an r or two. the curious case of the much misspelled genus rhagerhis
TRANSCRIPT
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An r or two. The curious case of the much misspelled genus
Rhagerhis.
Ton Steehouder, Weelde, Belgium
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
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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.