Leptodeira Nigrofasciata) Ingesting a Yellow-Bellied Gecko (Phyllodactylus Tuberculosus) in Santa Rosa National Park, Guanacaste, Costa Rica

WWW.IRCF.ORG/REPTILESANDAMPHIBIANSJOURNALTABLE OF CONTENTS IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANSIRCF REPTILES • VOL15, &NO AMPHIBIANS 4 • DEC 2008 189 • 27(1):96–97 • APR 2020

IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS CONSERVATION AND NATURAL HISTORY

TABLE OF CONTENTS

FEATURE ARTICLES Predation. Chasing Bullsnakes by (Pituophis a catenifer Black-banded sayi) in Wisconsin: Cat-eyed Snake, On the Road to Understanding the Ecology and Conservation of the Midwest’s Giant Serpent ...... Joshua M. Kapfer 190 Leptodeira. The Shared History of Treeboas (Corallusnigrofasciata grenadensis) and Humans on Grenada: Günther 1868 A Hypothetical Excursion ...... Robert W. Henderson 198 (Squamata:RESEARCH ARTICLES Dipsadidae) on a Yellow-bellied . 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 Gecko, ...... PhyllodactylusBrian J. Camposano, Kenneth L. Krysko,tuberculosus Kevin M. Enge, Ellen M. Donlan, and Michael Wiegmann Granatosky 212 CONSERVATION1834 (Squamata: ALERT Phyllodactylidae) . World’s Mammals in Crisis ...... 220 . More Than Mammals ...... 223 . The “Dow inJones Index” Northwestern of Biodiversity ...... Costa Rica...... 225 HUSBANDRY 1 2 3 2 4 José Manuel Mora. Captive, Jasdiel Care of Ramírez-Alvarado the Central Netted Dragon , ...... Jorge Alpízar-Rodríguez , Andy Rodríguez-Picado Shannon Plummer, Steven 226 Gallo-Gutiérrez , and Luis José Alfaro-Rodríguez4 PROFILE 1Carrera de Gestión Ecoturística, Sede Central, Universidad Técnica Nacional, Alajuela, Costa Rica ([email protected]) . Kraig Adler: A Lifetime Promoting Herpetology ...... Michael L. Treglia 234 2Herpetario Monteverde, Monteverde, Costa Rica ([email protected]; [email protected]) 3 COMMENTARY Cerro Plano, Monteverde, Costa Rica ([email protected]) 4Los Llanos, Santa Elena, Monteverde, Costa Rica . The Turtles Have Been Watching Me ...... Eric Gangloff 238

BOOK REVIEW . Threatened Amphibians of the World edited by S.N. Stuart, M. Hoffmann, J.S. Chanson, N.A. Cox, he Black-banded Cat-eyedR. Berridge, P.Snake Ramani, and(Leptodeira B.E. Young ...... nigrofasci- feed on leptodactylid frogs Robert (Solórzano Powell 243 2004), skinks, anoles ata) is distributed along the Pacific versant from Mexico (Solórzano 2004), and gymnophthalmids (Duellman 1958; T  CONSERVATION RESEARCH REPORTS: Summaries of Published Conservation Research Reports ...... 245 to Costa Rica (Leenders NATURAL 2019). HISTORY This snake RESEARCH is the REPORTS most distinc: Summaries- of PublishedLeenders Reports 2019). on Natural History ...... 247 tive species of the genus NEWBRIEFS in Costa ...... Rica, easily recognized by its The Yellow-bellied...... Gecko (Phyllodactylus 248 tuberculosus)  EDITORIAL INFORMATION ...... 251 characteristic pattern FOCUS of dark ON and CONSERVATION light bands: withoutA Project You dots Can orSupport ...... ranges from Mexico to Costa Rica (Leenders 252 2019), where it spots (Barrio-Amorós 2019). This nocturnally active, mostly inhabits dry forests in which it mainly occurs in association terrestrial species (Leenders 2019) is rare and most individu- with rocky outcrops, cave and tunnel entrances, bridges, rock als are encountered while moving along paved roads (Savage fences, and buildings (Lee 1996). Phyllodactylus tuberculosus is 2002). Little is known about this species,Front Cover. but Shannon it is Plummer.known to strictlyBack nocturnal Cover. Michael and Kern insectivorous (Savage 2002). Totat et velleseque audant mo Totat et velleseque audant mo estibus inveliquo velique rerchil estibus inveliquo velique rerchil erspienimus, quos accullabo. Ilibus erspienimus, quos accullabo. Ilibus aut dolor apicto invere pe dolum aut dolor apicto invere pe dolum fugiatis maionsequat eumque fugiatis maionsequat eumque moditia erere nonsedis ma sectiatur moditia erere nonsedis ma sectia- ma derrovitae voluptam, as quos tur ma derrovitae voluptam, as accullabo.

Fig. 1. A Black-banded Cat-eyed Snake (Leptodeira nigrofasciata) ingesting a Yellow-bellied Gecko (Phyllodactylus tuberculosus) in Santa Rosa National Park, Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Photographs by Jorge Alpízar-Rodríguez.

At 2156 h on 22 July 2019, we observed an adult Acknowledgements Leptodeira nigrofasciata feeding on an adult Phyllodactylus tuber- We thank Luis A. Ruedas, whose valuable suggestions improved culosus (Fig. 1) in the camping area of the Santa Rosa National this manuscript. Park in northwestern Costa Rica (10°50'13"N, 85°37'08"W; WGS 84; elev. 297 m asl). Although July falls in the rainy sea- Literature Cited son in this area, conditions at the time of the observation were Barrio-Amorós, C.L. 2019. On the taxonomy of snakes in the genus Leptodeira, dry, calm, and quite dark (waning quarter of moon on 24 July, with an emphasis on Costa Rican species. Reptiles & Amphibians 26: 1–15. 76% illumination on 22 July, moonrise at 0003 h). Duellman, W.E. 1958. A monographic study of the colubrid snake genus Leptodeira. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 111: 1–152. Leptodeira nigrofasciata is a rear-fanged snake that kills its Lee, J.C. 1996. The Amphibians and Reptiles of the Yucatan Peninsula. Cornell prey with a mild venom (Leenders 2019). During the predation University Press, Ithaca, New York. event, the snake initially captured the gecko in a tree about 1 m Leenders, T. 2019. Reptiles of Costa Rica: A Field Guide. Zona Tropical Publications, above the ground and subsequently fell to the ground with its Ithaca, New York. prey. The snake constricted the gecko with three complete loops Savage, J.M. 2002. The Amphibians and Reptiles of Costa Rica. A Herpetofauna between Two Continents, between Two Seas. The University of Chicago Press, around its body plus incomplete loops at the anterior posterior Chicago, Illinois. ends of the body (but not the tail). The snake then took the gecko Solórzano, A. 2004. Serpientes de Costa Rica: Distribución, Taxonomía e Historia by the head and began to ingest it. Ingestion lasted 31 minutes. Natural. Editorial INBio, Santo Domingo de Heredia, Costa Rica.