Dragonfly Genera of the New World: An Illustrated and Annotated Key to the Anisoptera [Hardcover]

Rosser W. Garrison (Author), Natalia von von Ellenrieder (Author), Jerry A. Louton (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0801884462 | ISBN-13: 978-0801884467 | Publication Date: August 16, 2006 | Edition: 1

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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This is the most important Odonate book published in several years.

(T.W. Donnelly Argia 2006)

A required reference for any serious student of faunistics and biogeography.

(Beth Orr Agrion 2006)

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 2007)

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 2007)

The most significant contribution in decades.

(Robert Canning Florida Entomologist 2007)

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 2008)

This is a landmark publication, and a must for all serious odonatologists and New World biodiversity specialists.

(Michael Samways Journal of Insect Conservation 2008)

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 )

About the Author

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.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press; 1 edition (August 16, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801884462
• ISBN-13: 978-0801884467
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,243,003 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book!, June 14, 2007

By 

speak04 (Tucson, AZ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dragonfly Genera of the New World: An Illustrated and Annotated Key to the Anisoptera (Hardcover)

I am a professional entomologist and dragonfly enthusaist and bought this book after I got an advertisement for it in the mail. I love this book! While there are other books on North American dragonflies (such as Needham, Westfall, and May's Dragonflies of North America) that help identify North American specimens to species, there hasn't ever been a book that allows Central and South American dragonfly lovers and scientists to do the same. This book goes a long way toward filling the gap with keys to all of the genera of the New World dragonflies. It is filled with great drawings illustrating the key structural characteristics listed in the keys and contains several full color photographic images. It is organized well and beautifully laid out. I believe this book will prove invaluable to scientists studying Central and South American dragonflies. It is a great contribution to the odonate literature - the authors should be proud of themselves for creating such a masterpiece.

5.0 out of 5 stars Dragonfly Genera of the New World, August 5, 2011

By 

Bruce Lund - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dragonfly Genera of the New World: An Illustrated and Annotated Key to the Anisoptera (Hardcover)

This is a comprehensive and extremely well done reference and all serious amateur and all professional odonatologists should have it at their fingertips. The illustrations are prolific, beautifully rendered, and superbly labeled.

The keys are especially excellent, and while the couplets are written in scientific terminology, all that terminology is illustrated WITH EACH COUPLET so that one does not have to flip back and forth between keys and distantly located illustrations as happens with most keys - a wonderful aid!

Looking into the future, the range maps in this text - especially for the neotropical species - represent current limited knowledge of their ranges. Thus, this reference will serve as a historical reference to be expanded as field workers refine the species' occurrences.