The Amphibians of the Former Soviet Union

THE AMPHIBIANS OF THE FORMER SOVIET UNION. S. L. Kuzmin. 1999. Pensoft Publishers, Akad. G. Bonchev Str. Bl. 16, 1113, Sofia, Bulgaria (pensoft@main.infotel.bg). ISBN 954-642-045-x. 544 p. $98.00 (hardcover).—Herpetologists involved in the study of the amphibians of what once was the Soviet Union now have an up-to-date overview, in English, of current knowledge of the amphibians inhabiting this vast region. Russian biologists have a long tradition of studies on the taxonomy, distribution, ecology, and biology of their herpetofauna. Because these studies are published in Russian, or even in the other languages of the former Soviet Republics, most of their results are unavailable to many researchers. Until now, only the English translation of Nikolsky's monograph (1918) and of the 1949 book by Terentiev and Chernov were available as a general introduction to the amphibians of the former Soviet Union.

Kuzmin's monographic work is a more extended and updated version of his previous book (1995) published in German. The book contains nearly 900 references. All titles have been translated into English, and the original language is clearly stated for each of them. The book begins with a general introduction that is certainly valuable and timesaving for all herpetologists having an interest in the herpetofauna of the former USSR. The first chapter deals with the history of herpetological research in the USSR; and the second is concerned with zoogeography, the third with ecological issues, and the fourth with conservation. Apart from providing the brief portraits of the most active Russian herpetologists, the first chapter gives a useful list of Russian herpetological milestone books, a list of the Russian journals representing the main bibliographical sources of herpetological information, and a list of the richest museum collections in the former USSR. Accounts of the distribution, ecology, and conservation problems of each species are based on the author's large database, some of it previously unpublished. The status of the different species in the former USSR is discussed, and details on the species' status in each state and in all the ex-Soviet Nature Reserves are provided.

Chapter 5 contains keys for species-level identification of eggs, larvae, and adults. Keys are illustrated with effective drawings. The detailed descriptions of larvae do not include the morphology of oral cavities and are not complemented by illustrations of mouth morphology. The description of adults does not include information on vocalizations. Chapter 6 contains data on the currently recognized 41 species of amphibians, according to Kuzmin (1995) and Ananyeva et al. (1998). Guides previously available in English described 35 (Nikolsky, 1918) and 33 (Terentiev and Chernov, 1949) species, respectively. For each species, the author gives a detailed and up-to-date discussion, at both the species and subspecies level, of taxonomy (including synonyms), morphology (including details on karyology, larvae, and metamorphs), and distribution. The morphological variability of each species is shown in low-quality black-and-white photographs of alcohol-preserved specimens. Pictures of better quality are found in the 42 color plates placed at the end of the book. Maps depicting current political borders, vegetation types, species richness, and single species distributions also are placed at the end of the book. These maps are detailed (50-km grid resolution) and of good graphical quality. Differences in scale and scarcity of reference points, however, may be perplexing for anybody who is not familiar with the geography of the region and make the evaluation and direct comparison of ranges difficult.

The ecology of each species is described in detail, but there is little reference to data on the same species for other parts of their ranges. Data on species abundance, also relevant for the evaluation of grant applications or for conservation projects, are given. The effect of climatic factors, such as temperature, annual activity, breeding cycles, and embryological and larval development, is described in detail. Reproductive behavior is described very briefly. Information on longevity and population structure is based on available skeletochronological data. Detailed information on feeding ecology of larvae, the last premetamorphic stage, recently metamorphosed juveniles, and adults of most species is provided in summary tables. These data are partly unpublished and partly published only in Russian. Another outstanding contribution consists in the review of available data on parasites and diseases. Species accounts conclude with a general discussion of the conservation status of each species and the influence of human activities. References are listed after each species account, but citations are not included in the text. Species accounts do not necessarily begin on a new page, and we found this inconvenient.

Apart from being the only updated guide to the amphibians of the former USSR in English, this book is a very important source of general information relevant to everybody interested in the fauna of Europe and Central Asia. The author gives a deep review of morphological, ecological, and life-history data obtained from studies carried on populations at the margins of their European or Asiatic ranges. The book also includes the most complete dataset on feeding of European amphibians currently available in English.

In conclusion, we can say that no book is perfect in itself. The ignorance that we in Western countries have, regarding the Russian and ex-Soviet literature, may have a parallel similar ignorance of our literature in the East. In this framework, one can easily understand how some minor errors have crept into the book. For example, G. A. Boulenger was Belgian, not English, despite the many years he spent at the British Museum (NH). Some other incorrect statements, such as that Bufo calamita can be found in Italy, unfortunately are common errors even in some recent guides to the amphibians of Europe. What matters, however, is that this book definitely fills a major gap in Western knowledge of the amphibian fauna of the former Soviet Union.