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Concerns about global biodiversity are rising dramatically, yet we are lagging behind in the most basic prerequisite for its understanding and conservation: the inventory. Insect species may make up five or ten times the number of all other plant and animal species combined, and as such they represent one of the major challenges in biosystematic science. World Catalogue of Insects is an initiative aiming at compiling worldscale, authoritative catalogues of monophyletic insect taxa.
We are therefore proud to launch this major series. Volumes will as a minimum contain standard nomenclatoral information on all names pertaining to the taxon treated, including type locality and distribution to the extent this is relevant. Additional information is optional, e. g., location, status and condition of types; biology; bibliograchical information; pest status; vector status; etc.
For each volume, the taxon will be presented in a short introduction, eventually with a few illustrations. This may include a brief diagnosis; outline of possible phylogenetic relationships with most important apomorphic character status; general biology; agricultural, medical, veterinary, conservational or other importance.
Introducing World Catalogue of Insects, it is the publisher's intention to offer a platform for publishing future insect catalogues as it has often proved to be difficult to find suitable publishing opportunity and in this way to encourage and attract entomologists currently preparing catalogue manuscripts.
In the first years after the introduction of the series, it is the publisher's intention to publish approximately one volume per year and after that develop the publishing rate to several volumes each year. At the moment, the following volumes are under preparation: Ptiliidae (Coleoptera), Procridinae (Lepidoptera: Zygaenidae), Cryptophagidae (Coleoptera), Cryptocephalinae (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), Gracillariidae (Lepidoptera).
World Catalogue of Insects is published by Apollo Books.
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