Charles William Myers

Charles William Myers (March 4, 1936 – September 4, 2018) was an American herpetologist. His research focused on the systematics of Neotropical amphibians and reptiles.

Biography In 1958, Myers became a research assistant at the University of Florida in Gainesville, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in 1960. He obtained a Master of Arts at Southern Illinois University Carbondale in 1962. From 1964 to 1967 he was a visiting scientist at the Gorgas Memorial Laboratory in Panama. From 1968 to 1973 he was assistant curator at the American Museum of Natural History. In 1970, under the supervision of William E. Duellman (1930–2022), he received his Ph.D. in zoology from the University of Kansas. From 1973 to 1978 he was associate curator, and from 1978 to 1999 curator in the herpetology department of the American Museum of Natural History. From 1980 to 1987, and again from 1993 to 1999, he was chairman of the department. He retired in 1999 as curator emeritus. In 2000 he published A history of herpetology at the American Museum of Natural History. He described about 34 new species of reptiles and several new frog species from Panama and South America.

Eponymy The following taxa are named after Myers: the reptile species Alopoglossus myersi, Amphisbaena myersi, Anolis charlesmyersi, Bothrocophias myersi, and Urotheca myersi; the amphibian species Allobates myersi, Pipa myersi, and Leptodactylus myersi; and the frog genus Myersiohyla.

Taxa described by Myers

Anolis fungosus Aromobates Aromobates nocturnus Atractus darienensis Atractus depressiocellus Atractus hostilitractus Atractus imperfectus Colostethus atopoglossus Colostethus lacrimosus Colostethus tamacuarensis Colostethus undulatus Coniophanes joanae Craugastor opimus Ctenophryne minor Dendrobates abditus Dendrobates arboreus Dendrobates bombetes Dendrobates captivus Dendrobates castaneoticus Dendrobates lehmanni Dendrobates mysteriosus Dendrobates occultator Dendrobates vanzolinii Dendrobates viridis Diploglossus montisilvestris Epipedobates Epipedobates andinus Epipedobates macero Epipedobates silverstonei Epipedobates simulans Geophis bellus Hyalinobatrachium crurifasciatum Hyalinobatrachium eccentricum Hypsiboas angelicus Imantodes phantasma Isthmohyla graceae Liophis problematicus Phyllobates terribilis Pristimantis auricarens Pristimantis avius Pristimantis cantitans Pristimantis cavernibardus Pristimantis memorans Pristimantis pruinatus Pristimantis yaviensis Rhadinaea bogertorum Rhadinaea cuneata Saphenophis sneiderni Stefania tamacuarina Strabomantis anatipes Strabomantis laticorpus Strabomantis zygodactylus

Selected publications Myers, C.W. (2000). "A History of Herpetology at the American Museum of Natural History". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History (252): 1–232. Myers, C.W.; Donnelly, M.A. (2001). "Herpetofauna of the Yutajé-Corocoro massif, Venezuela: Second report from the Robert G. Goelet American Museum–Terramar Expedition to the northwestern tepuis". Bull. American Mus. Nat. Hist. (261): 1–85. Myers, C.W.; Donnelly, M.A.(2008). "The Summit Herpetofauna of Auyantepui, Venezuela: Report from the Robert G. Goelet American Museum–Terramar Expedition". Bull. American Mus. Nat. Hist. (308): 1–147. Myers, C.W.; McDowell, S.B. (2014). "New taxa and cryptic species of Neotropical snakes (Xenodontinae), with commentary on hemipenes as generic and specific characters". Bull. American Mus. Nat. Hist. (385): 1–112. Vanzolini, P.E.; Myers, C.W. (2015). "The herpetological collection of Maximilian, Prince of Wied (1782–1867), with special reference to Brazilian materials". Bull. American Mus. Nat. Hist. (395): 1–155.