JOSE MONZON-SIERRA / JACK C. SCHUSTER
THE TROPICAL INSECTS OF THE ANCIENT KAN KINGDOM OF MESOAMERICA The Mirador Basin, in northern Guatemala, is one of the last great areas of primary tropical forests in Central America. Aside from its tremendous wealth of biodiversity, it also contains many ancient Maya ruins and cities, including what may be the largest pyramids by volume in the world. This book documents, in English and Spanish, the insects, arachnids and myriapods of this rainforest, a formidable task considering the great diversity of arthropods. The research was conducted as part of the multidisciplinary approach to understanding the environmental context of the origins of Maya civilization, beginning many centuries B.C. Brief essays describing the principal insect orders are included. It contains beautiful photos taken during years of expeditions to the area, including new species of moths of the families Mimalonidae and Bombycidae and even a salamander previously unknown from Guatemala. Notably, there are also essays and photos about the Mirador Basin (archaeology), useful plants of the Basin, forest types and photos of amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals and plants. The book can be appreciated by any lover of nature as well as professional entomologists who want an understanding of the insect fauna of the area.
