Venomous Snake
Systematics Alert
Wolfgang Wüster ,
Bothrops atrox
The aim of this page is to provide regular updates on developments in the systematics of venomous snakes for the benefit of toxinological and medical researchers, as well as herpetoculturists and other interested individuals.
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Introduction
"Taxonomy is a matter of
personal opinion..."
H.G.
Cogger, 1985, quoted in Golay et al., 1993.
"Taxonomy is a matter of consensus..."
Golay,
1993
"Taxonomy is a matter of evidence...
"
Wüster ,
2002
These pages follow on from a discontinued series of articles by David A. Warrell, Philippe Golay and myself in the journal Toxicon. The information provided here will include new species descriptions, as well as systematic revisions of existing taxa. In particular, I aim to make this information accessible to a non-specialist readership by putting changes into context with previously used nomenclature of venomous snakes. I hope these pages will be useful to a variety of users.
Lists of species of various genera, with further literature references, can be found on-line in the EMBL Living Reptiles Database
Note that the main idea of this page is to provide a guide to the current systematic literature, and to enable readers to seek out relevant papers themselves for more detailed information. It is NOT intended to provide fully comprehensive information on every new species or every taxonomic change - for this, the reader will have to consult the original papers. Note also that I am unable to supply copies of publications listed here to third parties. Reprints of many publications can be obtained from their authors. Authors' postal or e-mail addresses for many of the papers listed here are available from Breck Bartholomew's Herpetological Contents website (highly recommended). You may also find their addresses in the CNAH/CH Directory of Herpetologists.
If you find any omissions or errors in this compilation, then please let me know (Caution: remove anti-spam device before sending).
Contents 
To reduce
file sizes and download times, the updates
are grouped by year and by (sub-) family of snakes covered. All pages last
modified
2009 Publications
Elapidae - Revision of Pseudonaja, recognition of P. aspidorhyncha and P. mengdeni; revision of Naja haje complex, description of Naja senegalensis. Updated 21/09/2009
Crotalinae - Subdivision of Bothrops; revision of Hypnale, recognition of H. zara. Updated 21/09/2009
Viperinae - Description of Atheris
mabuensis; revision of Echis Updated 06/01/2010
2008 Publications
Colubridae - Description of Phalotris sansebastiani. Updated 07/08/2009
Elapidae - Description of Calliophis
haematoetron. Updated 21/09/2009
Crotalinae - Ceratrimeresurus
shenlii synonymised with Protobothrops
cornutus; Trimeresurus truongsonensis
assigned to Viridovipera; description
of Bothrops marmoratus, Crotalus ericsmithi, Cryptelytrops hongsonensis, and Atropoides indomitus. Updated 16/07/2009
2007 Publications
Colubridae - Description of Hydrodynastes melanogigas. Updated 22/04/2008
Elapidae - Description of Oxyuranus
temporalis and Micrurus silviae; Bungarus javanicus
synonymised with B. candidus; revision of Walterinnesia and
recognition of W. morgani;
description of Naja ashei;
Boulengerina and Paranaja synonymised with Naja; Naja nigricincta recognised
as separate species; revision of the Demansia
olivacea/torquata complexes. Updated 16/07/2009
Crotalinae - Description of Tropidolaemus laticinctus; Crotalus
stephensi recognised as full species; Tropidolaemus subannulatus and
T. philippensis recognised as full species; Triceratolepidophis and
Zhaoermia synonymised with Protobothrops. Updated 22/04/2008
Viperinae - Revision
of Russell's viper complex, recognition of Daboia siamensis. Updated
22/04/2008
2006
Publications
Atractaspididae
- Revision of Atractaspis
microlepidota group in
Elapidae - Revision of the Laticauda
colubrina complex, with the description of Laticauda saintgironsi. Aspidelaps
lubricus infuscatus synonymised with A. l. cowlesi. Last
updated
Crotalinae - Revision of the Trimeresurus puniceus
complex with the description of T. andalasensis. Description of Popeia
buniana. Last updated
Viperinae - Description of Pseudocerastes urarachnoides.
Last updated
2005
Publications
Colubridae - Boiga ocellata synonymised
with Boiga siamensis. Description of Boiga ranawanei. Last
updated
Elapidae - Phylogeny and revision of Acanthophis
and Pseudechis; revision of Notechis; phylogeography of the Pseudechis
australis complex; revision of Micrurus surinamensis; revision of
the Laticauda colubrina complex; description of Bungarus slowinskii,
Boulengerina synonymised with Naja. Last updated
Crotalinae - Phylogeography and revision of Crotalus durissus
complex; revision of Bothriopsis oligolepis, B. peruviana and B.
chloromelas; revision of the nomenclature of the Crotalus durissus
complex. Last updated 05/04/2006
2004 Publications
Elapidae - Naja anchietae recognised as
full species; description of Micrurus tamaulipensis. Last updated
25/01/2005
Crotalinae - Description of Crotalus tancitarensis; Trimeresurus cornutus redescribed and transferred to Protobothrops. Chocoan bushmaster recognised as separate species; reclassification of the Crotalus durissus complex; revision of the Bothrops neuwiedi complex, with recognition of seven species; Zhaoermia as a replacement name for Ermia; revision of Asiatic pitvipers of the Trimeresurus complex, with revalidation of the genera Parias and Cryptelytrops, and description of the genera Viridovipera, Himalayophis, Popeia and Garthius. Description of Trimeresurus truongsonensis, T. fucatus, T. nebularis and Popeia inornata. Last updated 22/12/2004
Viperinae - Description of Echis omanensis. Last updated
2003
Publications
Colubridae
- Description of Boiga bengkuluensis and Clelia hussami;
Elapidae
- Description of Naja nubiae. Last updated 08/04/2003
Crotalinae - Phylogeography and revision of Crotalus horridus; phylogeny, phylogeography and systematics of Atropoides; Trimeresurus karanshahi synonymised with T. tibetanus; description of Porthidium porrasi. Last updated 20/07/2004
Viperinae
- Description of Echis coloratus terraesanctae. Last updated
2002 Publications
Colubridae - Revision of southern African Psammophis with recognition of P. trinasalis, namibensis, orientalis, leopardinus and brevirostris as full species; description of Xyelodontophis uluguruensis, Boiga tanahjampeana and Psammophis zambiensis. Last updated 27/01/2004.
Elapidae - Description of Micrurus pacaraimae. Last updated 16/10/2002
Crotalinae - Revision of the Crotalus viridis complex with recognition of seven species; description of Trimeresurus gumprechti and Bothrops alcatraz. Last updated 31/10/2003
Viperinae - Description of Atheris hirsuta. Last updated 02/09/2002
2001 Publications
Colubridae- Revision of Thelotornis - description of T. usambaricus, T. mossambicanus raised to full species. Last updated 23/04/2002
Elapidae - Description of Hydrophis sibauensis; revision of Oriental coral snakes: synonymisation of Maticora with Calliophis, description of new genus Sinomicrurus. Last updated 14/09/2001.
Crotalinae - Description of Agkistrodon bilineatus lemosespinali; description of genus Bothrocophias and the new species Bothrocophias myersi; Bothrops pradoi synonymised with B. leucurus; description of Bothrops muriciensis; revision of the Trimeresurus albolabris complex; revision of Crotalus viridis; description of Trimeresurus vogeli. Updated 28/02/2003
Viperinae - Phylogeny of the Viperinae -
synonymy of Adenorhinos with Atheris, revision of Vipera,
Macrovipera and Daboia; revalidation of Atheris subocularis;
status of Vipera barani and V. pontica; description of Vipera
orlovi and Vipera magnifica; revision of Vipera ursinii
complex. Last updated 30/08/2002
2000 Publications
Elapidae - Revision of Drysdalia+Elapognathus and Echiopsis/Paroplocephalus; descriptions of the new species Hydrophis laboutei, Micrurus pachecogili, Naja mandalayensis and Pailsus rossignolii. Last updated 31/10/2003.
Crotalinae - Revisions of Agkistrodon bilineatus and Crotalus viridis complexes; description of new genus Triceratolepidophis and new species T. sieversorum; description of new species Bothriechis thalassinus; the scientific name of the red diamondback rattlesnake: Crotalus ruber. Updated 27/11/2001
Viperinae
- Revision of Atheris squamigera-anisolepis complex.
1999 Publications
Colubridae - Revision of Rhabdophis.
Elapidae - Revisions
of Hemibungarus/Calliophis japonicus complex and Micrurus
frontalis complex; description of new species Elapsoidea trapei from
Crotalinae - Revision of Bothrops atrox complex; description of new species Cerrophidion petlalcalensis; nomenclature of Bothrops campbelli, B. albocarinatus, and B. pulcher; revision of Gloydius. Last updated 1/10/2002.
Viperinae
- Phylogeny and revision of Bitis; revision of Bitis cornuta-inornata
complex; revision of Cerastes with description of two new subspecies;
revision of Vipera xanthina-raddei complex with description of new subgenus
for the complex; description of new species Atheris broadleyi.
1998 Publications
Elapidae - Revision of Acanthophis with description of five new species and one subspecies; revision of Demansia; revision of Elapsoidea semiannulata complex; descriptions of Pailsus pailsei and Simoselaps morrisi. Last updated 19/08/2001.
Crotalinae - Revisions of Bothriechis schlegelii and Trimeresurus sumatranus; transfer of Mexican black-tailed pitviper from Porthidium to Ophryacus. Last updated 27/07/2001.
Viperinae - Description of Atheris acuminata.
Key Venomous Snake Systematics References
The following are the currently most important references covering either all or most groups of venomous snakes, including information on distribution and systematics. The three volumes are similar in many respects, but differ in their emphasis on aspects covered.
- David, P. & I. Ineich (1999) Les serpents venimeux du monde: systématique et répartition. Dumerilia, 3: 3-499. (bilingual, English and French; focussed particularly on distribution; many commentaries on systematic problems).
- Golay, P., H.M. Smith, D.G. Broadley, J.R. Dixon, C. McCarthy, J.-C. Rage, B. Schätti & M. Toriba. 1993. Endoglyphs and Other Major Venomous Snakes of the World. A Checklist. Azemiops, Geneva. (focussed primarily on synonymies)
- McDiarmid, R.W., J.A. Campbell & T. Touré (1999) Snake Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. The Herpetologists' League, Washington D.C. (covers Viperidae; other venomous taxa to be covered in future volumes focussed primarily on synonymies, with comments on systematic problems).
Venomous
Snake Links
The various links on venomous
snakes, herpetology and systematics have been moved to a new page
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