The Amphibians of Honduras

by James R. McCranie and Larry David Wilson
The first complete treatment of the amphibians of any Mesoamerican country . . . . The present work, a product of 15 years of labor, will surely stand as a model in tropical herpetology for completeness, accuracy, attention to detail, and scholarship . . . . A major contribution to our knowledge of Central American herpetology.

–- Jay M. Savage, from the Foreword.
Honduras is the second largest of the seven Central American countries. Its amphibian fauna, however, has been the least known in the region and numerous studies have referred to the 'Honduran hiatus' in distribution and in our understanding of the systematics of indigenous species. The authors, James R. McCranie and Larry David Wilson, who began field work in Honduras in 1976 and 1967, respectively, have made an intensive study of the amphibian fauna and have now produced a book that will serve to make the amphibian fauna of Honduras one of the best known in the world. They have spent a total of more than 1500 days in the field and have personal field experience with nearly every species. They have examined more than 9500 adult specimens and about 500 lots of tadpoles and egg clutches in researching this book. The result is a model faunal study that will be a welcome reference for scientists and conservationists alike. It will be a reminder of the potential loss of biodiversity in a country in which deforestation and loss of habitat have greatly accelerated over the last decade.
The Honduran amphibian fauna consists of 116 species of caecilians (2 species), salamanders (25), and frogs (89), including members of nine families: Caeciliidae (2), Plethodontidae (25), Bufonidae (8), Centrolenidae (8), Hylidae (31), Leptodactylidae (33), Microhylidae (3), Ranidae (5), and Rhinophrynidae (1). The book has extensively illustrated identification keys, a discussion of reproductive modes and ecomorphological guilds, distribution, and essays about the human impact on, and future of, the Honduran amphibian fauna. The bulk of the book consists of detailed accounts of the species (each one includes synonymy, range, diagnosis, description of adult [and tadpole where applicable], references to published illustrations, remarks, ecological distribution, natural history, etymology, and specimens examined).

There is a gazetteer of Honduran localities, a glossary, a comprehensive literature cited section, and indexes to authors and taxa. Finally, there are 20 color plates including 24 photographs of habitats and 130 of amphibians.
Specifications: 625 pages, 7 x 10 inches, 119 maps and figures, 33 tables, 20 color plates, clothbound with dust-jacket. ISBN 0–916984–57–5.
Price: $60.00 + Postage

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