Although I am an unrepentant bibliophile, I don't usually look forward to reading taxonomic checklists. They often serve primarily to promote the particular taxonomic opinions of a limited set of authors, and people who produce checklists are often trying to promote a particular agenda. No one is required to follow these opinions, and many practicing biologists are more inclined to follow taxonomic changes when they are supported by peer-reviewed research in the primary scientific literature, rather than merely listed in a self-published checklist. But after seeing the coauthorship of this latest taxonomic checklist of North American amphibians, my curiosity was piqued. The senior author, M. J. Fouquette, has devoted his professional life to understanding the species status, isolating mechanisms, and biology of North American frogs. He has published a number of important and groundbreaking analyses on frog biology, and few people would describe him as a taxonomic rebel. In contrast,...

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