WWW.IRCF.ORG TABLE OF CONTENTS IRCF REPTILES &IRCF AMPHIBIANS REPTILES • VOL &15, AMPHIBIANS NO 4 • DEC 2008 • 189 27(2):314–317 • AUG 2020
IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS CONSERVATION AND NATURAL HISTORY
TABLE OF CONTENTS
FEATURE ARTICLES Validating. Chasing Bullsnakes (Pituophis the catenifer sayiTwo) in Wisconsin: Records of Mocquard’s On the Road to Understanding the Ecology and Conservation of the Midwest’s Giant Serpent ...... Joshua M. Kapfer 190 Swampsnake,. The Shared History of Treeboas (Corallus grenadensis Tretanorhinus) and Humans on Grenada: mocquardi A Hypothetical Excursion ...... Robert W. Henderson 198 BocourtRESEARCH ARTICLES 1891 (Dipsadidae), in Colombia, . The Texas Horned Lizard in Central and Western Texas ...... Emily Henry, Jason Brewer, Krista Mougey, and Gad Perry 204 . The Knight Anole (Anolis equestris) in Florida with ...... CommentsBrian J. Camposano, Kenneth L. Krysko,on Kevin M.the Enge, Ellen M.Taxonomy Donlan, and Michael Granatosky 212 CONSERVATIONof Mainland ALERT Swampsnakes . World’s Mammals in Crisis ...... 220 . More Than Mammals ...... 223 . The “Dow Jones Index” of Biodiversity ...... Juan D. Vásquez-Restrepo ...... 225
Grupo HerpetológicoHUSBANDRY de Antioquia, Instituto de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Antioquia, Calle 67 #53-108, Laboratorio 7-121, Medellín, Colombia ([email protected]) . Captive Care of the Central Netted Dragon ...... Shannon Plummer 226
PROFILE Photographs by the author. . Kraig Adler: A Lifetime Promoting Herpetology ...... Michael L. Treglia 234
COMMENTARY wampsnakes in .theThe Turtlesgenus Have Tretanorhinus Been Watching Me ...... are noctur- grove forests (Dunn 1939; EricLee Gangloff 1996; 238 Savage 2002; Heimes Snally active aquaticBOOK to REVIEW semi-aquatic snakes that inhabit 2016). Four currently recognized species (Uetz et al. 2020) freshwater streams and. Threatened swamps Amphibians and brackish of the World wateredited by in S.N. man Stuart,- M. Hoffmann,range from J.S. Chanson, Mexico N.A. toCox, Ecuador and some Caribbean islands R. Berridge, P. Ramani, and B.E. Young ...... Robert Powell 243
CONSERVATION RESEARCH REPORTS: Summaries of Published Conservation Research Reports ...... 245 NATURAL HISTORY RESEARCH REPORTS: Summaries of Published Reports on Natural History ...... 247 NEWBRIEFS ...... 248 EDITORIAL INFORMATION ...... 251 FOCUS ON CONSERVATION: A Project You Can Support ...... 252
Front Cover. Shannon Plummer. Back Cover. Michael Kern Totat et velleseque audant mo Totat et velleseque audant mo estibus inveliquo velique rerchil estibus inveliquo velique rerchil erspienimus, quos accullabo. Ilibus erspienimus, quos accullabo. Ilibus aut dolor apicto invere pe dolum aut dolor apicto invere pe dolum fugiatis maionsequat eumque fugiatis maionsequat eumque moditia erere nonsedis ma sectiatur moditia erere nonsedis ma sectia- ma derrovitae voluptam, as quos tur ma derrovitae voluptam, as accullabo.
Fig. 1. Mocquard’s Swampsnake (Tretanorhinus mocquardi) (MHUA-R 14528) collected in 2007 in Nuquí Municipality, Chocó Department, Colombia.
Copyright © 2020. Juan D. Vásquez-Restrepo. All rights reserved. 314 IRCF Reptiles & Amphibians ISSN 1098-6324 VÁSQUEZ-RESTREPO IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS • 27(2):314–317 • AUG 2020
(Savage 2002; Wallach et al. 2014). Colombian records the original description by Bocourt (1891) and that of Dunn include Striped Swampsnakes (T. taeniatus) from along the (1939). However, given that this is a rare species and little Pacific Coast (Dunn 1939; Peters and Orejas-Miranda 1970; published information exists, comparisons with other main- Wallach et al. 2014) and Mocquard’s Swampsnakes (T. moc- land species of Tretanorhinus must include information in quardi) that correspond to two specimens deposited in the Boulenger (1903), Peters and Orejas-Miranda (1970), Pérez- Museo de Herpetología Universidad de Antioquia (MHUA), Santos and Moreno (1988), Lee (1996), Savage (2002), and Medellín, Colombia, and which are listed by the Global Heimes (2016). Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) (Daza 2018). In preservative (70% ethanol), both specimens (Figs. 1 Although T. mocquardi is a species expected to occur in & 2) have a grayish dorsum with a dark (blackish) but diffuse Colombia since its known distribution includes Panama and and sometimes interrupted longitudinal stripe that extends Ecuador (Cisneros-Heredia 2005), its presence has not been from the parietals along the midline of the body. The dorsum recorded in the literature and information regarding the two is bordered laterally by dark (blackish) lateral lines extending presumptive records might contain uncertainties (Maldonado from the nares to the eyes and from the eyes onto the fourth et al. 2015; Marshall and Strine 2019; Chapman et al. 2020). scale rows and onto the tail. The flanks from the first to the Data from online databases must be curated both taxonomi- third scale rows are cream colored and are separated from the cally and geographically to guarantee reliability (Marshall and venter by narrow black zig-zag lines that follow the edges of Strine 2019). the ventral scales. The venter is mostly dark, except the edges, Because Tretanorhinus mocquardi and T. taeniatus, are which are yellowish-cream in color. For scale counts and morphologically similar, I examined the MHUA specimens comparisons see Table 1. to corroborate their identity and clarify the status of T. moc- The morphological data provided herein support the quardi in Colombia. The two specimens tentatively identi- presence of Tretanorhinus mocquardi (as currently defined) in fied as T. mocquardi (MHUA-R 14528–9) were collected in Colombia and also provide qualitative and quantitative infor- 2007 at Nuquí Municipality in Chocó Department (5.60°N, mation useful for future comparisons. However, the problem 77.35°W; WGS84; ca. 15 m asl). Identification was based on with poorly sampled rare and elusive species, such as T. moc-
Fig. 2. Mocquard’s Swampsnake (Tretanorhinus mocquardi) (MHUA-R 14529) collected in 2007 in Nuquí Municipality, Chocó Department, Colombia.
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Table 1. Comparisons of mainland Swampsnakes in the genus Tretanorhinus. When not equal for bilateral characters, counts are presented as left/right. Data for types are from Cope (1861), Bocourt (1891), and Boulenger (1903), and accounts of variation are from Dunn (1939) and Heimes (2016). Dashes (—) denote no data. * = incomplete tail; ** = first temporal fused with parietal on the left side.
Tretanorhinus Tretanorhinus Tretanorhinus nigroluteus taeniatus mocquardi MHUA MHUA Type Variation Type Variation Type Variation R-14528 R-14529
Dorsals 21 19 or 21 21 21–19 19 19–17 19–19–17 19–19–17 (21–17 per Dunn) Ventrals 136 127–151 168 168–175 — 166–177 168 164 Subcaudals — 56–82 81 74–81 — 69–85 37 74 (divided)* (divided) Supralabials 8 8 8 8–9 — — 9/8 9/8 Infralabials 10 10–11 4 or 5 (in — — — 9/10 10 contact with anterior chin shields) Temporals — 1+2 1+2 or 2+3 — — — 2+2 2+2/2+3** Postocular 2 2 2 — — — 2 2 Preoculars 2 2–3 2 2–3 2 — 2 2 Dorsal keels Present Present Present — — — Present Present (weaker (weaker laterally) laterally) Cloacal — Divided Divided — — — Divided Divided Prefrontal >1 — 3 — 1 1 or 2 1 2 quardi and even T. taeniatus, is that published data on varia- the presence of a middorsal line in the nape that reappears on tion is limited to a few small samples (Dunn 1939). the tail, which resembles to some degree the discontinuous Both Tretanorhinus mocquardi and T. taeniatus have middorsal lines in MHUA-R 14528 and 14529. However, a grayish dorsum with a middorsal black line and lateral before evaluating the usefulness of this character as a diagnos- black lines on the fourth or fifth scale rows, below which the tic trait, one must consider that coloration can be affected by flanks are cream. Ventral coloration for T. taeniatus has been preservative or post-mortem scale loss. described as cream or yellowish with traces of three longitudi- Tretanorhinus mocquardi was described by Bocourt nal black lines, but a lack of details in those descriptions and (1891) within a dichotomous key that mentioned only the an absence of illustrations or photographs leaves ample room presence of 19 dorsal scale rows and a single prefrontal. When for interpretation. For example, Dunn’s (1939) description of Boulenger (1903) subsequently described T. taeniatus, he ventral coloration in some individuals of the Orange-bellied included more information but, when comparing it with T. Swampsnake (T. nigroluteus) does not differ from that shown mocquardi, neither color, pattern, nor scale counts differ dra- in Figs. 1 and 2 (ventral views), consisting of three lines, the matically (see Table 1), leaving only the tendency of T. moc- midventral and two additional lines along the edges. Also, quardi to have fewer prefrontals and dorsal scale rows as nota- although T. mocquardi was once consider a synonym of T. ble distinctions. Furthermore, Dunn (1939) mentioned that nigroluteus (Barbour and Amaral 1924; Amaral 1929), the dif- T. taeniatus may exhibit a reduction in the number of dorsal ferences in the patterns of the two species (longitudinal lines scale rows, thus the presence of 19 dorsal scale rows cannot in T. mocquardi vs. alternating dark dots in T. nigroluteus) in itself adequately diagnose T. mocquardi. Another element are clearly evident (Dunn 1939; Lee 1996; Heimes 2016). that can lead to confusion when comparing these species is Additionally, for T. taeniatus, Boulenger (1903) mentioned Boulenger’s (1903) incomplete description of the infralabial
316 VÁSQUEZ-RESTREPO IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS • 27(2):314–317 • AUG 2020 scales in T. taeniatus, mentioning only that “4 or 5 lower labi- Bocourt, M.F. 1891. Sur quelques ophidiens de l’Amerique intertropicale. Le als [are] in contact with the anterior chin-shields” without Naturaliste (2) 5: 121–122. Boulenger, G.A. 1903. Descriptions of new snakes in the collection of the British stating how many lower labials were present (other species of Museum. Annals and Magazine of Natural History (7) 12: 350–354. Tretanorhinus have about 10 infralabials). Anyone unfamiliar Chapman, A.D., L. Belbin, P.F. Zermoglio, J. Wieczorek, P.J. Morris, M. Nicholls, with these snakes might interpret Boulenger’s statement as E.R. Rees, A.K. Veiga, A. Thompson, A.M. Saraiva, S.A. James, C. Gendreau, A. Benson, and D. Schigel. 2020. Developing standards for improved data representing the total number of infralabials. quality and for selecting fit for use biodiversity data. Biodiversity Information Our understanding of the taxonomy of northern South Science and Standards 4: e50889. American species of Tretanorhinus is complicated not only by Cisneros-Heredia, D.F. 2005. Tretanorhinus mocquardi (Swamp Snake). Herpetological Review 36: 340. the low number of samples available for examination but also Cope, E.D. 1861. Contributions to the ophiology of Lower California, Mexico and Central by the laxity of the original descriptions and the reliance on America. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 13: 292–306. incomplete morphological data. The resultant paucity of accu- Daza, J.M. 2018. Colección de Reptiles - Museo de Herpetología Universidad rate data has consequences in the taxonomic resolution of the de Antioquia. Version 3.0. Universidad de Antioquia. Occurrence dataset
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