Field Guide To Grasshoppers, Katydids, And Crickets Of The United States (Hardcover)

by John L. Capinera (Author), Ralph D. Scott (Author), Thomas J. Walker (Author) "Usually it is easy to sort any member of the order Orthoptera (grasshoppers and their relatives) into one of the suborders (Caelifera, the grasshoppers; Ensifera,..." (more)
Key Phrases: spurthroated grasshoppers, slantfaced grasshoppers, false katydids, United States, Great Plains, Rocky Mountains (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Orthoptera, or grasshoppers and their relatives, are more frequently heard than seen. But once one starts looking, the most "obvious (abundant, large, colorful, noisy)" of insect groups, as the authors describe them, becomes readily apparent. The problem is, as the authors point out in the preface, many orthoptera are either "cryptically colored" (showing their stripes only in flight, or blending in with surrounding flora) or "cryptic in behavior (noctural)"; only the more dedicated amateur naturalists-for whom the book is designed-will seek them out. For those who do, this book is a perfect companion. Scott is a biologist and scientific illustrator; Capinera and Walker are professors of entomology and nematology at the University of Florida and have spent long hours in the fields differentiating the pygmy spurthroated grasshopper from the round-winged spurthroated grasshopper. After introductions to the parts of the orthoptera body, and to its life cycle, ecological impact, sound production capabilities and viability as a pet, the authors evaluate the orthoptera species by species. Each entry includes the "distribution" of a species (where it's found, shown on individual shaded maps), major means of identification, the ecology (what kinds of places a species likes) and the species that can be called cousins. In addition, Capinera's and Walker's department maintains a Web site (buzz.ifas.ufl.edu) where readers can match the "songs" they hear in the field with recordings, using the book's terrific color "pictorial key" to the various noisemakers as a visual guide. But the highlight is certainly the 50 pages of Scott's color illustrations-this is apparently the first book to feature the full spectrum of North American orthoptera in color. For those who want to know what's plaguing them when locusts descend, this is the book.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Description
In much of North America, crickets and katydids provide the soundtrack to summer nights, and grasshoppers frequent the fields and roadsides of midsummer days. Although insects from this group have long been the bane of those who make their living from the land, grasshoppers, katydids, and crickets are themselves crucial food sources for many species of birds, reptiles and amphibians, and other creatures.

Field Guide to Grasshoppers, Katydids, and Crickets of the United States introduces readers to the biology, behavior, and ecological significance of one of the most obvious (abundant, large, and colorful) and important (ecologically and economically significant) insect groups in North America, the order Orthoptera. A simple, illustrated identification guide assists the reader in distinguishing among the various groups and narrows down the options to expedite identification. The book treats more than a third of the species found in the United States and Canada in brief, easy-to-understand sections that provide information on distribution, identification, ecology, and similar species. Distribution maps accompany each profile, and 206 species are pictured in color. Black-and-white drawings highlight distinguishing characteristics of some of the more difficult-to-identify species. Sonograms provide a graphic representation of the insects’ distinctive sounds, which may be heard on Thomas J. Walker’s website.

This is the first treatment of North American grasshoppers, katydids, and crickets to portray the insects in full color, and it will be the first time many amateur naturalists and students have the opportunity to see the amazing and colorful world of Orthoptera, because many are cryptically colored (their bright colors evident only in flight) or cryptic in behavior (nocturnal in their habits). John L. Capinera, Ralph D. Scott, and Thomas J. Walker designed their book for amateur naturalists who wish to know the local fauna, for students who seek to identify insects as part of entomology and natural history courses, and for professional biologists who need to identify invertebrates. This invaluable field guide will be a useful supplement for laboratory and field activities and a reference for classrooms at every level.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 249 pages
• Publisher: Cornell University Press (November 30, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801442605
• ISBN-13: 978-0801442605
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,363,089 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Small things make the world go round, August 18, 2005

By	Christen Wemmer (Magalia, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Field Guide To Grasshoppers, Katydids, And Crickets Of The United States (Paperback)

If you are interested in "the small things that make the world go round', this new field guide is a "keeper". Capinera, Scott, and Walker's user-friendly reference covers most of the common "orthops" in the US. That's about a third of the American grasshoppers, katydids, and crickets known in the lower 48. The book relies on 48 excellent color plates to aid identification. How do you use the book? Well, learning about grasshoppers and their kin is a little different from birding. You've got to have a specimen in hand, dead or alive. So, go check out your car's radiator grill for a grasshopper, or turn on the back porch lights to attract some katydids. Okay, with your dried grasshopper or a cricket in a jar you can begin by using the pictorial key. It will help you to learn what suborder and family your critter belongs to. After you do that a few times you'll be able to distinguish a spur-throated from a banded-wing hopper, or a cone-headed katydid from a hump-winged grig. When you reach this stage, which is a no-brainer, you use the book pretty much like a bird guide. Just compare your specimen with the plates. Wing and hind leg color are key characters for grasshoppers, while more subtle features distinguish katydids and crickets. When you find a good match, go to the species accounts to see if the critter occurs in your state. Don't be discouraged if it doesn't. Go back to the plates and keep looking. A lot of species look alike till you get up close and personal, which is the only way you are going to identify most orthops. It's amazing how quickly you can start to recognize species when you know their key characters. It's also quite satisfying. But very few of your hiking friends will believe you when you start spouting off the names of trailside orthops.

I hope that future editions will print the page number of the species account next to the species' picture in the plate. But you can always write the page in, as I do for those species I have identified. Did you ever wonder what makes those chirps and buzzing sounds on a summer night? Well, get out there with your flashlight and a jar and have some fun. There is a wealth of information in this field guide, and it can open up a new world of biological pursuit, whether you're a recreational naturalist or a professional entomologist.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Good Introduction to American Orthoptera, February 9, 2006

By	David B Richman (Mesilla Park, NM USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Field Guide To Grasshoppers, Katydids, And Crickets Of The United States (Paperback)

Grasshoppers, crickets and kadydids are well-known, but often overlooked by amateur naturalists because of the apparent lack of good guides. Actually Helfer wrote a very good guide to the orthopteroid orders many years ago, which is still available from Dover, but the taxonomy is a bit out of date.

John Capinera et al., have now produced a beautiful guide a selection of the U. S. species to the true Orthoptera (minus walkingsticks, mantids, and cockroaches) that will serve as an good introduction. I am surprised at some of their choices, but then one never totally agrees with the authors of books containing selected species descriptions. Those who would like more can get Helfer, which is still very useful, if dated, and is much more complete (it not only includes most of the known grasshopper, katydid, and cricket species, but also the other orders formally placed in the Orthoptera, and the termites and earwigs as a bonus!). However the color illustrations in "Field Guide to Grasshoppers, Katydids, and Crickets of the United States" are reasonably accurate and beautiful. Why not get both books (the Helfer book is still available for less than $15.00) if you really want to identify your fauna of grasshoppers and their relatives?

I recommend this book to anyone interested in the fauna beyond their back door. I hope, however, that a revised and updated version of something like Helfer's book will eventually be published.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars attractive guide with a balanced level of detail, January 31, 2006

By	R. Taylor (United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Field Guide To Grasshoppers, Katydids, And Crickets Of The United States (Paperback)

As a casual hobby naturalist, the thing that is hard to get used to with insects and insect field guides is that they are just so diverse. Any given guide, unless very regionally or family specific, can really only touch on what is out there. So even this guide, which only addresses 1 of the 30 orders of insects, has to focus on the common species plus illustrative members of other genera. I'm a birder, so my initial reaction is that this is like picking up a bird field guide and finding it only has American Robin as an example of "Thrushes".

Here is a case in point: we have Camel Crickets in our basement. So I thought "ah, I'll use this book to identify what kind of Camel Cricket". But there is only one Camel Cricket species described in detail in the book (not mine), and the family discussion notes that there are 150 species in 21 genera in the US and Canada. So just that one question could take up a whole field guide of its own.

Once your expectations are adjusted, the book does a great job of providing info on natural history, key features used to identify families/genera/species, and taxonomic navigation charts to help you quickly get to right place in the guide. That said, you need to become familiar enough with the differentiating features to be able to use this as a "field" guide. Like anything, it takes a little work to be able to efficiently use and enjoy this guide.