Dieses Buch ist der zweite von vier Bänden der Reihe "Handbuch der Zoologie", die die Systematik, Morphologie und Biologie der Coleoptera behandeln. Die Bände beantworten alle Fragen zu Phylogenese, Evolution und Ökologie der Coleoptera. Der zweite Band umfasst die Unterordnungen Elateroidea, Bostrichiformia und Cucujiformia zum Teil. Er informiert über weltweite Verbreitung, Biologie, Morphologie aller Lebensabschnitte (einschließlich Anatomie) und Phylogenese und liefert Erläuterungen zur Taxonomie. Die morphologischen Abhandlungen sind besonders detailliert illustriert und enthalten SEM-Bilder, Zeichnungen und Habitus-Darstellungen.

This publication provides a comprehensive review of the nomenclature and distribution of the Geadephaga of America, north of Mexico. Overall 2439 valid species-group taxa in 208 genera are catalogued along with their synonyms. Besides the usual information pertaining to author(s), date and page of publication, the type locality, location of name-bearing type, first reference establishing each synonym, and etymology for many patronymic names are provided for species-group names. Genus-group names are listed with the author(s), year of publication, page citation, type species with manner of fixation and etymology for most. The geographical distributions of all species-group taxa are briefly summarized and their state and province records are indicated. About 2500 references are listed with publication dates for many in order to assess priority of names.Several new nomenclatural acts are introduced including one new genus-group taxon, one new replacement name, three changes in precedence, five new genus-group synonymies, 65 new species-group synonymies, one new species-group status, and 12 new combinations.The work includes also a discussion of the notable private North American carabid collections, a synopsis of all extant world geadephagan tribes and subfamilies, a brief faunistic assessment of the fauna, a list of North American fossil Geadephaga, a list of North American Geadephaga larvae described or illustrated, a list of species described from specimens mislabeled as from North America, and a list of unavailable names listed from North America.

This book is the first of four volumes in the Handbook of Zoology series which treat the systematics and biology of Coleoptera. With approximately 350,000 described species, Coleoptera are by far the most species-rich order of insects and the largest group of animals of comparable geological age. The beetle volumes will meet the demand of modern biologists seeking to answer questions about Coleoptera phylogeny, evolution, and ecology. This first Coleoptera volume covers the suborders Archostemata, Myxophaga and Adephaga, and the basal series of Polyphaga, with information on world distribution, biology, morphology of all life stages (including anatomy), phylogeny and comments on taxonomy.