Review by Kathy Lyon (Click on stars for an explanation)

This book is Out of Print.

For most of you spiders are just not a big item of interest, but for those of us who are really fascinated by them, this is an excellent book. The book cover indicates that only tarantulas in Belize are discussed, although some other Central American varieties are mentioned and pictured.

The book is a comprehensive overview and covers basic biology, habitat, collection, breeding, and care of Central American, specifically Belize, tarantulas. It is both a reference and a field guide and includes most of what is known about the tarantulas of the region. Chapters cover ecology, habitats, and identification (including a key).

The book is written in a conversational tone, with some interesting anecdotes -- how to find tarantulas in the wild, how to keep them in captivity, and some ethical issues. There are 15 very nice color photos and 45 in black and white.

I was disappointed that the section on Predators and Defenses had no mention of the family Diptera (including Acroceridae, flies that prey on arachnids [picture a spider with about 10 cuterebra-sized larvae in its belly]), but perhaps these flies are not present in Belize.

There are some good drawings giving the names of body parts, and a good chart explaining how to identify some species.

Published by Krieger Publishing, Malabar, Florida (2003).

The book is hardcover, 127 pages.

ISBN: 1-57524-206-0.