Dominican Amber Spiders A Comparative Palaeontological-Neontological Approach to Identification, Faunistics, Ecology and Biogeography

About this book

The author is a world expert on fossil spiders preserved in amber and in interpreting what they can reveal about the ecology of the extinct forests in which they lived.

In this book, Dr Penney provides a comprehensive synopsis of what is known about the Dominican Republic amber spider fauna, much of which is based on his numerous scientific publications in leading international journals. However, the book is not intended solely for academics. It contains more than 300 illustrations including many colour photographs, which should permit the identification of both the fossil and living Hispaniolan spider fauna by both amber collectors and spider enthusiasts.

The introductory chapters provide full coverage of what is known about the geological origins, chemistry and botanical source of Dominican amber and the mining, preparation and distribution processes. which the author has witnessed first hand. Previously unpublished data on historical biogeography should make this book of interest to all those interested in the biogeography of the Caribbean region.

The volume also contains an extensive bibliography of almost 350 entries providing a valuable resource for anybody interested in fossil resins. This book far surpasses anything else availabe on this subject and is expected to remain the leading reference work for many years to come.

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