| Description |
1 online resource (224 pages) : illustrations (chiefly color), color maps |
| Contents |
Chapter 1. What is a dragonfly? -- Odonate classification and evolution -- Insect body plan -- Odonate size -- Odonate coloration -- Habitats -- Thermoregulation and the daily cycle -- Species profiles. Ancient Greenling -- Beautiful Demoiselle -- Blue Barelegs -- Blue Featherleg -- Common Bluetail -- Vagrant Emperor -- Dragonhunter -- Swift River Cruiser -- Southern Banded Groundling -- Four-spotted Skimmer -- Autumn Darter -- Chapter 2. Capturing prey and avoiding predators -- Superlative flight -- High-quality vision -- Foraging behavior -- Diet and adaptations for predation -- Predators and antipredator adaptations -- Parasites -- Species profiles. Mountain Malachite -- Variable Cora -- Fiery-eyed Dancer -- Citrine Forktail -- Large Red Damsel -- Common Green Darner -- Common Tiger -- Madagascar Cruiser -- Oriental Scarlet -- Scarlet Dwarf -- Black Saddlebags -- Chapter 3. Reproduction -- The mating game -- Mating -- Avoidance of mating -- Oviposition and mating success -- Species profiles. Great Spreadwing -- Green Metalwing -- Black Velvetwing Splendid Longlegs -- Damsel Dragon -- Dark-saddled Darner -- Large Pincertail -- Common Shutwing -- Eastern Pondhawk -- Lucia Widow -- Violet Dropwing -- Chapter 4. The life cycle -- Larval life -- Hatching and growth -- Metamorphosis and emergence -- Seasonality -- Dispersal, migration, and longevity -- Species profiles -- Common Winter Damsel -- Glistening Demoiselle -- Phoenix -- Common Bluet -- Blue-winged Helicopter -- Giant Petaltail -- Common Sanddragon -- Common Baskettail -- Seaside Dragonlet -- Wandering Glider -- Large Woodskimmer -- Chapter 5. Dragonflies and people -- Dragonflies in our culture -- Odonates in research and education -- Threats and conservation -- Species profiles. Desert Shadowdamsel -- Dancing Jewel -- Great Cascade Damsel -- Aurora Bluetail -- Four-spot Midget -- Green Hawker -- Black-tailed Ringtail -- Hine's Emerald -- Broad-bodied Chaser -- Eastern Amberwing -- Amazon Sapphirewing -- Chapter 6. Odonate diversity around the world -- Species diversity -- Phylogeny -- The families of odonates |
| Summary |
A lavishly illustrated, comprehensive guide to the natural history of dragonflies and damselflies, covering species from around the world. Dragonflies and damselflies are often called birdwatchers' insects. Large, brightly colored, active in the daytime, and displaying complex and interesting behaviors, they have existed since the days of the dinosaurs, and they continue to flourish. Their ancestors were the biggest insects ever, and they still impress us with their size, the largest bigger than a small hummingbird. There are more than 6,000 odonate species known at present, and you need only visit any wetland on a warm summer day to be enthralled by their stunning colors and fascinating behavior. In this lavishly illustrated natural history, leading dragonfly expert Dennis Paulson offers a comprehensive, accessible, and appealing introduction to the world's dragonflies and damselflies. The book highlights the impressive skills and abilities of dragonflies and damselflies--superb fliers that can glide, hover, cruise, and capture prey on the wing. It also describes their arsenal of tactics to avoid predators, and their amazing sex life, including dazzling courtship displays, aerial mating, sperm displacement, mate guarding, and male mimicry. Dragonflies and damselflies includes profiles of more than fifty of the most interesting and beautiful species from around the world. Learn about the Great Cascade Damsel, which breeds only at waterfalls, the mesmerizing flight of Blue-winged Helicopters, and how the larva of the Common Sanddragon can burrow into sand as efficiently as a mole. Combining expert text and excellent color photographs, this is a must-have guide to these remarkable insects. A lavishly illustrated, comprehensive, and accessible natural history that reveals the beauty and diversity of one of the world's oldest and most popular insect groups. Offers a complete guide to the evolution, life cycles, biology, anatomy, behavior, and habitats of dragonflies and damselflies introduces the 39 families of damselflies and dragonflies through exemplary species accounts features tips on field observation and lab research, and information on threats and conservation |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references and index |
| Notes |
Online resource; title from PDF title page (EBSCO, viewed March 6, 2019) |
| Subject |
Dragonflies.
|
|
Damselflies.
|
|
SCIENCE -- Life Sciences -- Zoology -- General.
|
|
NATURE -- Animals -- Insects & Spiders.
|
|
Damselflies.
|
|
Dragonflies.
|
| Genre/Form |
illustrated books.
|
|
Illustrated works.
|
|
Illustrated works.
|
|
Ouvrages illustrés.
|
| Form |
Electronic book
|
| ISBN |
9780691192536 |
|
0691192537 |
|
