Bibliotheca Herpetologica 20(8)

Dodd, C. K., Jr. 2026. Herpetology in John Lee Williams’ A View of West Florida (1827) and The Territory of Florida (1837): Early Observations of a Poorly known Region. Bibliotheca Herpetologica 20(8):76–85.
http://doi.org/10.67901/0bnoz8cu83

John Lee Williams was a lawyer with no known familiarity or training in natural history or science. Despite this, he provided the first account of the amphibians and reptiles in northern Florida from the St. Marys River in the east to Pensacola in the west. He explored, with Dr. William Simmons, the region in the central part of the Florida Panhandle, particularly in the St. Marks area north to what is now Tallahassee, where he and Simmons recommended to place the location of Florida’s capital city. This was in an era where travel by foot and horseback was exceedingly difficult through unknown terrain, without maps and guidance to the topography, rivers, and lakes. In the years following publication of A View, he traveled all along the entire coast of the territory recording observations. He referred to information in Bartram’s (1791) Travels, but likely no other natural history information, descriptions, or taxonomic treatises were available to him in the remote Florida territory.

Williams’ A View and The Territory were quite popular and sold well when published, offering readers a glimpse of a land then little known and explored. They may not be accurate concerning physiography or historical events, but they have been valued by Florida historians as first-hand accounts of the land and nature through which he traveled.

Bibliotheca Herpetologica 20(7)

Korsós, Z. 2026. Lajos Méhely (1862–1953) and the vertebrate zoologists at the 6^th International Congress of Zoology at Bern, 1904. Bibliotheca Herpetologica 20(7):70–75. https://doi.org/10.67901/cn8wir6hd5

Lajos Méhely (1862–1953), Hungarian herpetologist, attended at the 6^th International Congress of Zoology at Bern, Switzerland, in 1904. In Méhely’s legacy, a photograph was found in which the group of 16 vertebrate zoologists participating in the congress can be seen during the trip to Interlaken. The discovery of the photograph is described in detail, then a comprehensive summary of the Congress is given, based on Méhely’s own report.

Below: Vertebrate zoologists on the final day of the 6^th International Congress of Zoology in Interlaken, Switzerland, 21 August 1904. Standing from left to right, as according to Méhely’s handwritten notes: Schneider G. (Basel), Miller Gerrit S. (Washington), Pastor O. Kleinschmidt (Halle a. S.), Dr W. Wolterstorff (Magdeburg), Dr E. Strömer (München), Dr L. Heck (Berlin), Méhely Lajos (Budapest), Dr Scharff R. F. (Dublin), Dr U. Duerst (Zürich); Sitting from left to right: Prof. Dr Gustav Tornier (Berlin), Dr L. Stejneger (Washington), Dr Jentink F. A. (Leiden), Prof. Dr T. Studer (Bern), Prof. E. Lönnberg (Stockholm), Prof. P. Matschie (Berlin); At the bottom: Dr. Walter Volz (1875–1907) (Bern).

Bibliotheca Herpetologica 20(6)

Ineich, I., R. Powell, K. Bonny, M. Holden, and C. Bochaton. 2026. What an old postcard can show: unique image of an extinct species of Boa most likely present on Martinique until the early 20^th century. Bibliotheca Herpetologica 20(6):61–69.

Five currently recognized extant species of Boa Constrictors (Boa sigma of the Pacific Coast, the isthmian species B. imperator, the South American species B. constrictor, and the insular Caribbean species B. orophias and B. nebulosa) occupy a wide range of habitats over 64 degrees of latitude. Although two of the five extant species are endemic to the Lesser Antilles no consensus exists regarding the total number of species that have occurred in the region.

While searching online for illustrations for a conference on snake charmers, one of us (MH) found a postcard from the very early 20^th century illustrating a man holding a Boa Constrictor in Martinique. We herein discuss the significance of that postcard for the occurrence and extinction date of Boa sp. on Martinique, which was regarded as absent since at least the 19^th century. Although we cannot determine the origin of the snake illustrated on the postcard, if it had been alive, one would think that it could have been of foreign origin. However, since it was dead, it likely came from Martinique, probably from the vicinity of Fort-de-France (it is unlikely that the snake came from a neighboring island and was brought back dead to Martinique for the photograph).

The three islands with known endemic boas are not far from Martinique; Marie-Galante is located 195 km north, Dominica 52 km north, and Saint Lucia 33 km south of Martinique. Since the occurrence of an endemic species on Martinique cannot be ruled out, the snake illustrated on the postcard could be the only available illustration of a species otherwise known only from unidentifiable subfossil remains.

If in fact this postcard illustrates an endemic Martinican species, it would extend into the early 20^th century the occurrence of boas on Martinique. Unfortunately, details of the illustrated snake are lacking, rendering it impossible to determine with certainty whether it was a Martinican species or a population (or individual) that arrived naturally or with human mediation from a neighboring island. Nevertheless, although no rigorous scientific evaluation on the taxonomic identification of the snake figured in the postcard could be conducted, we consider it very likely to be an unnamed endemic Martinican species in the Boa constrictor complex that did not become extinct until the first quarter of 20^th century.

Wahlgreniana volume 5

Tracing Amphibians:
Primary Sources in the Herpetological Works of Linnaeus
and His Disciples

Esteban Lavilla and Lászlo Krecsák

Tracing Amphibians is the definitive reference guide to the primary bibliographic sources cited by Carl Linnaeus and his disciples in their herpetological and zoological publications. Herpetologists and historians of science have long struggled with Linnaeus’s distinctive system of binominal abbreviations—a parallel to his binominal nomenclature for organisms—which compressed 15th–18th century book titles into abbreviated two-part citations that are often cryptic, inconsistent across editions, and difficult to resolve without knowing which edition Linnaeus actually consulted.

This volume systematically identifies and analyzes 166 primary sources containing 351 abbreviations and abbreviation variants relating to Amphibia (encompassing both amphibians and reptiles as Linnaeus defined the class) across the full corpus of Linnaean and disciplular zoological publications, including Systema Naturae (editions 10 and 12), Fauna Svecica, and student dissertations. For each source, the authors provide the full title as it appears in the original, all abbreviation variants used by Linnaeus, the Linnaean publications that reference the source, a content summary with herpetological emphasis, and critical commentary on edition identification-drawing on holdings of Linnaeus’s private library (now at the Linnean Society of London) and the library of the Academy of Uppsala. The work extends and corrects the two prior major assessments by Dundee (1994) and Heller (2007), identifying 21 cases where the edition actually consulted by Linnaeus differs from previous determinations

Hardcover, ISBN: 979-8-234-09728-6. x + 214 (2) pages.

Retail (includes postage): $92.00

ISHBH Members: $58.00

Order Here 

To be published July 20, 2026 

Bibliotheca Herpetologica 20(5)

Ineich, I., N. Robin, and M. O’Shea. 2026. Was the world’s largest snake measured by a French missionary? A critical analysis of a giant Simalia amethistina (Schneider, 1801) reported in Papua New Guinea. Bibliotheca Herpetologica 20(5):53–60.

The literature is replete with references to giant snakes of modern (non-fossil) origin, but critical analysis generally leads to questioning the sizes reported. Evidence to support these reports is usually weak. One such report from the the mid-20^th century in Papua New Guinea (PNG) was published by French missionary Father André Pierre Eugène Dupeyratin in his 1962 work, “La Bête et le Papou”, where Dupeyratin describes the capture of a snake reported to be “thirty-one feet and five inches, or ten meters forty-five centimeters” in length.

Here we analyze this report and discuss its relevance. The presence of very large snakes in New Guinea is beyond doubt, several individuals over 4.50 m are known to date. Having observed numerous pythons and anacondas including individuals between 6.7–7.0 m in total length, the last author has become able to estimate approximate total size from the ratio of eye to head. We conclude from photos included in Dupeyrat's report that the snake he described was certainly a large specimen of Simalia amethistina, but its size is unlikely to exceed 6 m, which is certainly a record length for the species but far from being the largest snake in the world.

Bibliotheca Herpetologica 20(4)

Dodd, C. K. Jr. 2026. Postcards from the Edge: A Tourist’s View of the Key West, Florida, Sea Turtle Fishery. Bibliotheca Herpetologica 20(4):42–52.

Key West has long been a center for the Green Turtle fishery in the Caribbean, but it was difficult to visit for most tourists, as it was located at the end of the island chain known as the Florida Keys. An overwater rail line completed in 1912 brought affluent tourists, but it wasn’t until 1938 that an Overseas Highway was constructed, built along the route of the Overseas Railroad that was destroyed by a highly destructive hurricane in 1935. The road’s construction greatly facilitated easy access by less-affluent tourists seeking the sun and relaxed atmosphere of the islands, especially immediately after World War II and in the decades following the war. Tourism boomed from the 1950s to the 1960s as access and affluence increased, and visitors were eager to record their visits through colorful postcards sent to friends back home.

In this article Ken Dodd presents a large series of postcards that he has assembled after about 35 years of searching through antique stores and on the internet. Initially, postcards depicted turtle fishing as an unusual industry conducted by people living on the Caribbean Edge, an exotic occupation to most non-Caribbean people. In the 1950s to 1960s, however, the emphasis shifted to providing souvenirs for casual visitors. Looking at them now with the smiling tourists, busy workers, and helpless turtles, biologists and historians are provided with a snapshot of how people of that era saw these vulnerable creatures not as sentient animals, but as “things” of commerce, amusement, and entertainment in a world without limits. Fortunately, today’s sea turtle postcards primarily focus on the beauty and grace of the animal rather than exploitation. This shift occurred rapidly on the heels of a conservation movement that was instrumental in reshaping exploitive concepts of resource use. The postcards and other tourist-related ephemera mirror the change in the public view, from Green Turtles as limitless resources and the gifts of divine providence to recognizing ecosystems, species, and even individual animals as vulnerable and deserving protection. Fortunately, Green Turtles have made a remarkable recovery in Florida from the early 1980s to the late 2010s and are once again thriving in the waters off Key West.

Bibliotheca Herpetologica 20(3)

Bettelheim, M. P. and S. Rouot. 2026. A Study of Jacques Burkhardt’s Scientific Drawings of Western Pond Turtles (Actinemys spp.) in the Ernst Mayr Library of the Museum of Comparative Zoology (Harvard University). Bibliotheca Herpetologica 20(3):21–41.

Swiss scientific illustrator Jacques Burkhardt (November 8, 1808 – February 20, 1867), best known for his role as naturalist Louis Agassiz’s “personal artist,” was a prolific artist whose work in the Ernst Mayr Library of the Museum of Comparative Zoology (MCZ) at Harvard University remained until recently largely unpublished. The Jacques Burkhardt Collection’s 976 scientific drawings include watercolor and/or pencil drawings of invertebrate and vertebrate species, a good number of them fishes and turtles. Amongst the turtle illustrations are two watercolor drawings clearly identified as Emys nigra, which today could be one of two species under the Western Pond Turtle complex (Actinemys spp.). Herein, we revisit the life of Jacques Burkhardt; investigate Burkhardt’s two Emys nigra drawings and an additional four as-yet unidentified drawings suspected to be Western Pond Turtles; compare them with preserved Western Pond Turtle specimens in the MCZ; identify matches between specimens and drawings; and provide an overall analysis of the three MCZ Western Pond Turtle specimens that we believe are the basis for five of Burkhardt’s six Actinemys spp. drawings.

Bibliotheca Herpetologica 20(2)

Zadik, J. and J. W. Gibbons. 2026. From Catesby’s Land Frog to Anaxyrus terrestris: Reevaluating the Type Specimen of the Southern Toad. Bibliotheca Herpetologica 20(2):13–20.

The Southern Toad, Anaxyrus terrestris (Bonnaterre, 1789), is an abundant anuran in the coastal plains of the southeastern United States. Their short limbs and thick, warty skin make them well adapted to a terrestrial lifestyle, earning them their species name. Yet, the taxonomic origin of the epithet presents problems.

Pierre Joseph Bonnaterre officially described the species Rana terrestris in 1789. His official description referenced an account and illustration titled “Rana terrestris” published by Mark Catesby in Natural History of Carolina, Florida, and the Bahama Islands (Vol. 2, Part 9, Plate 69). Bonnaterre’s use of Catesby’s account designated it the type specimen for Anaxyrus terrestris, making Catesby’s “Rana terrestris” the definitive reference for this species.

Type specimens are usually museum or herbarium specimens, but in some cases, naturalists’ illustrations serve this purpose, including many of Catesby’s depictions. In most cases, Catesby’s accounts provide enough detail to serve effectively as type specimens, but the ambiguous nature of “Rana terrestris” is problematic and calls into question its suitability for serving this role. Arguably, “Rana terrestris” inaccurately represents Anaxyrus terrestris and likely depicts a different species altogether. We do not intend to suggest a name change for the species but aim to highlight the flaws in Catesby’s print as representative of Anaxyrus terrestris and discuss the nuances of referencing historical naturalist accounts.

Bibliotheca Herpetologica 20(1)

Lambertz, M. 2026. An Early Contribution to Chelonian Anatomy by Johannes Müller (1801–1858): The Drawings for the Zootomical Dissertation of Carl August Mohring (1799–1838) on the Osteology of Trionyx aegyptiacus from 1824. Bibliotheca Herpetologica 20(1):1–12.

Johannes Müller (1801–1858) undertook a study visit in Berlin with Karl Asmund Rudolphi (1771–1832) right after defending his dissertation during the early 1820s. During that time he worked on various subjects but did not publish any of it himself. However, he contributed the drawings for the plates that accompanied the dissertation of Carl August Mohring (1799–1838) in 1824. Mohring had received the task to describe the osteology of Trionyx triunguis, which was referred to as “Trionyx aegyptiacus”, and a specimen of which had been recently acquired for the anatomical-zootomical museum by Rudolphi. Friedrich Wilhelm Hemprich (1796–1825) and Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg (1795–1876) were at that time collecting in Egypt and Arabia and in friendly contact with Rudolphi, making them a likely source of origin for the specimen, which today has to be considered lost. Müller provided drawings of the skull in various views, and also of the entire articulated skeleton. These illustrations were at that time the most detailed representations of the anatomy of a trionychid turtle published. For Müller, these were his first contributions to comparative anatomy that actually surfaced in print.

Wahlgreniana volume 4: On Amphibians and Reptiles in Linnaeus’s Students’ Dissertation

Just published: 

Lavilla, Esteban O. 2026. On Amphibians and Reptiles in Linnaeus’s Students’ Dissertations. International Society for the History and Bibliography of Herpetology, Salt Lake City, Utah, vi, 136 pages.

Linnaeus oversaw 185 doctoral dissertations throughout his career. These theses, often overlooked in the vast Linnaean legacy, offer valuable insights into the scientific understanding of amphibians and reptiles during the 18th century.

Two of these theses, Siren lacertina and De Morsura serpentum, deal with amphibians and reptiles as central topics. Another three, Amphibia Gyllenborgiana, Museum Adolpho-Friedericianum, and Surinamensia Grilliana, describe collections that were duly donated to the University, all of which have a significant component of Amphibia in the Linnaean sense. Two more, Lignum colubrinum and Radix senega, deal with the identification and uses of supposed antivenins of vegetal origin. In addition to these seven, amphibians and reptiles were occasionally mentioned in another 25 dissertations.

This volume contains English translations of seven complete dissertations, plus the herpetological portions of twenty-five additional dissertations. The 466 added footnotes and an the extensive bibliography, place these translations in their original context and makes them accessible to the modern reader.

Available in Hardcover (ISBN: 979-8-218-88776-6) for $40 ($24 for ISHBH members), plus postage.

With this volume of Wahlgreniana, each volume will be published simultaneously in print and Open Access. An open access edition of this volume is available at: https://archive.org/details/linnaeuss-student-dissertations 

Print copies may be ordered through www.ISHBH.com or email Editor@ISHBH.com 

Beyond Herpetological Academics

 Just Published:

Dodd, Jr., C. Kenneth. 2026. Beyond Herpetological Academics: History, Biographies, Memoirs, Outreach, and Other Interests. Privately Published, Gainesville, Florida, 37 pages.

You might think research scientists had enough to do with planning, conducting, analyzing, and writing up the results of research projects, teaching, public service, seminars and conferences, and seemingly endless administrative duties, not to mention a home life, to keep them occupied. Despite these responsibilities, however, many professional scientists have gone beyond the workplace to write about the history of their profession or specialty, biographies of colleagues past and present, memoirs of their own careers and adventures, popular outreach print media, and other subjects that have interested them that may be far from herpetology, natural history or even outside the realms of science. To date, there has not been a compilation of these efforts, and the following bibliography seeks to recognize the efforts of herpetologists, regardless of their professional affiliation, in these often related but extracurricular undertakings. 

 

Available Open Access at: https://archive.org/details/beyond-academics-2nd-edition-revised 

 

Wahlgreniana Series

The Wahlgreniana book series is now available open access through the Internet Archive.

Search for "Wahlgreniana" to find all of the books published in this series (https://archive.org/search?query=wahlgreniana)

 So far the series contains:

Wahlgreniana 1

Bour, Roger and Josef F. Schmidtler. 2022. Nikolaus Michael Oppel’s Drawings, Watercolors, and Engravings 3. Crocodiles (1807–1817): A comparative study of some historical and recent crocodile illustrations. ISHBH, Salt Lake City, x, 184 p.

Wahlgreniana 2

Dodd, C. Kenneth, Jr. 2022. Bibliography of the Anurans of the United States and Canada. Version 3. Part 1: 1698–2012. Part 2:  2013-2021. ISHBH, Salt Lake City, x, 282 p.

Wahlgreniana 3

Moriarty, John J. and Aaron M. Bauer. 2024. State and Provincial Amphibian and Reptile Publications for the United States and Canada, Second Edition. ISHBH, Salt Lake City, vi, 85 p.

In addition to Wahlgreniana, the Internet Archive is a repository for all ISHBH publications. Each paper, as well as the complete journal volumes are uploaded to the Internet Archive as they are published. This ensures the lasting availability of these publications in case anything were to happen to the ISHBH website. This also enhances the ability to fins ISHBH publications through internet searches.

All volumes of Wahlgreniana remain available in hard copy through the society and various online bookstores. Each volume of the journal will continue to be printed and distributed to members. Back issues of many volumes are also available for purchase.

Bibliotheca Herpetologica 19(12)

Koch, A. 2025. Carl Hagenbeck’s Trade in Reptiles, His Historical Reptile Exhibitions, and His Herpetological Legacy Bibliotheca Herpetologica 19(12):132–150.

The name of Carl Hagenbeck is commonly linked to the Hamburg Zoo, a circus, the large-scale animal trade, and the controversial historical ethnological shows, so-called human zoos or Völkerschauen. All these enterprises were involved with animals, whether they were wild or domestic. Although reptiles, and particularly amphibians, appear to have played no major role in Carl Hagenbeck’s international endeavors, this paper aims to explore his historical impact on herpetologists, reptile keepers, and the public, particularly in German-speaking countries. I will demonstrate that historical studies of herpetology and herpetoculture have neglected Carl Hagenbeck’s firm and will reveal the significant role that large reptile species, such as crocodiles, alligators, and giant snakes played in his various endeavors, but especially in his reptile exhibitions, which have received little attention from historians and herpetologists to date. Therefore, Carl Hagenbeck’s influence on scientists, animal keepers, and the general public deserves greater recognition.