Moths of Western North America [Hardcover]

Jerry A. Powell (Author), Paul A. Opler (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0520251970 | ISBN-13: 978-0520251977 | Publication Date: May 27, 2009 | Edition: 1

Insects boast incredible diversity, and this book treats an important component of the western insect biota that has not been summarized before--moths and their plant relationships. There are about 8,000 named species of moths in our region, and although most are unnoticed by the public, many attract attention when their larvae create economic damage: eating holes in woolens, infesting stored foods, boring into apples, damaging crops and garden plants, or defoliating forests. In contrast to previous North American moth books, this volume discusses and illustrates about 25% of the species in every family, including the tiny species, making this the most comprehensive volume in its field. With this approach it provides access to microlepidoptera study for biologists as well as amateur collectors. About 2,500 species are described and illustrated, including virtually all moths of economic importance, summarizing their morphology, taxonomy, adult behavior, larval biology, and life cycles.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A must have for those with a serious interest in the Lepidoptera of Western North America."--Scienceblogs.com/The Guardian

From the Inside Flap

"Two of North America's most prolific and respected specialists on moths--particularly those of the West--have combined over a century of experience and scholarship to introduce western moths of all families authoritatively to both the amateur and the experienced professional entomologist. This biologically oriented and beautifully illustrated treatment of a quarter of all known western moth species fills a long-needed void, and does it superbly."--Charles V. Covell Jr., author of A Field Guide to Moths of Eastern North America

"This work sets a new high water mark for North American lepidopterology. Considering the authors' century of combined studies of western Lepidoptera, it is clear from the outset that no other team could have delivered a work so rich in taxonomic and life history information, much of it being original and appearing in the literature for the first time. I will read my copy more like a novel than a reference work, casting about the accounts and repeatedly flipping through the 2300 color images to better familiarize myself with our continent's rich and handsome diversity of moths. Moths of Western North America will serve as both gateway and catalyst for the study of moths for decades, and especially for microlepidopterans--for whom no like work exists in the New World."--David L. Wagner, author of Caterpillars of Eastern North America

"Recent years have seen a surge of interest in moths, with growing appreciation of their amazing diversity and their great ecological importance. Information on western moths has been scattered and scarce, however, so this new volume is a tremendous step forward. Jerry Powell and Paul Opler bring a vast amount of knowledge and experience to the subject, and their Moths of Western North America is a landmark publication, instantly indispensable to anyone with a serious interest in Lepidoptera."--Kenn Kaufman, coauthor of Kaufman Field Guide to Butterflies of North America

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 383 pages
• Publisher: University of California Press; 1 edition (May 27, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0520251970
• ISBN-13: 978-0520251977
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.8 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #867,163 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Western Moths, June 15, 2009

By 

Robert M. Patterson (Bowie, MD USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Moths of Western North America (Hardcover)

This is a book that every student, collector and photographer of western moths will need, want and cherish. It is not only a beautiful book, a testament to the capabilities of University of California Press, it is a fitting monument to the careers of two fine lepidopteran scientists who bring to this work their combined 100 years of research and teaching experience.

This is not a field guide. It is a hefty hardcover book, 8-1/2 x 11 inches, with 64 beautifully printed full-color plates. About 370 pages are devoted to text, glossary and index, with another 130 pages for plates and facing caption pages. Fifty-eight of the plates display photographs of almost 2,350 specimens, and about 2,050 species. It is remarkable that 26 of the plates are given over to micromoths of about 1,075 species. This degree of attention to the micros, among which both authors have devoted much time, is by itself a tremendous contribution to the literature. Six plates depict mainly living larvae, but also adults and elements of life cycles such as leaf mines, tents and the like.

Sprinkled throughout the text are about 250 line drawings, mainly of the genitalia of exemplar species, giving an overview of the families and subfamilies. Where appropriate the authors also draw attention to defining characters of genitalia in the text, but this is not so extensive as to make reading difficult or uninteresting to the layman. Quite to the contrary, the text is relatively free of technical jargon and the stilted language of field guides where words and space may be considered to be at a premium. The writing in this book approaches that of delightful prose. Whether you are reading beside the living room hearth, in front of a field site campfire, or in a tiny cubicle at the lab, you are in for an enjoyable read.

The authors and UCP are to be congratulated and applauded for a very fine and worthwhile book.

5.0 out of 5 stars A long needed terrific reference for western moths :), January 18, 2012

By 

billgarthe - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Moths of Western North America (Hardcover)

Since I am planning to visit the western US this coming summer, I needed a reference book along the lines of Covell's Eastern Moth Book. I purchased this book hoping it would be that critical tool for moth IDs.

It sure turned out to be a fantastic book for the money. It is very well organized, has size reference lines for the micro moths, and has the names beside each plate. By printing larger images of smaller moths,one is able to see the features needed to ID them. Having the scale line helps nicely for getting the actual size of the moth in question. Many books have nice plates, but one has to flip pages to see the name of the specimen image. This book has each ID beside the plate and is organized nicely by plate number.

The text on each moth, its genus/tribe/subfamily is well done. Habits, larval/cocoon data, flight times, and ranges are very helpful.

I am new to the western stuff, but I feel I am going to be well prepared with this book. It is a 'must' for the lepidopterist wishing to work with the western moths. I highly recommend this book. It is worth every penny spent.....and then some.

5.0 out of 5 stars A very useful guide, September 16, 2011

By 

David Bygott (Tucson AZ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Moths of Western North America (Hardcover)

I chose this book to help me learn to identify some of the many moth species I meet in southern Arizona, and I'm well pleased with it. The color plates are well printed and clear and show about a third of the 8,000 species from the region, either reproduced life size or with scale indicated. There is good coverage of the 'micros' as well as the macros. There is lots of information on distribution, habits, and larvae.

This book is a reference work, it doesn't pretend to be a field guide. There are no keys, no highlighted ID cues, no grouping of moths that look similar unless this coincides with taxonomic relationships. As a novice trying to identify a moth, I would recommend using this in conjunction with the Kaufman Field Guide (to indicate what family of moths your specimen might belong to), then look at that family in MWNM to find the best match, and then research that online in bugguide.net or Moth Photographers Group to see if there are any closely related species that are a better match, and if you're still not sure, consult an expert.