Salamanders of the United States and Canada

From Library Journal
The last major reference on North American salamanders was Sherman C. Bishop's A Handbook of Salamanders, published in 1943 and reissued by Cornell University Press as a natural history classic in 1994. Now comes this totally new reference from Petranka (biology, Univ. of North Carolina, Asheville), who has published numerous articles on salamanders and is on the editorial board of two herpetology journals. His preface indicates that over 30 new species have been described since Bishop's classic was first published. Petranka's comprehensive work covers the identification and natural history of 127 recognized species and includes references to the recent literature; over 2000 publications are cited. Hundreds of black-and-white photographs accompany the text, and a center section of 172 color plates will further aid in identification. A distribution map is shown for each species. Essential for herpetology collections.?William H. Wiese, Iowa State Univ. Lib., AmesCopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Salamanders are one of the least familiar groups of animals, because they are both secretive and nocturnal--two strikes against being noticed by the general population. This survey of North American salamanders is the first since the 1940s and presents the most up-to-date research on every species. Beginning with two keys to help the reader identify an animal in the hand, whether it is an adult or a larva ("tadpole"), the book then discusses each species individually. The species accounts are illustrated with photos of both adults and larvae and cover such subjects as distribution (with excellent range maps), habitat, breeding and courtship, ecology, and conservation status. The latter is important as these animals are very sensitive to environmental disturbances and many forms are declining. A section of colorplates is provided for each species. The large glossary of often-specialized terms used when discussing salamanders, plus a genuinely massive list of literature cited, complete an excellent book that is recommended for all libraries. Nancy Bent


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The last major reference on North American salamanders was Sherman C. Bishop's A Handbook of Salamanders, published in 1943 and reissued by Cornell University Press as a natural history classic in 1994. Now comes this totally new reference from Petranka (biology, Univ. of North Carolina, Asheville), who has published numerous articles on salamanders and is on the editorial board of two herpetology journals. His preface indicates that over 30 new species have been described since Bishop's classic was first published. Petranka's comprehensive work covers the identification and natural history of 127 recognized species and includes references to the recent literature; over 2000 publications are cited. Hundreds of black-and-white photographs accompany the text, and a center section of 172 color plates will further aid in identification. A distribution map is shown for each species. Essential for herpetology collections.--William H. Wiese, Iowa State Univ. Lib., Ames


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