SWCHR Volume 2, Issue 4 BULLETINWinter 2012 ISSN 2330-6025 Conservation - Preservation - Education - Public Information Research - Field Studies - Captive Propagation The SWCHR BULLETIN is published quarterly by the SOUTHWESTERN CENTER FOR HERPETOLOGICAL RESEARCH PO Box 624, Seguin TX 78156 www.southwesternherp.com email: [email protected] ISSN 2330-6025 OFFICERS 2010-2012 COMMITTEE CHAIRS PRESIDENT COMMITTEE ON COMMON AND SCIENTIFIC Tom Lott NAMES Tom Lott VICE PRESIDENT Todd Hughes RANGE MAP COMMITTEE Tom Lott INTERIM SECRETARY Sara Lott AWARDS AND GRANTS COMMITTEE (vacant) EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Gerald Keown COMMUNICATIONS COMMITEE Gerald Keown BOARD MEMBERS Toby Brock, Hans Koenig ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS COMMITTEE (vacant) BULLETIN EDITOR Chris McMartin NOMINATIONS COMMITTEE Gerald Keown ABOUT SWCHR EDUCATION COMMITTEE Sara Lott Originally founded by Gerald Keown in 2007, SWCHR is a 501(c) (3) non-profit association, governed by a board of directors and MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE dedicated to promoting education of the Association’s members Toby Brock and the general public relating to the natural history, biology, tax- onomy, conservation and preservation needs, field studies, and captive propagation of the herpetofauna indigenous to the Ameri- CONSERVATION COMMITTEE can Southwest. (vacant) THE SWCHR LOGO JOINING SWCHR There are several versions of the SWCHR logo, all featuring the For information on becoming a member please visit the member- Gray-Banded Kingsnake (Lampropeltis alterna), a widely-recognized ship page of the SWCHR web site at reptile native to the Trans-Pecos region of Texas as well as adjacent http://www.southwesternherp.com/join.html. Mexico and New Mexico. ON THE COVER: Speckled Kingsnake, Lampropeltis getula holbrooki, Brazoria County, TX (Matt Hollanders). This photograph was voted the winner of the 2011 ©2012 Southwestern Center for Herpetological Research. The SWCHR Bul- SWCHR Award for Excellence in Herpetological Photography. letin may not be reproduced in whole or in part on any web site or in any other publication without the prior explicit written consent of the Southwestern Center BACKGROUND IMAGE: Elephant Tusk, Big Bend National Park, TX (Chris for Herpetological Research and of the respective author(s) and photographer(s). McMartin) SWCHR Bulletin 1 Winter 2012 TABLE OF CONTENTS A Message from the President, Tom Lott 2 Natural History Observations of the Anguid Lizard Gerrhonotus infernalis (Baird, 1859) 3 in Travis County, Texas (Lacertilia: Anguidae), Philip Ralidis and Edward Acuna Feeding Observations of Captive Regal Ringneck Snakes, Diadophis punctatus regalis 6 (Serpentes: Colubridae), Andy O’Connor Notes on Natural History and Captive Maintenance of the Texas Horned Lizard, 8 Phrynosoma cornutum (Lacertilia: Phrynosomatidae), Lou Hamby Book Review: A Field Guide to Oklahoma’s Amphibians and Reptiles, Chris McMartin 11 A CALL FOR PAPERS Are you a field herpetologist or a herpetoculturist working with species native to the American Southwest? Do you have a paper or an article you have written for which you would like to find a permanent repository? Want to be assured you will always be able to share it with the world? Submit it to the SWCHR Bulletin for possible publication. Submitted manuscripts from SWCHR members, as well as non-members, will be considered. To be accepted for publication, submissions must deal with herpetological species native to the American Southwest. Such topics as field notes, county checklists, range extensions, taxonomy, reproduction and breeding, diseases, snake bite and venom research, captive breeding and maintenance, conservation issues, legal issues, etc. are all acceptable. For assistance with formatting manuscripts, search ‘scientific journal article format’ on the internet and tailor the resultant guidance to suit. Previously published articles or papers are acceptable, provided you still hold the copyright to the work and have the right to re-publish it. If we accept your paper or article for publication, you will still continue to be the copyright holder. If your submission has been previously published, please provide the name of the publication in which it appeared along with the date of publication. All submissions should be manually proofed in addition to being spell checked and should be submitted by email as either Microsoft Word or text documents. Send submissions to [email protected]. SWCHR Bulletin 2 Winter 2012 A Message from the President All in all 2012 was a good year for SWCHR. In only our fifth year of existence we have gradually gained in prominence and stature, becoming an accepted and respected resource for all things herpetological in the southwestern region. Our participation in the Sanderson “Snake Days” event in June as well as the first ever National Reptile and Amphibian Law Symposium in Houston in September are but examples of the kind of involvement we hope to expand upon in the coming years. I extend my personal thanks, as well as those of the membership, to those who made our participation in these events possible. The SWCHR Bulletin also, with this issue completing only its second year, has become the kind of publication many of us feel is needed in the avocation, filling the virtually-unoccupied niche between the sometimes excessively technical (and dry) national herp journals and the frequently too chatty and cliquish local herp society publications. Despite sluggish and even desultory submission rates, our Editor, Chris McMartin, has managed to shepherd this journal into a respectable contribution to the herpetological literature, publishing unique, pertinent articles that would be largely unavailable elsewhere. I extend our collective thanks to Chris for his efforts on our behalf. I would also thank our founder and Executive Director, Gerald Keown, for all of the herculean efforts he puts forth to keep the organization running smoothly from day to day, serving as the public face of SWCHR, as well as wearing many different hats throughout the year. And finally, I would like to thank our membership for its continued financial and moral support and, once again, to encourage all of you to become active participants by posting on the forums, volunteering to serve on committees, submitting articles for publication in the Bulletin, submitting photos for the species accounts , etc. I hope everyone enjoys a great Holiday Season and that 2013 is an even better year! Happy herping, SWCHR Bulletin 3 Winter 2012 Natural History Observations of the Anguid with colleagues studying this species in other parts of their range, and comparisons with published and anecdotal accounts in more Lizard Gerrhonotus infernalis (Baird ,1859) in xeric localities lead us to suspect that some of the behavioral Travis County, Texas (Lacertilia: Anguidae) patterns seen in our populations may be particular to mesic Hill Country habitats. by Philip Ralidis and Edward Acuna These cumulative observations focus on three aspects of Abstract: Observations of the Texas alligator lizard over Gerrhonotus biology: extensive arboreality, extreme cryptosis with a nine year period in Travis County have revealed strong marked attenuation of flight response, and survival in the rapidly seasonal patterns of arboreal and saxicolous behavior. expanding metropolis of Austin. Our perception of stable study Extreme crypsis may account for a markedly attenuated flight site populations despite increasing human protrusion into habitat response. Utilization of arboreal pathways between limestone supports this species’ at least temporary success in meeting these karst retreats and favored basking sites presumably reduces challenges. exposure to terrestrial predators, and preference for dense understory a reduction in avian predation. Although common Study Sites in suitable habitat in the study area, these attributes account for relatively infrequent sightings even by experienced field Gerrhonotus infernalis inhabits a variety of habitats in an arc- personnel, and allow persistence of stable populations in a like distribution from the comparatively mesic juniper and oak rapidly expanding urban area. dominated Hill Country region of Travis County at the easternmost extension of its range (Fayette County contains populations within The Texas alligator lizard, Gerrhonotus infernalis, is the northernmost an isolated Hill Country geological and floral community some 60 representative in this genus of five species (Good, 1994). It is the miles east) to xeric Chihuahuan Desert in Val Verde and Terrell second largest native saurian in Texas, with the maximum recorded Counties, the Chisos Mountains of Big Bend National Park, and standard length (snout-vent) of 8 inches (20 cm) exceeded only by southward in Mexico to San Luis Potosi. Our two study sites the anguid Ophisaurus attenuatus. Despite its large size and distinctive reside in the Barton Creek greenbelt within Austin, Texas city patterning, it can be a frustrating species to find with any regularity; limits. Barton Creek is semi-permanent and runs 41 miles before most anecdotal reports from local herpetologists and enthusiasts emptying into the Colorado River. Austin is c.620 feet above describe sporadic, even accidental, encounters despite significant sea level, receives an average annual rainfall of 33 inches, and is time in habitat. Our observations between the years 2002 - 2010 at situated on the Edwards Aquifer, a huge porous limestone reservoir two study sites in the Barton Creek greenbelt of Austin, Texas belie at the easternmost