Nature Books Australia

Recommended books for naturalists

Book Review: Life In A Gall

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Galls were one of the first things I noticed when I started to explore entomology. I’d see these strange lumps on either the leaves or stems of various plants. Kind naturalists informed me that these were ‘galls,’ but it was a struggle to find accessible information on them.

This book filled part of that need. It’s just 61 pages, so barely scratched the surface when it came to exploring the fascinating world of galls. However, it is the only accessible guide I’ve found, and it packed a lot of information into these pages.

What is a gall?

According to Blanche, The term ‘gall’ refers to any abnormal swelling of plant tissue. These deformities can be on leaves, stems or flower buds of plants—mostly caused by insect activity. Mites, fungi and physical injury can also cause galls.

This guide focuses on the galls caused by insects.

What does the book cover?

A lot of information is condensed into the six short chapters. The introductory chapters focus on gall-inducing insects and their host plants, plus the remarkable adaptations. Blanche discusses the relationship between insect and host plant, the types of insects create galls, and the kinds of host plants that are the insects tend to favour. It explores just how complex the study of galls is. The male and female insect of the same species can look different. The galls also vary depending on where a species is in its life cycle.

There are brief sections dedicated to the wasps, thrips, flies, beetles and moths. I would have liked more information in these sections, however, was impressed with the number of pictures. Despite the brevity, these chapters contain a lot of information. You will likely return to these often as you learn more.

There are chapters dedicated to the enemies of gall-inducing insects; the benefits of such insects and how the insects can have a detrimental effect on both plant and animal life. The benefits chapter focuses strongly on how certain insects can be used for bio-control. Blanche shares examples of overseas locations where native plants have gotten out of control, such as South Africa and Florida.

The whole book is very amateur-friendly, but this is was especially noticeable in the chapter on studying galls. The chapter details how to collect the galls and accurately record any data associated with it. Blanche explores the type of data that is useful to collect and the potential pitfalls of trying to study them. I was very encouraged by it.

Do I recommend it?

Yes!

Galls are fascinating, and there is so much that is unknown. Life In A Gall is the perfect balance of giving an overview of galls and providing examples of species. This guide doesn’t offer identification tips; however you do get a lot of photos where the specimen is narrowed down to exact species.

Sadly, the book is no longer in print. It is available as a digital copy for around $25. That price point can be off-putting for a digital edition of this size. I recommend seeking the print version at your local library or via a second-hand store.

CSIRO Publishing

Book Review: Crabs, Hermit Crabs And Allies

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I rarely noticed crabs when walking along the beach. That all changed when I started to visit Apollo Bay (Victoria), most school holidays. We would find multiple species of crabs each visit and wanted to learn more about them. There was so much diversity in the one harbour! I bought this book to help me figure out the exact species I was seeing.

The Introductory Section Was Too Brief

I understand the need for brevity when compiling a field guide. However, I think readers could have benefited from a lengthier introduction that was more user-friendly. Crabs are different from the land wildlife that most people encounter and require different terminology. An example is the ‘growth and development’ section. The authors discussed the reproductive cycle and how crabs have a planktonic stage at the start of their life. This section was a bit too jargon-heavy, and I often found myself flipping back to earlier parts of the book. This may be a struggle for those who are just starting out with crab identification. It is worth the steep learning curve.

The price is also a deterrent.

You are paying $25 for a book that is just 60 pages. Other books in the series, such as the Guide To Sponges, are the same price despite being twice the length. This isn’t a criticism, as I appreciate Museum Victoria publishing guides on such niche topics.

Species Profiles

Despite the above criticisms, I was pretty impressed with the specifics profiles. This guide has profiles on 63 species  of crabs that are commonly found in the intertidal environment. The species are organized according to family. For many families, an illustration is provided to help you tell the species apart. These often focus on the smaller details of the carapace. I referred to these sections more often then I would have thought.

Each page features 2-3 species. Each profile has one image, a brief paragraph on identification tips and details on the habitat and range. The identification tips are very focused on the beginner. Sometimes the authors will point out the key ID points, such as the colours of their claws, or will explain how to tell the species apart from a similar one.

This is enough to help you with most identifications. I did wish that the profiles were longer and included more images of variations you can get within a species. There have been times that I’ve struggled due to lack of experience such as the European Shore Crab. Having pictures from different angles would have been useful. I would have also liked photos showing the differences between the genders.

These criticisms have come from troubles I’ve had trying to identify species from photos. In some cases, I hadn’t taken a photo of the exact features I needed. This will change with experience. More information would have lessened the learning curve.

Do I recommend it?

Yes, I do. My criticisms stem from a fascinating with local marine life and the subsequent desire to learn more about my local crab species. I wish this book had been more comprehensive, as that would have helped me learn a lot quicker. Yet I’m so grateful that it exists. I’ve learned a lot despite the guides limitations.

Those on a budget may find it more economical to get a more comprehensive guide that includes multiple marine species. However, those guides wouldn’t have the close-up illustrations comparing species within a family.

Buy From Booktopia

Book Review: A Guide To The Beetles Of Australia

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Writing a guide to the beetles of Australia is no simple task. According to the Australian Museum, there are potentially 30’000 species that may occur in Australia. Only two-thirds of these have been scientifically described.

The authors accomplished something amazing with this book. They’ve provided an overview of most beetle families that may be encountered in Australia. This is done via brief descriptions of 17 superfamilies as well as 91 families. Usually, I would struggle with this type of format and become overwhelmed. Instead, I was greeted by a fun read that I’ll be referring to a lot on my entomology journey.

The Writing Is Captivating

I often rate the usefulness of a guide according to how easy it was to identify a species using the book. In this case, it was the writing style that made it stand out. It acknowledges that the reader is an amateur and tries to make it fun.

I really enjoyed the introductory chapters – something that rarely happens, despite my enthusiasm for entomology. A lot of terms were introduced but were done so in a compelling way. I actually wanted to pause research Batesien chains and the potential of insects to learn.

This theme is continued throughout the guide. The sections of family descriptions give an overview of identifiable features but also share interesting facts about the species. Even the image captions have little tidbits of information. The technical terms are clearly explained.

This style means that you can choose to read the guide in order, or you can flip through and read the chapters that interest you. It is also a valuable book to return to if you have identified a species and want to learn more about similar species.

Beetle Family Descriptions

The family descriptions are similar to the species profiled featured in other books. Here, however, the authors cover significantly more information.

The beetle families are organized according to superfamily; although the superfamilies themselves are organized according to suborder. Very little information is given about the suborders other than notable features. This section also details the relevant pages where you can find more information about superfamilies. This can sound overwhelming, but the way it is structured actually makes it easy to follow.

Chapter sizes vary according to how many described species there are within the family and how much is known about the beetles. Carabids, which have 295 genera and about 2575 described species, have seven pages dedicated to them. These pages have a lot of images and inserts. Other chapters have just one paragraph accompanied by an image.

The common name and the basic identification features listed as bullet points at the top of each chapter. These quick species descriptions often cover information about the antennae and tarsal formula. I would frequently return to the introductory chapters to understand these key features; however, that is normal when reading a new guide.

The extra information is quite useful. The chapters cover:

  • how frequently a particular species are found in collections
  • whether specific facts have been unconfirmed
  • The types of environments you can find the beetles in
  • How many species of the superfamily are found in Aus

This is very helpful to the amateur naturalist who may want to look into something further. You also get extra boxes with interesting facts about specific species.

Do I recommend it?

I do. I loved it. However, potential buyers need to to have the right expectations. I would recommend this for people wanted to learn more about beetles in general and who want a book that they will continuously return to as they learn more about beetles.

I wouldn’t buy this if you are wanting to be able to identify a species to genus. Other books feature many of the common species such as Backyard Insects. Alternately, you can try the Australian Beetles series. However, this is significantly more complex, and only 2 books in the series are currently published.

This guide is now out of print. You can buy it second hand or borrow it from your local library.

Book Review: Life on the Rocky Shores of South-Eastern Australia

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Life on the Rocky Shores is one of my favourite books for beginner rockpoolers. The guide is a compact (148mm x 105mm) guide that features 96 species that are commonly found along the shores of South-Eastern Australia. It has since become one of the first books I check when trying to identify intertidal marine life.

It Is Very Practical

One of the first things I look for when reviewing books is whether it is easy to understand for the total beginner. This is one of the most user-friendly guides.

Unlike some other field guides, this isn’t a book that you need to read sequentially. You can flip through and look for the species you are after. I prefer to find first and research later so very much appreciated this. The introductory information isn’t overwhelming, nor does it bog readers down with technical terms. It focuses on the essentials and quickly moves on to species profiles.

It is also handy because of it’s compact size. I can quickly put it in a backpack and not notice the weight, nor does it take up much room. This has been an issue with other guides when my bag is already full of camera gear.

Species profiles

The species profiles feature a wide variety of plant and animal species, such as crabs and sea stars. These profiles usually feature one photo, although occasionally you will get two. This is accompanied by information about its appearance, habitat and ecology. These sections are very user friendly. Any technical terms are accompanied by explanatory text. These descriptions discuss:

    • what other species the plant or animal may be confused with
    • >whether the typical environment differs across different states
    • whether species that are found intertidally are a different size to those found further out
    • Information about breeding and, for some species, planktonic larvae.

This is pretty comprehensive for a book of this size. You can learn how to identify the species and get information about their ecosystems.

Most profiles feature just the one species. In some cases, the pages contain information on multiple species. This is the case with the Austrocochlea top shells, where two winkles are featured. There is a second top shell page where species from two genera are featured. These examples focus on species that are visually similar and explain the differences between species.

There are also a couple of pages at the end dedicated to helping identify other life forms you may come across, such as egg masses and flotsam/jetsam.

I was able to identify a lot of animal life based after consulting this guide. I did struggle with identifying plant life. This is partially due to a lack of confidence. I was also disappointed that no fish were featured.

Do I recommend it?

Yes. It is an affordable and compact book to help you get started with identifying marine life you may find in rockpools.

You will likely outgrow the book within a year or so. This isn’t a fault of the guide, as it already covers such a diverse range of plants and animals. The marine world is very similar to the insect one, and the 96 featured species covers just a fraction of what you can find. However, it is one of the best guides for beginners and will significantly lessen your learning curve.

Buy From Victorian National Parks Association

Book Review: Guide to Introduced Pest Animals of Australia

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I’ve read a lot of field guides to review for this website. I’ve amassed a lot of knowledge but still consider myself to be a beginner. This has resulted in me reading a lot of species profiles. Some are very user friendly; many are not. The Guide to Introduced Pest Animals of Australia has some of the best species profiles I’ve seen. In this review, I’ll explore whether you should add this book to your collection.

Species Profiles: In depth.

The Guide to Introduced Pest Animals of Australia is a to 60 introduced pest animal species present in Australia. It features:

  • 27 mammals
  • 18 birds
  • nine freshwater fish
  • two amphibians
  • four reptiles

Each species profile is spread over 2 pages. They contain information to help you identify each species in the field, including distinctive physical characteristics, size, weight, colouration, diet, breeding behaviour, habitat preferences, and information about footprints, dung, scats and audible animal calls. You also get a map, information about the type of damage they can cause and the potential control options.

Most profiles contain two images but some may have more. The mammal section also includes hoofprints. This is pretty comprehensive for a field guide. I’m an avid birder and the species profiles go into more detail than most field guides.

The types of species included are varied. You get well known species, such as rabbits and foxes. You also get species such as blackbuck antelope, where no known populations exist in the wild.

Possible Limitations

The species profiles are biased towards both mammals and birds. These make up 75% of the content. If your primary focus is just identifying local animals then a specific field guide would probably be more helpful. The niche focus (introduced pests) means that it is mostly relevant for those involved in pest control.

The guide covers all of Australia, which means that the information will be more useful to those living in certain parts of the country. Many of the deer species seem to be limited to certain areas of South-Eastern Australia. Those in central Australia and the northern regions of Western Australia probably wouldn’t get as much out of it. This could change as ranges expand or new populations are established.

There also isn’t enough information regarding control options or what to do if a pest species is found. There are useful resources listed at the end of the book. This will be a particular struggle for amateurs. You’d have to track down additional information, especially in regards to any specific ecosystems you are monitoring.

Do I recommend it?

This is a very useful book and I’m very impressed with with it. However, I wouldn’t recommend it for most beginner naturalists.

I would recommend it for those involved in, or studying, the environment, wildlife or land management. It would be most useful for community based volunteer groups that have a strong focus on nature, such as ‘friends of’ groups and field naturalists clubs. It would also be helpful for those who want to support environmental causes but have little knowledge of any feral species.

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