A Manual of the Mammalia: An Homage to Lawlor's "handbook to the Orders and Families of Living Mammals"

The taxonomy of recent mammals has lately undergone tremendous revision, but it has been almost four decades since the last update to Timothy E. Lawlor's acclaimed identification guide the Handbook to the Orders and Families of Living Mammals. Integrating the latest advances in research, Douglas A. Kelt and James L. Patton provide this long-overdue update in their new, wholly original work, A Manual of the Mammalia. Complemented by global range maps, high-resolution photographs of skulls and mandibles by Bill Stone, and the outstanding artwork of Fiona Reid, this book provides an overview of biological attributes of each higher taxon while highlighting key and diagnostic characters needed to identify skulls and skins of all recent mammalian orders and most families. Kelt and Patton also place taxa in their currently understood supra-familial clades, and discuss current challenges in higher mammal taxonomy. Including a comprehensive review of mammalian anatomy to provide a foundation for understanding all characters employed throughout, A Manual of the Mammalia is both a user-friendly handbook for students learning to identify higher mammal taxa and a uniquely comprehensive, up-to-date reference for mammalogists and mammal-lovers from across the globe.

Table of Contents:
IntroductionOrganization of This Manual AcknowledgmentsBasics of Mammalian AnatomyCranial and Postcranial AnatomyThe Mammalian Skull Postcranial SkeletonThe IntegumentMammalian Hair Foot Posture and Foot PadsTeethDental Formulae Tooth Morphology Types of Molar Occlusal Patterns Specialized Molar Cusps Crown Height and Root Development Incisor Procumbency Classification of Living MammalsClass MammaliaSubclass PrototheriaOrder MonotremataSubclass TheriaInfraclass Metatheria (= Marsupialia)Order Didelphimorphia Order Paucituberculata Order Microbiotheria Order Notoryctemorphia Order Dasyuromorphia Order Peramelemorphia (= Peramelina) Order DiprotodontiaSuborder Vombatiformes Suborder Phalangeriformes Suborder MacropodiformesInfraclass Eutheria or PlacentaliaClade Atlantogenata Clade XenarthraOrder Cingulata Order PilosaSuborder Folivora Suborder VermilinguaClade AfrotheriaClade AfroinsectiphiliaOrder TubulidentataClade AfroinsectivoraOrder Macroscelidea Order TenrecoideaSuborder Chrysochloridea Suborder TenrecomorphaClade Paenungulata (= Subungulata)Order HyracoideaClade TethytheriaOrder Proboscidea Order SireniaClade BoreoeutheriaClade EuarchontogliresClade GliresOrder Lagomorpha Order RodentiaSuborder Sciuromorpha Suborder Castorimorpha Suborder Myomorpha (= Myodonta) Suborder Anomaluromorpha Suborder Hystricomorpha (= Ctenohystrica)       Infraorder Ctenodactylomorphi       Infraorder HystricognathiClade EuarchontaOrder PrimatesSuborder Strepsirrhini       Infraorder Lemuriformes       Infraorder Chiromyiformes       Infraorder Lorisiformes Suborder Haplorrhini       Infraorder Tarsiiformes       Infraorder Simiiformes (= Anthropoidea)Clade SundatheriaOrder Dermoptera Order ScandentiaClade LaurasiatheriaClade Lipotyphla (= Eulipotyphla)Order Erinaceomorpha Order SoricomorphaClade ScrotiferaOrder ChiropteraClade Yinpterochiroptera (= Pteropodiformes) Clade Yangochiroptera (= Vespertilioniformes)Clade Ferae Order Pholidota Order CarnivoraSuborder Feliformia Suborder CaniformiaClade EuungulataOrder PerissodactylaSuperorder CetartiodactylaOrder ArtiodactylaSuborder Suina Suborder Whippomorpha      Infraorder AncodontaSuborder Tylopoda Suborder Ruminantia       Infraorder Tragulina       Infraorder PecoraClade Cetacea (= Cete)Subclade Mysticeti Subclade Odontoceti Glossary Literature Cited Index to Taxonomic Names above the Genus Level  

About the Author :
Douglas A. Kelt is professor of wildlife ecology at the University of California, Davis, and incoming president of the American Society of Mammalogists.He lives in Woodland, CA. James L. Patton is professor emeritus of integrative biology and curator of mammals at the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, and a past president of the American Society of Mammalogists. He is coeditor most recently of Mammals of South America, Volume 2: Rodents, also published by the University of Chicago Press. He lives in Kensington, CA.

Review :
"An outstanding contribution to our efforts to teach students and professionals the wealth of recent literature that is recasting our understanding of the world's mammals. I applaud Kelt and Patton for keeping Lawlor's name associated with this massive revision. It isn't so much 'Lawlor's . . .' anymore, but it is very generous of these authors to recognize his initial efforts and contributions in teaching a next generation of mammalogists. The glossary and illustrations are excellent and most helpful. This book will be the standard for years to come."--Robert M. Timm, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, and past president, American Society of Mammalogists "Kelt and Patton have greatly expanded Lawlor's work with new taxonomic and systematic organization, many more and better illustrations, and a more extensive bibliography. This new rendition is much improved. There is hardly a better manual for comparing old and new taxonomic and phylogenetic constructs for the Class Mammalia. Relations of groups of mammals, and Mammaliaformes, are clearly presented. Characteristics of each order and family are clearly and succinctly listed. Drawings and photos are first rate and clearly illustrate the desired points for each character/group. This book will have a place on the bookshelf of every mammalogist worldwide."--Michael A. Mares, director, curator, and professor emeritus, Sam Noble Museum, University of Oklahoma, and past president, American Society of Mammalogists