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The Venomous Reptiles of the Western Hemisphere

Article in International Journal of Toxicology · May 2005

DOI: 10.1080/10915810590953446

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International Journal of Toxicolgy, 24:187–188, 2005
Copyright
c American College of Toxicology
ISSN: 1091-5818 print / 1092-874X online
DOI: 10.1080/10915810590953446
Book Review
The Venomous Reptiles of the Western Hemisphere
By Jonathan A. Campbell and William W. Lamar,
Comstock, Cornell University Press, 2004.
ISBN: 0-8014-4141-2. 2-Volume set. 1032 pages. Price:
$149.95.
The Western Hemisphere contains a diverse and colorful
fauna of venomous reptiles. Until 15 years ago, the literature on
this fauna was scattered across a range of often obscure works,
with a few publications on the faunas of particular countries pro-
viding partial insights into the diversity of venomous herpeto-
fauna. Then, in 1989, everything changed when Campbell and
Lamar published their monumental Venomous Reptiles of Latin
America (VRLA), assembling for the first time all the available
taxonomic, descriptive, and distributional information on the
venomous reptile species occurring south of the Rio Grande. In
the preface, the authors modestly expressed their hope that the
book would stimulate new research on these creatures.
Fifteen years later, Campbell and Lamar now offer the suc-
cessor volume to VRLA, The Venomous Reptiles of the Western
Hemisphere (VRWH). The first obvious difference between this
book and its illustrious predecessor is the obvious one of size:
VRWH comes in two volumes, each larger than VRLA. This
difference is only in small part due to the increased geographic
coverage. Much is down to the vast amounts of new and fasci-
nating information that has accumulated since the publication
of VRLA. For this accumulation, Campbell and Lamar can un-
doubtedly claim much credit: VRLA provided the obvious entry
point to a vast fauna, and an even vaster and widely scattered
specialist literature, and thus did much to encourage others, in-
cluding this reviewer, to dedicate themselves to further research
on these animals.
The layout of this new work largely follows that of its pre-
decessor. The first volume contains an introduction to the ge-
ography and venomous snake fauna of the Americas (includ-
ing a key to the species of each country), and species accounts
for most New World venomous reptiles. Volume 2 contains the
species accounts for the rattlesnakes, a remarkable 96-page bib-
liography, and four separate chapters written by guest authors,
on venomous snake mimicry, the evolution of New World ven-
omous snakes, and two principally medical chapters covering
reptile envenoming, the first in North America and the second
in Central and South America.
Volume 1 starts with an introduction outlining the scope of
the book, as well as giving a brief synopsis of taxonomic changes
187
that have taken place since the publication of VRLA. The in-
troduction is followed by regional accounts, which include a
description of the physiography and vegetation of each country
in the Americas (except Chile, which is devoid of front-fanged
venomous snakes) and those Caribbean islands that have native
populations of venomous snakes. For each country, the authors
present a table of the distribution of the venomous species by
vegetation type, and a dichotomous key to the venomous snakes.
As the authors acknowledge, designing keys for a plethora of
similar but highly variable taxa is a difficult task. Nonetheless,
in some cases, more reliable characters could have been found
for some sets of species. Thus, in the key to the genus Bothrops,
specimens of Bothrops moojeni with weakly developed postoc-
ular stripes (a common occurrence) will key out as Bothrops
brazili at couplets 21 to 24—in fact, supralabial number is a far
more reliable guide than somewhat subjective descriptions of
pattern, B. brazili almost always having eight and B. moojeni
seven (with only a few percent of specimens deviating from the
norm), and this distinction holds for the diagnosis of several
species groups of Bothrops. Nevertheless, in conjunction with
the species accounts, the keys should be useful.
The centerpiece of the book consists of the individual species
accounts, each covering between half a page and seven and a half
pages. Each species account contains a synonymy, English and
local names, an account of distribution and habitat, a detailed
physical description of the species, differentiation from similar
species, and remarks on taxonomy and other information. All ac-
counts are well referenced, providing a peerless introduction to
the vast and scattered literature on these fascinating organisms.
The taxon accounts are complemented by distribution maps and
1365 color photographs, most of truly outstanding quality, as
well as some black and white photographs.
On the taxonomic front, the authors introduce a number of
novel arrangements that may come as a surprise to many read-
ers. To some extent, this is inevitable: it is no secret that our
understanding of the systematics of the New World snake fauna
is still very much evolving, and equally, it is not surprising that
two of the most experienced specialists in that fauna should have
hitherto unpublished insights into the systematics of some or-
ganisms, and that they should wish to incorporate these into a
book such as this.
Among the taxonomic innovations affecting high-profile
species, Campbell and Lamar recognize a fourth species of
bushmaster (Lachesis) from the Darién and Chocó regions of
Panamá and northwestern South America, resurrecting the name
188 BOOK REVIEW
Lachesis acrochorda (Garcı́a 1896) from synonymy for this
taxon. Whereas the recognition of the Chocoan bushmaster was
predictable based on the existing literature, this is not the case
for the splitting of the Neotropical rattlesnake, Crotalus duris-
sus, into three species, C. durissus in South America, C. simus
in Central America, and C. totonacus in northeastern Mexico.
Although the authors provide descriptions and diagnoses for the
taxa they recognize, there is no analysis of data to support the
proposed changes. The reader is thus left without any possibility
of assessing these proposals independently on the basis of the
evidence provided.
No discussion of venomous snakes in the New World can
be complete without a consideration of the phenomenon of
mimicry, particular in the venomous coral snakes (Micrurus,
Micruroides, and Leptomicrurus) and their numerous putative
mimics. In the first of four chapters written by guest authors,
Edmund D. Brodie III and Edmund D. Brodie Jr. discuss basic
concepts of mimicry theory, and then review the literature on
the mimicry of venomous snakes, highlighting promising areas
for future research. The points made are beautifully underscored
by the numerous color photographs of likely venomous snake
mimics.
The second special chapter, by Ronald L. Gutberlet and
Michael B. Harvey, reviews the literature on the phylogenetic re-
lationships of the venomous snakes of the Americas. Studies are
reviewed, starting with the more inclusive and down to intraspe-
cific phylogeographic studies. The authors then synthesize this
information to arrive at the most likely biogeographical history
for the venomous snakes of the New World.
The two chapters on snakebite and its treatment, by Robert
Norris (North American snakes and Heloderma) and David A.
Warrell (Central and South American snakes), use a primarily
species-based approach, discussing the available literature on
venom and bite symptoms, and giving recommended treatment
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procedures for snakebites. Together, they represent the most
comprehensive and up-to-date summary of reptilian envenom-
ings, their consequences and their treatment in the Americas.
Warrell’s chapter in particular is an unrivalled reference for any
medical worker likely to be working in the rural tropics of the
New World. A total of 134 color figures depict in graphic detail
the potential consequences of venomous reptile bites and their
(mis-) management.
It is clear that this book is aimed primarily at the herpetolog-
ical market: the bulk of the book consists of species accounts
and taxonomic and biogeographical discussions. However, there
is no doubt that the readership will and should include other
groups. In particular, toxinologists who work with the venoms
of New World venomous snakes need to be acquainted with
the taxonomy of their study organisms to ensure the replicabil-
ity of their studies. In general, toxinology and taxonomy have
an unhappy history of mutual ignorance, but the advent of this
comprehensive volume removes any excuse for this where New
World venomous snakes are concerned.
In summary, the compilation of this two-volume set is
clearly a labor of love by two herpetologists dedicated to the
study of the herpetofauna of this fascinating region. Anyone
contemplating this massive endeavor and the amount of infor-
mation assembled in these pages cannot fail to be awestruck by
the sheer amount of work and dedication that went into it. Any
criticisms as above pale into insignificance when confronted
with the achievements of these two authors, who have once
again produced the instant classic for anyone interested in New
World herpetology.
Review by
Wolfgang Wüster, PhD,
School of Biological Sciences
University of Wales, Bangor, United Kingdom