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Lemurs of Madagascar, currently in its second edition with the third edition due to be released in late fall 2010, 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. The first edition was reviewed favorably in the International Journal of Primatology, Conservation Biology, and Lemur News. 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) 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. The 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), although many other prominent lemur researchers have been significant contributors to various editions. Other regular contributors include William Konstant, Ian Tattersall, and David Meyers. For all editions, Stephen Nash 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. The three pocket guides are Lemurs of Madagascar Pocket Identification Guide (out of print), Nocturnal Lemurs, and Diurnal and Cathemeral Lemurs.

• First edition published in 1994 First edition published in 1994
• Pocket Identification Guide published in 2008 Pocket Identification Guide published in 2008
• Pocket Identification Guide: Nocturnal Lemurs Pocket Identification Guide: Nocturnal Lemurs
• Pocket Identification Guide: Diurnal and Cathemeral Lemurs Pocket Identification Guide: Diurnal and Cathemeral Lemurs

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.

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 easy 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 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 splitting many former subspecies into distinct species.

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 1 May 2010.
4. ^ 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.
5. ^ 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)
6. "Publications: Lemurs of Madagascar Pocket Identification Guide". Conservation International. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
7. Ratsirarson, J. (1997). "Lemurs: a field guide". Conservation Biology. 11 (1): 293.
8. "Recent publications" (PDF). Lemur News. 11: 49–50. 2006. {{cite journal}}: External link in |journal= (help)
9. ^ Rylands, A.B. (2007). "Lemur diversity: A recent efflorescence of species" (PDF). Lemur News. 12: 12–17. {{cite journal}}: External link in |journal= (help)
10. ^ Tattersall, I. (2007). "Madagascar's lemurs: Cryptic diversity or taxonomic inflation?". Evolutionary Anthropology. 16: 12–23. doi:10.1002/evan.20126.
11. Yoder, A.D. (2007). "Lemurs: a quick guide" (PDF). Current Biology. 17 (20): 866–868.
12. 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.

• Mammalogy
• Lemurs
• Zoology books
• Fauna of Madagascar