Handbook of Amphibians of French Guiana

This handbook of Amphibians of French Guiana follows the eponymous work published in 2000. It incorporates the considerable progress in knowledge achieved over the last 20 years on the taxonomy, distribution, ecology and conservation of the 137 species in French Guiana.The distribution maps are based on more than 22,000 verified data points that extend well beyond the borders of French Guiana. These maps also make it possible to highlight the fragility of the species.Eventually, particular focus has been done to the evolutionary histories of the species, their relationships, and the uncertainties concerning their taxonomy.The biogeography of French Guiana's amphibians cannot be properly interpreted without being placed in the Neotropical and Amazonian context. The extreme richness and diversity of Guiana's fauna is the result of long evolutionary processes. The history of Guiana's amphibians spans tens of millions of years during which drastic changes in climate and vegetation have alternately isolated or favoured dispersion and shaped one of the richest amphibian communities in the world.