LIBROS         Dominican Amber Spiders: a comparative palaeontological-neontological approach to identification, faunistics, ecology and biogeography     David Penney       Siri Scientific Press 176 pp. 24 x 17 cm tapas blandas       88 fotos a color, 11 fotos en blanco y negro, 14 ilustrations,       224 ilustraciones en escala de grisesPrecio: 40 £     ISBN 978-0-9558636-0-8 (2008)                 Este libro trata sobre las arañas de una de las regiones poco peor estudiadas de la Tierra, la República de Kazajstán, que se encuentra en Asia Central. Hasta ahora, no existe un único catálogo o guía de identificación ilustrada para las arañas de Kazakhstan. Por lo tanto, este libro constituye el primer documento sobre ésta interesante fauna, proporcionando una descripción ricamente ilustrada de 176 especies de arañas de 41 familias, que representan la mayor parte de los géneros (excepto los de Linyphiidae) registrados en Kazajstán. El aspecto general de 45 especies se ilustra en color por primera vez.       Palaeontological Association Newsl. 78 (2010): The title might suggest that this is a precisely focused work directed only at those with an interest in fossil spiders. This would be incorrect. The terms of reference established by the book are, as the long title suggests, broad. The copious bibliography indicates the level of synthesis the author has achieved. This volume is an excellent introduction to what can be learned from fossil amber, in this case Dominican amber. Some interesting conclusions can be drawn from considering the assemblage of fossil spiders as a whole, and it is here where Dr Penney’s synthesis emerges at its most satisfying. Considering it is published in a small print run with excellent images, the relatively high cost is expected. It will no doubt serve as a standard reference for some time to come. Prepublication academic review (2008): In summary, this book will be of considerable interest beyond the Dominican amber spider world and represents a very important contribution to studies on Caribbean biogeography and palaeobiogeography, the literature on amber, the fauna of Hispaniola (both fossil and extant), and an identification guide for workers in the Caribbean region. David Penney is undoubtedly the world expert in this field and has compiled a comprehensive synthesis with beautiful illustrations on almost every page, making it a pleasure to the eye. The information is sound and reliable, the bibliography extensive and complete, and the text is authoritative. There is no other work available quite like it and it should be on the shelves of academic libraries and museums, in addition to those of people with a general interest in amber or spiders, both amateur and professional.                 Contenido Introduction Caught in the act What are spiders Spiders in the fossil record Age, radiations & extinction events What is the importance of fossil spiders and why study them? Dominican Republic amber Some history A note on terminology Botanical source & age of Dominican amber Physical & chemical properties Tissue & DNA preservation Authenticity (distinguishing amber from copal & fakes) The mining process Methods of preparation & study Major collections of Dominican amber Conservation & curation of amber collections The diversity of Dominican amber inclusions History of Hispaniolan araneology The extant fauna The fossil fauna Systematic checklist of fossil & extant Hispaniolan spiders Key to Hispaniolan spider families (fossil & extant) Family descriptions (52 different families) Aspects of palaeoecology & historical biogeography The Miocene Dominican amber forest Resin as a trap: taphonomy & bias of amber spider inclusions Comparison of the fossil & extant spider faunas Origins of the Hispaniolan spider fauna Predictions for the extant fauna based on the fossil fauna Other fossil arachnids in Dominican amber References cited Index     Solicitudes:           Web : www.siriscientificpress.co.uk