Amphibians and Reptiles of Madagascar and the Mascarene, Seychelles, and Comoro Islands

John Skillcorn

Authors: Friedrich-Wilhelm Henkel and Wolfgang Schmidt
Translation: Hinrich Kaiser
Publisher: Krieger Publishing Company, Malabar, Florida 32590
ISBN: 1-57524-014-9
Price £53.50

About the book
This work is a very accessible guide to the herpetofauna of the area and comes complete with information on the regional climate and vegetation, as well as with information on vivarium care.  Descriptions of 240 species of frogs, turtles and tortoises, chameleons, geckos, iguanas and agamas, skinks and snakes are provided.  For each species, the description includes information on distribution, habitat and characteristic features, as well as some general comments on natural history.  Two hundred and sixty nine high quality colour photographs are provided to simplify identification plus descriptions of selected national parks.

So says the information on the back cover of this impressive book.  It contains over 300 pages of detailed information which, for some reason, you just feel you can trust.  The final translation from the German by Hinrich Kaiser is excellent.  I knew Madagascar's wildlife was special, but I had no idea just how special until I bought this book.

The cover is hardback and the paper is dense and slightly glossy, making it surprisingly heavy to pick up.  However, the whole effect is one of quality.

The illustrations are first rate, with the possible exception of that of the frog Stumpffia tetradactyla on page 82.  Call me Mr. Thicky, but I cannot for the life of me see the animal in question!  However, after looking at these illustrations you will most likely be left thinking, 'Where can I get that from?'  Platypelis milloti on page 74 and Scaphiophryne gottlebei on page 77 are cases in point.

Of course, Mantellas feature in this book, and include information on MM. aurantiaca, betsileo, crocea, expectata (what a beautiful animal), haraldmeieri, laevigata, madagascariensis, pulchra and viridis.  There is extensive coverage of Mantidactylus species also which seem to have similar reproductive strategies.

The book is divided into the following chapters:

Madagascar
Comoro Islands
Seychelles
Mascarene Islands
Species Accounts
National Parks and Nature Reserves in Madagascar
Checklist of the Amphibians and Reptiles
Bibliography

Each species of animal has information concerning Type locality, Distribution, Habitat, Size, Distinguishing features, Biology and Vivarium Care.  Personally I find the notes on the individual habitats both fascinating and practically useful.  This is especially relevant information when one is trying to breed these animals.