"A Photographic Guide to the Birds of Indonesia" by Strange. M. (2001)

Periplus, Singapore, 416 pp. ISBN 962-593-402-2.

A PHOTOGRAPHIC GUIDE TO THE BIRDS OF INDONESIA.
At last, the Indonesian birds can be compiled in one field guide gathering field guides on the Birds of Sumatra. Java, Bali and Kalimantan, Birds of Wallacea and Birds of New Guinea. This is another book dedicated to the geographical region. It may also be used as a complement to Birding Indonesia edited by Paul Jepson and Rosie Ounsted and produced by the same publisher in 1997. Despite its size and weight, it is suitable for being carried away to the field.

Morten Strange has had close association with Indonesia over 20 years. He travelled all over the country to obtain the photographs of many bird species that had never been photographed especially those distributed only in Nusa Tenggara and Irian Jaya/West Irian. He showed his master in photography by illustrating most of the species taken by him though he was assisted by other 35 photographers to complete the book. The author has written the Photographic Guide to the Birds of Peninsula Malaysia and Singapore (1993) and the Photographic Guide to the Birds of South East Asia including Phillippines and Borneo (2000).

The book basically contains three main sections: introduction, how to use this book and systematic section. This introduction is very comprehensive and detailed. Terminology and names used in the book are clearly explained. However there is an inconsistency in the explanation of some terminology, e.g. the term of Sunda in the "How to use this Book" section is different from the Glossary. One spelling mistake of the scientific name of the Blue Nuthatch, should be Sitta azurea not Sitta azyea.

It provides some tips on birding techniques, photographing birds, documentation, information on habitats, birding time, interesting places for birding and conservation concerns. The section how to use this book explains the area covered, the nomenclature, taxonomy and sequence applied including some important references and guidance for the systematic section. The systematics section illustrates the species with coloured photograph, short description, information on voice and habitats as well as a map of distribution. For some dimorphic species, photographs of both sexes are shown.

There are 1534 bird species recorded in Indonesian region. This book presents 686 species or less 50% of total species. Each species is well described with brief information on voice and sufficient behaviour notes for field observation. Since the book is heavily relied on coloured photographs for species identification, we were a bit disappointed with their uneven quality. Some photographs (such as on pages 68, 70, 77, 145, 175, 176, 191, 283, 289, 296, 305, 322, 359 and 375) have poor quality and are less detailed, they could not be used properly for identification as the book intended to be.

Although it was mentioned that most photographs were taken on location in Indonesia or South East Asia, the photograph of Grey teal Anas gibberifrons was taken in Australian region because it is less accurate. The Indonesian (Sunda) grey teal has a prominent forehead which is distinctive from the Australian Grey Teal.

The book covers 87 out of 93 families and 130 out of 381 endemic species.

The inclusion of map of distribution is very useful. Because Indonesian region has the highest number of endemic species, the map really helps to find specific locations for interesting species. We were a bit surprised when seeing the map of the Brahminy Kite (Haliastar indus). The author eliminates the presence of the species on Java island. Actually, last year we found an active nest of this species with two chicks in the mangrove of North Coast of Banten.

After all, we recommend the book to be used by beginners or professional bird watchers for observing the Indonesian birds. The concise text provides vital information that will ensure identification of some species in one of the world's most diverse avifauna regions. We appreciate all efforts of the author to produce such comprehensive photographs of the birds such as the Red-breasted Pygmy Parrot (Micropsitta brnijnii), the Wallace's Hanging-parrot (Loriculus flosculus) and the Moluccan Hanging-parrot (L. amabilis).

Dewi M. Prawiradilaga and Darjono
Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense.
Research Centre for Biology-LIPI
Jalan Raya Bogor Km 46, Cibinong 16911, Indonesia

First published in The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology Vol. 49(2): 381-382 on 31 Dec 2001.

"Freshwater Fishes of the Timika Region New Guinea" by Allen. G. R., K. G. Hortle & S. J. Renyaan. (2000)

P. T. Freeport Indonesia and tropical Reef Research. viii +175 pp. ISBN 0-646-40480-6.

FRESHWATER FISHES OF THE TIMIKA REGION NEW GUINEA.
This is the first book in a series of field guides to the biodiversity of the Timika Region of southern Indonesian New Guinea. The Timika Region lies between the Otakwa and Mamoa river basins, and the Central Dividing Range in the interior. According to the authors, the fish fauna there was virtually unknown until Freeport Indonesia's Environmental Laboratory began its quarterly sampling program there in 1995.

The taxonomy is up-to-date as first author Dr. Gerald Allen is an internationally recognised authority on both freshwater and coral reed fishes of the Australian-New Guinea region. In this comprehensive guide, 93 native species and five feral species of freshwater fish are presented. Two of the native species are new to science. The formal descriptions of the apogonid Glossamia timika and eleotrid Oxyeleotris stagnicola, appended at the rear end of the book do not interfere wit the flow of the book's concise format.

Each species is illustrated with their English and scientific names, a diagnosis that highlights the more important characters including succinct descriptions of colour and markings. There are brief comments on the fish's habitat and abundance, followed by notes on their distribution in New Guinea. These notes are illustrated on a map of New Guinea on the top right hand corner of the page. A list of local names is also provided.

Good pictures and accurate illustrations of entire fish are arguable the quickest and most reliable tool to identify the various types of fishes, and this is adequately furnished for each and every species in this guide. Many species are illustrated in life with excellent photographs. Where good photographs are wanting, line drawings and paintings made by Australian artists Jill Ruse and Roger Swainston are effective substitutes.

Apart from the illustrations, the user can also refer to keys that highlight important morphological and meristic characters. There is a key that differentiates the 27 families of indigenous and five families of introduced feshwater fish in the area. If more than one species is present in a family, a key to the different species in that group is provided.

This book certainly lives up to its design as a quick identification guide to the freshwater fishes of the Timika region. It is a good reference for anyone who is generally interested in fishes, and/or the biodiversity of the Australia-New Guinea region.

Kelvin K. P. Lim
Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research
Department of Biological Sciences
The National University of Singapore
Blk S6, Science Drive 2
Singapore 117600, Republic of Singapore

First published in the Raffles Bulletin of Zoology Vol. 49(2): 380-381 on 31 Dec 2001.

"Freshwater Fishes of Northern Vietnam" by Kottelat. M. (2001)

Freshwater Fishes of Northern Vietnam. A preliminary check-list of the fishes known or expected to occur in northern Vietnam with comments on systematics and nomenclature. Kottelat. M., 2001.Environment and Social Development Unit. East Asia and Pacific region, The World Bank, 123 pp. 162 figs.

FRESHWATER FISHES OF NORTHERN VIETNAM.
This book reports on two surveys conducted in 1998 and 1999, of which the latter was curtailed. This is the first systematics report published by the Environment and Social Development Unit of the World Bank. It is divided into two parts: the first part consists of a preliminary checklist of the fishes known or expected to occur in northern Vietnam; and the second part (in three annexes) deals with some important but poorly known Vietnamese freshwater fish literature. This report also highlights the critical situation of biological research in the Indochinese region and just after the Vietnam War.

Two hundred and sixty-eight native freshwater fish species are reported in the preliminary checklist. Re-evaluation of the systematics status and nomenclature of these species is carried out, albeit without actual examination of specimens in some cases. The nomenclatural actions and changes made, and a comparative list of fish names used in the current report and by Mai (1978) are summarised in two separate tables. This report also contributes significantly to comforting the nomenclature of the northern Vietnamese and southern Chinese fishes to the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature.

In Annex 1, selected parts of a report by Mai (1978) are translated into English and presented with no alteration. This section is rather confusing due to the lack of consistency of legend used. In Annex 2, problems with the nomenclatural system for Vietnamese freshwater fishes proposed by Nguyen & Daon (1969), and the validity of that publication are raised, although no clear solution is suggested. The original paper by Nguyen & Daon (1969) is reproduced in Annex 3.

The last part of the report features well-taken photographs of the fishes (162 figures) encountered mainly from the 1999 trip. There are some minor errors in the figure captions - misspelling of names in Fig. 71 (Balitora kwangsiensis); and wrong genera names for Fig. 78 (Beaufortia daon) and Fig. 103 (Hemibagrus plariradiatus). Some of the material listed is available only from the figures provided, which is a pity. This minor point aside, this is a very important effort and an important piece of work for ichthyologists working on the freshwater fishes of so Southeast Asia.

LITERATURE CITED
Mai. D. Y., 1978 Nha xuat Ban Khoa Hoc Va Ky Thuat, Ha Noi [Identification of freshwater fishes of northern Viet Nam]. 339 pp. [In Vietnamese].

Nguyen V. H. & L. Doan. 1969. Mot so dan lieu ve Thanh, nguon goe va su phan bo cac loai trong ho ca chep o mien bac Vietnam [Some data on composition, origin, and distribution of cyprinid species in northern Vietnam]. Trinh bay tai hoi nghi hoc thuat nganh thuy san lan thu 1 [First Scientific Seminar of Fisheries Division]. 19 pp. [In Vietnamese].

Tan Heok Hui
Department of Biological Sciences,
The National University of Singapore.
Blk S2, 14 Science Drive 4
Singapore 117543, Republic of Singapore

First published in The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology Vol. 49(2): 380 on 31 Dec 2001.

"The Natural History Journal of Chulalongkorn University" (2001)

The Natural History Museum of Chulalongkorn University. Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand. ISSN 1513-9700.

This new journal is the official publication of the Natural History Museum of Chulalongkorn University. Bangkok, Thailand. It boasts a strong editorial board consisting of members from Chulalongkorn and Mahidol Universities, and National Science Museum in Thailand, as well as overseas institutions such as Field Museum of Natural History, University of Michigan (both USA, National University of Singapore (Singapore), and University of the Rykyus (Japan), most of whom have been actively researching and publishing on various aspects of natural history in Thailand for many years. The Editor is Somasak Panha (somsakp@sc.chula.ac.th) of the Chulalongkorn University.

The inaugural issue (August 2001, volume 1, Number 1) of this biannual publication features 11 papers divided among three sections: "Original Articles", "Reviews" and "Short Notes". "Original Articles" covers taxonomy and diversity (e.g. new species descriptions; new records; morphological, karyological and allozymic studies), and histological studies, while synopses and species checklists are published under "Reviews". Study subjects in this first issue include insects, molluscs, herptiles and fishes, mostly from Thailand.

For now, the journal appears to primarily focus on biodiversity-related studies in Thailand, which is very useful indeed, considering the significant amount of such research being conducted there. However, his scope can and probably will expand to include the rest of Indochina, thus addressing the need for wider dissemination of the results of biodiversity studies conducted in neighbouring Indochinese countries, and perhaps even from southern China. Coupled with the forthcoming addition of more scientists to its editorial board, and the setting up of its own website (S. Panha. pers. comm.), the journal will surely grow in importance and stature.

Annual cost of overseas membership and subscriptions are US$30 (individual), US$20 (student) or US$40 (institute). Requests for application forms or author instructions can be sent to: "The Natural History Journal of Chulalongkorn University. Bangkok 10330. THAILAND": Tel. +(662)218-5258-9; Fax. +(662)218-5386.

Darren C. J. Yeo
Raffles Museum of Biodiversity research
Department of Biological Sciences
The National University of Singapore
Blk S6, Science Drive 2
Singapore 117600, Republic of Singapore

First published in the Raffles Museum Bulletin of Zoology Vol. 49(2): 379 on 31 Dec 2001.

"Chek Jawa. Discovering Singapore's Biodiversity" by Chua, E. K. (2002)

Simply Green. 116 pp. USD 20. ISBN 981 046814 8. Tien Wah Press (Pte) Ltd.

CHEK JAWA. DISCOVERING SINGAPORE'S BIODIVERSITY.
Pulau Ubin is a small island of about 10km by 2km off the northeast coast of Singapore's main island. It is a special place for Singaporeans and visitors alike, having escaped the bustling growth of the city-state, and provides an impression of a way of life, long lost on mainland Singapore. However, in 2001, the island awaited an impending fate of reclamation of its eastern and southern coastlines. Villagers living in the area had been gradually shifted out and few remains of the buildings they occupied could even be seen. The now ghostly coastline however, provided complete access to curious nature enthusiasts who had previously stayed away from the private property of the villagers.

They stumbled onto a goldmine. This small coastal area boasted of several ecosystems in one site -coastal forest, mangrove, rocky shore, sandy shore, seagrass lagoon, mud flats and coral rubble. To a population more familiar with sterile beaches, it was an explosion of marine life -tunicates, sponges, sea cucumbers, sea stars, a variety of molluscs, seagrass, the list seemingly just went on. The visual splendour of the site, its uniqueness and impending extinction inspired an explosion of activity on its behalf by nature lovers, educators, researchers, the media, public and the government. In a landmark decision, the reclamation of scheduled for Pulau Ubin was deferred, and Chek Jawa was saved for the interim at least.

Dr. Chua Be Kiam was amongst those inspired by the variety, space, stories and secrets of the area. Like many naturalists in Singapore, he was familiar with the pockets of terrestrial biodiversity on the mainland. He had in fact popularised such areas by authoring two photo-history titles, entitled "Nature in Singapore -Ours to Protect" (1993) and "Pulau Ubin - Ours to Treasure" (2001) (see http:// www.simplygree.com.sg). A dentist by profession, he is a passionate nature photographer and nature conservationist, and communicates this through his images in books and by guiding and giving talks. This passion is obvious through the photographs and emotive writing of the book.

The contents are arranged somewhat into chapters. "Discovering Chek Jawa" is a brief account of the events leading to the eventual deferment of reclamation. Little of the complex series of events has been shared with the public and this is a good introduction to an important event in Singapore's history. "Heaven on Earth" provides an overview of the habitats and brief contributions about most of the ecosystems, and marine life is explored through the main plant and animal groups in " Fascinating gems of Chek Jawa". The author's suggestions about education and tourism are raised in "What next?" and "Voices from within" is a sheet of quotations by various people. The various affiliations and more so the lack of affiliation of the various people who are quoted reflect the diverse interest that Chek Jawa summoned to her eventual relief. "The plight and fragility" and "The last horizon" are reflective pieces on issues facing the urbanised Singaporean, and the significance of Chek Jawa.

This book does not pretend to be an authoritative marine guide but is instead, a reflection of the author's exploration of coastal ecosystems through the gift of Chek Jawa. However, even scientists will find the photos surprising and interesting. In a very short time, he has provided a glimpse into a significant event and place. Yet again he provides a refreshing story celebrating discovery and protection of a natural habitat in Singapore.

Proceeds of this book will be donated to the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research for ongoing research at Chek Jawa. The sale of the book at the museum is also helping to fund its workshop series to train new volunteer guides for Chek Jawa, at which the author volunteers as a principal field instructor.

N. Sivasothi
Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research
Department of Biological Sciences
National University of Singapore
Kent Ridge, 117600, Republic of Singapore
Email: sivasothi@nus.edu.sg

First published in The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology Vol. 50(2): 514-515 on 31 Dec 2002.

"Freshwater Fishes of Timika Regin New Guinea" by Allen. G. R., K. G. Hortle & S. J. Renyaan (2000)

P. T. Freeport Indonesia and Tropical Reef Research. viii + 175 pp. ISBN 0-646-40480-6.

FRESHWATER FISHES OF TIMIKA REGION NEW GUINEA.
This is the first book in a series of field guides to the biodiversity of the Timika Region of southern Indonesian New Guinea. The Timika Region lies between the Otakwa and Mamoa river basins, and the Central Dividing Range in the interior. According to the authors, the fish fauna there wewas virtually unknown until Freeport Indonesia's Environmental Laboratory began its quarterly sampling program there in 1995.

The taxonomy is up-to-date as first author Dr. Gerald Allen is an international recognised authority on both freshwater and coral reef fishes of the Australia-New Guinea region. In this comprehensive guide, 93 native species and five feral species of freshwater fish are presented. Two of the native species are new to science. The formal descriptions of the apogonid Glossamia timika and eleotrid Oxyeleotris stagnicola. appended at the rear end of the book do not interfere with the flow of the book's concise format.

Each species is illustrated with their English and scientific names, a diagnosis that highlights the more important characters including succinct descriptions of colour and markings. There are brief comments on the fish's habitat and abundance, followed by notes on their distribution in New Guinea. These notes are illustrated on a map of New Guinea on the top right hand corner of the page. A list of local names is also provided.

Good pictures and accurate illustrations of entire fish are arguably the quickest and most reliable tool to identify the various types of fishes, and this is adequately furnished for each and every species in this guide. Many species are illustrated in life with excellent photographs. Where good photographs are wanting, line drawings and paintings made by Australian artists Jill Ruse and Roger Swainston are effective substitutes.

Apart from illustrations, the user can also refer to keys that highlight important morphologic and meristic characters. There is a key that differentiates the 27 families of indigenous and five families of introduced freshwater fish in the area. If more than one species is present in a family, a key to the different species in that group is provided.

This book certainly lives up to its design as a quick identification guide to the freshwater fishes of the Timika region. It is a good reference for anyone who is generally interested in fishes, and/or the biodiversity of the Australia-New Guinea region.

Kelvin K. P. Lim
Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research
Department of Biological Sciences
The National University of Singapore
Blk S6, Science Drive 2
Singapore 117600, Republic of Singapore

First published in The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology Vol. 49(2): 380-381 on 31 Dec 2001.

"An updated classification of the recent Crustacea" by Martin, J. W. & G. E. Davis. (2001)

Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County Science Series 39, 124 pp. ISSN 1-891276-27-1. US $20. Orders to K. Victoria Brown, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, 900 Exposition Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90007, USA; e-mail: vbrownnhm.org.

AN UPDATED CLASSIFICATION OF THE RECENT CRUSTACEA.
When Joel W. Martin and George E. Davis decided to newly arrange the crustacean collection of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County Museum, they did not do it the easy way, which would have been to base their arrangement on the most recent published overview of crustacean families from Bowman & Abele (1982). Instead, they undertook a major (and courageous) task: they decided to gather all the available knowledge on higher crustacean systematics and compile it afresh in "an updated classification of the recent Crustacea", For this purpose, they confronted 102 specialists of different crustacean taxa with several drafts of a revised classification, and collected and assimilated their opinions (whenever possible) into a complete document. Not only will the crustacean collection of the Los Angeles Museum benefit from this exhaustive work, but the entire crustacean scientific community should acknowledge this effort. It is no surprise that after 20 years of worldwide taxonomic and systematic research, and with new molecular methods being implemented in systematics, a large number of new insights and systematic changes have been introduced to crustacean classification since Bowman & Abele's (1982) key compilation. However, as already pointed out by the authors, the crustaceans are a very diverse group and most taxonomists working on them are only specialists for small selected groups. Therefore, most of them are not aware of the changes that have occurred in other crustacean groups, and a review of the classification in the form of the present study was much needed. As a result, almost 200 more families appear in this work than in Bowman & Abele's (1982) classification, giving us an overall total of 849 extant crustacean families.

The title of the book is somewhat overstated in that the "updated classification of the recent Crustacea" does not include all taxonomic levels of the Crustacea. The classification does not go below the level of family for any of the taxa included. This, however, is understandable, considering that most previous revisions were also restricted to the suprageneric level and higher. Thus including more detailed taxonomic treatments would have meant starting from scratch for most of the groups. We also have to keep in mind that in all revisions, authors must draw a line somewhere in order to complete the task without getting lost in too much detail and getting mired in ongoing developments. The inclusion of all subfamilies and genera would have increased the necessary amount of work (as well as the controversies among specialists) exponentially and made a publication unrealistic. With 124 pages, this compilation is already much more extensive than Bowman & Abele's (1982), which consisted of only 27 pages. Finally, the acceptance and success of a systematic scheme will always depend on its scientific longevity, and it is evident that all systematic classifications are much less stable at the generic level than at higher taxonomic levels.

After a general introduction, the authors define their methods and dedicate a few paragraphs to some of the methods that have contributed to the new insights used for the updated classification of Crustacea: cladistics, molecular systematics, sperm morphology, larval morphology, and the fossil record. The "Rationale" starts with a discussion of general questions concerning the monophyly of the Crustacea, the total number of classes and their relationships. However, its main purpose is to introduce briefly the higher crustacean taxa, the most important problems concerning their classification, and diverging opinions on their systematics. This is the section wherein the authors justify why they selected the classifications that they present in the following section, and what possible alternative classifications could be considered. Naturally, there are different opinions on the classification of almost all crustacean taxa. Therefore, in many cases the authors had to compromise between different specialists' opinions, having been accused by some of favouring different systematic philosophies and approaches as noted in their concluding remarks (p. 57). We should not forget, however, that higher systematics must still be regarded a theoretical science and is mostly meant as a framework for presenting assumed phylogenetic relationships. As long as we do not have a full understanding of these phylogenetic relationships (i.e., always), everyone has the right to propose and employ different higher classification systems, which after all are little more than subjective "working hypotheses" or "models" based on the available knowledge. Consequently, Martin & Davis also had to review a vast number of systematic theories and findings in order to finally propose "their" classification on the basis of synthesis, consensus, and judgement calls. While no one should begrudge these authors for the decisions they had to make, the nature of these circumstances are such that many specialists will have some major or minor objections to varied aspects of the classification as presented in this study. Martin & Davis at very least do justice to diverging opinions by dedicating a special chapter (Appendix I) of their paper for publication of varied opinions by colleagues, each opinion classified by taxonomic group. This is a very fair and useful strategy that allows one to recognize where some of the disagreements center in the ongoing search for the best systematic system. Unfortunately, these comments refer to only a penultimate draft of the classification, and therefore it is not always immediately clear whether the concerns of the contributors have been met and whether their views have been adopted.

The third appendix is dedicated to a list of other crustacean resources, which includes journals, newsletters, and specialised web sites. This is certainly of great use for everyone who would like to follow new results and insights of crustacean research as well as to keep up with future discussions concerning crustacean systematics and classification. The cited literature of approximately 900 references is very much up to date, often also including unpublished results from recent scientific meetings. In one case, the anticipated taxonomic change even predated the official publication. The description of the Glyptograpsidae Schubart, Felder & Cuesta was published in 2002 and not in 2001 as stated in Martin & Davis. However, since their first official mention of the taxon does not include a description, the name used in the classification is a nomen nudum, and only becomes valid with the original description by Schubart et al. (2002).

Overall, this classification will turn out to be extremely useful to all those working with crustaceans, not only in systematics, but also in all other fields of biological sciences. All researchers and readers of scientific studies should be informed about the current knowledge concerning the systematic placement of the organisms under study. The authors deserve much credit for gathering all this information, and for providing us with such an important tool for future studies. Of course, there will soon be more new evidence and ensuing taxonomic change that will outdate some of the classifications as presented, but for the moment we have a new basis on which to build and add future insights. I hope that not longer than in another 20 years time, a similarly motivated team of researchers will provide us with the next updated classification of the Crustacea.

LITERATURE CITED
Bowman, T. E. & L. G. Abele, 1982. Classification of the Recent Crustacea. In: Abele, L. G. (ed.), Systematics, the fossil record, and biogeography, vol. I of Bliss, D. E. (ed.), The Biology of Crustacea. New York, Academic Press. pp. 1-27.

I, Schubart, C. D., J. A. Cuesta & D. L. Felder, 2002. Glyptograpsidae, a new brachyuran family from central America: larval and adult morphology, and a molecular phylogeny of the grapsoidea. Journal of Crustacean Biology, 22(1): 28-44.

Christoph D. Schubart I
Biology 1
University of Regensburg
93040 Regensburg, Germany.

First published in The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology Vol 50(1): 279-280 on 30 Jun 2002.