Some House snakes

[Jake's snakes]

Really nice collection

[Wallas]

I like the L.mentalis male.

[GCol]

Thanks guys...the mentalis are awesome.

[Chopper 1]

Just saw a summary I made elsewhere on the forum:

Okay quick summary of the Lamprophiidae:

Lamprophis capensis ==> Boaedon capensis
Lamprophis virgatus ==> B. virgatus
Lamprophis fuliginosis complex ==> Boaedon

Lamprophis inornatus ==> Lycodonomorphus inornatus

Lamprophis swazicus ==> Inyoka swazicus

Remaining Lamprophis:
L. fiskii
L. fuscus
L. aurora
L. guttatus

Mehelya ==> Gonionotophis

I think that is it from that paper.

I often wonder how the "experts" come to what they do with regards to the names. How on this earth can the black house snake be in the same family as the water snakes?? How can the Swazi rock snake be a "snake" (Inyoka in most indiginous languages), it is much closer to the tiger or even marbled tree snake.? The house snakes where Boaedon 40 years ago and then changed it and now changing back?? The mind boggles why we must re-invent the wheel and return back 40 years?

[Westley Price]

What gets me going is when they change the name of an entire genus, like Mehelya.

As far as I understand, Mehelya does not exist anymore and all species have been reclassified as Gonionotophis. So what's the point?

I could understand if a few species were reclassified as Gonionotophis while others remained Mehelya, but to change all of them is just a useless exercise.

The selection of the names is up to the guys doing the description.

In RSA, I know there is a frog named after Bilbo Baggins and of course Sungazers named after the dragon in The Hobbit. I quite like the original names. Keeps thing interesting, haha.

[Bushviper]

Yep it seems like when you have nothing to do and want to justify your position at the institute that pays you to do research you come up with stuff like this.

In other cases you do it just because you are bored while driving a taxi and want your family to be remembered forever.

[Westley Price]

Haha, I wonder how many people will catch that last low blow

Havent actually heard from him in ages.