Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
samples of Duvernoy's secretions or laboratory animal experiments. Concerns
regarding these misinterpretations and their possible implications have been dis-
cussed elsewhere (Weinstein et al., 2010; and previous comments).
The diversity of this former assemblage of colubroids suggests that many bio-
medically important secretions, venoms, and their components will probably be dis-
covered from further study of these snakes. Prey-specific toxins may have particular
biomedical utility due to their often distinct specificities and selective lethal poten-
cies. As more of these little-studied species increasingly enter the animal trade and
private collections, assessment of their medical importance assumes additional sig-
nificance. In recognizing 40
species of non-front-fanged colubroids that report-
edly produced medically significant bites, Warrell (1988) opined that an increasing
number of species capable of envenomating humans would be gradually identified.
This prediction is supported by some of the medically significant cases involving
100 taxa critically considered here. This emphasizes the need for increased study
of these snakes that comprise the majority of extant ophidian species. Such study
holds promise for contributions to the biomedical and clinical sciences, laboratory
medicine, herpetology, and evolutionary biology.
