IRCFREPTILES&AMPHIBIANS•19(1):79–83•MARCH2012

Species in the Southeastern U.S. Move Toward Protection under the Endangered Species Act

Inresponsetoa2010scientificpetitionfromtheCenterforBiologicalDiversityandothergroups,theU.S.FishandWildlifeServicefoundthatprotectionof374freshwaterspe-ciesintwelvesoutheasternstatesmightbewarrantedundertheEndangeredSpeciesAct.Thedecisionwasmadeinaccor-dancewithasettlementagreementreachedthispastsummerbetweentheCenterandthegovernmenttopush757ofthecountry’sleastprotected,butmostimperiled,speciestowardEndangeredSpeciesActprotection. “Withtoday’sfindingthat374southeasternfreshwaterspecieswillbeconsideredforEndangeredSpeciesActprotec-tion,it’scleartheFishandWildlifeServiceisfinallytakingactiontohelphundredsofAmericanspeciesthatdesperatelyneedalifeline,”saidNoahGreenwald,endangeredspeciesdirectorwiththeCenter.“Likesomanyspeciesinourever-morecrowdedworld,these374speciesfaceamultitudeofthreatstotheirsurvival—habitatdestruction,pollution,cli-matechange,andpressurefrominvasivespecies.” The374include89speciesofcrayfishandothercrusta-ceans,81plants,78mollusks,51insects,43fish,13amphib-ians,12reptiles,fourmammals,andthreebirdsfoundintwelvestates:Alabama,Arkansas,Florida,Georgia,Kentucky,Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina,Tennessee,Virginia,andWestVirginia. “The Southeast is home to more freshwater speciesthananywhereelseintheworld.Tragically,theregionhasalreadylostmanyofthemtoextinction,”Greenwaldsaid.

“EndangeredSpeciesActprotectionfortheseremainingspe-cieswillhelpstemthetideofextinctionandheraldthebegin-ningofaneweraofspeciesprotectionintheSoutheast.” Asdocumentedinthepetition,southeasternfreshwaterspeciesarethreatenedbymanyforcesthathavealtered,andcontinuetoalter,theregion’swaterways.Theseincludedams,pollution,sprawl,pooragriculturalpractices,invasivespecies,andawarmingclimate. “Protecting these species will also protect rivers andstreamsthatareasourceofdrinkingwaterandrecreationforSoutheastcommunities,”saidGreenwald.“EndangeredSpeciesActprotectionwillnotjustsavethesespeciesfromextinctionbutbenefitmillionsofpeople.” GroupsthatjoinedtheCenteronthepetitionincludedAlabama Rivers Alliance, Clinch Coalition, DogwoodAlliance, Gulf Restoration Network, Tennessee ForestsCouncil,andWestVirginiaHighlandsConservancy.

Reward Offered for Sighting of a South Florida Rainbow Snake

The Center for Biological Diversity and the Center forSnakeConservationannouncedtodaythattheyareofferinga$500.00rewardforthefirstpersontodocumenttheexis-tenceoftheSouthFloridaRainbowSnake(Farancia erytro-gramma seminola).Bothconservationorganizationsbelieve

N E W S B R I E F S

IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS • VOL15, NO 4 • DEC 2008 189TABLE OF CONTENTS

T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S

F E A T U R E A R T I C L E S

Chasing Bullsnakes (Pituophis catenifer sayi) in Wisconsin: On the Road to Understanding the Ecology and Conservation of the Midwest’s Giant Serpent ...................... Joshua M. Kapfer 190

The Shared History of Treeboas (Corallus grenadensis) and Humans on Grenada: A Hypothetical Excursion ............................................................................................................................Robert W. Henderson 198

R E S E A R C H A R T I C L E S

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

.............................................Brian J. Camposano, Kenneth L. Krysko, Kevin M. Enge, Ellen M. Donlan, and Michael Granatosky 212

C O N S E R V A T I O N A L E R T

World’s Mammals in Crisis ............................................................................................................................................................. 220 More Than Mammals ...................................................................................................................................................................... 223 The “Dow Jones Index” of Biodiversity ........................................................................................................................................... 225

H U S B A N D R Y

Captive Care of the Central Netted Dragon ....................................................................................................... Shannon Plummer 226

P R O F I L E

Kraig Adler: A Lifetime Promoting Herpetology ................................................................................................ Michael L. Treglia 234

C O M M E N T A R Y

The Turtles Have Been Watching Me ........................................................................................................................ Eric Gangloff 238

B O O K R E V I E W

Threatened Amphibians of the World edited by S.N. Stuart, M. Hoffmann, J.S. Chanson, N.A. Cox, R. Berridge, P. Ramani, and B.E. Young .............................................................................................................. Robert Powell 243

CONSERVATION RESEARCH REPORTS: Summaries of Published Conservation Research Reports ................................. 245 NATURAL HISTORY RESEARCH REPORTS: Summaries of Published Reports on Natural History ................................. 247 NEWBRIEFS ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 248 EDITORIAL INFORMATION ..................................................................................................................................................... 251 FOCUS ON CONSERVATION: A Project You Can Support ............................................................................................... 252

Front Cover. Shannon Plummer.Totat et velleseque audant mo estibus inveliquo velique rerchil erspienimus, quos accullabo. Ilibus aut dolor apicto invere pe dolum fugiatis maionsequat eumque moditia erere nonsedis ma sectiatur ma derrovitae voluptam, as quos accullabo.

Back Cover. Michael KernTotat et velleseque audant mo

estibus inveliquo velique rerchil erspienimus, quos accullabo. Ilibus

aut dolor apicto invere pe dolum fugiatis maionsequat eumque

moditia erere nonsedis ma sectia-tur ma derrovitae voluptam, as

IRC

F

REPTILES & AMPHIBIANSC O N S E R V AT I O N A N D N AT U R A L H I S T O R Y

WWW.IRCF.ORG/REPTILESANDAMPHIBIANSJOURNAL

79

StreamsideSalamanders(Ambystoma barbouri)arevulnerabletodeforesta-tioninriparianzonesandarerarelyfoundinandaroundstreamswheresur-roundingforestshavebeenharvested.Thisisoneof374freshwaterspeciesfromthesoutheasternUnitedStatesthatwillbeconsideredforprotectionundertheEndangeredSpeciesAct.Photograph©2010ToddPierson.

AlabamaMapTurtles(Graptemys pulchra)aredistributedthroughouttheAlabamaRiversystemofAlabama,northeasternMississippi,andnorth-westernGeorgia,wheretheyinhabitrelativelylarge,swift-flowingcreeksandrivers,preferablywithabundantbaskingsitesintheformoffallentreesandbrushpiles.Malesandjuvenilesfeedpredominantlyoninsects,whereasmaturefemalesfeedpredominantlyonfreshwatermusselsandothermolluscs.PhotographbyW.VanDevender/TortoiseReserve.

NEWSBRIEFS IRCFREPTILES&AMPHIBIANS•19(1):79–83•MARCH2012

80

that theU.S.FishandWildlifeService inOctober2011prematurelydeclaredthespeciesextinctwithoutconductingtargetedsurveysanddespiteseveralunconfirmedsightings.“DeclaringtheSouthFloridaRainbowSnakeextinctwith-outadequatesearcheffortisscientificallyirresponsible,”saidCameronYoung,executivedirectoroftheCenterforSnakeConservation.“Wehopethatbyofferingareward,wecanrediscoverthisamazingreptileandimplementconservationmeasurestoensureitssurvivalintothefuture.” TheSouthFloridaRainbowSnakeisaharmlessaquaticsnakethatfeedsexclusivelyontheAmericanEel.Itisknownfromjustthreespecimens,thelastofwhichwascollectedin1952nearFisheatingCreekinGladesCounty,Florida.InearlyOctober,theServicedeclaredthesnakeextinct,therebydenyingitprotectionsundertheEndangeredSpeciesAct.TheServicemadeitsdeterminationwithoutconductinganyfocusedsurveysforthereclusivereptileanddespiteanecdotalevidenceofsnakeseatingeelsintheFisheatingCreekarea. “It’sheart-wrenchingtothinktheSouthFloridaRainbowSnakecouldbelostforever,”saidColletteAdkinsGiese,aCenterforBiologicalDiversityattorneyfocusedonthepro-tectionofimperiledreptilesandamphibians.“Butifwecanfindthesesnakes,they’dbeverylikelytogetprotectionundertheEndangeredSpeciesAct—themostpowerfultoolinthecountryforsavingplantsandanimalsfromextinction.”

TheServiceannouncedtheextinctionoftheSouthFloridaRainbowSnakeinresponsetoapetitionfiledbytheCenterforBiologicalDiversityseekingEndangeredSpeciesActpro-tectionforthesnakeandmorethan400otheraquaticspeciesinthesoutheasternUnitedStates.Ifrediscovered,theRainbowSnakewouldreceiveanin-depthscientificreviewalongwith374speciesfromthepetition(including114inFlorida),whichtheServicefoundmaywarrantprotectionundertheAct.

Killing Rare Serpent1

Thisletterintendstobringtolighttheappallingkillingofararesnakefoundinourcountry.VillagersrecentlyshotanAsiaticRockPython(Python molurus),whichmeasuredover10feet,inSakmaalvillageofShakarGarh,NarowalDistrict.TheAsiaticRockPythonisanon-venomoussnake.Itisonthelistofthreatenedspeciesas“nearthreatened”(i.e.,indicat-ingthatitmightbeconsideredthreatenedwithextinctioninthenearfuture).ThisserpentisveryrareinPakistanandis

TheholotypeoftheSouthFloridaRainbowSnake(Farancia erytrogramma seminola)isoneofonlythreeknownspecimens.DeclaredextinctbytheU.S.FishandWildlifeService,itisnoteligibleforprotectionundertheEndangeredSpeciesAct.Photograph©KennethKrysko.

AnAsiaticRockPython(Python molurus)wasrecentlykilledinPakistandespiteitsrarityinthatnation.Fearfullocalpeoplefrequentlykillevennon-venomoussnakes.PhotographbyMuhammadSharifKhan.

TheSouthFloridaRainbowSnake(Farancia ery-trogramma seminola)isasubspeciesofRainbow

Snake known only from a single population inFisheatingCreek,whichflowsintothewesternsideofLakeOkeechobee.FisheatingCreekremainsrela-tivelypristineandcouldstillsupportthesnakes,butpotentialhabitatinotherpartsofFloridahasbeenseverelydegradedbychannelizationandpollution,especiallyagriculturalrunoff.Thesnakeisbelievedtobenearlyentirelyaquaticandactiveonlyatnight,makingdetectiondifficultwithoutextensiveandspecializedsurveyeffort,althoughmultipleuncon-firmedsightingswererecordedinthelate1980s.Inlife,threeredstripeshighlightaniridescentbluish-blackbackandthebellyisyellowandredwithblackspotsoneachscale.Adultscanbeoverfourfeetlong.

1Adapted froma letter to the editor, The News, 31October 2011,byMuhammadRais,Lecturer,WildlifeManagement,PMASAridAgricultureUniversityRawalpindi(sahil@uaar.edu.pk).

NEWSBRIEFS IRCFREPTILES&AMPHIBIANS•19(1):79–83•MARCH2012

81

foundonlyinafewlocalitiesalongtheRiverIndus.Snakesarekilledwheneverencountereddespitethefact that lessthan20percentofterrestrialsnakesinPakistanarevenom-ous.Severalvaluableecologicalservicesofpythonsaregener-allyunappreciated.Pythonspreyuponherbivorousanimals,mostlythosethatareweakandunhealthytherebyensuringabalancedcommunityofplantsandanimalsandprosperous-nessoftheecosystem. Moreimportantly,pythonscontroltherodentpopula-tion,whichinturnhelpscutdownontheuseofpesticidesandtheirenvironmentalhazards.Uponencounter,effortsshouldbemadetotranquilizethesnake,ifpossible,ortoatleastquarantineit.Therelevantdepartmentshouldbeimme-diatelycontactedsothatthesnakecanbetransferredsafelytoex-situconservationsitessuchaszoosorwildlifeparks.

“Extinct” Frog Hops Back into Northern Israel1

AspeciesoffrogbelievedtobeextincthashoppedbackintosightinnorthernIsrael.OmriGalofIsrael’sNatureandParksAuthoritysaidthattheHulaPaintedFrog(Discoglossus nigri-venter)wasseenforthefirsttimein50years.Notingthatithadbeendeclaredextinct,Galsaid,“It’sanamazingfind,nowwehaveasecondchancetopreservethespecies.” ThefrogisnativetotheHulaValley,where itorigi-nallywentmissingwhentheJewishNationalFunddrainedmarshlandsaroundtheHulaValleyinthe1950stocontrolmalaria.Unfortunately,theoperationledtonumerousunin-tendedconsequences—thereclaimedlandwasuselessforagriculture,toxinsinvadedtheriver,anddumpedpeatrou-tinelycaughtfire.Thedisastrousoperationalsoledtothedestructionofecosystems,wipingoutaquaticplantsandat

leasttwospeciesoffish.Inthe1990s,intensefloodingcausedareasoftheHulaValleytobecomefloodedagain,re-hydrat-ingtheparchedswamplands.Thistime,theSocietyfortheProtectionofNatureinIsraeldecidedtoleaveitalone.Still,untilnow,theHulaPaintedFrogwasthoughttohavebeenamongthelostspecies. ANatureandParksAuthoritywardenrecentlyfoundamaleHulaPaintedFrog,aspeciesoffrogthatisuniquetoIsraelandwasthoughttohavebecomeextinctmorethan50yearsago.Subsequently,HulaNatureReservewardenYoramMalkafoundafemaleinthesamearea.“Thediscoveryofthefirstfroghintedatthegeneralareaandhoursofactivityforthisspecies,”saidMalka,whoinvestedconsiderableeffortsearchingforotherfrogsofthisspecies. ThesecondHulaPaintedFrogwasfoundinswampyweeds,20cmdeep,andat13gweighedonlyhalfasmuchashermalecounterpart.NatureandParksAuthoritystaffwillbeconductingtestsinthedaystocometotrytolearnmoreabouttheserarefrogsbeforetheyarerereleasedintothewild. Malka’sinitialdiscoveryshockedconservationistsandscientistsinIsrael.TheHulaPaintedFroghadbeenoneoftheprimarysymbolsofnaturalextinctioninIsraelafterithaddisappearedfollowingthedryingofLakeHulainthe1950s. “Isawsomethingjumpthatdidn’tlookfamiliar,”saidMalka.“Irushedoverandcaughtafrog,andwhenIturneditoverIsawthatithadablackbellywithwhitespots,theidentifyingmarkofthePaintedFrog.Iimmediatelyreturned[withit]tothereserve’soffice,tookouttheanimalhandbook,andsawthatwhatIhadfoundlookexactlylikethePaintedFrogthatappearsinthehandbook.” Dr.SarigGafniofRuppinAcademicCenter’sSchoolofMarineSciences,anexpertinamphibians,wasimmediatelysummonedtothereserve,andhearrivedwiththeoriginalsci-entificpaperfrom1940inwhichtheHulapaintedfrogwasdescribed.“Wewentthroughthearticle,signbysign,andcheckedalltheindicators,includingthedistancebetweentheeyes,anditisindeedaHulaPaintedFrog,”saidGafni.“It’sveryexciting;tomeit’slikefindingtheDeadSeaScrollsofnatureconservationinIsrael.Wemustrememberthatinthepast,onlythreeadultsamplesofthisspecieshadeverbeenfound.” Israeliresearchershavebeentryingtolocatethefrogforyears,searchinginandaroundeveryspringandstreambedintheareawheretheHulamarsheshadbeen—butwithoutsuccess.Consequently,everyoneassumedthattheactofdry-inguptheHulaandthedestructionofothernaturalhabitatsthroughpollutionanddevelopmenthadsealedthefateofthisuniquespecies. AquaticecologistDanaMilsteinbelievesthatthefrog’sdiscoveryislinkedtoenvironmentalimprovementsintheHulareserve.“Inrecentyears,thewaterqualityhasimproved,aftertheystartedtopourwaterfromfishpondsandnearbyspringsintothereserve,”shesaid.

AquaticecologistDanaMilsteinnotedthatthefrogwasrareevenbeforeitshabitatwasdrained,andlittleisknownaboutit.Inthe1940s,oneindividualateasecondfrog,leadingtospeculationthatthespeciesiscan-nibalistic.PhotographbyOzRittner,TelAvivUniversity.

1Adaptedfromnewsreportsatwww.haaretz.com.

NEWSBRIEFS IRCFREPTILES&AMPHIBIANS•19(1):79–83•MARCH2012

82

World’s First Captive-Breeding of Ozark HellbendersTheSaintLouisZoo’sRonGoellnerCenterforHellbenderConservationandtheMissouriDepartmentofConservationannouncedthatOzarkHellbenders(Cryptobranchus allegani-ensis bishopi)havebeenbredincaptivity—afirstforeitherofthetwosubspeciesofHellbender.Thisdecade-longcol-laborationhasyielded63babyHellbenders. ThefirstHellbenderhatchedon15November2011.Theeggsaremaintainedinclimate-andwaterquality-con-trolledtraysbehindthescenesintheZoo’sHerpetarium.For45to60daysafteremerging,thetinylarvaewillretaintheiryolksackfornutrientsandmoveverylittleastheycontinuetheirdevelopment.Asthelarvaecontinuetogrow,theywilldeveloplegsandeventuallylosetheirexternalgillsbythetimetheyreach1.5to2yearsofage.Atsexualmaturity,at5to8yearsofage,adultlengthscanapproachtwofeet.Bothpar-entsarewildbred,themalehasbeenattheZooforthepasttwoyearsandthefemalearrivedthispastSeptember. Riversinsouth-centralMissouriandadjacentArkansasoncesupportedupto8,000OzarkHellbenders.Today,fewerthan600existintheworld—sofewthattheamphibianwasaddedinOctober2011tothefederalendangeredspecieslist.Duetothesedrasticdeclines,captivepropagationbecameapriorityinthelong-termrecoveryofthespecies.Oncethecaptive-bredlarvaeare3to8yearsold,theycanbereleasedintotheirnaturalhabitat—theOzarkaquaticecosystem. Alsoknownbythecolloquialnamesof“snototter”and“oldlasagnasides,”theadultHellbenderisoneofthelargestspeciesofsalamandersinNorthAmerica,withitsclosestrela-tivesbeingtheGiantSalamandersofChinaandJapan,whichcanreachfivefeetinlength. Withskinthatisbrownwithblacksplotches,theOzarkHellbenderhasaslippery,flattenedbodythatmoveseasilythroughwaterandcansqueezeunderrocksonthebottomofstreams.

Like a Canary in a Coal MineRequiringcool,cleanrunningwater,theOzarkHellbenderisalsoanimportantbarometeroftheoverallhealthofthatecosystem—anaquatic“canaryinacoalmine.”“Capillariesnear the surface of the Hellbender’s skin absorb oxygendirectlyfromthewater—aswellashormones,heavymet-als,andpesticides,”saidJeffEttling,SaintLouisZoocura-torofherpetologyandaquatics.“IfthereissomethinginthewaterthatiscausingtheHellbenderpopulationtodecline,itcanalsobeaffectingthecitizenswhocalltheareahome.”“Wehavea15-to20-yearwindowtoreversethisdecline,”addedMissouriDepartmentofConservationHerpetologistJeffBriggler,whocitedanumberofreasonsforthatdeclinefromlossofhabitattopollutiontodiseasetoillegalcaptureandoverseassaleoftheHellbenderforpets.“Wedon’twanttheanimaldisappearingonourwatch.”

Reversing a DeclineIn2001,theOzarkHellbenderWorkingGroupofscien-tistsfromgovernmentagencies,publicuniversities,andzoosinMissouriandArkansaslaunchedanumberofprojectstostaunchthatdecline.Theseincludedeggsearches,diseasesampling,andbehavioralstudies.In2004,fundingfrompri-vatedonors,theMissouriDepartmentofConservation,the

OzarkHellbender(Cryptobranchus alleganiensis bishopi)larvaedevelopingintheegg(top),afterhatching(middle),andaftertwoweeks(bottom).PhotographbyMarkWanner.

NEWSBRIEFS IRCFREPTILES&AMPHIBIANS•19(1):79–83•MARCH2012

83

UnitedStatesFish&WildlifeServices,andtheZoocoveredthecostofbuildingsophisticatedfacilitiesincludingclimate-controlledstreamstobreedtheHellbender. TheHellbenderpropagationfacilitiesincludetwoout-doorstreamsthatare40feetlongandsixfeetdeep.Theareaislandscapedwithnaturalgravel,largerocksforhiding,andartificialnestboxes,wherethefertilizedeggswerediscovered.Anearbybuildinghousesstate-of-the-artlifesupportequip-mentusedtofilterthewaterandmaintainthestreamsatthepropertemperature. Inaddition,twolargeclimate-controlledroomsinthebasementof theZoo’sCharlesH.HoessleHerpetariumaretheheadquartersfortheprogram.ThefacilitiesrecreateHellbenderhabitatwithcloselymonitored temperatures,pumpstomovepurifiedwater,sprinklerssyncedtomimictheexactprecipitation,andlightsthatflickonordimtoaccountforbrightnessandshade.Thelargestroomincludesa32-footsimulatedstream,completewithnativegravelandlargerocksforhiding.IthousesabreedinggroupofadultOzarkHellbendersfromtheNorthForkoftheWhiteRiverinMissouri.OffspringfromtheseHellbenderswilleventuallybereleasedbackintothewild.

Rare Iguanas Breed Again at DurrellForthe first time inelevenyears, therareLesserAntilleanIguanas(Iguana delicatissima)atDurrellWildlifeParkhavesuc-cessfullybred,producingtwoyounghatchlings.Increasinglyendangeredinitswildhabitatandheldbyonlyahandfulofzoo-logicalinstitutionsworldwide,DurrellWildlifeConservationTrustremainstheonlyplacetosuccessfullybreedthisspecies. Commentingon this excitingnews,MarkBrayshaw,HeadofDurrell’sanimalcollection,said:“Wearedelightedbythearrivalofthesenewhatchlings.Theyarefeedingandgrow-ingwell,andwearecontinuingtomonitorthemcarefullyat

ourherpetologydepartment.Wewillcontinueoureffortstobreedtheiguanasandareencouragedbythisrecentsuccess.” Durrell’sfirstsuccessfulbreedingofthisspecieswasasingleoffspringin1997,followedbyeightjuvenilesin2000.Between2000and2011,despiteeffortstogetthemostrecentoffspringtoproduceviableeggs,theannualclutcheslaidwereallunfertilizedeggs.Finally,inSeptember2011,oneofthefemales,whichhadbeenpairedwithanunrelatedmalethatarrivedatDurrell in2003,producedthefertileeggsthathatchedafteranincubationperiodof75days. Thevibrantgreenjuvenilesarequitedifferentinappear-ancethanadults.Inacoupleofyears,theyoungiguanaswilllosetheirgreencolorandbecomegraywithcreamheads,liketheirparents.Theyhavebegunfeedingonavarieddietofgreensandflowers,andthankstogreateffortsbymanyDurrellstaffandvolunteers,thelastremainingroseandhibiscusflow-ersontheislandwerecollectedandofferedtothehatchlings,aswellasproducefromDurrell’sownorganicgarden. TheLesserAntilleanIguanaisanincreasinglyendan-geredcousinofthebetterknowncommonGreenIguana(I. iguana),anditsdeclineinnumbershasbeencausedbyacombinationofproblems,includinghabitatloss,interbreed-ingwithintroducednon-nativeGreenIguanas,andtheintro-ductionofpredators. Solittleisknownabouttheiguana’sbehaviorinthewildthatDurrell’spreviousbreedingsuccesseshaveledtoabet-terunderstandingoftheenvironmentandconditionstheyneedinordertoreproduce.SomeoftheoriginalnineJersey-brediguanashavesincebeenmovedtootherinstitutionsaspartofawiderconservationbreedingeffort.Durrellhopestocontinuetogainenoughexperiencetohelpotherinstitu-tionsbreedLesserAntilleanIguanas,whichwillhelpestablishasustainable“safetynet”breedingpopulation.

DurrellWildlifeConservationTrust25January2012

(adaptedfromanewsrelease)

AhatchlingLesserAntilleanIguana(Iguana delicatissima)attheDurrellWildlifePark.PhotographcourtesyoftheDurrellWildlifeConservationTrust.

AdultOzarkHellbender(Cryptobranchus alleganiensis bishopi)inastreamattheSaintLouisZoo’sRonGoellnerCenterforHellbenderConservation.PhotographbyJeffBriggler.