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Field Guide To Grasshoppers, Katydids, And Crickets Of The United States
By John L. Capinera, Ralph D. Scott, Thomas J. Walker
Cornell University Press, 2004
ISBN: 0801442605
Cite: 6364 with citation markup [cite:6364]
Finally got a copy--the hardback. It is just stunning. Key features:
* color illustrations of 206 species
* anatomic diagrams and explanations
* range maps
* sonograms
* discussions of identification (including similar species) and ecology
* pictorial key that looks very useful, and accessible to the amateur.

Minor quibbles: There are plenty of illustrations, 206 in color, but there could always be more. (Hey, but then it would be really pricey!) I wish the plates had references to page numbers in the text, but that would make them cluttered and less pretty. (They are lovely as is.) It would be great if there was an accompanying CD with songs, but they do refer to the Singing Insects of North America web site. Perhaps a CD will be published in the future.

This is one of the prettiest zoology guides I've seen. It resembles, in format, some of the high quality bird family guides. I imagine it is going to prove very useful as well--it looks extremely thorough. We can only hope for more insect guides from this publisher in the future.

It is a beautiful book, but l
It is a beautiful book, but lacks keys (to genus would be a good start), which is especially a problem for anyone not familiar with the group, who has to wade through a lot of illustrations, and then due to gaps in coverage, still not be sure if one has an ID.

Just got my copy at a substan
Just got my copy at a substantial discount from amazon..will like to see whether I can ID some of my mystery melanoplus species in my collection...

Some minor negatives to go with lots of positive
Illustrations are not accurate as to details of shapes, and most show abdomens tapered to a point, even though they often aren't that way. So, take it with a small grain of salt - they won't match exactly a specimen in hand. It is not a comprehensive treatment, so many species and a number of genera are missing. However, most of the more common species, some of the more novel, and some not so common are included, and it is a good begining reference that will get you close even if not all the way there on identifications.

Just Got Mine!
Mine just arrived today. I love it. The pictures are beautiful, and the information looks very thorough...probably more than I can use right now, but may come in handy as I get better at identifying. One great feature are the maps showing where each species is located in the US, Canada, and Mexico.

Anyone have this?
Anyone get this yet? Curious to know how it looks and if it's useful.

 
Grasshoppers Katydids and Crickets
I just received my copy.
It has very good drawings(paintings?) in color of at least 250 different species. They claim to treat at least 1/3 of all species in North America, except Alaska. Also includes range maps.
I found my pygmy grasshopper in the plates.
Also information on life histories, food, collecting and more.

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