Here we present some guides, scientific books and articles that are useful to identify the organisms found in the Amazonas basin. Given the extreme biodiversity of tropical habitats and our own specific interest this list is by no means complete. However, we will add interesting literature in future. Titles marked with * are Amazon affiliate links. You can support us by purchasing via those links.

Adis J (ed.) 2002: Amazonian Arachnida and Myriapoda. Identification keys to all classes, orders, families, some genera, and lists of known terrestrial species. Pensoft Publishers, Bulgaria, 590 pp. ISBN 954-642-118-9  This valuable book is rather for the specialist and dedicated amateur biologist but it provides a lot of information on Amazonian spiders and their allies and on millipedes that was until then scattered all over the scientific literature.

*Bartlett RD & Bartlett P 2003: Reptiles and amphibians of the Amazon. An ecotourist’s guide. University Press of Florida, USA, 291 pp. ISBN 0-8130-2627-3 The book provides brief information and color photographs of 275 species of amphibians and reptiles of the Amazon basin, however, judging from the photographs the focus lies on Loreto region of Peru.

*Castner JL 2000: Amazon Insects. A photo guide. Feline Press, USA, 160 pp. ISBN 0-9625150-1-9 A very small and handy book with very good photographs of the insects found in the Amazon basin. Due to the overwhelming species diversity of tropical insects and the vast area of the geographical region a book of this format is only a glimpse on the subject.

*Kahn TR, La Marca E, Lötters S, Brown JL, Twomey E, Amézquita A (eds.) 2016: Aposematic poison frogs (Dendrobatidae) of the Andean countries: Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Perú and Venezuela. Conservation International Tropical Field Guide Series, Conservation International, USA, 588 pp. ISBN 978-1-934151-27-3 This wonderfully illustrated book is a must for all interested in this frog group. It provides information on general biology of dendrobatids, their threats and conservation, distribution, alkaloid profiles, and the various color morphs are illustrated as well. Do not be confused by the term “Andean” in the title, it refers only to the fact that the mentioned countries have also those mountain ranges within their territories, lowland species are covered as well. Where species distributions go beyond the borders of those countries, they ares mapped, too.

*Pearson DL & Beletsky L 2010: Ecuador and the Galápagos Islands. Travellers’ Wildlife Guides, Interlink Books, USA, 476 pp. ISBN 978-1-56656-530-1  In the first part the book gives a lot of information on natural history of the animals of the covered geographical areas. In the second part more than 500 species of animals occurring in Ecuador are pictured on full-color illustrations. The focus is on larger mammals and birds.

*Rodríguez LO & Duellman WE 1994: Guide to the frogs of the Iquitos region, Amazonian Peru. Natural History Museum, The University of Kansas, Social Publications No. 22, USA, 80 pp, 12 plates. ISBN 0-89338-047-4 The small book describes 112 and illustrates in color 111 species of frogs and toads of the Iquitos region.

More interesting links:

Ecology, general natural history & geography of Amazonia

New publication trailer on YouTube Tarantulas and their habitats

The Plan