ISSN 1017-6187 AFRICAN HERP NEWS No.29 June 1999 CONTENTS EDITORIAL .............. ,................................................................ .............. ........... ................ I .1.\Jewsletter of the ARTICLES BURGER. M., BRANCH. W.R .. & IIAAGNER. G.V. Rcccnt African Herpetological Association of Africa Herpetological Literature: 18 ......................................................................................... 2 SCHMIDT. W.R .. & OLSEN. P. Using the Road as a Means of Conducting I lcrpi:to- logical Surveys: An Example from Warm baths ........................ ..................................... 24 LAMBIRIS, A.J. L. Privately Owncd Biological Collections: An Assessment of Principal Issues and Appropriatt: Legal Principles ........................................................ 27 BROADLEY, D.G. The Southern African Python. l'ython natafensis A. Smith I 8'10. is a Valid Species ...... .................................................................................................... 31 NATURAL HISTORY NOTES LOE I IR, V..1.T., & HARRIS, T.J. llomopus signaws: Natural Diet .................................... 33 I PORTER, B. W. Lygodactylus capensis: Predation by Bats .................................. .'............. 35 GREIFF, I. Philothamnus natalensis occidentalis: Sizc and Reproduction ......................... 36 GREIFF, I. Crotaphopeltis hotamboeia: Dict ..................................................................... 38 GREIFF. I. 1/emachatus haemachatus: Leucism ................................................................ 38 GREIFF. I: Dmypeltis scabra: Colouration ........................................................................ 40 GREIFF, I: Psammophylax r. rhombeatus: Behaviour ........................................................ 41 GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION VANWYK, J.C.P .. & BATES, M. 1/omopus boulengeri ................................................... 42 DAN IELS, S.R .. HENDRICKS. M.G.J .. 1IEIDEMAN. N.J.L.. & WILSON. BA Acomias g. gracilicauda ............................................................................................... -B BROADLEY, D.G. Scelotes ufuguruensis .......................................................................... 43 BROADLEY. D.G. Prosymna ambigua bocagii ................................................................. 44 No. 29 June 1999 AFRICAN 111:RI' NEWS No. 28 . .JANUARY 1999 HERPETOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION OF AFRICA FOUNDED 1965 EDITORIAL The HAA is dedicated to the study and conservation of African reptiles and amphibians. Membership is open to anyone with an interest in the African herpetofauna. Members receive the Association's journal, Africa11 Journal of Herpetology (which publishes review papers, This issue sees the welcome return of the series "Recent African research articles, short communications and book reviews - subject to peer review) and Herpetological Literature", an invaluab le aid to those of us who do not have newsletter, Africa11 Herp News (which includes short communications, life history notes, access to major reference libraries when trying to keep up to date with the geographical distribution notes, venom and snakebite notes, short book reviews, ever increasing flood of literature that appears each year. Tracking down titles bibliographies, husbandry hints, announcements and news items). is a formidable task in itself, and to prepare a bibliographic list of this kind NEWSLETTER EDITOR'S NOTE: over and above other demands on the compilers' time is truly heroic. Articles will be considered for publication provided they are original and have not been Professional and non-professional members of the Association wil l all benefit published elsewhere. immensely from the sterling efforts of Marius Burger, Bill Branch and Gerald Articles may be submitted for peer review (at least hvo reviewers) at the Editor's discretion. Haagner. Lists of reviewers will be published in the newsletter from time to time. Authors are requested to submit long manuscripts on disc or by e-mail in Word 6.0 format. We have also, unfortunately, a less happy matter to address in this issue of The views and opinions expressed in articles are not necessarily those of the Editor. the Newsletter - the controversial subject of privately owned collections. One of our members wishes to sell his collection of preserved amphibians Articles and news items appearing in Africa11 Herp News may be reprinted, provided the and reptiles to an overseas museum, and applied to the re levant provincial author's name and ne\\·sletter reference are given. nature conservation authority for an export permit. Two professional herpetologists, both formerly with the conservation authority in question, TYPING AND PRODUCTIO'.'1: Dr. Angelo Lambiris. recommended that export of the collection be al lowed and the official concerned appeared to agree with this opinion. However, the applicant was COMMITTEE OF THE HERPETOLOGICAL subsequently informed that he would not be allowed to export any species ASSOCIATION OF AFRICA occurring in the province in which he is presently resident, and that these would have to be deposited in a South African museum. No mention of CHAIRMAN AND NEWSLETTER EDITOR compensation for the loss of personal property seems to have been made. DR. A.J.L. LAMBIRIS, Department of Zoology, University of Durban-Westville, Private Bag While there is no question that conservation authorities must prevent X54001, Durban 4000, South Africa. e-mail: [email protected] unauthorised and uncontroll ed exploitation of natural resources, it must also SECRETARY/TREASURER be recognised that there are limits beyond which their jurisdicti on does not MR. F.L. FARQUHARSO'.'I, P.O. Box 20142, Durban North 4016, South Africa. extend, and th is includes arbitrarily abridging the rights of anyone who lawful ly possesses legally aquired biological materials. An article outlining JOURNAL EDITOR the legal rights of owners of preserved herpetological collections as the law DR. M.J. WHITING, Department of Herpetology, Transvaal Museum, P.O. Box 413, Pretoria currently stands. originally intended for the South African Law Journal, is 0001, South Africa. instead published here fo r the benefit of concerned members who I fee l are a ADDITIONAL COMMITTEE MEMBERS more immed iately appropriate audience. (References have been cited in the MR. M.F. BATES, Department of Herpetology, National Museum, P.O. Box 266, form appropriate to a law journal, since zoological conventions wou ld have Bloemfontein 9300, South Africa. been unnecessarily cumbersome.) DR. W.R. BRANCH, Department of Herpetology, Port Elizabeth Museum, P.O. Box 13147, Humewood 6013, South Africa. MR. R.M. DOUGLAS, Department of Herpetology, National Museum, P.O. Box 266, Bloemfontein 9300, South Africa. COVER I LLUSTRATION MR. W.D. HAACKE, Department of Herpetology, Transvaal Museum, P.O. Box 413, Pretoria Natal Ghost Frog I fefeophryne natalensis Hewilt. 1913. Krantzkloof Nature Reserve. 0001, South Africa. K\,aZulu Natal. (A..I.L. Lamhiris) AFRICAN IILRP NEWS No. 28, DECEMBER 1998 ,\IRK 1\:-. IIIRI' NI\\ S Nt>. 28 . .IJ\NU/\RY 1999 RECENT AFRICAN HERPETOLOGICAL de Madagascar, Paris 26-28./X. /995. Programme-Resumes. 35. Andreone, F. 1996. Another green treefrog, Boophis anjanaharibeensis LITERATURE: 18 n.sp. (Ranidae: Rhacophorinae), from northeastern Madagascar. Aqua 2 Journal olfchthyology and Aquatic Biology 2(2): 25-32. M. BURGER 1, W.R. BRANCH & G.V. HAAGNER' Angenstein, P. 1996. Zur Hattung und Nchzucht von Crolaphopeltis holamhoeia und C. tornieri. Elaphe 4(3 ): 6-16. 1 Avian Demography Unit. University of Cape Town. Rondebosch 770 L South Africa Anon (TRAFFIC: East/Southern Africa) 1995. TRAFFIC slams low fines 2 Port Elizabeth Museum, P.O. Box 13147. Humewood 60 I 3. South Africa following illegal R8-m exports of frogs. A_f,·ica - Environment & Wildlife 3 P.O. Box 702. I locdspruit 1380. South Africa 3(6): 10. Anon 1996. Southern African Frog Atlas Project. Africa - Em•ironmen/ & For various reasons, occasioned by our different fates during the last few Wildlife 4(2): 92. years, the publication of this list of recent African herpetological literature A rad, Z. 1995. Physiological responses to increasing ambient temperature in has been delayed. As a consequence it has become very large. It was thus three ecologically different congeneric lizards (Gekkoninae: decided for this issue to only include references up until 1996. For brevity no P~vodactylus). Comp. Biochem. Physiol .{A} I I 2(2): 305-3 11 . articles in any of the HAA publications are listed. In addition, peripheral Ashe, J. & Ashe, S. 1996. Some notes on Gastropholis praesina. £. Afr. publications on basic developmental, physiological and biochemical studies. Nat. Hist. Soc. Bull. 25(3): 54-55. that use Xenopus /aevis or any other African species as a model, are not Au lie, A. & Kanui, T.I. 1995. Oxygen consumption of eggs and hatch lings included. In cases where we know of new taxa descriptions where the of the Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus). Comp. Biochem. Physiol. distribution date of a publication is known to be different from the volume [A} I 12( 1): 99-102. year, the former is included in brackets. Where not obvious from the title, Baard, E.H.W. 1995. A preliminary analysis of the habitat of the geometric notes in brackets indicate the articles relevance. to11oise. Psammobates geometricus. S. Afr. J. Wild/. Res. 25( I): 8-13. Baard, E.H. W. 1995. A conservation strategy for the geometric tortoise: Abdelkader, A.K.M., Eldaly,