Guide on dragonflies

Dragonflies, like birds and butterflies, are beautiful and abundant in Sri Lanka. An easy-to-use photographic guide on Dragonflies of Sri Lanka has been published by Jetwing Eco Holidays, filling a long felt need. Printed with a hard cover in a handy A6 size, making it easy to carry around in the field, the book is the second in Gehan’s Photo Guide Series and was initiated by Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne, the CEO of Jetwing Eco Holidays. Gehan had sought the help of Matjaz Bedjanic and Karen Conniff, two knowledgeable people on Sri Lankan dragonflies, to be the principal authors.

The guide has striking colour photographs of 91 species -- including 34 endemic species -- of the known 117 species found in Sri Lanka, allowing the user to go to any stream, tank or river and discover the amazing world of dragonflies. Identification is made easy with descriptions, measurements and general habitat preferences for each species. Once you begin to follow and photograph dragonflies you will be struck by their colour, behaviour and excitement of the hunt.

While assisting users in identification, this book is also a major step forward in understanding Sri Lankan dragonflies, their habitat and bringing about awareness on the fragile conditions necessary for their survival. Little is known of this faunal group in Sri Lanka including basic data on life-cycles and larvae. Some interesting species found in recent years still await description and it is likely that many additional ones are yet to be recorded and described. The excitement of describing a new species is only dampened by the realization that the island may have lost species before science could catch up with them.

Colourful images show both male and female examples when possible. The text is written in easy to understand language enabling the casual enthusiast as well as the scientist to identify these beautiful animals to species level. This photographic guide is the first of its kind in Sri Lanka and South Asia.

The guide to the Dragonflies of Sri Lanka is limited to an initial print run of 500 copies. The book retails at Rs. 1,750 and is available at Barefoot, ODEL, Vijitha Yapa Bookshop, Kohuwela, Lake House Bookshop, Hyde Park Corner, M.D. Gunasena, Pettah, Rohans Bookshop, Liberty Plaza, Kiyavana Nuwana, Nugegoda and Sarasavi Bookshop, Nugegoda.