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.

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.

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.

Bibliotheca Herpetologica 19(11)

Dodd, C. K. Jr. 2025. A Note on Carolina Frog Farms, Columbus County, North Carolina, USA. Bibliotheca Herpetologica 19(11):128–131.

In the mid-1950s, Douglas Reynolds of Baltimore, Maryland, had the idea of developing a frog farm industry at his family’s farm in Old Dock, Columbus County, North Carolina. Reynolds was in the U.S. Navy in World War II where he was an electrician, an occupation he followed in Baltimore. He was seriously injured in an electrical accident that hospitalized him for nearly a year. While recovering, he became friends with a physician named Leonard McGlothlin who convinced him to look into frog farming as a way to supply American demands for frog’s legs. McGlothlin traveled with Reynolds to the Reynolds’ family farm and after seeing the farm, suggested that frog farming might be suitable in eastern North Carolina. To Reynolds, it seemed like a way to supplement the farm income.

After several years, Reynolds was able to dig his first one-acre pond. He imported his first bullfrogs from New Orleans. Combined with bullfrogs from Arkansas, he claimed to have developed a new breed of bullfrog, the “Giant Food Frog.” His father, Henry Earl Reynolds, and two assistants ran the farm, named Carolina Frog Farms, which he supervised by flying back and forth from Baltimore to North Carolina in his private plane. No information could be found on the fate of the Carolina Frog Farms, how long it operated, or how successful or unsuccessful it was. Douglas Reynolds never returned to live in Old Dock, and his father died in December 1960 perhaps ending the younger Douglas’ incentive to continue the enterprise.

In connection with the establishment of Carolina Frog Farms, Reynolds, in collaboration with others, published a book on frog farming in 1957 titled The Breeding of Giant Food Frogs. In terms of frog-farming publications, The Breeding of Giant Food Frogs is certainly one of the most professionally produced books. Today, however, both the book and Carolina Frog Farms are little-known and nearly lost to memory. The only apparent historic evidence of the farm’s existence is this small book on how to construct a frog farm and raise bullfrogs and some period newspaper articles. The image below is from p.77 and shows Douglas Reynolds’ sister Edna (Peggy) Worrell holding American Bullfrogs at Carolina Frog Farms.

Bibliotheca Herpetologica 19(10)

Bell, C. J., and S. Skwarcan. 2025. A Snake Icon in Industrial Advertising: Oldsmobile, the 39^th Fighter Squadron and Life Magazine in 1943. Bibliotheca Herpetologica 19(10):122–127. 

Snakes, and especially venomous snakes, are well represented as icons on heraldic crests, emblems, patches and other insignia of the United States armed services. Their use may variously represent power, strength, speed, resiliency, tenacity, flexibility, and the danger a unit poses to its enemies. On 18 October 1943 readers of Life magazine encountered a striking, full-page, full-color advertisement dedicated to the “Cobra Cannoneers” featuring a prominently placed cobra rising above a cloud bank with mouth open and fangs exposed. The ad was dedicated to the 39^th Fighter Squadron of the U. S. Army Air Corps and simultaneously promoted the industrial productions of the Oldsmobile Division of General Motors in support of the United States war effort in World War II. The squadron was reactivated as the 39^th Tactical Reconnaissance Training Squadron in 1969. Apart from short service as a test squadron they remained a flying training unit since 1990 and are currently stationed at Randolph Air Force Base in Texas.

Throughout that history the cobra emblem was retained but it was modified in several ways. In the early design of the emblem the snake’s mouth is open, a red forked tongue extending between two exposed fangs. In later designs either two or four drops of venom are dripping from the fangs. A special ‘morale’ patch was issued during the COVID shutdown that featured a festive, holiday version of the emblem in which the cobra dons a Santa Claus hat and drips venom towards Santa’s sleigh and reindeer as they pass in front of the cloud bank below the cobra’s head.

It is clear from our preliminary exploration of military heraldry that snakes of various kinds are somewhat common in emblems and unit insignia of the armed services of the United States of America. The Oldsmobile advertisement in 1943 is special because it brought this example of reptilian iconography to the attention of a broad audience in the readership of Life Magazine, one of the prominent magazines of the time in the United States.

Bibliotheca Herpetologica 19(9)

Lavilla, E. O. 2025. Science, Myth, and Otherness: Herpetological Readings of Linnaeus’s Lapland Journal. Bibliotheca Herpetologica 19(9):116–121.

After a turbulent beginning to the 18th century—marked by wars, famine, plague, and foreign invasions—Sweden began a slow process of reconstruction in 1721. It was in this context that Carl Linnaeus (1707–1778) emerged, a figure who would not only reshape natural science but also wield considerable influence on Swedish economic policy well into the 1770s. Linnaeus promoted an innovative idea for the time: to reduce imports by identifying and acclimatizing useful plants from abroad, making them grow in the harsher environments of the Baltic states.

To achieve this goal, Linnaeus and his select group of students undertook scientific expeditions both in Sweden and across the globe. Their twin objectives were to understand the country’s ecology and to collect seeds and plants suitable for cultivation. These journeys also produced a wealth of information on plants, animals, minerals and human societies from all corners of the world, meticulously recorded under Linnaeus’s guidance.

Between 1732 and 1749, Linnaeus embarked on five major journeys through Sweden: to Lapland (1732), Dalarna (1734), the Baltic islands of Öland and Gotland (1741), Västergötland (1746), and Scania (1749). This article focuses solely on the 1732 Lapland expedition—Linnaeus’s first and most iconic journey. It marked the transformation of the student into a field naturalist and left a lasting imprint on his scientific development. The content of this article is based on the manuscript of the Iter Lapponicum held at the Linnean Society of London in 1732 and on the transcription prepared by Ewald Ährling in 1889.

Bibliotheca Herpetologica 19(8)

Dodd, C. K. Jr. 2025. Herpetology in the Report of the First Scientific Expedition to Manchuokuo. Bibliotheca Herpetologica 19(8):108–115.

In 1931, the Empire of Japan invaded and occupied Manchuria and in 1932 proclaimed the puppet state of Manchuokuo (spelled Manchukuo in the West). In 1933, they invaded the Chinese province of Jehol, formerly known as Rehe, to form a buffer zone between China and the puppet state of Manchuokuo. The First Scientific Expedition to Manchuokuo (FSEM) occurred during the transition from Han Chinese rule to Japanese rule, when Imperial Japan was interested in demonstrating to the world it could create a modern multi-ethnic Pan-Asian state. The FSEM centered its activities in Jehol between Chifeng, Chaoyang, and Chengde, the largest cities at the time, with occasional forays north or south of these cities, such as to the wetlands along the Chaogedu’er River in what is today the Yudaokou Grassland Forest Scenic Park.

The FSEM reported six species of amphibians and 10 species of reptiles from Jehol. No salamanders were found. The frogs Bombina orientalis, Dryophytes japonicus, and Kaloula borealis are now known to be present but were not observed. One lizard, Scincella modesta, and three snakes, Euprepiophis mandarinus, Oocatochus rufodorsatus, Orientocoluber spinalis, also were not recorded, although they are present on the western side of the Bohai Sea. No fossil amphibians or reptiles were found based on the summer fieldwork in northern Manchuokuo in 1933, but it was later noted that fossils of Pelodiscus maackii were found in Quaternary deposits near where Tokunaga had worked.

Bibliotheca Herpetologica 19(7)

Bauer, A. M. 2025. Testudo atlas Barton, 1806, a long-forgotten synonym of the Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) and a senior secondary homonym of the largest tortoise that ever lived. Bibliotheca Herpetologica 19(7):101–107.

Benjamin Smith Barton (1766–1815) was based in Philadelphia, the cultural and intellectual hub of the United States at the turn of the 19^th century. Although he was plagued by unfinished projects, chronic debt, and was considered by some ambitious, untalented and unqualified (e.g., he never received the medical degree he claimed to have), Barton nonetheless achieved success and renown, holding positions of prestige and respect in institutions and societies in the United States and enjoying a positive reputation in Europe, where he had established a network of correspondents.

Barton was prolific, writing on medical topics and ethnography as well as natural history. In the field of herpetology his main contributions were on salamanders, rattlesnakes, and the alligator. Many of his papers were addressed to European colleagues and published in the form of letters to particular scientists. For example, his 1808 monograph on Siren was addressed to the philologist Johann Gottlob Schneider (1750–1822), although it was apparently never sent to him. However, beyond his more noteworthy contributions on amphibians and reptiles, Barton also published smaller notes, largely unnoticed by later workers, some of which proposed new names. For example, in 1807 Barton erected three new names for species of Cryptobranchus in The Philadelphia Medical and Physical Journal, a periodical that he founded and edited. This paper had apparently been cited only once until it was recently rediscovered. I here provide a brief discussion of another Barton herpetological contribution, the description of the Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus), that seems to have escaped detection for more than 200 years.

Bibliotheca Herpetologica 19(6)

Jacobs, H. J., and G. M. Shea. 2025. The Natuurkundige Commissie on New Guinea in 1828. II. Serpentes (Colubridae, Elapidae, Typhlopidae) and Sauria (Agamidae, Dibamidae, Gekkonidae, Varanidae). Bibliotheca Herpetologica 19(6):57–100.

The second Dutch Natuurkundige Commissie spent nearly twelve years in the Dutch East Indies. Most of the scientists died during the expedition, with only Salomon Müller returning to the Netherlands with the collections. The progressive loss of the senior scientists, Boie and Macklot, resulted in Müller moving up the ranks of seniority and taking progressively greater responsibility for the collection and documentation of the zoological collections. The recent release online of the archival manuscript material from this expedition has allowed a better understanding of the extent of their collections. In this second part of our study of the archival material relating to the expedition’s voyage to New Guinea in 1828, we document and translate the material relating to the eleven species of snakes and non-scincid lizards: Psamophis chlorogastra Müll. and Elaps oculiferus Müll., Dendrophis capistratus Müll., Dipsas lacrÿmans Müll., Tropidonotus picturatus Müll., Acontias polygrammicus Müll., Acontias coecus Cuvier, Calotes megapogon Müll., Hemidactylus baliatus Müll., Gonyodactylus Boiei Müll., and Varanus prasinus Mull., as Müller chose to call them. We place these descriptions and images in the context of the state of knowledge of the reptile fauna at the time of the Natuurkundige Commissie, as well as the contributions they made to progressing knowledge of the region’s herpetofauna, often involving formal publication of new taxa by Hermann Schlegel in Leiden and Duméril and Bibron in Paris, among others.

Bibliotheca Herpetologica 19(4)

Dodd, C. K. Jr. 2025. Herpetological Contributions of Charles Conrad Abbott, Eccentric 19^th Century Archeologist and Naturalist. Bibliotheca Herpetologica 19(4):28–34.

Charles Conrad Abbott (4 June 1843 – 27 July 1919) was a controversial figure in the emerging science of archeology in the late 19^th Century. He was not a major influence on herpetology, but he was certainly well-known among the naturalists and scientists of his day. Although he was primarily professionally interested in archeology, he communicated extensively with the naturalists of his era, including Frederic Ward Putnam, Edward D. Cope, and Henry W. Fowler. He was the first to attempt documentation of the vertebrates of New Jersey, and his natural history observations based on his own direct field notes were of interest and widely referred to by later authors. No doubt, his natural history books stimulated much interest in the subject, and his reliance on direct observation by-passed the many “nature-faker” writers of his day. Charles Conrad Abbott was viewed by colleagues as cantankerous, difficult-to-be-around, somewhat sloppy in technical fieldwork, lazy, and stubborn, but he was definitely a curious character and an influential writer and naturalist following his own path in life.

Bibliotheca Herpetologica 19(3)

Shea, G. M. 2025. The Mysterious Doctor Rurk and His Eponymous Catskink, Ristella rurkii Gray 1839 (Squamata: Scincidae: Lygosominae: Ristellini) with Notes on Other Collectors for the Museum of the Army Medical Service at Chatham. Bibliotheca Herpetologica 19(3):12–27.

Ristella rurkii, although stated originally to be named after a “Dr Rurk”, was likely named after Dr. William Augustus Burke, the first Inspector-General of Hospitals in India, who collected for the Museum of the Army Medical Service at Fort Pitt, Chatham. Burke was mostly based in north India, corresponding to the type locality of R. rurkii, and to the localities for his bird collections. However, the skink is only known from the Western Ghats of far southern India. With the type no longer extant, a neotype is designated to stabilise nomenclature. Known natural history collectors for the Fort Pitt Museum, along with their British Army service postings, are tabulated.

Bibliotheca Herpetologica 19(2)

Bauer, A. M. 2025. Comments on Early Herpetological publications about Prince Edward Island, Atlantic Canada. Bibliotheca Herpetologica 19(2):7–11.

Prince Edward Island, in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, is Canada’s smallest province, with an area of 5660 km². Its herpetofauna is relatively depauperate. Ten species of amphibians and three species of snakes have been verified for the province. The most comprehensive publications devoted specifically to P.E.I. are those of Francis R. Cook (1960, 1967) who, along with J. Sherman Bleakney (1958) in his treatment of eastern Canada as a whole, provided a historical overview of studies on the herpetology of the province. They cited the works of John T. Mellish (1877) on snakes, Francis Bain (1890) on the herpetofauna in general, and Blythe Hurst (1944) on amphibians — all dedicated to Prince Edward Island specifically. They additionally cited several papers by Philip Cox (1847–1939), an educator and naturalist from New Brunswick.

Cook (1967) wrote “J.T. Mellish (1876) was probably the first author to publish on the Island herpetology.” However, a far earlier overview of the herpetofauna of P.E.I. was included by John Stewart (1806) in An Account of Prince Edward Island. Moriarty and Bauer (2024, State and Provincial Amphibian and Reptile Publications for the United States and Canada, Second Edition. Wahlgreniana 3.) included this work in their bibliography of P.E.I. herpetofaunal works, but the book has otherwise been uncited in the herpetological literature, and I take this opportunity to summarize its relevant content.

Bibliotheca Herpetologica 19(1)

Dodd, C. K. Jr. 2025. How to Raise a Bullfrog—A Further Update with Information on a Possible Albert Broel Manuscript. Bibliotheca Herpetologica 19(1):1–6.

Tracing the history of an industry where obscure publications and ephemera predominate is difficult. Such is the case when documenting the history of frog farming in North America. Historians assemble as much material as possible before publishing their findings, but there is always the possibility of finding new information that had been unknown or unattainable previously. In this note, I present updated information on a publication mentioned in Dodd and Jennings (Bibliotheca Herpetologica 15(8)) that we had not been able to locate, report on another frog raising brochure, add a note on Albert Broel’s (American Frog Canning Company, New Orleans) 1945 frog-raising manual, and discuss a manuscript that might be an original outline for Broel’s system of giant bullfrog culture.

Bibliotheca Herpetologica 18(10)

Bell, C. J. and S. Skwarcan 2024. The Boy Scouts of America Reptile Study Merit Badge Pamphlet in World War II and the Broader Role of the Boy Scouts in Paper Rationing and Propaganda Distribution During the War. Bibliotheca Herpetologica 18(10):98–107.

John Moriarty’s excellent review of the history of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) Reptile Study merit badge pamphlet (see Bibliotheca Herpetologica 10(1)) inspired our effort to compile as complete a set as possible of the different editions and printings of that pamphlet. The successful completion of that effort yielded an unexpected surprise for us — there were three cover styles during World War II for the merit badge pamphlets published by the BSA.

The earliest was printed between 1939 and 1943 (with a few copies printed early in 1944). That cover is Joe Price’s ‘Type 4 — Boy Scout Standing’ and was a colorful illustration of a boy scout in uniform on the left side of the front cover, backed mostly by white. (Joe Price privately published several catalogs of Boy Scout and Cub Scout handbooks, Boy Scout Merit Badge books and other Boy Scout Literature from roughly 1998–2002.)

The second wartime cover was printed on a thicker cardstock with a much-simplified design and was produced to comply with wartime restrictions on use of paper and color dyes. It was also printed with a much-simplified design and was produced to comply with wartime restrictions on use of paper and color dyes. That cover was printed between March and November of 1944 and is Joe Price’s ‘Type 5A — Cardboard or war cover’.

By the end of 1944 booklets with those covers had been entirely distributed for many merit badge titles and were replaced by the third type used during the war, the Type 5B cover which was made of slick clay paper but still lacked the extensive color illustrations of the printings in the early war years.

In addition to merit badge pamphlets many other BSA publications were impacted by wartime restrictions. As an example, the fourth edition of the Boy Scout Handbook also was impacted by wartime rationing — at the fifth printing (September, 1944), the size was reduced from 4.5 x 7 inches to 4 1/4 x 6 5/8 inches, and all color printing was eliminated to reduce use of pigments essential for the war effort. Many other publications of the Boy Scouts of America that were printed in 1944 and 1945 carry notices of compliance with wartime restrictions; the notice was dropped by March 1946. The broader context of those rationed materials lies in the general wartime restrictions under which many people lived during the war. That context also intersects again with the BSA in several ways and is discussed in the article.

Bibliotheca Herpetologica 18(9)

Rouot, S. 2024. Jagannathan “Viji” Vijaya and the Forest Cane Turtle (Vijayachelys silvatica, Henderson 1912). Bibliotheca Herpetologica 18(9):88–97.

Throughout the rainforests of the Western-Ghats, one of the smallest Geoemydidae turtles known today—the Forest Cane Turtle (Vijayachelys silvatica, Henderson 1912—can be found in Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu in the southwest of the Indian peninsula. This remarkable turtle is easily distinguished by several unique morphological features. Today, the Forest Cane Turtle is threatened by habitat loss resulting from development and wildfire, as well as subsistence hunting by local tribes.

Although the species was first described by carcinologist John Robertson Henderson in 1912 based on two males given to him by local Kadar tribesmen the year prior, it wasn’t until 1982 that this species—by then thought to be extinct—was rediscovered by a woman who would come to dedicate herself fully to the study of this species. Through her hard work and dedication, Jagannathan “Viji” Vijaya—the first female herpetologist in India—brought the cryptic Forest Cane Turtle out of the shadows and back to the forefront of herpetology, bringing with it new hope for the turtle’s survival.

Bibliotheca Herpetologica 18(8)

Mendyk, R. W. 2024. Early Zoo Studies in Herpetology: Catherine C. Hopley and the London Zoological Gardens. Bibliotheca Herpetologica 18(8):81–87.

“You can have no idea how much there is to learn about the ways of snakes. The more knowledge one gains the more one is sensible of ignorance”— Catherine Cooper Hopley, 1893

It may come as a surprise to many that the first popular English-language book ever to be published on the lives and habits of snakes was authored by a woman in Victorian England—a period marked by sexism, misogyny, and defined societal gender roles where women were ineligible for post-secondary academic pursuits, and often excluded from participation in the natural sciences and memberships in scientific societies. Yet, despite some initial surprise over the gender of its author, Catherine Cooper Hopley’s (1882) Snakes: Curiosities & Wonders of Serpent Life was widely-acclaimed, receiving many positive and celebratory reviews. Its literary success flew in the face of numerous publishers that had declined or would not even entertain the idea of taking the project on because of its apparent “loathsome” subject matter.

Although Catherine Cooper Hopley’s (1882) Snakes: Curiosities & Wonders of Serpent Life is widely regarded as the first major tome to popularize the lives and habits of snakes, there had been previous English-language works on snakes including Edward Topsell’s (1608) The History of Four-footed Beasts, Serpents, and Insects and Charles Owen’s (1742) An Essay Towards a Natural History of Serpents. These works, however, tended to focus on cataloging species, were largely steeped in myth and folklore, and did not see the widespread distribution, audience or reach of Hopley’s book.