Course curriculum: Taxonomy of Reptiles
Instructor: Dr. Philipp Wagner, Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum A. Koenig & Villanova
University, Villanova, PA, USA. Philipp.wagner.zfmk@uni‐bonn.de
Israeli Host (official course coordinator): Dr. Shai Meiri
Dates: 2-8 April 2013 (Tue-Thur; Sun-Mon). 30 hours total. Oral lectures and lab practicals.
Target students: 1st and 2nd degree students interested in taxonomy and in herpetology
Prerequisites: None; understanding of English (The course will be in English).
Grading: A laboratory practical exam
Day 1
Session 1 — General taxonomy
• What is taxonomy? Identification; Classification; Description
• History of Taxonomy - The way to present taxonomy
• What is nomenclature? The binomial system; What is a species?
• Taxonomy as a basis for conservation: The challenges for taxonomy to protect
species; Why is describing species important?
Day 2
Session 2 — Museums as the keepers of taxonomic collections
• The importance of collecting specimens
• Curating herpetological collections
• The value of collections in: Taxonomy; Conservation; Ecology
Session 3 —Reptile systematics
• General systematics and phylogeny: Families; Distribution
• General characteristics: Anatomy (Scales, Skeleton); Behavior; Special senses;
Ecomorphology; Role in ecological studies
Day 3
Session 4 —Reptile diversity and zoogeography
• Zoogeography of African and Asian lizards. Why is Israel important for the
understanding of distribution pattern?
• Herpetofauna of Israel
• Introduction to field methods
• Ecology of arid reptiles
Session 5 —Identification of reptiles
• Practical course in identification of lizards
• Practical course in identification of snakes
Day 4
Session 6 — How to write a taxonomic paper
• Take your hypothesis.
• Construction of a data matrix: Determining if your sample is a new species of reptile;
Selection of diagnostic character states
• Selecting what to put in the Introduction
• Necessary information for the Materials and Methods
• Selection and construction of the name of the new species
• Selection of type material: Data necessary for type locality and distribution; Writing
the species diagnosis; Describing the holotype; Variation of the paratypes
• Basic information on natural history
• Appropriate information for the Discussion
• Issues to consider
• How to select a journal
Session 7 — How to write a dichotomous taxonomic key
• What is a taxonomic key and how does it work?
• Other kinds of keys
• Writing your own keys based on reptile specimens provided
Day 5
Lecture 8— Field work
• Field trip to an area nearby
Required texts
Baha El Din, S. M. 2006. A guide to the reptiles and amphibians of Egypt. American
University in Cairo Press, Cairo.
Barash, A. and Hoofien, J. H. 1956. Reptiles of Israel. Hakibutz Hameuchad, Tel Aviv.
(In Hebrew).
Bouskila, A. and Amitai, P. 2001. Handbook of amphibians & reptiles of Israel. Keter
Publishing House, Jerusalem. (In Hebrew).
Disi, A. M. Modrý, D., Necas, P. and Rifai, L. 2001. Amphibians and reptiles of the
Hashemite kingdom of Jordan: an atlas and field guide. Edition Chimaira, Frankfurt
am Main.
Vitt, L. J. and Caldwell, J. P. 2009. Herpetology. 3rd Edition, Academic Press,
Burlington.