Brazilian Insects Journal — Maximilian Perty Delectus 1830 Spix Martius Expedition Plates 23 & 24

Carry the first scientific portrait of Brazilian biodiversity—where Maximilian Perty’s Delectus animalium articulatorum assembled the insects collected by Spix and Martius during their legendary expedition to Brazil and introduced the world to creatures that had never before been seen by science.

This hardcover journal celebrates Plates 23 and 24 from Delectus animalium articulatorum (1830–1834) by Maximilian Perty, the foundational work of South American entomology based on the Brazilian expedition of Spix and Martius (1817–1820). The plates are hand-coloured engravings presenting a masterclass in Brazilian insect diversity: giant grasshoppers with blazing red wings, glass-winged praying mantises, subterranean mole crickets, a ferocious predatory katydid named after the hound of hell, and wasp-mimicking katydids among the earliest documented examples of Batesian mimicry.

Front Cover — Plate 24: Dominated by Acrydium Latreillei (today Tropidacris latreillei), one of the largest grasshoppers in the world, its enormous red wings fully spread—native to South American forests and exceeding 10 cm in length. Alongside it: Acrydium crista flammea (Fig. 6), whose name means ‘flame crest’; and Mastax tenuis (Fig. 3), a monkey grasshopper of the family Eumastacidae. A plate that is simultaneously a scientific record and a celebration of Amazonian insect life.

Back Cover — Plate 23: A masterclass in evolutionary strategy: the Cerberodon viridis (Fig. 10)—a predatory katydid named after Cerberus for its ferocious mandibles; mole crickets including Gryllotalpa hexadactyla with perfect shovel-like forelegs for tunnelling; the Mantis hyaloptera (Fig. 6), the glass-winged South American praying mantis in its characteristic hunting posture; and the Scaphura katydids (Figs. 11–12) mimicking wasps in colour and form—one of the earliest documented examples of Batesian mimicry.

Why This Journal Inspires:

• Two plates from Perty’s Delectus animalium articulatorum (1830–1834)—the foundational work of South American entomology, based on the legendary Spix and Martius expedition to Brazil (1817–1820)
• Tropidacris latreillei with its blazing red wings—one of the largest grasshoppers in the world, illustrated here for the first time in scientific literature
• The Scaphura wasp-mimicking katydids are among the earliest documented examples of Batesian mimicry—named decades before Darwin formalized the theory
• From the ferocious Cerberodon to the glass-winged mantis: two plates that tell the complete story of evolutionary adaptation in the Brazilian rainforest

Product Details:

• Format: Hardcover journal with matte laminated full-wrap cover
• Pages: 150 lined pages (75 sheets) with perforations for easy removal
• Binding: Casewrap sewn binding that lays flat and flexes for comfortable writing
• Dimensions: 5.5 × 8.5 inches, lightweight and portable
• Weight: 0.1 kg
• Cover: Perty Delectus animalium 1830 Plates 23 & 24, hand-coloured engraving, matte finish; small 0.5"x0.5" production barcode on back

Perfect For:

• Entomologists and insect lovers celebrating the foundational work of South American entomology and the Spix and Martius expedition
• Admirers of Tropidacris latreillei, the glass-winged mantis, and the wasp-mimicking Scaphura
• Collectors of 19th-century scientific illustration and hand-coloured engravings
• Students of evolutionary biology, entomology, and the history of Batesian mimicry
• Nature lovers drawn to the biodiversity of the Amazon and the scientists who first documented it
• Gift seekers looking for an extraordinary journal for insect enthusiasts and biology lovers

Carry the legacy of Perty, Spix, and Martius—where the blazing red wings of Tropidacris and the ferocious mandibles of Cerberodon remind us that the Brazilian rainforest was, and remains, the most extraordinary theatre of evolution on Earth.

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Product information: Generic brand, 2 year warranty in EU and Northern Ireland as per Directive 1999/44/EC

Care instructions: Use a soft, clean and dry cloth to gently brush any dust or dirt off from the center of book outwards.