Monadjem, A., P. J. Taylor, F. P. D. Cotterill, and M. C. Schoeman.2010. Bats of Southern and Central Africa: A Biogeographic and Taxonomic Synthesis. Wits University Press, Johannesburg, South Africa, 596 pp. ISBN 978-1-86814-508-9, price (paper), $70.00

Abstract

A. Monadjem, P. J. Taylor, F. P. D. Cotterill, M. C. Schoeman. 2010. Bats of Southern and Central Africa: A Biogeographic and Taxonomic Synthesis. Wits University Press, Johannesburg, South Africa, 596 pp. ISBN 978-1-86814-508-9, price (paper), $70.00. Bats are the 2nd most diverse order of mammals (behind rodents) and make up roughly one-fifth of the world's known mammalian diversity (Simmons 2005). The faunas of different geographical regions have been studied to various degrees. New World bats, for example, have been the target of myriad studies that have increased in the recent past, and our understanding of the taxonomy, ecology, and behavior is greatly enhanced as a result. Chiropterans of Africa have received less attention, although important reference materials from various workers, including those of Bergmans (1988), (1997), Koopman (1975), Rosevear (1965), and Hayman and Hill (1971), stand as landmarks that remain incredibly valuable resources today. The bats of southern Africa have been studied intensely over the past few decades, but a synthesis of the resulting knowledge has been lacking until now. The elegant volume by Monadjem, Taylor, Cotterill, and Schoeman is that compilation and it is very informative and timely. The 4 authors are arguably the world's experts on the bat (and other mammalian) fauna of southern Africa. Significantly, this expertise is based on extensive fieldwork and detailed study of curated voucher specimens. The authors' grasp of everything from echolocation to variation in cranial characteristics to molecular systematics is evident throughout the volume and is presented in an understandable and readable manner. The book is made up of 6 sections broken into various subsections including Introduction, Museum Collections and Pioneering Researchers, Bat Biology, Biogeography, Echolocation , and Species Accounts …