“Hidden Kingdom: The Insect Life of Costa Rica” by Piotr Naskrecki

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Rating: 5/5 Stars

A fantastic book about insects (and related invertebrates), in particular the ones found in Costa Rica. The book includes incredible photography by the author showcasing the insects, a few of which the family had the opportunity to see during our trip to Costa Rica in Nov 2018.

The book starts by looking at what is an insect (and what isn’t, like spiders, millipedes and centipedes). It then goes through the various families of insects and their defining characteristics. You will get a good overview of them and learn the differences between them.

The book then looks at the few insects that are dangerous to humans. These include the venomous biters, those with stingers and those that are parasites. The author stresses at the beginning that the majority of insects are harmless, so as long as proper care and preparations are taken, observing these insects in the wild is not dangerous.

The book then looks at the various ways insects defend themselves against predators or fight for mating rights. From the enormous horns of rhinocheros beetles to the pincers and spikes displayed by other insects, they are listed here in the book.

Disguise is another way to avoid predation or to disguise yourself while looking for prey. Among them include the fantastic leaf mantids and katydids, which really look like leaves, down to having parts that look like holes or bitten off parts of leaves. Walking sticks are also the masters of disguise, from those looking like plain sticks to fantastic decorated ones for hiding among moss covered tree trunks.

The book also covers colour as used as an indication that the insect is poisonous or is distasteful. The wonderful world of insect mimicry is also covered, showing the variety of ways some insects disguise themselves to look like distasteful or poisonous insects and how various distasteful insects have ‘converged’ on to a few basic colour indicators (so predators don’t have to struggle to figure which are not good to eat).

Sound is also used to attract mates or fight rivals. Among the usual suspects like cicadas, katydids, crickets, the author features the fascinating Hamadryas butterflies, whose males create cracking sounds, possibly to attract females or assert their territory.

Social insects like termites, ants and wasps are featured in the book. Also fascinating is a part on the relationships some insects have with plants, which provide places to live to the insects in return for protection from other herbivores.

The final chapter takes a particular look at butterflies and moths, usually one of the most spectacular and well known of the insect families. Those that can be found in Costa Rica include the amazing looking glasswing butterflies (with nearly transparent wings) and the morphos (with iridescent blue wings).

The book is illustrated throughout with fantastic photos of the various insects taken by the author. If you are looking for a book that looks at insects in general and the ones in Costa Rica in particular, this book is to be recommended. It can also act as an informal field guide to the more spectacular insects to be found in Costa Rica.

Book read from 2018/01/25 to 2018/02/02