an r or two. the curious case of the much misspelled genus rhagerhis

8/13/2019 An r or two. The curious case of the much misspelled genus Rhagerhis.

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An r or two. The curious case of the much misspelled genus

Rhagerhis.

Ton Steehouder, Weelde, Belgium

[email protected]

Introduction

The Moila snake was first described by Reuss (1834) as Coluber moilensis. Gervais assinedit in 18!" to the enus Coelopeltis# and used the na$e Coelopeltis productus. %eters created in18&' a new enus for this snake#Rhagerhis. This eneric na$e was afterwards abandoned#and the Moila snake was assined to the eneraMalpolon# andRhamphiophis. n '11#*+h$e , -e %ury described the history of the eneric allocation of the Moila snake# andreinstated the eneric na$e %eters used in 18&'Rhagerhis./fter readin the detailed article of *+h$e , -e %ury# was 0uled by the s0ellin of thena$eRhagerhis# as had also seen the eneric na$eRhagerrhis. *oth na$es were identicalin derivation# and the snakes they were assined to# were closely related. then looked u0 allthe relevant literature could find# with the hel0 of the *iodiversity 2eritae ibrary site athtt0biodiversitylibrary.or#askin $yself the 5uestion: have there been two generic namesin use with the same derivation, almost identical in spelling, or was it a case of misspelling6The followin is what found.

The history of Rhagerhis and Rhagerhis

18&'(18&3)

Peters describes 7Rhagerhisnov. en..2e ads the followin drawins

The leend of this drawins $entions 79oelo0eltis 0roductus. Gerv.

5uote fro$ 0. '"4:'"! (bold added by $e);Rhagerhisnov. en. 1)hne fast leich lan# a$ hinteren ?nde des @iefers# durch einenAwischenrau$ von den vorherehenden etrennt# ein oder wei lane Burchen>hne.@o0f $erklich breiter als der 2als# $it abschCssier# vors0rinender# ues0itter

Dchnaue. /uen sehr ros# $it runder oder etwas l>nlicher %u0ille. Nasenschildeinfach, sehr lang, mit sehr leiner Nasen!ffnung, welche "orn "on einer
mailto:[email protected]://biodiversitylibrary.org/http://biodiversitylibrary.org/mailto:[email protected]://biodiversitylibrary.org/


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#ogenf!rmigen mit ihrer $on"e%it&t nach "orn gerichteten in den o#eren und

unteren Rand des Schildes auslaufenden 'ertiefung, hinten "on einer geraden

Spalte #egren(t wird. ?in kleines kures BrenaleE ein %raeorbitale# ' %ostorbitalia.Rostralschild $it seine$ hinteren Finkel wischen die nternasalia eindrinend.Awei %raefrontalia# ein lanes Brontale $ediu$. Du0raorbitalia vors0rinend. @+r0er

sehr estreckt# an den *auchseiten aberundet# Dchu00en latt# $ehr oder wenierdeutlich der >ne nach vertieft. /nale etheilt. Dubcaudalia in do00elter Reihe.-iese Gattun eit eine roe Hbereinsti$$un $it Coelopeltis (lacertina)# von dersie aber durch einen an anderen @o0fbau unterschieden ist# in welcher *eiehunsie sich viel$ehr denRhamphiophisn>hert# welche sich durch den Manel der A>hneauf de$ vorderen ?nde des sehr verkCrten =berkiefers und die unefurchten@+r0erschu00en von ihr entfernen.*eide Gattunen dCrften indessen# eben so wie aphrometopon(Chorisodon) nur alsaberrante Bor$en oder Interattunen von Coelopeltisu betrachten sein.J

The footnote eK0lains the derivation of this eneric na$e

=n 0. '"!:'"& he describes ;Rhagerhis (Coelopeltis! productaGerv.J

5uote aain;'L.Rhagerhis(9oelo0eltis) 0roducta Gerv. (Bi. 3.)Coelopeltis productusGervais (/cad. des Dciences et ettres de Mont0ellier. . 0.!1'. Taf. unlich elb $it abwechselnden Reihen dunkler Blecken# auf der Dchl>fe einroer dunkler Bleck# ein kleinerer nahe dahinter a$ ackenE unten wei.Rostralschild 0yra$idal# unten tief auseh+hlt# oben $it eine$ stu$0fen Finkelwischen die nternasalia eindrinend. nternasalia vierseitiE durch den kCrestenRand stehen sie $it einander in chstroen vorderen $itde$ RostraleE die beiden l>nsten R>nder# der Nuere an das asale und der hinterean das %raefrontale renende# stoen in eine$ s0iten Finkel usa$$en. -ie%raefrontalia sind etwas r+er und fCnfseitiE nach auen drinen sie in dieBrenaleend herab und stehen durch ihren kCresten Rand $it de$ Brenale inner# aber

kCrer als der l>nste vordere Rand# welcher auen $it de$ oberen Theile deshinteren Randes vo$ asale in nsten Deitenr>ndern concav# vorn stu$0f:#hinten s0itwinkeliE es liet nicht vertieft# inde$ die nterorbitaleend an flacherscheint. -ie %arietalia drinen $it eine$ s0iten Finkel wischen Brontale undDu0raorbitaliaein# und stehen durch ihren vorderen boenf+r$ien concaven Rand $it de$Du0raorbitale und de$ oberen %ostorbitale in


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dritten Du0ralabiale in checoncav# h+her als lan# aber auf den vorderen Theil der =rbita beschr>nkt und stehtnicht $it de$ Brontale $ediu$ in t hinter de$ sehr kleinen Mentale usa$$enE vo$'. bis &. neh$en sie rasch an Gr+e u und die folenden fCnf sind sehr klein.Awei %aar Dub$entalschilder# von denen das vordere u$ ein -rittel kCrer als dashintere ist. =berkiefer>hne Oederseits 1 P 1# Gau$en>hne %tryoidal>hne 1#Interkiefer>hne 1&. @+r0erschu00en in siebehn >nsreihen# $ehr oder wenierdeutlich der >ne nach vertieft $it einfachen ?ndruben. 1&L /bdo$inalia# einetheiltes /nale und &' %aar Dubcaudalschilder. -ie Barbe der FeineisteKe$0lareist oben braunelb $it & bis 8 abwechselnd stehenden Reihen von schwarbraunenBleckenE einen Bleck von >hnlicher Barbe sieht $an auf de$ oberen und unteren

=rbitalrande. ?in rofser schwarbrauner Bleck steit von der Dchl>feneend bisu$ Mundwinkel herab und wird durch einen sch$alen helleren Awischenrau$ voneine$ >hnlichen aber wenier breiten dunkeln ackenfleck etrennt.?s liet aus der Da$$lun der Reisenden nur ein einies ?Ke$0lar vo$ DennQr vor.-as Museu$ besitt Oedoch andere ?Ke$0lare derselben /rt# welche die 2rn.?hrenber und 2e$0rich hei$ebracht haben und welche frCher als Coluberruberinne beeichnet waren# in de$"omenclator Rept. et #mph. Mus. $oolog. %erolvon18!& daeen als&amenis florulentusaufefChrt sind.J

18&3 Troschel )*+discusses the her0etoloical achieve$ents of the year 18&' andwrites ;%eters hat *erliner Monatsberichte 0. '"' drei neue afrikanischeDchlanenattunen erCndetJ. 2e then $entions on 0. &3& ;Rhagerhis# erCndetauf 9oelo0eltis 0roducta# unterscheidet sich von 9oelo0eltis durch an anderen@o0fbau# in welcher *eiehun sie sich den Rha$0hio0his n>hert# die sich durch denManel der A>hne auf de$ vorderen ?nde des sehr verkCrten =berkiefers und dieunefurchten @+r0erschu00en von ihr entfernen.J

18&& -nther0ublishes the usual list of s0eci$ens added to the collection ;Thefollowin s0ecies of =0hidians have been added to the 9ollection of the *ritishMuseu$ since the 0ublication of the last 0a0er on the sa$e subOect in this ournal(Bebruary 18&!# 0. 8L).J =n 0ae '! we find the followin 0hrase

Two thins are clear fro$ this 5uote.1. 2e $iss0elled the eneric na$e %eters ave to the snake.'. 2e has the intention that 7Rhaerrhis $ulti$aculata belons to the sa$e enus. tcould be concluded that GCnther at that $o$ent considered the eneric na$es

RhagerhisandRhagerrhisas identical. There was no need to define a new enus#because there was no new enus.

18&8 /ul. 'ictor $arus und $.0.A. -erstaecer. 2andbuch der Aooloie. =n 0. 1'&they write about the fa$ily %sa$$o0hidae# enus %sa$$o0his and enus

9oelo0eltis# and $ention as related for$s a$on others ;R2/G?RR2D%et.J18&8 -nther )*+*0ublishes in 7DiKth /ccount of ew D0ecies of Dnakes in the


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9ollection of the *ritisch Museu$J a ;ist of the new D0ecies 0rocured anddescribed since uly 18&&.J n this list we find ;Rhaerrhis unuiculata# 'thr.Aanibar. -r. @irk.J# followed by ;Stritaeniata# 'thr. ?ast /frica. Mr. Farwick.J=n 0. 4'':4'3 he describesRhagerrhis unguiculata. ;Dcales short# rounded# without a0ical roove# in seventeen seriesE ventrals 1"& E anal

bifidE subcaudals 1. *ody $oderately slenderE head short# hih# with the u00er0rofile conveK# ter$inatin in a broad rostral shield# which is bent downwards and0rovided with a shar0 ede like a nailEanterior frontals $uch broader than lon E0osterior frontals not twice as lare as anterior# broader than lon.


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te$0le# and ter$inatin near the end of the tail. ower 0arts unifor$ whitish.This snake is 0robably fro$ Douth:eastern /frica# and was obtained of Mr. Farwick.t is ' inches lon# the tail bein 4 inches# and the head & lines.J

The te%t in red suggests again that -nther considersRhagerrhisas synonym to

Rhagerhis.

18"8 6ller )*7* describes in his 9ataloue of the /$0hibians and Re0tiles in theMuseu$ and Iniversity 9abinet of *asel# on 0. &1 7Rhaerhis. Dee

ote that MCller usesproductusinstead ofproductawhich %eters (18&') used.18"L Bar#o(a du Bocage )*78 $akes a list of the fauna of the %ortuuese 0ossessions in

eatern /frica# en $entions on 0. L& 7Rhaerrhis tritaeniatus. GCnther..

188' Peters )**4. %eters describes ;%sa$$o0his tritaeniatus# (GCnther). ; on 0. 11L. 2e$entions the synony$ ;18&8.Rhagerrhis tritaeniata# GCnther. /nn. Ma. at. 2ist.4 ser. 1. 0. 4'3. Taf. 1L. Bi. 2.J

2e does not co$$ent on the difference in s0ellin (r or rr).

=n 0. 1'4 he describesRhamphiophis rostratus# %eters# and $entions the synony$Rhagerrhis unguiculata# GCnther. n his lon descri0tion we can read the followin;-er @ieferau$ena00arat# so wie der ane Dch>delbau sti$$en i$ anen $itde$ vonRagerhisund CoelopeltisCberein. ?ientC$lich ist nur dieausserordentliche ?ntwickelun des Awischenkiefers# die


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2olschn. abebildet. /nn. Ma. . 2. (!) *d. 14 0. L"::1&.J188& n the %roceedins of the Aooloical Dociety of ondon for 188& in Bebruary ;The

Decretary Ui.e. %.. Dclater# tsV read the followin re0ort on the additions to theDocietyWs Menaerie durin the $onth of anuary 188& ; /nd then# as one of the$ost noticeable additions durin the $onth of Bebruary# he $entionsRhagerrhis

multimaculata. 5uote;1. / Many:$arked Dnake (Rhagerrhis multimaculata)# 0resented by the Rev. G. 2.R. Bisk# 9.M.A.D.# and received anuary 1# 188&. /$onst several collections of theDnakes of the 9a0e 9olony lately received fro$ our eKcellent corres0ondent is asinle s$all eKa$0le# about a foot lon# of this s0ecies# as kindly deter$ined for us

by .-r. GCnther. t is the Coronella multimaculataof D$ith (llust. Aool. of Douth/frica# 0l. &1)# but 0ro0erly referable to the enusRhagerrhisof %eters (Monatsb. k.%reuss. /k. Fissen. *erlin# 18&'# 0. '"4).JIt seems clear that Sclater uses the generic nameRhagerrhisas a full synonym

forRhagerhis. There is clearly at this time no difference #etween the genus

RhagerhisandRhagerrhis, as intended #y the users of these names.

1888 -nther )***$entions in a 79ontribution to the @nowlede of Dnakes of Tro0ical/frica on 0. 3'" 7Rhagerrhis oyrhynchus- and 7Rhagerrhis rubropunctatus.

188L Boettger )**8describes in his list of her0etoloical achieve$ents in 1888 for the/frican reion (0. 18&);G. /. *oulener vereichnet weiter von Maskat# /rabien# Uverl. *er. f. 188" 0a.1"4V+ermochelys coriacea.#Rhagerrhis producta%ts. und eine neuery(s.*oinae). /nn. Ma. . 2.W (&) *d. ' 0a. !8::!L.J

18L1 Sclater )*8) $entions in his ist of Dnakes in the ndian Museu$ as nr. 133 as0eci$en collected by ./. Murray in TanOistan# %ersia. 2e calls the s0eci$en7Rhaerrhis 0roducta# (Gerv.). Dtrikinly# he does not $ention the na$e %eters# anduses the double rrin the na$e# different fro$ %eters 18&'.n the syste$atic indeK in the beinnin of the book (0. vii) he refers to the ite$ on 0.' nr. 133# as 7Rhaerhis with one r. Dee the followin screenshot

2e also $entions after the na$e 7Dclater# ./.D.*. lK# 0. '3". Fhere is he referrin

to6n his introduction he states that for the snakes fro$ ndia he uses the classificationof *ouleners Re0tiles of *ritish ndia (at the ti$e a recent 0ublication). have the i$0ression that all in all the difference in s0ellin of the na$e here see$sto be caused by carelessness.

18L4 -nther )*89 $akes a Re0ort on the 9ollection of Re0tiles and Bishes $ade by -r.. F. Greory durin his ?K0edition to Mount @enia. 2e lists on 0. 8":88 twos0ecies nr. '!. Rhaerrhis tritaeniata# Gthr.# and nr. '&. Rhaerrhis oKyrhynchus#Rnhrdt.

18L! Bocage describes the her0etoloy of /nola and the 9ono.=n 0. 11 he lists Rhaerhis tritaeniata (with one r). 2e writes


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Mind that he uses sinle:r instead of double:r (which was used by GCnther 18&8).

=n 0. 111 he lists Rhaerhis acuta (also with one r).

2e describes the corres0ondences and differences withR. tritaeniata. GCnther 1888calls this snake# he states#sammophis acutus# fro$ which it however differs indentition.*ocae does not $entionRhagerhisas used by %eters.%. 11'

18L& Boulenger )*8+writes his 9ataloue of the snakes in the *ritish Museu$. 2e listson 0. 141 as nr. 1&" Coelopeltis# with as one of the synony$s ;Rhaerhis#eters,Mon. %erl. #c. 18&'# 0. '"4J. 9orrectly# with one r.=n 0. 143 he lists Coelopeltis moilensis# and $entions as synony$ ;Rhaerhis#

eters, Mon. %erl. #c.18&'# 0. '"!# 0l. ::# fi. 3EMurray, #nn. / Mag. ". *. (!) Kiv1884# 0. 14.J 9orrectly# with one r.=n 0. 13L he $entions rimerorhinus tritaeniatuswith the synony$ 7Rhagerrhistritaeniata-.

/nd on 0. 14 he listsRhamphiophis rubropunctatus# with the synony$Rhagerrhisrubropunctatus# andRhamphiophis oyrhynchuswith the synony$Rhagerrhisoyrhynchus.

Then# on 0. 148# *oulener lists Rha$0hio0his acutus with the synony$ ;Rhaerhisacuta#%ocage, *erp. #ngola# 0. 111# 0l. K a# fi. ' (18L!).J Mind with one r.


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/nd finally# on 0. 148Rhamphiophis multimaculatus# with the synony$ ;Rhaerrhis$ulti$aculata# '0nth. #nn. / Mag. ". *. (3) Kviii# 18& 0. '!.J

18L& Werner )*8+. 2e $entions in his re0ort on the her0etoloical achieve$ents of 18L4on 0ae 1! a ;C. productaGerv.J# and a$on the re0tiles described by GCnther inthis 0eriod a ;Rhagerrhis tritaeniataGthr.# 0. 88J.

1L1! Boulenger )8):0ublishes a list of the snakes of ?ast /frica# orth of the Aa$besiand Douth of the Doudan and Do$aliland# and of yassaland. 2e $entions on 0. &'L

Rhagerrhis tritaeniataGCnth. as a synony$ of rimerorhinus tritaeniatus.1L1L Werner )8)8describes Coelopeltis cordofanensisn. s0. and states ;?s ist nun die

Brae# ob die aus Denaar von %eters erw>hnteRhagerrhis productadiese /rt oder dievorlieende @ordofan:art istXJ Mind the double rrY

1L'L ;o"eridge )848lists the Genus Tri$erorrhinus D$ith# the s0ecies Tri$erorrhinustritaeniatus (GCnther)# and $entions as first synony$ ;Rhagerrhis tritaeniatusGCnther# 18&3# /nn. Ma. at. 2ist.# ser. 4# vol. 1# 0. 4'3# 0l. 1L# fi. 8J. This year isa $istake the $entioned article by GCnther dates fro$ 18&8.

1L!" ;o"eridge )8:7lists %sa$$o0hylaK tritaeniatus tritaeniatus (GCnther) and refers tothe synony$ ;Rhagerrhis tritaeniatusGCnther# /nn. Ma. at. 2ist.# (4) 1. 0. 4'3#

0l. KiK# fi. .J'11 B!hme < =e Purytreat the 5uestion of the 0ro0er eneric deno$ination of the

Moila snake# and in the end reinstate the eneric na$eRhagerhis.

So what is the pro#lem>

%eters (18&') used the s0ellinRhagerhis# with a sinle r. 2e eK0lains the choice of this na$eby ivin the derivation rhaZ and rh[s.

n the years followin we find that so$e authors use the na$eRhagerhisand others the na$eRhagerrhis# even with references to %eters 18&'. There is not a sinle clue that they see$ to0oint at two different enera. To the contrary GCnther (18&&) $iss0elled the eneric na$e%eters ave to the snake. 2e obviously had the intention that his 7Rhagerrhis multimaculata

belons to the sa$e enus. t could be concluded that GCnther at that $o$ent considered theeneric na$esRhagerhisandRhagerrhisas identical. 2e defined a new s0ecies# but therewas no need to define a new enus# because there was no new enus.

$an it #e e%plained>

s there an eK0lanation for this erratic (6) doublin of the r in the years 7after %eters (18&')6

Dcientist in the 1Lthcentury and the early years of the 'thcentury as a rule had a classicaleducation# with Greek and atin# thouh not everybody was very ood in it# of course./nyway# they should have known the rule as eK0ressed by $odern ohn Fells ;f the second

0art of a co$0ound word in Greek bean with r# the consonant was auto$atically doubled.Thats why we have one rin rheostatbut two in diarrhoea. /nd one in rhi$omebut two inmycorrhi$a.J (Dee his blo onhtt00honetic:blo.blos0ot.be'1Lrh:and:rrh.ht$l).

venture the assu$0tion that %eters in 18&' si$0ly inored this doublin rule# 0robably by

accident. -id GCnther in 18&& intentionally correct %eters $iss0ellin# or did he unintendedlycorrect hi$ by thinkingthat %eters would have used the correct for$ and citin hi$
http://phonetic-blog.blogspot.be/2010/09/rh-and-rrh.htmlhttp://phonetic-blog.blogspot.be/2010/09/rh-and-rrh.htmlhttp://phonetic-blog.blogspot.be/2010/09/rh-and-rrh.html


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incorrectly6 Fell never know# as neither %eters nor GCnther ever wrote anythin about the5uestion. obody ever see$ed to notice or bother# at least not to such an eKtent that so$eonefelt a need to 0ublish anythin about it.

Dince *+h$e and -e %ury returned to the eneric na$e that %eters introduced in 18&'# the

5uestion is should they have chosenRhagerrhisinstead ofRhagerhis6

=n the basis of article 33 of the nternational 9ode of Aooloical o$enclature (onlinehtt0www.nh$.ac.ukhosted:sitesicncodeindeK.Os06nfv\,article\33]'.') and article 1L(online htt0www.nh$.ac.ukhosted:sitesicncodeindeK.Os06nfv\,article\1L]') wouldassu$e that there would have been no obOection to the e$endation of the incorrect s0ellin

Rhagerhisto the correct s0ellinRhagerrhiswhen *+h$e and -e %ury ('11) rena$ed theenus. *ut# as they chose the sinle:r# this na$e is valid and cannot be corrected any $ore(accordin to article 3'.!.1.1#htt0www.nh$.ac.ukhosted:sitesicncodeindeK.Os06nfv\,article\3']'.') .

Do it see$s we are stuck with a $iss0elled eneric na$e# unless so$ebody so$ewhere in thefuture assins the Moila snake to another enus.

;itterature

3Reuss )*95

/. Reuss. Aooloische Miscell. Re0tilien. =0hidien. Denckenberiana# Brankfurt a$ Main# 11'":1&'

3-er"ais )*:75%. Gervais. Dur 5uel5ues o0hidiens de l/l^rie. _ M^$oires de la Dection Dcientifi5ue#/cad^$ie des Dciences et ettres. Mont0ellier. 3 !11:!1'

Peters )*+4

Bull title as iven on 0. '"12r. F. %eters lete eine Mittheilun vor Cber die von de$ so frCh in /frika verstorbenenBreiherrn von *arni$ und -r. 2art$ann auf ihrer Reise durch /ey0ten# ubien und de$DennQr esa$$elten /$0hibienMonatsberichte der @+nilichen %reuss. /kade$ie der Fissenschaften u *erlin aus de$ahre 18&'. *erlin )*+. 0. '"1:'"L.

(n this article# not only a$0hibians are listed# but re0tiles too. The title is in that res0ectinco$0lete.)

Troschel )*+

B.2. Troschel. *ericht Cber die eistunen in der 2er0etoloie w>hrend des ahres 18&'./rchiv fCr atureschichte# herause. von -r. B.2. Troschel. 'L. ahran. Aweiter *and.*erlin# icolaische


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-nther )*+*

/lbert GCnther. DiKth /cccount of new D0ecies of Dnakes in the 9ollection of the *ritischMuseu$. *y /lbert GCnther# M./.# M.-.# %h.-.# B.R.D. U%lates `


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Boettger )**8

=skar *oetter. *ericht Cber die eistunen in de ?erpetologiew>hrend des ahres 1888./rchiv fCr atureschichte. !!. ahran. . *and. *erlin# icolaische


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;o"eridge )8:7

/rthur overide. 9heck ist of the Re0tiles and /$0hibians of ?ast /frica (IandaE @enyaETananyikaE Aanibar). *ulletin of the Museu$ of 9o$0arative Aooloy at 2arvard 9olleein 9a$bride.

an r or two. the curious case of the much misspelled genus rhagerhis

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