissenschaften Biowissenschaften Biowissenschaften Biowissenschaften, Biologie: Sachbuch, Naturführer
• Naturwissenschaften Biowissenschaften Tierkunde / Zoologie Wirbellose (Invertebrata) Insekten (Entomologie)
• Naturwissenschaften Biowissenschaften Tierkunde / Zoologie Wirbellose (Invertebrata) Spinnentiere (Arachnide)
• Interdisziplinäres Wissenschaften Wissenschaften Interdisziplinär Naturwissenschaften, Technik, Medizin

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Preface 7

Prologue 9

1 Introducing the Arachnids 10

2 Scorpions: 30

Scorpiones

3 Pseudoscorpions: 52

Pseudoscorpiones

4 Vinegaroons: 68

Thelyphonida (Uropygi)

5 Short-Tailed Whipscorpions: 80

Schizomida

6 Tailless Whipscorpions: 88

Amblypygi

7 Microwhipscorpions: 98

Palpigradi

8 Harvestmen: 102

Opiliones

9 Wind Spiders: 114

Solifugae

10 Ticks and Other Mites: 124

Parasitiformes and Acariformes

11 Spiders: 148

Araneae, the Eight-Legged Puzzle

12 Tarantulas, Trapdoor Spiders, and Their Kin: 164

Mygalomorphs

13 Orb Weavers: 184

Araneidae, Tetragnathidae, and Uloboridae

14 Irregular Web Builders: 196

Theridiidae, Nesticidae, Leptonetidae, Diguetidae, Dictynidae, and Pholcidae

15 Crevice Weavers, Ground Weavers and Sheet Web Builders: 220

Sicariidae, Filistatidae, Plectreuridae, Zoropsidae, Titanoecidae, Amaurobiidae, Oecobiidae, Linyphiidae, and Agelenidae

16 Jumping Spiders: 236

Salticidae

17 Lynx Spiders: 260

Oxyopidae

18 Crab Spiders: 266

Thomisidae, Sparassidae, Philodromidae, Selenopidae, and Zoropsidae

19 Sand Spiders and Wolf Spiders: 274

Homalonychidae and Lycosidae

20 Ghosts, Goblins, Pirates, and Other Wandering Hunters: 284

Mimetidae, Corrinidae, Trachelidae, Gnaphosidae, Caponiidae, Dysderidae, Oonopidae, Anyphaenidae, Miturgidae, Eutichuridae, and Liocranidae

21 Fishing Spiders: 296

Pisauridae and Trechaleidae

22 Spitting Spiders: 306

Scytodidae

23 In the Company of Arachnids 314

Acknowledgments 317

References 318

Index of Common and Scientific Names 323

Über Autor(innen)

Jillian Cowles is a clinical microbiologist, naturalist, and photographer. Her photographs have appeared in numerous books and publications, including The Bees in Your Backyard and Bugs Rule! (both Princeton), as well as museum displays, art exhibits, and murals.