Field Guide to the Flower Flies of Northeastern North America (Princeton Field Guides, 118)

Outside of butterflies and odonates, there are very few truly comprehensive arthropod field guides that cover a significant number of species and/or a large region. The sheer number of species and difficulties of differentiating species in the field (as opposed to in the hand) result in the vast majority of such guides omitting large numbers of species, limiting themselves to genus-level identification, or focusing exclusively on in-hand identification.So when a book such as this, which attempts to cover all 416 species of flower flies in northeastern North America, and provide species-level field identification information (to the extent feasible), it is a major event. Is also very nice to see it in modern field guide format – with photos, range maps, and text all on the same page. There are also useful icons indicating whether a species can be differentiated by observing in the field, requires a hand lens, or requires microscopic examination.However, here are some key points to note and areas where there is room for improvement:– The book is designed to be useful to the specialist as well as an amateur enthusiast, but seems to lean towards the former. It is thick with references to technical anatomical terms. There are four pages of detailed maps showing precisely what these terms refer to, but it would have been more useful if at least some of these were reproduced on the inside of the back or front covers, so they could be quickly located. (The book instead has the same index of flower fly genera reproduced on both inside covers; while useful, I don't think the reader needs this on both covers).– Each fly is illustrated by multiple photos from different angles. However, the majority of these are photos of deceased insects in collections. This is understandable given that many species cannot be reliably identified in the field from photographs, but it also means that we can't tell in many cases what the living fly looks like from this book.– The introduction states that we "have laid out the book so that similar species appear together to facilitate flipping through the images in search of a match." That is helpful, but it would have been more helpful to have some sort of quick visual index keyed to page numbers, so that one would not have to flip through the entire book trying to find a match.

I found this book almost by accident. I am more used to calling these insects hover flies, so could have missed this guide which adopts the alternative name “flower flies.” (The British guides for the same insects, by the same publisher, calls them “hover flies”!) But by accident, I came across the listing on amazon for this book.This is a very well thought-out guide. The authors have obviously given much thought to the needs of the amateur enthusiast. I do not think that the guide is at all too technical: not for dealing with insects. It is clearly illustrated, and conveniently organized.After examining my copy of this book for an hour or so, I decided to take a break and go outside to photograph insect visitors to the local wildflowers. By chance I spotted a hover fly I had not seen before, and it stood still long enough for me to get three quick photographs. I then went indoors, and by looking through the new guide, was able to identify the genus, and determine which species I had seen — in about 15 minutes! I know that my specimen was probably more distinctive and more easily identified than many of the species in the guide, but nonetheless I was very impressed.This guide is a masterpiece!

A few years ago I tried to publish this book with Indiana University Press. The authors are recognized experts on flower flies, and have done a fantastic job putting this highly illustrated field guide together. I’m so glad to see Princeton University Press supporting these kind of publications. With the climate crisis upon us, it is more important than ever to understand the complexity of our natural world. The production quality of this book fantastic.

The most comprehensive guide, professional yet engaging, to Syrphids (Hover Flies, Flower Flies) in North America. The range maps, in particular, are inclusive of the entire US-Canada. The authors even added some southern species, with ranges, that are not, yet, found specifically in the Northeast.To assist the novice or amateur the authors have given well thought out "common names" to the species that also show genetic relationships. Many new citizen scientists find common names more in their comfort zone than the Latin binomials.Because identifying characteristics are annotated using scientific terms, my only "complaint" as an amateur is that I wish the morphology drawings with the scientific parts shown had been at the front of the guide rather than buried toward the end.i can't think of a gardener, insect photographer, novice or experienced citizen scientist who won't delight in this guide. I certainly do!

Species-level field guides are few and far between in the world of insects, and none has ever been attempted for a family as obscure and varied as the syrphid flies. This book is a stunning achievement. Each species is illustrated with one or more photos, either in situ or from pinned specimens. There is relevant morphological discussion to diagnose even the most difficult of taxa. Range maps are provided, with data points. I wish these authors could make field guides for every group out there. This is without a doubt one of the finest natural history field guides I have ever had the pleasure to own. I can't wait to spend more time familiarizing myself with these wondrous little flies.

This book is technical, yet still usable by someone who is serious about identifying flower flies who might not have extensive background. The illustrations are top-quality, and I have had good success using it so far. It has opened up a whole new group of insects for us to study!

One of the most detailed field guides I have ever seen. Enough to occupy a student of syrphids for years. Thank you to the authors for putting in the work so all of us could enjoy such a wonderful work of art and science. I could flip through the pages and look forever. The Syrphid flies are amazing!!!

Finally a guide to the flower flies! This book is 400 pages but its similar in size to other field guides and doesn't weigh very much so it is an ideal companion in the field. Each species has information about where to find it, range maps and on the opposite page it has very detailed images for identifying the species. It also contains a grey silhouette of the actual size of the insect for quick comparison. It also has a symbol that will let you know if its identifiable with a good look, hand lens, or microscope.It also includes nice diagrams if you are unfamiliar with the names of different parts of flies and a handy checklist where you can keep track of what you've found (it is sorted by species name and in cases where more than one is proposed it lists those as well along with the author).If you are interested in identifying flower flies then this book should definitely be on your shopping list!

This is an excellent guide to the hundreds of flower flies which are most often seen on flowers. The photos and descriptions make it relatively easy to identify photos of flies I have made, and it is easy to compare closely-related species.

Vraiment pratique! Belles descriptions et photos. (Petit bémol: la couverture non rigide est légèrement plus grande que les feuilles et s’est brisé lors du transport mais ceci dit, ça n’enlève rien à la qualité première du produit)

Great and only field guide reference for the Syprhidae in Northeastern North America. I use this book to to help me label my macro-photographs of these beautiful insects down to species. Makes this previously difficult task simple with its clear pictures and descriptive text.

I couldn't complete my PhD without this guide, really good for IDying even the Indian species.