“In Memory” is intended to acknowledge the passing of colleagues who have contributed to the field of herpetology. This site commenced in 2025 to feature passings that occurred from 2024 onward, with annual updates in Herpetological Review. An updated list is now available at  https://ssarherps.org/in-memory/. If you are aware of any missing details for these colleagues, please contact the editors so the entries can be updated (Ray Novotny raynovotny@yahoo.com and Ken Dodd terrapene600@gmail.com).

The Journal of Herpetology is participating in a pilot program with 70 other journals called “Subscribe to Open” where the Journal’s nonprofit content provider, BioOne, will provide all articles from 2026-2028 as open access free of charge if BioOne’s subscription goals are met by libraries each year. We are proud to announce that BioOne has already reached its goal for 2026, making every 2026 Journal of Herpetology article open access, increasing readership without paywalls. Please consider submitting your manuscripts to JHerp for free open access. To find out more about BioOne’s Subscribe to Open pilot, see https://bioonepublishing.org/our-work/subscribe-to-open/.

Subscribe to Open

The Metallinou Postdoctoral Travel Award supports postdoctoral fellows to attend and present their research at the SSAR’s annual meetings and interact with leaders in the field. Awards are open to postdocs from all countries. The next round of awards will be made to attend the Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (JMIH) in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, July 8–12, 2026. Meeting details can be found on the newly-launched JMIH website.

Applications are due on April 10, 2026. For more details about this award, visit its permanent webpage here.

Questions? Contact Dr. Rayna Bell, committee chair, at rbell@calacademy.org.

A message from Mo Donnelly & Brian Crother:

Dear Colleagues,

Jay M. Savage passed away November 3, 2025, and we plan on honoring him at the 2026 meeting with a “pirate” Savage session and an open-mike event (with snacks and beverages) in New Orleans. If your research program was influenced by Jay, your presentation would be a great way to honor his impact on herpetology and ichthyology. If you would like to contribute to the paper session, please add “SAVAGE” to your abstract title and the meeting planners will know to put you in a special paper session. Please let us know by email (maureen.a.donnelly@gmail.com) of your interest in attending the open mike, and if you want to participate in the pirate session, include the title of your talk so we can work with the meeting planners to schedule the papers. Jay influenced many herpetologists and ichthyologists during his long career, and we look forward to honoring Jay with this pirate Savage paper session and the open-mike event. We look forward to hearing from you. 

More information about the meeting, including abstract submission, can be found on the soon-to-launch JMIH website starting Feb. 26 : https://jmih.net/.

Abstract submission for the 2026 Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (JMIH) is now open at http://jmih.net/abstract-submission/. For instructions on how to submit your abstract, go to the Abstract Submissions page on the JMIH website. The deadline for abstract submissions is April 10, 2026.

JMIH 2026 will be held in the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel, 500 Canal Street, in downtown New Orleans, Louisiana, located on the edge of the French Quarter – one of the most historical, cultural, musical, and culinary neighborhoods in North America. Stay tuned for additional updates!

The SSAR is pleased to announce that Herpetological Review is moving to a faster, more efficient system to better serve our community. Starting February 16, all standard manuscripts must be submitted via Scholastica: https://herpetologicalreview.scholasticahq.com/. Stay tuned for corresponding updates as this date approaches!

To download recent or past issues of Herpetological Review, visit our webpage: https://ssarherps.org/herpetological-review-pdfs/.

The SSAR is pleased to announce the establishment of a new endowment in honor of Martha L. Crump that will support pre-college student scholars. Known to all as Marty, she is a behavioral ecologist and field biologist of the Neotropics who is also one of the most prolific writer of books about amphibians and reptiles of our generation. She was trained at the University of Kansas where she earned her PhD in 1974, based upon her pioneering study of reproductive strategies of a community of frogs at Santa Cecilia in the Upper Amazon Basin of Ecuador. She was a faculty member at the University of Florida during 1976–1992 and is currently an adjunct professor at both Utah State University and Northern Arizona University. A member of SSAR since 1967, Marty has held many important posts in the Society and served as President in 2019–2020. She organized the official start of the SSAR Pre-College Scholars Program in 2018 (supported by a generous grant from the family of Tristan Weinkle, DVM) and continues to mentor students in the program. Marty has remained active in this wildly popular program, the intent of which is to introduce budding herpetologists to professionals in our field and to possible careers in science. John Maerz (University of Georgia) currently directs the program. There is an academic-year series of discussions between budding herpetologists and leading professionals in our field using Zoom technology followed by a mentored program at the Society’s annual meeting for selected students; the first non-USA students (from Botswana and Mexico) attended in 2024. The anonymous donors of the Marty Crump Endowment have stipulated that non-USA students should be given preference for these funds.

Please join us in congratulating Marty on this singular honor, which recognizes her special interest in introducing young people (including children) to amphibians and reptiles. A more detailed announcement will appear in Herpetological Review.

The cover of HR 56(2) features an image of a juvenile Sunda King Cobra, Ophiophagus bungarus, that was photographed by Hamad Azam in Singapore. It is diurnal, intelligent, and alert, often raising the front third of its body and displaying defensively when threatened. Habitat loss, persecution, and illegal wildlife trade increasingly threaten populations. Understanding and conserving this species is essential, not only for preserving biodiversity in southeast Asia, but also for maintaining the ecological balance of forest ecosystems where it remains a top reptilian predator. Full contents are available online to SSAR members at https://ssarherps.org/herpetological-review-pdfs/. Natural History Notes, Geographic Distribution Notes, and Book Reviews are Open Access and are available for download at the same link.

If you are not a member of SSAR, please consider joining the leading international herpetological society. Student and online-only rates are available. Click here to join or learn more about membership.

Are you a student or post-doc conducting herpetological research and hoping to attend the 2026 Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (JMIH)? Apply for SSAR’s Carl Gans Traveling Fellowship!

• Up to 24 awards: $800 per fellow for U.S./Canadian researchers and $1,300-$1,700 for fellows from other countries
• Priority will be given to those in greatest need (i.e. those for whom the award makes the difference between attendance or lack of attendance) and those from historically underrepresented groups based on gender, race, country of origin, or other factors
• Applicants must be a member of a herpetological JMIH society (SSAR, ASHI, or HL)
• Successful applicants must present at JMIH in New Orleans, LA, USA, July 8-12, 2026

Applicants should fill out this Google Form by February 1, 2026.

For more information about this award, take a look at this year’s call for applications or visit our webpage.

The SSAR invites proposal submissions by March 15 of the year prior to the annual meeting when the symposium would take place (due March 15, 2026 for the 2027 annual meeting). Proposal criteria can be found on the SSAR website. This coming year the SSAR can monetarily sponsor one symposium with funding of $2,000. Symposia are important components of the SSAR Annual Meeting that allow researchers to come together and present the latest research in that area. If you have been thinking about a symposium topic that would be of interest within SSAR at the 2027 Annual Meeting, please consider submitting a symposium proposal!

Download here: 2027 SSAR Call for Symposium Proposals (PDF)