Herpetological Review Volume 8 September 1977 Number 3 Contents FEATURED INSTITUTION Herpetology at the University of California at Berkeley, by D. B. Wake and J. Hanken 74 FEATURE ARTICLES A case of gonadal atrophy in Lissemys punctata punctata (Bonnt.) (Reptilia, Testudines, Trionychidae), by P. L. Duda and V. K. Gupta 75 The status of Drymarchon corais couperi (Hol- brook), the eastern indigo snake, in the southeastern United States, by H. E. Lawler 76 Observations on breeding migrations of Ambystoma texanum, by M. V. Plummer 79 BOOK REVIEWS This broken archipelago: Cape Cod and the Islands, amphibians and reptiles" by James D. Lazell, Jr. Reviewed by T. D. Schwaner 80 "Liste der Rezenten amphibien and reptilien. Hylidae, Centrolenidae, Pseudidae" by William E. Duellman. Reviewed by R. G. Zweifel 81 "Australian frogs: How they thrive, strive and stay alive. A review of Michael Tyler's Frogs" by W. E. Duellman 83 CONSERVATION 1977 SSAR Conservation Committee 84 GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION New records 84 Herpetological records from Illinois, by D. Moll, G. L. Paukstis and J. K. Tucker 85 REGIONAL SOCIETY NEWS Muhlenberg group sponsors ESHL meeting 85 Regional Herpetological Society Directory 85 Oklahoma SOS 88 NEWS NOTES 89 CURRENT LITERATURE 90 CURRENT LITERATURE ERRATA 108 ADVERTISEMENTS 109 CONTRIBUTED PHOTOGRAPHS 112 SSAR 1977 ANNUAL MEETING ABSTRACTS Supplement Published quarterly by the SOCIETY FOR THE STUDY OF AMPHIBIANS AND REPTILES at Meseraull Printing, Inc., RFD 2, Lawrence, Kansas 66044. Steve Meseraull, Printer. POSTMASTER: Send form 3579 to the editors. All rights reserved. No part of this periodical may be reproduced without permission of the editor(s). Advertising: The publisher reserves the right to refuse any advertisement. The advertiser agrees to indemnify and protect the publisher from any claim, litigation or expense resulting from the advertiser's unauthorized use of any name, photograph, sketch or words protected by copyright or registered trade- mark. Cover design by Leonard Grotta HERPETOLOGY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-BERKELEY Herpetological research and edu- of special collections and research Sam Sweet, who cation at Berkeley date from the facilities, including a fully devel- works with spring first decade of this century. Wil- oped laboratory for biochemical gen- and cave salaman- liam Ritter conducted life history etics under the supervision of Cura- ders of the Ed- studies of salamanders and sponsored torial Associate Richard Sage. A wards Plateau, such students as Loye Miller. When special feature of the Museum is a finds microscopes Joseph Grinnell founded the Museum large, fully catalogued frozen tis- useful in telling of Vertebrate Zoology in 1908, that sue collection which is made avail- dorsal from ven- unit became the local center for able to qualified investigators. The tral sides of studies of ecology and systematics. Museum operates the Hastings Natural snakes. Sam will Grinnell was principally an orni- History Reservation, a 2,000 acre be Assistant thologist, but he conducted research reserve with laboratories and resi- Professor of -Biological Sciences at on amphibian and reptilian distribu- dences located in the Upper Carmel the University of California, Santa tion and sponsored a number of stu- Valley near Monterey and Salinas, Barbara, starting this fall. dents. Tracy Storer, Charles Camp, California. John Davis, an ornithol- Jean Linsdale, Henry Fitch, and Tom ogist who also conducts studies of ogist and comparative endocrinolo- Rodgers were students who later lizard ecology, is the resident in gist, currently involved in studies served in a variety of staff and charge of the Reservation. of the pituitary hormones of rep- faculty positions at Berkeley. Camp's tiles and amphibians. Other faculty interests shifted from living to Affable members in Zoology who conduct re- fossil lower vertebrates, and in Paul search on amphibians and reptiles or time he became Professor of Paleon- Licht sponsor students in these areas, or tology and Director of the Museum of must both, include Richard Eakin (compar- Paleontology on this campus. resort ative embryology, photoreceptor ul- to inti- trastructure), Robert Colwell (com- midation munity ecology), and Howard Bern David Wake, to earn (comparative endocrinology). whose duties the re- Faculty members in other depart- as Director spect ments who are actively involved in of the Mu- of his research on lower vertebrates and seum of students, Duncan MacKenzie, a com- who sponsor students in certain as- Vertebrate parative endocrinologist, Martin Fe- pects of herpetology include Allan Zoology keep der, who recently completed his Wilson in Biochemistry (anuran evo- him from doctoral thesis on the physiological lution), Vincent Sarich in Anthro- using his ecology of tropical salamanders, and pology (lizard evolution), Joseph microscope. postdoctoral student Antonella Gallo. Gregory in Paleontology (lower ver- tebrate paleontology), E.R. Lewis The Museum of Vertebrate Zoology Robert Stebbins has conducted in Electrical Engineering and Compu- continues to be the principal center studies of the ecology, physiology, ter Sciences (structure of anuran of herpetological research at Berke- systematics and conservation of am- inner ear), and Carl Nicoll in Phys- ley. The collections now include phibians and reptiles. Currently, he iology-Anatomy (endocrinology of about 150,000 catalogued specimens, is deeply involved in conservation prolactin). with major emphasis on western North efforts associated with off-road ve- America, Mexico, and Central and hicle damage to the southwestern Ray Huey, South America. Robert Stebbins was deserts. David Wake is studying the basking mo- the first permanent faculty curator evolutionary biology of salamanders, mentarily, of the herpetological collection, with emphasis on comparative and will join and following his appointment the functional morphology, systematics, the Univer- level of research and teaching ac- and distributional ecology. Marvalee sity of Wash- tivity in herpetology increased Wake emphasizes morphological stud- ington this greatly. A second faculty curator, ies of the reproductive system in Fall as an David Wake, joined the University in lower vertebrates, and the evolu- Assistant if 1969 and is now Director of the tionary biology of caecilians. 0.P. Professor 1' Museum. A third faculty member asso- of Zoology. ciated with the Museum is Marvalee Wake, Associate Research Morpholo- Marvalee Wake, Asso- gist. The Museum has a wide variety ciate Professor of There is an active post-doctoral Biology and Zoology program at Berkeley sponsored prin- Robert Steb- and Associate Re- cipally by the Miller Institute for Basic Research in Science. Miller ,,;:bins (wearing search Morphologist s; hat), Pro- in the Museum, hap- Fellowships are two years in length fessor of pily contemplates and offer a generous stipend as well Zoology and caecilians. as research support. Ray Huey is a Curator in current Miller Fellow, and other Herpetology, recent fellows in this program in- graduate stu- clude such herpetologists as George dent, Ted Pearson, retired Director of th, Gorman, Steve Arnold, and Al Ben- Pappenfuss, Museum, maintains an active research nett. Other current postdoctoral and Research Associate Nate Cohen program, including studies of the students in herpetology include An- barter with local collectors in Baja ecology of South American lizards. tonella Gallo and Ellen Daniel (both California for Biees, the subject of Paul Licht, Professor and Chairman comparative endocrinology) and Craig Ted's doctoral thesis. of Zoology, is a physiological ecol- Lundy (lizard photoreceptors). 74 HERP REVIEW 8 (3), 1977 Research Associate Anita Pearson often are involved in various re- acid fixative. A small piece of the applies ultrastructure techniques to search projects, and currently Brad fixed material from gonads and asso- the study of endocrine organs. Glor- Shaffer (who will be a graduate ciated ducts was processed for sec- ia Wurst studies developmental endo- student at the University of Chicago tioning and staining. Sections were crinology and collaborates with this fall) and Paul Elias, both cut at 7 micra, stained with Mal- David Wake in studies of evolution- working with Guatemalan salamander lory's trichrome stain and micro- ary genetics of salamanders. biology, are the most actively in- photographed. volved. In all its external features, the Curatorial Asso- turtle appeared a normal, mature ciate Gloria female. The gonads, here considered Wurst works with "ovaries", occupied the normal posi- the Museum's tion in the abdominal cavity and herpetological were whitish in color and spongy in collection, but consistency. These ovaries were lob- the electro- ulated with deep interlobular phoresis lab is grooves and sharp marginal notches her first (Fig. 1). Normal ovaries in females love. of comparable measurements are yel- lowish in color and blistered in Since 1970 a number of students appearance due to numerous develop- have been awarded Ph.D. degrees in ing follicles of varying diameters. some aspect of herpetology, includ- No follicles of any size were to be ing Kristin Berry, Charles Brown, seen in these structures in our Allan Brown, Dennis Bramble, Pille specimen. Moreover, in this speci- Bunnell, Bruce Bury, Susan Case, men, these ovaries were considerably James Edwards, Eduardo Fuentes, Jos- Curatorial Associate Dick Sage, on lighter in weight than normal ones. eph Grim, James Lynch, Linda