Natural History Notes
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108 NATURAL HISTORY NOTES NATURAL HISTORY NOTES The Natural History Notes section is analogous to Geographic Distribution. Preferred notes should 1) focus on observations in the field, with little human intrusion; 2) represent more than the isolated documentation of developmental aberrations; and 3) possess a natural history perspective. Individual notes should, with few exceptions, concern only one species, and authors are requested to choose a keyword or short phrase that best describes the nature of their note (e.g., Reproduction, Morphology, Habitat, etc.). Use of figures to illustrate any data is encouraged but should replace words rather than embellish them. The section’s intent is to convey information rather than demonstrate prose. Articles submitted to this section will be reviewed and edited prior to acceptance. Electronic submission of manuscripts is requested (as Microsoft Word or Rich Text format [rtf] files, as e-mail attachments). Figures can be submitted electronically as JPG, TIFF, or PDF files at a minimum resolution of 300 dpi. Please DO NOT send graphic files as imbedded figures within a text file. Additional information concerning preparation and submission of graphics files is available on the SSAR web site at: http://www.ssarherps.org/HRinfo.html. Manuscripts should be sent to the appropriate section editor: Sean P. Graham or Crystal Kelehear Graham (amphibians; [email protected]); James Harding (turtles; [email protected]); Ruchira Somaweera (crocodilians, lizards, and Sphenodon; [email protected]); and John D. Willson or Andrew M. Durso (snakes; [email protected]). A reference template for preparing Natural History Notes may be found here: ssarherps.org/ publications/herpetological-review/. Standard format for this section is as follows: SCIENTIFIC NAME in bold, capital letters; standard English name in parentheses with only first letter of each word capitalized (if available, for the United States and Canada as it appears in Crother [ed.] 2017. Scientific and Standard English Names of Amphibians and Reptiles of North America North of Mexico, with Comments Regarding Confidence in Our Understanding, 8th ed. Herpetol. Circ. 43:1–102, available for download here: https://ssarherps.org/publications/); KEY WORD(S) referring to the content of the note in bold, capital letters; content reporting observations and data on the animal; place of deposition or intended deposition of specimen(s), and catalog number(s) if relevant. Then skip a line and close with author name(s) in bold, capital letters (give names and addresses in full—spell out state names—no abbreviations, e-mail address after each author name/ address for those wishing to provide it—e-mail required for corresponding author). References may be briefly cited in text (refer to this issue or the online template for citation format and follow format precisely). One additional note about the names list (Crother 2017) developed and adopted by ASIH-HL-SSAR: the role of the list is to standardize English names and comment on the current scientific names. Scientific names are hypotheses (or at least represent them) and as such their usage should not be dictated by a list, society, or journal. Recommended citation for notes appearing in this section is: Kelehear, C., and S. P. Graham. 2018. Pseudoboa neuwiedii: ectoparasite. Herpetol. Rev. 49:762–763. CAUDATA DNA was extracted from one of the nematode larvae, and a fragment of the large subunit of the nuclear ribosomal gene (LSU AMBYSTOMA GRANULOSUM (Granular Salamander). ENDO- rRNA) and a fragment of the cytochrome oxidase subunit II gene PARASITE. Ambystoma granulosum is an endangered salaman- were sequenced. The other two nematodes were deposited at der that inhabits lakes, dams, and ponds in the high elevation the Colección Nacional de Helmintos, UNAM, as CNHE 10663. plateau in central Mexico (Aguilar-Miguel 2005. Ambystoma Sequences were compared to those available in the GenBank granulosum. Algunas especies de anfibios y reptiles contenidos nucleotide database, using the BLAST tool. Both molecular en el Proyecto de Norma Oficial Mexicana PROY-NOM-059- makers confirmed the nematode larvae as Contracaecum sp. ECOL-2000. Facultad de Ciencias, Centro de Investigación en and showed 96% and 91% identity with C. multipapillatum, Recursos Bióticos, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México. respectively. Our observation represents the first parasitological Bases de datos SNIBCONABIO. Proyecto W035. México. D.F. 5 record in the salamander A. granulosum. Other caudates are pp.). It is listed as critically endangered by the IUCN and very known to host this nematode; larvae of Contracaecum have been little is known about its ecology. To our knowledge, there are no previously reported in the salamander Siren intermedia texanum published records of helminths from A. granulosum. (Sirenidae) in the state of Texas, United States (McAllister and In May 2017, 15 individuals of A. granulosum were captured McDaniel 1992. Proc. Helminthol. Soc. Washington 59:239–240). at Huapango Dam, municipality of Jilotepec, Estado de México, However, this is the first record of Contracaecum sp. found in Mexico (19.93873°N, 99.72770°W, WGS 84; 2624 m elev.), which Mexico, and the first host record for A. granulosum. is one of the few localities where this species occurs (Frías- This field work was supported by an EDGE fellowship from Álvarez et al. 2008. EcoHealth 5:18–26). During this survey, three the Zoological Society of London awarded to R. A. Calzada- salamanders exhibited encapsulated parasites in their skin. Arciniega. We thank Claudia Gray for reviewing the manuscript. Incisions were made to recover three nematode larvae, one from RAFAEL ALEJANDRO CALZADA-ARCINIEGA (e-mail: ralejandro- each salamander. [email protected]) and BRENDA SOLÓRZANO-GARCÍA, Instituto Herpetological Review 50(1), 2019 NATURAL HISTORY NOTES 109 de Biología, Departamento de Zoología, Universidad Nacional Autóno- CRYPTOBRANCHUS ALLEGANIENSIS (Hellbender). EGG ma de México, Apartado postal 70-153, 04510, México, D. F. México PREDATION. Fish and crayfish which occupy streams where (e-mail:[email protected]); RICARDO PALACIOS- fully aquatic Cryptobranchus alleganiensis (Hellbender) AGUILAR, Museo de Zoología “Alfonso L. Herrera,” Facultad de Ciencias, salamanders occur are potential aquatic predators of Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, A.P. 70-399, México D.F. salamander eggs (Axelsson et al. 1997. Amphibia-Reptilia (e-mail: [email protected]); GABRIELA PARRA-OLEA, 18:217–228; Drake et al. 2014. Herpetologica 70:378–387). Male Instituto de Biología, Departamento de Zoología, Universidad Nacional eastern hellbenders typically guard nest shelters containing Autónoma de México, Apartado postal 70-153, 04510, México, D. F. Mexico eggs for several months, possibly reducing predation (e-mail: [email protected]). (Nickerson and Mays 1973. The Hellbenders: North American Giant Salamanders. Milwaukee Public Museum, Milwaukee, CHIROTEROTITRON CHONDROSTEGA. PREDATION. Wisconsin. 106 pp.). In healthy hellbender populations with Chiropterotriton chondrostega is an endemic salamander from high concentrations of hellbenders and active nests, loose eggs Mexico, and categorized as Under Special Protection by Mexican are often observed outside of guarded nests in streams (Smith laws, and as Endangered according to the IUCN criteria. Its 1907. Biol. Bull. 13:5–39). However, outside of a few reports distribution encompasses the states of Hidalgo, Puebla, San Luis on fish associations with active hellbender nests (Settle et al. Potosí, Tamaulipas, and Querétaro (Dixon and Lemos-Espinal. 2018. J. Ethol. 36:235-242.) or predation in lotic environments 2010. Anfibios y Reptiles del Estado de Querétaro, México. Texas (Monello and Wright 2001. J. Herpetol. 35:350–353), little is A&M University, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México and known regarding predation of stream salamander eggs in the CONABIO. CDMX, México. 428 pp.). It is an uncommon species wild. that is distributed at elevations from 2000 to 2300 m, in pristine While surveying breeding activity in the mainstem and pine-oak forests. It is believed to be insectivorous (Vega-López a tributary of the French Broad River of western North and Álvarez. 1992. La Herpetofauna de los Volcanes Popocatépetl Carolina (specific localities on file with the North Carolina e Iztaccíhuatl. Instituto de Ecología, CDMX, México. 128 pp.). Wildlife Resources Commission and withheld due to At 1611 h on 17 July 2018, we encountered an adult conservation concerns), we observed three separate events of Rhadinaea gaigeae preying on an adult C. chondrostega in a pine- egg consumption within 48 h by two species of fish and one oak forest in the municipality of Pinal de Amoles, Querétaro, crayfish. On 8 September 2018, a hellbender egg was dislodged Mexico (21.13030°N, 99.63140°W, WGS 84; 2430 m elev.). The from a nest with a guarding male hellbender (Fig. 1A). This snake captured the salamander by the head and struggled to egg floated into the water column and was swept downstream immobilize its prey for 15 min before starting to swallow it, approximately one meter where it was intercepted and starting with the anterior body portion (Fig. 1). This is an unusual consumed by an unidentified juvenile chub (Cyprinidae). From record because little is known about the natural history of both 1045–1130 h on 10 September 2018, we observed two separate species, especially C. chondrostega. We