United States
£ GBP
This photographic identification guide to the 280 butterfly species most commonly seen in Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand is perfect for resident and visitor alike. High-quality photographs from the area's top nature photographers are accompanied by detailed species descriptions which include nomenclature, size, distribution, habits and habitat. The user-friendly introduction covers geography and climate, vegetation, habitats, behaviour, opportunities for naturalists and the main sites for viewing the listed species. Also included is a classification of butterflies found in Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, from their superfamilies down to the level of genera to give an understanding of the relationships of butterflies.
Dr Laurence Kirton is an entomologist by profession and Head of the Biodiversity and Conservation of Fauna Programme in the Forest Research Institute Malaysia. His interest in butterflies began in his childhood and has continued into his professional career as a researcher. He holds a PhD in entomology from Imperial College of Science Technology and Medicine, London, and has authored several papers on Malaysian butterflies.
"[...] Looking through this naturalist's guide for the first time I wasn't sure how much use it would be. [...] Its 176 pages only cover 470 species out of 1,400 or so that occur in the region, and of those only 280 are illustrated with photographs. As the introduction says, these have been selected to include the most commonly encountered species [...] what is this book trying to achieve as far as an amateur butterfly watcher like myself is concerned? Well fortunately I was able to put it to the test by digging out a couple of hundred butterfly photos that I'd taken in Thailand but never attempted to identify [...] as I looked at each of my images I was able to successfully place each one into a family, some even to species level, and then was able to do further research on Thai websites. Without taking too much time I was able to put a name to most of my previously unidentified butterflies. This book is a very good introduction to the butterflies of the region and does a good job of pointing you in the right direction. [...]"
– Tony Broome, Atropos 68, 2021
