Winner of the Single Volume Reference/Science award of the Professional and Scholarly Publishing Awards given by the Association of American Publishers
Outstanding Academic Title for 2007
Choice
Description
Dragonfly Genera of the New World is a beautifully illustrated and comprehensive guide to the taxonomy and ecology of dragonflies in North, Middle, and South America. A reference of the highest quality, this book reveals the striking beauty and complexity of this diverse order.
Although Odonata—dragonflies and damselflies—are among the most studied groups of insects, until now there has been no reliable means to identify the New World genera of either group. This volume provides fully illustrated and up-to-date keys for all dragonfly genera with descriptive text for each genus, accompanied by distribution maps and 1,595 diagnostic illustrations, including wing patterns and characteristics of the genitalia.
For entomologists, limnologists, and ecologists, Dragonfly Genera of the New World is an indispensable resource for field identification and laboratory research.Reviews
"Dragonflies have been moving up to join butterflies as a model group for natural history and scientific study. This well-organized and readable book will help speed that trend on a hemispheric basis."—E. O. Wilson, Harvard University"For anyone interested in the identification of New World dragonflies, especially those of Central and South America, this well-written book is worth its weight in precious metals. It is equal to a whole filing cabinet of scientific papers, and with its plethora of illustrations it can be used for the identification not only of genera but for some species as well."—Sidney W. Dunkle, author of Dragonflies through Binoculars "There has long been a need for a comprehensive identification manual dealing with the rich dragonfly fauna of the Americas, and here it is! With this monumental set of keys and descriptions, supported by carefully detailed and artistically pleasing drawings, anyone can now identify to genus any dragonfly specimen from this half of the world. The publication of the New World Odonata Key ushers in a new era of appreciation for dragonfly biodiversity."—Dennis Paulson, author of Dragonflies of Washington "This is the most important Odonate book published in several years."—T.W. Donnelly, Argia "A required reference for any serious student of faunistics and biogeography."—Beth Orr, Agrion "A reference of the highest quality, this book reveals their striking beauty and complexity. It is a real monumental work on odonate taxonomy and identification, and indispensable for every one working with the Odonata of the Americas. A great book."—Martin Schorr, Odonatological Abstract Service "As a superb reference work for 2 continents, written with much skill and profound command of the factual knowledge, the value of the book can be hardly exaggerated."—Odonatological Abstracts "The most significant contribution in decades."—Robert Canning, Florida Entomologist "The authors have produced original keys that are richly illustrated . . . An outstanding volume that will be a long-standing contribution."—John C. Abbott, American Entomologist
Author Information
Rosser W. Garrison is an insect biosystematist at the California Department of Food and Agriculture. Natalia von Ellenrieder is a researcher for CONICET at IBIGEO in Salta, Argentina. Jerry A. Louton is manager of the Department of Entomology's Information Technology Unit at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.
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Walker's Mammals of the World, 2-vol. set