The Damselflies and Dragonflies of Iran – Odonata Persica

Rupichteroth 2020, geb., Großformat, 255 Seiten, rund 430 Farbfotos, farb. Karten. This book is the first comprehensive publication about damselflies and dragonflies in Iran. Within a period of six years, from 2013 to 2018, the authors travelled 16 times to almost every Iranian province to investigate the indigenous dragonfly fauna. As a result one dragonfly could be described as a new species, Aeshna vercanica, and other dragonflies were recorded in Iran for the first time. These are Lestes dryas, Lestes macrostigma, Platycnemis kervillei, Coenagrion puella, Coenagrion pulchellum, Coenagrion ponticum, Coenagrion lunulatum, Crocothemis sanguinolenta, Brachythemis contaminata, Trithemis pallidinervis and Calopteryx s. tschaldirica. In total 103 species have been illustrated by photography. For detailed distribution maps data from formerly published literature and available unpublished data about Iranian dragonflies were screened up to the end of 2018 and entered in a database. Further information on biometric data, identification, habitat and taxonomy is given. One of the key objectives of this book is to help preserving the heritage of the Iranian dragonfly fauna which is gravely endangered by the water crisis and all its repercussions. There are distribution maps and 2 to 5 colour photos of each of the 103 species treated in the book.