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Lemurs of Madagascar, currently in its second edition, is a standard reference work and field guide for the lemurs of Madagascar, giving descriptions and biogeographic data for the known species. The primary contributor is Russell Mittermeier, president of Conservation International, and the cover art and illustrations were drawn by Stephen Nash. The books provide details about all known lemur species, general information about lemurs and their history, and also helps readers identify species they may encounter. Three related pocket field guides have also been released, containing color illustrations of each species, miniature range maps, and species checklists.

The first edition was reviewed favorably in the International Journal of Primatology, Conservation Biology, and Lemur News. Reviewers, including Alison Jolly, praised the book for its meticulous coverage of each species, numerous high-quality illustrations, and engaging discussion of lemur topics, including conservation, evolution, and the recently extinct subfossil lemurs. Each agreed that the book was an excellent resource for a wide audience, including ecotourists and lemur researchers. A lengthy review of the second edition was published in the American Journal of Primatology, where it received similar favorable comments, plus praise for its updates and enhancements. The first edition identified 50 lemur species and subspecies, compared to 71 in the second edition. The taxonomy promoted by these books has been questioned by researchers, such as Ian Tattersall, who view these growing numbers of lemur species as an example of taxonomic inflation.

Overview

Lemurs of Madagascar is published by Conservation International (CI), a non-profit conservation organization headquartered near Washington, D.C., and is intended as a field guide that identifies all of the known lemur species from Madagascar. The first edition of Lemurs of Madagascar was published in 1994 and contained 356 pages. The 520-page second edition was published in 2006 and is now officially out of print, pending the upcoming publication of the third edition in late fall 2010. The main author for both editions is Russell Mittermeier, president of CI and a well-published primatologist, although many other prominent lemur researchers have been significant contributors to various editions, including William Konstant, Ian Tattersall, and David Meyers. For all editions, Stephen Nash, winner of the 2004 American Society of Primatologists President's Award, has been the illustrator and front cover artist.

The first edition follows a 1982 volume by Tattersall, entitled Primates of Madagascar. As a field guide, the Lemurs of Madagascar is more portable, affordable, and updated than Tattersall's book, intended to assist lemur researchers and tourists in the identification of lemur species and subspecies. Both editions cover the natural history and conservation status for each known species. They also discuss conservation strategies, lemur origins, extinct lemurs, and the history of discoveries made by early European naturalists. The books provide suggestions on where to see each species, as well as checklists to help people keep track of their sightings.

Three pocket field guides have also been published by CI, intended strictly to help people identify lemurs in the field by providing over 100 species illustrations. All illustrations, including the detailed cover art, were drawn by Nash. Checklists for their respective lemur species are included with these guides, along with thumbnail range maps for each species. The three pocket guides are Lemurs of Madagascar Pocket Identification Guide (out of print), Nocturnal Lemurs, and Diurnal and Cathemeral Lemurs. The Nocturnal Lemurs booklet contains 65 species from eight genera. Diurnal and Cathemeral Lemurs hosts 34 species and subspecies from seven genera, along with illustrations to show male and female fur color differences in the genus Eulemur and color morphs for the Indri and ruffed lemur species.

Reviews

In a 1996 review of the first edition in the International Journal of Primatology, Lisa Gould spoke favorably of the book, citing entertaining and informative passages about lemur descriptions from the 17th and 18th centuries. She was particularly fascinated with Chapter 4, which discusses extinct (subfossil) lemurs, and the reconstructions by Nash that accompanied the descriptions of morphology, behavior, and diet. She praised Nash's artwork as being the one of the most enjoyable aspects of the book. The book was hailed as an excellent source for identifying lemur species for both tourists and researchers. The book was also briefly reviewed in College & Research Libraries News. The review noted Conservation International's promotion of ecotourism while also providing a count of the book's illustrations: 35 color plates, 50 distribution maps, and 135 drawings of postures and behaviors.

In the 1996 edition (volume 2) of Lemur News, Alison Jolly praised the first edition for its "contribution to knowledge in general" and "its effect on its intended audience." Like Gould, Jolly praised the work as a field guide, as well as Nash's high-quality illustrations. She noted the attraction of Nash's subfossil lemur reconstruction, claiming that it was "rapidly becoming one of the most pirated single book illustration on the primate lecture-slide circuit." Jolly went on to praise the thoroughness of the natural history information provided for each species, including recently described species, noting that the information covered existing knowledge better than any other published literature, even when only a single paragraph was provided for poorly known species. The book was recommended not only for lemur specialists, but also for tourists, hoping it would spark an interest in ecotourism in impoverished Madagascar. The checklist of species, as well as the information on where to most easily spot them, earned a special mention from Jolly, who could only boast seeing 30 of the 50 known species at that time. Finally, the "most significant and most appreciative" audience Jolly mentioned was the Malagasy researchers, to whom Mittermeier reportedly gave 50 copies of the book during a workshop in 1995.

In a 1997 review in Conservation Biology by Joelisoa Ratsirarson, the book was referred to as a "remarkable achievement" for its up-to-date information, and for being the first comprehensive lemur field guide. Emphasizing many of the same highlights as Gould and Jolly, he went on to note the inclusion of captive management information, unpublished details, and the use of common names in English, French, German, and Malagasy. His critique focused on the organization of the illustrations in relation to the text, the lack of an index, and a desire for more information about the roles lemurs play in their ecosystem. Though he praised it for being useful to tourists, researchers, students, resource managers, and conservationists, he expressed concern over its lack of availability in the bookstores of Madagascar.

The completely revised second edition of Lemurs of Madagascar was reviewed in detail in the American Journal of Primatology by Stacey Tecot. Each chapter, section, and appendix was thoroughly summarized, and as with the reviews of previous editions, the chapter on subfossil lemurs was noted as one of the more fascinating parts of the book, particularly due to its colorful and informative illustrations. Although the book received only praise, Tecot did suggest two additions for the next edition: the need for information about the processes of island biogeography and expansion on captive conservation programs aside from the Duke Lemur Center, particularly at the Lemur Conservation Foundation and St. Catherines Island. A subject index was also recommended, along with better referencing of the figures and illustrations. Otherwise, the book was praised as being better than other field guides due to its inclusion of seemingly obscure yet important details, such as how to get to lemur watching sites, travel time, where to stay, mentions of lesser-known sites, listings of species to be seen, best times to observe, and even, among other things, the number of habituated lemur groups in each area. Tecot noted that the lemur checklist promoted competitive lemur watching, similar to birdwatching, and that the color-coded sections assisted in "on-the-fly species identification." Although very satisfied with the information provided for each species, Tecot commended the promise made in this edition to more extensively cover the published literature in the upcoming third edition. Like its predecessor, the second edition was praised as an excellent tool for ecotourists and researchers. It was also noted for its attempt to promote ecotourism as a conservation strategy.

This newer edition was also mentioned briefly in the 2006 edition (volume 11) of Lemur News. The publication announcement highlighted the extensive coverage of scientific information throughout a range of chapters and appendices. The edition is said to contain over 200 illustrations, including drawings, photos, and maps.

Impact on lemur taxonomy

While the first edition recognized 50 lemur taxa (32 species and 25 subspecies), the second edition recognized 71 lemur taxa (68 species and 5 subspecies) just 12 years later. The second edition followed the recommendations of Colin Groves in the third edition of Mammal Species of the World from 2005 by recognizing newly identified nocturnal species and raising many former subspecies to species status. For comparison, Tattersall's book Primates of Madagascar from 1982 listed only 20 species and 29 subspecies. Following the publication of the second edition, Nick Garbutt recognized 87 species and 5 subspecies in his book Mammals of Madagascar.

Not all lemur researchers agree with the species promotions supported by these books. Researchers such as Tattersall and Anne Yoder, director of the Duke Lemur Center, have raised concerns about taxonomic inflation. In particular, Tattersall has noted a steep decline in polytypic lemur species, or species with defined subspecies, starting with the first edition of Lemurs of Madagascar and becoming more pronounced in the second edition. He noted that more than half of the new species added in the second edition were promoted subspecies and questioned whether Madagascar could produce so many monotypic species.

Prior to the release of the third edition of Lemurs of Madagascar, many of the major contributors, as well as Colin Groves, teamed up in 2008 to compile an updated lemur species list, published under the title "Lemur diversity in Madagascar" in the International Journal of Primatology. In it, 99 lemur taxa were recognized (97 species and 3 subspecies).

References

1. ^ Gould, L. (1996). "Book review: Lemurs of Madagascar". International Journal of Primatology. 17 (2): 299–300. doi:10.1007/BF02735455.
2. ^ Mittermeier, R.A.; Tattersall, I.; Konstant, W.R.; Meyers, D.M.; Mast, R.B. (1994). Lemurs of Madagascar. Illustrated by S.D. Nash (1st ed.). Conservation International. ISBN 1-881173-08-9.
3. "Publications: Lemurs of Madagascar". Conservation International. Retrieved 18 May 2010.
4. ^ Tecot, S. (2007). "In reference to lemurs: a comprehensive field guide and call to action on behalf of the unique primates of Madagascar". American Journal of Primatology. 70 (2): 204–206. doi:10.1002/ajp.20472.
5. ^ Mittermeier, R.A.; Konstant, W.R.; Hawkins, F.; Louis, E.E.; Langrand, O.; Ratsimbazafy, J.; Rasoloarison, R.; Ganzhorn, J.U.; Rajaobelina, S.; Tattersall, I.; Meyers, D.M. (2006). Lemurs of Madagascar. Illustrated by S.D. Nash (2nd ed.). Conservation International. ISBN 1-881173-88-7.
6. ^ Jolly, A. (1996). "How to see lemurs — A review of Lemurs of Madagascar, Conservation International Tropical Field Guide Series, by Russell A. Mittermeier, Ian Tattersall, William R. Konstant, David M. Meyers, and Roderic B. Mast; illustrated by Stephen D. Nash" (PDF). Lemur News. 2: 24–25. {{cite journal}}: External link in |journal= (help)
7. "Publications: Lemurs of Madagascar Pocket Identification Guide". Conservation International. Retrieved 18 May 2010.
8. "Publications: Lemurs of Madagascar Pocket Identification Guide – Nocturnal Lemurs". Conservation International. Retrieved 18 May 2010.
9. "Publications: Lemurs of Madagascar Pocket Identification Guide – Diurnal and Cathemeral Lemurs". Conservation International. Retrieved 18 May 2010.
10. Eberhart, G.M. (1996). "New Publications: Lemurs of Madagascar". College & Research Libraries News. 57 (4): 245.
11. Ratsirarson, J. (1997). "Lemurs: a field guide". Conservation Biology. 11 (1): 293.
12. "Recent publications" (PDF). Lemur News. 11: 49–50. 2006. {{cite journal}}: External link in |journal= (help)
13. ^ Rylands, A.B. (2007). "Lemur diversity: A recent efflorescence of species" (PDF). Lemur News. 12: 12–17. {{cite journal}}: External link in |journal= (help)
14. ^ Tattersall, I. (2007). "Madagascar's lemurs: Cryptic diversity or taxonomic inflation?". Evolutionary Anthropology. 16: 12–23. doi:10.1002/evan.20126.
15. Tattersall, I. (1982). Primates of Madagascar. Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0231047043.
16. Garbutt, N. (2007). Mammals of Madagascar, A Complete Guide. A&C Black Publishers. pp. 28–30. ISBN 978-0-300-12550-4.
17. Yoder, A.D. (2007). "Lemurs: a quick guide" (PDF). Current Biology. 17 (20): 866–868.
18. Mittermeier, R.; Ganzhorn, J.; Konstant, W.; Glander, K.; Tattersall, I.; Groves, C.; Rylands, A.; Hapke, A.; Ratsimbazafy, J.; Mayor, M.; Louis, E.; Rumpler, Y.; Schwitzer, C.; Rasoloarison, R. (2008). "Lemur diversity in Madagascar". International Journal of Primatology. 29 (6): 1607–1656. doi:10.1007/s10764-008-9317-y.

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