A review of the amphibians and reptiles referred to the class Amphibia in Linnaeus’s 12th edition of Systema Naturae and Mantissa Plantarum Altera, with a guide on how to read Systema Naturae

2026-04-28T09:35:19+12:00

An in-depth assessment of the species of amphibians and reptiles referred to the class Amphibia by Linnaeus in the two volumes of Systema Naturae edition 12 covering Regnum Animale, and the ‘Regni Animalis Appendix’ of Mantissa Plantarum Altera is performed. New species are discussed and the nature and relevance of updates made by Linnaeus are assessed in a comparative review with Systema Naturae edition 10. Changes are presented for all Amphibia included in the three publications and the updates are assessed individually. In addition to the comparative assessment, a general discussion of the format and content of Systema Naturae is provided with the aim of supporting future herpetological studies in taxonomy and nomenclature. The erroneous attribution of Coluber crotalinus to Gmelin (1789) instead of Linné (1771) is discussed.

Bionomina

A review of the amphibians and reptiles referred to the class Amphibia in Linnaeus’s 12th edition of Systema Naturae and Mantissa Plantarum Altera, with a guide on how to read Systema Naturae