N.Z. REPTILES DESCRIBED

Press, 19 April 1980, Page 17

N.Z. REPTILES DESCRIBED

New Zealand Amphibians and Reptiles. i By Joan Robb. Collins (N.Z.). 1980 ; 128 pp. $24.95. ] (Reviewed by Bruce McCulloch) ’ This book is a “collation of the information at present available on amphibians and reptiles, native and introduced, of New Zealand.” When I first picked it up and skimmed through the pages, it impressed me; The “pretty” photographs and very readable text > was obviously aimed at general arid scientific readers. Unfortunately, as I looked more at the book, a number of small points annoyed me and detracted somewhat from mv orieInalview. 8 ' ’ Joan Robb obviously has a real empathy for these animals, particularly the lizards, and this is evident in her easy and fluent writing style. Her often very perceptive species descriptions are mainly based on different colour patterns; a factor which makes the book very useful to. the non-specil- • ist who may pick up an occasional specimen. The habit and habitat descriptions indicate many' hours of field .and laboratory observations. The appendices are extremely pertinent with the distribution maps being useful as an aid to species identifica-' lion. . ' • Superficially, the large number of photographs complement the text. However, some photographs are not of a particularly high standard. This

appears to be a printing fault in some cases, but there are examples of overexposed and washed-out prints. Some plates do have good colour saturation, but these are exceptions. This factor lets the book down a. little, especially "since the species descriptions rely much on colour variations. .The unimpressive photography is exemplified in the invisible forked tail in plate 32, and the centre picture in plate 14, two-thirds of which shows nothing. References, in the text, to the photographs would also have been useful, to avoid constant searching for them. The book would be of particular interest to all naturalists who wish to extend their knowledge of New Zealand fauna, „ and could serve as . an identification text before original papers could be consulted. The book would'also be of use to the interested general reader, especially the chapter introductions, which give a good background to the New Zealand amphibians and reptiles. My main criticism of it as a scientific text is its failure to acknowledge Graham Hardy’s work on Scincidae taxonomy and zoogeography. Robb has obviously accepted some of Hardy’s new species; (e.g. L. acrinasum and OL, chloconoton), .while other points have been conveniently ignored. The taxonomic status of this family is not as clear-cut as the book indicates. Are there also uncertain ties in the Geckos?Ts the book out of date before.

it is printed? The failure to recognize Hardy’s work, and perhaps other scientific works, significantly reduces the value of the book. The only really comparable book is Richard Sharell’s “The Tuatara, and Frogs of New Zealand.” Robb’s book goes .into more detail, yet is just as readable. One failing of Robb’s book compared to Sharell’s is her lack of an extended reference list. Many readers appreciate a list of further material on the subject, particularly authors mentioned in the text. The two “Native Heritage” articles by Robb are only introductions compared with this book, >as are the appropriate sections in Forster and Forster’s “Small Land Animals of New Zealand.” In summary, this is an excellent book for general readers and scientific readers to attain a detailed knowledge of the New Zealand amphibian and reptile fauna. Its scientific value is reduced by the lack of an adequate reference section, and the failure to recognise other important works. In spite of the fact that the text necessitates similar types of description, Robb has commendably succeeded in making it very readable. The photographs generally complement the text, although some are not of a high standard. Bruce McCulloch, a zoologist, is director of the North Otago Museum in Oamaru. „•