A checklist of species is an invaluable tool for both researchers and the interested public. A well-constructed list provides an authoritative reference to the scientific name of a species and may also be a starting point for rewarding research efforts. In recent years, checklist preparation has been viewed as a byproduct of research activity and therefore has not received adequate professional or financial support. Now, when research in the biological sciences is attracting considerable attention in areas ranging from environmental and species conservation to genetic engineering, a reference as basic as a checklist should be an essential element in fostering accurate communications. Taxonomic checklists are ordinarily prepared by a small number of specialists; the present volume is unique in that 189 professional mammalogists from 23 countries (especially members of the American Society of Mammalogists) have cooperated over the past three years in its production with the Association of Systematics Collections and Allen Press, Inc., both of Lawrence, Kansas, U.S.A. The authors are editors. Produced in collaboration with the American Society of Mammalogists, CITES, und SSC-IUCN