Butterflies of the West Indies and South Florida

This first-hand account of all the 600-odd butterflies that mark the West Indies and Southern Florida as a biogeographical area provides a discussion of their biogeography, history, biology and conservation. The book begins with an historical overview which surveys possible faunal origins, the size of island faunas and conservation problems. The main text is devoted to individual descriptions of the butterflies from family to sub-species. These descriptions cover each species' range, its West Indian distribution - including numerous new island records, paragraphs highlighting the key features needed for indentification, observations on habitat choice and behaviour in the field, and life history information drawn from the authors' experience observing the butterflies in their natural state. A taxonomic checklist, list of families of plant genera used as larval foodplants or as nectar sources are included. Lee Miller is the author of "A Field Guide to the Butterflies of Canada and Alaska".Table of ContentPart 1 Introduction: the area and its butterflies; biogeography - faunal origins and relationships; the size of island butterfly faunas; range reduction, extinction and conservation; historical notes. Part 2 Species accounts: danaidae; ithomiidae; styridae; nymphalidae; heliconiidae; libytheidae; riodinidae; lycaenidae; pieridae; papilionidae; hesperiidae. Appendix: families of plant genera.