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Britain's Hoverflies is a beautifully illustrated photographic field guide to the hoverflies of Great Britain, focusing on the species that can be most readily identified. It is the perfect companion for wildlife enthusiasts, professional ecologists and anyone with an interest in this fascinating group of insects, and is designed to appeal to beginners and experts alike. This improved and updated third edition covers ten additional species and offers a host of improvements to aid reliable identification.
Accessible, authoritative and easy-to-use, this book contains hundreds of remarkable photographs of hoverflies in their various life stages. It features an essential guide to the hoverfly tribes and photographs of at least one representative from each of the British genera. The species included are mainly those that can be identified by eye or using a magnifying glass. Individual species accounts highlight status, key identification features, behaviour and habitat requirements, and include flight-period charts and up-to-date distribution maps. Sections on hoverfly biology, where and when to find them, legislation and conservation, recording hoverflies and gardening for hoverflies are also included.
- Features more than 660 stunning photographs
- Provides detailed information for 176 species, including at least one species from each of the 68 genera recorded in Great Britain
- Includes a complete list of the 285 hoverfly species recorded in Great Britain to date, with an indication of how difficult each is to identify
New features in the third edition include:
- Updated and expanded introductory text
- Revised species accounts that reflect evolving knowledge and experience, including updated maps and phenology charts
- Ten additional species accounts
- Enhanced coverage of difficult species, with new photographs to highlight key features
- Updated taxonomy, nomenclature and information on status and population trends
Stuart Ball and Roger Morris have run the Hoverfly Recording Scheme since 1991. They are the authors of Provisional Atlas of British Hoverflies and active members of the Dipterists Forum, a society that promotes the study of flies.
"With an established reputation for their accessibility, ease of use and authoritative text, the WILDGuides have become the benchmark for photographic field guides. That a new edition of Britain’s Hoverflies has appeared less than two years after its original publication underlines both the success of the book and the fast-moving nature of hoverfly taxonomy.
With an extra 16 pages, the new edition sees the book fully revised and updated, the most fundamental change being the addition of a simple guide to the most commonly photographed hoverfly species. Other changes reflect recent taxonomic updates; for example, we see the genus Arctophila, which includes large species mimicking bumblebees, moved to become part of the genus Sericomyia. Two species new to the British list get a mention for the first time, though not full accounts; it is worth noting that the book was never intended to cover every species found in Britain, just those likely to be encountered. This approach delivers a book that remains readily accessible, covering 167 out of the 283 species, and which does not deter those beginners developing their interest in hoverfly identification and recording.
The species accounts are succinct but informative, providing sections on identification, observation tips and similar species, and each is supported by photographs that illustrate both the flies and the key features that enable identification. These features are highlighted by comments, enabling you to pick out the important features at a glance. This is a very good book and the best of what is proving to be an excellent series of field guides."
– Mike Toms, BTO book reviews
Praise for the previous edition:
"Covering those species most likely to be seen means as an introduction this book will be a great starting point, the photographs are great at helping you achieve your identification goals and the short descriptive accompanying text will help even more if you need to compare other species."
– Ashley Boelens, Fat photographer
"[W]onderfully informative [...] [T]he book is billed on the front cover as An introduction to the Hoverflies of Britain. But it's rather better than a simple introduction – in fact it is quite complete, covering each of the 70 genera to occur in Britain and 165 of the commoner species that one is likely to find within our shores, giving the prospective reader more than enough material to go at and thus proving quite brilliant for the mere mortals of hoverfly identification such as me [...] This particular group of insects has been crying out for a modern and comprehensive field guide of high quality for years, and finally it is here. Go and buy it – it's essential!"
– Josh Jones, BirdGuides
"One of the best field guides to any taxonomic group."
– Chris Sharpe, Curious Naturalist
"The latest field guild from the excellent Wildguides [...] Beautifully and clearly laid out."
– Charlie Moores, Talking Naturally
"This is an excellent introduction to this attractive group of insects and should inspire many of its readers to investigate them further."
– N.P. Wyatt, Entomologist's Monthly Magazine
"I have found these Wild Guides invaluable for ID-ing my insects [...] This is an ideal gift for anyone who loves their wildlife, they will appreciate the stunning photos in this super detailed field guide."
– Gadget Girl Reviews
