De Europische insecten, naauwkeurig onderzogt, na 't leven geschildert en in print gebragt [...] hier is nog bygevoegt een naauwkeurige beschryving van de planten, in dit werk voorkomende [...].

182 loose b/w plates and 80 cuts or ff. of text.

182 copper-engravings from Merian's rightly famous work for its beautiful illustrations, showing the insects (mostly butterflies and moths, but also dragonflies, beetles, flies, spiders, a rare bird), their metamorphoses (eggs, cocoons, caterpillars) and the plants that nourish them. The cuts and text ff., one illustrated with an in-text, describe the plates and what kind of caterpillar is found on which plant. The German naturalist and illustrator Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717) is known for her early and careful observations and documentation of the metamorphosis of the butterfly. She is among the most significant contributors to the field of entomology.