Please note that this is an unmodified reprint of the 2014 fifth edition published by British Wildlife Publishing.
This highly successful title is widely considered as the definitive guide to the dragonflies and damselflies found in Britain and Ireland. This bestseller in its field has been revised and updated to include recent additions to the British list, ensuring it is up to date and lives up to its reputation of being the best guide on the subject.
The comprehensive species descriptions, written by a team of UK experts, include field characters, jizz and similar species, status and conservation, ecology and behaviour, including habitat, larval form, flight season, feeding, territorial and mating behaviour. The superbly detailed artworks by Europe’s leading entomological artist, Richard Lewington, include males and females, immature and over mature forms, as well as dorsal views and details of diagnostic features, making identification much easier.
Please note, for those left wondering why the sudden jump from a 2nd to a 5th edition, the publisher informed us that the 2nd edition was revised twice, in 2002 and 2004, though these were not counted as editions. The current revision added so much new material that the publisher decided to consider it a new edition and, retrospectively, count the previous two revisions as editions proper.
Contents
– Acknowledgements
– Introduction
– Life history
– Distribution
– Dragonfly habitats
– Dragonflies and the law
– Regional guides
– Identification
– Glossary
– Key to dragonfly larvae
– Family key to adult dragonflies
– Zygoptera Damselflies
– Calopterygidae Demoiselles
– Lestidae Emerald damselflies
– Platycnemididae White-legged damselflies
– Coenagrionidae Red damselflies and blue damselflies
– Anisoptera Dragonflies
– Aeshnidae Hawker dragonflies
– Gomphidae Club-tailed dragonflies
– Cordulegastridae Golden-ringed dragonflies
– Corduliidae Emerald dragonflies
– Libellulidae Chaser, skimmer and darter dragonflies
– Further reading
– Addresses
– Checklist
– Index