Supernova types and rates

We review the basic properties of the different supernova types identified in the current taxonomy, with emphasis on the more recent developments. To help orienting in the variegate zoo, the optical photometric and spectroscopic properties of the different supernova types are presented in a number of summary figures. We also report the latest estimates of the supernova rates and stress the need for a dedicated effort to measure SN rates at high redshift.Comment: Invited review at the meeting: "The influence of binaries on stellar population studies", ed. D. Vanbeveren (Brussels 21-25 Aug. 2000). 14 pages, 10 figure