Endemic Odonates of India
By R. Babu, K.A. Subramanian & S. Nandy – (2013)
60 pages; plain paper, with 52 colour photographs and 1 map.
Soft Cover. 19cm x 14cm.
ISBN: no number
Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata.
This small book is basically nothing more than a checklist of the 186 endemic species of the approximate 500 species that are known to occur in India. The checklist is complete including details of where each species was published, synonyms and where specimens have been observed and collected. There is no physical description or information on habitat etc.
Of the 52 colour photos included, all grouped together in the back of the book, only about 20 of them are actually clear enough that they might be of some use to help identify any of the species concerned. Most of them are either too dark and so cannot see any detail and or they are out of focus. Which is a great pity for those of us who might like to see decent photos of Odonata that do not occur in our own areas of study or even where one may reside, or for future reference to photos one may take during a forthcoming trip to India or even to check photographs of unknowns taken from previous trips, as I had done and hence the only reason I purchased this book and another on the Odonata of Kerala, both of which for the price being charged, are a major let down! This book is however, better than the other mentioned on Kerala (click here to read its review).
“Endemic Odonates of India” is completely overpriced and is not worth anywhere near the US$30-40 (plus postage) being asked for on some of the internet book websites. Unless you are studying the Indian Odonata, this book is extremely expensive for what it is (a checklist) and probably not worth purchasing. So far I have only seen one book on Indian Odonata worth buying and that is “Dragonflies of India – A Field Guide” (click here to read the review).
Rod Rice
Principal Reviewer
Nature & Travel Books