BOOK REVIEWS

Amphibians and Reptiles of Wisconsin. Joshua M. Kapfer and Donald J. Brown (Eds.). 2022. University of Wisconsin Press. ISBN 9780299335205. xxi þ 1175 p. $74.95 (hardcover).—When Amphibians and Reptiles of Wisconsin arrived, I was surprised by the weight of the box. Upon opening the box, I was looking at the largest single-volume state guide to amphibians and reptiles ever produced. The only larger guide is the three-volume Ohio series (Pfingsten et al., 2013; Davis et al., 2021). This is the first major work on Wisconsin’s herpetofauna since Natural History of the Amphibians and Reptiles of Wisconsin (Vogt, 1981), and it exceeds the length of that book by more than 900 pages! None of the guides to adjoining states, including Minnesota (Moriarty and Hall, 2014), Illinois (Phillips et al., 2022), Iowa (LeClere, 2013), or Michigan (Holman, 2012), comes close to the breadth and depth of herpetological information covered in this book. Wisconsin is in the Midwest portion of the United States in the Great Lakes region and near the Canadian border. This latitude, and the corresponding climate (long, cold winters), partially explain the relatively low amphibian and reptile diversity (54 species) relative to southern states, where the herpetological species richness can be considerably higher (e.g., the similarly sized state of Georgia has 170 species; Jensen et al., 2008). Kapfer and Brown assembled the knowledge and experience of 52 contributors, including most active herpetologists and conservation biologists in Wisconsin, and several from other states. The contributions ranged from co-authoring one to many species accounts plus natural history notes and introductory chapters. Co-editor Kapfer racked up the most contributions, which might be expected given his long and varied experiences conducting field work in Wisconsin, including his graduate studies. Co-editor Brown took the lead in writing and coordinating the turtle accounts, the reptile group he focused on for his graduate and postdoctoral research. Andrew Badje and Bob Hay stand out among the list of contributors. They have been involved in amphibian and reptile field research and conservation in Wisconsin for many years. Erik Wild produced the excellent, life-like images (colored pencil and pen and ink drawings) for the keys and throughout the book. The book is divided into eight preliminary chapters including: Introduction; Systematics and Classification; Some Prominent Figures in Wisconsin Herpetology; Past, Present, and Potential Future Landscapes of Wisconsin, with Emphasis on Amphibian and Reptile Distributions; Amphibians and Reptiles in Wisconsin Plant Communities; Introduction to Conservation and Management of Wisconsin’s Amphibians and Reptiles; Identification Keys for Amphibians and Reptiles in Wisconsin; and Introduction to Species Accounts. The introductory chapters are well done and provide a good background to the history and habitats of the state. The Systematics and Classification chapter is one not found in most regional guides. This chapter explains how species are related and classified, but the authors do not describe the controversies surrounding the use of scientific names for several groups of amphibians and reptiles. The scientific and common names used in the book follow Crother (2017), but there was no reason given for why this list was used over more recent lists or primary literature. Habitats are described from two perspectives in two chapters, one on ecological provinces and another on plant communities that shows the pre-European and current vegetation, which highlights the major loss of natural communities to agriculture and development (Fig. 11; p. 28). The authors describe how climate and development will alter present and future landscapes, thus affecting the distribution of the state’s herpetofauna. The chapter on plant communities describes 18 communities, the species that use them, and changes in their prevalence on the landscape as a result of human conversion. I found the conservation chapter to be the most important. It is an excellent summary of the concerns, practices, and policies associated with reptiles and amphibians generally, and those in Wisconsin specifically. This level of information is not normally found in a regional work. While the authors do not have answers to all the problems, they do demonstrate the breadth of research being conducted to protect and restore amphibian and reptile populations. The practices described are applicable throughout the Midwest and Great Lakes regions. The keys work well and Wild’s small yet detailed illustrations are a great addition as they highlight distinguishing characteristics. The incorporation of information from previously published keys to produce an inclusive key acknowledges the work of previous herpetologists. Including larval and juvenile forms in the amphibian keys is an excellent addition not found in Vogt (1981) and most regional field guides. A figure comparing the relative adult sizes of all the snakes found in Wisconsin (Fig. 57; p. 132) is a helpful addition. Unfortunately, the measurements are listed in mm when they should be in cm. The figure also does not specify if these are total lengths or SVLs. The species accounts covering 18 amphibians and 36 reptiles comprise the majority of the book (713 pages). Each account starts with a color photograph of the species in nature (or natural setting) and a county-level state map showing vouchered and unvouchered records (similar to the style of Casper, 1996). Plotting these separately will encourage herpetologists to deposit vouchers (specimens or photos) to better characterize their distributions for conservation efforts. The use of county-based maps, vs. detailed dot maps, may help protect species that are subjected to over-collecting or poaching. A North American