Table Of Content

BookReviews are long since extinct, and deplores the sad the book provides a local flavour, with reality that some ancient lineages ofcroco- interviews with two of Victoria’s most dilians may become extinct in the near experienced reptile keepers - Jon Birkett future due to human activities. This chapter from Melbourne Zoo and Greg Parker also explores the popular ideathat crocodil- from the Ballarat Wildlife Park. Birkett ians are ‘living dinosaurs’, despite the fact exemplifies the devotion to conservation thatnoextantspeciestruly ‘walkedwiththe programs that is evident in so many zoo dinosaurs’, and that, in a cladistic sense, staff. Far from being glorified cage-clean- crocodiliansaremorecloselyrelatedtobirds ers, Birkett and his staffplayan active and thanlizards. vital role in numerous conservation pro- The following two chapters examine life grams forthreatened herpetofaunal species and death from opposing perspectives. from around the world. The book con- Firstly, we see how humans have long cludes with an examination ofcrocodilians hunted crocs for food, leather, fat for fuel, in popular culture, from Peter Pan and and how humans protect themselves from, RudyardKipling, to CrocodileDundeeand or retaliate against, a ‘man-eater’. This is the CrocodileHunter. followed by chilling accounts from some This book is not a field guide, and is not ofthe very few people who have survived entirelydevotedtothe biology ofcrocodil- attacks by the Saltwater Crocodile. ians (there are other, more ‘dry’ texts that Farming ofcrocodiles is as controversial fill that role). Rather, itprovides an ‘holis- as the hunting ofthese animals. Even the tic’ understanding of crocodilians, and experts remain divided on this topic; Steve theirrelationshipswiththeirenvironments, Irwin was passionately opposed to this and perhaps the only other predator that a practice, whereas renowned croc expert grown croc should fear - humans. I Grahame Webb is equally vehement in his enjoyed this book, and believe that it will beliefin the benefits for crocs offarming. appealto anyonewithan interestinnatural Kelly also examines the role offarming historyorlarge, iconic predators. andcaptivebreeding inconservation. The final two chapters examine the rela- tionship ofhumans to crocodilians in cap- NickClemann tivity and in popular culture. The practi- ArthurRylahInstitute forEnvironmentalResearch calities ofkeeping crocodilians as pets are DepartmentofSustainabilityandEnvironment discussed, followed by the role ofthese POBox137,Heidelberg,Victoria3084 animals in zoological parks. At this point The Complete Field Guide to Dragonflies ofAustralia by GuntherThieschingerandJohn Hawking Publisher: CSIROPublishing, 2006, 376pages,paperback; colourphotograps, ISBN 0643090738. RRP$49.95 Both the authors ofthis comprehensive former publication and for the first time guide have been studying Odonata for provides keys to the final instar larvae as much, ifnot all, oftheirprofessional lives. well as to the adults, thus making it a use- Indeed Gunther Theischinger, along with ful, if not an essential, reference for the Tony Watson and Hilda Abbey, was a co- manyfreshwaterbiologists likemyselfwho author of The Australian Dragonflies pub- encounter these larvae. In what follows, I lishedin 1991. Thatbookdealt largelywith have restricted mycomments largely to the adults, and keys were provided only for larvae, asthisiswheremyexperiencelies. thatstage ofthe life cycle. The currentvol- A total of324 species are described and ume can be seen as a ‘descendant’ ofthe illustrated from 12 families ofdamselflies Vol. 124 (3) 2007 175 BookReviews I worked my way through the larval key to families and generally found it easy to use. Separate larval keys are given to genera and some species for each family. An THE COMPLETE FIELD GUIDE TO illustrated glossary is provided for both DRAGONFLIES adults and larvae (before the keys). Such details are vital for beginners, who need to OF AUSTRALIA knowtheirwayaroundtheanatomyofboth larvae and adults ifthey are to be success- ful in identifying specimens. The only omission 1 notedwasthatthe ‘frontal plate’ ofa larva was not illustrated in the family key or in the glossary. However, it is illustrated in the species accounts for Archaeosynthemis andSynthemisaswell as in the key to Synthemistid genera and species. It is a pity that the informative glossary ofterms associated with larval anatomy given by the two authors in an earlier publication (Dragonfly Larvae (Odonata): A guide to the identification of larvae ofAustralianfamilies and to the identification and ecology oflarvaefrom NSW; CRCFE Identification Guide No. 34, Feb 1999) isnotrepeatedinthisbook. and 18 families ofdragonflies. Photos of I feel sure this book will enable enthusi- adultsand line drawingsorphotosofmany asts, both amateur and professional, to larvae are given, although for a number of identify Odonata accurately and will great- species larvae are still not known. lyencouragestudyofthis fascinatinggroup Distribution details are provided on maps ofinsects. In manyparts oftheworldvari- of Australia divided into 16 regions. ous groups of aquatic insects are poorly (These are the same regions employed by known because identification keys for the Watson et al. in 1991.) The bulk of the non-specialist are simply not available. By book (pp.16-299), however, comprises providing such keys the authors have given species accounts which, in addition to a great stimulus to studies (particularly descriptions ofthe adults and larvae, give field studies) ofOdonata in Australia. The habitat notes for almost every species, and small size ofthe book (A5) will encourage information about extra-limital distribution its use in the field, and with experience where relevant. Descriptions ofthe larvae identifications could be done on site, as the are somewhat shorter than those for the authors hope. The book should also pave adults, but together with the keys that fol- thewayformore concern abouttheconser- low the species accounts, they should vation ofdragonflies and damselflies, some enable genera and many species oflarvae ofwhichhavelimiteddistributions. to be readily determined. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this book highly not all species can be keyed at the larval enough to those interested in Australian level. However, the distribution maps Odonata and freshwater habitats. It will should help here. Only the final larval appeal to everyone, from beginners to stu- instar is described and illustrated, and dents and researchers, and should become users need to realise that more immature the first reference book that anyone inter- larval stages will always be more difficult ested inAustralian Odonatawill consult. to put to species, as is the case for the larvae and nymphs of nearly all aquatic Richard Marchant insects. MuseumVictoria CarltonGardens Melbourne3053 176 The Victorian Naturalist