The Standard English Names Committee has produced Herpetological Circulars available as a PDF or by order (older versions).
Current systematic research for US and Canada is reflected in the standard names on this list. A PDF of the current 8th Ed (2017) is now available.
We strive to bring the most current version as produced by the taxonomic working groups, via the SSAR North American Standard English Names Database.
Features of the SSAR Species Names Database:
- Search by scientific or standard (common) name to retrieve taxonomic authority and notes.
- Search by clade, or alien (non-native to North America) status using Fuzzy, Loose or Exact search terms
- Results at a glance show alien species status and within species range (based on IP location)
- Links to images or detailed species accounts for reptiles and amphibian
- Download results as CSV or formatted HTML
Past issues:
5th Ed can be ordered through SSARBOOKS.com
Press Release March 2, 2022: SSAR Retains Names List and Reforms Committee
After a multi-year hiatus, we announce that a new Names List committee is being formed and will resume work on the list. Notable changes include clarification and transparency of guidelines to be published with each revision, term limits to be established for all positions, and a shortening of the timeline for publishing revisions (so appearing more frequently than previously). The list will not be printed in future, but pdfs of each new version will be freely available on our website. We will investigate options for upgrading and improving the online database as well as implementing a mechanism for hosting comments to future revisions. If you are interested in participating in the committee’s work please contact SSAR President Kirsten E. Nicholson (kirsten.nicholson@cmich.edu) who will be chairing the committee temporarily to guide the relaunch and work with the committee to establish the new procedures.