The present volume presents a detailed account of the taxonomy, biology and distribution of the European species of Siphonini. This group of tachinid Diptera totals 58 species in Europe of which 6 are here described as new to science. In most species, the immatures live as endoparasitolds of lepidopterous larvae, but a few species even attack tipulid larvae. Several species of Siphonini are of great economic interest as agents for the control of lepidopterous and tipulid pests in agriculture and forestry. An analysis and proposal on the systematic position of the Siphonini is given together with a key to larger taxonomic entities of Tachinidae. The generic classification is also critically emphasized. A separate chapter summarizes aspects of the group's natural history: life-cycles, mating behaviour, oviposition strategies, etc. The taxonomic part contains identification keys to genera and species, and for each species a diagnosis, a description and accounts on the nomenclature, biology and distribution is given. A separate catalogue details the provincial distribution of the 47 species occurring in Fennoscandia and Danmark. No less than 275 line drawings and 15 colour illustrations accompany the text.

This book aims to address the importance of natural enemies and functional diversity for biological control in Neotropical agroecosystems. Several aspects related to the conservation of natural enemies, such as vegetation design and climate change, are discussed in Part 1 and the bioecology of several insects groups used in biological control in Latin America is presented in Part 2. Part 3 is devoted to mass production of natural enemies while Part 4 describes how these insects have been used to control of pests in major crops, forests, pasture, weeds and plant diseases. Lastly, Part 5 reports Latin-American experiences of integration of biological in pest management programs.