Dragonflies and Damselflies of the Gold Coast provides full colour plates of the 85 species of Odonata found on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, plus an additional 21 species known to occur within 100km, with suitable habitat present on the Gold Coast. Each of the 85 species have at least 2 colour photographs showing male and female specimens as well as text giving details on size, habitat, key identifying features, similar species and some key locations where they are known to be present.
Dragonflies and damselflies are conspicuous insects: many are large and brightly coloured. They are also valuable indicators of environmental wellbeing. A detailed knowledge of the dragonfly fauna is therefore an important basis for decisions about environmental protection and management. This comprehensive guide to the Australian dragonfly fauna covers eight families of dragonflies and 10 families of damselflies, comprising the 113 genera and 333 species found in Australia. It has been updated with newly identified species and revised family names to reflect new world consensus systematics. Stunning full-colour images and distribution maps are accompanied by identification keys for adults as well as larvae, which are often used as bait for freshwater fish. This second edition of The Complete Field Guide to Dragonflies of Australia also includes illustrations by Albert Orr, one of the most renowned dragonfly illustrators. The extraordinary diversity of dragonflies will interest entomologists and amateur naturalists alike.
A beautifully illustrated natural history and field guide to New Zealand's extraordinary dragonflies and damselflies.Superb flyers with extraordinary vision and startling colours, dragonflies and damselflies are exquisite examples of evolutionary adaptation and a favourite of nature lovers around the world. This book is a beautifully illustrated natural history and field guide to New Zealand's 14 species of dragonflies and damselflies.Key features include:&• Expert and up-to-date information on the 14 species breeding in New Zealand.&• Natural history of the group including an introduction to evolution, habitats, biology, behaviour, photography and conservation.&• More than 200 new photographs and hand-drawn illustrations of dragonflies and damselflies at all life stages in their environment.&• Authoritative text on each species covering identification, measurement, behaviour, breeding, flying period and where to observe the species.&• Range maps for all species.
The Gold Coast is a well-known and loved destination for local and international tourists, a city of surf and sun, pleasure and leisure. However, it is also one of the fastest growing cities in Australia, occupying the largest urban footprint outside the state capitals.
Damselflies and Dragonflies (Odonata) of Texas is an indispensable updated reference to the 223 species of odonates distributed throughout the Lone Star state. Included in this volume are detailed species distribution and seasonality information arranged so that users can quickly and easily search by scientific name, county name, or flight season. All information is updated as of 2006. A variety of articles are also included on the natural history, photography, migration, collection and preservation, and diversity of Texas odonates. Whether using the book to find new species records in the deserts of west Texas or perusing articles in the comfort of your home, volume 2 of the Odonata Survey of Texas is an essential guide for both life-long and budding odonatologists alike.
Dragonflies are conspicuous insects. Many are large; they fly strongly; most are brightly coloured. As a result, they have been collected extensively. Their larvae are less familiar. 'Mud-eyes', as some are called, are drab, and almost all live in fresh waters, out of sight. They are, perhaps, best known as bait for freshwater fish. The dragonflies constitute a very distinct order of insects, the Odonata. In Australia, two suborders are represented: damselflies (Zygoptera), generally very slender insects, the fore- and hindwings similar in shape and venation and commonly held closed above the body at rest (Figs 46-63), the larvae with external gills on the end of the abdomen (Figs 4A-C, E); and dragonflies proper (Anisoptera), stouter, stronger-flying insects, the fore- and hindwings more or less dissimilar in shape and venation and commonly held spread at rest (Figs 64-101), the larvae with internal, rectal gills (see Chapter 2). Living representatives of the third suborder (Anisozygoptera) are confined to Japan and the Himalayas. The term 'dragonfly' is commonly applied to the entire order.
Dragonflies and Damselflies documents the latest advances in odonate biology and relates these to a broader ecological and evolutionary research agenda. Despite being one of the smallest insect orders, dragonflies offer a number of advantages for both laboratory and field studies. In fact, they have been crucial to the advancement of our understanding of insect ecology and evolution. This book provides a critical summary of the major advances in these fields. Contributions from many of the leading researchers in dragonfly biology offer new perspectives and paradigms as well as additional, unpublished, data. The editor has carefully assembled a mix of theoretical and applied chapters (including those addressing conservation and monitoring) and achieves a balance of emerging and established research topics, providing suggestions for future study in each case. This accessible text is not about dragonflies per se but an essential source of knowledge that describes how different sets of evolutionary and ecological principles/ideas have been tested on a particular taxon. It will therefore be suitable for graduate students and researchers in entomology, evolutionary biology, population and behavioural ecology, and conservation biology. It will of course be of particular interest and use to those working on insects and an indispensable reference text for odonate biologists.
Peru is one of the most diverse and fascinating countries on the planet. Of the 117 life zones on earth, 84 can be found here. Because of this, Peru's flora and fauna is some of the most unusual on earth. Scientists are only beginning to grasp just how many species exist and how many are still likely to be discovered. Large areas of rainforest and mountains remain unexplored. It was only in the past few decades that research began on the canopy tops, the upper levels of the rainforest, which have opened up a whole new world of plant and wildlife. As far as history goes, there is more here than anywhere else in the Americas. Most have heard of the Incas and Machu Picchu, but there were many large civilizations here long before the Incas: the Chav n, Chimu, Moche, Wari, Nazca and Paracas. Each group left their mark on the country in some way and their achievements, artifacts, and architecture are more impressive in many ways than that of the Incas. Highlights of the Southern Coast: * Wine and Pisco tasting OCo Sample the world's largest Pisco-producing region and some of the finest wine Peru has to offer. * Islas Ballestas OCo See seals, frigate birds, and Humboldt penguins in the poor man's Galapagos. * Santa Catalina Monastery OCo Walk through the secluded city within a city, one of Peru's most revered Catholic landmarks. * Nazca Lines OCo Take a gut-wrenching flight in a five-seater plane for the best view of the Nazca lines. The Nazca Lines, 22 km/13 miles north of Nazca, were made by removing the darker sun-baked stones and piling them on either side of the line, exposing the lighter soil. Why the lines were made is still open to much debate, but scientists have a fairly good idea of who made them. The Paracas and Nazca peoples are believed to have created the lines between 900 BC to 600 AD. It is also believed that the Huari settlers from Ayacucho made some additions in the seventh century. There are literally hundreds of lines and geometric shapes that stretch for miles, but the animals such as a monkey, dog, spider, whale, and several birds, including a hummingbird with a wingspan of over 100 yards, are the most well-known. There are also images of a tree, hands, and what is thought by some to be an astronaut. * Adventure OCo Trek Colca Canyon, climb El Misti, or raft in Cotahuasi. This guide includes full details on where to stay and eat in Southern Peru, plus what to see and do. Also included is an extensive introduction to Peru as a whole, with information about the history and culture of the country, the cuisine, the arts, the people, the flora & fauna, the parks & reserves, and the 20 top adventures."
An introduction to these bizarre and beautiful creatures of the sea, filled with color photos and illustrations: “Fascinating.”—Boing Boing Jellyfish are the oldest multi-organed life form on the planet, having inhabited the ocean for more than five hundred million years. With their undulating umbrella-shaped bells and sprawling tentacles, they are compelling and gorgeous, strange and dangerous. In many places they’re also vastly increasing in number, and these population blooms may be an ominous indicator of the rising temperatures and toxicity of the oceans. Jellyfish presents these aquarium favorites in all their glory. Fifty unique species, from the purple people eater to black sea nettles, are presented in stunning photos along with the most current scientific information on their anatomy, history, distribution, position in the water, and environmental status. Foremost jellyfish expert Lisa-ann Gershwin provides an insightful look at the natural history and biology of each of these spellbinding creatures, plus a timely take on their place in the rapidly changing and deteriorating condition of the oceans. Learn about immortal jellyfish who live and die and live again—as well as those who camouflage themselves amid sea grasses and shells, hiding in plain sight. Discover the jellyfish that’s the world’s most venomous animal, and the jellyfish that helped scientists win the Nobel Prize. They’re all here and more in this delightful volume. “A thorough coverage of jellyfish history, biology and ecology. Gershwin, a marine biologist who has discovered over 200 new species of jellyfish, does an excellent job of combining a compelling narrative of 50 different jellyfish with luscious, I-can’t-believe-they’re-real photos.”—Boing Boing
