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
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.