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Reptiles of the Nevada Test Site Brigham Young University Science Bulletin, Biological Series Volume 3 Number 3 Article 1 10-1963 Reptiles of the Nevada Test Site Wilmer W. Tanner Clive D. Jorgensen Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byuscib Part of the Anatomy Commons, Botany Commons, Physiology Commons, and the Zoology Commons Recommended Citation Tanner, Wilmer W. and Jorgensen, Clive D. (1963) "Reptiles of the Nevada Test Site," Brigham Young University Science Bulletin, Biological Series: Vol. 3 : No. 3 , Article 1. Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byuscib/vol3/iss3/1 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Western North American Naturalist Publications at BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Brigham Young University Science Bulletin, Biological Series by an authorized editor of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. S- N/.^ .< 3'7o"^ MUS. COMP. ZOOL LIBRARY APR 2 '6 1964 HARVARD BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY, SCIENCE BULLETIN REPTILES OF THE NEVADA TEST SITE by WILMER W. TANNER AND CLIVE D. JORGENSEN BIOLOGICAL SERIES — VOLUME III, NUMBER 3 OCTOBER, 1963 i S i ''' ' 'if--' -. > '^- ' V > fj BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY SCIENCE BULLETIN REPTILES OF THE NEVADA TEST SITE by WILMER W. TANNER AND CLIVE D. JORGENSEN BIOLOGICAL SERIES - VOLUME III, NUMBER 3 OCTOBER, 1963 -TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 1 METHODS AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 2 ECOLOGICAL BACKGROUND 4 Climate - 4 Plant Communities and Animal Associates 4 ACCOUNT OF THE SPECIES 6 Turtles Gophenis agassizi Cooper 6 Lizards Coleomjx variegatus utahensis Klauber 6 Dipsosaunis dorsalis dorsalis Baird & Girard 6 Crotaphijtus coUaris bailei/i Stejneger 7 Crotaphytus ivislizeni wlslizeni Baird and Girard 7 Sauromalus obesus obesiis Baird 8 Callisaurus draconoides rhodosticus Cope 8 Sceloponis magister uniformis Phelan and Brattstrom 13 Sceloporus occidentalis biserkitiis Hallowell 13 Uta stansburiana sfansburiana Baird and Girard 13 Phrynosoma platyrhinos platyrhinos Girard 16 Xantusia vigilis vigilis Baird 17 Cnemidophariis tigris tigris Baird and Girard 17 Eumeces skiltonianus utahensis Tanner 19 Serpents Masticophis flageUinn piceiis Cope 20 Masticophis taeniatus taenkitus Hallowell 20 Salvadora hexalepis mojavensis Bogert 20 PhyUorhynchus dccurtatus pcrkinsi Klauber 20 Arizona elegans Candida Klauber 24 Pittiophis catenifer deserticola Stejneger 24 Lampropeltis getulus californiae Blainville 24 Rhinocheihis Iccontei lecontei Baird and Girard 24 Sonara semianmduta isozona Cope 25 Chionactis occipitalis talpina Klauber 25 Hypsiglena torquata deserticola Tanner 26 Trinwrphodon lambda Cope 26 Tantilla utahensis Blanchard 26 Crotalus mitchelli stephensi Klauber 27 Crotaltts cerastes cerastes Hallowell 27 Probable species 27 EFFECTS OF A NUCLEAR DETONATION 29 LITERATURE CITED 29 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure Page 1. Grid in which population parameters were determined for Uta stansburiana and Cnemidophoriis tigris, showing vegetation and station locations 3 2. Collection and observation sites of Gopherus agassizi, Coleonyx variegatus, Sauromalus obelus, and Eumeccs skiltonianus 9 3. Collection and observation sites of Callisaiirus draconoides, Crotaphytus collaris, Crotaphijtus wisUzeni, and Phnjnosoma plahjrhinos 10 4. Collection and observation sites of Dipsosaunis doisalis, Ufa stansburiana, and Cnemidophoriis tigris 11 5. Collection and observation sites of Sceloporus magister, SceJoponis occidentalis, and Xantusia vigilis 12 6. Growth rates of Cncmidophorus tigris and Uta stansburiana 16 7. A histogram showing the distribution of femoral pores in 113 Cnemiclophorus tigris from the Nevada Test Site 18 8. Collection and observation sites of Crotalus mitcheUi. CrotaJus cerastes, Chionactis occipitalis, Arizona elcgans, and Trimorphodon lambda 21 9. Collection and observation sites of Lampropeltis getulus, Hypsiglena torquata, MasHcophis taeniatus, Masticophis flagellum, and Tantilla iitahensis 22 10. Collection and observation sites of PhyllorJiynchus decuiiatus, Pituophis catenifer, Salvadora hexalcpis, Rhinochcihis Iccontci, and Sonora semiannulata 23 11. Vegetation around a disturbed ground zero trapping design indicated by four transects B, D, F, and H 28 12. Extent of the major plant communities of the Nevada Test Site 32 " REPTILES OF THE NEVADA TEST SITE INTRODUCTION Since the Brigham Young University ecologi- there is no record that their personnel collected cal studies at the Nevada Test Site began in in the vicinity of Nye County. The geological 1959, twenty-nine species of reptiles have been and geographical surveys from 1867 ( King sur- taken. These include one tortoise, thirteen liz- vey with Robert Ridgway as zoologist) to 1878 ards, and fifteen snakes. (Wheeler survey with H. C. Yarrow and H. W. Tlie data presented in this study were gath- Henshaw as zoologists) returned many reptiles ered by a number of workers while research to the U. S. National Museum. Most of the speci- was being done on the biotic communities of mens taken were from northern and central the Nevada Test Site (Allred, Beck and Jor- Nevada or from areas in southeastern Nevada gensen, 196.3); thus, this report conforms gen- along the trails to California. The most com- erally with the principal objectives of the major prehensive reports were written or at least di- project. rected by S. F. Baird. Such reports as that of In analyzing the available data we have Stansbury (Report of the E.xpedition to the been concerned primarily with a description, and Great Salt Lake, Baird, 1852), the Wheeler Sur- where feasible, a discussion of the geographic vey (Yarrow, 1875), the survey of the territory and ecological distribution, external morphology west of the 100th Meridian (Yarrow and Hen- as related to taxonomic identification, system- shaw, 1878), and the Deadi Valley Expedition atic position of subspecies, and seasonal occur- (prepared by L. H. Stejneger, 1893) are the rence for each reptile species. For some species, most pertinent of the early field expeditions especially Ufa s. stcinshuriana and Cncmidoph- which have taken reptiles in either the Artemis- orus t. tigiis, information on certain aspects of ian Biotic Province or the Mohavian Province, their biology is available. This is summarized both of which occur at tlie Nevada Test Site. under four subheadings: Seasonal Fluctuations, The major study by Cope (1900) lists the rep- Population Densities, Survival, and Growth Rate. tiles taken by the early expeditions which were During the course of this study and in the deposited in the U. S. National Museum. Based preparation of this report we have taken data on this report, the closest records to the Test from the preserved collection numbering ap- Site were those taken in Pahranagat Valley in proximately 700 specimens, and from field rec- Lincoln County, Vegas Valley in Clark County, ords and observations. Unfortiniately, time has Ash Meadows in southern Nye County, Nevada, not permitted a study of the biology of all the and Inyo County, Cahfomia. species. Since 1900, specimens have been reported The importance of the biology of desert rep- from Current in northwestern Nye County tiles has been indicated by Cowles and Bogert (Bentley, 1918). Records from Vegas Valley, (1944), Bogert (1948), Woodbury and Hardy Pahrump Valley, Amargosa Desert and Railroad (1948), Fitch (1949), Tanner (1957), Tinkle Valley were reported by Van Denburgh (1922). (1961), and Banta (1963) to mention a few, Actual collecting on the test site before 1959 and each has suggested different approaches to was limited. Only a few sj>ecimens actually the gathering of such data. reached collections and only part of these have Only a few reptiles have been taken from been reported. In 1921, Van Denburgh and Sle- the Nevada Test Site prior to the present report. vin published what appears to be the first list Insofar as is known, Linsdale (1940) provided of amphibians and reptiles for Nevada. the most complete account of Nevada reptiles The major part of the test site is in the Great and included material from and in the near vic- Basin. A general map (prepared by the U. S. inity of the area now occupied by the test site. Gcol. Surv. Water Resources Development U. S. The earliest reptile collections probably were Map, 19.53) used by Banta (1963:254) outhnes made by members of the railroad surveys con- the limits of the Great Basin. We question the ducted from about 1850 to 1859. Although accuracy of the eastern boundary in Nye Coun- these surveys crossed several parts of Nevada, ty which would not include Groom, Yucca and 1 •This research was suppdrted b> (ixitratt AT( 1 -] 1 7f<li between the United States Atoniii Energy C^omniission and Brighan] Young University Bbigham Young Uni\ tusiTv Science Bulletin Frenchman valleys in the Great Basin. Speci- few). This interdigitation of faunas plus the mens used in this report were taken primarily more widespread species (SceJopo-rus occiden- from Yucca and Frenchman flats ( our use of the talism Uta stansbiiriana, Phijrnosoma platijrhinos, term "flats" includes all of the valley draining etc. ) has given this rather small area a most in- into the playa), and areas to the west (Jackass teresting reptile fauna. The Nevada Test Site Flats and Rainier Mesa), all of which are within reptiles are, as indicated above, basically de- the Great Basin. rived from (1) Great Basin fauna, (2) Mohave Desert fauna, and (3) a group seemingly ubi- The Nevada Test Site is
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