William E. Duellman – författare

An Introduction to the Amphibians of Ecuador is the first of four volumes, which are comprehensive, well-illustrated, and authoritative works, making them invaluable to biologists, conservationists, and others. This initial volume delves into the cultural history of amphibians, encompassing ethnobatrachology and folklore, while summarizing the amphibian iconography found in Ecuadorian archaeology. Moreover, it covers topics such as bioprospecting, sustainable management, and biotrade activities. The history and present state of amphibian biology research are also addressed. Furthermore, it explores in comprehensive detail the rich amphibian diversity of Ecuador, providing a thorough review of biogeography, amphibian declines, and conservation.Subsequent volumes list the characteristics of each species, define each taxon, and compare them to similar other species. Natural history and reproductive behavior, where known, are described, as are data on vocalizations, larvae, and ontogenetic changes. Amphibian distributions are illustrated with physiographic maps with dots. Each volume addresses the declines, extinctions, and conservation status of each species and provides notations of their occurrence in reserves.KEY FEATURESSummarizes the ethnozoological aspects of amphibiansProvides a thorough history of researchIntroduction to three volumes providing accounts for each of the 3 orders, 19 families, 78 genera, and over 650 species from Ecuador

"Assays of assemblages of amphibians and reptiles provide important information on community structure in the tropics. These ectothermic organisms are highly responsive to slight differences in the environment and to seasonal differences, such as patterns of rainfall. Most species seem to have rather restricted home ranges; therefore, data gathered in a restricted area provide much better insight into the requirements of, and potential interactions among, the species in the assemblage."—from the IntroductionThe rainforests in the southwestern part of the Amazon Basin in southeastern Peru are home to scores of amphibians and reptiles. Cusco Amazónico is a richly illustrated and comprehensive account of the lives of 151 of these species. William E. Duellman's masterpiece of community ecology includes descriptions of the physical environment and vegetation found in this unique habitat along with syntheses of abundance, mass, feeding, reproductive guilds, and daily and seasonal patterns of activity. Identification keys in English and Spanish precede detailed and illustrated species accounts. Tadpoles of many frogs are described and illustrated.Cusco Amazónico will become a standard reference for herpetologists, tropical biologists, biogeographers, ecologists, and conservationists and stands on its own as a portrait of an animal community in a unique bioregion. The illustrations include 236 color photographs, 121 charts and graphs, 16 maps, 42 line drawings, 2 halftones, and 56 sets of audiospectrograms and waveforms. There are 71 tables.

This is the widely acclaimed, preeminent reference and text on all aspects of amphibian biology, including their life history, ecology, morphology, and evolution. Copiously illustrated with original drawings and photographs and meticulously referenced with more than 2,500 bibliographic entries, it has proved indispensable to professional biologists and students alike. Now reissued in paperback with an updated preface by the authors, Biology of Amphibians remains the standard work in its field.

Amphibians are ecological equivalents of the canary in the coal mine. Because they have little physiological control over their body temperatures or evaporative water loss, frogs and toads, salamanders and newts, and the tropical wormlike caecilians are closely tied to their environments, and various stages of their biphasic life cycle are susceptible to environmental contaminants. At a time when populations of many species of amphibians are declining from unknown causes, indicating the destruction of natural habitats, biologists and conservationists need to know the patterns of distribution of amphibians and where large numbers of species and endemics occur. Patterns of Distribution of Amphibians: A Global Perspective, edited by William E. Duellman, is the first synthesis of information on the worldwide distribution of amphibians. Chapters on each of nine global regions are written by internationally recognized experts, who have gathered the diverse data from the literature and from their own experience in the field.The regional treatments emphasize patterns of distribution and their interpretation with respect to geography, climate, vegetation, and evolutionary history, providing unique syntheses of these patterns. The contributors also address existing and recommended aspects of conservation. The extensive bibliography accompanying each chapter is an entree into the literature on the amphibians of each region. Appendixes provide lists of species and their areas of distribution within each major region of the world. A wealth of maps, graphs, and tables is also included, making this volume an essential reference for herpetologists, biogeographers, and conservationists. Contributors: Leo J. Borkin , Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg * Jonathan A. Campbell , University of Texas, Arlington * William E. Duellman , University of Kansas, Lawrence * S. Blair Hedges , Pennsylvania State University * Robert F. Inger , Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago * J. C. Poynton , Natural History Museum, London * Samuel S. Sweet , University of California, Santa Barbara * Michael J.Tyler , University of Adelaide, Australia * Zhao Er-Mi , Chengdu Institute of Biology, Peoples Republic of China

Amphibians of Ecuador, Volume IV is the final installment in a four-volume series that provides comprehensive, well-illustrated, and authoritative insights into the amphibian species of Ecuador, making it an invaluable resource for biologists, conservationists, and others. The series explores, in comprehensive detail, the cultural history and the rich amphibian diversity of Ecuador, providing a thorough review of biogeography, amphibian declines, and conservation.Volume IV specifically focuses in Phyllomedusidae, Leptodactylidae, Ceratophryidae, Hemiphractidae, Eleutherodactylidae, Centrolenidae, Gymnophiona, and Caudata. Characteristics of each species are listed, defined, and compared to similar other species. Reproductive behavior, where known, is described as are data on vocalizations, larvae and ontogenetic changes. Amphibian distributions are detailed and illustrated with physiographic maps with dots. The volume also addresses the declines, extinctions, and conservation status of each species, highlighting their occurrence in protected areas.Key Features:Provides detailed and comprehensive accounts for all species from Ecuador of Phyllomedusidae, Leptodactylidae, Ceratophryidae, Hemiphractidae, Eleutherodactylidae, Centrolenidae, Gymnophiona, and Caudata. An Addendum includes accounts of species described from 2023 to 2024.New data are incorporated for many species.Describes with full color maps the distribution of all known taxa.Includes information on the ecology, reproduction, and behavior of all taxa.

This book is the second of four volumes, which are comprehensive, well-illustrated, and authoritative works invaluable to biologists, conservationists, and others. It explores, in comprehensive detail, the rich amphibian diversity of Ecuador, providing a thorough review of biogeography, amphibian declines, and conservation. This volume covers Pipidae, Telmatobiidae, Microhylidae, Dendrobatidae, Ranidae, Bufonidae, and Hylidae. Characteristics of each species are listed, defined, and compared to similar other species. Reproductive behavior, where known, is described, as are data on vocalizations, larvae, and ontogenetic changes. Amphibian distributions are illustrated with physiographic maps with dots. Each volume addresses the declines, extinctions, and conservation status of each species and provides notations of their occurrence in reserves.KEY FEATURESProvides detailed and authoritative accounts for each species in seven families: Pipidae, Telmatobiidae, Microhylidae, Dendrobatidae, Ranidae, Bufonidae, and HylidaeNew data are incorporated for many speciesDescribes with full-color maps the distribution of all known taxaIncludes information on the ecology, reproduction, and behavior of all taxa

Amphibians of Ecuador: Craugastoridae. Volume III is the third in a four-volume series that provides comprehensive, well-illustrated, and authoritative insights, making it an invaluable resource for biologists, conservationists, and others. The series explores, in comprehensive detail, the cultural history and the rich amphibian diversity of Ecuador, providing a thorough review of biogeography, amphibian declines, and conservation.Volume III specifically focuses on Craugastoridae. Characteristics of each species are listed, defined, and compared to other similar species. Reproductive behavior, where known, is described, as are data on vocalizations. Amphibian distributions are detailed and illustrated with physiographic maps with dots. The volume also addresses the declines, extinctions, and conservation status of each species, noting their occurrence in reserves.KEY FEATURES:Provides detailed and comprehensive accounts for all Craugastoridae species from EcuadorNew data are incorporated for many speciesDescribes with full color maps the distribution of all known taxaIncludes information on the ecology, reproduction, and behavior of all taxa

This scientific masterpiece reveals many aspects of the lives of marsupial frogs and closely allied genera. Native to Central and South America, these amphibians differ from other frogs in that they protect their eggs after oviposition by either adhering them to the female's back or placing them in a specialized dorsal pouch (thus the common name, marsupial frog). During mating, the male typically collects the eggs from the female with his feet-often one at a time and always out of water-fertilizes them, and then tucks them into the female's pouch or attaches them to her back. In some species these eggs hatch as tadpoles, but most emerge as miniatures of the adults. Even among the tadpoles there is remarkable divergence, with some behaving in the typical manner (feeding and metamorphosing), whereas others forego all feeding until they metamorphose. In Marsupial Frogs, William E Duellman's synthesis of all that is known about the unique family Hemiphractidae is largely based on decades of his own careful laboratory and field study.He reveals the diversity of exotic color patterns and the frogs' geographic distributions by providing more than 200 photographs, illustrations, and maps. This exceptional tome should find its way into the libraries of serious herpetologists, tropical biologists, and developmental biologists. Included in this book are: a molecular phylogeny of the family Hemiphractidae; a thorough osteological analysis; a review of external morphological features; it includes an overview of the evolution of reproductive modes; a biogeographic synthesis; it includes keys to genera and species; offers diagnosis and thorough description of each species of marsupial frog; and a colored physiographic maps depicting species distributions.