Arthropoda: Essentials in Insect Collection and Preservation

Insects or Insecta are hexapod invertebrates and the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects are the most dominant organisms on earth. It is estimated that the insects originated about 480million years ago. It was the Ordovician period on the Earth. The diversity of insects make it difficult to identify the species. These great numbers of insect species and individuals were created by a number of factors including their long geological history, the capability of flight, their small size that allows survival in many various habitats, their ability to store sperm for delayed fertilization, and their general adaptive abilities to the environment. Insects have remarkable fertility and reproductive abilities, which have usually led to the vast numbers of individuals in nature. When studying insects there are various methods to collect insects and preserve them for future studies as well. This book is a simplified version providing essentials in insect collecting and preservation paying special attention to college students who interested in Geography and Environment.