Dragonflies and Damselflies : : A Natural History / / Dennis Paulson.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter EBOOK PACKAGE COMPLETE 2019 English
• VerfasserIn: Paulson, Dennis,
• Place / Publishing House: Princeton, NJ : : Princeton University Press, , [2019]; ©2019
• Year of Publication: 2019
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (224 p.)

A lavishly illustrated, comprehensive guide to the natural history of dragonflies and damselflies, covering species from around the worldDragonflies 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 groupsOffers a complete guide to the evolution, life cycles, biology, anatomy, behavior, and habitats of dragonflies and damselfliesIntroduces the 39 families of damselflies and dragonflies through exemplary species accountsFeatures tips on field observation and lab research, and information on threats and conservation

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Introduction -- Chapter 1. What is a Dragonfly? -- Chapter 2. Capturing Prey and Avoiding Predators -- Chapter 3. Reproduction -- Chapter 4. The Life Cycle -- Chapter 5. Dragonflies and People -- Chapter 6. Odonate Diversity Around the World -- Glossary -- Further Resources -- Index -- Acknowledgments