The book's scope is the entire reptile fauna of the former Soviet Union. Its contents include a brief geographical review, zoogeographical division of this region, and 161 species sketches. For each species the information
includes general distribution, reproduction and growth rates, ecology and behavior (density, number, daily and seasonal activity patterns, temperature relations, shedding, diet), status, taxonomic notes, descriptions of subspecies, and references to relevant literature. The book is extensively illustrated and includes 203 color photographs of Eastern Palearctic reptiles and distribution maps for each species. Keys are provided to orders, suborders, families, genera, and species.
The list of references contains almost 200 titles. |
| | "… 194 superb color photographs of terrain and nearly all regional species…This authoritative book provides a wealth of information on Palearctic reptiles and will be a worthwhile addition to
municipal and university libraries… Highly recommended." -- E.D. Keiser, University of Mississippi, CHOICE, December 2003
"This is a valuable reference book, with tough binding and easy-to-use format; a vital contribution to the herpetology of the vast region." -- Rom Whitaker, Hamadryad, February 2004
"The thoroughness of preparation and evaluation of records make this volume a notable contribution to the growing effort to produce detailed state atlases.
When the records are as carefully evaluated as they are here, they have broad use, not just for conservationists and zoogeographers, but for keen field naturalists who want a base-line of information in order to evaluate their own past and future observations for potential significance." -- Francis R. Cook, The Canadian Field-Naturalist, Vol. 117
"This is certainly a unique book, making available in English much information that in Russian is unaccessible to the majority of
herpers around the world. It also contains pictures of species that are hard to find elsewhere. Add to this the high-quality hardcover binding, and we can fully recommend this book to anyone interested in non-tropical reptiles. It is sure to satisfy even the most discerning readers." -- Javier Valverde, Reptilia, Number 34, June 2004
"… the one basic reference that most English-speaking herpetologists will want to have in order to get an overview of the reptiles of the vast
territory of the former USSR. Its keys will facilitate specimen identification and its bibliography will serve as an entrée into the extensive Russian herpetological literature, much of which will be unfamiliar to the intended audience. This posthumous work is a fitting cap to the body of published contributions of one of the leading herpetologists of the former USSR." -- Aaron M. Bauer, Herpetological Review, 35(4), 2004
"… this book is a significant step in knowledge of the
reptiles of the former Soviet Union, and it fills in a large gap existed in this field during almost 30 years." -- Sergius L. Kuzmin, Russian Journal of Herpetology, Vol. 10, No.3, 2003 |
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