Notes on the Natural History of The
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WWW.IRCF.ORG/REPTILESANDAMPHIBIANSJOURNALTABLE OF CONTENTS IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS IRCF REPTILES • VOL15, & N AMPHIBIANSO 4 • DEC 2008 189• 20(3):130–139 • SEP 2013 IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS CONSERVATION AND NATURAL HISTORY TABLE OF CONTENTS FEATURE ARTICLES . ChasingNotes Bullsnakes (Pituophis catenifer on sayi) in Wisconsin:the Natural History On the Road to Understanding the Ecology and Conservation of the Midwest’s Giant Serpent ...................... Joshua M. Kapfer 190 . The Shared History of Treeboas (Corallus grenadensis) and Humans on Grenada: ofA Hypothetical the Excursion Hispaniolan ............................................................................................................................ Brown RobertRacer, W. Henderson 198 HaitiophisRESEARCH ARTICLES anomalus (Squamata: Dipsadidae), . 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 in the ............................................. SouthernBrian J. Camposano, Kenneth Dominican L. Krysko, Kevin M. Enge, Ellen M. Donlan, andRepublic Michael Granatosky 212 MiguelCONSERVATION A. Landestoy T.¹, ALERT Robert W. Henderson2, Ernst Rupp3, Cristian Marte4, and Robert A. Ortíz¹ . World’s Mammals in Crisis ............................................................................................................................................................. 220 ¹Sociedad. More Ornitológica Than Mammals de ......................................................................................................................................................................la Hispaniola, Santo Domingo, Distrito Nacional, República Dominica ([email protected]) 223 . The “Dow Jones Index” of Biodiversity²Milwaukee ........................................................................................................................................... Public Museum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53233, USA 225 3Grupo Jaragua, Santo Domingo, Distrito Nacional, República Dominicana HUSBANDRY 4Museo Nacional de Historia Natural de Santo Domingo, Distrito Nacional, República Dominicana . Captive Care of the Central Netted Dragon ....................................................................................................... Shannon Plummer 226 PROFILE . Kraig Adler: A Lifetime Promoting Herpetology ................................................................................................ Michael L. Treglia 234 taxonomic revision based on molecular and morpho- activities of these captive snakes were recorded with a video COMMENTARY logical data presented a new classification for West camera. We are therefore able to supplement field data with A . The Turtles Have Been Watching Me ........................................................................................................................ Eric Gangloff 238 Indian racer snakes (Hedges et al. 2009) and the Hispaniolan observations of the confined animals. Brown Racer (Fig.BOOK 1), formerly REVIEW placed in the genus Alsophis, . Threatened Amphibians of the World edited by S.N. Stuart, M. Hoffmann, J.S. Chanson, N.A. Cox, was assigned to the monotypicR. Berridge, P.genus Ramani, andHaitiophis B.E. Young ............................................................................................................... Haitiophis Distribution Robertand Powell New 243 Localities anomalus is rarely encountered, thus its ecology remains The distribution of Haitiophis anomalus on Hispaniola (Fig. largely unknown (Henderson CONSERVATION and RESEARCHPowell 2009). REPORTS: The Summaries rarity of Published3) is Conservation likely islandwideResearch Reports .................................(including the 245 satellite islands of Île NATURAL HISTORY RESEARCH REPORTS: Summaries of Published Reports on Natural History ................................. 247 of this species has beenNEWBRIEFS inexplicable ...................................................................................................................................................................................... (Powell and Henderson de la Tortue and Isla Beata), but it248 is nowhere common. 1998), although Hedges EDITORIAL and Conn INFORMATION (2012) provided ..................................................................................................................................................... substan- Most records for the species are from 251 the southern half of tial and convincing evidenceFOCUS ON that CONSERVATION the Small Indian: A Project Mongoose You Can Support ...............................................................................................the island, and most of those are 252 from the Dominican (Urva auropunctata) has been the major cause of extirpations Republic. Elevational distribution is from 24 m below sea and extinctions of Caribbean island reptiles. Among dipsadid level near Las Baitoas (west of Duvergé) and the highest snakes in the West Indies, its size (maximum SVL of about elevation is about 500 m in the Puerto Escondido valley in Front Cover. Shannon Plummer. Back Cover. Michael Kern 2.0 m; Thomas et al. 2007; Fig. 2)Totat is rivaledet velleseque only audant by mo Clelia theTotat Sierra et velleseque de Bahoruco audant mo near La Placa. A freshly killed female clelia (which may be extirpated onestibus Grenada). inveliquo veliqueIt is rerchilcertainly (MNHNSDestibus inveliquo velique 23.1013) rerchil was found on HW 44 just east of erspienimus, quos accullabo. Ilibus erspienimus, quos accullabo. Ilibus the longest dipsadid endemic to theaut West dolor apictoIndies. invere pe dolum theaut dolor village apicto of invere Las pe Minasdolum (N18.47967, W71.03028) between Here, based on many years offugiatis experience maionsequat eumquewithin the Azuafugiatis and maionsequat Barahona eumque Provinces and is the easternmost local- moditia erere nonsedis ma sectiatur moditia erere nonsedis ma sectia- geographic range and habitat of H.ma derrovitaeanomalus voluptam,, we as presentquos itytur for ma derrovitaethe species. voluptam, Additional as specimens have come from observations on various aspects of accullabo.the natural history of the the northern shore of Lago Enriquillo near La Descubierta Hispaniolan Brown Racer. (A. Schubert, pers. comm.) and another near the entrance of Parque Nacional Jaragua (MALT, Rodríguez 2006, Thomas Methods et al. 2007). Three roadkills found in the Valle de Neiba, Over the past 14 years (with more focused activity from one in June 1997 (Powell and Henderson 1998), another in October 2008 and continuing into 2010), the authors and June 1999 (R. Powell, pers. comm.), and the third in August associates have had 31 encounters with Haitiophis anomalus, 2008 (MALT), represented the most recent records on the including both living and dead (e.g., road kills) individuals. main island of Hispaniola until our more intensive efforts. These encounters provided the basis for the information pre- Ducoudray (1981) reported one individual captured alive on sented here. Most of the observations are based on fortuitous Isla Beata and commented on its ecology. Additional sightings observations in the field. However, one of us (MALT) has were made on the Peninsula de Barahona at Fondo Paradí maintained several individuals of H. anomalus in captivity. (live snake, October 2011), Recta de Sansón (two roadkills), These animals were kept in an enclosure with a leaf litter sub- and at Loma del Burro (roadkill); all three localities are in or strate and water supply and were fed laboratory mice. Various at the boundary of Parque Nacional Jaragua. Copyright © 2013. Miguel A. Landestoy T. All rights reserved. 130 LANDESTOY ET AL. IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS • 20(3):130–139 • SEP 2013 Fig. 1. Adult Hispaniolan Brown Racer (Haitiophis anomalus) captured between Las Baitoas and La Florida (west of Duvergé) on 9 May 2009. Photograph by Miguel A. Landestoy T. Habitat (Martinez Batlle 2012) or transitional broadleaf forest. The The habitat of H. anomalus has been described as open habitat at the depression is partially covered with relatively thorny scrub on Isla Beata (Ducoudray 1981, Schwartz and larger trees and denser undergrowth (up to 85% of coverage; Henderson 1991), which describes most habitat in the Valle Grupo Jaragua 2008) than in the surrounding hills (which de Neiba (Fig. 4). This species has been found at the edges of become xeric away from the depression) and the dominant oases where larger trees along lakeshores west of Las Baitoas tree species is Baitoa (Phyllostylon rhamnoides). In 2004, large and at La Azufrada provided shaded situations. The upper portions of the natural habitat were eliminated and the area extreme of the elevational distribution is located at La Placa, was developed for avocado farming (Martinez Batlle 2012; on the northern slopes of the Sierra de Bahoruco in the Puerto Fig. 5). Despite alterations to this landscape, two of the three Escondido valley, where three H. anomalus were found. That aforementioned H. anomalus were found on the dirt road that specific area bears a depression that has been defined geomor- divides the farm (N18.34930, W71.60674; 440 m). One was phologically as the “polje of Fondo del Rejanal” (Martinez alive and the other dead, presumably killed by farm workers. Batlle 2012). Locally, the vegetation is considered mesic Whether these snakes foraged on the farm or were moving to 131 LANDESTOY ET AL.