Bolton's aim in producing this book was to provide a means of identifying all extant ant genera, and to produce a catalog of existing and fossil genera, as well as the tribes and subfamilies of Formicidae. In accomplishing this goal, he has been thorough, meticulous, and lucid in his revision. The major thrust of the book is a series of dichotomous keys to the subfamilies and genera of ants. He has done a splendid job in making these keys useful for the specialist, the student or nonprofessional...Perhaps the most innovative and helpful aspects of the book are the 522 scanning electron microscope photographs of the ants...Bolton's admirable book, keying and imaging 296 extant genera and 16 subfamilies of ants, is a best and thorough assessment, and will be a necessity for ant taxonomists and important for anyone attempting to identify genera of ants.
--Arnold Van Pelt (Insecta Mundi )
Besides the obvious value of this book for identifying ants, it is the first time that the diversity of these ubiquitous insects has been adequately portrayed. It is a most enjoyable experience to simply browse through the book and admire the electron micrographs showing the bizarre manifestations and combinations of ant form.
--H. G. Robertson (African Entomology )
A stunning volume...to be savored visually...[This book] expresses more about our planet's half-billion-year saga of zoological diversification than could be packed into a thousand pages of purple prose.
--David Quammen (Outside )
Review
Bolton has emerged as the leading ant taxonomist, and his work is regarded by his peers to be of the highest quality. The coverage of the world fauna is exhaustive at the generic level...[The book is] meticulous and superbly illustrated.
--Edward O. Wilson, Harvard University
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