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The Journal of Herpetology After 50 Years Plus: a Brief History (1958–2016)1

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The Journal of Herpetology After 50 Years Plus: a Brief History (1958–2016)1 Journal of Herpetology, Vol. 50, No. 1, 2–11, 2016 Copyright 2016 Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles The Journal of Herpetology After 50 Years Plus: A Brief History (1958–2016)1 KRAIG ADLER Cornell University, Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Ithaca, New York 14853–2702 USA; E-mail: [email protected] ABSTRACT.—The Journal of Herpetology (JH), which reached its 50th volume in 2016, had an unusual start. Its predecessor publication was founded in 1958 by high school students as the Journal of The Ohio Herpetological Society (JOHS), which was sponsored by an amateur organization. The scope of the journal as well as that of the society soon became broader than Ohio or even North America. In 1967 OHS transformed into the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles (SSAR), which today is the largest professional herpetological society in the world. The journal was re-named Journal of Herpetology in 1968 and the volumes numbered again from 1. Downloaded from http://meridian.allenpress.com/journal-of-herpetology/article-pdf/50/1/2/2356928/15-173.pdf by guest on 26 September 2021 The journal, like SSAR, grew rapidly in size and professionalism. In 2009, JH was selected as one of the ‘‘100 most influential journals in biology and medicine worldwide over the last 100 years.’’ Originally, taxonomy–systematics (37%), ecology (20%), behavior (16%), physiology (8%), and genetics (4%) predominated as topics in JH; today, ecology (28%), conservation (19%), behavior (16%), taxonomy– systematics (13%), and physiology (9%) predominate. The JH is now the most-popular scientific journal in the world for biologists to publish on amphibians and reptiles. In this historical essay, I discuss major events in the development of the journal and list (in an Appendix) the editorial teams that collectively have helped shape JH. RESUMEN.—El ‘‘Journal of Herpetology’’ (JH), el cual llego´a su volumen nu´mero 50 en 2016, tuvo un inicio poco usual. Su publicacio´n predecesora fue fundada en 1958 por estudiantes de educacio´n media superior, los cuales la nombraron el ‘‘Journal of The Ohio Herpetological Society’’ (JOHS), una organizacio´n amateur. El alcance de la revista ası´ como el de la sociedad muy pronto se expandieron ma´s alla´ de los lı´mites de Ohio e incluso de Norteame´rica. En 1967 la OHS se transformo´en la ‘‘Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles’’ (SSAR), que actualmente es la organizacio´n herpetolo´gica profesional ma´s grande del mundo. La revista se rebautizo´‘‘Journal of Herpetology,’’ en 1968 y los volu´menes se numeraron nuevamente desde el 1. La revista ası´ como la SSAR crecieron ra´pidamente en taman˜ o y profesionalismo. En 2009, el JH fue seleccionado como una de ‘‘las 100 revistas ma´s influyentes en biologı´a y medicina a nivel mundial en los u´ltimos 100 an˜ os.’’ Originalmente, la taxonomı´a/sistema´tica (37%), ecologı´a (20%), comportamiento (16%), fisiologı´a (8%) y gene´tica (4%) fueron en orden de importancia los temas predominantes en el JH; mientras que ahora lo son: ecologı´a (28%), conservacio´n (19%), comportamiento (16%), taxonomı´a/sistema´tica (13%) y fisiologı´a (9%). El JH es actualmente la revista cientı´fica ma´s popular en el mundo entre los bio´logos que publican sobre anfibios y reptiles. Los eventos ma´s importantes en el desarrollo de la revista se discuten y se da una lista de los cuerpos editoriales en un Ape´ndice. Among the world’s leading journals of vertebrate biology, JOURNAL OF THE OHIO HERPETOLOGICAL SOCIETY perhaps none had so inauspicious a start as the Journal of The Ohio Herpetological Society (OHS) was officially Herpetology (JH) because the unpolished nature of its predeces- founded in Columbus, Ohio, in January 1958 (Fig. 1). Both sor serial (Journal of The Ohio Herpetological Society [JOHS]) OHS and JOHS were established by Kraig Adler and David M. provided scant evidence of what was to come. The existing Dennis, students at Columbus-area high schools, to formalize a North American herpetological journals at that time (1958)— network of amateur herpetologists throughout the State of Ohio Copeia and Herpetologica—were founded and edited by senior with whom they had been corresponding and interacting. The biologists with both institutional support and professional earliest surviving document leading up to the formation of OHS reputations. By contrast, JOHS and the Ohio society itself were is a handwritten notice addressed to this group by Adler, dated founded by high school seniors with neither professional 30 October 1957 and labeled ‘‘Vol. I, No. 1,’’ which announced training nor standing, much less any institutional support. As plans for a newsletter; this notice was never issued. The a result, the history of JOHS and JH, as well as their sponsoring Society’s first official publication, originally called the Trimonth- society, stands apart from the history of these and other ly Report, was edited by Adler and published about three professional journals and organizations. The year 2016, there- months later on 20 January 1958 (Fig. 2A)—it already showed fore, represents a milestone event for JH with the publication of advancement over the plans laid down in October. This five- volume 50. page, typewritten issue contained three articles and a page of This essay is not intended to be a history of the Society, which news notes at the end. The lead article concerned how to find already has been recorded (Moriarty and Bartholomew, 2007). and collect reptiles in Shawnee State Forest along the Ohio River To understand how JOHS and JH developed and why, however, (Fig. 2B). The second paper was on the feeding habits of a snail- one also must know some relevant points about the Society. eating snake from Borneo. The last contained best practices for These are included in this essay. keeping captive reptiles healthy. Therefore, the scope of the The JH did not appear de novo. There was a natural journal already included local and international subjects as well transformation of JOHS into JH, as a direct comparison of the as husbandry. last issue of JOHS with the first issue of JH demonstrates. The OHS officers and editors never had a regular senior Moreover, the editorial policies, scope of content, funding adviser to guide them, although Roger Conant, author of mechanism, and physical appearance of the earliest issues of JH ‘‘Reptiles of Ohio’’ and then living in Philadelphia, provided had already been established with JOHS. occasional counsel. Hence, they were left largely to their own interests, ambitions, and dreams to develop the Society and its 1Invited paper. publications without any limitations. Before 1958, these officers DOI: 10.1670/15-173 had known about the national herpetological societies and their JOURNAL OF HERPETOLOGY: A HISTORY 3 Downloaded from http://meridian.allenpress.com/journal-of-herpetology/article-pdf/50/1/2/2356928/15-173.pdf by guest on 26 September 2021 FIG. 1. First Annual Meeting of The Ohio Herpetological Society. Meeting held at the Toledo Zoological Park and Museum of Science in Toledo, Ohio (22 June 1958). Several early society officers are pictured, including those responsible for the journal: Kraig Adler, editor (person 12 from left; at rear) and David M. Dennis, vice-chairman for publications (person 5 from right; at rear). journals and had them as models, but they were unaware that improvements as their funds and abilities allowed. During regional societies existed. In fact, at that time there were six 1958, the officers could not afford a permament form of other state- or city-based amateur societies (Rothman, 1958), printing. Kraig Adler had to print the text pages using an old and all of them were better developed than the OHS. ditto machine contributed by his grandfather, a printing method then used in schools for short print runs and temporary uses. One notable amateur herpetologist who joined OHS in 1958, IMPROVEMENTS AND SOME MISTAKES Laurence M. Klauber, the author of books on rattlesnakes, The topical scope of the journal was broad but its appearance provided encouragement through a series of small donations. was amateurish, reflecting the inexperience of the editors and By the next year, OHS was using offset lithography; these their limited finances (OHS dues in 1958 were US$0.70). During issues—re-titled the Journal of The Ohio Herpetological Society— the early years, most articles were written by the Society’s were printed by a cousin of David Dennis on a press in his officers and editors because few outside that group were willing home. Dennis was in charge of assembling each issue and to submit articles. Copeia and Herpetologica were the models for hosted ‘‘stapling parties’’ in the basement of his parents’ home. JOHS, but the quality of those journals was unattainable for After folding and saddle-stapling each copy, they inserted the many years. Neverthless, OHS chipped away at making issues into mailing envelopes and applied address labels and FIG. 2. Early journals of The Ohio Herpetological Society. (A–B): Cover and title page of the first issue (vol. 1, no. 1, published 20 January 1958); cover with outline of the State of Ohio drawn by David M. Dennis; text printed on a ditto machine. Format size 8.5 · 11 inches. (C–D): Cover and title- page of first special-focus issue (vol. 2, no. 3, April 1960); study of Ohio salamanders with illustrated key by Frederick Gehlbach. Note underlining of Latin names. The image of Sistrurus catenatus appeared on issues of volume 2 (1959–1960); format size of volumes 2 and 3 was 5.5 · 8.5 inches. 4 KRAIG ADLER Downloaded from http://meridian.allenpress.com/journal-of-herpetology/article-pdf/50/1/2/2356928/15-173.pdf by guest on 26 September 2021 FIG.
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