turc is not surprising. from the man who wrote definitive review. (by V. Debon-:). collecting methods. biogeography. biology. be­ of topics such as reproductive .::yclcs and sexual size dimorphism havior, biotope. a nd frequency or snake s ightings, in reptiles ( 1970. 1981 ). ethnoherpetology. legislation on con ervation of reptiles of French The strongest comparison with Fitch's book is surely Hajime Guiana, and a short conclusion with a review on the present knowl­ Fukada's 1992 overview of his Japane. estudies, ··snake Life His­ edge of French Guianan snake. and amphisbaenians. The book tory in Kyoto ... Li ke Fitch. Fukada had to deal with low levels of terminates with a short glo sary of scientific words used in the fundi ng and little external recognition of the value of his science. book (many of them pertaining to the vegetation). a literature cited Like Fitch. he developed man) of Lhe techniques that are in com­ . ection. an index of scientific names. and a table of conte nts. mon use today in field studies on nake.. And like Fitch, his study Species account! are preceded by ·ummaries (diver, ity, narural areas changed dramatically over me course of his research, to the history, gross morphology, and taxonomy) on the general group. point that snake numbers fell so low that further work was unpro­ family, and gen~. a · well as key for identification (at all levels). ductive. In the current research environment. there is substantial Starace provide · an English ver ·ion fo r all keys (following those pressure on scientists to conduct their studies quickly, then pub­ in French). Jn many keys, genera and species that the nut hor thinks Lish and move on to the next problem. Fitch was doubtless ex­ may occur in French Guiana are included. some of them very likely posed to similar pressures: hi studies did not enjoy popular ac­ based on their Guyanan distribution (e.g., Aposrolepis, Arrocrus claim until long after they had begun. Today, however, there is rorquatus, Liophis poecilogyrus. Micrurus spi.xii). Accounts of universal agreement among snake biologists that the lesson~ colubrids are presented in an artificial. outdated classification based learned on thil' small reservation in Kansas h:we played a seminal solely on dentition types. This splits species from natural, mono­ role in the scientilic development or our discipline. This volume phyletic groups (e.g .. snakes of the tribe Xcnodomini appear both bears eloquent testimony to that role. and to the monumental ac­ within the aglyphous and opi ·thoglyphous groups: e.g., Xenodon complishments of a stubborn iodividuaJist. in the former and Erythrolamprus in the latter). No comment is made about recent systematic arrangements within the colubrids. LrmRATURE CITto and no subfamilial or tribal name ~ are cited. Recent taxonomic changes are also omitted (e.g.. Coral/us hortulmws ruther than C. FrTCll. H. S. 1970. Reproductive cycles in lizards and snakes. Univ. K;111- enhydris; the genera Taen.iophalus and Xenoxybelis: see review of sas Mus. Nat. Hist .. Misc. Publ. 52:1-247. these changes in Martins and Oliveira 1999). _ _ _ . 1981. Sexual size dit'ferences in repti les. Mi ~c. Publ. Mus. Nat. I list., Univ. Kansas 70: 1-72. In each species account Starace provides a list of synonyms, F u KADA. H. 1992. Snake Life History in Kyoto. Impact Shuppankai Co .. type locality. common name (none in most instances). vernacular Tokyo. names (including local native names in four language , as well as Portuguese). de cription (only color pattern). size. sexual dimor­ phism, habits. diet (including effects or bites in humans), repro­ llt'tf¥'tui"J:Itcdl\nTt'" · ~. 't(:! ), 1..!.\ 12.&. duction, habitat (including macrohabitat). distribution, number of \> :!tXKJ b) Soci~.·1y (Qr I he; S ~U\Jy of Amplubhlll) mKJ Kc{XI e' pecimens collected. and a short abstract in English. The accounts Guide des Ser pents et Amphisbtmes de Guya ne. by F. Starace. also include a mall distribution map for French Guiana and a 1998. Tbis Rouge Editions. Guadeloupe. Guyane. 452 pp. Softcover. u eful table with 13 characters bac;ed on lepidosis. At the end of ca. US $68.00. ISBN 2-91 1390-27-x. each account. the author al o provides a classification based on the dentition type followed by a comment on the potential danger of a bite for human . One to five color photograph or a (generally MA RCIO MARTINS Deporwmenro de Et·alogia Gem/. flmitlllo de BiociPncias. Universida<le de Siia poor) drawing of the head and neck (when no photograph is avail­ Paul~. Cai.m Postal 11461. 05422-970 Scio Paulo SP. Brazil able) illustrate each account. For many specie the photographs l'·lllail: [email protected].~p.br show different color morphs. ontogenetic variation in color pat­ tern. and the venter. Most of the~c 179 photographs are of good This new book by Fausto Starace. a French geographer. appeured quality and are very useful for identification. about ten years after the publication of Chi ppaux·s ( 1986) book The text of the !>pccics account!> is a mixture of good, substanti­ on the snakes of French Guiana. It is a paperback printed on good ated data and dubious and even probably incorrect statements, quality paper and treats the 95 snakes and three amphisbaenians especially about natural history. Original, useful data on behavior. known to occur in French Guiana (although the author suggests reproduction. habitat, and microhabitat are provided in several that three more amphisbaenian and several additional snakes may accounts. On the other hand. original diet data are only rarely pro­ nl o occur in the country). vided. Only in a few intances are references to literature contain­ The book begins with a 24-page .ection that illustrates and de­ ing original data cited. The author fails to provide the number of scribes in derail the diverse habitat! found in French Guiana. This individuals on which most statements dealing with activiry time, section ends with a hort text on the native people of French Guiana. microhabitat. habitat, and diet are based. The first section is followed by a short, illustrated secti on in Dubious statements about diet are especially common in the which Starace provides comments on snake classification. denti­ text. At least in pan. Starace's statements seem to be based on tion types. and taxonomic characters used to identify snakes and unsubstantiated food records from the literature (e.g .. Chippaux amphisbaenians. and gives suggestions on how to use the book. 1986; Cunha and ascimento 1978. 1993; Wehekind 1955). Be­ TI1i is followed by the 344-page section of species accounts. The. e cause the author provides neither literature citation nor specimen in rurn are followed by short section. ( ome detailed and interest­ data that could . ubstantiate his statements, most of the informa- ing) on many subjects: collecting localities: snake envenomation Helpetologicall?el•iew 31 ( 2). 2000 123 Li on on diet is useless. Furthem1ore. in some instances the author Dut;LLMAN, W. E. 1978. The biology of an equatorial herpctofauna in provided apparently unsubstantiated guesses about food items. A Amazonian Ecuador. Univ. Kans. Mus. Nat. Hist. Misc. Pub!. 65:1 - good example is in the first account, on Amphisbaena alba. Starace 352. states that its diet is composed "esseotiaUy of insects, arthropods, HENDERSON, R. W. 1993. On the diets of some arboreal boids. Herpetol. Nat. Hist. 1:91-96. emthworms, and certainly of snakes of small size." What does MARTINS, M., AND M. E. OuvEIRA. 1993. The snakes of the genus A tractus "certainly" means in this context? Did the author find prey re­ (Reptilia: Squamata: Colubridae) fro m the Man au s region, cent ral mains that could most probably be or a snake? Or is he just guess­ Ama:t~1nia. Brazil. Zoot. Medcd. 67:2 1-40. ing U1at A. alba could eat small snakes? ___ , AND ___. 1999 (" 1998"). Nawral history of snakes in rorests To minimize the perpetuation of those putatively incorrect state­ of the Manaus region, Central Amazonia, Brazil. Herpetol. Nat. Hi s t. ments about tbe diet of several Amazonian snakes. I here provide 6:78- 150. a list of those that appear in Starace's book: birds and frogs in the PRUDENTE, A. L., J. C. MouRA -LEITE, AND S. A. A. MoRATO. 1998. diet of Cored/us caninus (only mammals and lizards were found, Alimentac;ao das especics de Siphfophis Fitzi ngcr (Serpentes. Colubridae, Xcnodontirwc. Pseudoboin i). Rcvta. bras. Zool. 15:375- according to Hende•~~on 1993); li zards for Atractus spp. (appar­ 383. ently specialized on earthworms and arthropods: reviewed in WEJ-IEKIN D, L. 1955. Notes on the roods or the Trinidad snakes. Brit. J. Martins and Oliveira 1993: bur see Chippaux 1986: Table VI): Her-petol. 2:9-13. birds and mammals for Chironius carinatus, C. fuscus, C. mufTiventris, and C. scurrulus (all apparently specialjzed on am­ phibians and lizards; see Dixon et al. 1993; bur see a record of a bird for C. fuse us in Beebe 1946: see also Weheki nd 1955): birds 1t ~qH't<'~loJ.!w"J H"..;,.'M., :mon. 11(2t 1:!4 - 1: u,, and lizards for Dend!Vphidion dendrophis (a frog specialist; re­ C) 2000 hy Su~.: il'l y ful' I he Study t'i Amjlhihi:ut'i :mJ Rl!ptlle,. viewed by Martins and Oliveira 1999); lizards for Liophis typhlus A F ield Guide to the Snakes of Borneo, by Robert B. Stuebing (apparently a frog specialist; reviewed by Martins and Oliveira and Robert F. Inger. 1999. Natural History Publications (Borneo). 1999); mainly bi rds and man1mal ·for Siphlophis cervinus (mainly Sdn. Bhd., A9 13.