Reptiles of Ecuador: Life in the Middle of the World
by A. Arteaga, Bustamante and Viera
Reptiles of Ecuador: Life in the Middle of the World is a beautifully illustrated and scientifically grounded overview of Ecuador’s remarkable reptilian diversity. Ecuador, despite its compact size, is home to more than 500 species of reptiles—from iconic Galápagos tortoises to vibrant mainland snakes and lizards—many of which are found nowhere else on Earth. This book blends engaging text, high-quality images, and expert insight into the ecology, natural history, and conservation of these fascinating animals. A valuable reference for herpetologists, educators, ecotourists, and nature lovers interested in South America's biodiversity hotspot.
Foreword author Russel Mittermeier highlights five distinctive features of this guide:
1) It is exceptional to have a book like this for Ecuador given that its biodiversity per unit area is unmatched among the list of Megadiverse Countries. Ecuador's reptile diversity is comparable to the entire USA, despite having just 3% of its land area.
2) The level of focused effort and passion behind producing this book's photographs is remarkable. The authors spent 14 years travelling the country with the sole purpose of creating new photographs of every single reptile species, depicting their variations in what has become their signature style of scientific white background photography. As a result of their incredible field campaign, the authors photographed 464 species, including at least 20 species that had never before been documented on camera.
3) The quality and precision of the maps are unprecedented. The authors reviewed more than 24,000 locality records (including from literature, museum specimens, online databases, and their own field catalog). With this, they created research-grade species distribution models, bringing to life the most detailed, updated, and reliable compendium on species ranges for the herpetofauna of any country on Earth.
4) The contents of the field guide are also accessible on an accompanying website where information is continuously being updated.
5) This book came into existence without major university support or backing from a publisher but was entirely crowdfunded, inspiring many supporters in the process.
1073 pages, 1403 color photos, 536 color distribution maps, 20 b/w line drawings
