Title: A Field Guide to Insects in Australia: Third Edition
Author: Paul Zborowski & Ross Storey
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Insects, Non-fiction, Science
Dates read: 2nd November – 28th December 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Non-fictional text
Publisher: New Holland Publishers
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: Nymph of the snake mantis, Kongobatha diamentata, Mantidae (15 mm long)

Whether you’re an amateur insect enthusiast, a student or an entomologist, this completely revised new edition of A Field Guide to Insects in Australia will help you to identify insects from all the major groups.

With more photographs, species and up-to-date information, A Field Guide to Insects in Australia will enable you to differentiate between a dragonfly and a damselfly or a cricket and a grasshopper. You’ll find cockroaches, termites, praying mantis, beetles, cicadas, moths, butterflies, ants and bees. More than 300 colour photographs show the insects in their natural habitat, while many line drawings clearly illustrate subtle differences where identification is tricky.

I bought this book in my Undergrad, hoping that it would help me identify some of the bugs in my backyard down to species level. Back then I didn’t know how insanely difficult that was. But now? As an adult? I realise that this book isn’t quite for that. It can help you identify insects down to their orders. Beautifully so. I didn’t feel like I was reading a textbook while reading this. I actually found it incredibly fun and intriguing.

The images in this book are a great way to crystallise all of the information which was being provided to you throughout. As each order and suborder was provided, a number of gorgeous pictures were placed next to them. Many of which I either recognised, or vaguely recognised from similar species. I thought the pictures were completely beautiful. Although I am a total bug geek. So that might have something to do with my happy feelings about the pretty pictures.

Alongside the information about each order and suborder, this book provides information about where you are most likely to find each group. These extra pieces of information are so helpful with identifying a specimen down to order. And I’ll probably be using the Hymenoptera section heavily when it comes to identifying my specimens collected for my PhD.

Although my favourite part about this book was the breakdown of each order, I also loved that the start of this book talked about trapping, catching and preservation. I remember the vast majority of this from my Undergrad days, but it was nice to have a refresher. Again, accompanied by pictures to help you view what was being discussed.

<- More insect reviews

More non-fiction reviews ->

Image source: Goodreads