Systematic Status of a South American Frog, Allophryne ruthveni Gaige

John Douglas LynchProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.1
Word count
18K words
Chapters
2

Tags

English Originals Natural Sciences Species ClassificationBiologyScience EnlightenmentNature ObservationField ExpeditionsCuriosityRigorous ResearchZoological StudyAcademic StudySouth American Flavor

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today. Systematic Status of a South American Frog, Allophryne ruthveni Gaige by Freeman et al. Author: Lynch, John D. Language: English, Class: QH: Science: Natural history, Release Date: Feb 16, 2010

Editor's review

This is a typical systematic study in animal taxonomy, centering on the taxonomic status of the South American frog Allophryne ruthveni, completed by Lynch, John D. and other scholars, and belongs to the professional literature of natural history. Its core value lies not in offering popular-science entertainment but in presenting the methods and argumentation of taxonomic research: how to discuss a species' systematic position based on morphological characters, specimen records, and literature comparison. The anatomical terms, taxonomic ranks, and Latin scientific names involved pose a certain barrier for general readers, but for researchers who need to verify original descriptions and trace taxonomic history, such literature is irreplaceable primary material. It is best read alongside a zoological dictionary or taxonomic database, working through the author's chain of argument paragraph by paragraph rather than aiming for speed. As a public-domain e-book, it is more suitable as a research reference than as casual reading; readers should consult the relevant chapters with specific questions in mind.

Who it's for

A good fit for

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Reading tips

  1. Read the abstract and conclusion first to grasp the author's overall judgment on taxonomic status, then return to the argumentative details.
  2. Prepare a glossary of amphibian taxonomic terms and consult it as needed for anatomical and rank terminology.
  3. Check the species' current placement against modern taxonomic databases and compare differences between historical literature and modern views.
  4. Make literature cards by chapter, recording specimen information and character descriptions for later research citation.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

Contents

  1. 1
  2. 2

FAQ

Is this book suitable for readers without a biology background? Not really. The text is mainly taxonomic argumentation and involves numerous Latin scientific names, anatomical characters, and taxonomic rank terms; readers lacking basic background will likely struggle with the terminology. If you still wish to learn, start with introductory readings on amphibian taxonomy and then use it as extended primary literature.
How should one read this kind of taxonomic literature? It is advisable to consult it with specific questions rather than reading straight through. First look at the conclusion to confirm the author's view, then locate the relevant character descriptions and specimen discussions, cross-checking with a glossary and modern taxonomic databases; this is more efficient and makes the argumentative logic easier to understand.
What should be noted when citing the public-domain electronic edition? Public-domain e-books are easy to obtain, but when citing, verify edition information, including the release platform, release year, and original publication information, and note the source of the electronic text used. When it comes to taxonomic conclusions, it is best to also consult more recent taxonomic revisions of the species rather than judging on the basis of a single historical text.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

John Douglas Lynch Author · American · 1942

John Douglas Lynch (born 1942) is an American herpetologist specializing in the taxonomy and systematics of Neotropical frogs. He received his PhD from the University of Kansas in 1969, studying the evolution and osteology of leptodactylid frogs. He later served as a professor at the University of Nebraska, and since 1997 has been curator of the herpetology collection at the Institute of Natural Sciences, National University of Colombia, participating in the description of more than 200 frog species. Three of his works are held in the collection, including a study of the systematic status of the South American frog Allophryne ruthveni, a taxonomic revision of the leptodactylid frog genus Syrrhophus, and a work on the genera of leptodactylid frogs in Mexico; these are solid taxonomic monographs that provide a foundational reference for the identification and further study of the relevant groups.