Abstract
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 providing 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 successor 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 fascinating information that has accumulated since the publication of VRLA. For this accumulation, Campbell and Lamar can undoubtedly 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, including this reviewer, to dedicate themselves to further research on these animals.
The layout of this new work largely follows that of its predecessor. The first volume contains an introduction to the geography and venomous snake fauna of the Americas (including 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 bibliography, and four separate chapters written by guest authors, on venomous snake mimicry, the evolution of New World venomous 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 that have taken place since the publication of VRLA. The introduction 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 postocular 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 accounts 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 readers. 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 organisms, 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 Daríen and Choćo regions of Panamá and northwestern South America, resurrecting the name Lachesis acrochorda (Garćia 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 durissus, 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 relationships of the venomous snakes of the Americas. Studies are reviewed, starting with the more inclusive and down to intraspecific 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 procedures for snakebites. Together, they represent the most comprehensive and up-to-date summary of reptilian envenomings, 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 herpetological 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 replicability 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 information 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.