Reptile Database Update

I just finished updating iNaturalist Reptile Taxonomy to the Reptile Database aside from the following 'explicit deviations' that we're currently making:

Snakes

1. Drymarchon couperi (sensu lato) rather than Drymarchon couperi (sensu stricto) & Drymarchon kolpobasileus
2. Crotalus tortugensis, Crotalus atrox rather than Crotalus atrox
3. Lampropeltis multifasciata, Lampropeltis zonata rather than Lampropeltis zonata
4. Agkistrodon piscivorus rather than Agkistrodon conanti, Agkistrodon piscivorus https://www.inaturalist.org/flags/251295
5. Agkistrodon contortrix rather than Agkistrodon laticinctus, Agkistrodon contortrix
6. Pliocercus bicolor, Pliocercus elapoides rather than Pliocercus elapoides
7. Ramphotyphlops braminus rather than Indotyphlops braminus
8. Salvadora hexalepis rather than Salvadora deserticola, Salvadora hexalepis
9. Heterodon nasicus rather than Heterodon nasicus (sensu stricto) & Heterodon gloydi
10. Lampropeltis mexicana rather than Lampropeltis greer, Lampropeltis leonis, and Lampropeltis mexicana
11. Natrix natrix rather than Natrix astreptophora, Natrix helvetica, and Natrix natrix
    

Turtles

1. Terrapene carolina rather than Terrapene carolina, Terrapene mexicana, Terrapene yucatana
2. Trachemys callirostris & Trachemys venusta (sensu stricto) rather than Trachemys venusta (sensu lato)
3. Trachemys medemi is a new species in the Reptile database but not in Turtle of the World
4. Kinosternon vogti is a new species in the Reptile database but not in Turtle of the World
5. Emydoidea blandingii rather than Emys blandingii
6. Actinemys marmorata rather than Actinemys marmorata, Actinemys pallida
7. Macrochelys apalachicolae, Macrochelys temminckii rather than Macrochelys temminckii
8. Kinosternon arizonense rather than Kinosternon stejnegeri
9. Kinosternon subrubrum rather than Kinosternon steindachneri, Kinosternon subrubrum

Lizards

1. Anatololacerta anatolica, Anatololacerta oertzeni rather than Anatololacerta anatolica
2. Acontias lineicauda, Acontias orientalis rather than Acontias orientalis https://www.inaturalist.org/flags/147679
3. Trapelus lessonae, Trapelus ruderatus rather than Trapelus ruderatus
4. Aspidoscelis arizonae, Aspidoscelis inornata rather than Aspidoscelis inornatus
5. Aspidoscelis catalinensis, Aspidoscelis canus, Aspidoscelis tigris rather than Aspidoscelis tigris
6. Ctenotus helenae, Ctenotus inornatus, Ctenotus saxatilis, Ctenotus fallens rather than Ctenotus inornatus
7. Cyclura cornuta rather than Cyclura stejnegeri, Cyclura cornuta
8. Sceloporus occidentalis rather than Sceloporus occidentalis, Sceloporus becki
9. Phrynosoma hernandesi, Phrynosoma douglasii rather than Phrynosoma hernandesi, Phrynosoma bauri, 10. Phrynosoma brevirostris, Phrynosoma diminutum, Phrynosoma ornatissimum, Phrynosoma douglasii
10. Holbrookia maculata rather than Holbrookia approximans
11. Uma rufopunctata rather than Uma cowlesi

It would be nice to go into more depth on what exactly is going on with each of these deviations so we can get on the same page about how we're deviating and why. I wrote a post for (1) Drymarchon couperi split as an example of what I'm talking about. If you'd like to take on creating a post for another one of these explicit deviations your hep would be very much appreciated!

As before, please flag any taxon that you find problematic (either because we're not making an exception and you think we should be, or because we are making an exception and you think we shouldn't be). Her'es some existing flags and the explicit deviations that they are proposing we make:

1. Hierophis viridiflavus (sensu stricto) and Hierophis carbonarius
   rather than Hierophis viridiflavus (sensu lato)
   https://www.inaturalist.org/flags/243636

2. Tropidurus torquatus (sensu lato) rather than Tropidurus torquatus (sensu stricto) and Tropidurus catalanensis
   https://www.inaturalist.org/flags/251245

One more annoying issue with Reptiles that I'd like to resolve is that we've got a lot of New Zealand 'forms' lingering around. I'd like to either remove these or flesh out how they are deviating from Reptile Database:
https://www.inaturalist.org/flags/207787

Also, thanks for bearing with me on process for discussing/updating reptile taxonomy. We were previously using this thread on my personal journal. But now that we have Collection Projects, it seems like it might be more appropriate to continue that thread in a project. I've created a Reptile Taxonomic Working Group project where we can make posts to discuss and relay updates related to Reptile taxonomy. Please follow the project if you want to receive these posts.

Thanks!

Posted on June 20, 2018 10:07 PM by loarie