A Naturalist's Guide to the Insects of Aotearoa NZ product reviews

The introduction to Insects of Aotearoa New Zealand contains a wealth of basic information about insects and related species. There is a glossary of technical terms which is useful as many of these words will be unfamiliar to the general reader. I consulted it many times! This section of the book is written in academic language, but there is the occasional humorous observation that ensures that the reader remains engaged. "Leggy little lifeforms" is a wonderful way to describe insects, and the idea of being "spritzed by the smelly bottom of an Alexander beetle" conjures up the horrors of coming into contact with this creature's defence mechanism!

Included in this introduction are details of distribution and habitat, specific groups with clear diagrams of physical differences, and a guide to the way the individual insect data is organised. After this the main part of the book (the individual listing of various insects, including photographs) begins. This list is comprehensive and is conveniently divided into sections, making it quicker to find a particular example

I found this section fascinating to read. I went through from start to finish, but I could have simply opened it at any page and read the first result I encountered. The photos are small but very clear, making it an easy task to help identify any insect, I would have preferred a font one or more points bigger, however, as I had difficulty reading the accompanying text unless I was under a strong light.

Some of the entries are especially interesting as they provide details about insects that are regular visitors to my part of the country. In late summer there are great numbers of different members of the wasp family, and I was intrigued to learn that their food supply is often met by native insects, some of whom have shown a decline in population - especially among butterflies. Bees, on the other hand, feed on plant products and pose no threat to other native species except where they may be competing for pollen and nectar.

It was amazing to read just how many insects are not native to Aotearoa. A couple, like the strikingly colourful Australian Leafroller Tachinid and the equally beautiful Eleven-spotted Ladybird, were introduced deliberately as biocontrol agents. But most of the newcomers are immigrants who hitched a ride with a human, whether on a ship or plane, or as eggs or pupae in suitcases and clothing. Maybe we need stricter immigrant controls for undocumented insects!

Although the book is highly informative and visually stunning due to the number and clarity of insect photographs, I found the small text difficult to read - especially in low light or in direct sunlight. It would be useful if the publishers could include a link to a dedicated web page. The text could then be uploaded for readers to enlarge if necessary. That would give the reader the best of both worlds - a book small enough to tuck into a backpack for identification purposes, and access to a reader friendly electronic version for ease of access later.