Asiatic Herpetological Research

The latest issue of Asiatic Herpetological Research was printed March 2008, Current projects in digitizing literature at Harvard University through the Biodiversity Heritage Library Internet Archive project have produced an almost complete PDF archive for AHR, for individual articles and entire volumes follow this link .

With the inception of the latest issue, it was time AHR entered the world wide web. A peer-reviewed journal, we hope our online status not only provides access to the older harder to access literature but forms an efficient avenue for the communication and publication of Asian herpetological work in various fields, such as taxonomy, systematics, behavior, biomechanics, general morphology, biochemistry, developmental biology, conservation, natural history, ecology and translations of older non-english texts of value to the study of asian herpetofauna.

The origins of Asiatic Herpetological Research go back 34 years. Our present editor, Professor Ermi Zhao [now Honorary Editor-in-Chief; current Editor is Yue-zhao Wang (Vol. 11)] started a scientific periodical, Materials for Herpetological Research, in 1972. Four issues were published, the last in 1978 (Zhao and Adler, 1993). The text of all articles was in Chinese only. The four issues were produced by the Sichuan Biological Research Institute (now the Chengdu Institute of Biology). Materials was followed by Acta Herpetologica Sinica, which was also edited by Zhao. There were two series between 1979 and 1987. The “old series” consisted of six volumes published from 1979-1982 and the “new series” from 1982-1987 (Zhao and Adler, 1993). The articles were in Chinese, but English titles and often, English abstracts were included.

Volume 1 of a new journal, Chinese Herpetological Research, also edited by Zhao, was published in Chongqing for the Chinese Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, with Zhao continuing as editor. In 1988 Zhao visited the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California at Berkeley as part of his collaboration with J. Robert Macey and I. The MVZ’s single Mac Classic computer that could be used for desktop publishing impressed him. At Zhao’s request we agreed to transfer printing and distribution from China to Berkeley. Macey and I also agreed to serve as Associate Editors and to help assemble an international editorial board. We changed the name of the journal to Asiatic Herpetological Research with volume 3 in 1990. With this volume 10, our journal will return to the Chengdu Institute of Biology for printing and distribution. The quality of journals published in China is now of world standard and the Internet, unknown in 1988, allows for easy electronic transfer of manuscripts, and easy editing

Although our society is not large in membership, it is very international. We have published articles by authors from 29 countries. Fourteen new species of amphibians and reptiles have been described since 1987. We organized the First Asian Herpetology Meeting, held in China in 1992, the Second Asian Herpetology Meeting held in Turkmenistan in 1995, the Third Asian Herpetology Meeting held in Kazakhstan in 1998, and a Fourth Asian Herpetology Meeting in 2000 again in China.

Literature Cited

Zhao, E. and K. Adler. 1993. Herpetology of China. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles. 522 pp.

[Taken from Papenfuss, AHR. Volume 10. "The History of the Journal of Asiatic Herpetological Research"]