Dragonflies and Damselflies of Namibia
By Frank Suhling & Andreas Martens – (2007)
280 pages; matt art paper, with 174 colour photos, 27 monochrome plates, 125 distribution maps & 7 tables.
Soft Cover: 21cm x 14.8cm.
ISBN: 978-99916-0-764-1
Gamsberg Macmillan Publishers, Windhoek Nambia.
Namibia, an independent sovereign entity of Southern Africa, is surprisingly rich in its fauna and flora for a country that has substantial areas of desert and arid lands. In this book the authors recognize 127 species of odonates for Namibia, which are expertly covered accompanied by many colour photos and technical illustrations. An extra 22 species known from the border areas of neighboring Botswana and southern Angola are included in the keys, in total dealing with 149 species.
Within the book there is an extensive introduction covering many subjects within their life cycle ecology and further includes collecting dragonfly larvae and methods of collection and the importance of studying exuviae, biogeography and the various habitats odonates occur and their assemblages within Namibia. Likewise covered are surveying and recording adult dragonflies.
The odonates are presented in the two main suborders, first Zygoptera then Anisoptera. Each genus has its author, the year published and a brief description noting its separating characters, global distribution and approximate number of species globally as well as locally. Each species has its scientific name, common name, identification notes, meaning of scientific name, distribution (both local and global), ecology and behavior, threats and conservation and closing with any miscellaneous notes and in the majority of cases accompanied by a colour photo. Some of the photos included in this book are excellent – a few of note include Anax tristis, Diplacodes luminans, Ceriagrion glabrum, Rhyothemis mariposa, Lestinogomphus angustus and Pseudagrion acciae – and a great photo on page 5 of a damsel possibly a Pseudagrion species taking some liberty resting/standing on top of the abdomen of a libellulide possibly even Orthertum Julia.
This is a good book and makes a great addition to the literature and to our knowledge of the African odonates. It is very useful for cross reference of species within other parts of continental Africa and other continents. It likewise serves to help fill some of the literature gaps on genera that are globally distributed such as Crocothemis, Orthertum, Ischnura, Pseudagrion, Lestes and Diplacodes among others, for those whom may have a specific interest in a particular genus or genera.
Rod Rice
Principal Reviewer
Nature & Travel Books