Dragonflies and Damselflies of Texas and the South-Central United States: Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico [Paperback]

John C. Abbott (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2005

This is the first guide to dragonflies and damselflies of the south-central United States. The book covers 263 species, representing more than half of the North American fauna. The area of coverage significantly overlaps with other regions of the country making this book a useful aid in identifying the dragonflies and damselflies in any part of the United States, Canada, or northeastern Mexico.

More photographs of damselflies in North America appear here than in any other previously published work. All 85 damselfly and 178 dragonfly species found in the region are distinguished by photographs, numerous line drawings, keys, and detailed descriptions to help with identifications. Features include:

• Discussions of habitats, zoogeography, and seasonality
• Details on dragonfly and damselfly life history and conservation
• An introduction on studying and photographing dragonflies and damselflies
• An entire section devoted to the external anatomy of dragonflies and damselflies
• Species accounts organized by family into sections on size, regional and general distribution, flight season, identification, similar species, habitat and biology and ecology
• Range maps for each species, as well as an extensive bibliography and a list of resources for further study

Editorial Reviews

Review

Recent interest in the amazing order of insects that includes dragonflies and damselflies has sparked numerous publications. This book, by odontologist John C. Abbott is certainly one of the best. -- Choice



Each section is full of information . . . with expertly drawn illustrations. The photos . . . are astonishing. . . . Dragonflies and Damselflies of Texas and the South-Central United States is a fine book that easily dispels the unfortunate myths that have arisen over this misunderstood group since 15th century Europe. -- Biology Diges

About the Author

John C. Abbott is Lecturer in the Section of Integrative Biology, Curator of the Brackenridge Field Laboratory Insect Collection, and Research Associate of the Texas Memorial Museum at the University of Texas, Austin.

Product Details

• Paperback: 360 pages
• Publisher: Princeton University Press (April 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0691113645
• ISBN-13: 978-0691113647
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,129,771 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Complete Guide to South-Central Odonates, November 7, 2005

By 

David B Richman (Mesilla Park, NM USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dragonflies and Damselflies of Texas and the South-Central United States: Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico (Paperback)

As an admirer of dragonflies and damselflies I was quite delighted to find this book by John C. Abbott. It is a mix of the very technical and (at least in part because of the 64 plates of magnificent color photos) the very useful for the non-specialist. The range maps are invaluable as a way of adding clues for the identification of similar species. The line drawings of anatomical parts are important in separating closely related species and the glossary of terms, the check list, and the large bibliography round out a very useful or even indispensable volume for the dragonfly watcher. In short, this book is a serious guide to an area with the highest odonate diversity in the United States. "Dragonflies and Damselflies of Texas and the South-Central United States" simply is a must for anyone interested in the odonate fauna of the five states involved. Its production, along with at least three earlier regional and national books on the subject, is a testimonial to the growing popularity of these beautiful and fascinating insects.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A serious book for the serious reader, August 19, 2005

By 

J. Hargrove "The Other Jim Hargrove" (Austin, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dragonflies and Damselflies of Texas and the South-Central United States: Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico (Paperback)

This is not a book that you can skim; rather, it is one intended for the serious student of Odonata in Texas. Written by an acknowledged expert in the field, it covers everything you might want to know about the dragonflies found in Texas.

Be warned, though, that you cannot approach this book lightly. The author uses scientific terms liberally: you will have to spend time acquiring the vocabulary.

For the serious Texas "Odo-nut" this is an absolutely essential part of your library.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Texas Odonata Bible, December 23, 2006

By 

Jerry K. Hatfield "dragonhunter" (Lubbock, Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dragonflies and Damselflies of Texas and the South-Central United States: Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico (Paperback)

This field guide is the one to own. It covers not only all the dragonflies of Texas and the Southcentral US, but all the damselflies as well. The photographs are superb and this make for easy identification of species in the field. However, because of these pluses, the result is a rather sizable guide that is just a bit too heavy to really qualify as a handy field guide. If you can deal with its size and weight, it more than makes up for this handicap in thes helpful information it provides. The only drawback and the reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5, is because it is a tad less user friendly for the novice or non-professional (i.e. The species identification keys are a bit confusing). Nevertheless, it is destined to become the standard to measure all other guides.