The most complete reference work on mosquitoes ever produced, Mosquitoes of the World is an unmatched resource for entomologists, public health professionals, epidemiologists, and reference libraries.

Surprising though it seems, the world faces almost as great a threat today from arthropod-borne diseases as it did in the heady days of the 1950s when global eradication of such diseases by eliminating their vectors with synthetic insecticides, particularly DDT, seemed a real possibility. Malaria, for example, still causes tremendous morbidity and mortality throughout the world, especially in Africa. Knowledge of the biology of insect and arachnid disease vectors is arguably more important now than it has ever been. Biological research directed at the development of better methods of control becomes even more important in the light of the partial failure of many control schemes that are based on insecticide- although not all is gloom, since basic biological studies have contributed enormously to the outstanding success of international control programmes such as the vast Onchocerciasis Control Programme in West Africa. It is a sine qua non for proper understanding of the epidemiology and successful vector control of any human disease transmitted by an arthropod that all concerned with the problem - medical entomologist, parasitologist, field technician - have a good basic understanding of the arthropod's biology. Knowledge will be needed not only of its direct relationship to any parasite or pathogen that it transmits but also of its structure, its life history and its behaviour - in short, its natural history. Above all, it will be necessary to be sure that it is correctly identified.

Arthropod transmitted infections continue to be a front-line issue in all regions of the world. Understanding the insects that transmit diseases, the mechanisms of infection and the resulting diseases is vital to doctors, veterinarians, public health workers and disease control agencies. This major reference examines the biology, classification and control of arthropods that cause disease in animals and humans. The morphology, taxonomy and phylogeny of fleas, flies, lice, mites, midges, mosquitoes and ticks are described, with descriptions of their medical and veterinary significance, diseases they cause, insect distribution and global disease spread. Updated, developed and reworked from Doug Kettle's seminal Medical and Veterinary Entomology, this major new reference presents vital information in encyclopedia format, with alphabetical entries and an extensive index to make key facts easy to find. This new treatment of the subject provides accessible content and up-to-date research, illustrated by line drawings and color photographs.

This thematic collection focuses on key parasites and their vectors in Southeast Asia. Up-to-date essays invite readers to discover parasite and vector morphology, genetic diversity as well as dynamic parasite communities linked to human land-use and climate change. The authors shed light on transmission pathways and explore tick-borne diseases, intestinal protozoa, cestodes, nematodes and the multiplicity of cryptic trematode species. Particular attention is given to mosquito vectors in changing environments and the dynamic biodiversity of vertebrate hosts, including mammals, birds and fish. The richly illustrated chapters are completed by new approaches in diagnostic methods, treatment and prevention to protect humans and animals from tropical parasite infections. Not only parasitologists and experts in tropical medicine but also public health officials and travelers will find this volume highly informative.

This book was conceived by the desire to compile and put together into one book the central identification keys for mosquitoes used for the past 50 years. This compilation of keys which have been meticulously illustrated is designed to provide comprehensive identification keys for medically important mosquitoes commonly found in Peninsula Malaysia.

This review is intended to bring together the published information available on the biodiversity associated with the rice field agroecosystem, in countries extending across Asia from Sri Lanka to Japan. The intention is to provide a synthesis that would enable us to better appreciate the environmental services and opportunities for biodiversity conservation offered by rice fields, as the additional benefits and contribution of these major food-producing agroecosystems. Since this review is based mainly on published information in the English language public domain, such limitation of the exercise might result in a bias towards those countries where the published and/or accessible information exists. In order to reduce such bias, attempts were made to review unpublished "grey" literature as well, although this was by no means comprehensive.

This book offers an interdisciplinary view of the biophysical issues related to climate change. Climate change is a phenomenon by which the long-term averages of weather events (i.e. temperature, precipitation, wind speed, etc.) that define the climate of a region are not constant but change over time. There have been a series of past periods of climatic change, registered in historical or paleoecological records. In the first section of this book, a series of state-of-the-art research projects explore the biophysical causes for climate change and the techniques currently being used and developed for its detection in several regions of the world. The second section of the book explores the effects that have been reported already on the flora and fauna in different ecosystems around the globe. Among them, the ecosystems and landscapes in arctic and alpine regions are expected to be among the most affected by the change in climate, as they will suffer the more intense changes. The final section of this book explores in detail those issues.