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Wolfgang Wüster
Wolfgang Wüster (born 1964) is a herpetologist and Reader in zoology at Bangor University, UK. Wüster attained his bachelor's degree at the University of Cambridge in 1985 and his doctorate at the University of Aberdeen in 1990. His primary areas of research are the systematics and ecology of venomous snakes and the evolution of their venoms. He has authored approximately 150 scientific papers on varying herpetological subjects. Recent contributions have included descriptions of new species, especially of cobras, several studies into how natural selection drives the evolution of snake venoms, and demonstrating the likely vulnerability of Madagascar's native fauna to the skin toxins of the invasive Asian toad ''Duttaphrynus melanostictus''. He was the scientific editor for ''The Herpetological Journal'' (2002–2009), the scientific publication of the British Herpetological Society. He has participated in the description of the following taxa: * ''Naja mandalayensis'' Slowins ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Herpetology
Herpetology (from Greek ἑρπετόν ''herpetón'', meaning "reptile" or "creeping animal") is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians (including frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, and caecilians (gymnophiona)) and reptiles (including snakes, lizards, amphisbaenids, turtles, terrapins, tortoises, crocodilians, and the tuataras). Birds, which are cladistically included within Reptilia, are traditionally excluded here; the scientific study of birds is the subject of ornithology. Thus, the definition of herpetology can be more precisely stated as the study of ectothermic (cold-blooded) tetrapods. Under this definition "herps" (or sometimes "herptiles" or "herpetofauna") exclude fish, but it is not uncommon for herpetological and ichthyological scientific societies to collaborate. Examples include publishing joint journals and holding conferences in order to foster the exchange of ideas between the fields, as the American Society of Ichthyologists and He ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Naja Nubiae
The Nubian spitting cobra (''Naja nubiae'') is a species of spitting cobra native to Africa. Description A relatively small spitting cobra. Maximum recorded length 148 cm. Colour and pattern: Brownish-grey overall, scale bases and skin between scales black. Belly slightly lighter. Dark band across nape, dark ring across throat and neck, usually an additional dark band on belly, bands may fade with age. Scalation: 207–226 ventrals, 58–72 subcaudals, 23–29 scale rows around neck, 23–27 scale rows at midbody, 1–2 preoculars, 6–8 supralabials. Distribution A scattered distribution in north-eastern Africa: Egypt (Nile Valley), Sudan (Nile Valley, Darfur), western Eritrea, Chad (Ennedi Plateau) and Niger (Aïr Mountains). Taxonomy It was previously confused with the red spitting cobra The red spitting cobra (''Naja pallida'') is a species of spitting cobra native to Africa. Description This medium-sized cobra attains lengths between , but may grow to a maximu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Academics Of The University Of Wales
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 385 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the goddess of wisdom and skill, north of Athens, Greece. Etymology The word comes from the ''Academy'' in ancient Greece, which derives from the Athenian hero, ''Akademos''. Outside the city walls of Athens, the gymnasium was made famous by Plato as a center of learning. The sacred space, dedicated to the goddess of wisdom, Athena, had formerly been an olive grove, hence the expression "the groves of Academe". In these gardens, the philosopher Plato conversed with followers. Plato developed his sessions into a method of teaching philosophy and in 387 BC, established what is known today as the Old Academy. By extension, ''academia'' has come to mean the accumulation, dev ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alumni Of The University Of Aberdeen
Alumni (singular: alumnus (masculine) or alumna (feminine)) are former students of a school, college, or university who have either attended or graduated in some fashion from the institution. The feminine plural alumnae is sometimes used for groups of women. The word is Latin and means "one who is being (or has been) nourished". The term is not synonymous with "graduate"; one can be an alumnus without graduating (Burt Reynolds, alumnus but not graduate of Florida State, is an example). The term is sometimes used to refer to a former employee or member of an organization, contributor, or inmate. Etymology The Latin noun ''alumnus'' means "foster son" or "pupil". It is derived from PIE ''*h₂el-'' (grow, nourish), and it is a variant of the Latin verb ''alere'' "to nourish".Merriam-Webster: alumnus .. Separate, but from the s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alumni Of The University Of Cambridge
Alumni (singular: alumnus (masculine) or alumna (feminine)) are former students of a school, college, or university who have either attended or graduated in some fashion from the institution. The feminine plural alumnae is sometimes used for groups of women. The word is Latin and means "one who is being (or has been) nourished". The term is not synonymous with "graduate"; one can be an alumnus without graduating ( Burt Reynolds, alumnus but not graduate of Florida State, is an example). The term is sometimes used to refer to a former employee or member of an organization, contributor, or inmate. Etymology The Latin noun ''alumnus'' means "foster son" or "pupil". It is derived from PIE ''*h₂el-'' (grow, nourish), and it is a variant of the Latin verb ''alere'' "to nourish".Merriam-Webster: alumnus .. Separate, but from the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Naja Savannula
The West African banded cobra (''Naja savannula'') is a species of cobra in the genus ''Naja'' that is found in West Africa. This species was previously thought to be identical to the forest cobra (''Naja melanoleuca''), but morphological and genetic differences have led to its recognition as a separate species. It differs from ''Naja melanoleuca'' and other forest cobras in having a series of 3–8 broad, semi-divided light bands across the anterior body. Description Brownish black or black dorsally, with a series of 3–8 broad, cream-coloured crossbands, each partly divided by a narrow black crossband. Midbody dorsal scale rows 19, Ventrals 211–226, subcaudals 67–73. Maximum recorded length 223 cm Distribution West Africa: primarily gallery forests in West African savannas and savanna woodlands; recorded from Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Niger, Nigeria, northern Cameroon and southern Chad Chad (; ar, تشاد , ; ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Naja Guineensis
The black forest cobra (''Naja guineensis'') is a species of cobra in the genus ''Naja'' that is found in West Africa. This species was long thought to be identical to the forest cobra (''Naja melanoleuca''), but morphological and genetic differences have led to its recognition as a separate species. It differs from ''Naja melanoleuca'' in often having 17 rather than 19 midbody dorsal scale rows, a reduced number of dark ventral bands, and a tendency towards ontogenetic melanism. Description Adults are uniformly brownish black or black dorsally, or may display faint variegated lighter markings. Juveniles have much more pronounced light speckling or variegated banding. Ventrally, the throat is light, and is followed by several alternating dark and light bands (usually 2-3 discrete dark bands), the remainder of the ventral side is uniformly black. In adults, the light ventral bands often become heavily suffused with dark mottling and may become indistinguishable. The labial region ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Acanthophis Cryptamydros
The Kimberley death adder (''Acanthophis cryptamydros'') is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae native to northwestern Australia. Richard Wells and Ross Wellington gave the Kimberley death adder its scientific name ''Acanthophis lancasteri''—in honour of Burt Lancaster—in a 1985 monograph, citing as the type specimen an adult collected north-northeast of Halls Creek in Western Australia. They cited a 1981 paper by Glen Milton Storr, who had written about death adders of Western Australia. Storr considered both Kimberley and Cape York populations as northern death adder (''A. praelongus''), and Wells and Wellington noted the description was restricted to the Kimberley population and renamed it as a new species. The monograph was criticised for new species having no or minimal descriptions. Ken P. Aplin and Steve C. Donnellan called the name a ''nomen nudum'' as neither Wells and Wellington's nor Storr's notes distinguished the new taxon from the northern death ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Afronaja
''Naja'' is a genus of venomous elapid snakes commonly known as cobras (or "true cobras"). Members of the genus ''Naja'' are the most widespread and the most widely recognized as "true" cobras. Various species occur in regions throughout Africa, Southwest Asia, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. Several other elapid species are also called "cobras", such as the king cobra (''Ophiophagus hannah'') and the rinkhals (''Hemachatus haemachatus''), but neither are true cobras, in that they do not belong to the genus ''Naja'', but instead each belong to monotypic genera ''Hemachatus'' (the rinkhals) and ''Ophiophagus'' (the king cobra/hamadryad). Until recently, the genus ''Naja'' had 20 to 22 species, but it has undergone several taxonomic revisions in recent years, so sources vary greatly. Wide support exists, though, for a 2009 revision that synonymised the genera ''Boulengerina'' and '' Paranaja'' with ''Naja''. According to that revision, the genus ''Naja'' now includes 38 specie ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Naja Senegalensis
The Senegalese cobra (''Naja senegalensis'') is a species of cobra in the genus ''Naja'' that is found in West Africa. This species was long thought to be identical to the Egyptian cobra (''Naja haje''), but morphological and genetic differences have led to its recognition as a separate species. It differs from ''Naja haje'' in normally having more than 23 dorsal scale rows around the neck and a uniformly dark head without any obvious pattern on the supralabial scales. Description Adults are uniformly dark grey-brown dorsally, with slightly lighter lower flanks. The throat is also dark brown with occasional lighter individual ventral scales, whereas the rest of the ventral side is cream with dark grey-brown mottling. The head is dark grey-brown. Juveniles are grey with a black head and neck, and often carry a light blotch on the back of the hood. This normally disappears in adults, although a few specimens retain this marking into adulthood. Size: a large, robust cobra, maximum ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Naja Ashei
''Naja ashei'', commonly known as Ashe's spitting cobra or the giant spitting cobra, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is native to Africa. It is the world's largest species of spitting cobra. Etymology and taxonomy The generic name, ''Naja'', is a Latinisation of the Sanskrit word ' (), meaning "cobra". The specific epithet, ''ashei'', honors the late James Ashe, who founded the Bio-Ken Snake Farm and was one of the first experts to suggest ''N. ashei'' was a new species.Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Naja ashei'', p. 12). Differences from other spitting cobras were realized in the 1960s, but ''N. ashei'' was initially regarded by most as merely a brown-coloured form of the black-necked spitting cobra ('' N. nigricollis''). Thus, ''N. ashei'' was only classified as a distinct species in 2007, by Wolfgang Wüster (Bangor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lycodon Cardamomensis
''Lycodon cardamomensis'', also known as the Cardamom Mountains wolf snake, is a species of nonvenomous colubrid snake found in south-western Cambodia and eastern Thailand. Etymology ''Lycodon cardamomensis'' is named for the Cardamom hills in south-western Cambodia, the region from which the type specimen was collected. Description The head of the snake is clearly differentiated from the neck, and flattened slightly. The nose protrudes beyond the lower jaw. The eyes are vertical ellipses. The body is rounded above, and flat on the belly. A holotype for the species had a snout-to-vent length of 25.2 centimeters, and a tail-length of 6.4 centimeters, giving it a total length of 31.6 centimeters. The body of the snake is black on the back and tail, with 12 white stripes across the back and six across the tail. The stripes are 3-5 scales wide along the top, widening to 5-9 scales on the sides. The first two bands are completely black, while the rest have black speckles on them. The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
