For about a decade, Paul Hanson, Ian Gauld, and their colleagues operated many Malaise traps at about 40 different sites scattered over the entire country from sea level to 3000 meters. The tremendous quantities of insects taken in these traps (estimated at 4.5 million) provided the database from which the diversity of Costa Rican Hymenoptera could be measured and described. This was not the only source of faunal information, however. The fast growing collection of the Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad de Costa Rica (INBio) was also utilized, as were other collections. The Hymenoptera of Costa Rica is the result. The authors estimate that 17,000-20,000 species of Hymenoptera occur in Costa Rica, 70% of which are undescribed.

The major portion of the book is devoted to family treatments written by various specialists, but the first 150 pages or so of this nearly 900 page book includes discussions of the geography, climate, and hymenopterous fauna of Costa Rica; an extensive section on the biology of Hymenoptera; the economic importance of Hymenoptera; a lengthy and well illustrated morphology section; and an overview of the evolution, classification and identification of the order. A glossary and extensive references section conclude the book.

The morphology chapter is excellent and the authors have attempted to standardize terms, but certain groups still have their "pet" terms, particularly for parts of the thorax and wings. Polymorphism and functional morphology are discussed at length, the latter dealing with oviposition and adaptations for nest building. This chapter concludes with a good discussion of larval morphology.

Chapter 5 on evolution, classification and identification provides a nice overview of current ideas on phylogeny of suborders and superfamilies. Because of demonstrated paraphyly in Symphyta and Parasitica, the traditional major divisions Symphyta and Apocrita and the subdivisions Parasitica and Aculeata are abandoned in favor of a superfamily-based system. Unresolved problem areas at the subfamily level are discussed. Only three superfamilies of aculeates are recognized (Chrysidoidea, Vespoidea and Apoidea), which is in agreement with modern cladistic analyses of this section of the Hymenoptera. Family classification is likewise up-to-date with discussions of differing modern opinions and unresolved problems. Four families are recognized in a new classification of Cynipoidea, and Vespidae is used sensu Carpenter (including Eumeninae and Masarinae). The treatment of Apoidea (including Sphecoidea) includes two families: Sphecidae and Apidae but with the cautionary note that Sphecidae is paraphyletic and doubtless will be split into at least two families eventually, a point with which I concur. Interestingly, the reduction of bee families to one, Apidae, is based on the premise that recognition of 9 or more bee families is "disproportionately high in comparison to other Hymenoptera". I agree with this thinking, and wonder why chalcid workers have not used it to reduce "doids" to one family instead of the 21 used in Hymenoptera of Costa Rica. In the authors' defense, they do indicate that some "doid" families are paraphyletic, and say "there are undoubtedly too many families of Chalcidoidea, and eventually [their] number will . . . be reduced." Chapter 5 concludes with illustrated keys to superfamilies based on winged adults, and a separate key to families of brachypterous and apterous adults.

Chapters 6-18 treat various major groups (i.e., superfamily or similar grouping) of Hymenoptera, each authored by specialists. Treatment styles vary from chapter to chapter, but most contain well illustrated keys to families, subfamilies, tribes, and sometimes genera of Costa Rica (keys include a few species in Scoliidae). In lieu of generic keys, genera are often treated with short statements that may include characteristics, biology, distribution, numbers of species, etc. Habitus drawings show general appearance of taxa in each family. Usually each family treatment includes a discussion of the Costa Rican fauna of the group, as well as notation of useful taxonomic papers, a summation of biology and economic importance.

Chapter 10 on Cynipoidea by Nigel Fergusson presents a new family classification derived from his Ph.D. thesis. Four families are recognized: Cynipidae, Ibaliidae (including Liopterinae and Austrocynipinae), Figitidae (including Charipinae, Eucoilinae), and Himalocynipidae, a monotyic Old World family. The cladistic analysis that resulted in this arrangement resides in Fergusson's as yet unpublished thesis, and hopefully it will be in print soon, for what is presented here is a framework without much substantiation. This is made all the more urgent by the publication in 1995 of Ronquist's own "Phylogeny and early evolution of the Cynipoidea" in Syst. Ent. Interestingly, Ronquist also reduces the number of families, but there are differences from Fergusson's arrangement. Curiously no mention is made under Ibaliidae of Ronquist and Nordlander's 1989 extensive morphology paper on Ibalia, nor is the revision of the family by Zhiwei and Nordlander, 1994, cited. The latter may have appeared too late for inclusion.

Chapter 13 covers Chrysidoidea. Of note is new synonymy in Bethylidae by Finnamore and Gauld: Apenesia is a junior synonym of Pristocera. I could find no discussion of this, just "syn.n." (p. 477). Gordh and Móczár's world bethylid catalog of 1990 is not cited. Chapter 14 contains families of Vespoidea other than Vespidae, and, unfortunately, much needed keys to genera of Pompilidae and Mutillidae are not provided.

Chapter 18 by Terry Griswold, Frank Parker and Paul Hanson treats the bees, and, as mentioned above, is remarkable for the recognition of a single family, Apidae. Keys here are to subfamilies only, and it is unfortunate that the 1994 book The Bee Genera of North and Central America by Michener, McGinley and Danforth is not cited since it includes keys to genera in Spanish and English. Perhaps it appeared too late for inclusion.

To sum up, The Hymenoptera of Costa Rica contains a tremendous amount of useful material. It is truly an impressive book, and Paul Hanson, Ian Gauld and their collaborators are to be congratulated for their achievement. Although this book focuses on the Costa Rican fauna, it will have much broader appeal and usage, particulary in Latin America. It should be in the library of anyone interested in Hymenoptera, although its high price will put it out of reach of many potential purchasers. What a pity. Latin Americans may have wished for a Spanish version, but the size of the book made that option prohibitive. The only negative comments I have are of an editorial nature. The publisher used page headers that are difficult to read. Font size and type used for tribal headers above discussions of tribes make them difficult to spot. For example, Charipini on page 261 should have been in bold face or made to stand out in some way. For a book that will be see as much use as this one, a heavier binding should have been employed. My copy is already beginning to come apart.

Arnold Menke

This book is a compilation of lectures presented at a workshop at Castiglioncello, Italy, in 1993 under the title of "Natural History and Evolution of an Animal Society: The Paper-Wasp Case". An unpublished lecture by the late Leo Pardi opens the volume with a brief history and analysis of the principal characteristics which have made Polistes a key group for modern sociobiology. This is followed by Jim Carpenter's important "Phylogeny and biogeography of Polistes." A new cladistic classification is presented in which only 4 subgenera are recognized. This was based on a very large sample of the known species, and thus appears well supported. The remainder of the book is devoted to papers on various aspects of biology of the genus; to papers analyzing the physiological and biochemical mechanisms regulating various social functions; and theoretical papers treating the origin and maintenance of sociality.

This book gives the reader an excellent overview of current knowledge of the social wasp genus Polistes. Oxford University Press is to be commended for continuing to publish important books on Hymenoptera.

Arnold Menke

This book is the result of over 20 years field study of the masarines in South Africa, as well as a review and synthesis of previously published information on these wasps from all parts of the world. The focus of the book is the biology and ecology of these fascinating creatures, which are most diversified in Africa.

Gess begins with an up-to-date review of the classification of the Masarinae. However, she does not accept some generic synonymy established by van der Vecht and Carpenter in 1990, or the broad concept of Vespoidea proposed by Brothers and Carpenter in 1993. Gess also uses the name Sphecoidea instead of the older name Apoidea.

The remaining chapters (the bulk of the book) cover biogeography, flower associations, life history, nesting, associates, pollination by masarines, and concludes with a very timely chapter on how increasing land use by man has affected pollen wasps in South Africa.

The final third of the book consists of three appendices. The first of these is an exhaustive list of flower records by zoogeographic region and wasp species, and includes sources. Appendix 2 lists plant species visited by masarines in South Africa and includes the names of non-masarine Hymenoptera as well (bees, sphecids, etc.). Appendix 3 is a synonymic catalog of described masarine wasps including known distribution.

The Pollen Wasps pulls together under one cover just about everything currently known about the masarine wasps. Gess has produced a scholarly text and her book will be a valuable resource for wasp biologists, ethologists, ecologists, environmentalists, etc.

Arnold Menke

I have not seen a copy of this book, but the Hymenoptera section covers the aculeate wasp families (ants and bees excluded). Families included and respective authors are as follows: Dryinidae by Ponomarenko, Embolemidae by Belokobylskij, Bethylidae by Gorbatovskij, Tiphiidae by Gorbatovskij, Sapygidae by Kurzenko, Vespidae by Kurzenko, Scoliidae by Lelej, Mutillidae by Lelej, Pompilidae by Lelej, and Sphecidae by Nemkov, Kazenas, Budrys and Antropov. Price and availability unknown.

Arnold Menke

This handbook is designed for the fauna of the British Isles, and was first published in 1983. This new edition upgrades the classification to that used by Gauld and Bolton in The Hymenoptera, adds biological information published since 1983, and adds species new to the British fauna. The aculeate wasps treated in this nice looking guide are the Sapygidae, Tiphiidae, Mutillidae, Eumenidae and Sphecidae although the last family contains most of the genera and species. Identification is the primary thrust of Solitary Wasps and it contains pictorial keys as well as the standard dichotomous type - all nicely illustrated for ease of use. There is also a chart that can be used to identify wasps on the basis of their prey and nesting habits. Many wasps are illustrated with habitus drawings on eigtht plates and four of these are in color. All in all a very attractive and useful treatise.

Arnold Menke

For those of you with a nomenclatural bent, and a fondness for the history of the nomenclature, this little book will be an attractive package. It begins with pre-Linnaean concepts of putting names on things, then Linnaeus and binomial nomenclature are discussed. The subsequent development of various Codes and rules for scientific names are covered nicely. This leads into a history of the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature, its various leaders, and the development of various editions of the modern Code now in use. Pictures and photographs of important personages are included.

Arnold Menke

This is essentially a pictorial conspectus of insects in Hunan Province. In the aculeates, each species is represented by a dorsal or lateral habitus drawing, but for westerners, that ends its usefulness because the text is in Chinese except for the scientific names. I found occasional misspellings of these names, and their authors.

Arnold Menke

I have only glanced through this book but it appears to be a very interesting and scholarly treatise. I quote from the dustjacket: "Sorensen asks how it came about that, within the span of forty years, the American entomological community developed from a few gentlemen naturalists with primary links to Europe to a thriving scientific community exercising world leadership in entomological science. By the 1880's the entomologists constituted the largest single group of American zoologists and the largest group of ecologists in the world. While rooted in the British natural history tradition, these individuals developed a distinctive American style of entomological investigation focusing on insect pests that threaten crop production in a market-oriented agriculture. Based primarily on the correspondence of American entomologists, Brethren of the Net draws together information from diverse sources to illuminate an important chapter in the history of American science. The book's real strength is that it is a marvelous compendium of information about the careers and issues of many little-known American men and women interested in entomological musings. Sorensen is at his best in discussing scientific concepts – he has made himself a master of the relevant sciences, and it shows. His discussions of the nomenclature problem, the theory of evolution, the type concept, and the notion of the balance of nature are outstanding."

Arnold Menke

PUBLICATION NOTICE

My revision of the world Gastrosericus was published on 23 October 1995 as California Academy of Sciences Memoir No. 18. To my regret, I have received only five free copies, and I apologize for not being able to send copies to all persons and institutions that provided material for study or helped in any other way.

The revision can be ordered from the Scientific Publications, California Academy of Sciences, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California 94118, USA, at the price of $40 plus $3.25 for shipping and handling (as high as it is, the price of $40 represents only the production costs). Checks should be issued to California Academy of Sciences.

Wojciech J. Pulawski