Open Access

Pierre Jolivet

• This entirely new book is the first on the biology of beetles since Crowson's book, published in 1981 by Academic Press. This new work in some ways completes Crowson's, but in no way is it a useless repetition. The two books together give a good idea of the biology of this enormous order, here comprising more than 200 families. Paulian's classification is slightly, but not fundamentally, different from Crowson's. There are excellent chapters on endogeous, caverniculous, aquatic, coprophagous, termitophilous, and myrmecophilous beetles. Termitophilous beetles have already been treated well in Termitologia by Grasse (1986, Masson, Paris). Paulian is a well-known specialist on Scarabaeidae and those beetles are extensively reviewed, including the American species, from data published in the United States and Mexico. The larvae of beetles are also well covered. The book was printed in Hungary and we regret several misspellings, and the misuse of French accents here and there.