Preview: University of California Press, Berkeley and Los Angeles, xiv + 194 pp., Isbn 978-0-520-25422-0, Usd 34.95 Prof. Dr. Philip S. Ward, Department of Entomology, University of California, Davis, Ca 95616, USA. E-mail: psward@ucdavis.edu Myrmecol. News 11: 135-136 (online 25 June 2008) Issn 1994-4136 (print), Issn 1997-3500 (online) Received 7 May 2008; accepted 7 May 2008 Showy insects like butterflies are popular subjects for field guides, owing to their aesthetic appeal and the readily discernable differences that exist among most species. Ants present a more difficult prospect. They have long been a source of fascination to the public because of their remarkable behavior and complex social organization, but they are not well suited to user-friendly identification guides. Of necessity ant taxonomy is based primarily on the worker caste, and the distinguishing features of species and higher taxa can be subtle and difficult to communicate. Preparation of point-mounted specimens – which…