The Biology of Blood-Sucking in Insects 2nd Edn. By M. Lehane, pp. 321. Cambridge University Press, 2005. ISBN 0 521 54395 9. Paperback £35.00 (US$ 60.00).

Extract

Fourteen years ago I had the pleasure of reviewing the first edition of Mike Lehane's book. This new edition, long overdue, provides perhaps the most comprehensive, and a very readable, teaching text for medical entomology available today. The title truly reflects the content. Written from a biologist's viewpoint, we are treated to an overview of how blood-feeding insects function rather than the drier, phylogenetic-based treatment that is much more common. The scene is set by two chapters dealing with the importance and evolution of blood-feeding insects. We are then led, chapter-by-chapter through the blood-feeding process from host selection through to the digestion and utilization of a bloodmeal. The penultimate two chapters consider respectively the more intricate interactions of insects with their hosts and the parasites that they transmit. The classification of blood-feeding insects is covered in a final chapter.