A guide to the Birds of Wallacea. B. J. Coates & K. D.

Bishop, 1997. 535 pp. ISBN 0-95-90257-3-1. Dover

Publications Pty. Ltd.
BIRDS of
WALLAGEA This book is the first ornithological field guide to the
region situated between the Oriental and Australasian
regions and known as Wallacea (after renowned naturalist
><,
1l~1-\'J.l'()XIES
J.nd
A. F. Wallace). This region has an interesting mix of bird
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fauna from both the Oriental and Australasian regions and
contains about 250 endemic bird species. This book intends
to serve both as field guide and reference book for the region.
This book starts with authoritative accounts of geology and
vegetation of the region. It also gives an account of climate
of Wallacea (written by D. A. Holmes). Following which,
characteristic bird communities of each habitat type (e.g.
montane forest and alpine grassland) are described. The
biogeography of the avifauna of Wallacea is also discussed in details. For researchers
interested in exploring the region, the key bird watching areas are listed.

After a brief introduction to each of the bird family of Wallacea, each of the over 690
bird species are described (e.g. range, status and habitat, and habits). This is supplemented
by excellent drawings by D. Gardner. Appendices include the lists of endemic species of
various areas within the region. The book ends with a comprehensive bibliography.

I think that this book has succeeded in its objectives and will be essential to everybody
working on or interested in birds of Wallacea and surrounding regions.

Navjot S. Sodhi
School of Biological Sciences
National University of Singapore
 An annotated checklist of the Birds of the Oriental
An Annotated Checklist Region. T. Inskipp, . Lindsey & W. Duckworth, 1996.
of the Birds of the 294 pp. ISBN 0-9529545-0-8. Oriental Bird Club.
Oriental Region
The Oriental region is considered as a bird 'mega-
diversity' regions. It contains over 2500 bird species of
which many species and groups are endemic to the region.
About 29% of the species globally threatened of extinction
occur in the Oriental region. The unprecedented habitat
destruction undoubtedly be detrimental to many endemic
and non-endemic bird species in the region (e.g. Brooks et
al. 1997). Considering this scenario, it is important to
document all the species occurring in the region, which this
book aims. This inventory can then be further used to
determine the status of the species of conservation concern.

This book uses the classification system proposed by Sibley & Monroe (1990, 1993).
Although this system of classification has been criticized by some researchers (Davison
1997), it is now heavily used. All the species are grouped in respective Orders. However,
no attempt has been made to give any description (e.g. range, migratory status) for the species.
The indication of species of conservation concern is very helpful. The exhaustive reference
section will also be helpful to the researchers.

This book will be useful to anybody working on birds in the region. However, I hope
that it will stimulate more bird research in the region.

Brooks, T. M., S. L. Pimm & N. J. Collar, 1997. Deforestation predicts the number of threatened
birds in insular Southeast Asia. Conserv. BioI., 11: 382-394.

Davison, G., 1997. Review of: An annotated checklist of the birds of the Oriental region. Malayan
Nat., 50: 40-42.

Sibley, C. G. & B. L. Monroe, Jr., 1990. Distribution and taxonomy of birds of the world. Yale
University Press, New Haven.

Sibley, C. G. & B. L. Monroe, Jr., 1993. Supplement to the distribution and taxonomy of birds of the
world. Yale University Press, New Haven.

Navjot S. Sodhi
School of Biological Sciences
National University of Singapore
 Birds ofPelong Rocks. M. Wong & Hj. M. bin Hj. Ibrahim,
1996. 70 pp. Brunei Museum, Brunei Darussalam.

This book is the first in the series on the Natural

History of Brunei Darussalam and reports some natural
history observations made by authors on Pelong Rocks.
Pelong Rocks are a group of small rocky islands in South
China sea. The book aims to give a brief introduction to
some of the birds recorded on the island and is primarily
aimed at non-scientific readers. It starts with a brief
introduction to the geology, habitat types, and vegetation of
the rocks. Then it gives natural history notes on resident
(the Reef Egret, Egretta sacra; terns, Sterna spp. and
Chlidonias spp.; and the Pied Imperial Pigeon, Ducula
bicolor) and migratory bird species (the White-bellied Sea
Eagle, Haliaeetus leucogaster; White-collared Kingfisher, Todirhamphus chloris; and Blue
Rock Thrush, Monticola solitarius). The book ends with brief notes on how, why, and
where to study birds (applicable both to Pelong Rocks and Brunei Darussalam).

Considering that the natural history data are lacking for most of Southeast Asian
bird species, this book could be useful both to scientists and non-scientists. I hope that
similar books would be published from other areas of Southeast Asia so that notes made by
people studying natural history are properly documented.

Navjot S. Sodhi
School of Biological Sciences
National University of Singapore
 FAO Species Identification Field Guide for Fishery
Purposes. Fishes of the Cambodian Mekong. W. J.
Rainboth. 1996.265 pp, XXVII pIs. ISBN 92-5-103743-4.
Food and Agricultutre Organisation of the United Nations,
Rome.

Considering the fact that the Mekong basin is the largest

river drainage in Southeast Asia, its freshwater ichthyofauna
has been relatively poorly-studied. Although detailed studies
on the freshwater fishes of parts of the drainage exist (e.g.
Smith, 1945), only Taki's (1974, 1978) studies of the Lao
Mekong have treated the freshwater fishes of this drainage
with any detail. FAO is to be commended in alleviating the
paucity of publications in this field by producing a field guide
to the fishes of the Cambodian Mekong. Although the title
suggests otherwise, this field guide reports almost every species known from the Mekong
basin (about 500 species in 65 families).

The layout of the field guide makes it easily usable, and figures, most of which are of
excellent quality, are provided for almost every species. Apart from this, colour plates have
been provided for the more commonly-encountered species. This is a great help to users
who are not familiar with the fishes of the area.

Some recent taxonomic changes should be considered though, when the book is used:
1. Rasbora urophthalmoides should be Boraras urophthalmoides (as treated by Kottelat &
Vidthayanon, 1993).
2. Dangila is not a valid genus name, the correct name being Labiobarbus, with both D.
kuhli and D. lineata synonymised under L. leptocheilus, and D. spilopleura under L.
siamensis (see Roberts, 1993).
3. The Botia sp. described in page 134 and illustrated in plate XVI, figures 126 and 127 is
now Botia caudipunctata Taki & Doi, 1995.
4. The genus Heterobagrus (page 140) is now regarded as a synonym of Mystus (see Mo,
1991; Roberts, 1994a).
5. The following species of Mystus should be transferred to Hemibagrus: M.filamentus, M.
nemurus, M. wyckii and M. wyckioides (fide Mo, 1991).
6. All species of Silurus known from Indochina have been transferred to the genus
Pterocryptis (after Bornbusch, 1991).
7. The genus Acrochordonichthys is not known from Indochina. The illustrations indicate
that Acrochordonichthys sp. cf. rugosus is in fact an Akysis species. The basis for
differentiating Acrochordonichthys from Akysis as given in the book is that the former
genus has a truncate caudal fin while the latter has a forked caudal fin. In fact, Akysis
species with truncate caudal fins exist (e.g. Akysis heterurus, Ng, 1996).
8. There is a third species of Parambassis known from the Mekong basin - P. siamensis
(Fowler, 1937) according to Roberts (1994b). This was placed as a synonym of
Pseudambassis notatus (as Chanda siamensis) on page 182.
9. Coius should replace Datnioides following revisionary work by Roberts & Kottelat (1994).
The genus should also be placed within its own family, Coiidae. Three species are known
 from the Mekong (not two as stated on page 183): C. microlepis, C. quadrifasciatus and
C. undecimradiatus Roberts & Kottelat, 1994.
10. Polynemus multifilis is now referred to the genus Polistonemus (see Kottelat et aI., 1993).
II. Nandus nandus is not known from the Mekong basin. The species reported by Taki
(1974) as Nandus nandus is in fact N. oxyrhynchus Ng, Vidthayanon & Ng, 1996.
12. Pristolepis should be placed within its own family, Pristolepididae (see Roberts, 1989).
13. The picture of Helostoma temmincki on page 215 is actually that of Belontia hasselti.
14. For the genus Betta, there are currently three species known from the area of concern.
They are B. splendens, B. smaragdina, and B. prima Kottelat, 1994. Betta prima was
previously identified as B. pugnax (Kottelat, 1984, 1994).
15. A third species df the genus Trichopsis is found in the Mekong basin - T. schalleri (see
Kottelat, 1989).

These minor points aside, this is still an important work for ichthyologists working on
freshwater fishes of Southeast Asia, particularly for fisheries officers working in the region.
The challenge ahead now would be to produce similar field guides to the fishes of the other
rivers in the region!

Bornbusch, A. H., 1991. Redescription and reclassification of the silurid catfish Apodoglanisfurnessi
Fowler (Siluriformes: Siluridae), with diagnoses of three intrafamilial silurid subgroups. Copeia, 1991:
1070-1084.

Kottelat, M., 1984. Fresh-water fishes of Kampuchea - a preliminary annotated checklist.

Hydrobiologia, 121: 249-279.

Kottelat, M., 1989. Zoogeography of the fishes from Indochinese inland waters with an annotated
check-list. Bull. Zool. Museum, 12: I-56.

Kottelat, M., 1994. Diagnoses of the two new species of fighting fishes from Thailand and Cambodia
(Teleostei: Belontiidae). Ichthyol. Explor. Freshwaters, 5: 65-78.

Kottelat, M. & C. Vidthayanon, 1993. Boraras micros, a new genus and species of minute freshwater
fish from Thailand (Teleostei: Cyprinidae). Ichthyol. Explor. Freshwaters, 4: 161-176.

Kottelat, M., A. J. Whitten, S. N. Kartikasari & S. Wirjoatmodjo, 1993. Freshwater Fishes of Western
Indonesia and Sulawesi. Hong Kong: Peri plus Editions. 221 pp., 84 pis.

Mo, T., 1991. Anatomy, relationships and systematics of the Bagridae (Teleostei: Siluroidei) with a
hypothesis of siluroid phylogeny. Thesis Zoologicae, 17: 1-216.

Ng, H. H., 1996. Akysis heterurus, a new species of catfish (Teleostei: Akysidae) from eastern Sumatra.
RajJ1es Bull. Zool., 44: 3-10.

g, H. H., C. Vidthayanon & P. K. L. g, 1996. Nandus oxyrhynchus, a new species of leaf fish from
the Mekong basin (Teleostei: Nandidae). RajJ1es Bull. Zool.. 44: 11-20. .

Roberts, T.R., 1989. The freshwater fishes of Western Borneo (Kalimantan Barat, Indonesia). Mem.
California Acad. Sci., 14: 1-210.

Roberts, T. R., 1993. Systematic revision of the Southeast Asian cyprinid fish genus Labiobarbus
(Teleostei: Cyprinidae). RajJ1es Bull. Zool., 41: 315-329.
Roberts, T. R., 1994a. Systematic revision of Asian bagrid catfishes of the genus Mystus sensu stricto,
with a new species from Thailand and Cambodia. lchthyol. Explor. Freshwaters, 5: 241-256.

Roberts, T. R., 1994b. Systematic revision of tropical Asian freshwater glassperches. Nat. Hist. Bull.
Siam Soc., 42: 263-290.

Roberts, T. R. & M. Kottelat, 1994. The Indo-Pacific tigerperches, with a new species from the Mekong
basin (Pisces: Coiidae). lchthyol. Explor. Freshwaters, 5: 257-266.

Taki, Y., 1974. Fishes of the Lao Mekong basin. United States Agency for International Development
Mission to Laos Agriculture Division. 232 pp.

Taki, Y., 1978. An all'alytical study of the fish fauna of the Mekong basin as a biological production
system in nature. Res. lnst. Evol. BioI. Spec. Pub. No. I. 77 pp.

Taki, Y. & A. Doi, 1995. Two new species of the cobitid genus Botia from the Lao Mekong basin.
lap. l. lchthyol., 42: 147-155.

Ng Heok Hee
School of Biological Sciences
National University of Singapore