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Awarded Best Reference by the New York Public Library (2004), Outstanding Academic Title by CHOICE (2003), and AAP/PSP 2003 Best Single Volume Reference/Sciences by Association of American Publishers' Professional Scholarly Publishing Division, the first edition of Encyclopedia of Insects was acclaimed as the most comprehensive work devoted to insects. Covering all aspects of insect anatomy, physiology, evolution, behavior, reproduction, ecology, and disease, as well as issues of exploitation, conservation, and management, this book sets the standard in entomology. The second edition of this reference will continue the tradition by providing the most comprehensive, useful, and up-to-date resource for professionals. Expanded sections in forensic entomology, biotechnology and Drosphila, reflect the full update of over 300 topics. Articles contributed by over 260 high profile and internationally recognized entomologists provide definitive facts regarding all insects from ants, beetles, and butterflies to yellow jackets, zoraptera, and zygentoma. * 66% NEW and revised content by over 200 international experts* New chapters on Bedbugs, Ekbom Syndrome, Human History, Genomics, Vinegaroons * Expanded sections on insect-human interactions, genomics, biotechnology, and ecology* Each of the 273 articles updated to reflect the advances which have taken place in entomology research since the previous edition * Features 1,000 full-color photographs, figures and tables * A full glossary, 1,700 cross-references, 3,000 bibliographic entries, and online access save research time* Updated with online access

[...]there is no accepted yardstick in assessing the actual contribution of a group leader to given scientific publications [8,9], so interpretation of author sequence can be like a lottery. [...]in our opinion, we need a simple and straightforward approach to estimate the credit associated with the sequence of authors' names that is free from any arbitrary rank valuation.

Species-level identifications of the larval stages of caddisflies are available for only a limited number of taxa that are used currently in water-quality monitoring programs. This has been a long-lamented condition, but the proportion of species identifications available for aquatic forms that are used in these efforts has increased little over the past half-century. This is despite repeated and documented advantages that species-level identifications add to monitoring studies. Approaches to examining this question have ranged from anecdotal accounts of pollution tolerance among species within a genus to detailed analyses comparing information available through different hierarchical levels of taxonomy, from species to family. Justifications for not using species-level taxonomic resolution have ranged from financial considerations to suggestions that higher levels are equally as valid in showing trends as are species-level identifications. However, the evidence justifying the use of higher levels of taxonomy is lacking and more evidence favors the value of species-level identifications. Genetic techniques offer the promise of more larval-adult associations, more useful identification keys, and improved biological monitoring.

Insects are the most ubiquitous and diverse group of eukaryotic organisms on Earth, forming a crucial link in terrestrial and freshwater food webs. They have recently become the subject of headlines because of observations of dramatic declines in some places. Although there are hundreds of long‐term insect monitoring programs, a global database for long‐term data on insect assemblages has so far remained unavailable. In order to facilitate synthetic analyses of insect abundance changes, we compiled a database of long‐term (≥10 yr) studies of assemblages of insects (many also including arachnids) in the terrestrial and freshwater realms. We searched the scientific literature and public repositories for data on insect and arachnid monitoring using standardized protocols over a time span of 10 yr or longer, with at least two sampling events. We focused on studies that presented or allowed calculation of total community abundance or biomass. We extracted data from tables, figures, and appendices, and, for data sets that provided raw data, we standardized trapping effort over space and time when necessary. For each site, we extracted provenance details (such as country, state, and continent) as well as information on protection status, land use, and climatic details from publicly available GIS sources. In all, the database contains 1,668 plot‐level time series sourced from 165 studies with samples collected between 1925 and 2018. Sixteen data sets provided here were previously unpublished. Studies were separated into those collected in the terrestrial realm (103 studies with a total of 1,053 plots) and those collected in the freshwater realm (62 studies with 615 plots). Most studies were from Europe (48%) and North America (29%), with 34% of the plots located in protected areas. The median monitoring time span was 19 yr, with 12 sampling years. The number of individuals was reported in 129 studies, the total biomass was reported in 13 studies, and both abundance and biomass were reported in 23 studies. This data set is published under a CC‐BY license, requiring attribution of the data source. Please cite this paper if the data are used in publications, and respect the licenses of the original sources when using (part of) their data as detailed in Metadata S1: Table 1.

Streams and rivers in mediterranean-climate regions (med-rivers in med-regions) are ecologically unique, with flow regimes reflecting precipitation patterns. Although timing of drying and flooding is predictable, seasonal and annual intensity of these events is not. Sequential flooding and drying, coupled with anthropogenic influences make these med-rivers among the most stressed riverine habitat worldwide. Med-rivers are hotspots for biodiversity in all med-regions. Species in med-rivers require different, often opposing adaptive mechanisms to survive drought and flood conditions or recover from them. Thus, metacommunities undergo seasonal differences, reflecting cycles of river fragmentation and connectivity, which also affect ecosystem functioning. River conservation and management is challenging, and trade-offs between environmental and human uses are complex, especially under future climate change scenarios. This overview of a Special Issue on med-rivers synthesizes information presented in 21 articles covering the five med-regions worldwide: Mediterranean Basin, coastal California, central Chile, Cape region of South Africa, and southwest and southern Australia. Research programs to increase basic knowledge in less-developed med-regions should be prioritized to achieve increased abilities to better manage med-rivers.

Of the many groups of organisms proposed for use in biomonitoring, assemblages of fish, algae, and benthic macroinvertebrates are the most commonly selected. Purported advantages and disadvantages of using these groups, along with those of zooplankton, were assembled from 65 different publications and websites. From these, 13 categories of advantages and nine of disadvantages were created. The diversity of the assemblage and its importance to the ecosystem were reported as advantages in >20% of citations for each group; these similarities suggest that some redundancy exists among the different groups in terms of these features. Likewise, sampling difficulties and lack of analytic metrics were disadvantages listed in >20% of citations for each group. Few reported advantages (e.g. recreational value of fish) or disadvantages (e.g. short generation time of algae) were unique for a particular assemblage. The validity of reported advantages and disadvantages were sometimes region specific, other times incorrect. The choice of which assemblage is most appropriate for a biomonitoring program ultimately depends on the characteristics of the area to be studied and the program objectives.

Several species of fishflies (Megaloptera: Corydalidae: Chauliodinae) have been reported from intermittent streams in western North America, but the life histories and distributions of these species are poorly understood. We studied the life history of Neohermes filicornis (Banks 1903) for 2 years in Donner Creek (Contra Costa County, California), a small intermittent stream that flows for 5–7 months per year. Neohermes filicornis had a 3–4-year life span and larval growth was asynchronous. Analysis of gut contents showed that larvae were generalist predators of aquatic insect larvae including Diptera, Ephemeroptera, and Plecoptera. Final instars dug pupal chambers in the streambed and began pupation within several days of stream drying. Dry conditions in 2007 resulted in stream drying 50 days earlier than in 2006, which was reflected in earlier pupation and adult emergence in 2007 than in 2006. Pupal and adult stages each lasted for 1–2 weeks. Although active burrowing into the dry streambed was not observed in the field, N. filicornis larvae initiated burrowing in response to simulated stream drying in laboratory experiments, while Orohermes crepusculus (Chauliodinae), a fishfly species common in perennial streams, did not exhibit burrowing behavior. We present new and historic collection records for Neohermes spp. in western North America. Neohermes filicornis is distributed in California, Arizona, western New Mexico, Baja California, and Sonora. A sister taxon, Neohermes californicus, has been collected in California, Oregon, and Idaho. In California, N. filicornis is primarily distributed in the Coast Range and mountains of Southern California, whereas N. californicus occurs in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, with possible range overlap at the northern and southern ends of the Central Valley. As a long-lived aquatic insect, N. filicornis exhibits considerable plasticity in the phenology of its life cycle and undergoes multiple episodes of larval dormancy in intermittent streams of western North America.

Water withdrawals and discharges from municipal wastewater-treatment plants in semiarid regions result in more urban streams becoming dependent on wastewater effluent for base flows. Such wastewater-effluent-dominated streams support perennial-stream ecosystems that would not otherwise exist. At the same time, ecosystems downstream of effluent discharges can improve water quality, support water re-use, create habitat, and provide urban amenities. By identifying measures of success for biota, habitat, hydrology, geomorphology, and water quality, water managers can better design, operate, and monitor effluent-dominated water courses under future climate conditions. This requires the development of clearly defined ecological and social objectives, as well as a better understanding of the consequences of increasing reliance on wastewater effluent to sustain the biota of effluent-dominated streams. Successful quantification of the costs and benefits of these projects is likely to attract the attention of agencies and communities that have the power to turn the environmental perturbations associated with effluent discharges into new forms of environmental enhancement.

Variability in flow as a result of seasonal precipitation patterns is a defining element of streams and rivers in Mediterranean-climate regions of the world and strongly influences the biota of these unique systems. Mediterranean-climate areas include the Mediterranean Basin and parts of Australia, California, Chile, and South Africa. Mediterranean streams and rivers can experience wet winters and consequent floods to severe droughts, when intermittency in otherwise perennial systems can occur. Inter-annual variation in precipitation can include multi-year droughts or consecutive wet years. Spatial variation in patterns of precipitation (rain vs. snow) combined with topographic variability lead to spatial variability in hydrologic patterns that influence populations and communities. Mediterranean streams and rivers are global biodiversity hotspots and are particularly vulnerable to human impacts. Biomonitoring, conservation efforts, and management responses to climate change require approaches that account for spatial and temporal variability (including both intra- and inter-annual). The importance of long-term data sets for understanding and managing these systems highlights the need for sustained and coordinated research efforts in Mediterranean-climate streams and rivers.