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Host immune activation is common under a pathogen invasion. This physiological response can promote changes in the body surface compounds, thus providing chemical cues related to health that might be useful to conspecifics. By recognizing the current immunological status of social partners, individuals can modulate their behavior to minimize the risk of infection. Tegument wounding, an immune elicitor, is a required step for many parasites to become established in a host. By using the neotropical eusocial paper wasp Mischocyttarus metathoracicus as a model organism, we first performed a lure presentation experiment in the field to test if wasps discriminate conspecific immunological status (experimentally manipulated by wounding) during on nest social interactions. Then, we performed gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analyses to test if immunostimulation by wounding alters the wasps’ cuticular hydrocarbon profile. We found that wasps reduce the duration of aggressive physical contact when interacting with wounded lures, despite displaying a similar frequency of inspective and aggressive behaviors toward both the wounded and the control lures. Besides, we found a subtle increase in a single cuticular hydrocarbon in the wounded wasps. Thus, wasps recognize conspecific immunological status, likely by chemical cues, and modulate their behavior in order to defend the colony against intruders while minimizing the personal risk of infection.

Why workers forfeit direct reproduction is a crucial question in eusocial evolution. Worker reproduction provides an excellent opportunity to understand the mechanism of kin conflict resolution between the queen and workers. We evaluated behavioral and physiological differences among females in the paper wasp Polistes chinensis antennalis to examine why some workers reproduce under queenright conditions. Reproductive workers were old and foraged less early in the season; their cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) profiles overlapped with those of queens but were significantly different. The distinct CHC profile of the eggs of the queen likely represented a cue for policing against those by workers. Juvenile hormone (JH) and dopamine seemed to be associated with gonadotropic function, and the JH level of reproductive workers was similar to that of the queen. The high JH level of reproductive workers likely facilitated their reproduction even under queenright conditions. Gene expression levels of the queen and reproductive workers differed only in vitellogenin. These results suggest that worker reproduction is facilitated by an increase in JH level; however, CHC is not a fertility-linked signal, but a queen-linked signal; consequently, reproductive workers without a queen-linked signal might be allowed to stay within the colony.

During social interactions, the behavior of an individual often depends on the sex of its social partner. Many animal societies have males and females that play very different behavioral roles, although they coexist and interact non-sexually. At specific phases of the colony cycle, social wasp females and males are contemporaries within a nest, they often interact, although mating occurs mostly off the nest, therefore providing an opportunity to test sex discrimination in contexts other than classical sexual ones. We performed a lure presentation experiment to test if Mischocyttarus metathoracicus discriminate between conspecifics of the 2 sexes during on-nest social interactions. Female wasps discriminated conspecific sex during experimentally simulated nest intrusions. Visual and chemical cues may account for this sex discrimination. Despite sex discrimination (evidenced by differential inspective behavior from the nest females toward the female and the male lures), female wasps were as aggressive toward lures of both sexes. In the female-dominated hymenopteran societies, males are often subordinate and not aggressive on nest, resulting in females directing less aggression to them compared to other females. Instead, M. metathoracicus males and females are both aggressive toward nestmates, so they might be perceived as similar threat during on-nest social interactions.

J. F. Merritt, S. Churchfield, R. Hutterer, B. I. Sheftel (eds.). 2005. Advances in the Biology of Shrews II. Special Publication of the International Society of Shrew Biologists 1, New York, 468pp. ISBN ISBN 978-1411678187, price (paper), $37.50. Advances in the Biology of Shrews II is not a textbook on the general biology of shrews (Soricidae). The book is a collection of 39 peer-reviewed papers that demonstrate the diversity of research into shrew biology currently being undertaken; the book summarizes the state of knowledge in the various topic areas. The volume is a product of the International Colloquium on the Biology of the Soricidae II that convened 14–18 October 2002 at Powdermill Biological Station, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Rector, Pennsylvania, with 61 participants representing 15 countries, including Belarus, China, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Poland, Russia, South Africa, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States, and Venezuela. Hence, the colloquium and the resulting proceedings volume have international value and high scientific standards, with the background of former meetings of the “community” of shrew biologists scattered worldwide. In the past decades there were a few other meetings of shrew specialists, which probably inspired this scientific meeting and enhanced international collaboration. Among many other extensive works, I want to highlight 4 publications: Population Biology of Eurasian Shrews (Hanski and Pankakoski 1989) and The Biology of the Soricidae (Findley and Yates 1991) were probably 2 of the 1st symposia volumes on shrews published in English, followed by Advances in the Biology of Shrews (Merritt et al. 1994). Wojcik and Wolsan (1998) published Evolution of Shrews . I vividly remember when J. F. Merritt approached me via “The Shrew Shrine” with the idea of organizing another meeting on Soricidae. Amusingly, he called this project “The Shrew Bash.” Advances in the Biology of Shrews II , as J. F. Merritt states, is dedicated to “shrewologists” par excellence: Peter Crowcroft, Charles O. Handley, Jr., Gordon L. Kirkland, Jr., and Mikhail V. Zaitsev. Churchfield states in the preface that “some authors were ‘old hands’ …

F. Courchamp, L. Berec, J. Gascoigne. 2008. Allee Effects in Ecology and Conservation. Oxford University Press, New York, New York, 272 pp. ISBN 978-0-19-956755- 3, price (paper), $60.00. In the 1930s and 1940s research by Warder C. Allee suggested that individual fitness (or components thereof) could be positively related to population size or density (e.g., Allee 1931). Today referred to as the “Allee effect,” the notion that presence of conspecifics can have positive dynamic consequences and even prevent population extinction remained largely unnoticed for the next 50 plus years. For example, a search using the keyword “Allee effect” in Web of Knowledge returns only 25 publications prior to the year 1990. Since then we have seen a dramatic increase in the number of studies on Allee effects, cumulating in the 1st comprehensive treatment of the topic by Franck Courchamp, Ludek Berec, and Joanna Gascoigne in 2008 (the focus of this book review). Given the current biodiversity crisis, where at least 25% of all mammal species are threatened with extinction (Schipper et al. 2008), and the apparent prevalence of Allee effects in mammals when compared to other vertebrate classes, this book could not have been published at a more opportune time. This is particularly true because those charged with the conservation of threatened species increasingly will be expected to develop and implement suitable management aimed at counteracting observed Allee effects. Chapter 1 is a delight to read. It presents a comprehensive description of the history of research into Allee effects and provides clear, readily accessible definitions to relevant technical terms. Figures are used effectively to illustrate relationships between individual fitness or population growth rates and population density. The single criticism related …

S. O. MacDonald, J. A. Cook.2009.Recent Mammals of Alaska. University of Alaska Press, Fairbanks, Alaska, 387 pp. ISBN 978-1-60223-047-7, price (hardbound: alkaline paper), $55.00. Alaska is more than twice the size of Texas and has more than 10,000 km of coastline (the distance from Laramie, Wyoming, to Buenos Aires, Argentina). It is not only a vast land but also a difficult one in which to work during much of the year. Notable mammalogists, from C. Hart Merriam and Joseph Grinnell—the founders of mammalogy—to the authors and their students (many of whom are pictured in this book), have worked diligently to clarify the fauna of this northernmost state, a last redoubt for much of the American megafauna. The book begins with a nice overview of the history of Alaska's mammal collectors and scientific expeditions. These were heroic efforts in the early days of exploration. On an early expedition Major Robert Kennicott died of heart failure while exploring the Yukon in 1866 (the Kennicott Glacier, Kennicott Valley, and Kennicott River are named in his honor). Kennicott was replaced by William Healey Dall (who first observed white sheep on Mt. McKinley, a species that would subsequently be named the Dall Sheep, Ovis dalli , when it was formally described by Nelson in 1884). Dall (who was a student of the Harvard anatomist and mammalogist, Jeffries Wyman, the father of forensic anthropology) had been exploring Siberia when he learned of Kennicott's death, and he left his Siberian expedition and moved to the Yukon River to continue the exploration of that area. The U.S. Biological Survey played a major role in sampling Alaska's mammal fauna, from E. W. Nelson (when he was a private in the Army) to Frederick True, C. Hart Merriam, A. K. Fisher, W. H. Osgood, N. Hollister, and O. Murie (the book is dedicated to Olaus and Margaret Murie). Also making appearances as field collectors are V. H. Cahalane, A. Murie (brother of Olaus and …

P. Sandoe, S. B. Christiansen. 2008. Ethics of Animal Use. Blackwell Publishing Professional (now John Wiley and Sons), Ames, Iowa, 178 pp. ISBN-13: 978-1-4051-5120-7, price (paper), $66. Most of us became professionals in the biological sciences because of some love of the natural world. For mammalogists, it was usually a passion to know more about animals other than humans. In recent decades, we may wince at the increasing number of regulations that are concerned with use of animals in research. Our enthusiasm also may be dampened by a handful of fanatics called “animal rightists” that deplore some research we carry out. We all are concerned about ethical use and welfare of animals; otherwise, we would be in another profession. Biomedical researchers who use animals usually are mandated to have applied benefits to humans from their medical–clinical research and have comprehensive review prior to approval. Even under all this scrutiny and with obvious benefits of their research to humans, many fear being identified as animal researchers. Conversely, those conducting studies in basic research, natural history, behavior, or other field studies compete for limited resources while regulatory oversight is less focused. Furthermore, we have the tasks of assuring the public that animals are being used in our research in a respectful and compliant way and defending our research by being able to explain, “what good is it” (especially for basic research). That's the research side, but animals are used by humans in many more ways such as in the food and clothing industries, through our impacts on them due to human population growth, and in the pet trade. How should we, as the dominant species on Earth, treat our nonhuman brethren? What are our ethical obligations? How do we know what the right thing to do is? The Ethics of Animal Use offers us some tools to answer these questions and provides choices gleaned from basic moral theory in addressing dilemmas that arise. Danish authors Sandoe and Christiansen discuss …

M. Elbroch 2006. Animal Skulls. A Guide to North American Species. Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, 727 pp. ISBN 978-0-8117-3309-0, price (paper), $44.95. This book, authored by the intrepid natural historian and master wildlife tracker, Mark Elbroch, is a celebration of the vertebrate skull. As emphasized in the Introduction to this attractive and well-crafted book, the human mind—encased in its own protective skull—is endlessly fascinated by the skulls of fellow vertebrates. Although we may not understand why, the allure of animal skulls is very real, and this book feeds the human desire to know more about them. Animal Skulls is a unique reference and identification guide to skulls of 275 vertebrate species of North America. The book is extremely well illustrated with 1,434 black-and-white drawings and 123 color photographs. Some of the photographs are especially creative, including the cougar ( Puma concolor ) photo on page 42 superimposed with a semitransparent image of its skull. Topics in Animal Skulls are presented in a logical order. The Introduction includes a section entitled Importance of Collections , which is a powerful statement on the vital role of collections as repositories for biodiversity. The Bones of the Skull (Chapter 1) provides skull vocabulary, reference diagrams of skulls, and defines standard measurements used by scientists to describe the skull. The beautifully illustrated skulls and careful use of color to identify particular bones make this chapter especially useful to the lay naturalist. Chapter 2 focuses sequentially on teeth, jaws, the senses (as interpreted from cranial morphology), skull variation, and ways to determine age and sex of the skull's owner. Chapter 3 ( Tracking Across the Surface of Animal Skulls ) provides an unusual …

A. T. Peterson, J. Soberon, R. G. Pearson, R. P. Anderson, E. Martinez-Meyer, M. Nakamura, M. B. Araujo. 2011. Ecological Niches and Geographic Distributions. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey, 314 pp. ISBN-978-0-691-13686-8 (hardbound); ISBN-978-0-691-13688-2 (paper). $49.50 (paper), $80.00 (hardbound). The past decade has seen the blooming of a new, interdisciplinary field in which developments in museum informatics, climate modeling, and geographic information system technologies have been combined, allowing for novel examination of species' ecological niches and distributions. These techniques, variously referred to as bioclimatic envelope modeling, habitat suitability modeling, ecological niche modeling, or species distribution modeling, have so far lacked a comprehensive guide summarizing critical concepts, practical considerations, and application examples. Although a recent book has been published that gives some introduction to these concepts (Franklin 2010), this new book by A. Townsend Peterson and 6 coauthors unparalleled in their modeling experience is a much-needed primer and synthesis of this new field. This book is laid out in 3 sections, and begins with a thorough explanation of ecological modeling theory before stepping through the process of assembling and evaluating distribution models and describing an overview of applications. The opening theory chapters are invaluable introductions to the field. Chapter 2 may not be new material to many mammalogists, as it describes the Grinnellian and Eltonian niche concepts with their emphasis … *Correspondent: ewaltari{at}ccny.cuny.edu

Interference and resource competition by adults inhibited growth rates of conspecific juveniles of the land snail species Mesodon thyroidus and Neohelix albolabris in separate field and laboratory experiments, but not in laboratory experiments on Anguispira altemata. In 1 m2 field cages at nearnatural densities under ambient food and water conditions, juvenile M. thyroidus apparently competed with adults for food or water or both resources, growing more slowly when living with two conspecific adults, but being unaffected by adult presence when food and water were augmented. Neohelix albolabris juveniles were similarly unaffected in field cages by presence of two adults when food and water were augmented. In contrast, interference, not resource competition, apparently explained growth inhibition in laboratory cages at densities considerably greater than natural densities, with non-limiting food and moisture; both M. thyroidus and N. albolabris juveniles grew more slowly as conspecific adult number increased from zero to three.

Iriarte, A., and F. Jaksic. 2012. Los Carnivoros de Chile. Ediciones Flora y Fauna Chile y CASEB, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Santiago, Chile, 260 pp. ISBN 978-956-351-168-0, price (paper), $74.

S. Chester 2008. A Wildlife Guide to Chile, Continental Chile, Chilean Antarctica, Easter Island, Juan Fernandez Archipelago. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey, and Oxford, United Kingdom, viii + 392 pp. ISBN 978-0-691-12976-1, price (paper), $19.95. For 13 years, Sharon Chester served as a natural history lecturer on expedition cruise ships to Chile and the Antarctic. These experiences, and the questions posed by cruise passengers, prompted her to develop a “field guide” that would provide the educated layperson (and dare I say many academics as well) with a treatment of the avian and mammal fauna of Chile. This was quickly broadened to include Chilean geography and plants, and subsequently butterflies and herpetiles as well. The result of her efforts is the only volume available that covers such an array of material for this country. Spanning almost 40° latitude plus a wedge of Antarctica, and ranging from sea level to nearly 7,000 m elevation, Chile boasts a diverse array of environments and habitats, with concomitant diversity in its flora and fauna. In spite of a wealth of material to include in a compact and handy field guide, Chester has produced a delightful guide for ecotourists and field biologists alike. This book includes 9 core chapters that address Chile and Her Sovereignties (20 pp.), Marine Resources (11 pp.), Floristic Zones (41 pp.), Botanical Descriptions (17 pp.), Butterflies and Moths (16 pp.), Reptiles and Amphibians (20 pp.), Birds (165 pp.), Mammals (58 pp.), and Where to See Wildlife (26 pp.). These core chapters are followed by a brief glossary, a 1-page Spanish–English dictionary, bibliography, separate indices to scientific and common names, and a “quick index” to color illustrations and maps. The chapter on marine resources will provide the landlubber with perhaps his or her 1st view of typical Chilean seafood, but also a brief guide to denizens of Chile's extensive intertidal regions. Coverage of vegetation and plant species is appropriately superficial but this is neither a detriment nor is it unexpected; this book is intended as a …

A. Monadjem, P. J. Taylor, F. P. D. Cotterill, M. C. Schoeman. 2010. Bats of Southern and Central Africa: A Biogeographic and Taxonomic Synthesis. Wits University Press, Johannesburg, South Africa, 596 pp. ISBN 978-1-86814-508-9, price (paper), $70.00. Bats are the 2nd most diverse order of mammals (behind rodents) and make up roughly one-fifth of the world's known mammalian diversity (Simmons 2005). The faunas of different geographical regions have been studied to various degrees. New World bats, for example, have been the target of myriad studies that have increased in the recent past, and our understanding of the taxonomy, ecology, and behavior is greatly enhanced as a result. Chiropterans of Africa have received less attention, although important reference materials from various workers, including those of Bergmans (1988), (1997), Koopman (1975), Rosevear (1965), and Hayman and Hill (1971), stand as landmarks that remain incredibly valuable resources today. The bats of southern Africa have been studied intensely over the past few decades, but a synthesis of the resulting knowledge has been lacking until now. The elegant volume by Monadjem, Taylor, Cotterill, and Schoeman is that compilation and it is very informative and timely. The 4 authors are arguably the world's experts on the bat (and other mammalian) fauna of southern Africa. Significantly, this expertise is based on extensive fieldwork and detailed study of curated voucher specimens. The authors' grasp of everything from echolocation to variation in cranial characteristics to molecular systematics is evident throughout the volume and is presented in an understandable and readable manner. The book is made up of 6 sections broken into various subsections including Introduction, Museum Collections and Pioneering Researchers, Bat Biology, Biogeography, Echolocation , and Species Accounts …

G. F. Gunnell, N. B. Simmons (eds.). 2012. Evolutionary History of Bats: Fossils, Molecules and Morphology. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom, 572 pp., 8 color illustrations and 26 tables. ISBN 978-0-521-74526-0, price (paper) $65.00, and ISBN: 978-1- 139-21076-8, price (eBook), $52.00. Bats share unique morphological and life-history traits that ecologically and physiologically set them apart from all other mammals. They emerge from the early Eocene fossil record fully capable of powered flight (Simmons et al. 2008). Although fossils yield only hints of the evolutionary relationship among bats and other mammals, morphology and molecules from extant lineages tell us different stories about their relationship with other mammals, and relationships within Chiroptera. These issues, and the evolution of echolocation and flight and their possible trade-offs are hot topics in the evolutionary history of bats. In zoology in general, efforts to construct consistent evolutionary hypotheses combining evidence from morphology and molecules are increasingly common. Evolutionary History of Bats is a timely volume that reflects this movement. The book originates from a symposium held at the 2007 meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, in Austin, Texas. The contributions are excellent syntheses on different aspects of bat evolution, and most of them include original information. Some chapters reflect integrative approaches, combining molecular and morphological data sets with the fossil record, whereas others concentrate on new evidence from fossils, morphology of extant bats, or molecular approaches alone. Contributors include zoologists, geneticists, and paleontologists (from 9 countries and 4 continents) who are at the top of their game on different aspects of bat evolution. The editors— Gregg F. Gunnell (Duke University Lemur Center) and Nancy B. Simmons (American Museum of Natural History)—are prominent leaders … rmoratelli{at}fiocruz.br

J. B. Theberge, M. T. Theberge. 2004. The Wolves of Algonquin Park: A 12-Year Ecological Study. University of Waterloo, Department of Geography, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, 168+ v–xii pp. ISBN 0-921083-67-x, price (paper) $23.50 Canadian (approximately $25.00 US), order from S. Castela (scastela@fesmail.uwaterloo.ca). This monograph on the gray wolf ( Canis lupus ) in Ontario's Algonquin Provincial Park summarizes results and implications of a 12-year study of the species in a park renowned as protected wolf habitat. In 1958, Algonquin Provincial Park became the 3rd area in North America where wolf populations were legally protected from harvest by humans (preceded by Denali [Alaska] and Isle Royale [Michigan] national parks in the United States). In this volume Theberge and Theberge present much original data from a field study conducted in 1987–1999, supplemented by inclusion of major portions of student theses that dealt with aspects of wolf ecology as well as previously published papers from peer-reviewed journals. This unusual format provides a comprehensive review of information gained by the authors during 12 years of fieldwork, as well as a comparison with data gathered by Douglas Pimlott and colleagues during a pioneering study in 1959–1963 (Pimlott et al. 1969), a study that laid the foundation for research that senior author John Theberge conducted with Pimlott in the 1960s on wolf vocalizations (Theberge and Falls 1967) and behavior in summer (Theberge and Pimlott 1969). This monograph was published by the University of Waterloo, not necessarily known as an outlet for major publications on mammals. However, there are good reasons why the authors may have chosen this nontraditional outlet for this significant publication on wolves. Probably most important is simply a desire to provide a single source for research findings that cover a wide range of topics in wolf ecology, including anecdotal information of the type that is rarely found in peer-reviewed journal papers. An additional reason is that the fieldwork was severely challenged because the work …

J. P. Beckmann, A. P. Clevenger, M. P. Huijser, J. A. Hilty(eds.).2010.Safe Passages: Highways, Wildlife, and Habitat Connectivity.Island Press, Washington, D.C., 383 pp, price (paper), $40.00., ISBN 978-1-5972-6654-3. Roads are conspicuous and pervasive features of landscapes throughout the world, measuring nearly 102,000,000 km in length worldwide (Central Intelligence Agency 2010). More than 20% of the land in the United States is affected by roads and traffic (Forman 2000). Road ecology, the study of interactions between organisms and road environments, is a rapidly developing field of inquiry. The thorough review of road impacts by Trombulak and Frissell (2000) set the standard to start the 21st century, and the 2003 edited volume, Road Ecology: Science and Solutions , by Forman et al. marked the emergence of this subdiscipline of ecology. Still an emerging field, the science of road ecology is expanding, with increased interest in integration of scientific research in decision-making on transportation planning, design, and construction. Current research focuses on reducing the barrier effect of roads, increasing landscape permeability, and improving motorists' safety. Safe Passages: Highways, Wildlife, and Habitat Connectivity by Beckmann et al. details the latest developments in road ecology studies and provides a toolbox for individuals and organizations engaged in reducing road–wildlife impacts. The book provides a state-of-our-knowledge assessment of theory and practice organized into 4 major sections: Current practices , Ecologically effective transportation …

F. A. Reid 2009. A Field Guide to the Mammals of Central America & Southeast Mexico. 2nd ed. Oxford University Press, New York, 346 pp. + 52 color plates. ISBN - 978-0-19-534322-6, price (hardbound), $149.00; ISBN - 978-0-19-534323-6, price (paper), $45.00. Fiona Reid has revised and updated her extremely useful, beautifully illustrated field guide to the mammals of the northern Neotropics. As the title states, this is a guide to the mammals of Central America and southeastern Mexico; however, this does not reflect the up-to-date, comprehensive systematic treatments, beautiful illustrations, ecological information, attention to detail, and the fact that the book is quite useful to both the north and south of Central America. Much of this work is based on her firsthand studies of mammals, both living and preserved specimens, from the region. The seemingly bewildering array of species present in this region is nicely laid out. Introductory sections include: How to use this book, How to find mammals, Studying mammals, The need for further research, Where to find mammals , and Conservation of mammals in Central America . The main section of the book consists of species accounts for all species of native mammals, including the marine mammals that are found in the adjacent waters and 3 introduced species that occur in the region. The book includes a glossary, which defines the words in a simple manner, an extensive bibliography, and indexes to the scientific and common names. All sections are written in a user-friendly manner. Accounts are provided for 364 species, which include 14 marsupials, 3 anteaters, 3 sloths, 2 armadillos, 15 shrews, 144 bats, 8 primates, 102 native rodents, 3 introduced rodents, 4 rabbits, 27 carnivores, 1 manatee, 1 tapir, 6 artiodactyls, and 31 cetaceans. Three widespread and commonly encountered introduced species (the house mouse, black rat, and Norway rat) are included. Throughout, the text includes a brief …

T. A. Vaughan, J. M. Ryan, N. J. Czaplewski. 2011. Mammalogy. 5th ed. Jones and Bartlett Publishers, Sudbury, Massachusetts, 750 pp. ISBN 978-0-7637-6299-5, price (paper), $100.00. Last summer I spent time with old friends. Terry Vaughan and company have significantly updated their text, Mammalogy , for the 5th edition (2011). The book is 62% larger than the 1st edition in 1972 (Vaughan 1972). Vaughan, Ryan, and Czaplewski skewer topics with a simplicity derived from years of mammalian research and teaching, and it is a pure pleasure to read. The synthetic nature of Mammalogy (2011) and exceptional clarity in writing make this edition an ideal book that is not just for class. Because much new research has been integrated into each chapter, all mammalogists will appreciate new introductions to each group and newly synthesized classification, ecology, physiology, and other subject-driven chapters. I found myself picking up the book where I had left off and treating it more like a novel than a text. Further, I kept interrupting myself and wandering to other topics (what's going on these days with primates, or the latest in bats, or the latest in whale evolution). It was a rich, rewarding summer. Mammalogy , 4th ed. (Vaughan et al. 2000), lacked the recent revolutionary phylogeny and resulting classificatory changes, which made that edition too difficult to continue to use. That is remedied here, and I like and need the new classification close at hand on the insides of front and back covers. The cladogram of the new scheme of orders is explained in Chapter 1, and the majority of chapters follow this arrangement. Further, the most …

R. E. MacMillen, B. J. MacMillen. 2007. Meanderings in the Bush. Natural History Explorations in Outback Australia. Dog Ear Publishing, Indianapolis, Indiana, 233 pp. ISBN 978-159858-383-0, price (paper), $15.95. Although Charles Darwin, strangely, showed little personal fondness for the small southern continent, many later naturalists have grown to love the remarkable natural history and people of Australia. Such an enthusiast is Richard E. (Dick) MacMillen, whose career-long fascination with the land, animals, and culture of Australia resulted in a personal story and a perspective that he is now sharing in the form of a book, produced with the assistance of his wife Barbara. Richard MacMillen's research and early scientific publications explored the energy and water relations of various mammals, birds, reptiles, and even semiterrestrial crabs in Australia's arid zone. The limitations imposed by the scarcity and unpredictability of food and water resources in this vast environment represent an attractive research theme for an ecophysiologist such as Dick MacMillen. His book, based on several decades of travel and work in Australia, shows an appreciation for the land, its history, and its fate. The spectacular news that Australian desert rodents derived from a Miocene lineage of the Muridae have evolved physiological and morphological …

B. Breed, F. Ford. 2007. Native Mice and Rats. Australian Natural History Series, CSIRO Publishing, Colling-wood, Victoria, Australia, 185 pp. ISBN 978-0-6430-9166-5, price (paper), AU$39.95. This book belongs on the shelf of everyone with a serious interest in mammals and in all institutional research libraries, because it brings current nearly all that is known about Australia's native rodents, following The Rodents of Australia by Watts and Aslin (1981). This book will be particularly useful for those planning to conduct field or laboratory research on Australia's rodents, whether they are Australians or visiting researchers, and at all levels of scholarly achievement from advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students to postdoctoral and more-senior researchers. Throughout, the authors stress the great diversity of this rodent fauna, comprising about 60 extant species and 2 major subgroups of the family Muridae: old endemics (12 genera) that arrived around 4–5 million years ago (mya), and new endemics (1 genus, all Rattus spp.) that arrived around 1.8 mya, all likely from Southeast Asia via New Guinea, with most of the diversification and speciation occurring after arrival. Most naturalists from North America and Europe, and many from Australia, think of Australia as a land of marsupials and monotremes without acknowledging that nearly 25% of the endemic mammalian species there are rodents. I 1st visited Australia in 1966 with the former notion in mind, but soon became aware of this diversity through the tutelage of Basil Marlow, …

Sue Paterson. 2008. Manual of Skin Diseases of the Dog and Cat. 2nd ed. Blackwell Publishing/John Wiley & Sons Ltd., Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom, 356 pp. ISBN 978-1-4051-6753-6, price (paper), $99.99. Not every mammalogist will search for this reference on their library shelf, yet Paterson's Manual of Skin Diseases of the Dog and Cat may be a valuable resource for the mammalogist with research interests in wildlife diseases, disease ecology, or areas of applied research that continue to place demands on professional biologists working for government and nongovernment organizations with a broad mandate for monitoring the health of wildlife resources. Paterson's 2nd edition provides a practical addition to an organization's library, especially if their charge is focused on wildlife health. And, for the specialist in canine or feline biology, the content may be invaluable as an adjunct to species-specific information. Paterson's 2nd edition stems from the author's combining and updating 2 earlier editions of her Skin Diseases of the Dog (Paterson 1998), which remains a valued reference in my personal library, and Skin Diseases of the Cat (Paterson 2000) into a single volume. Whereas veterinary clinical practitioners remain the primary readership for the 2nd edition, wildlife veterinarians, environmental toxicologists, and wildlife biologists may share similar reference needs when it comes to evaluating wildlife health in the field or in animals held in captivity for …

M. J. Harvey, J. S. Altenbach, T. L. Best 2011 Bats of the United States and Canada. 1st ed. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Maryland, 202 pp. ISBN-978-1-4214-0191-1, price (paper), $24.95. This book, as the authors note, “is an updated and expanded version” of their 1999 booklet, “Bats of the United States.” Indeed, the book reviewed here is new and improved; it covers considerably more facets of bat biology, updates details of life history, occurrence, and nomenclature of the 47 species (plus 4 species of accidental occurrence), and comes in a much more convenient and durable size (think field-guide size). The first 90 or so pages include overviews of a variety of topics including classification, biology, echolocation, foraging, summer and winter habitats, hibernation, migration, reproduction and longevity, bats as food (and bombs), attracting and controlling bats, diseases, current concerns (e.g., wind power, white-nose syndrome), conservation, and status. There also are short discussions of research techniques such as inventories, thermal imaging, nets and traps, bat banding (for more information on the …

D. Padovan 2010.Zoonotic Infections in North American Rodents.Corvus Publishing Company Anacortes, Washington, 141 pp. price (paper), $12.50, ISBN 978-0-9760885-0-9. Dennis Padovan previously published a reference book with Corvus Publishing, Infectious Diseases of Wild Rodents (2006), which was global in scope and received positive reviews for its comprehensive and systematic coverage of bacterial, viral, and fungal pathogens known from rodents worldwide. This little book (6 × 9-inch format, 141 pp.) is a distillation from his previous work, that provides “Cliff Notes” on the bacterial and viral organisms found in North American rodents that can pose potential health problems for humans (i.e., are true zoonoses). The book is divided into 4 sections: Zoonotic Bacterial Diseases (14 examples in 9 genera), Zoonotic Viral Diseases (18 examples), a list of 25 genera of Rodent Hosts of Zoonotic Infections , and an Appendix (10 tables). There is much redundancy, which is acknowledged as intentional, because the author wanted to help the reader “reduce the need to …

B. Kryŝtufek, V. Voharlik.2009. Mammals of Turkey and Cyprus. Rodentia II: Cricetinae, Muridae, Spalacidae, Calomyscidae, Capromyidae, Hystricidae, Castoridae. Zgodovinsko drustvo za južno Primorsko, Koper, Slovenia. University of Primorska, Science and Research Centre Koper, Garibaldijeva 1,6000 Koper, Slovenia (e-mail: annales@zrs.upr.si), 371 pp. ISBN ISBN 978-961-6732-11-6, price (paper), €21.34. After 4 years, the 3rd volume in the series of Mammals of Turkey and Cyprus has been published. The 1st volume (Kryŝtufek and Voharlik 2001) served as an introduction to the series and covered the former order Insectivora (hedgehogs, shrews, and moles). The 2nd volume (Kryŝtufek and Voharlik 2005) covered the first 31 species within the order Rodentia, and the recently published 3rd volume completes the treatment of this order and covers the remaining 32 extant, plus 1 extinct, species within the families and subfamilies indicated by the title. This book is not a field guide. The intent of the authors was to create a reference work that is comparable in scope and extent to The Mammals of North America by E. …

T. O. McCracken, R. A. Kainer 2008. Color Atlas of Small Animal Anatomy: The Essentials. Blackwell Publishing, Ames, Iowa, 138 pp. ISBN-13:978-0-7817-4391-4, price (alkaline paper), $59.99. The 9 × 11½-inch format of the book invites the experienced anatomical inquisitor to flip through the pages of this text. The color cover demonstrates that a range of small animals will be presented from beagle to guinea pig to rabbit. McCracken and Kainer are professors of anatomy at Robert Ross International University of Nursing and Colorado State University, respectively. Kainer also is a DVM. They were assisted by David Carlson, who is an illustrator. The stated goal of the text on p. xii of the introduction is “… for use by individuals at …