In connection with drawing up guidelines for more “show” in reptile shows in general, I found existing caging categories very limited in their descriptions and overly broad in what they include.
Historically, “terrarium” is well known as any enclosure which is mainly land. For an indoor gardener, “terrarium” implies a tropical forest habitat.
Likewise, “aquarium” is a universal term which refers to a fully aquatic cage, even though such a cage might be a mountain stream, prairie marsh, brackish mangrove swamp, coral reef, Lake Tanganyika rock outcrop, etc.
A third term started appearing a bit more in the 1960's and 1970's, that of the “paludarium” for any cage which combined land and water. Technically, a paludarium would contain a swamp or marsh habitat, although in practice it could be anything from desert oasis to river bank to a coral atoll.
Considering that the real world differences in habitat are a bit of an illusion [we define them as we see fit, and everything that is a “boundary” is ignored or forced into the most similar category], cage definitions will always overlap to some degree. Regardless, I have chosen to draw up a number of new cage types, mainly to address the variety of cages likely to be used by herpetoculturists [again, with one goal being to define universal categories for judging]. I have basically ignored “aquarium”, as that is mainly a category of interest to fishkeepers. There's no sense in redefining someone else's playground without their input.
For our purposes, I have three broad categories still; aquarium, paludarium, and terrarium. I have divided terraria and paludaria into multiple categories, and each includes a more limited definition as well. Confused? Well, maybe the definitions themselves will help:
Aquarium - An enclosed display and habitat for freshwater or marine aquatic species, consisting primarily of a water-filled enclosure with little or no facility for egress.
Paludarium - In the broad sense, an enclosed display and habitat for a combination of terrestrial and aquatic species, consisting of a common enclosure with opportunity for complete egress and complete immersion.
In the narrow sense, an enclosure which recreates a freshwater marsh, bog, fen, swamp, or other shallow still water with emergent vegetation, with or without areas of land.Terrarium - In the broad sense, an enclosed display and habitat for primarily land-dwelling species with little or no opportunity for water immersion.
Lentarium - A paludarium [broad sense] or aquarium which recreates a shallow fast-water habitat, typically a small rocky stream. Overlaps with lotaria, neblaria, terraria, petraria, and spelearia.
Lotarium - A paludarium [broad sense] or aquarium which recreates a shallow slow-water habitat, typically a river bank. Overlaps mainly with graminaria or terraria, as well as aquaria, lentaria, and spelearia.
In the restrictive sense, recreates a woodland or forest habitat.Desertarium - A terrarium [broad sense] which recreates an arid habitat with little vegetation and normally low moisture and humidity. Overlaps most typically with petraria [various rock outcrops] and graminaria [arid savanna], though also with some shoreline/beach habitats [undesignated - Arenaria?].Biotope - A biotope may be any cage which attempts to replicate a particular habitat and geographic locality. For the purpose of competition, the entrant must specify “biotope” at the time of entry submission, and this must include a listing of location replicated and species used. This allows time for research by judges to verify the species mix. Substitution of related species is reasonable, though species from the wrong habitat or continent may be considered grounds for disqualification. The closer the match, the more value as a biotope. A side-by-side listing of natural biotope characteristics with equivalent terrarium characteristics may be considered in the judging. In some cases, overall appearance, legalities, or species availability may be valid reasons to include non-natural specimens. The “biotope” is an extra merit award, not a separate judging category. Onus is on the exhibitor to show that the display IS a biotope. The judges' responsibility is to confirm the accuracy of the exhibitor's information, and the value of the display as a biotope.
Graminarium - A terrarium [broad sense] which recreates an open habitat dominated by shrubs, grasses, or other low vegetation. This includes some savannas, tundra, puna, prairie, etc. Overlaps with paludaria [most], lotaria, petraria, desertaria [arid savanna], and terraria [savanna or woodland].
Neblarium - A terrarium [broad sense] which recreates a habitat of frequent mist or cloud and high humidity. Typical examples would be waterfall spray zones and cloud forest. Overlaps slightly with graminaria [wet puna] and lentaria [rocky streamside].
Petrarium - A terrarium [broad sense] which recreates a primarily rocky habitat such as a cliff or stone wall. Overlaps with neblaria [waterfall spray zone] and desertaria [kopje, inselberg, erratic, or rock outcrop]
Spelearium - An enclosed display and habitat for troglobites or speleothems. Ranges from fully aquatic to fully terrestrial, but normally without vegetation or light. A typical example would consist of broken rock submerged in freshwater, or rock, sand, and clay land portions with open clear water. Overlaps most other types, except desertaria and graminaria. A special case could be made for the boundary between spelearium, neblarium, terrarium, and petrarium, in the case of a cave entrance in forest. This common amphibian habitat could be considered a cavarium.
To put these in a show context, here are the related threads:
http://albertareptilesociety.org...read.php?t=894
http://albertareptilesociety.org...read.php?t=895
Do I see these terms catching on? Not quickly, although I can easily see a few ambitious people snapping on to some of the terms and specializing in those types more or less immediately. I hope to be able to define these categories better in the not-so-distant future, preferably with photos of some ideal examples. Can't promise, since I lack the cages and time to set them all up at the moment.
