A guide to the beetles of Australia.

Collingwood: CSIRO Publishing, 2010.
Octavo, paperback, 238 pp. colour photographs, other illustrations.

This book emphasises the environmental role of beetles, their relationships with other plants and animals and their importance to humans while providing a fascinating introduction to the enormous diversity of beetles found in Australia.
Features
* Treats all main families of Australian beetles
* Provides an introduction to beetle biology
* Copiously illustrated with high quality photographs

'A guide to the beetles of Australia' provides a comprehensive introduction to the Coleoptera - a huge and diverse group on insects. Beetles make up 40 per cent of all insects known to science. The number of described beetle species in the world - around 350,000 - is more than six times the number of all vertebrate species.

New beetle species are being discovered all the time. Of the 30,000 species that may occur in Australia, only 20,000 have been scientifically described. These include around 6,500 weevils (Curculionidae); 2,600 scarabs, dung beetles and chafers (Scarabaeidae); and 2,250 leaf beetles (Chrysomelidae).

'A guide to the beetles of Australia' highlights the enormous diversity of this unique insect Order. It emphasises the environmental role of beetles, their relationships with other plants and animals, and their importance to humans.