A guide to the dragonflies and damselflies of South Africa

Title: Field guide to dragonflies and damselflies of South Africa
Author: Warwick Tarboton; Michele Tarboton
Genre: Insect guide
Publisher: Penguin Random House South Africa
Cape Town, South Africa 2015
ISBN 9781775841845 / ISBN 978-1-77584-184-5
Softcover, 17 x 24 cm, 216 pages, 400 photographs

Description:

A guide to the dragonflies and damselflies of South Africa incorporates revisions of two earlier field guides, now out of print, which we published on the dragonflies (2002) and the damselflies (2005) of South Africa. The revision has been prompted by many requests we get for copies of those guides and also by the advances that have been made in the knowledge of South Africa's dragonflies since then. New species have been described, range extensions of tropical species into South Africa have been recorded, and the known distributions of many existing species have been extended. In this combined guide, all available new information up to mid-2014 has been incorporated. The identification of South Africa's dragonflies is within reach of anyone who has access to binoculars. We have used the tried-and-tested 'bird' field-guide format, with diagrammatic illustrations of each species on right-hand pages and on the left, brief descriptions of the species, maps showing distribution and, to complement the more technical illustrations, one or more photographs taken in situ of species in their natural environment.

Content: A guide to the dragonflies and damselflies of South Africa

Dedication
Acknowledgements
Preface
Introduction
Classification of Odonata
Life cycle
Life expectancy
Seasonality
Daily cycle
Food and foraging habits
Predators and parasites
Sexual dimorphism
Identification
ID guidelines
Guide to the species accounts
Damselfly (Zygoptera) families
Demoiselles: Family Calopterygidae
Jewels: Family Chlorocyphidae
Malachites: Family Synlestidae
Spreadwings: Family Lestidae
Threadtails, Riverjacks & others: Family Platycnemididae
Citrils, Sprites, Bluetails, Slims, Bluets, Wisps: Family Coenagrionidae
Dragonfly (Anisoptera) families
Emperors & Hawkers: Family Aeshnidae
Emeralds: Family Corduliidae
Clubtails: Family Gomphidae
Presbas: Family Synthemistidae
Cruisers: Family Macromiidae
Skimmers, Dropwings & others: Family Libellulidae
Key to Skimmers, Dropwings & others: Family Libellulidae
Examples of damselfly and dragonfly larvae
Glossary
Further reading
Index