Lemurs of Madagascar (book)

Lemurs of Madagascar

Third edition cover
Author	Russell Mittermeier Kim E. Reuter Anthony B. Rylands Edward E. Louis Jr. et al.
Illustrator	Stephen D. Nash
Language	English
Series	Tropical Field Guide Series
Genre	Field guide
Published	1994 (First ed.) 2006 (Second ed.) 2010 (Third ed.) 2014 (Fourth ed.) 2023 (Fifth ed.)
Publisher	Conservation International (1st, 2nd, 3rd eds.) Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle (4th ed.) Re:wild (5th ed.)
Publication place	United States (5th ed.)
Media type	Print (Paperback)
Pages	975 (Fifth edition)
ISBN	978-1-7372851-6-8
OCLC	1402201987

Lemurs of Madagascar is a reference work and field guide for the lemurs of Madagascar with descriptions and biogeographic data for the known species. The primary contributor is Russell Mittermeier, president of Conservation International, and the cover art and illustrations are drawn by Stephen D. Nash. Currently in its fifth edition published in 2023,^[1] the book provides details about all known lemur species, general information about lemurs and their history, and tips for identifying species. Four related pocket field guides have also been released, containing color illustrations of each species, miniature range maps, and species checklists.

The first edition was reviewed favorably in the International Journal of Primatology, Conservation Biology, and Lemur News. Reviewers, including Alison Jolly, praised the book for its depth of coverage, illustrations, and discussion of topics including conservation, evolution, and the recently extinct subfossil lemurs. Each agreed that the book was an excellent resource for a wide audience, including ecotourists and lemur researchers. A lengthy review of the second edition was published in the American Journal of Primatology, where it received similar favorable comments. The third edition was reviewed favorably in Lemur News; the reviewer praised the expanded content of the book but was concerned that the edition was not as portable as its predecessors.

The first edition identified 50 lemur species and subspecies, compared to 71 in the second edition, 101 in the third, 102 in the fourth, and 112 in the fifth. The taxonomy promoted by these books has been questioned by researchers, such as Ian Tattersall, who view these growing quantities of lemur species as insufficiently justified inflation of species numbers.