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Journal of the Vict Orian Herpet Ological Society POST PRINT APPROVED PP344786-0009 MONITOR - Journal of The Victorian Herpetological Society 11 (2) March,2001 JOURNAL OF THE VICTORIAN HERPETOLOGICAL SOCIETY HERPETOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE VICTORIAN MONITORMONITORMONITORVOL. 11 No. 2 March, 2001 Aust $10.00 1. MONITOR - Journal of The Victorian Herpetological Society 11 (2) March,2001 Published by: The Victorian Herpetological Society Inc Back issues of MONITOR are available for $12 per issue, (Except Vol 10 (2/3) $20) Price includes postage. Send cheque or Money order to: The Victorian Herpetological Society inc. PO Box 523, Somerville, 3912 Victoria. Available volumes 11 (1), 10 (1), 10(2/3), 9 (1), 9 ( 2), 8 (1), 8 (2), 8(3), 7 (1), 7 (2), 7 (3), 6 (1), 6 (2), 6 (3) 2. MONITOR - Journal of The Victorian Herpetological Society 11 (2) March,2001 Journal of the Victorian Herpetological Society Monitor Vol 11 No. 2 March, 2001 Monitor TABLE OF CONTENTS ISSN 1440-6241 My Say ... 4 - 5 VHS Committee President: Simon Watharow Mountain Dragons (Tympanocryptis Secretary: Peter Mantell diemensis) of Victoria: A Complex Issue. ... Treasurer: Steven Comber by Nick Clemann 6 - 8 Executive: Doug Wintle Executive: Scott Eipper A Field Trip to Flinders Island, Tasmania with a Dash of Chappell Island Please. ... Editor/Producer Simon Watharow by Simon Watharow 9 - 16 Asst Editors Ray Hoser, Peter Mantell, Steven Comber, Scott Eipper, Brian Barnett and Doug Locating the Southern Bell Frog ... Just Wintle Add Water. ... by Mike Swan 17 - 18. Production assistants Ray Hoser, Angela Reid and Simon Beatty. Observations of Herpetofauna on a Field Trip in Eastern New South Wales ... by “ Monitor ” is published by The Victorian Scott Eipper 19 - 24. Herpetological Society Inc, Copyright 2001. Apart from any fair dealing, as permitted under the Photos ... 25 - 28 Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced or stored by any process without permission. A New Case of Hybridisation in Morelia Enquiries should be directed to VHS secretary. Pythons. ... by Ray Hoser 29 - 30 Any views or opinion are entirely those of the Croakings ... by Hopper 31 - 34 relevant author and do not necessarily represent the views of the Victorian Herpetological Society Whats News Mate ... 35 - 42 Inc. eHerper ... by Daavid Turnbull 43 - 44 Correspondence Herp Health ... by Dr. Brendan Carmel 45 - Editor 46 PO Box 1016, Research, 3095, Victoria Herp Tips ... by Tigger 47 Secretary of VHS Herp Book Review ... by Mike Swan 48 - 49 Po Box 523, Somerville, 3912, Victoria. Cover photo: Lace Monitor (Varanus varius) All photos are captioned with author. Uncaptioned Mt. Ku - ringai National Park, New South Wales. photos are taken by the editor. Photo: Scott Eipper Photos published are the property of both the Victorian Herpetological Society inc and the re- Back cover photo: Blotched Blue - tongued Lizard spective author. Subject to full copyright and all (Tiliqua nigrolutea) Flinders Island, Tasmania rights are reserved. Photo: Simon Watharow. 3. MONITOR - Journal of The Victorian Herpetological Society 11 (2) March,2001 My Say We have now established the format of the “Monitor” An important decision was made at the March committee journal. The production side of the magazine is an art in meeting to find sponsors for the society. The monitor itself with many facets hidden from view during production. journal should be supported by sponsors, this has been We have started a new heading, “eHerper” written by voted in two ways. Daavid Turnbull, this will cater to the web surfing herps. The Herp Book Review and Herp Tips will also keep 1. Both inside cover pages of the Monitor journal will in running. Also we have included herp news from around future be dedicated towards sponsors. This is not new as the world for variety. We intend using these to encourage they were originally filled with promotional material for and further advances in keeping reptiles. Repcal calcium and Repcal Herptivite. An exciting new website has been started by the VHS. It 2. We will also run a “food source” format in Monitor that was a proud moment when it first floated onto the web. will list private and commercial sources of food from Daavid Turnbull has spent many emails and coffee soaked around Australia. Private VHS members will be offered nights designing the site. It is anticipated that after 8 –12 to have their name, food sources available and phone months the site will be fully operational with a photo number free. Commercial or non members premises will gallery, monitor journal and field trip sections that will be given a box with details of the shop, food sources and detail trips by members and the committee. Also there prices with a number and email . will be a special members section where members can have a link. During the upcoming months please check Each “Food” section will be provided by State and the site and email us with your opinion or offer alphabetically with Town/Suburb in bold. This we hope suggestions. Photos can be placed in the gallery and will provide easy access to food suppliers for all herps in field trips you have been on will be added in due time. Australia. This will take time to reach all the commercial shops, but it is hoped they will see the benefit of being in The membership is increasing with more new members the journal. and as word gets around the society has restabilised itself. Always remember that the committee has been making The meeting on 30th March, held at the Knox City Council itself known and decisions have been made on many Building was again well attended with two great speakers issues ranging from Monitor production, new venues and Graeme Gillespie stunned us with photos and stories of ways of ensuring future success for the society. reptiles and amphibians on Sulawesi, Indonesia. Russell Traher, not to be outdone, took us through the Plans for an exciting speaker from Queensland have been development of the Perth Zoo reptile exhibit and herps arranged and this will be our first interstate speaker in a found around that region. while. 4. MONITOR - Journal of The Victorian Herpetological Society 11 (2) March,2001 An auction and raffle, well supported by donations from Graeme Gillespie (on Reptapet, Diamond Creek Aquarium and Pet Supplies, the left) receiving Boronia Aquariums, Mike Swan Herp Books and thanks and a bottle of Thermofilm plus several member donations, provided an red. ideal bargain for many. Over $900 was raised to put Photo: Daavid Turnbull. towards interstate speakers in the future. A special thank you to The Herp Shop which has supplied herp goods at cost for the VHS shop on meeting nights. We were especially pleased with individual donations to the auctions. The meetings are certainly going to get more and more exciting as the year goes along. It is a tricky balance to keep themes and try to get a mix of topics for Russell Traher (on the meetings. We do try to keep both husbandry and field right) answering questions work in each night. after his talk on the design of the reptile house at the The VHS has a need for its own library. To start this off Perth Zoo. we intend to seek all the old issues of Monitor and tem- Photo: Daavid Turnbull. plates used to create Monitor. For each future journal, a cd will be kept for future use or reruns. If any members who have spare old editions and would like to donate their old journals. It would be greatly ap- preciated. This will ensure that members and other inter- ested persons can access VHS journal information. Moni- tors dating from Volume 6(1) and back are needed. The reptiles and amphibian displays held at each VHS meeting have been a real treat for many visitors, espe- cially beginners. The committee has been investigating Thanks for your support of the VHS. a display style unit to house these reptiles. This will free up committee time from bringing enclosures to meetings. The enclosures will stay at the venue unless used for future displays at other venues under the VHS banner. President Simon Watharow 5. MONITOR - Journal of The Victorian Herpetological Society 11 (2) March,2001 MOUNTAIN DRAGONS (Tympanocryptis diemensis) of VICTORIA: A COMPLEX ISSUE Nick Clemann Fauna Ecology Section Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research Department of Natural Resources and Environment PO Box 137 Heidelberg, Victoria 3084 DISTRUBUTION The Mountain Dragon Tympanocryptis diemensis (Gray, Adult male and female Mountain Dragons are often quite 1841) is one of the most confusing reptiles in Victoria. different in size; females are usually bigger, reaching a As yet, nobody is quite sure whether it is a single species maximum snout-vent length of approximately 82mm, or a species complex consisting of three, and quite compared with approximately 65mm for males (Kent possible more, individual species or subspecies. In 1987). The average total adult length is approximately mainland Australia, the range of the “species” extends 155mm. from around Sydney, along the Eastern highlands to north HABITATS - east of Melbourne. West and south - west of here there are isolated populations known from the east of the Otway The Mountain Dragon inhabits open woodland and area (the ‘Anglesea’ Mountain Dragon), the Brisbane forests, open shrubland and open heath in montane to Ranges National Park and various localities in the vicinity alpine regions in south - eastern Australia. Whilst of Bacchus Marsh and Trentham. Further west one, or occurring in some tall forest habitat, the species favours possibly two, “forms” of Mountain Dragon occur in the areas of stunted, sparse or open vegetation, often on Grampians National Park (the ‘Grampians’ Mountain stony or sandy soils with rock outcrops. Winter retreats Dragon).
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