Col. map on p. [3] of cover.

Originally published: New York : Sterling Pub., c2007.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 480-482) and index.

Introduction -- Insects, spiders, and people -- Scope and arrangement of this guide -- Classification -- What is an insect? -- The body plan of insects and entognaths -- Growth and development of entognaths and insects -- Metamorphosis -- Synopsis of North American hexapod orders -- Class entognatha -- Class insecta -- What is a spider? -- The body plan of spiders -- Synopsis of common North American arachnid orders -- Other arthropods -- Myriapoda : centipedes, millipedes, and kin -- Crustacea : crayfish, shrimps, pillbugs, and kin -- Natural history of insects, spiders, and their kin -- Feeding behavior -- Defense behavior -- Conserving the silent majority -- Finding insects, spiders, and their kin -- Where to look -- Making an identification -- About the guide -- Entognaths -- Proturans (order Protura) -- Springtails (order Collembola) -- Diplurans (order Diplura) -- Insects -- Jumping bristletails (order Microcoryphia) -- Silverfish and firebrats (order Thysanura) -- Mayflies (order Ephemeroptera) -- Dragonflies and damselflies (order Odonata) -- Cockroaches (order Blattodea) -- Termites (order Isoptera).

Mantids (order Mantodea) -- Rockcrawlers (order Grylloblattodea) -- Earwigs (order Dermaptera) -- Stoneflies (order Plecoptera) -- Grasshoppers, crickets, and katydids (order Orthoptera) -- Stick insects (order Phasmida) -- Webspinners (order Embioptera) -- Zorapterans (order Zoraptera) -- Barklice and booklice (order Psocoptera) -- Chewing and sucking lice (order Phthiraptera) -- True bugs, cicadas, hoppers, and kin (order Hemiptera) -- Thrips (order Thysanoptera) -- Dobsonflies, fishflies, and alderflies (order Megaloptera) -- Snakeflies (order Raphidioptera) -- Antlions, lacewings, mantidflies, and owlflies (order Neuroptera) -- Beetles (order Coleoptera) -- Twisted-winged parasites (order Strepsiptera) -- Scorpionflies and hangingflies (order Mecoptera) -- Fleas (order Siphonaptera) -- Flies (order Diptera) -- Caddisflies (order Trichoptera) -- Butterflies and moths (order Lepidoptera) -- Ants, bees, and wasps (order Hymenoptera) -- Arachnids -- Spiders (order Araneae) -- Harvestmen (order Opiliones) -- Scorpions (order Scorpiones).

Pseudoscorpions (order Pseudoscorpiones) -- Windscorpions (order Solifugae) -- Tailless whipscorpions (order Amblypygi) -- Whipscorpions (order Uropygi) -- Ticks and mites (order Acari) -- Other arthropods -- Centipedes (Class Chilopoda) -- Millipedes (class Diplopoda) -- Fairy, brine, tadpole and clam shrimps, and water fleas (class Branchiopoda) -- Malacostracans (class Malacostraca) -- How-to guides -- Starting an insect and spider collection -- Keeping insects and spiders in captivity -- Planting an arthropod garden -- Macrophotography -- Appendices -- Acknowledgments -- Staff for this guide -- Illustration sources -- Photo credits -- Glossary -- Pronunciation guide -- Orders of arthropods in North America -- Endangered and threatened insects and arachnids -- Insect zoos and butterfly houses -- Resources and references -- Index.