Spiders of North America: An Identification Manual [Spiral-bound]

Paula Cushing (Author), Darrell Ubick (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2009

This beautifully illustrated guide to the spiders of North America, north of Mexico, provides more than 1,400 illustrations and keys to the genera in 68 spider families. The book includes more than 550 genera. The manual contains 72 chapters and a wealth of information including an introduction to spider morphology, natural history, collecting techniques and preservation methods; an overview of the current status and most recent developments in spider evolutionary history; a key to the 68 families of spiders found in North America, north of Mexico; keys to the genera in each of these 68 families; an etymological dictionary explaining the derivation of the names of spider genera and families; and a well illustrated glossary.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

The editors of this manual, Darrell Ubick, Pierre Paquin, Paula E. Cushing, and Vince Roth, are all well known arachnologists. Over 30 other equally well known arachnologists from the United States, Europe, and South America, are chapter authors.

Product Details

• Spiral-bound: 377 pages
• Publisher: American Arachnological Society; Spi edition (April 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0977143902
• ISBN-13: 978-0977143900
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 9.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #84,204 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #24 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Biological Sciences > Biology > Entomology
  • #44 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Biological Sciences > Animals > Insects & Spiders

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

52 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Taking it to the next level, September 25, 2007

By 

Patrick G. Heck "Gus" (Boston MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Spiders of North America: An Identification Manual (Spiral-bound)

This is a very cool book, but it is not a field guide. It is a very well organized and illustrated scientific key. It has one purpose and one purpose only. Determine the genus (the level of identification above species) of the spider you have captured, and provide references to publications that discuss the species in that genus. To utilize this book you should have or be prepared to purchase a dissecting microscope. In many cases to complete a rigorous identification you will need to count setae (hairs), examine fangs or dissect and examine the gonads of the specimen. It is also important to realize that some identifications require killing the spider. One may attempt to skip steps in the key requiring dissection, but that of course introduces complexity and reduces the certainty of your identifications. In some cases dissection may simply be required. Another thing to note is that this manual is for use in the laboratory, or other environment whe you can manipulate the specimen. It is basically useless for field identification.

If you are disappointed by the above description and were hoping to identify live spiders kindly left in your back yard, the unfortunate reality is that spiders are complex little critters and identification beyond the family level is painstaking. The authors cannot be faulted for that, as it is simply a fact of life.

This is clearly a good book for the scientist or graduate student. It is also a good book for someone like me who has a biology degree, is not working in the field, but has been continually vexed by the lack of specificity in field guides. It may even be a good book to give to an aspiring high-schooler who has a genuine interest in biology, particularly spiders or insects, but ONLY if you also give them a stereo dissecting microscope too. This book is not for children below high school, and not for children or adults who have only a casual interest in spiders.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A "must" for any arachnologist, January 4, 2007

By 

Sophie - See all my reviews

This review is from: Spiders of North America: An Identification Manual (Spiral-bound)

This book allows one to identify most spiders of North America to genus level. The book comes with excellent depictions of taxonomic characters so identification is aided by visual cues. An added bonus is that even though species-level identifications are not always found in the book, it gives you references as to where to find the species-level taxonomic guides. This is a great help when one is trying to ID a specimen to the species level. Another great feature of this book is the organization. The beginning of the book holds a key to families and the rest of the book are those families and the taxonomic guides to the genera within them. Excellent book. I could not do my research without it.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb illustrations to key., March 14, 2007

By 

M. J. Richardson (Edinburgh, U.K.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Spiders of North America: An Identification Manual (Spiral-bound)

This is a superb key, the best I have ever come across to any invertebrate group. What makes it unique is the good quality line drawings illustrating every step in the key. It can therefore be followed easily without having to backtrack to a glossary of terms and is invaluable for beginners to the group. The up to date and revised taxonomy will also suit professional arachnologists.