John C. Abbott (1) (1972–)

This is a very thorough reference book. The illustrations are very good, but unfortunately lifted out of context and placed in a random part of the book and not cross-referenced to the text of the insect they pertain to. This requires constant revisiting the index to go between photos and text.

My use of the book to open it after studying the Paulson reference on these insects first, then ckecking the species of interest in this book only after first narrowing down the species from Paulson. This keeps the back-and-forth flipping to the index to a minimum.

The information within the book and the quality of the text and photos is top-notch. Instead of range maps, the author uses maps with counties shaded where accepted documented sightings have been made. At first this seems awkward, but on a state level is probably superior to a traditional range map, given the thinness of reliable data from which to make the range maps.

This book is very well woth having.… (mehr)

Basics: 2006, softcover, 320 pages, 223 species, range maps, seasonal bars, no illustrations

A subtitle would be helpful for anyone buying this book unseen. That subtitle should read something like: “A Reference of Distribution Maps, County Lists, and Seasonal Presence”. This book is strictly a data reference. It contains zero illustrations and no identification or descriptive information.

The information in this book is excellent and highly useful for anyone with a keen interest in the Odonata beyond just pretty pictures. Each of the 223 Texas species receives one full page that offers these four things: Texas map of county presence, a seasonal chart of presence, a list of counties in which the species has been found, and a brief, one-line description of its habitat.

The Texas map, showing outlines for all counties, contains a star to denote the presence of the species in a county. Additionally, each map is tailored to fit into the half-page section by zooming in or out. This helps to maximize the space by showing only the small or the large distribution within Texas.

Found at the beginning of the book, some “pre-pendices” provide excellent information. An example is the Seasonality of Odonata in Texas which displays the seasonal charts of all the species. Additionally, the species-charts are arranged in chronological order by first appearance in the year. This was a very useful method to visually display all this data.

Several types of lists are also provided. Besides just a listing of all Texas species, a list has been prepared for each of the Texas counties. There are several other unique charts, discussions, and site information that will be appreciated.

I recommend this book to anyone with a desire to advance their data-knowledge on the Odonata of Texas. This is a good companion to Abbott’s illustrated guide, “Dragonflies and Damselflies of Texas and the South-Central United States.”

I’ve listed several related books below…
1) Dragonflies and Damselflies of Texas and the South-Central United States by Abbott
2) Dragonflies and Damselflies (Odonata) of Texas: Volume II by Abbott
3) Dragonflies and Damselflies (Odonata) of Texas: Volume III by Abbott
4) Common Dragonflies of the Southwest by Biggs
5) Dragonflies and Damselflies of California by Manolis
6) Dragonflies and Damselflies of Georgia and the Southeast by Beaton
7) Dragonflies of the Florida Peninsula, Bermuda, and the Bahamas by Dunkle
8) Dragonflies through Binoculars by Dunkle
9) Common Dragonflies and Damselflies of Eastern North America (DVD) by Walton/Dodge… (mehr)