Stebbins & McGinnis California field guide

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Ribbit
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Stebbins & McGinnis California field guide

Post by Ribbit »

My friendly UPS man has placed into my hands a precious package: The newly revised Field Guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of California, by Robert Stebbins and Samuel McGinnis. The previous, Stebbins-only, version was from 1972, so that’s quite an interval between versions. The new book has 538 pages to the old one’s 152, and the new book has full color illustrations throughout and a ton more text and range maps, so it seems kind of silly to think of it as a revised version of the old book. But in any case: Yay, new California herps field guide!

John
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Jeff
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Re: Stebbins & McGinnis California field guide

Post by Jeff »

Me too!! From Department mail guy, plus office camper Financial Officer. The latter took it from me to show our Dept Botanist how much more attractive western ringneck snakes are than the dull Louisiana variety (I had pointed this out to him in recent months).

I've only flipped through the book, but noticed a number of errors already: upside down picture, range map for Common Kingsnake shows that it does NOT occur along the Colorado River, pl. 99 "juvenile striped whipsanke" is an adult Sonoran Whipsnake. I am happy to see that the authors are right up-to-date on most taxonomic innovations, puzzled as to why the Arizona toad is no longer considered a California inhabitant, disappointed with blobby maps,

and most of all...

I miss California, just hitting my 20th anniversary in swampland.
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Brian Hubbs
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Re: Stebbins & McGinnis California field guide

Post by Brian Hubbs »

Maybe you could write a humorous review of it for Herp Review... :lol: Think of the fun you'll have...
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Jeff
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Re: Stebbins & McGinnis California field guide

Post by Jeff »

The more I read, the more I believe that Dr. Stebbins had little oversight. I don't know Sam McGinnis, but most of the errors could be associated with the publisher. And, the more I read, the more errors I find, and I have only skimmed... Plate 111 is a Mohave Rattler, not a Western Diamondback, Trimorphodon lambda is spelled lamba throughout; why do we need a picture of a Black-necked Garter Snake (does not live in CA) to state that it "resembles the Checkered Garter Snake", but there is no illustration of the generic Patch-nosed Snake? The fact that publication was delayed many months suggests the possibility of author/publisher tribulation. Despite to 40-year differential, the 1972 version is perfect in comparison.

[Brian - I'll be in the office until about 1 PM, e-mail is trashed due to broken water pipe that flooded computer ops since Monday. You know I only insert humor when the book is NOT a joke]
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Ribbit
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Re: Stebbins & McGinnis California field guide

Post by Ribbit »

I’ve been very busy in the past few days and haven’t had a chance to do more than glance at it. That’s very disappointing about all the errors. The long delay in publishing made me worry that it was never going to be released, so I was especially happy when it was. But yeah, sounds like something went awry in the process.

John
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PNWHerper
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Re: Stebbins & McGinnis California field guide

Post by PNWHerper »

I got a copy less then a week ago, and am reading through it page by page. I am about half way through now. Yeah, there are definitely some errors, most of which seem to be made in the process of publishing. One that bothered me a little bit was mixing up TL (total length) measurements with SVL (Snout-vent lengths) for several species.

I am also confused by the complete omission of the the yellow-backed spiny lizard (Sceloporus uniformis). Its genetic distinction from the desert spiny lizard (Sceloporus magister) is not mentioned in anyway in the text. Why? :?

Yeah, there are some weird mistakes in there and some omissions. Overall, however, I have found that content to be excellent. There are many amazing natural history details that appear new to me and that I have personally found both interesting and inspiring. I purchased this book in large part as a resource to support my research for natural history/behavioral information for the Herp Tracking Book. And, in many ways, it has not disappointed me.

I think it is important to express what we like and don't like about it. But also, to remember that being a critic is much easier than writing a book!
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Brian Hubbs
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Re: Stebbins & McGinnis California field guide

Post by Brian Hubbs »

These types of glaring errors only reinforce my opinion that self-publishing (like I do) is the only way to go for herp books...the tech guys at my printers may have written the roman numeral for 19 wrong in the Common Kingsnakes book, but none of my maps are screwed up and none of the snakes in any of my books are mislabled. Despite Jeff's humorous slams (in Herp Review) on my unorthodox grammar at times (which was designed to be readable for the masses), there are really no glaring errors in any of my publications. It's too bad an icon like Stebbins couldn't achieve the same result on his probable last book.
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Gary N
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Re: Stebbins & McGinnis California field guide

Post by Gary N »

I have only skimmed it so far, and obviously this is now the best book available regarding California's herps, but I was hoping for a lot more. A few things bother me besides the spelling and printing mistakes that can be fixed in future editions. I wish they had made some different choices in their taxonomy, such as the split of S. magister and their dropping of a lot of subspecies, but they have the right to make those choices. I can forgive the black-necked gartersnake picture that was already mentioned, and the picture of a bunchgrass lizard laying eggs since they are not implying that the species occur in California, but the sonoran whipsnake picture was a mistake they need to fix. And why are there are no illustrations of Salvadora, Tantilla hobartsmithi, Bogertophis rosaliae, or Tarentola? As somebody mentioned, the Cal King range map is certainly wrong, and the text backs it up, saying they're absent from the Colorado River area. Mostly the range maps disappoint me - they don't bother to show the separate ranges of the subspecies that the authors describe - except for the Ensatina. And worse, they often lump together more than one species on a single range map. They describe the ranges in the text, but they should have illustrated them, too, as they have always done in previous Stebbins guides. Also, the text and range map states that Rana boylii still occurs in the San Gabriel Mountains when as far as I know they haven't been seen there in many years. Have they been re-discovered there recently?
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Ribbit
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Re: Stebbins & McGinnis California field guide

Post by Ribbit »

Gary N wrote:They describe the ranges in the text, but they should have illustrated them, too, as they have always done in previous Stebbins guides.
Though I agree with your other comments, the previous edition of California Amphibians and Reptiles had no range maps at all, so this is at least better than that!

John
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Brian Hubbs
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Re: Stebbins & McGinnis California field guide

Post by Brian Hubbs »

This is so sad...
hellihooks
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Re: Stebbins & McGinnis California field guide

Post by hellihooks »

Jeff wrote: I've only flipped through the book, but noticed a number of errors already: upside down picture, range map for Common Kingsnake shows that it does NOT occur along the Colorado River, pl. 99 "juvenile striped whipsanke" is an adult Sonoran Whipsnake.
yeah... I hate seeing errors, that could have been caught with a quick proofread... :roll: However... I LOVE irony... :lol: :lol: :lol: jim
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Buzzworm
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Re: Stebbins & McGinnis California field guide

Post by Buzzworm »

... and Plate 115. "Barely visible Sidewinder in desert brush" (pg. 421) is upside down.
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