 Professor Camp helps edit new book on Georgia reptiles
By Taryn Gadbois
There is a hidden world of amphibians and reptiles waiting right outside our doors, if only we knew where to look. A new book, “Amphibians and Reptiles of Georgia,” tells us just that. It includes a wealth of information about 170 species of frogs, salamanders, crocodilians, lizards, snakes and turtles, including where to find them.
In the book, co-edited by Piedmont’s Dr. Carlos Camp, color photographs are paired with detailed species accounts, which provide information about size, appearance and other identifying characteristics of adults and young. Range maps show where each species resides in Georgia, as well as the United States generally.“Amphibians and Reptiles of Georgia” has been in the works for more than four years, according to Camp, who is anxiously awaiting the book’s summer 2008 publication by the University of Georgia Press. Camp was in charge of editing the accounts on amphibians and coincidentally, his former doctoral advisor, Dr. Whit Gibbons at the University of Georgia, was editor of the reptile accounts.
“This book will be the first statewide treatment of Georgia’s amphibian and reptile fauna since Bernard Martof published a short identification guide in 1956,” Camp said. “And it is the first work to treat these species in comprehensive detail.”
Some of the features of the book include: Nearly 500 color photographs, 24 line drawings showing each group’s defining features, almost 200 range maps detailing county-by-county distribution, and detailed species accounts written by 54 regional experts providing information on taxonomy and nomenclature; habits; distribution and habitat; and reproduction and development.
Camp is well-known in the reptile and amphibian world, having been a part of the discovery and researching two new species of salamanders. In 2002, Camp was involved in the discovery and formal description of the Dwarf Black-bellied Salamander. It was first found in Union County, but has since been recorded in the mountainous regions of Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. Dr. Rick Austin, also a professor at Piedmont, along with several others was involved in the discovery. The formal species name is Desmognathus folkertsi, named in honor of George Folkerts, who taught both Camp and Austin at Auburn University. “George was a consummate naturalist, and many biologists across the Southeast either studied under him or were influenced by him,” Camp said. Folkerts passed away in December 2007.
Camp is currently heading the research team for another new species of salamander. A graduate student from the University of Missouri brought it to him. It is the smallest salamander in the United States discovered to date and is so distinct from anything known it will most likely be described as a new genus. Other members of the research team are Trip Lamb from East Carolina University, David Wake from the University of California Berkley, Joe Milanovich from the University of Georgia, John Maerz from the University of Georgia, and Bill Peterman from the University of Missouri. The salamander is from northern Georgia.
Amphibians and Reptiles of Georgia goes on sale in July 2008 and can be purchased at the Piedmont College Bookstore on Georgia Street in Demorest, from UGA press at books@ugapress.uga.edu, or from Amazon.com.
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