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.

First published in the UK in 2019 by Ivy Press.

We can’t avoid insects. They scurry past us in the kitchen, pop up in our gardens, or are presented to us in jars by inquisitive children. Despite encountering them on a daily basis, most people don’t know an aphid from an antlion, and identifying an insect using field guides or internet searches can be daunting. Miniature Lives provides a range of simple strategies that people can use to identify and learn more about the insects in their homes and gardens. Featuring a step-by-step, illustrated identification key and detailed illustrations and colour photographs, the book guides the reader through the basics of entomology (the study of insects). Simple explanations, amusing analogies and quirky facts describe where insects live, how they grow and protect themselves, the clues they leave behind and their status as friend or foe in a way that is both interesting and easy to understand. Gardeners, nature lovers, students, teachers, and parents and grandparents of bug-crazed kids will love this comprehensive guide to the marvellous diversity of insects that surrounds us and the miniature lives they lead.

A walk in the bush reveals insects visiting flowers, patrolling the air, burrowing under bark and even biting your skin. Every insect has characteristic feeding preferences and behaviours. Insects of South-Eastern Australia is a unique field guide that uses host plants and behavioural attributes as the starting point for identifying insects. Richly illustrated with colour photographs, the different species of insects found in Australia’s temperate south-east, including plant feeders, predators, parasites and decomposers, are presented. The guide is complemented by an introduction to the insects of the region, including their environment, classification, life history, feeding strategies and behaviour. Fascinating boxes on camouflage, mimicry and many other topics are also included throughout. Whether you are a field naturalist, entomologist or just want to know what’s in your backyard, Insects of South-Eastern Australia will help you to identify the insects most likely to be encountered, as well as understand the basics of their ecology and behaviour.

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.

Queensland is home to 70% of Australia’s native mammals (226 species), over 70% of native birds (630 species), just over half of the nation’s native reptiles (485) and native frogs (127), and more than 11 000 native plant species. Hundreds of these have a threatened status in Queensland. In order for Queensland to maintain and recover a healthy biodiversity we must address the serious problems faced by our natural environment – habitat loss, inappropriate land management, change in fire regimes, pollution of natural resources, proliferation of invasive species and climate change. This book features up-to-date distribution data, photos and maps for most of Queensland’s threatened animals. It also includes a comprehensive list of resources, with key state, national and international organisations involved in the recovery and management of threatened species. Queensland's Threatened Animals will provide vital information to scientists, educators, business entities, government agencies, students, community groups, environmental NGOs, regional NRMs and potential volunteers.

The Invertebrate World of Australia’s Subtropical Rainforests is a comprehensive review of Australia’s Gondwanan rainforest invertebrate fauna, covering its taxonomy, distribution, biogeography, fossil history, plant community and insect–plant relationships. This is the first work to document the invertebrate diversity of this biologically important region, as well as explain the uniqueness and importance of the organisms. This book examines invertebrates within the context of the plant world that they are dependent on and offers an understanding of Australia’s outstanding (but still largely unknown) subtropical rainforests. All major, and many minor, invertebrate taxa are described and the book includes a section of colour photos of distinctive species. There is also a strong emphasis on plant and habitat associations and fragmentation impacts, as well as a focus on the regionally inclusive Gondwana Rainforests (Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves of Australia) World Heritage Area. The Invertebrate World of Australia’s Subtropical Rainforests will be of value to professional biologists and ecologists, as well as amateur entomologists and naturalists in Australia and abroad.

Wetland Habitats is a practical and easy to use manual for wetland restoration and conservation of diverse animal species. Covering all the recent work in this field, among other significant issues it discusses making the most of dams and created wetlands; reversing the effects of drainage, grazing, weirs, deteriorating water quality, and associated algal problems; captive breeding and reintroduction; and controlling weeds and vermin. The book describes a range of potential problems encountered during restoration efforts and approaches to dealing with them, so that readers will be able to make informed decisions about wetlands on their own properties. It also explains how to set realistic targets for wetland restoration as well as longer-term goals for management, and includes colour photographs of diverse wetland habitats and the animals that rely on them. The examples draw on a wide range of wetland animals including some which aren’t often found in wetlands on private properties, but the primary emphasis is on the ecology, interactions and management of species and other aspects of management that will be of most use to landholders with wetlands in need of rejuvenation.

Wetlands are often seen as the ultimate symbol of beauty and tranquillity, their clear waters sheltering mysterious animals in a world where change is gentle and slow, from dragonflies skimming above their own reflections to the fishes glimpsed briefly below. Yet Australian wetlands are among the most varied and changeable habitats found anywhere, and the many creatures that live out their lives in and around water are superbly adapted to some of the most unpredictable ecosystems in the world. This book follows the diverse common themes and patterns that link inland waters from Tasmania to the tropics. It shows how cycles of change, the ways that different wetland animals travel through and between wetlands, and the interactions of the animals themselves create an ever-changing ecological kaleidoscope. Drawing on what is known of the biology, ecology and even the genetics of many of the most abundant, widespread and successful groups of animals, the author shows similarities to wetlands in other parts of the world, as well as some of the more extreme environments and specialised animals that are unique to this continent. Far more than a natural history, Living Waters explains the underlying forces that drive ecological change and movement in Australian wetlands, from the particular needs and habits of some specialised waterbirds to swarms of dragonflies and damselflies that may flourish for a few months before disappearing for years, and fishes found gasping in drying pools far from the nearest permanent water just hours after a desert deluge. 2014 Whitley Award Commendation for Aquatic Biology.

This unique work is the first reference that provides detailed descriptions of the fully developed larvae of the Odonata suborder Anisoptera, including keys to families and genera, high resolution photographs, distribution maps, and an up-dated list of the dragonfly species from Thailand. Also, because the adults are so well known in this country, this book will provide completion to our understanding of the life cycle of an entire fauna. Through the six chapters of this book, the reader will find an introduction with generalities of the order Odonata, a description of the morphology of a dragonfly larva with emphasis in the structures used in the keys, a brief description of Thailands geography, relief, hydrology, climate, precipitation, agriculture, history, and faunal studies, and detailed descriptions of each of the 82 genera of Anisoptera of Thailand whose larvae are known. This book will have broad appeal in the large community of odonatists around the world and for the aquatic entomologists, ecologists, and conservationists interested in the Southeast Asian fauna in general.