A Walk Around the Pond: Insects in and over the Water.

A WALK AROUND THE POND: Insects in and over the Water

GILBERT WALDBAUER

In North America alone, there are more than 10,000 aquatic and semiaquatic insect species that live parts of their lives in fresh water. HOW did they evolve to survive both on land and in water? Waldbauer, professor emeritus of entomology at the University of Illinois, attempts to explain the feat while providing a who's who of these remarkable insects, including mayflies, dragonflies, true bugs, beetles, and mosquitoes. He describes how these species have evolved methods to breathe, search for food, reproduce, regulate temperature, see, and prey on other insects in aquatic environments. For instance, the whirligig beetle uses its sensitive antennae to detect water-surface ripples made by struggling insects. Finally, Waldbauer describes the complex relationship between these insects and people: While mosquitoes and black flies are often carriers of disease, other varieties of aquatic and semiaquatic insects are culinary delicacies. Harvard, 2006, 286 p., b&w illus., hardcover, $22.95.