Like any subject biology has its worn-out metaphors. Scarcely less of a cliché than Dobzhansky's dictum that nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution, so Haldane's quip that the Creator's fructifying genius might seem odd given his inordinate fondness for beetles is long past its sell-by date (to compound the clichés). But if there was ever a case to be made that even within the beetles, let alone the insects, the variety of forms verges on the marvellous then this book will provide the gold-standard for years to come.
Its most obvious advantage is the superb range of illustrations, from the golden tombs of amber to vivid examples of living insects and striking reconstructions of extinct forms. In essence the book is a superb review of the insect groups, along with such matters as the geological history of insects, the ways in which the principal modes of fossilization act and a succinct review of evolutionary principles. The real thrills in reading this book, however, are the endlessly fascinating examples of evolution and ecology in action. Hardly surprising are the many examples of mimicry, not least the amazing katydids that effortlessly blend into moss and leaves and equally astonishing mantises that can look deceptively like a white orchid or plant tendril. Such are quite familiar, but did you know (keeping with the mantises) that the hymenopodid nymphs have a shape, movement and colour that closely mimic the fearsome army ants, or of a South American sphingid that not only looks uncannily like a snake but can even mimic the striking action. Indeed, apart from being a marvellous survey of insects this book is a treasure-trove of biological insights, be they remarkable instances of mimicry and many other convergences, sound production, defence, predation, and fascinating instances of gigantism.
Clearly the authors are gripped with their enthusiasm for insects, and even when reviewing the fossil record remind us that not only do many questions remain to be solved, but also the past was indeed a different country. Were we, for instance, to visit a Triassic tropical forest then in comparison with today's cacophony dominated by frogs and birds then apart from ‘the occasional groans and squeaks of tetrapods, most song probably derived from the resonant clacking of titanopterans, backed by the trills of haglids and the chirping of early gryllids’ (p. 206). So Grimaldi & Engel throw open a window onto an unexpected world, and one that in principle is recoverable from study of the fossilized stridulatory organs and ears.
It is this reviewer's opinion that science urgently needs to recapture a sense of imagination, and whilst the stern realities of analytical judgement cannot be neglected, the fact of the matter is that whether by teaching or research it is the telling example, remarkable fact or intriguing instance that must readily serve to reawaken the deep springs of our curiosity and so the source of scientific enthusiasm. So too one is not surprised to find interspersed poetic contributions by such as Frost, Keats and Nash. Evolution of the Insects serves to do exactly what is most important, and that is to remind us of our extraordinary world and how we can understand it more deeply. At an astonishingly reasonable price every biologist and palaeontologist should regard this book as an essential acquisition.
