James G. Needham, Minter J. Westfall, Jr.
And Michael L. May
Scientific Publishers, 4460 SW 35th Terrace, Suite 305
Gainesville, FL 32608
2000, 939 pp. Hardback
Price: $125.00, ISBN 0-945417-94-2

As the bird equivalents of the insect world, dragonflies increasingly are used as subjects for ecological and behavioral studies. The recent publication of Dragonflies of North America by Needham, Westfall, and May should make these remarkable insects even more accessible, particularly for work on odonate biodiversity and conservation. This book will be a welcome addition to the shelves of both specialists and amateur naturalists. An expanded revision of the 1955 classic Manual of the Dragonflies of North America by Needham and Westfall, the new text adds an additional 54 species to the North American fauna, while reducing 34 species to synonymy or subspecific status. Together with the companion volume, Damselfies of North America by Westfall and May (1996), the revision completes a comprehensive description of all currently known North American odonates as well as the subtropical species that occasionally may venture northward. Dragonflies of North America promises to become the authoritative taxonomic source book for both professional and amateur collectors, ecologists, conservationists, and even high school biology teachers. As Westfall and May, the two living authors, point out, the work is not meant to be the last word on odonate taxonomy and systematics, particularly because molecular techniques only recently have begun to be applied to this taxon. Nevertheless, their book offers an excellent springboard for future work.

A major improvement between the earlier manual and the current text are the keys to all adults and larvae, which have been reworked completely. They now include multiple features for each dichotomous choice, making them much easier to use. A checklist of all species is provided, as are regional species lists and a listing of common names. The glossary and bibliography are extensive and up to date.

As a behavioral ecologist who relies on taxonomic keys as a last resort, I was delighted with the extensive and exquisite illustrations that will help the novice make sense of this beautiful and diverse group of insects. In addition to the many black and white photos from the original 1955 publication, 14 magnificent color plates by L. Zettler and numerous colored photographs of adult dragonflies by well known odonatologists update this version, greatly aiding in species identification. My only disappointment was the disappearance of some of the tables found in the 1955 version (now somewhat outdated) that categorized families and genera by size and other morphological features. These deletions, however, are more than compensated for by the wealth of additional drawings and photos detailing characters that help distinguish among closely related species. Nearly all of the original photos of larvae, adults, and male anal appendages in the earlier version have been retained.

The introduction provides characteristics of the order and introduces the reader to adult and larval morphological features and wing venation terminology necessary for proper identification. There is a brief discussion of odonate life history with pointers on the collection, rearing of larvae, specimen preservation, and curation.

With the publication of Dragonflies of North America, which compliments its sister volume on damselflies, Minter Westfall and Mike May have provided a tremendous service that will be appreciated for years to come. Together with the recent publications of Philip Corbet’s Dragonflies: Behavior and Ecology of Odonata (1999), and Sidney Dunkle’s Dragonflies Through Binoculars: A Field Guide to Dragonflies of North America (2000), students of the Odonata now have a very complete set of tools with which to address future questions in systematics, ecology, behavior and conservation of these magnificent insects.

Ola M. Fincke
Department of Zoology
University of Oklahoma,
Norman, OK 73019
American Entomologist
Vol. 47, No.2, Summer 2001