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Contia Tenuis) in Oregon

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Contia Tenuis) in Oregon NORTHWESTERN NATURALIST 87:195–202 WINTER 2006 CURRENT DISTRIBUTION AND STATUS OF SHARP-TAILED SNAKES (CONTIA TENUIS) IN OREGON RICHARD FHOYER 2121 NW Mulkey Avenue, Corvallis, Oregon 97330 RYAN P O’DONNELL Department of Biology and Ecology Center, Utah State University, 5305 Old Main Hall, Logan, Utah 84321; [email protected] ROBERT TMASON Department of Zoology, Oregon State University, 3029 Cordley Hall, Corvallis, Oregon 97331 ABSTRACT—Many reptile species are rarely encountered and are thus assumed to be rare in the absence of evidence to the contrary. The sharp-tailed snake (Contia tenuis) is a species about which little is known due to its secretive behavior. This species has been classified as ‘‘Vulner- able’’ in Oregon based on scant data about its distribution and status. We searched extensively for published and unpublished records of its occurrence and conducted field searches for the species to clarify its current distribution and status in Oregon. The information reported here expands the known range and increases the number of reported sightings of this species by almost a factor of ten. We conclude that, contrary to some reports, C. tenuis is not rare in Oregon. The secretive behavior of C. tenuis may have resulted in the species being unnecessarily listed as ‘‘vulnerable’’ as it appears to be more widespread than previously thought. Key words: sharp-tailed snake, Contia tenuis, distribution, range, management, Oregon Species rarity and secrecy can complicate the ited to parts of California, Oregon, Washing- proper management of populations. Both rarity ton, and extreme southwestern British Colum- and secrecy can lead to a shortage of observa- bia. tions and to a paucity of basic distribution and C. tenuis in Oregon has never been the subject life history information. Rare species that are of systematic research, and up through the considered secretive can be overlooked during 1960s, only a small number of notes and re- conservation efforts, and secretive animals that ports included Oregon specimens (Fitch 1936; are considered rare can become unnecessary Gordon 1939; Darling 1947; Storm 1948; Cook targets for conservation resources at the ex- 1960; Brattstrom 1965; Storm 1966; Brodie and pense of species in greater need. In these ways, others 1969). As recently as 1966, the species the confounding effects of rarity and secrecy was known from only 3 Oregon counties can directly result in management decisions (Storm 1966). In 1971, the Oregon Game Com- that are based on a lack of information (Gib- mission classified C. tenuis as ‘‘endangered’’ bons and others 1997). Management of rare or and listed it as ‘‘protected’’ (Mace 1971). In secretive species is further complicated be- 1997, this species was classified by the Oregon cause it is difficult to conduct additional re- Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) as search on such species to improve management ‘‘Vulnerable’’ (ODFW 1997). It has recently strategies. been removed from listing in the state (ONHIC The sharp-tailed snake, Contia tenuis, is a 2004). small, obscure species about which little is In the 1980s, ODFW commissioned herpeto- known. Hence, it has been assumed to be rare fauna surveys in western Oregon, which re- over much of its distribution. Its range is lim- sulted in documentation of approximately 59 195 196 NORTHWESTERN NATURALIST 87(3) locality records of C. tenuis in the previously and therefore should be considered approxi- known counties and in 5 additional counties mate. (St. John 1982, 1984, 1985, 1987). Despite this substantial increase in locality data, it has re- Field Searches cently been suggested that C. tenuis may no We conducted field searches from 6 March to longer occur in counties where originally 30 December 1998. Most searches were made in found, that it is rare and declining in the Wil- open grassland or at the edge of brush and lamette Valley, and that only isolated popula- grassy habitats in association with deciduous tions occur in the southern part of the state tree stands. We searched by lifting cover in the (Marshall and others 1996). form of woody debris, rocks, leaf litter, or an- We conducted a 2-part study to assist in the thropogenic cover such as roofing tin and ply- determination of the current status and distri- wood (Hoyer 1974; Fitch 1975, 1992; Engelstoft bution of C. tenuis in Oregon. First, we com- and Ovaska 2000; Hoyer and Stewart 2000). piled updated sight records of C. tenuis in Data from these 1st-hand searches were com- Oregon from published and unpublished rec- bined with those from the 2nd-hand sources ords and from personal communications. We above for analysis to provide as complete a rely heavily on 2nd-hand reports until a more summary as possible. comprehensive survey can be performed, be- Sex, weight, tail and total lengths, and age- cause no systematic study of C. tenuis has been size class were recorded for each sharp-tailed conducted in Oregon. Second, we searched for snake captured. Specimens were individually C. tenuis in appropriate habitats to document marked by clipping ventral scales to identify additional localities within Oregon. We com- recaptured specimens and to avoid inflating es- pared current and historically known distri- timates of abundance. However, 2 problems butions of C. tenuis in an effort to detect trends with this method surfaced in the course of this in distribution patterns and known popula- study. First, although snakes marked in March tions. We also provide the first detailed distri- could still be identified in October, we found bution data for a proposed new species of Con- that regrowth of the ventral scales made iden- tia, which is believed to exist in Oregon and tification impossible in time (Hoyer, unpubl. California (Hoyer 2001; Feldman and Spicer data). Thus, the method is suitable only for the 2002). We refer to this proposed new species short term, probably Ͻ2 y. Secondly, juvenile here as ’’Contia sp. A’’. snakes are too small to be accurately and safely clipped numerically. We clipped 2 left-side METHODS ventral scales below the neck for each juvenile snake. These juveniles could only be identified Compilation of Sight Records as having been previously captured. To aid From late December 1997 to late January identification of individual snakes, we devised 1999, we solicited locality records and sight- a method that relied on a combination of head ings of Contia in Oregon from various state and and body scalation unique to each snake, sim- federal agencies, museums, universities, and ilar to the method used for Ͼ40 y in field stud- individuals familiar with the species. We ob- ies of the rubber boa, Charina bottae (Nussbaum tained 1) written records in the form of field and Hoyer 1974; Hoyer and Storm 1992; Hoyer notes, published accounts, governmental re- and Stewart 2000). Features used were the ports, and museum and university collection number, relative size, and arrangement of catalogues, and 2) recalled observations. In cas- scales bordering the perimeter of the left and es where the number of individual snakes ob- right parietals, relative lengths of left and right served could not be determined due to missing upper and lower chin shields, configuration detail in verbal or written reports, we assumed and the number and fraction of scales border- only a single snake was observed. We defined ing the infralabials, black spotting or blotches a locality as a site where Ն1 Contia was found on infralabials and chin shields, number and that was Ն1 km from the nearest known local- size of less-than-full-length ventrals at the ity. We report the latitude and longitude of lo- neck, anomalous upper and lower labials or calities to the nearest second, but some coor- other head plates, and any anomalous ventral dinates are generated from imprecise records and-or caudal scales. This identification system WINTER 2006 HOYER AND OTHERS: CONTIA STATUS IN OREGON 197 was used for juveniles and as a backup for the scale-clipped adults. In analyzing the majority of these data we have considered Contia sp. A together with C. tenuis. We have, however, determined the rela- tive contribution of each species to the present study by reviewing all locality records and sightings in conjunction with associated habi- tat and with body measurements and scalation, if available. RESULTS Locality Records We identified 625 unique observations of Contia from 282 localities in Oregon from mu- seum records (Appendix), our field surveys, and 2nd-hand reports (sight records that were deemed reliable). Of these 282 localities, 12 come from our field searches. For the 585 en- tries in which the year of discovery was speci- fied, there was a significant increase in the number of new sightings each year from the 1st records in the 1920s to 1998 (linear regression 2 ϭ Ͻ of log10-transformed data; R 0.80, P 0.0001). Distribution Information compiled for this study has ex- FIGURE 1. Locality records of Contia in Oregon. tended the range of Contia in some parts of the Black symbols are new records from our field search- state (Fig. 1). East of the Cascades in Wasco es. Grey symbols represent museum records and County, from early 1970 sightings at Rock personal communications that have not been previ- Creek Reservoir and Tygh Valley, the species’ ously published. Open symbols represent previously published records from Fitch (1936), Darling (1947), range has been extended approximately 64 km Brodie and others (1969), St. John (1982, 1984, 1985, N to The Dalles, Oregon, along the Columbia Њ Ј Љ Њ Ј Љ 1987), and Nussbaum and others (1983). Circles rep- River (45 36 26 N, 121 12 55 W).Webelieve resent C. tenuis, and triangles represent the proposed that the extent of the species’ E-W and S range new species of Contia.
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