Higher Taxa Of Extant Reptiles

[Ilian Velikov]

I just wanted to ask if you've seen the revised version of "Higher Taxa Of Extant Reptiles" of The Reptile Database: http://www.reptile-database.org/db-info/taxa.html#Ser

According to it Colubridae(and not only) is devided into few other families,including Natricidae! Does that mean we should have a "new" family in our gudes to european herps!?

[Jeroen Speybroeck]

Dear Ilian,

There is indeed quite a number of new reptile families that have proposed for European herps, some of them listed in the reptile database, as you spotted:
Blanidae (incl. Blanus)
Sphaerodactylidae (incl. Euleptes)
Phyllodactylidae (incl. Tarentola)
Erycidae (incl. Eryx)
Natricidae (incl. Natrix)
Psammophiidae etc. (incl. Malpolon)

I'm still working out at the moment to which degree there's sufficient evidence to support these splits, in the context of an updated European species list paper I'm working on (second edition of Speybroeck & Crochet, 2007). To be continued.

g's,

J.

[Ilian Velikov]

Hello Jeroen,

Thank you for the answer! Interesting stuff...Erycidae is actually listed as a subfamily of the Boidae family in The Reptile Database,and not like a separate family! When will be your paper ready and would we have the chanse to read it somewhere?

Best regards
Ilian

[Jeroen Speybroeck]

Well, taxonomy is always in motion and even with sufficient scientific evidence, it usually takes some time before a general consent is reached. The Reptile Database, being such a huge project, is understandably sometimes a little bit more conservative. I'll surely try to remember to inform you once the paper is ready; waiting for final comments of one of the co-author, than submission, reviewing, ... Will be published hopefully in the first half of 2010. And of course, remember - things keep changing all the time & opinions may differ. Sorry if this is trivial stuff too you . g's, J.

[Ilian Velikov]

No,no it's OK..it's not trivial at all! Of course,taxonomy is always changing I just wanted to know other people's oppinion on that! I'll wait for your paper and see!