Britain"s Dragonflies (ebook)

Argumento de Britain"s Dragonflies (ebook)

"A delight for anyone interested in these flying gems (dragonflies being relatives of butterflies), the ecology and biology of wetlands, those interested in conservation and collecting data on biodiversity and species identification, and wildlife watchers in general."--Cathy Taibbi, Wildlife Conservation Examiner

"It is outstanding. Most importantly, it contains absolutely everything you need for confident field identification of any UK dragonfly or damselfly. The authors have really thought this through. . . . Highly recommended!"--Guy Padfield, UK Butterflies

"That Britain's Dragonflies is on its third edition already is a sure sign of how well regarded and popular this field guide has become since its first publication in 2004. This edition takes the guide a stage further than the previous two and has been thoroughly updated and revised with new photographs, text, and up-to-date distribution maps. . . . This is the definitive, must have guide to the dragonflies of Britain and Ireland and as the most comprehensive field guide of its type, it will surely find a place on the bookshelves of all keen dragonfly watchers and those with a more general interest in the wildlife of Great Britain. Highly Recommended."--Mark Tyrrell, British Dragonflies

"This fully revised and updated third edition is a must. . . . Indeed, I cannot think of anything that is missing."--Helen Ashton, Reference Reviews

"I am a fan of these WILDGuides and like the pattern they follow and the practical waterproof jacket too as these books will not sit on the shelf but will be in one hand while you try to pin down a dragonfly when out birding or ID a damselfly at your garden pond."--Fatbirder

"This is an essential buy for anyone interested in the Odonata and worth every penny."--Bryan Sage, Country-Side

"As a desktop reference guide it is clear and concise. As a 'use in the field' reference guide it is portable and perfectly designed. . . . Recommended? Absolutely."--Mark Colvin, UK Butterflies

"It is written in an accessible style that will appeal to anyone interested in discovering more about this fascinating group of insects."--Great Outdoors

"The only comprehensive photographic field guide of its kind."--Ireland's Wildlife

"If you're simply in the market for a book on these gorgeous and fascinating insects, then the WILDGuides field guide to the damselflies and dragonflies of Britain and Ireland is highly recommended."--Charlie Moores, Talking Naturally

"If you are at all interested in the Odonata and/or are going to Britain or Ireland, I would highly recommend having this valuable field guide with you."--Julia Mlynarek, Bulletin of the Entomological Society of Canada

"There is no doubt that this is a well-written and illustrated, informative, practical field guide that should appeal to anyone interested in Odonata."--Graham A. Collins, Entomologist’s Gazette

"This book is a stunning piece of work, with its pages just bursting with information. . . . If you have any interest in British dragonflies, buy this book."--Neil Bowman, Birdwatch Magazine

"The deluge of information is well presented and a subject that could easily daunt a budding odonatologist is in fact made entirely digestible. If you haven't already got a copy, it's well worth investing . . . in this revamped edition of Britain's Dragonflies to ensure that you're in good stead for a summer of insect-watching."--Josh Jones, BirdGuides.com

"You may already be familiar with this or other titles in WildGuides' Britain's Wildlife series: they're popular, informative and pocketable photographic field guides, and the Dragonflies title is no exception."--Bird Guides

Dave Smallshire is a professional ecologist and former environmental adviser to the UK government, and is a trustee of the British Dragonfly Society. Andy Swash is managing director of WILDGuides and World Wildlife Images, and author of a number of books, including Britain’s Butterflies and Britain’s Day-flying Moths (both WILDGuides). They have combined their passion for dragonflies and knowledge gained over many years from lecturing and leading wildlife tours to develop this field guide.

"This current edition will now set the standard for others to try and achieve and Princeton University Press is to be congratulated on its initiative. For people interested in dragonflies, this will be a 'bible' for many years to come. For the rest of the summer it will be in my car to use on any fieldwork."--Ray Collier, North Star

"[T]his is a genuine field-guide; like the 2nd edition it is supplied with a substantial clear plastic jacket to help keep the book clean and dry, and it is certainly compact enough to carry in a bag or large pocket. . . . [T]his is an impressive and eminently practical guide to this increasingly popular group of insects, and at a very reasonable price."--Peter C. Barnard, Entomologist's Monthly Magazine

"This book will delight any dragonfly enthusiast."--Dan Tallman's Bird Blog0Foreword 7
Introduction 8
Dragonfly Biology 10
Egg 11
Larva 13
Emergence 14
Adult 16
Dispersal and migration 19
Where to look for Dragonflies 21
Dragonfly habitats 21
Favoured breeding habitats 30
Where to look for rare, scarce and localised Dragonflies 32
Watching and photographing Dragonflies 34
How to identify Dragonflies 36
An introduction to identification 36
Key features of adult damselflies and dragonflies 37
Colour variations 38
The types of dragonfly 39
Adult identification charts 44
Identifying male emerald dragonflies, hawkers and emperors in flight 56
Glossary 58

THE SPECIES ACCOUNTS (See the following pages for full list) 59
Introduced exotic species 188
Identification of larvae and exuviae 190
An introduction to identification 190
Identification tips 190
How to use the guide 191
The biology of eggs and larvae 192
Key features of larvae and exuviae 194
The types of Dragonfly larvae 196
Larval identification charts 202
Conservation status and legislation 212
British Dragonfly Society 216
Dragonfly recording and monitoring 216
Further reading 218
Acknowledgements and photographic credits 219
Index of English and scientific names 222

THE SPECIES ACCOUNTS
Breeding species 60
DAMSELFLIES (ZYGOPTERA)
Beautiful Demoiselle Calopteryx virgo 60
Banded Demoiselle Calopteryx splendens 62
Emerald Damselfly Lestes sponsa 64
Scarce Emerald Damselfly Lestes dryas 66
Southern Emerald Damselfly Lestes barbarus 68
Willow Emerald Damselfly Chalcolestes viridis 70
Large Red Damselfly Pyrrhosoma nymphula 72
Small Red Damselfly Ceriagrion tenellum 74
White-legged Damselfly Platycnemis pennipes 76
Southern Damselfly Coenagrion mercuriale 78
Northern Damselfly Coenagrion hastulatum 80
Irish Damselfly Coenagrion lunulatum 82
Dainty Damselfly Coenagrion scitulum 84
Azure Damselfly Coenagrion puella 86
Variable Damselfly Coenagrion pulchellum 88
Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum 90
Blue-tailed Damselfly Ischnura elegans 92
Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly Ischnura pumilio 94
Red-eyed Damselfly Erythromma najas 96
Small Red-eyed Damselfly Erythromma viridulum 98

DRAGONFLIES (ANISOPTERA)
Hairy Dragonfly Brachytron pratense 100
Azure Hawker Aeshna caerulea 102
Common Hawker Aeshna juncea 104
Migrant Hawker Aeshna mixta 106
Southern Migrant Hawker Aeshna affinis 108
Southern Hawker Aeshna cyanea 110
Brown Hawker Aeshna grandis 112
Norfolk Hawker Aeshna isosceles 114
Emperor Dragonfly Anax imperator 116
Lesser Emperor Anax parthenope 118
Golden-ringed Dragonfly Cordulegaster boltonii 120
Common Club-tail Gomphus vulgatissimus 122
Downy Emerald Cordulia aenea 124
Brilliant Emerald Somatochlora metallica 126
Northern Emerald Somatochlora arctica 128
Four-spotted Chaser Libellula quadrimaculata 130
Broad-bodied Chaser Libellula depressa 132
Scarce Chaser Libellula fulva 134
Black-tailed Skimmer Orthetrum cancellatum 136
Keeled Skimmer Orthetrum coerulescens 138
White-faced Darter Leucorrhinia dubia 140
Black Darter Sympetrum danae 142
Common Darter Sympetrum striolatum 144
Ruddy Darter Sympetrum sanguineum 146
Red-veined Darter Sympetrum fonscolombii 148
Yellow-winged Darter Sympetrum flaveolum 150

FORMER BREEDERS, VAGRANTS AND POTENTIAL VAGRANTS 152
DAMSELFLIES (ZYGOPTERA)
Small Spreadwing Lestes virens 154
Common Winter Damselfly Sympecma fusca 156
Norfolk Damselfly Coenagrion armatum 158
Blue-eye Erythromma lindenii 160

DRAGONFLIES (ANISOPTERA)
Vagrant Emperor Anax ephippiger 162
Common Green Darner Anax junius 164
River Clubtail Gomphus flavipes 166
Western Clubtail Gomphus pulchellus 168
Orange-spotted Emerald Oxygastra curtisii 170
Southern Skimmer Orthetrum brunneum 172
Yellow-spotted Whiteface Leucorrhinia pectoralis 174
Ruby Whiteface Leucorrhinia rubicunda 176
Banded Darter Sympetrum pedemontanum 178
Vagrant Darter Sympetrum vulgatum 180
Southern Darter Sympetrum meridionale 182
Scarlet Darter Crocothemis erythraea 184
Wandering Glider Pantala flavescens 186