Book Review: The Cicadas of North America

Chris Alice Kratzer begins her new book with a deeply personal memory and dedication, then proceeds to deliver another comprehensive treatment of a common, yet complex, category of insects: cicadas. The book is the second for Kratzer, whose debut work was The Social Wasps of North America. With memories of this spring’s periodical cicada event still fresh in the public mind, this book could easily eclipse the wasp book in popularity, but both volumes deserve your attention.

The Cicadas of North America is essentially a monograph of all members of the family Cicadidae found north of South America. The scientific community should certainly respect it as such. If this sounds intimidating for non-scientists, you need not fear. Kratzer is a master science communicator, with sincere empathy for those of us who avoided hardcore subjects in high school and college.

Part of the genius in her approach is that she is self-publishing through Owfly Publishing, a subsidiary of her company Owlfly, LLC. This allows her to set her own limits, if any, and prioritize what she sees as most important for her audience. She takes creative license that serves to enhance the readability and overall presentation of the book. The digital artwork alone is enough to recommend the book, but wait, there is more.

Kratzer’s trademark continues to be exceptionally thorough coverage of background information on life cycle, anatomy, evolution, classification, ecological relationships, and impacts on humanity, both positive and negative, past and present. Even if cicadas are not your favorite insect (but really, why are they not?), you will find yourself referring to the front of the book for understandable explanations of genetics, taxonomy, and other scientific concepts that apply broadly across all organisms.

Once again, Kratzer expands her region of focus to include Latin America as, ideally, all such manuals should in the interest of geographic accuracy that respects biomes but not borders. This might be the final nudge I need to renew my passport. I mean, look at that Sparse Emerald Cicada, Zammara smaragdula. A turquoise cicada (it is on the cover, too)?

Each digital rendering is split from left to right to show the degree of variation in color, density of markings, and other morphological features to help identify a specimen of either form. Some species are treated twice if they exhibit strong regional differences, with corresponding range maps delineating their geographic distribution. Everyone contributing reference photos, and community science records resulting from those images, is acknowledged on each species page.

If you are a stickler for minute details, and/or get hooked on studying cicadas yourself, the “taxonomic notes” in the back of the book give you the most current assessment of the standing of various species. Kratzer readily admits that what is in the book could be wrong, but there is no argument as to how much is completely unknown to anyone, at least in the community of Western scientists. The book is thus both a treatise and a booster designed to ignite further research.

If I sound like a paid shill, or an infomercial, I hope I can be forgiven for my enthusiasm for a quality example of natural history literature. Meanwhile, I hope Kratzer continues turning out more such references for whatever creatures catch her fancy. I’m subscribed to the Owlfly newsletter, so I should be among the first to know.

The Cicadas of North America is a hefty 573 pages, retails for $27.99 U.S., from the publisher, and is shipped in sustainable packaging from EcoEnclose. You can request a signed copy when you order.

Book Review: Spiders of North America

It is “Spider Sunday” on this blog, so what better to post than a rave review of the newest spider identification resource, the Princeton Field Guide to Spiders of North America, by Sarah Rose. Yes, I wrote the foreword for this book, but I guarantee that this is an unbiased review. There is far more to recommend this book than my mere two cents at its beginning.

Spiders have faced an uphill battle in the widespread appreciation of these arachnids, in part due to few easily available, and easily affordable, resources for non-scientists. The most reasonably priced books are either outdated, full of errors such as mislabeled images, or both. Until now, the only current guides to spiders have been regional in nature (California and the Pacific coast, for example), or so expensive, and/or scientifically technical, as to discourage their purchase.

Finally, we have a true field guide, organized in a manner that respects the scientific terminology, and understands the limits of macrophotography, and facilitates the identification of many spiders by non-scholars.

One example of Rose’s innovative approaches is her color-coding of spider eyes. The eye arrangement of a given specimen is often key to its identification, but if you do not understand the jargon of “posterior median eyes,” or “anterior lateral eyes,” you are left spinning your wheels, if not throwing the book in the garbage. By associating the different pairs of eyes with different colors, it allows the user to make quick assessments of the creature they have in hand. The only drawback would come if you happen to be colorblind, and that is a consideration few, if any, publishers take into account.

Another way that the author organizes her book is by “guilds,” a term that in this case means the hunting lifestyle of the spider. Some spiders build two-dimensional sheet webs or orb webs, while others are “space web weavers” in three dimensions. Still others are ambush hunters or “ground active hunters.” This works well except maybe for mature male web-weaving spiders that leave their snares to look for mates, but the combinations of characteristics highlighted for each family of spiders overcomes those hurdles.

Each species entry in the book includes a range map, and verified state records. Our collective knowledge of spider distribution is relatively weak, and spiders excel at hitching rides on commerce and vehicles and other belongings, ending up far from their “normal” ranges, but here you have a good reference point for assessing the identity of most spiders you will encounter.

The images in the book are of living individuals, so all the colors and shapes are undistorted. Usually there is more than one image, to illustrate the dorsal (top) and ventral (underside) of the spider, and the color variations that the species might exhibit. Additionally, webs, egg sacs, and young spiders may be depicted, the better to demonstrate the full range of a species’ appearance and lifestyle.

The first part of this field guide provides an excellent overview of spider anatomy and biology, gives a brief and effective lesson in how spiders, and all organisms, are classified, and shares tips for observing spiders safely, ensuring that both you and the arachnid will be unharmed. Need to know the benefits of having spiders around? They’re in there. How do spiders fit into the larger picture of ecosystems? That information is also included. Did I mention there is an illustrated glossary in the back? Additional references are listed in the bibliography.

Before I end, I must offer an apology to all of you. This reference should have been available much sooner. I was the original author contracted to write this guide. It soon became apparent to me that I was not qualified to execute the project. Unfortunately, I procrastinated in disclosing that to the publisher. The least I could do was recommend a replacement, and I could not be more delighted that Sarah Rose agreed. This is a far better book than anything I could have written. If you have even a smidgen of curiosity about spiders, this reference will ignite it into a flame of passion. All the common species are in there, plus ones that you will see and say “Oh, I have got to find one of these!” Happy spider seeking, friends.

New, Free Field Guide to Common Bees & Wasps of Ohio Now Available

I am pleased to announce the publication of Common Bees & Wasps of Ohio, a mini field guide produced by the Ohio Division of Wildlife, written mostly by yours truly. It is available free of charge (except shipping, I presume), but will also be posted online as a downloadable PDF at the ODNR website as one of the wildlife identification guides.

This project was two years in the making, and thanks must be directed to Jim McCormac, Chad Crouch, and the other amazing people at Ohio Division of Natural Resources. They literally work miracles in a ridiculously short window before these things go to the printer.

We were also fortunate to have stellar images contributed by my personal friends Samantha Gallagher, MaLisa Spring, Betsy Betros, Heather Holm, Mary Ann Barnett, Lynette Schimming, Kim Phillips, and Jim McCormac, among others. Additional contributions came from friends who I simply don't know yet. The graphics team even made my images look awesome, which is a real feat if you consider only the fact that my camera has relatively poor resolution for publication purposes.

Lastly, I am indebted to Dr. John Ascher of the American Museum of Natural History, Doug Yanega of University of California, Riverside, and Sam Droege of the United States Geological Survey Patuxent Wildlife Research Center for their scholarly and discerning critique of both the text and the images. The accuracy of our work is far better for their reviews.

Wait a minute. I forgot to thank the most important group of all: Thank you to the people of the state of Ohio who make these publications possible through generous donations to the Wildlife Diversity Fund. We hope you find this latest, 78-page addition to the library of knowledge to be useful and entertaining.

My Next Book

I must admit that I have had a hard time keeping this news under wraps, but now that the paperwork is complete I can officially announce that I will be authoring the Princeton Field Guide to Spiders (official title to be decided later). This will represent my first true solo effort, and with that comes a great deal of responsibility.

It is not lost on me that this may appear to be a redundant work in light of recent popular works on North American spiders. I intend for a fundamentally different publication, though. This will be a true field guide, one that is more portable than either a “manual” or other reference book. Emphasis will be on what can be observed in the field without killing a specimen (though confining one to a vial would allow for closer observation). The appearance of webs, burrows, retreats, and egg sacs, as well as the arachnid itself, will be included. Habitat, geographic range, and behaviors will also be highlighted.

My intuition and experience suggest that what a general audience most wants to know is whether any given spider poses a dangerously venomous threat to themselves, their family, pets, or co-workers. Few references of recent vintage have understood this, and so the resulting books have been overwhelming and of little relevance to what is mostly an urban and suburban audience. These books have also been pricey. Princeton understands that a product of this nature needs to be reasonably affordable.

The other side of the ledger means, naturally, that budgets for the author, and compensation for image usage, is a little less than perfect. Ideally, I would like to come in under budget, and before the April 1, 2016 deadline for delivery of the manuscript and graphics. Some of you will hear from me during this process, as I value your knowledge of arachnids, and/or admire your digital photographic skills.

There is no question that many, if not most, spiders can be reliably identified to species (sometimes even genus) only by examination of minute physical characters, including male and female genitalia. This book will freely admit as much, but the overall intent is for a novice to be able to at least tell what family a given specimen belongs to. We will include a “similar spiders” paragraph for each entry to help users compare to other potential candidates.

I can guarantee that my number one priority is accuracy. I have the utmost respect for arachnologists, especially those who have made an effort to share their expertise with the public; and involving citizen scientists in an effort to broaden our overall knowledge of spider diversity and distribution.

At the core, however, is the fact that I am a professional writer, and that is why the people at Princeton University Press selected me for this project. I appreciate an understanding of my role as a communicator, and forgiveness for whatever I may lack in academic and scientific credentials. The “acknowledgements” page is blank. I look forward to adding your name. Thank you.

Contest Announcement

Just in time for the holiday gift-giving season, I am announcing a contest. Anyone who has donated to my Bug Eric blog or Sense of Misplaced blog (or my AllExperts.com account) between the first of this year and November 30, 2012 will have their name entered into a drawing. The prize will be a signed copy of the Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America. Minimum donation is $5.00 US, please. In the event that a person makes more than one donation, their name will be entered for each donation. Thank you, and good luck!

More work!

When it rains, it pours. Here I am trying to get ready for my move to Massachusetts for a 28-week stint in the Department of Natural Resources Conservation at University of Massachusetts (Amherst), and another opportunity drops in my lap. I was flattered to be asked to review a manuscript and images for a regional field guide to insects that will cover the northern portions of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and adjacent southern Canada.

I literally can't afford to turn down anything right now, so I am reading the text almost as I am writing this blog entry. I can guarantee that the finished work is going to be a quality product, not because I have some input, but because I am already a big fan of the other titles in the series.

Rest assured, when the book comes out, I will let you know about it. Meanwhile, I politely request patience with the decreased frequency of blog entries as I finish preparing for my move, and get acclimated to my new (if temporary) workplace and residence in Massachusetts. Thank you.