Porter K.R. Herpetology

Philadelphia, PA: W.B. Saunders Company, 1972. — 524 p. — ISBN: 0-7216-7295-7.I wrote this book because many of my colleagues and I have felt a need for a modern and general reference on major aspects of the biology of amphibians and reptiles. In assigning texts for our courses, those of us who teach herpetology have had to choose between publications which are detailed treatments of particular subjects, field guides which are designed largely for the identification of species in a given region, and books which are abbreviated or restricted in scope. It is my hope that this book will be appropriate as a general text and will also be useful as a reference for all those who have an interest in amphibians and reptiles.
In choosing the contents for this book, I have been swayed by my opinion that students of recent years have been taught a considerable amount about molecular and cellular biology but have been shortchanged in their education regarding the structure and functioning of organisms as intact individuals, members of populations, and members of biotic communities. Consequently, I have included some basic material which might otherwise have been assumed to be in the background of the reader. I hope that readers with more general backgrounds will not find the amount of basic material excessive. Throughout the book, I have tried to document major points with citations to pertinent literature, and I hope that all readers will find the list of references at the end of each chapter useful when more detailed knowledge of the subject is desired.
I have attempted in this book to encompass the classes Amphibia and Reptilia in their entirety rather than to restrict the discussion to extant or regional forms. The inclusion of paleontological material is, perhaps, a departure from the expected contents of a herpetological text, but I view some knowledge of extinct forms as fundamental to an understanding of living forms. As is noted repeatedly in the book, many aspects of amphibian and reptilian biology have been studied in only a few species. However, an attempt has been made to discuss subjects in terms of principles which should be applicable to amphibians and reptiles everywhere. Subjects which are particularly in need of research have been noted.
Since much remains to be learned regarding the phylogenetic relationships of most groups, I have attempted neither to revise existing taxonomic schemes nor to classify amphibians and reptiles below the family or subfamily level. General characteristics of families are given, but the reader will certainly want to supplement this volume with appropriate field guides or taxonomic keys to species in his region of concern.
In recent years, the volume of herpetological literature has become so extensive that no one book can be expected to encompass more than a portion of it. In fact, one of the greatest difficulties in writing a general reference is that of becoming aware of all the pertinent information which has appeared in a great diversity of publications. I am indebted to many persons who have called to my attention various references. I have been exceptionally fortunate in having the entire first draft of Herpetology thoroughly read and criticized by Richard G. Zweifel and William E. Duellman. Their many suggestions and leads to the literature have greatly improved the contents of the book, and I am very grateful for the laborious tasks which they performed. I also wish to acknowledge the artistic work of Wendy F. Porter, who did most of the preparation of original illustrations. I am indebted to many authors and publishers who granted permission to reproduce illustrations already in the literature.