Author: Rodriquez-Robles, Javier A.; Good, David A.; Wake, David B.
Title: Brief History of Herpetology in the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California..,.
Description: Berkeley [CA], Univ. of California Press, 2003. orig. wrappers. 25x17cm, xvi,119 pp. Series: University of California Publications, Zoology, Volume 131.. Minor rubbing. VG. ¶ Full title reads: "Brief History of Herpetology in the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, with a List of Type Specimens of Recent Amphibians and Reptiles". ["The Museum of Vertebrate Zoology (MVZ), located on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley, is a leading center of herpetological research in the United States. This monograph offers a brief account of the principal figures associated with the collection and of the most important events in the history of herpetology in the MVZ during its first 93 years, and lists all type specimens of recent amphibians and nonavian reptiles in the collection. Although the MVZ has existed since 1908, until 1945 there was no formal curator for the collection of amphibians and nonavian reptiles. Since that time Robert C. Stebbins, David B. Wake, Harry W. Greene, Javier A. Rodriguez-Robles (in an interim capacity), and Craig Moritz have served in that position. The herpetological collection of the MVZ was begun on March 13, 1909, with a collection of approximately 430 specimens from southern California and as of December 31, 2001, contained 232,254 specimens. Taxonomically, the collection is strongest in salamanders, accounting for 9 9,176 specimens, followed by 'lizards' (squamate reptiles other than snakes and amphisbaenians, 63,439), frogs (40,563), snakes (24,937), turtles (2,643), caecilians (979), amphisbaenians (451), crocodilians (63), and tuataras (3)..." - Publisher's description].

Keywords: Herpetology, Vertebrate Zoology, California, Snake Snakes, Reptile Reptiles, History of Science, , ,