Fotoatlas der Amphibienlarven Deutschlands, Österreichs und der Schweiz (Supplement 17 of the Journal of Field Herpetology)

Description:

2nd edition. Text German. This volume is an expanded new edition of the amphibian larvae of Germany (Thiesmeier 2014). It includes a revised and expanded version of the text and photographs from the previous edition, supplemented with corrections and additions, and expanded to include newly added species and subspecies from Austria and Switzerland.

Identifying native amphibian larvae while they are alive is relatively easy in many cases, but difficult in others -- especially when dealing with small animals or closely related species. Many identification guides leave the reader unclear about which of the listed characteristics are only easily recognisable and suitable for identification in preserved specimens and which are also readily apparent in living animals. They often offer only a few schematic drawings or individual photographs for illustration.

This photo atlas takes a different approach. All identification characteristics described in the literature were compared with extensive photographic material of living animals and tested for their actual suitability for identification under these conditions. The identification characteristics developed from this comparison and presented here are all visible in the photographs in the atlas.

All 23 amphibian species with larval stages found in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland are covered, along with two subspecies. For quick orientation, larval types of the species are presented at the beginning of the book. Based on this selection, the reader can decide which species they need to search further for in order to identify a larva. For all species and subspecies combined, over 650 photos are available, generally beginning with the hatching of the animals from their eggshells or with newborn larvae, as in the case of the fire salamander, and ending with larvae undergoing metamorphosis. In addition to the larval types at middle age, all species and subspecies are thus presented in a wide variety of developmental stages and in their great diversity of markings, colours, and forms.