Drobenkov, S.M., Novitsky, R.V., Kosova, L.V., Ryzhevich, K.K. &Pikulik, M.M. (2006): The amphibians of the Belarus. Advances in Amphibian Research in the Former Soviet Union

Amphibia-Reptilia 28 (2007): 314 Drobenkov, S.M., Novitsky, R.V., Kosova, L.V., Ryzhe- vich, K.K. & Pikulik, M.M. (2006) : The amphibians of the Belarus. Advances in Amphibian Research in the For- mer Soviet Union, vol. 10 . Pensoft Publishers, Sofia. 168 pages. ISBN 954-642-261-4 (softcover). As for the other books of this series, this new one has the advantage of presenting amphibians from an area where very little is known outside the former Soviet Union. This is not only due to a lack of studies, but more particularly to a language problem as most papers from the former Soviet Union are written in Russian. Here the authors offer us a presentation – in English – of the amphibians of Belarus and base their descriptions, in large part, on their personal observations. The book is not just a cartographic account or description of local species, but goes further in providing data on the biology of the amphib- ians that inhabit Belarus. The first two chapters briefly present the methods and the study area respectively. The third chapter contains sepa- rate descriptions of the two newt and eleven anuran species, and includes for each species a distribution map with occupied localities, a short description, including a table of morpho- logical measurements, and data on reproduc- tion, habitat, development, diet and conserva- tion. The following chapters each focus on spe- cific topics and give a comparison of the dif- ferent species. Thus, the fourth chapter details the structure of the amphibian assemblages with analyses of local biogeographical and ecologi- cal patterns but also the dietary habits of each species. The fifth chapter is based on morpho- logical data and aims to account for the pheno- typic variability of populations. The sixth chap- ter provides data on phenology, spawning and development. The seventh chapter is on amphib- ian decline. It has the originality of reporting on the effect of radionuclides, as Chernobyl is lo- cated close to Belarus. It gives also some ac- count of other causes of decline, such as land- scape modification, including road traffic. The book ends with a list of sites and their am- phibians. 123 references – mainly on Belarus – are also provided (translation of titles into Eng- lish). 35 colour pictures illustrate the amphibian species and landscapes of Belarus. In conclusion, this is a book that should par- ticularly interest herpetologists looking for data on amphibians from Eastern Europe but also for those wishing to know better their study species as most of the amphibians present in Belarus are also present in a large part of Europe. Mathieu Denoël FNRS Research Associate, University of Liège, Belgium © Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2007. Also available online - www.brill.nl/amre