"This new guide to the spiders of New Zealand introduces over 90 species, focusing on the more commonplace introduced spiders but also featuring some of our rare native species. It gives details on their taxonomy, geographical origins, range and preferred habitat, plus special notes on behaviour, life cycle or diet"--Publisher information.

Spiders are found everywhere in New Zealand, from bathroom to bush, beach and beyond, and although many people find them distasteful, they are valuable predators of pests and fascinating components of any ecosystem. A Photographic Guide to Spiders of New Zealand introduces over 90 species, focusing on the more commonplace introduced spiders but also featuring some of our rare native species. It gives details on their taxonomy, geographical origins, range and preferred habitat, plus special notes on behaviour, life cycle or diet. A handful of our spiders are well known - the katipo for its feared bite, the elusive Nelson cave spider for its great size - but few have been much studied until recently. Respected arachnologist Cor Vink brings his scholarship and expertise to the text, while Bryce McQuillan's photography presents the spiders with extraordinary clarity and detail, making this an essential purchase for anyone with an interest in our eight-legged neighbours.

From the Kermadecs to Campbell Island, beloved endemics to passing vagrants, albatrosses and shearwaters to kiwi and kaka, Birds of New Zealand is the ultimate guide to this countrys extraordinary avian life. It is illustrated with almost 1000 new photographs and uses the latest information from birders and biologists to draw a definitive introduction to bird identification and behaviour. Includes expert information on the 345 bird species found in New Zealand; key identification characteristics and variation by age and sex; authoritative texts covering behaviour, distribution and taxonomy; and Maori, English and scientific names. A copy of this must-have guide belongs in every bach and backpack. The author of Albatrosses, Petrels and Shearwaters of the World, Paul Scofield is a leading New Zealand ornithologist. Brent Stephenson is a New Zealand bird photographer and tour leader.

This is the authoritative identification manual for the 57 spider families of New Zealand. It features more than 500 magnificent, detailed illustrations, a key to the spider families found in New Zealand, an introduction which includes notes on spider anatomy and some tips for specimen examination, and a comprehensive bibliography.

Australians have a love–hate relationship with spiders. Some spiders, such as the Redback and the Sydney Funnelweb, inspire fear. Yet Peacock Spiders, with their colourful fan-spreading courtship dances, have won rapturous appreciation worldwide. A Field Guide to Spiders of Australia uses photographs of living animals to help people identify many of the spiders they encounter. Featuring over 1300 colour photographs, it is the most comprehensive account of Australian spiders ever published. With more than two-thirds of Australian spiders yet to be scientifically described, this book sets the scene for future explorations of our extraordinary Australian fauna. This field guide will be enjoyed by naturalists and anyone with an interest in learning more about Australia's incredible arachnids.

A book that makes it simple to identify a spider and learn about its lifestyle. In this new companion to his award-winning Which New Zealand Insect? Andrew Crowe showcases New Zealand spiders, with practical details on how, when and where to find them. The author continues in his typically entertaining style to weave in many odd and surprising facts - such as how best to eat big spiders, which ones fly, and how to use spider webs for catching fish or for stopping flying bullets. You can also learn here: * *Which spiders somersault or jump *Which spiders walk on water, live under the sea or in caves *Whether the whitetailed spider really is dangerous *How to find and recognise a native katipo spider Some 60 new Zealand spiders and their relatives (both common and rare) are described and illustrated with 130 photographs.

In this book, the natural history of New Zealand's North Island, from Lake Taupo up, is described, including geology, soils, climate, flora and fauna. Chapters on different habitats are included, including forests, shrublands, wetlands and the coast.

Everyone has heard of the tuatara, New Zealand¿s unique `living dinosaur¿; but equally fascinating, if less well known, are the country¿s other reptiles. There are more than 65 species of lizards (including skinks and geckos), frogs and other reptiles and amphibians native to New Zealand, and scientists such as author Tony Jewell are still discovering new species and subspecies today. In this new addition to a popular New Holland series, Tony covers all the known species from Northland to the far south; his text is backed up by outstanding photographs of their many geographic colour variants, so that readers will be equipped to identify almost any specimen encountered in the wild. A groundbreaking handbook and a superb aid for natural history enthusiasts, trampers and educationalists.

A comprehensively updated edition of an identification guide that was named a Guardian Best Nature Book of the Year Now in a comprehensively revised and updated new edition, Britain’s Spiders is a guide to all 38 of the British families, focussing on spiders that can be identified in the field. Illustrated with a remarkable collection of photographs, it is designed to be accessible to a wide audience, including those new to spider identification. This book pushes the boundaries of field identification for this challenging group, combining information on features that can be seen with the naked eye or a hand lens with additional evidence from webs, egg sacs, behaviour, phenology, habitats and distributions. Individual accounts cover 404 species—all of Britain’s “macro” spiders and the larger money spiders, with the limitations to field identification clearly explained. This new edition includes nine species new to Britain, many recent name changes, updated distribution maps and species information, new guides to help identify spider families and distinctive species, and the latest species checklist. A guide to spider families, based on features recognizable in the field, focussing on body shape and other characteristics, as well as separate guides to webs and egg-sacs Detailed accounts and more than 700 stunning photographs highlight key identification features for each genus and species, and include information on status, behaviour and habitats Up-to-date distribution maps, and charts showing adult seasonality Introductory chapters on the biology of spiders, and where, when and how to find them, including equipment needed in the field A complete list of the spiders recorded in Britain, indicating the ease of identification as well as rarity and conservation status Information on how to record spiders and make your records count, and guidance on how to take your interest further New to this edition: coverage of nine species new to Britain, updated species information and distribution maps, identification guides to spider families and distinctive species, and the latest species checklist