CURRENT NAMES FOR LINNAEUS'S HERPETOLOGICAL 
SPECIES IN SYSTEMA NATURAE X 
by 
Harold A. Dundee 
The following list gives Linnaeus’s original assignment and the name and source for its first use 
as utilized currently in systematic herpetology. Identification of Linnaeus's species has not been 
easy for herpetologists because his descriptions often were sparse, inaccurate, or specimens 
have not been located or had tags jumbled. Major sources of information on the type specimens 
are those of L.G. Andersson, 1899. Catalogue of Linnaean Type-specimens of Snakes in the 
Royal Museum in Stockholm. Bihang till Kungliga Svenska Vetenskapakademien Handlingar. 24, 
pt. 4 (6)1-35 ; LOnnberg, E. 1896. Linnean type specimens of birds, reptiles, batrachians and 
fishes in the zoological museum of the R. University in Upsala. Bih. till Svensk. Vet. Akad. Handl. 
22(4)1:1-45. The Royal Museum is where most of Linnaeus' types were stored. Andersson 
noted flaws in Linnaeus's descriptions, problems in labeling of specimens, etc. The following 
listing is given sequentially by page as the names appear in thelOth edition of Systema Naturae. 
Also, because Linnaean localities often were wrong, the area(s) of major distribution is/are given 
[the ranges listed are for the whole species, but note that the specimens] used by Linnaeus may 
represent but one of the subspecies and thus might have a more restricted distribution]. The 
geographic designation "Indiis" seems to apply almost exclusively to South America, not to the 
West Indies as one might interpret. I have disputed several names in use and cite the Code and 
ICZN in reference to interpretation. These refer to International Commission of Zoological 
Nomenclature. 1985. International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, 3rd ed. International Trust 
for Zoological Nomenclature, London. 
Sources for names and distributions include: Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles 
(a continually issued publication by the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles); Peters 
and Orejas-Miranda 1970 The Neotropical Squamata I. Snakes (plus addenda by P.E. Vanzolini) ; 
Peters and Donoso-Barros 1970 The Neotropical Squamata. II. Lizards and Amphisbaenians (plus 
addenda by P.E. Vanzolini); Welch 1982 Herpetology of Africa; Welch 1983 Herpetology of 
Europe and Southwest Asia Welch 1988 Snakes of the Orient ; Frost 1985 Amphibian Species 
of the World ; Mertens and Wermuth1960 Die Amphibien und Reptilien Europas; Villa, Wilson, 
and Johnson 1988 Middle American Herpetology; and various recent publications in journals. 
197 
Testudo mydas. Chelonia mydas Schweigger 1812. Konigsberg. Arch. Naturgesch. Math.: 
291. Most warmer oceanic regions. 
Testudo caretta. Caretta caretta Stejneger 1902. Ann. Rpt. U.S.N.M. for 1902:715. Most 
warmer oceanic regions. 
198 
Testudo orbicularis. Emys orbicularis Blanford 1876. Zool. 2:308. (See under T. lutaria.). 
Testudo scabra. Melanochelys trijuga Gray 1869. Proc. Zool. Soc. London:187. India and 
Ceylon to Burma. Ldnnberg (1896. Bih. Sven. Vet.-Akad. Handl. 22[4]:34) said that "the 
specimen is quite young, dried and in a very bad condition" and cannot be identified with certainty 
Boulenger (1899. Cat. Chel. Brit. Mus.:l 18) said it may be Nicoria trijuga. 
