4 
TABLE II 
Taxa named after Wilfred T. Neill and their present status 
Tantilla relicta neilli Telford, 1966 = Tantilla relicta 
neilli Telford, 1966 
Sibon neilli Henderson, Hoevers & Wilson, 1977 = Sibon 
sanniola neilli Henderson, Hoevers & Wilson, 1977 
In 1991 a very appropriate paper by one of the authors (Auth) 
was published in the Gainesville Herpetological Society 
Newsletter, VII (8): 9-15. It is reproduced here in its entirety 
with slight changes. 
WILFRED T. NEILL - FLORIDA'S 
PREMIER HERPETOLOGIST 
by David L. Auth 
One could get into quite a lively discussion trying to 
decide who has contributed most to our knowledge of Florida 
amphibians and reptiles. Some people who come to mind, 
Archie Carr, Coleman Goin, and Walter Auffenberg, have 
contributed mightily, but entered other areas of major 
interest: sea turtles, Colombian amphibians and textbook 
writing, and tortoises and varanid lizards, respectively. 
Ross Allen certainly educated and entertained thousands of 
people with his showmanship, lectures, and publications (he 
published over 130 articles and papers as author or 
coauthor). Nonetheless, I believe Wilfred T. Neill 
qualifies for the title of Florida's premier herpetologist, 
contributing 143 papers and articles on Southeastern U. S. 
herpetology, with emphasis on Florida and Georgia. 
Overall, he wrote over 235 papers and articles, five 
scientific books, several historical novels, and 
approximately 800 newspaper articles. 
Wilfred T. Neill was born in Augusta, Georgia on January 
12, 1922. A true Georgia native, he did not really leave 
the state until the age of 28. He went to high school in 
Augusta and received his Bachelor of Science degree from 
the University of Georgia in Athens in May, 1941, at the 
age of 19. His first herpetological note, on Eumeces 
