Anecdote vs. Substantiated Fact: The Problem of Unverified Reports in the Toxinological and Herpetological Literature Describing Non-front-fanged Colubroid ('Colubrid') Snakebites

摘要

Non-front-fanged colubroid snakes (NFFC) comprise a diverse group of approximately 2,350 species. Some of these snakes were previously and inappropriately placed together in the family Colubridae. During the last 50 years, increasing attention has been given to the systematics of snakes in this artificial assemblage, and recent investigations have re-assigned a significant number of former colubrid taxa to other families or sub-families (e.g., Lawson et al. 2005; Pyron et al. 2011; Vidal et al. 2007, 2010; Wiens et al. 2008; Zaher et al. 2009). These snakes were previously termed "rear-fanged," "opisthoglyphous," or "aglyphous" "colubrids" in reference to their posterior or midmaxillary dentition that may or may not have external grooves, but lacks an internal lumen or canal (McKinstry 1983; Weinstein and Kardong 1994; Weinstein et al. 2011).