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College, and the Joseph Moore Museum of Natural History.Submitted by JOHN B. IVERSON, Department of Biology,Earlham College, Richmond, Indiana 47374, USA; e-mail:johni@earlham.edu.KINOSTERNON SUBRUBRUM (Eastern Mud Turtle). DIET.Kinosternon subrubrum is an ubiquitous turtle found in wetlandsthroughout the eastern U.S. Food items taken by this turtle werelisted in Ernst et al. (1994. Turtles of the United States and Canada.Smithsonian Inst. Press, Washington, D.C.), and include invertebrates,vertebrates, and plant material. On 27 July 2007, we discoveredthe carcass of an adult K. subrubrum on the substrate of alarge drying beaver pond in Tuskegee National Forest, MaconCounty, Alabama (UTM 16S 0627179N 3588804E). The turtlemeasured 97 mm in carapace length and 82 mm in plastron length,and is believed to be a male due to its deep posterior plastral notch(AUMO 37608). Upon dissection, the specimen was found tocontain 190 seeds of the aquatic plant Nuphar luteum (spatterdockor yellow pond-lily) and one chelicera of a crayfish(Cambarus sp.). This represents the first record of K. subrubrumfeeding on the seeds of N. luteum. The seeds appeared to be ripeand at a later stage of development than seeds found on the N.luteum at the time of collection, suggesting that the turtle mayhave been foraging on the seeds in the mud on the bottom of thepond. Finally, it is possible that this species may play a role in theseed dispersal of this plant, although seed viability experimentswould need to be performed to confirm this.We thank C. Guyer for comments on this note. This observationwas made while conducting research funded by NIH grant R01-A149724 under ADCNR Permit 4268.Submitted by SEAN P. GRAHAM (e-mail:grahasp@auburn.edu) and GEOFFREY G. SORRELL, AuburnUniversity Department of Biological Sciences, 331 Funchess Hall,Auburn, Alabama 36830, USA.TERRAPENE CAROLINA TRIUNGUIS (Three-toed BoxTurtle). CARRION FEEDING. Terrapene carolina triunguis iscommon throughout Arkansas and is reported to have a broadbasedomnivorous diet (Trauth et al. 2004. The Amphibians andReptiles of Arkansas, Univ. Arkansas Press, Fayetteville, 421 pp.).Carrion is commonly reported in the diet of box turtles (Dodd2001. North American Box Turtles: A Natural History, Univ. ofOklahoma Press, Norman, 231 pp.). Dead birds, including ducks(Anas spp.) and Green Herons (Butorides striatus) have been recordedin the diet of T. carolina (Ernst et al. 1994. Turtles of theUnited States and Canada, Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington,578 pp.). The literature appears to lack mention of smallerbirds, such as songbirds (passerines) being consumed as carrion.Here we report the consumption of a Brown-headed Cowbird(Molothrus ater) as carrion by a T. c. triunguis.As part of a study estimating scavenging rates of avian carcasses,we distributed eight female Brown-headed Cowbird carcassesthroughout an open field in Greene Co., Arkansas on 10 September2007. On 13 September 2007 at 0735 h, one of us (IG) observeda male T. c. triunguis (113.6 mm CL, 87.5 mm CW, 308 g)feeding on one of the cowbird carcasses (UTM 15N 0701128,3975567). The turtle was measured, sexed, and then released.Because small birds inevitably share habitat with box turtles, theirconsumption as carrion by the turtles is not unexpected and mayoccur fairly frequently.Submitted by IDUN GUENTHER, MATTHEW B.CONNIOR, and ERIN MACCHIA, Department of BiologicalSciences, Arkansas State University, State University, Arkansas,72467 USA (e-mail: erin.macchia@smail.astate.edu).TRACHEMYS GAIGEAE GAIGEAE (Big Bend Slider). KY-PHOSIS. The term kyphosis has been used, often incorrectly, todescribe a variety of spinal deformities seen in turtles, rangingfrom true kyphosis to lordosis (Rhodin et al. 1984. British J.Herpetol. 6:369–373). During studies of Trachemys g. gaigeae inthe Rio Grande Valley of Socorro and Sierra counties, New Mexicoin 1994–1998, we captured a small adult male that was distinctlykyphotic or possibly kyphoscoliotic (sensu Rhodin et al., op. cit.).The turtle (Fig. 1) was captured in May 1998 in Elephant ButteReservoir near Nogal Canyon, Sierra Co. and had the followingmeasurements: straight-line carapace length at midline (CL) = 135mm; straight-line plastron length at midline (PL) = 123.5 mm;maximal shell width = 111 mm; maximal shell height (at hump) =61.5 mm; mass = 346 g. The hump was centered slightly to theright of the carapace midline at the second vertebral scute, suggestingkyphoscoliosis. All five vertebral scutes (V1–V5) wereirregular in shape and asymmetrical. No melanistic disruption ofthe shell and skin color pattern, a common feature of older andlarger male T. g. gaigeae, was evident. The slider appeared healthywhen captured, but later died in captivity.Four other specimens (all adults that were marked and released)were examined from our study area that exhibited varying degreesof kyphosis or kyphoscoliosis, although none as pronounced asthe illustrated example. These included: 1) a female (258.5 mmCL; 238 mm PL) with a slight, localized hump to the right of themidline of V2 and V3; 2) a female (245 mm CL; 233 mm PL) witha slight, localized hump to the left of the midline of V2 and V3; 3)a female (268 mm CL, 239 mm PL) with a highly domed carapaceFIG. 1. Kyphotic male Trachemys g. gaigeae from Sierra Co., NewMexico.218 Herpetological Review 39(2), 2008
centered to the left of the midline; and 4) a male (114 mm CL; 105mm PL) with a hump between V1 and V2; spine laterally curvedat hump; scutes V1–V5 were deformed.Only 5 of the 235 (2.1%) adult and subadult specimens examinedin our study exhibited noticeable kyphosis or kyphoscoliosis,and only one (0.4%) was markedly abnormal. We observed nospinal deformities in any hatchlings (N = 123) obtained from gravidfemales captured in the study area (Stuart and Painter 2006.Herpetol. Rev. 37:79).Within the genus, kyphosis or related spinal deformities havebeen reported in T. scripta scripta (Carr 1952. Handbook of Turtles:The Turtles of the United States, Canada, and Baja California.Cornell Univ. Press, Ithaca, New York), T. s. elegans (Tucker etal. 2007. Herpetol. Rev. 38:337–338), T. s. troostii (Cagle 1950.Ecol. Monog. 20:31–54), and T. yaquia (Plymale et al. 1978. Southwest.Nat. 23:457–462). Tucker et al. (op. cit.) found kyphosis inonly 0.06% of all T. s. elegans (N = 21,786) they captured in Illinoisbut noted that higher rates of occurrence (< 2.6%) have beenreported in other turtle species based on much smaller sample sizes.Our report is the first for spinal deformities in T. gaigeae and suggeststhat its occurrence is also uncommon in this species.We thank C. Travis Darwin for help in the field.Submitted by JAMES N. STUART (e-mail:James.Stuart@state.nm.us) and CHARLES W. PAINTER (email:Charles.Painter@state.nm.us), New Mexico Department ofGame and Fish, Conservation Services Division, P.O. Box 25112,Santa Fe, New Mexico 87504, USA.SQUAMATA — LIZARDSABRONIA TAENIATA (Bromeliad Arboreal Alligator Lizard).MICROHABITAT. Lizards of the genus Abronia (Anguidae) displayboth morphology and behavior specialized for arboreality(Campbell and Frost 1993. Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 216:1–121).The genus also appears to be among the most endangered of Neotropicalsquamate lineages, and several species are known fromonly one or a few specimens (Campbell and Frost, op. cit.). Inaddition, species of Abronia are secretive (Formanowicz et al. 1990.Biotropica 22:391–396), and probably exhibit naturally low densities,though detailed information on population size is difficultto obtain in their arboreal habitats. Consequently, observations ofAbronia are rare, and few reports describe activity in terrestrialenvironments (Martin 1955. Copeia 1955:173–180; Campbell andFrost, op. cit.). Abronia taeniata is a relatively widespread Mexicanspecies that occurs in the pine-oak forests of the Sierra MadreOriental between 1000–3000 m (Martin 1958. Misc. Publ. Mus.Zool. Univ. Michigan 101:1–102). Terrestrial habitat use in thistaxon has been infrequently reported, with little information availableon associated behavior (Martin 1955, op. cit.). Here, we providetwo additional observations of terrestrial activity in this speciesfrom the state of Hidalgo.At 1545 h on 1 July 2006, BPS, ELMV, and NI found an adultfemale A. taeniata (83.9 mm SVL, 116.5 mm tail, 10.7 g) in thecrevice of a large limestone boulder (20.8778°N, 99.2299°W, datum:WGS84; elev. 2464 m) under pine (P. greggii/P. patula)-oak(Q. crassipes) forest canopy near the community of La Manzana,in Parque Nacional Los Mármoles (PNLM). The observation wasmade following strong morning rains. On our approach, the A.taeniata retreated into the boulder, but we captured it at 1645 hafter it reappeared at the edge of the same crevice. The nearesttree (a mature pine, probably P. greggii) was ca. 1.5 m away.Elsewhere in the range of A. taeniata, the species has been collectedin trees (Martin 1958, op. cit.). Other species of Abroniahave been collected on tree trunks, and in epiphytic bromeliadsand mosses (Campbell and Frost, op. cit.). In the Los Mármolesregion, however, mature trees support few large epiphytes (BPS,pers. observ.), so A. taeniata may use terrestrial refugia in thisarea with greater frequency, at least during inclement weather. Thespecimen (BPS-CIB 24) was deposited in the vertebrate collectionsof the Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas (CIB) at theUniversidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo.At 1030 h on 29 March 2007, IECS also found an adult femaleA. taeniata (106.8 mm SVL, 143.0 mm tail, 19.0 g) on leaf litterin a pine (P. rudis)-oak (Q. rugosa) forest at Campamento Conejoin Parque Nacional El Chico (20.1877°N, 98.7097°W, datum:WGS84; elev. 2915 m). The lizard was found in a patch of forestfloor illuminated by morning sunlight; the nearest trees were 2–3m away. IECS observed it for ca. 15 min, then captured it for depositioninto the CIB vertebrate collection (specimen: ARP-00109).We thank A. Leyte Manrique for logistical assistance. JonathanA. Campbell (University of Texas, Arlington) confirmed the PNLMrecord as A. taeniata. We thank SEMARNAT and SRE (Governmentof Mexico) for providing collecting permits, and the Municipalityof Zimapán and the Bienes Comunales of La Encarnaciónfor providing additional logistic support. Grants from SEP-PROMEP-1103.5/03/1130, Projects PIFI-PROMEP 3.3. 2007,CONACYT-S 52552-Q, and FOMIX-CONACYT-43761 fundedthis study.Submitted by BARRY P. STEPHENSON, Department of Biology,University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida 33124, USA(e-mail: barry@bio.miami.edu); URIEL HERNÁNDEZ SALI-NAS, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas (CIB), UniversidadAutónoma del Estado de Hidalgo, A.P. 1-69 Plaza Juárez, C.P.42001, Pachuca, Hidalgo, México (e-mail:hu128613@uaeh.reduaeh.mx); IGNACIO E. CASTELLANOSSTUREMARK (e-mail: ignacioe@uaeh.edu.mx), ERIKA L.MENDOZA VARELA (e-mail: litzahaya@gmail.com),NIKOLETT IHÁSZ (e-mail: ihaszniki@yahoo.com), andAURELIO RAMÍREZ BAUTISTA (e-mail:aurelior@uaeh.edu.mx).AMEIVA EXSUL (Puerto Rican Ground Lizard). DIET. Ameivaexul has a diverse diet that includes invertebrates (earthworms,snails, insects, crabs), vertebrates (frogs, lizards), vegetable matter(banana, apple, cactus fruits), dog food, and even certain typesof garbage (Joglar [ed.] 2005. Biodiversidad de Puerto Rico–Vertebrados Terrestres y Ecosistemas. Editorial del Instituto deCultura Puertorriqueña, San Juan. 563 pp.; Lewis 1989. J. Herpetol.23:164–170; Rivero. 1998. Los Anfibios y Reptiles de Puerto Rico.Editorial de la Universidad de Puerto Rico, San Juan. 510 pp.).Here, we add observations of several unreported food items to itsalready broad diet.At 1247 h on 3 November 2005, we observed an adult A. exsul(ca. 13 cm) capture and eat an adult male of the Puerto Rico groundtarantula spider (Cyrthopholis portoricae; ca. 30 mm cephalotho-Herpetological Review 39(2), 2008 219
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HerpetologicalReviewVolume 39, Numb
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About Our Cover: Zonosaurus maramai
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Prey-specific Predatory Behavior in
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acid water treatment than in the co
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TABLE 1. Time-line history of croco
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The Reptile House at the Bronx Zoo
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FIG. 6. A 3.9 m (12' 11 1 / 2") Ame
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One of the earliest studies of croc
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TABLE 2. Dimensions and water depth
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we call it, is in flux.Forty years
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Feb. 20-25. abstract.------. 1979.
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yond current practices (Clarke 1972
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poles (Pond 1 > 10,000, Pond 2 4,87
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Herpetological Review, 2008, 39(2),
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TABLE 2. Summary of running (includ
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FIG. 2. Responses of adult Regal Ho
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PIANKA, E. R., AND W. S. PARKER. 19
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BUSTAMANTE, M. R. 2005. La cecilia
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Fig. 3. Mean clutch size (number of
Page 42 and 43: facilitated work in Thailand. I tha
Page 44 and 45: preocular are not fused. The specim
Page 46 and 47: FIG. 2A) Side view photo of Aechmea
Page 48 and 49: 364.DUELLMAN, W. E. 1978. The biolo
Page 50 and 51: incision, and placed one drop of Ba
Page 52 and 53: 13 cm deep (e.g., Spea hammondii; M
Page 54 and 55: FIG. 1. Medicine dropper (60 ml) wi
Page 56 and 57: esearchers and Hellbenders, especia
Page 58 and 59: FIG. 3. Relative success of traps p
Page 60 and 61: data on Hellbender population struc
Page 62 and 63: aits sometimes resulted in differen
Page 64 and 65: trapping system seems to be a relat
Page 66 and 67: AMPHIBIAN CHYTRIDIOMYCOSISGEOGRAPHI
Page 68 and 69: TABLE 1. Prevalence of B. dendrobat
Page 70 and 71: Conservation Status of United State
Page 72 and 73: TABLE 1. Wood Frog (Rana sylvatica)
Page 74 and 75: TABLE 1. Anurans that tested positi
Page 76 and 77: is, on average, exposed to slightly
Page 78 and 79: (10%) were dead but not obviously m
Page 80 and 81: Submitted by CHRIS T. McALLISTER, D
Page 82 and 83: FIG. 1. Oscillogram, spectrogram, a
Page 84 and 85: FIG. 1. Adult Physalaemus cuvieri r
Page 86 and 87: Répteis, Instituto Nacional de Pes
Page 88 and 89: discovered 145 live hatchlings and
Page 90 and 91: GRAPTEMYS GIBBONSI (Pascagoula Map
Page 94 and 95: FIG. 1. Common Ground Lizard (Ameiv
Page 96 and 97: havior unavailable elsewhere. Here
Page 98 and 99: 15% of predator mass, is typical fo
Page 100 and 101: side the third burrow and began a f
Page 102 and 103: We thank Arlington James and the st
Page 104 and 105: mm) S. viridicornis in its mouth in
Page 106 and 107: NECTURUS MACULOSUS (Common Mudpuppy
Page 108 and 109: LITHOBATES CATESBEIANUS (American B
Page 110 and 111: Research and Collections Center, 13
Page 112 and 113: BRONCHOCELA VIETNAMENSIS (Vietnam L
Page 114 and 115: Oficina Regional Guaymas, Guaymas,
Page 116 and 117: MICRURUS TENER (Texas Coralsnake).
Page 118 and 119: declining in this recently discover
Page 120 and 121: 80.7372°W). 02 November 2005. Stev
Page 122 and 123: this effort, 7% of the 10 × 10 km
Page 124 and 125: the knowledge of the group. The aut
Page 126 and 127: which is listed under “Rhodin, A.
Page 128 and 129: noting that Sphenomorphus bignelli
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Page 132: ISSN 0018-084XThe Official News-Jou
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