COMPARATIVE AND SYSTEMATIC HERPETOLOGY COLLECTION (LYNN RAW PRIVATE COLLECTION)
 

Introduction
This collection had its origins in South Africa during the late 1950s/early 1960s when the founder first started preserving dead reptiles and amphibians. From 1968 the collection began to expand on a more organised basis with the labelling of specimens and data entry into a numbered catalogue. The collection moved repeatedly, from Hillary, Durban to Northdene, back to Hillary, then to Cedara, then Merrivale and then to Hilton.

In 1999, the owner relocated to the United Kingdom, moved most of the smaller specimens to Durban and left the larger specimens in Hilton to be collected later. Unfortunately, two incidents then took place. The first was the loss of the original catalogues due to theft (along with a number of other items, presumably at Heathrow Airport) and the second was the disappearance without trace of the larger specimens from the premises where they were stored. Fortunately, a photocopy of the catalogue, albeit not up to date and with some entries illegible, had been left at the Natal Parks Board Headquarters and a duplicate was able to be obtained. The whereabouts of the missing specimens has still not been established and it should probably be presumed that they have been destroyed. Subsequently, most of the chameleon specimens were transferred to the United Kingdom under cover of CITES permits.

While loans from the collection have been provided to researchers and for academic teaching in Southern Africa in the past, unfortunately the current situation prevents any further loans until new arrangements can be made.

 

Aims
The collection was originally established in order to allow the owner to have access to specimens from a variety of taxa of different families from around the world for comparative purposes. Initially, this was because he was not allowed ready access (or any access in some cases) to museum material. Prior to the introduction of CITES in the 1970s he had an active international exchange programme and received a wide range of material from the USA, France and Thailand. Subsequent to this, foreign exchanges were curtailed and new additions were either fortuitous or as a result of specific collection for research purposes.

The collection was later given wider scope aimed at:

  • providing a wide variety of specimens illustrating the taxonomic diversity of reptiles and amphibians around the world;
  • retaining herpetological research and education material and making it available in order to promote research and a greater understanding of herpetology in general.

An indication of the geographic scope of the collection is shown by the following map where the countries that were the source of specimens in the collection are coloured green.

 

Origin of  specimens in the collection

The following table records the source countries and lists the number of specimens from each country.

COUNTRY NO. OF SPECIMENS
NOT RECORDED 30
ARGENTINA 7
AUSTRALIA 1
AUSTRIA 1
BOTSWANA 14
BRAZIL 9
CANADA 1
CHILE 3
COLOMBIA 8
CONGO DRC 4
COSTA RICA 2
CROATIA 2
ECUADOR 1
FRANCE 7
GERMANY 5
HAITI 1
HONDURAS 7
INDIA 4
IRAN 3
ISRAEL 10
ITALY 7
JAPAN 5
KENYA 7
LESOTHO 27
MADAGASCAR 4
MALAWI 5
MALAYSIA 12
SERBIA & MONTENEGRO 1
MOROCCO 1
NAMIBIA 17
PAKISTAN 4
PHILIPPINES 25
PORTUGAL 1
SOUTH AFRICA 2304
RUSSIA 1
SENEGAL 1
SEYCHELLES 13
SLOVENIA 1
SWAZILAND 8
TANZANIA 2
THAILAND 13
TURKEY 1
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 212
UGANDA 34
UNITED KINGDOM (ENGLAND) 2
URUGUAY 2
ZAMBIA 1
ZIMBABWE 24

 

Type material (as currently known)

Zoological Collections that retain type material are expected to publish lists of type material.  The following is intended to meet that obligation for this collection.

Where possible, type material will be made available for study by researchers. This may be by way of making material available on loan, allowing personal examination of the specimens on the premises housing the collection or at another agreed location or through the use of suitable quality illustrations (see next section below for examples).

HOLOTYPES:

Bradypodion thamnobates Raw 1976

Specimen number: LR 825

Type locality: Nottingham Road, Natal, South Africa

Date & Collectors: 5 January 1975 by L.A. & L.R.G. Raw. (Found on hedge while basking in late afternoon sun.)

Raw, L. R. G. 1976. A survey of the dwarf chameleons of Natal, South Africa, with descriptions of three new species (Sauria : Chamaeleonidae), Durban Museum Novitates, 11 (7) : 139 -161, p.154.

Bradypodion setaroi Raw 1976

Specimen number: LR 686

Type locality: Saint Lucia Estuary, Zululand, Natal, South Africa.

Date & Collectors: 1 June 1974 by  L.R.G. Raw & G. Setaro. (Collected in undergrowth in disturbed coastal dune forest.)

Raw, L. R. G. 1976. A survey of the dwarf chameleons of Natal, South Africa, with descriptions of three new species (Sauria : Chamaeleonidae), Durban Museum Novitates, 11 (7) : 139 -161, p.152.

 

PARATYPES

Lycodonomorphus laevissimus natalensis Raw 1973 (Holotype (UM 27057) Umtali Museum - now in National Museum of Zimbabwe, Bulawayo)

LR 424 - Londen Stream, Hillary, Durban, Natal. (16 Jun 1972, R. & ? Marais)

LR 534 - Londen Stream, Hillary, Durban, Natal. (10 Oct 1972, J. van Huyssteen & R. Marais)

LR 550, 551, 552, 553 - Baynesfield, Natal. (Oct 1972, G. Carpenter)

LR 425 - Umhlatuzana River, Cavendish, Natal. (Oct 1968, L.R.G. Raw)

LR 426 - Umhlatuzana River, Coedmore, near Bellair, Durban, Natal. (1961, L.R.G. Raw)

Raw, L. R. G. 1973. A review of the dusky-bellied water snake, Lycodonomorphus laevissimus (Gunther), with descriptions of two new subspecies, Annals of the Natal Museum, 21 (3) : 713 - 718, p. 715.

Bradypodion thamnobates Raw 1976

LR 713-716 - Nottingham Road, Natal. (14 Dec 1974, L.R.G. Raw)

LR 742-748 - Nottingham Road, Natal. (5 Jan 1975, L.R.G. Raw)

LR 750 - Bulwer, Natal. (4 Jan 1975, L.R.G. Raw)*

LR 751 - 5 km. west Balgowan, Natal. (5 Jan 1975, L.R.G. Raw)*

LR 809 - Nottingham Road, Natal. (14 Dec 1974, L.R.G. Raw)

LR 811 - Nottingham Road, Natal. (14 Dec 1974, L.R.G. Raw)

LR 815 - Nottingham Road, Natal. (14 Dec 1974, L.R.G. Raw)

LR 817 - Nottingham Road, Natal. (14 Dec 1974, L.R.G. Raw)

LR 818-824 - Nottingham Road, Natal. (5 Jan 1974, L.R.G. Raw)

LR 826-828 - Nottingham Road, Natal. (5 Jan 1974, L.R.G. Raw)

*Erroneously listed as Nottingham Road in original description.

Raw, L. R. G. 1976. A survey of the dwarf chameleons of Natal, South Africa, with descriptions of three new species (Sauria : Chamaeleonidae), Durban Museum Novitates, 11 (7) : 139 -161.

Bradypodion setaroi Raw 1976

LR 677-679 - St. Lucia Estuary, Zululand. (Dec 1971, G. Setaro)

LR 687-688 - St. Lucia Estuary, Zululand. (1 Jun 1974, G. Setaro & L.R.G. Raw)

LR 689-693 - St. Lucia Estuary, Zululand. (31 Aug 1974, G. Setaro & L.R.G. Raw)

LR 702-703 - St. Lucia Estuary, Zululand. (1 Jun 1974, G. Setaro & L.R.G. Raw)

LR 704 - St. Lucia Estuary, Zululand. (31 Aug 1974, G. Setaro & L.R.G. Raw)

Raw, L. R. G. 1976. A survey of the dwarf chameleons of Natal, South Africa, with descriptions of three new species (Sauria : Chamaeleonidae), Durban Museum Novitates, 11 (7) : 139 -161, p. 152.

Bradypodion dracomontanum Raw 1976 (Holotype (NM 1168) in Natal Museum, Pietermaritzburg)

LR 841 - Giant's Castle, Natal. (Jul 1974, collector unknown)

Raw, L. R. G. 1976. A survey of the dwarf chameleons of Natal, South Africa, with descriptions of three new species (Sauria : Chamaeleonidae), Durban Museum Novitates, 11 (7) : 139 -161, p. 157.

Bradypodion nemorale Raw 1978 (Holotype (NM 1474) in Natal Museum, Pietermaritzburg)

LR 915-925 - Ekombe, Qudeni Forest, Zululand (28�39'S, 30�54'E). (23 Apr 1977, F.L. Farquharson, M.N. Harris & L.R.G. Raw)

LR 873-884 - Nkandla Forest Zululand (28�44'S, 31�8'E). (Feb 1977, F.L. Farquharson, M.N. Harris & L.R.G. Raw)

LR 885-914 - Nkandla Forest Zululand (28�44'S, 31�8'E). (23 Apr 1977, F.L. Farquharson, M.N. Harris & L.R.G. Raw)

Raw, L. R. G. 1978. A further new dwarf chameleon from Natal, South Africa (Sauria : Chamaeleonidae), Durban Museum Novitates, 11 (15) : 265 - 269.

Hyperolius pickersgilli Raw 1982 (Holotype (NM 6657) in Natal Museum, Pietermaritzburg)

LR 978-981 - Mt. Edgecombe, Natal. (29 Sep 1977, F.L. Farquharson, M. Pickersgill & L.R.G. Raw)

LR 1018-1034 - Mt. Edgecombe, Natal.  (10 Oct 1977, F.L. Farquharson & L.R.G. Raw)

LR 1036-1037 - Mt. Edgecombe, Natal.  (5 Nov 1977, L.R.G. Raw & F.L. Farquharson)

LR 1039-1041 - Mt. Edgecombe, Natal. (5 Nov 1977, L.R.G. Raw & F.L. Farquharson)

LR 1135-1139 - Avoca, Natal. (27 Jan 1981, L.R.G. Raw)

LR 1546-1547 - Avoca, Natal.

LR 1544-1545 - "Twinstreams", Mtunzini, Zululand.

LR 1035 - Monzi, Zululand. (Dec? 1978, G. Setaro)

Raw, L. R. G. 1982. A new species of reed frog (Amphibia : Hyperoliidae) from the coastal lowlands of Natal, South Africa, Durban Museum Novitates, 13 (9) : 117 - 126.

Afrixalus delicatus Pickersgill 1984 (Holotype (BM 1983.1150) in Natural History Museum, London.)

 

LR 1131 - Redwoods Farm, Compensation, Natal. (14 Aug 1979, L.R.G. Raw)

 

LR 1543 - Jozini, Zululand.  (Catalogue data unreadable)

 

LR 1850 - Seula Estates (near Tugela Mouth), Sinkwazi, Natal. (15 Dec 1982, L.R.G. Raw)

 

LR 2130 - St. Lucia Estuary, Zululand.  (Nov 1984, M. Pickersgill)

 

Pickersgill, M. 1984. Three new Afrixalus (Anura: Hyperoliidae) from southeastern Africa. Durban Museum Novitates
13: 203–220.

Afrixalus aureus Pickersgill 1984 (Holotype (BM 1983.1151) in Natural History Museum, London.)

LR 1910 - Mhlatuze Valley, 5 km. north Eshowe on road to Melmoth, Zululand. (1 Feb 1982, M. Pickersgill)

Pickersgill, M. 1984. Three new Afrixalus (Anura: Hyperoliidae) from southeastern Africa. Durban Museum Novitates
13: 203–220.

Afrixalus spinifrons intermedius Pickersgill 1996 (Holotype (MP 531) in Senckenberg Museum, Frankfurt.)

LR 1631; 1644-1652 - Rosetta, Natal. (29 Oct 1982, M. Pickersgill)

Pickersgill, M. 1996. A new subspecies of Afrixalus (Anura, Hyperoliidae) from KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, with
comments on its superspecies affinities. – Durban Museum Novitates 21: 49–59.

Leptotyphlops sylvicolus Broadley & Wallach, 1997

LR 782, 783, 784, 785 - Ekombe, Qudeni Forest, Zululand (12 Oct 1975 - L.R.G. Raw)

Broadley D G. Wallach V. 1997. A review of the genus Leptotyphlops (Serpentes: Leptotyphlopidae) in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, with the description of a new forest-dwelling species. Durban Museum Novitates 22: 37-42.


Illustrations 

(Illustrations copyright Lynn R G Raw, 2006. Publication of these images is subject to prior permission from the copyright holder.)

(Note: Good quality digital or photographic images are the preferred alternative to loans in the case of type, valuable or fragile material)

Holotype of Bradypodion thamnobates (left side, about twice life size) NB. Higher resolution TIFF images are available. Please note that these can be up to 12Mb in size.

Holotype of Bradypodion thamnobates (right side, about twice life size)

Holotype of Bradypodion setaroi (left side, about twice life size)

Holotype of Bradypodion setaroi (right side, about twice life size)

 
 

Taxa represented in the collection

A list of the genera, species and numbers of specimens of each species recorded in the collection catalogue is provided below.

For convenience the list has been split into alphabetical groupings by genus. Please note that the taxonomy has not been updated to the latest accepted nomenclature.

Please click on one of the following links to view details.

A - F G - N
O - S T - Z

 

Contacts


This site was last updated on 17 September 2006

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