“The Butterflies of California” by John F. Emmel, Thomas C. Emmel, and Sterling O. Mattoon (2025). 854 pp.
This 854-page-long draft of “The Butterflies of California” book by John F. Emmel, Thomas C. Emmel, and Sterling O. Mattoon represents a tremendous contribution to our knowledge of the Californian butterfly fauna. The book consists of eight chapters. Chapters one and two describe early explorations of Lepidoptera in California and the diverse geological landscapes of the state. Chapter three discusses the relationship between the California climate and its butterfly fauna, and chapters four and five cover the plant communities and geography of the state. In chapter six, the authors describe butterflies found on islands off the Californian coast, while in the seventh chapter, they deal with the effects of human activities on Lepidoptera of the state. Most of the book (pp. 150-751), however, is dedicated to detailed species accounts of Californian butterflies that include general notes on morphological variation and diagnostic characters, type locality and distribution information, and notes on natural history. These accounts not only contain valuable hostplant and behavioral information and notes on species’ phenology, but also describe the types of habitats that species occur in. On page 752, one can find a map of collecting localities and the book concludes with extensive references that span over 100 pages. The information contained in the book will be of great value to current researchers engaged in studies and conservation-related activities with the butterflies of California and beyond.
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Permanent link: https://zenodo.org/records/17313658