''The Colour Identification Guide to Moths of the British Isles (Macrolepidoptera)'' by
Bernard Skinner is a single volume
identification guide
Identification or identify may refer to:
*Identity document, any document used to verify a person's identity
Arts, entertainment and media
* ''Identify'' (album) by Got7, 2014
* "Identify" (song), by Natalie Imbruglia, 1999
*Identification (a ...
to the
macromoth
Macrolepidoptera is a group within the insect order Lepidoptera. Traditionally used for the larger butterflies and moths as opposed to the "microlepidoptera", this group is artificial. However, it seems that by moving some taxa about, a monophy ...
s of Britain and Ireland published by
Viking Books, often referred by moth recorders simply as "Skinner". The first edition (black
dust jacket) was published in 1984, and a second, revised edition (pale green dust jacket) in 1998. The book became the standard guide to macromoth identification used by
moth recorder
Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...
s in the field in Britain, and the increased popularity of moth recording in Britain in the 1990s is often attributed in large part to this book.
The first edition of the guide was illustrated by 42 colour photographic plates of pinned moth specimens, photographed by
David Wilson. An extra plate by Wilson, showing additional species or
aberrations was included in the second edition. For some species, additional line drawings showing specific identification features are included within the text.
A companion guide to
caterpillar
Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths).
As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder Sym ...
s, ''The Colour Identification Guide to Caterpillars of the British Isles'', by Jim Porter, was published in 1997.
1984 non-fiction books
Books on Lepidoptera
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