The American Beetles, Volume I: Archostemata, Myxophaga, Adephaga, Polyphaga: Staphyliniformia

Lots of errata to amend, but these are great keys down to genus - and many to species. A must-have Coleoptera source, in spite of the price. Be careful with the binding, as other reviewers have stated. I copied out the keys that I use often, to save wear.

What can be said? There's no other volume that allows keying of beetles to Genus for ALL Families of the US. Two rants: First, it's nearly impossible to use in a practical sense because of the binding. If I'm keying out a Carabid, for example, the spine won't lay flat unless I break it. Second, the Color Plates were in B&W. A defect of my copy, perhaps? But this is a superhuman effort by a lot of people and a fitting memorial to Ross Arnett's original work.

It took me quite awhile to save up enough to afford this book, and the companion Volume II; however, it is a "must have" for anyone seriously interested in Coleoptera. Couldn't get along without it. It is THE beetle book.

The American beetles has already gotten a workout as it has helped me identify numerous beetles that I have found this past summer. To use the book effectively, one should be familiar with entomological terminology and be able to use a dichotomous key. The book is NOT a field guide, and does not have images (which can be misleading) of the beetles. Instead, it asks the reader to understand the basics of insect anatomy. With that information, you will quickly lean how to use this tool to identify many of our common beetles.