Amphibians and reptiles of the Neotropics
Published in early March 2016, the book highlights the exploration of the Neotropical region from a herpetological perspective. After the discovery of America, important naturalists and travelers brought back mostly unknown and exotic animals from this region, which includes Central and South America. This material was an important basis for the study of biodiversity and evolutionary research. These animals are for the most part still present in museum collections today.
The South American part in the herpetological collection of the Zoological Museum Hamburg - from 1825 until today - is explained by the curator Jakob Hallermann, who is closely connected to the collection, regarding origin and history (PDF). After all, about 15% of the holdings of reptiles and amphibians in the Hamburg collection originate from this region.
Amphibians and Reptiles of the Neotropics
Discoveries of German-speaking explorers in Central and South America
Axel Kwet & Manfred Niekisch (Hrsg.)
Mertensiella-Band Nr. 23
Rangsdorf, Mannheim 2016
ISBN: 978-3-941365-53-7, 400 pages