Skip to main content
ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Systematic Entomology Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #323550
Research Project: Beetle Taxonomy and Systematics Supporting U.S. Agriculture, Arboriculture and Biological Control

Location: Systematic Entomology Laboratory

Title: Insect biodiversity in the Palearctic Region

Author
item KOROTYAEV, B. - Russian Academy Of Sciences
item Konstantinov, Alexander - Alex
item VOLKOVITSH, M. - Russian Academy Of Sciences

Submitted to: Insect Biodiversity: Science and Society
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/10/2017
Publication Date: 10/25/2017
Citation: Korotyaev, B.A., Konstantinov, A.S., Volkovitsh, M.G. 2017. Insect biodiversity in the Palearctic Region. Insect Biodiversity: Science and Society. 1:141-201.

Interpretive Summary: Insects are among the most important organisms for U.S. agriculture. Many are serious pests and feed on crops destroying valuable plants. Others are important biological control agents that can be used to eliminate unwanted and invasive weeds. This work provides overview of insect biological diversity in the entire Palearctic biogeographic Region. This study will be useful to university students, biological control workers, taxonomists, ecologists, biogeographers, and anyone interested in insect biodiversity.

Technical Abstract: Overview of insect biological diversity in the Palearctic is provided. Among World greatest biogeographic Regions, Palearctic is the largest with the longest history of faunistic and biodiversity studies, it is the best known with respect to its overall insect diversity. The following subdivision of the Palearctic are recognized: Circumpolar, Eurosiberian taiga (boreal), European and Stenopean nemoral, Hesperian (Mediterranean and Macaronesian) and Orthrian evergreen forest (subtropical), Scythian steppe, and Sethian (Sahara-Gobian) desert regions. Altogether, there are more than 200,000 species of insects in the Palearctic, which is about 1/5 of the entire insect diversity in the World. Main features of distribution of this diversity in the Palearctic are described. Insect fauna of each recognized subdivision is over viewed. Table with species and genera estimates and family level endemic taxa for many insect orders is provided. This is the second edition of the book and the chapter is significantly updated and revised based on the recently published literature.