Caribbean amphibians and reptiles / edited by Brian I. Crother.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Crother, Brian I.

Schwartz, Albert, 1923-1992.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Amphibians--Caribbean Area.

Amphibians.

Reptiles--Caribbean Area.

Reptiles.

Schwartz, Albert, 1923-1992.

Schwartz, Albert.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (536 p.)

Place of Publication:

San Diego : Academic Press, c1999.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Amphibians and reptiles are the most numerous, diverse, and frequently encountered animals on the Caribbean islands. This book provides a variety of perspectives on this amazing group of organisms. Caribbean Amphibians and Reptiles, compiled by an international team of zoologists, takes a fresh and detailed look at the complex biological puzzle of the Caribbean. The first true overview of the islands, it includes a historical examination of the people who have studied the Caribbean amphibians and reptiles. The book reviews the ecology, evolutionary history, and biogeographic explanation

Contents:

Front Cover; Caribbean Amphibians and Reptiles; Copyright Page; Contents; Contributors; Foreword; Preface; Acknowledgments; Legends to Color Plates; Chapter 1. Over 300 Years of Collecting in the Caribbean; Introduction: Where We Are; Periods in the History of Knowledge of the West Indian Herpetofauna; The Seventh Period?; Chapter 2. A Review of Cuban Herpetology; History; The Species; Chapter 3. Jamaica; Introduction; Location-Topography-Geology; Rivers; Climate and Vegetation; Historical Summary; Problems

Chapter 4. The Hispaniolan Herpetofauna: Diversity, Endemism, and Historical Perspectives, with Comments on Navassa IslandIntroduction; Geography and Physiography; Vegetation; Diversity and Endemism; Historical Perspectives; Fossil Record; Current Status of the Herpetofauna; Chapter 5. The Puerto Rico Area; Introduction: The Region; A Brief History of Herpetology in the Puerto Rico Area; The Puerto Rican Herpetofauna within the Greater Antillean Assemblages; Patterns of Distribution: The Puerto Rico Bank; Distribution within Puerto Rico; The Incursive and Anthropochore Herpetofauna

Chapter 6. The Lesser Antillean FaunaInroduction; Diversity and Taxonomic History; Biogeography; Conservation; Chapter 7. West Indian Herpetoecology; Introduction; History; Some Aspects of the Ecology of the West Indian Herpetofauna; Summary; Future Emphasis; Chapter 8. Evolutionary Relationships; Introduction; Anura; Sauria; Serpentes; Testudines; Crocodylia; Conclusions; Appendix; Chapter 9. Ecological and Historical Biogeography; Introduction; Historical Biogeography; Ecological Biogeography; Coda; Chapter 10. The West Indies and Middle America: Contrasting Origins and Diversity

IntroductionMaterials and Methods; Origins of the Herpetofaunas; Diversity of the Herpetofaunas; Discussion; References; Systematic Index; Color Plates Section

Notes:

Essays in honor of Albert Schwartz.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 371-474) and index.

ISBN:

1-281-04637-X

9786611046378

0-08-052858-9

OCLC:

476104092