This dictionary gives an overview of the English, German, French and Italian names of reptiles. The basic table contains the scientific names of families, genera, species and some sub-species with their identified names, which are given in the singular for species and sub-specis and in the plural for other terms.

The dictionary is a compilation of clear, concise and informative definitions of the characteristic vocabulary commonly encountered and used by herpetologists when discussing, reading, or writing about reptiles and amphibians. It is intended for all those who have an interest in these animals, from the amateur hobbyist who may find himself faced with what can be a rather intimidating scientific term or technical expression, to the trained zoologist who may sometimes have doubts over the exact meaning of a particular term. It will, it is hoped, not only be a useful source of reference to all who are either actively or passively involved in some aspects of herpetology whether they be keepers, curators, breeders, researchers, teachers or students, but an interesting read as well.

This dictionary lists the English, German, French and Italian names of amphibians occurring in Europe, North America, Canada, Central and Southern Africa, Australia and New Zealand, the Indian Subcontinent, South East Asia, Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico and the islands of the West Indies. It lists 5,367 scientific names of orders, families, genera, species and subspecies. The relevant order and family are shown for each term. The taxonomy is that used by the different authors of the sources.

The biological sciences cover a broad array of literature types, from younger fields like molecular biology with its reliance on recent journal articles, genomic databases, and protocol manuals to classic fields such as taxonomy with its scattered literature found in monographs and journals from the past three centuries. Using the Biological Literature: A Practical Guide, Fourth Edition is an annotated guide to selected resources in the biological sciences, presenting a wide-ranging list of important sources. This completely revised edition contains numerous new resources and descriptions of all entries including textbooks. The guide emphasizes current materials in the English language and includes retrospective references for historical perspective and to provide access to the taxonomic literature. It covers both print and electronic resources including monographs, journals, databases, indexes and abstracting tools, websites, and associations—providing users with listings of authoritative informational resources of both classical and recently published works. With chapters devoted to each of the main fields in the basic biological sciences, this book offers a guide to the best and most up-to-date resources in biology. It is appropriate for anyone interested in searching the biological literature, from undergraduate students to faculty, researchers, and librarians. The guide includes a supplementary website dedicated to keeping URLs of electronic and web-based resources up to date, a popular feature continued from the third edition.

Who was Richard Kemp, after whom the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle is named? Is Wake’s Gecko named after Berkeley’s Marvalee Wake? Or perhaps her husband, David? Why do so many snakes and lizards have Werner in their name? This reference book answers these and thousands of other questions about the origins of the vernacular and scientific names of reptiles across the globe. From Agkistrodon piscivorus conanti, the Florida cottonmouth subspecies named for Roger Conant, to Xantusia, the night lizard genera namesake of John Xantus, this dictionary covers everyone after whom an extant or recently extinct reptile has been named. The entries include a brief bio-sketch, a list of the reptiles that bear the individual’s name, the names of reptiles erroneously thought to be associated with the person, and a summary of major—and sometimes obscure or even incidental—contributions made by the person to herpetology and zoology. An introductory chapter explains how to use the book and describes the process of naming taxa. Easy to use and filled with addictive—and highly useful—information about the people whose names will be carried into the future on the backs of the world’s reptiles, The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles is a handy and fun book for professional and amateur herpetologists alike.