This engaging and colorful overview of beetles, one of the largest and most diverse group of animals on earth, will cover their distinctive physical features, biology, and natural history, then explore beetles in light of their coevolution with plants and other organisms, as well as the complex history of beetle and human interactions. All too often dismissed as pests, beetles are essential for the proper functioning of terrestrial ecosystems, have long influenced popular culture, and provide countless scientific insights and technological inspirations.
Dr. Art Evans earned his PhD in entomology at University of Pretoria, South Africa. He’s an adjunct professor at Randolph-Macon College, University of Richmond, and Virginia Commonwealth University where he teaches Entomology and Insect & Humans. He is also a Research Associate at the Smithsonian and the Virginia Natural History Museum. Dr. Evans has published 40 scientific papers on scarab beetles, as well as over 100 articles and books on insects and spiders. His next book, Field Guide to Beetles of Western North America, will be published this August.
