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BookReviews firstencounterofEuropeanexplorerswith bats benefitgreatlybytheprofusionofphotographs in Australia. Also highlighted are the passion- thatenhance thetext to make this bookavery atepeoplewhorescueandcareforinjuredbats. engaging read. I guarantee that, by the end of The closing chapter is devoted to species pro- this book, readers will be hooked on bats, if files,withstunningphotosofalargeproportion theyare nothookedalready! of Australian bats, and associated descriptive information. WhatIlikedespeciallyaboutthis bookisthat it brings together current knowledge on bats in Australia, andeach chapterispresentedina waythat can be followed easilyeven bypeople TaniaStraka whoarecompletelynewtotheworldofbats. In AustraUlribaannReEsceoalrocghyC(eAnRtrCeUEfo)r addition,itmanagestopresentfactualinforma- c/oSchoolofBotany tion that would intrigue bat scientists, making TheUniversityofMelbourne this anenjoyableread forthemtoo. All readers A Guide to Australia's Spiny Freshwater Crayfish. ByRobert B McCormack Publisher: CSIROPublishing, Collingwood, Vic., Paperback 2012. 248pages,paperbackcolour photographs. ISBN: 9780643103863. RRP$59.95. FromtimetotimeIhavebeenasked toidentify freshwater crayfish for environmental manag- ers, curious members of the public or kids. A GUIDE TO AUSTRALIA'S While I knowsomethingabout marine crusta- ceans, these groups are not myspeciality. So a guide isjust what I need. This new book is a fine publication but it is not a guide for those whomightwanttofindoutthenameofanewly caught crayfish. Identification ofspecies, espe- cially in a genus likeEuastacus with 50 named speciesandmoreyettobedescribed,isnoeasy task. To the uninitiated (that’s most ofus) tell- ing one from the other is difficult. Gary Mor- gan,whosetaxonomicwork(1986-1997) isthe foundationofcurrent understanding, provided dichotomous keys fullofarcane terms and de- manded an appreciation ofsubtle distinctions. No substitute forthese keys is provided in this book—perhaps that is not possible but some ofthe new information provided here, colour patterns for example, might have proved use- ful. Iwonderhowtheauthorandhiscolleagues identify species without resorting to Morgans 60 TheVictorianNaturalist BookReviews works. The section devoted to identification of cus in Google Scholar). I list below some key crayfish relies on division of the species into papersfromthehundreds Ifound. what the author calls giant’, ‘intermediate’ and Thewritingstylerangesfromhighlytechnical ‘dwarf’spinycrayfish,eachgroupcharacterised to chatty, fact and opinion often intermingled. byabout 20 morphological, ecological and be- The technical sections will be beyond many havioural features, some overlapping. I found readers-Iwonderwhatarethereallydiagnos- it difficult to differentiate some ofthe species ticbitsinthespeciesdiagnoses.Adviceonhan- tabulated aphabetically on the basis of these dlingspinycrayfishisusefulbutnotinasection characters. The section fails to explain how to onanatomy(p. 32).Theexcellentcoloured and tellonespeciesfromanother. labelled illustrations of anatomy (pp. 37-40) Having said that,A Guide toAustralias Spiny seemtostandaloneandthedifferencebetween Freshwater Crayfish should have general inter- ‘small’, ‘medium’ and ‘large’ spines is never ex- est.Iamafanofbooksthatcoverawelldefined plained. Small errors have crept in. The cheli- taxonomic group, the genus Euastacus in this ped (and in fact all the legs) comprise seven case, in detail and in a popular format. Three- segments, coxa, basis, ischium, merus, carpus, quarters of the book discusses all 50 species propodusanddactylusinthatorder,notfouras foundinAustraliainalphabeticalorder(which stated. There is only one pair ofuropods, each isfineifyouknowthespeciesnameofthespe- withtwobranches,nottwopairs. ciesofinterest). Acolourphotograph, ecology, Thisbookcovers alotandfillsagapforanim- diagnostic features, distribution, colour, size, portantandcharismaticgroupofendemicAus- breeding and conservation status are given for traliancrustaceansandforthese reasonsitisto each. We learn that many are uncommon and berecommended. most are restricted to small catchment areas. In the absence ofidentification keys, it might References have been better to group similar species to- Crandall, KA, Fetzner JW, Lawler SH, Kinnersley M and getheranddiscusshowtheydifferedfromtheir Austin CM (1999) Phylogenetic relationships among neighbours. The introductorychapters discuss ctrhaeyfAiusshtersa(liDaencapaondda:NePawrasZteaaclidaaned).gAeunsetrraalioafnfJroeusrhnwaalteorf basic crayfish anatomy, moulting and growth, Zoology47,199-214. morphologyandbreeding.Aconcludingchap- FuErusaestJaMcuasnd(49Cosupgechireas)nvJer(s2u0s10I)UACnNaRsesdessLmisetntcriotfergiea.nuAs ter evaluates threats from recreational fishing, report prepared forthe GlobalSpeciesConservation As- illegal fishing, climate change, habitat altera- sessmentoflobstersandfreshwatercrayfishfortheIUCN Red ListofThreatened Species. InternationalAssociation tion, exoticspecies anddiseases. ofAstacology. There isawealthofinformation in the intro- HorwitzP(1995)ApreliminarykeytothespeciesofDecapoda ductorychaptersandforeachspecies.Iassume t(eCrrsus(tCaoc-eoap:erMaatliavceosRtersaecaar)chfoCuenndtrienfAourstFrraelsihawnatienrlaEncdolwoag-y that the author and his colleagues in the Aus- IdentificationGuide5). (Co-operativeResearchCentrefor tsariranelciteaon2b0Ce0r5ac,yofamirsmehernPerdsopejoednctsf,iobralebcrofilonlrgaibmnoorgsatittiootfongieattchtaeinrvd.e ZuaFfkirrosmewhasisthnkuwgsia)rte.Se,gruEWlEcaaocttlotiolosgonigsRcy:a:alAnuAMdsltabrCnuauralryigta,ie’ssNmeSAMnuW(tr)2r0&a1y2R)CersLatiyonfrkiaistnihgo(nbEiu1oa3ls,otga1yc8u3ts-o I was curious why only 27, mostly taxonomic, 190. A citations are listed in the References section. vastnumberofrefereedpapersandgovernment reports goes unacknowledged. This literature dealswith spinycrayfishphysiology, reproduc- GaryCBPoore tion, life history, evolution, phylogeny, popu- MusGePuOmVBiocxto6r6i6a lation genetics, conservation, management, Melbourne3001 fisheries, diet, behaviour, growth, burrows, Aboriginal use, moulting, pollution tolerance, dispersal, ectoparasites and more (try Euasta- Vol 130 (1) 2013 61