Longhorned Woodboring Beetles (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae and Disteniidae)

CHOICE

The National Museum of Natural History (Smithsonian Institution) houses an outstanding insect collection.  Its assemblage of longhorned beetles alone comprises approximately 8,000 species that have been identified and put into a database (this number likely will double when the collection is fully curated).  With some 2,100 primary type specimens, this is one of the finest collections of its type in the world and an invaluable resource for researchers in the field of entomology.  Holdings of primary-type specimens by museums and academic institutions are of particular importance to entomologists interested in studying originally described type specimens.  In this first complete catalogue of the Smithsonian’s longhorned woodboring beetle collection, a list of all primary specimen types is made available.  Following this is a collection of color plates illustrating each specimen as a thumbnail image.  A short introduction provides an interesting historical perspective on the Smithsonian’s collection of Cerambycidae.  The photographs may be of limited interest to beetle enthusiasts; however, the text will be particularly valuable to specialists interested in beetle taxonomy, including graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and professional staff. –D. A. Brass, independent scholar

Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students through professionals.