25 Volume 26
January 2012 March 2013
Number 1
THIS MONTH’S PROGRAM
FUTURE SPEAKERS
Dr. Margaret (Maggie) Fusari, retired biologist A tour leader’s view of the Galápagos
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16 April 2013: Robert Villa “Adventures in México and Guatemala: 2011-2012”
7:15 PM; Tuesday, 19 March; University of Arizona, BIO5/Keating Building; 1657 East Helen Street
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21 May 2013: Jim Rorabaugh “Amphibians and Reptiles of Sonora, Mexico: The Book!”
M
aggie is a vertebrate biologist, a conservation ecologist, and an educator with a B.A. from Boston University and an M.A. and Ph.D. from UCLA. She earned her Ph.D. under Ken Norris and Ken Nagy working on the water balance of the California Legless Lizard, Anniella pulchra. She taught at UCLA, Vinginia Commonwealth University, Prescott College, and UCSC. At UCSC she was Director of the Natural Reserves and lecturer in Environmental Studies and Biology. She spent 2 years in Peace Corps México and now she is a Docent at the Desert Museum and a board member of the Desert Tortoise Council. Once upon a time she fell into the opportunity to lead tours to the Galápagos Islands. She has led about a dozen tours from 19972010. She has learned a lot of things about Galápagos; the history, the international context, the flora and fauna, and the conservation issues. She will focus on the reptiles of Galápagos. She will talk about the tortoises,
F E AT U R E A R T I C L E 3
“Herping Arizona: 2012 in Review” by Roger Repp
SHORT ARTICLE 9
“Reproduction in the Granite Night Lizard, Xantusia henshawi (Squamata: Xantusiidae), from Southern California” by Stephen R. Goldberg
FIELD ENCOUNTERS 12 Checking up on the Whittmer-Heyerdahl story on Floreana, Galápagos. Photo by Maggie Fusari.
the marine and land iguanas (including the pink iguana), the lava lizards and a bit about some of the feathered Reptilia as well. It’s a travelog with a few lessons learned.
“Tortuga de la Sierra Madre – My Encounter with a Cryptic and Elusive Turtle” by Robert Villa
CALL FOR PROPOSALS 22
C.H. Lowe, Jr., Research Fund
N AT U R A L H I S TO RY NOTE 24
“Occurance of a Western Spadefoot Toad in the burrow system of the Giant Kangaroo Rat, San Luis Obispo County, California” by Monica J. Hememez, et al.
BOOK REVIEWS
The Galápagos as seen on Google™ earth.
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“World without Cats” by Howard Clark
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“Sea turtles of the Eastern Pacific” by Taylor Edwards
SONORAN HERPETOLOGIST 26 (1) 2013
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FUTURE SPEAKERS
16 April 2013: Robert Villa Adventures in México and Guatemala: 2011-2012 7:15 PM; University of Arizona, BIO5/Keating Building; 1657 East Helen Street
A proud Sonoran Desert Rat(tlesnake) with sand in his veins, Robert A. Villa has
helped serve the THS since 8th grade. Talk to him about turtles, rattlesnakes, México, and Beethoven... Robert is an excited field herper south of the border. México and Latin America have always been ripe for exploration and resulting adventure, with the lure of the exotic and quaint. In this presentation Robert will share recent herpetological contributions mainly focused in the state of Sonora, and some highlights of a round trip drive to Guatemala from Tucson. Robert with a Northern Spotted Box Turtle (Terrapene nelsoni klauberi) near the Río Yaqui, Sonora, México. Photo by Alan Swanson .
A proud Sonoran Desert Rat(tlesnake) with sand in his veins, Robert A. Villa has helped serve the THS since 8th grade. Talk to him about turtles, rattlesnakes, México, and Beethoven.
21 May 2013: Jim Rorabaugh Amphibians and Reptiles of Sonora, Mexico: The Book! 7:15 PM; University of Arizona, BIO5/Keating Building; 1657 East Helen Street
JLosimAngeles Rorabaugh grew up in the suburbs of the Greater Megalopolis, but was a desert rat from the get go, dragging his parents, sister, friends, anyone to the California deserts (Anza Borrego, the Coachella Valley, Joshua Tree, etc.) whenever he could. He went to school at UC Davis and obtained a Bachelor of Science degree and a Masters in Animal Ecology in the 1970s and early 1980s, then went on to work for the BLM in the California deserts (’78-’79), Bureau of Reclamation along the Colorado River (’82-’91), and the Fish and Wildlife Service in Ventura (’91-’93), and then Phoenix (’93-’07), and finally Tucson (’07-’10). Jim is now retired and lives in an off-the-grid house on 37 acres northeast of Saint David. Over the years, Jim has worked on a variety of herpetological projects, including among others, general herpetological inventories, Flat-tailed Horned Lizard studies and conservation, leopard frog status evaluation and conservation, Desert Tortoise surveys and recovery, Coachella Valley Fringe-toed Lizard ecology and conservation, and Sonora Tiger Salamander conservation and recovery. He made his first trip to Sonora, Mexico in the late 1960s in the back seat of his grandmother’s boat-like Thunderbird, as they rolled along over the washboard dirt roads to El Golfo de Santa Clara. However, he did not really begin to do much herpetological work there until the early 1980s, after moving to Yuma. In the early 2000s, he and one of his employees, Erin Fernandez at the Fish and Wildlife Service, began a Mexico Program focused
Jim Rorabaugh photographing a Pituophis at Rancho El Aribabi, Sonora. Photo by Eduardo Gómez Límon.
on working with Mexican partners on conservation of species of mutual interest in the Arizona-Sonora region. This led to cross-border professional collaborations on numerous projects and, for Jim, engendered a great appreciation and love for Sonoran herpetology. In 2008, Jim published a 46-page treatise summarizing the herpetofauna of mainland Sonora in the Journal of the Arizona-Nevada Academy of Sciences, the first such summary since 1945. Since then he has been working on a field guide to the herpetofauna of Sonora with Dr. Julio Lemos Espinal, a professor with UNAM in Tlalnepantla, Mexico. The book, which will be published in 2013, will be sneak-previewed during May’s presentation. SONORAN HERPETOLOGIST 26 (1) 2013
Jim Rorabaugh grew up in the suburbs of the Greater Los Angeles Megalopolis, but was a desert rat from the get go, dragging his parents, sister, friends, anyone to the California deserts whenever he could.
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F E AT U R E A R T I C L E
Herping Arizona: 2012 in Review Roger Repp, President, Tucson Herpetological Society, Tuscon, Arizona, repp@noao.edu
T
he herpetological setup for 2012 was good. In the late fall of 2011, a benevolent jetstream guided muchneeded moisture from the northern Pacific Ocean, cut through the Pacific Northwest, and performed an endaround of the east side of the Sierra Nevadas before dumping on Arizona. The rains that this brought us were so reliable that they earned a nickname from the local weather gurus. They dubbed the weather Figure 1. The sporadic winter rain in 2012 led to a patchy flower show in the Sonoran Desert around system “the rain chain.” Tucson. But the good news is that unlike drought winters in years past, flowering patches of ground could be found. Image by author, 20 February 2012. Catchy moniker! (and if we ever get a real rain chain, I promise to make up a song for it.) We refer different H. suspectum under observation, with multiple to some notes from my herp journal to highlight the visuals of each. action: Wet winters routinely set up movements with another charismatic reptile in our area. We speak of “11/5/11 Weather Note: Rain in very early AM. 1st our beloved Sonoran Desert Tortoises (Gopherus agassince 10/6/11. ~0.5 inches on NW side of town.” sizii). Closely-monitored burrows that were empty in “11/7/11 Good, steady rain from widespread storm in December gained occupants by Mid-January. On Iron morning. ~0.5” at work/U of A.” Mine Hill, by mid-February, we shattered our record “11/25/11 Weather Note: ~0.3” early morning.” numbers there by having eight under observation. “Weather Notes, widespread Seattle type storm drops This author has been going to this particular hill—a 0.2” on Tucson and surrounding areas on 12/1, small outlier of the Suizo Mountains—since 1992. The another more powerful storm drops 0.5” on 12/3— previous best was seven, and it took until Mid-March still raining at 2015. Could go all night.” to accumulate that many. That number of seven takes “Weather Note, 12/12-12/14: Seattle type storms us all the way back to 2001! dubbed “the rain chain” dump 1.3” across valley But my notes on 28 January indicated that things and beyond. Yahoo—more coming! On 12/14, TIA were getting a bit dry in paradise. On this day, Doug has received 12.06” for 2011—1.0” above average. Moore, Laurie Walton, and I did the grand tour of Bring it on!” winter herps on the Suizo Study Plot. I closed the “Weather Note 12/18/11: Another all day wide scatnotes on this stellar herp day with the following statetered storm hits--~0.5” at house. Wow!” ment. “Great people, great day. Meanwhile—we need some rain to make this all count!” Yes, what was needYes, it was a good setup. When we get rain from ed to put the winter/spring of 2012 over the top was a early November through December in any given little more of the rain chain. If that had continued, we year, the winter and early spring herp action is going would have seen a flower show that would have rivaled to soar. It’s almost as if the rain germinates the local 2008, and maybe even 1998. As it turned out, there herpetofauna along with the annuals. In January, we were flowering patches of ground to be found, (See had several visuals of three Gila Monsters (Heloderma Figure 1), but we mostly wound up with itty-bitty popsuspectum) in one sheltersite. While we have on rare pies, lupine, and fiddlenecks that withered by the end occasions had three of the loveable brutes in this parof February. But when all is said and done, we’ve had ticular communal den, we have never been able to see much, much drier winters. And this herper will take them all at once. By the end of January, we had seven itty-bitty poppies over parched ground any time! SONORAN HERPETOLOGIST 26 (1) 2013
The herpetological setup for 2012 was good... When we get rain from early November through December in any given year, the winter and early spring herp action is going to soar. It’s almost as if the rain germinates the local herpetofauna along with the annuals.
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As spring morphed to foresummer, we experienced the customary dry up, with some relief from a storm in mid-April. On 14 June, a record-breaking storm brought us the promise of a good monsoon season, and the follow up recordbreaker that hit on 4 July was nothing short of magnificent. The rain in July continued throughout the month, with storms occurring on a regular basis throughout most of southern Arizona. These storms allowed the area to play catch- Figure 2. One of the highlights of 2012 was finding this Long-nosed Leopard Lizard (Gambelia wislizenii) up with the yearly sleeping ~12 inches (300 mm) above ground in a creosote. Image by author, 30 June 2012. rain total. Previous to July, we were heavily in the deficit column. By the end son, 2012 was tied with 1989 as being the hottest. In of July, we were briefly in the black. But the August short, it was hotter than normal nearly everywhere. rainfall became a fickle affair. In some places, the rain So much for the weather! The reader may ask: continued on, in others, it ground to a searingly-hot “How was the herping?” That is a good question, dear halt. The same can be said about September. We go to reader—we’re going to get right to that! my own records versus those of the National Weather Service (NWS) in Tucson (www.wrh.noaa.gov/twc) to Herp Statistics for 2012 show some of the disparity. In August, the NWS recorded a scant 1.17 inches (29.7 mm) at Tucson Since the Y2K century began, I have been faithfully International Airport (TIA). My own records indicate documenting every lizard, snake and turtle encounthat 3.5 inches (88.9 mm) fell in the Suizo Mountains. tered in this great state of ours. To include everyIn September, the NWS recorded 0.38 inches (9.65 thing found over that time period would be daunting mm) at TIA, while my records show that 1.9 inches information to present, and even more difficult for the (48.26 mm) fell in the Suizos. The NWS report for reader to digest. Instead, for more accurate compara2012 also shows wild fluctuations in precipitation with tive purposes, we present Table 1. This table limits the the monsoon season. Some areas recorded as little as local herps to six species of lizards, Sonoran Desert 2.5 inches (63.5 mm), while others went as high as 12.5 Tortoises (Gopherus agassizii), and five species each of inches (317.5 mm). What a spread! colubrids and venomous snakes. These species were October was dry and hot, and November brought selected based on the fact that there is always a chance us one brief rain shower. But the rain chain came roar- of encountering one of these with every herp trip I ing back in December. The NWS goes on to mention make. My counts include both live and dead animals. that the 1.18 inches (29.97 mm) at TIA allowed for an It is likely that some of the herps on this table were above average December for rainfall, and two storms accidentally counted twice, and in a few cases, some that settled in to our beloved Suizo Mountain study were deliberately counted twice (hibernating herps that brought us 1.7 inches (43.18 mm) in two days! When ingress in spring and return in fall). I’ve also added all was said and done, the rainfall across the Tucson other pertinent information, such as number of field Valley could be summed up in one word: “Variable.” trips, personal hours spent, rainfall information, yearly The NWS report goes on to mention that the spread average temperatures, and grand totals of lizards and for the entire year was from 5 inches to 15 inches (127 snakes. This author takes this information seriously, mm to 381 mm). TIA recorded 7.19 inches (182.63 and bases his own judgment calls on the results of mm), and my estimates of the Suizo Rainfall totaled Table 1. exactly 12 inches (304.8 mm). As the table indicates, I was in the field 167 times Nationwide, 2012 also went down as the hottest in 2012, which is slightly above average. The total of year in weather history. According to the NWS Tucpersonal hours spent was 818 hours, which is beSONORAN HERPETOLOGIST 26 (1) 2013
Nationwide, 2012 also went down as the hottest year in weather history. According to the NWS Tucson, 2012 was tied with 1989 as being the hottest. In short, it was hotter than normal nearly everywhere. So much for the weather! The reader may ask: “How was the herping?” That is a good question, dear reader—we’re going to get right to that!
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Table 1. Herpetological data compilation from 2000 to 2012. Year
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
TOTAL
Avg
Field Trips
180
186
174
170
168
151
166
141
155
179
146
149
167
2132
164
Hours
912
1055
935.5
982
973.5
913
917
734
759
980.5
703.5
746.5
818
11429.5
879
NWS1 rain (in)
12.44
7.81
7.84
10.05
7.62
9.58
11.81
9.78
8.67
5.67
11.13
12.23
7.91
122.54
9.43
NWS temp (°F)
69.96
69.68
70
70.65
69.23
70.72
70.18
70.5
70
71.12
69.97
69.9
71.4
—
70.25
CADR2
460
1208
415
497
487
592
258
610
1519
563
320
144
353
7426
571
UTST3
285
416
361
426
308
263
467
460
475
378
226
249
734
5048
388
212
293
221
197
328
348
321
241
187
317
453
3871
298
355
398
5
91
113
45
48
27
133
58
54
137
107
57
21
54
945
73
PHSO6
11
9
9
8
11
8
3
6
20
19
10
12
8
134
10
HESU7
21
12
5
5
11
8
11
10
13
22
16
30
32
196
15
GOAG
ASSP4 SCMA
121
96
42
112
37
34
41
27
32
27
35
48
50
702
54
PICA9
43
29
16
15
9
23
18
19
33
28
13
19
33
298
23
COFL10
23
50
27
18
19
24
19
22
29
21
21
9
13
295
23
RHLE
8
21
25
11
16
14
37
23
9
20
8
13
5
12
214
16
SAHE12
8
11
4
9
5
2
2
4
16
8
9
1
10
89
7
LAGE13
8
11
11
6
5
9
6
5
1
5
2
4
5
78
6
CRAT14
154
185
109
99
115
141
168
114
73
72
74
137
116
1557
120
CRCE
11
40
25
26
22
18
35
18
14
42
26
12
35
11
324
25
CRSC16
8
13
10
12
9
14
8
12
15
12
2
7
7
129
10
CRMO17
25
16
6
5
17
17
13
6
11
10
2
7
9
144
11
CRTI
15
20
13
9
5
7
5
9
4
3
6
9
4
10
104
8
Totals
1694
2630
1309
1596
1320
1542
1450
1724
2760
1553
1008
1049
1910
21545
1657
All lizards
1906
2279
1119
1401
1222
1560
1273
1650
2978
2228
1009
1383
2315
22323
1717
18
All snakes
464
415
252
221
252
374
326
227
306
255
184
283
331
3890
299
Total both
2370
2694
1371
1622
1474
1934
1599
1877
3284
2483
1193
1666
2646
26213
2016
National Weather Service (NWS) in Tucson (www.wrh.noaa.gov/twc); Zebra-tailed Lizard (Callisaurus draconoides), Common Side-blotched Lizards (Uta stansburiana); 4Tiger Whiptail (Aspidoscelis tigirs); 5Desert Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus magister); 6Regal Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma solare); 7Gila Monster (Heloderma suspectum); 8Sonoran Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii); 9Gopher Snake (Pituophis catenifer); 10Coachwhip (Coluber flagellum); 11Long-nosed Snake (Rhinocheilus lecontei); 12Western Patch-nosed Snake (Salvadora hexalepis); 13Common Kingsnake (Lampropeltis getula); 14Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox); 15Sidewinder (Crotalus cerastes); 16Mohave Rattlesnake (Crotalus scutulatus); 17Black-tailed Rattlesnake (Crotalus molossus); 18Tiger Rattlesnakes (Crotalus tigris). 1
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low average, but more than the previous two years. What is not highlighted on this table is the number of hours that people accompanied and assisted me. That number was 1,268.5 hours. These “other people hours” are above the average, and the help this year was the best that I’ve had in over a decade. I would like first and foremost to acknowledge John Slone and Marty Feldner as some of these other people. They made these other people hours count more than anybody else this year. Jeff Smith and Melissa Amarello also led me to the promised land on more than one occasion in 2012. And, of course, my stalwart
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friends Gordon Schuett, Hans-Werner Herrmann, Dale DeNardo, Patti Mahaney and Ryan Sawby also contributed to all that follows. It is this author’s opinion that precipitation and temperature are extremely important to the discrimi-
Figure 3. This year brought about an exciting first for this author. This pair of Black-tailed Rattlesnakes (Crotalus molossus) were found in coitus by Marty Feldner on the evening of 5 October 2012. Marty led this author to the pair the following morning. They were still hooked up. Image by Marty Feldner.
SONORAN HERPETOLOGIST 26 (1) 2013
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nating field herpetologist. The rainfall in 2012 was below average in the NWS TIA location, but the fluctuations have been duly noted. When comparing years in the herpetological sense, backtracking on a one year rain total is always prudent. Hence, mention of above average rainfall in 2010 and 2011 is merited. The average temperature of 71.4 °F (21.9 °C) is the highest of this century, and this author ventures to speculate that in our already hot climate, this is probably not good. Are we finally talking about the herps? Good! Before going after the reptiles on the table, this author is duty-bound to discuss something that was mentioned in his 2011 review. We speak of LongFigure 4. One of five pairings of Tiger Rattlesnakes (Crotalus tigris) observed on nosed Leopard Lizards (Gambelia wislizenii). the Suizo Mountain Study Plot. Image by author, 8 September 2012. In 2011, there weren’t any encounters to report. Much adieu was made about this at that time. and John Slone to the Suizo team allowed, for the first I’m cautiously pleased to report that 11 of them were time, two groups to radio track. And both groups were found in 2012. The reason for the caution is that 6 counting the plot lizards. 2012 marks the first year that were found in one day, leaving a below average numcounts were coming consistently from two directions ber for the remainder of the year. One of the herpeor more. Heretofore, the lizard counts were mostly a tological highlights of 2012 occurred on the evening solo affair. If we look at the all time high number of of 30 June, when John Slone and I found a G. wislizenii 1,519 for C. draconoides in 2008, we are looking at Roger arboreal in a creosote. It was sound asleep! (See Figure Repp mostly counting alone. This serves to demon2). strate that, indeed, there has been a serious setback At first glance, the Zebra-tailed Lizards (Callisaurus for these otherwise common lizards. My predication draconoides) seem to show a rebound since the all-time for 2013 is that low counts will continue. low of 2011. But the fact remains that the populaWith the Common Side-blotched Lizards (Uta stanstion has demonstrated a downward spiral since the buriana), the numbers leap to the all time record for the year 2008. This is the second consecutive year that new century. At 734, the numbers nearly triple over C. draconoides numbers fell below the next 2 rows of the previous year. Yes, there were more people countlizard species on the table, and that only happened ing, but no, the numbers in their counts did not equal once before—in 2006. The addition of Marty Feldner three times my own counts. There just plain were flat out more of them than ever before. Trying to fathom the why of that is difficult. But looking at the previous two years of rain, coupled with the above average rainfall on my most-visited turf in 2012, is likely the cause with these “first responders.” The whiptail numbers, which mostly reflect Tiger Whiptails (Aspidoscelis tigris), also exploded to the top in 2012. The same factors that contributed to large numbers of the Common Side-blotched Lizards were probably at play. While more eyes added to the total of Desert Spiny Lizards (Sceloporus magister), their numbers still fell to below average. There appears to be another downward trend with the species, as below average numbers have ensued for the past three Figure 5. A stunning color and diminutive-sized morph of a Speckled Rattleyears. And while there have never been snake (Crotalus mitchelli). They have been dubbed “White Mitch” or “Dwarf Mitch” by those who seek them. This specimen, a female, was found by Dale enough Regal Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma
With the Common Side-blotched Lizards (Uta stansburiana), the numbers leap to the all time record for the new century. At 734, the numbers nearly triple over the previous year. Yes, there were more people counting, but no, the numbers in their counts did not equal three times my own counts.
DeNardo on 30 March. Image by author, 31 March 2012.
SONORAN HERPETOLOGIST 26 (1) 2013
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solare) numbers to draw solid conclusions, 2012 also reflects a very slight downturn. Weighing-in at a hefty 32, this was not only my best Gila Monster year of the century, it was the best since I started recording them in 1989! It still could have been better for two reasons. Reason number one is that a few of my repeating stalwarts did not return to their winter lairs, and reason number 2 is that I did not visit a couple places that consistently produce them. We also cut them out of our Suizo study in 2012. Hence, we Figure 6. One of seven Grand Canyon Rattlesnakes (Crotalus oreganus abyssus) encountered on a field trip to their turf in August of 2012. Image by author, 11 August 2012. didn’t have transmittered animals leading us to new blood. Many of the encounters were of the incidental The Western Patch-nosed Snakes (Salvadora variety. Hence, the high numbers in 2012 point to eihexalepis) made quite the comeback. In 2011, I only ther more activity, or more luck than brains in finding encountered one, making that year the worst of the them. A fair number of H. suspectum encounters were century. The total of ten encounters in 2012 was the found while driving to and from favored places. I call third highest total. I’ll take from last to third place with these “gimmie monsters,” and these “gimmies” helped any species on this table! The Common Kingsnakes to put the total over the top. (Lampropeltis getula) made slightly below average apDespite their 2012 ranking as “below average” pearances, but we have to backtrack to 2006 to find a for this century, the number of 50 reflects a strong number greater than five. showing for the Sonoran Desert Tortoises. This is The Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnakes (Crothe highest total of encounters since 2003. From the talus atrox) numbers fell to slightly below average in year 2000 through 2003, I was in the thick of assisting 2012. This was despite the fact that more eyes were Taylor Edwards and Cristina Jones with their research sweeping our Suizo Mountain study plot on a regular projects. During these three years, as many as 16 basis. In this case, the extra eyes did not beef up the highly skilled “Tortoise Jedis” were working some very numbers accordingly. We repeatedly asked of each othproductive ground. There has not been a similar effort er: “Where are all the atrox?” The Sidewinder (Crotalus on my part since those early Y2K years. I’m calling the cerastes) numbers crashed to the lowest number of the 50 that were found this year “good.” As previously century. I have been religiously assembling numbers mentioned, it was a glorious winter/spring season for on this species of snake since 1990, and the total of 11 them. is the lowest ever—in 23 years of data! There was no At a total of 33, the Gopher Snakes (Pituophis cateni- lack of effort that caused this crash. I carefully chose fer) rang in with a tie for the second highest numbers nights that I thought were perfect for finding them. of the century. The encounters were streaky. 18 of Even in average years, these “cherry picking” evenings these were found in the months of August and Sepwould yield anywhere from four to nine of the little tember. It was another bad year for the Coachwhips vipers. In 2012, my highest yield for one effort was (Coluber flagellum). With only 13 encountered, it was two! And I didn’t see any at all in April, which has their second-worst year of the century. The worst year never happened in my history of recording them. We was 2011, when only 9 made their cameo appearances. continue to cry the blues when discussing Mohave It will be interesting to see if the downward trend Rattlesnakes (Crotalus scutulatus). The total number of 7 continues with this species of snake in 2013. While the encountered is a tie for the second-worst numbers of total of 12 Long-nosed Snakes (Rhinocheilus lecontei) rethe century. As with the Sidewinders, I was in grassflects a jump from the previous year, the fact remains lands enough at prime time that the total C. scutulatus that this species of constrictor has racked up belownumbers should have been higher. average numbers for the past 4 years. They appear to It is at this point that all of the sniveling stops. be taking a beating on the roads that I watch the most. While the numbers of Black-tailed Rattlesnakes (CroSONORAN HERPETOLOGIST 26 (1) 2013
The Western Diamondbacked Rattlesnakes (Crotalus atrox) numbers fell to slightly below average in 2012. This was despite the fact that more eyes were sweeping our Suizo Mountain study plot on a regular basis. In this case, the extra eyes did not beef up the numbers accordingly. We repeatedly asked of each other: “Where are all the atrox?”
7
talus molossus) fell to slightly below average, we encountered six of the nine on the Suizo Study Plot. They are not a common snake there. We observed pairings multiple times, and on 6 October, Marty led me to a pair that was mating. (See Figure 3). This is the first time that I have ever seen C. molossus in coitus. With this herper, it is the little things that can put a year over the top. With a total of 10 encounters, the Tiger Rattlesnakes (Crotalus tigris) exploded on the scene. This was the third best year of the century for them in my counts, and I have to go back to 2001 to beat that total. On the Suizo Plot, we ramped up our numbers of transmittered C. tigris from 2 to 6–3 each of males and females. As a result, we observed five pairings. (See Figure 4). Three of these pairings could have brought us in new animals had we been inclined to break up pairs. C. tigris is extremely rare on our plot, which makes walking away from a new snake a very difficult process. But our mission is to witness the birthing process as many times as possible in the years ahead. Breaking up pairs is not conducive to said birthing processes. On the evening of October 20, this author was treated to the thrill of observing a pair of C. tigris come together in a crevice that was to later prove to be their hibernaculum. This is the first year that we have been able to locate a pair hibernating together, and we hope for some exciting photo opportunities in the spring of 2013. Moving down to the next row, we see that “All Lizards” scored the second highest numbers of the century. This count includes 24 different species of lizards that were encountered this year. These numbers contain, among other species, 326 Ornate Tree Lizards (Urosaurus ornatus), 105 Greater Tree Lizards (Cophosaurus texanus), and 47 Desert Iguanas (Dipsosaurus dorsalis). The latter number shatters my previous record for that species by nearly double. (26 were encountered in
2008). In short, it was an outstanding year for lizards. And the total number of snakes encountered was the highest total in seven years. Included in this count are 11 species of venomous snakes, and 16 non venomous or rear-fanged snakes. Three Sonoran Coralsnakes (Micuroides euryxanthus) appeared on the Suizo Plot. We have not seen one there since 2002! Both Saddled and Spotted Leaf-nosed Snakes (Phyllorhynchus browni and P. decurtatus) were also found in 2012 at the Suizo Plot. I have not seen either species since 2009, and I have to go all the way back to the year 2000 to find a year when both species were encountered. Thanks to Melissa Amarello, Jeff Smith, John Slone, and Marty Feldner, an explosive number of 47 Arizona Black Rattlesnakes (Crotalus cerberus) were encountered this year. But the bigger things sometimes come in small numbers. On a trip to somewhere west of Organ Pipe National Park, Dale DeNardo found the elusive “White Mitch,” or “Dwarf Mitch.” This species is currently classified as Speckled Rattlesnake (Crotalus mitchelli), but this author expects that to change soon. Whatever they may be, as Marty so aptly described, they are: “All the thrill of a mitchelli in a lepidus sized package.” (See Figure 5). It is getting ever-harder for this herper to scratch off a life-list snake in Arizona, but team Feldner/Slone led a team of us to a total of seven Grand Canyon Rattlesnakes (Crotalus abyssus) in August. These are incredibly cool rattlesnakes, and this author hopes to go back for more someday soon (See Figure 6). When all the lizards and all the snakes are totaled for 2012, we find that this number to be the highest since 2008. This number also reflects 2012 to be the third best of the century thus far. It will be a difficult year to top. There is one last detail to be discussed before closing this article. We speak of the reproductive events of the Couch’s Spadefoot Toads (Scaphiopus couchi) on the Suizo Mountain Study Plot. On two different occasions, early July, and again in late August, there was enough sustained rain to allow the tadpoles to hop away from their puddles as successful metamorhps (See Figure 7). We have been watching these toads closely since 2001, and this has never happened twice in one year. Bully for them! Despite the downward turn with a few species, 2012 goes down in my books as a very good herp year. This author gives the year an enthusiastic thumbs up, and earnestly anticipates what 2013 will bring.
Figure 7. Couch’s Spadefoot Toads (Scaphiopus couchi) in amplexus. Perhaps the greatest event in 2012 was two successful reproductions for the species at the Suizo Mountain Study Plot. This patch of ground has been under close watch since 2001, and never have they succeeded in pulling this off twice in one summer. Image by Marty Feldner, 17 August 2012.
SONORAN HERPETOLOGIST 26 (1) 2013
There is one last detail to be discussed before closing this article. We speak of the reproductive events of the Couch’s Spadefoot Toads (Scaphiopus couchi) on the Suizo Mountain Study Plot. On two different occasions, early July, and again in late August, there was enough sustained rain to allow the tadpoles to hop away from their puddles as successful metamorhps. We have been watching these toads closely since 2001, and this has never happened twice in one year. 8
SHORT ARTICLE
Reproduction in the Granite Night Lizard, Xantusia henshawi (Squamata: Xantusiidae), from Southern California Stephen R. Goldberg, Whittier College, Department of Biology, Whittier, CA 90608, sgoldberg@whittier.edu
T
he Granite Night Lizard, Xantusia henshawi Stejneger, 1893 (Figure 1) is a secretive, viviparous, crevice dweller that occurs from the south side of the San Gorgonio Pass in southern California south to northern Baja California where it inhabits exfoliating granite outcrops in rocky canyons and canyons in arid and semiarid regions (Stebbins 2003). Most of the information on reproduction of X. henshawi Figure 1. Granite Night Lizard, Xantusia henshawi Stejneger, 1893. Photo by Gary Nafis. is in Lee (1975). The reproductive pattern of X. henshawi consisting of spring breeding with fall parturi- Specimens examined by California County are in the tion is mentioned in Behler and King (1979), Stebbins appendix. (2003), Lemm (2006), Stebbins and McGinnis (2012). The left testis and left ovary were removed from Number of young produced (1-2) by X. henshawi is males and females, respectively. Gonads were embedin Shaw (1949), Brattstom (1951), and Lovich (2009). ded in paraffin, sections were cut at 5 µm and stained General information on X. henshawi is summarized in by Harris hematoxylin followed by eosin counterstain Lee (1976). There have been few complete studies on (Presnell and Schreibman 1997). Oviductal eggs or enxantusiid reproduction other than the classic work on larged ovarian follicles (> 4 mm length) were counted. X. vigilis by Miller (1948) and the detailed work on X. No histology was performed on them. Histology slides riversiana by Goldberg and Bezy (1974). Data on the were deposited in LACM or MVZ. An unpaired t-test reproductive cycle of lizards such as time of egg and was used to compare male and female mean body sizes sperm production, clutch size, number of clutches and summer versus spring neonate sizes (Instat vers. produced are useful in formulating conservation poli3.0b, Graphpad Software, San Diego, CA). cies (Gibbons 1994). Due to the difficulty in justifying Monthly stages in the testicular cycle of X. hencollections of large monthly samples, utilization of shawi are in Table 1. Three stages were observed: (1) museum collections for obtaining reproductive data Regression, germinal epithelium is reduced to 1-2 cell has become increasingly important. The purpose of layers. Spermatogonia and Sertoli cells predominate; this paper is to add information on the reproductive (2) Recrudescence, germinal epithelium proliferates in biology of X. henshawi from a histological examinapreparation for the next period of sperm formation. tion of museum specimens. This paper summarizes Primary and secondary spermatocytes predominate. data from the first histological examination of gonadal Spermatids are present in late recrudescence; (3) material from X. henshawi. Spermiogenesis, lumina of seminiferous tubules are A sample of 248 X. henshawi consisting of 64 males lined by spermatozoa or clusters of metamorphos(mean SVL = 55.2 mm ± 3.6 SD, range = 48-62 mm) ing spermatids. In X. henshawi, the period of sperm and 84 females (mean SVL = 59.7 mm ± 4.2 SD, formation occurs in spring (Table 1). The duration of range = 48-69 mm), 46 subadults (mean SVL = 40.0 the period of sperm formation in X. henshawi is not mm ± 3.1 SD, range = 34-47 mm) and 54 neonates known as I only examined one male from June and (mean SVL = 30.1 mm ± 2.1 SD, range = 26-33 mm) none from July. Testicular recrudescence commences was examined from the herpetology collections of in autumn, and continues through winter into spring. the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History The smallest reproductively active male (spermiogene(LACM), Los Angeles, California, and the Museum of sis in progress) measured 48 mm SVL (LACM 100730) Vertebrate Zoology (MVZ), University of California, and was collected in May. All males smaller than this Berkeley, California. Lizards were collected 1947-1985. size had tiny regressed testes. The smallest male with SONORAN HERPETOLOGIST 26 (1) 2013
The Granite Night Lizard, Xantusia henshawi Stejneger, 1893 is a secretive, viviparous, crevice dweller that occurs from the south side of the San Gorgonio Pass in southern California south to northern Baja California where it inhabits exfoliating granite outcrops in rocky canyons and canyons in arid and semiarid regions.
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Table 1. Monthly stages in the testicular cycle of 64 Xantusia henshawi from California. Month
n
Regressed
Recrudescence
Spermiogenesis
Feb
4
0
4
0
March
14
2
12
0
April
35
2
20
13
May
8
0
0
8
June
1
1
0
0
Oct
2
1
1
0
Table 2. Monthly stages in the ovarian cycle of 84 Xantusia henshawi from California. Month
n
Quiescent
Early yolk deposition
Follicles > 4 mm
Oviductal eggs
Feb
3
3
0
0
0
March
19
17
2
0
0
April
43
38
4
1
0
May
8
7
1
0
0
June
5
1
1
0
3
Sep
3
3
0
0
0
Oct
2
2
0
0
0
Dec
1
1
0
0
0
an enlarged testis in Lee (1975) measured 47 mm SVL. The mean body size (SVL) of my female sample was significantly larger than the mean of my male sample (unpaired t-test, t = 6.9, df = 146, P = <0.0001). Four stages were observed in the ovarian cycle (Table 2): (1) quiescent, no yolk deposition; (2) early yolk deposition, basophilic yolk granules in the ooplasm; (3) enlarged ovarian follicles (> 4 mm); (4) oviductal eggs, no embryos were seen. Female reproductive activity begins in spring and encompasses March to June. It is not known how long it persists as I did not examine females from July and August. The smallest reproductively active female measured 53 mm SVL and exhibited early yolk deposition (LACM 100729). It was collected in April. All females smaller than this size had tiny quiescent ovaries. The smallest gravid female in Lee (1975) measured 56 mm SVL. Mean litter size for 4 females was 2.0. Rogner (1997) reported captive X. henshawi produced 1-2 young per year. Neonates were born in October and measured 29 to 33 mm SVL (Lee 1975). I thus considered X. henshawi within these size limits as neonates. My mean SVL for 4 neonates born in summer was 30.0 mm ± 3.6 SD, range = 26-33 mm. From spring 50 X. henshawi of this range measured 30.1 mm ± 2.0 SD, range = 26-33 mm. The mean SVLs of summer and spring X. henshawi of 26-33 mm SVL did not significantly differ (unpaired t-test, t = 0.072, df = 52, P = 0.94). Xantusia henshawi has a reproductive cycle in which the timing closely resembles that of X. riversiana (Goldberg and Bezy 1974) and X. vigilis (Miller 1951, Zweifel and Lowe 1966). Mating occurs during spring, embryos develop during summer, young are born in
late summer to early autumn. The above reproductive cycles (Miller 1954, Zweifel and Lowe 1966, Goldberg and Bezy 1974) are characterized by only a portion of the females producing young in a given year. This contrasts with other temperate zone lizards, see for example (Goldberg 1971, 1975), in which over 90 percent of females are reproductively active in the breeding season. Females which do not reproduce every year, are more typical of those living in harsh environments (Cree and Guillette 1995, Boretto and Ibargüenoytía 2006, 2009, Ibargüengoytía and Casalins 2007). However, only a portion of the female population of lizards from moderate climates (the xenosauriid Xenosaurus grandis from Oaxaca, Mexico; Goldberg 2009a) and the xantusiid Lepidophyma flavimaculatum from Costa Rica (Goldberg 2009b) were reproductively active during the breeding season. Thus, the factors that cause low percentages of the female lizard population to reproduce merit further study. Xantusia henshawi neonates apparently do not grow over their first six months of life as there was no significant difference (mean SVL) in summer versus spring lizards of neonate sizes. Similarly, Goldberg (1975) reported limited winter growth of Sceloporus vandenburgianus (reported as S. graciosus) as lizards of neonate size were found on emergence from hibernation in spring. Lee (1975) reported X. henshawi to have an unusually slow growth rate and to be late maturing. It appears xantusiid lizards of western North America (X. vigilis; Miller 1948), X. riversiana (Goldberg and Bezy 1974), X. henshawi (Lee 1975), exhibit reproductive cycles with similar timing: sperm formation and spring mating, spring ovulation, summer gestation, parturition in late summer or early fall. A similar reproductive cycle is exhibited by the viviparous anguid, Elgaria coerulea (as Gerrhonotus coeruleus) (Vitt 1973). Timing in the reproduction in other members of the Xantusiidae (e.g., Lepidophyma) differ with sperm formation and yolk deposition in August (Goldberg 2009a). Except for Cricosaura typica (Moreno 1987), all xantusiids are known to be viviparous (Pough et al. 2001). With 31 species recognized in the family Xantusidae (Uetz 2012), further investigations are needed before the diversity of reproductive cycles exhibited by this family can be ascertained. In view of the small litter size, slow growth rate, perhaps only a portion of the female population reproducing in a given year (note April in Table 2) and the limited amount of fragile habitat utilized by X. henshawi, collection of this species should be severely limited. I thank Christine Thacker (LACM) and Carol Spencer (MVZ) for permission to examine X. henshawi.
Xantusia henshawi has a reproductive cycle in which the timing closely resembles that of X. riversiana (Goldberg and Bezy 1974) and X. vigilis (Miller 1951; Zweifel and Lowe 1966). Mating occurs during spring, embryos develop during summer, young are born in late summer to early autumn.
Literature Cited Behler, J.L., and F.W. King. 1979. National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians. Alfred A. Knopf, New York. SONORAN HERPETOLOGIST 26 (1) 2013
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Boretto, J.M., and N.R. Ibargüengoytía. 2006. Asynchronous spermatogenesis and biennial female cycle of the viviparous lizard Phymaturus antofagastensis (Liolaemidae): reproductive responses to high altitudes and temperate climate of Catamarca, Argentina. Amphibia-Reptilia 27:25-36. Boretto, J.M., and N.R. Ubargüengoytía. 2009. Phymaturus of Patagonia, Argentina: Reproductive biology of Phymaturus zapalensis (Liolaemidae) and a comparison of sexual dimorphism within the genus. Journal of Herpetology 43:96-104. Brattstrom, B.H. 1951. The number of young of Xantusia. Herpetologica 7:143-144. Cree, A., and L.G. Guillete, Jr. 1995. Biennial reproduction with a fourteen-month pregnancy in the gecko Hoplodactylus maculatus from southern New Zealand. Journal of Herpetology 29:163-173. Gibbons, J.W. 1994. Reproductive patterns of reptiles and amphibians: considerations for captive breeding and conservation. Pages 119-124. in: J.B. Murphy, K. Adler, and J.T. Collins, (editors). Captive Management and Conservation of Amphibians & Reptiles. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, Ithaca, New York. Goldberg, S.R. 1971. Reproductive cycle of the ovoviviparous iguanid lizard, Sceloporus jarrovii Cope. Herpetologica 27:123-131. Goldberg, S.R. 1975. Reproduction in the sagebrush lizard, Sceloporus graciosus. American Midland Naturalist 93:177-187. Goldberg, S.R. 2009a. Notes on reproduction of the knob-scaled lizard, Xenosaurus grandis (Squamata: Xenosauridae), from Veracruz, México. Texas Journal of Science 61:317-322. Goldberg, S.R. 2009b. Reproduction in the yellowspotted night lizard, Lepidophyma flavimaculatum (Squamata, Xantusiidae), from Costa Rica. Phyllomedusa 8:59-62. Goldberg, S.R., and R.L. Bezy. 1974. Reproduction in the island night lizard, Xantusia riversiana. Herpetologica 30:350-360. Ibargüengoytía, N.R., and L.M. Casalins. 2007. Reproductive biology of the southernmost gecko Homonota darwini: convergent life-history patterns among Southern Hemisphere reptiles living in harsh environments. Journal of Herpetology 41:7280. Lee, J.C. 1975. The autecology of Xantusia henshawi henshawi (Sauria: Xantusiidae). Transactions of the San Diego Society of Natural History 17(19):259-278.
Lee, J.C. 1976. Xantusia henshawi Stejneger Granite night lizard. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles. 189.1-189.2. Lemm, J.M. 2006. Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of the San Diego Region, University of California Press, Berkeley. Lovich, R.E. 2009. Granite night lizard Xantusia henshawi Stejneger, 1893. Pages 424-427 in: L.L.C. Jones and R.E. Lovich (editors), Lizards of the American Southwest, A Photographic Field Guide, Rio Nuevo Publishers, Tucson, Arizona. Miller, M.R. 1948. The seasonal histological changes occurring in the ovary, corpus luteum, and testis of the viviparous lizard, Xantusia vigilis. University of California, Publications in Zoology 47(8):197-224. Miller, M.R. 1951. Some aspects of the life history of the yucca night lizard, Xantusia vigilis. Copeia 1951:114-120. Miller, M.R. 1954. Further observations on reproduction in the lizard Xantusia vigilis. Copeia 1954:38-40. Moreno, L.V. 1987. Primeras observaciones sobre Cricosaura typica Gundlach et Peters (Squamata: Xantusiidae) en cautiverio. Ciencias Biologicas 17:104-108. Pough, F.H., R.M. Andrews, J.E. Cadle, M.L. Crump, A.H. Savitzky, and K.D. Wells. 2001. Herpetology, 2nd edition, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. Presnell, J.K., and M.P. Schreibman. 1997. Humason’s Animal Tissue Techniques, 5th Ed. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore. Rogner, M. 1977. Lizards, Volume 2, Monitors, Skinks, and other lizards including Tuataras and Crocodilians. Krieger Publishing, Malabar, Florida. Shaw, C.E. 1949. Notes on broods of two xantusiids. Herpetologica 5:23-26. Stebbins, R.C. 2003. A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians, 3rd edition. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston. Stebbins, R.C., and S.M. McGinnis. 2012. Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of California. University of California, Berkeley. Uetz, P. (ed.). 2012. The Reptile Database, http:// www.reptile-database.org, accessed October 30, 2012. Vitt, L.J. 1973. Reproductive biology of the anguid lizard, Gerrhonotus coeruleus principis. Herpetologica 29:176-184. Zweifel, R.G., and C.H. Lowe. 1966. The ecology of a population of Xantusia vigilis, the desert night lizard. American Museum Novitates 2247:1-57.
Appendix 1. Xantusia henshawi specimens (n = 248) from California (by county) examined from the herpetology collections of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (LACM) and the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology (MVZ): Imperial County LACM 52668-52671, 100672-100676, 100678-100682, 100684-100687, 101247, 116398; Riverside County LACM 3776, 14492, 14494, 14495, 14513, 14521, 14522, 14524, 14527, 14529-14532, 14534, 14538, 14544-14547, 14549, 22370- 22373, 22377, 22378, 22381, 22382, 22385, 22387-22389, 2239122395, 22398-22400, 22403, 26800, 52677, 52672-52675, 52677, 62389, 66630, 66632-66635,100688, 100690- 100692, 100695-100697, 100712-100714, 100717, 100718, 100720, 100722, 100724, 100726-100734, 100736, 100738, 100740-100742, 100745, 100747, 100749, 100750- 100752, 100757, 100760, 100763, 100764, 100766, 100769, 100771-100775, 100778-100792, 100794-100798, 100800, 100802100815, 100817-100819, 100821-100831, 100833, 100835-100844, 100846, 100848, 123508-123510, 123512-123515, 123518, 123520, 123522, 125517, 125520, 125521, 125523, 125524, 136787-136790, 149610, MVZ 64832, 73918, 73921, 73983, 147827; San Diego County LACM 14490, 52679, 52680, 52683, 62393, 100854, 100861, 100863-100876, 100878-100882, 100884-100886, 100888-100890, 100892, 100893, 100895-100898, 100901, 100903, 123526, 129688.
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FIELD ENCOUNTERS
Tortuga de la Sierra Madre – My Encounter with a Cryptic and Elusive Turtle Robert A. Villa, 811 N. 10th Ave, Tucson, AZ 85705, cascabel1985@gmail.com
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ear the end of a weeklong biological reconnaissance in 2012 I encountered one of North America’s least known chelonians on the eastern bank of the Río Yaqui. A short video of this journey, including thus far the only known footage of this species can be seen at: http://vimeo. com/49623630 México, lindo, querido “Just as all plant life springs from the soil, so from it come also the souls of men.”
Confluence of the Río Aros and Río Bavispe, forming the Río Yaqui. Photo by Robert Villa.
—J. Frank Dobie, Tongues of the Monte
fantastic and exotic beauty goes on. All this plays vividly as I remember my first trip After graduating from high school, I made my first into the Mexican interior; a country I had previously journey beyond the border town of Nogales. As we experienced only books and television. I needed more. drove south into the state of Sonora where the Sonoran By the time of this writing I have ventured into the ruDesertscrub receives more annual rainfall, I experienced ral and wild places of the state of Sonora many times to document its relatively neglected flora and fauna Mexican “speed bumps” rarely visible until hit with under the auspices of various bi-national conservation full force, Crested Caracaras, and clusters of Mexican Bird of Paradise (tabachín: Caesalpinia pulcherrima) in full organizations. bloom growing as roadside weeds. I first encountered the Sinaloan form of the Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agas- “During the revolution Martín Luis Guzmán rode the train sizii) under the first canopies of the Tropical Deciduous through Navojoa and looked over at the sierra and felt what we all do when we see its green folds rising up off the desert. Forest as a woman in her Volkswagen beetle on Mexico We all wonder what is up there and in some part of us, that Highway 16 stopped to whisk it away1. Stopping at the Río Yaqui bridge, I imagined all the mysterious verrich part where our mind plays beyond our commands, we all dant canyons descending from the wild Sierra Madre. dread and lust for what is up there.” How many Beaded Lizards (Heloderma horridum) had I passed by in this slot canyon I had walked up? As we —Charles Bowden, The Secret Forest approached the magical land surrounding the town of Álamos in all of her tropical splendor, I was awestruck. The Setting I’ll never forget the smell of the forest as we drove by: intense green tea mixed with rich damp soil. We walked Around 23 million years ago the Sierra Madre Occithrough a mango orchard enjoying its sweet fruit and dental (SMO) cordillera was lifted by tectonic and volhoping for the holy grail of any herpetological endeavor canic force from tropical lowlands, creating the physioclimactic setting for Sonora’s biodiversity. Around five to Álamos: the pichecuate (Cantil: Agkistrodon bilineatus). Soon I encountered my first escropión (Beaded Lizard: 1 Heloderma horridum), babatuco (Indigo Snake: Drymarchon One of three highways that traverses the massive Sierra Madre Occidental cordillera, one can experience desert, tropical, and melanurus), corúa (Boa constrictor), coralillo falso (Sinaloan temperate biomes on a winding day drive between Hermosillo Milksnake: Lampropeltis triangulum sinaloae), Thornscrub and Yécora (Burquez et al. 1992). Hook-nosed Snake (Gyalopion quadrangulare). The list of SONORAN HERPETOLOGIST 26 (1) 2013
After graduating from high school, I made my first journey beyond the border town of Nogales. As we drove south into the state of Sonora where the Sonoran Desertscrub receives more annual rainfall, I experienced Mexican “speed bumps” rarely visible until hit with full force, Crested Caracaras, and clusters of Mexican Bird of Paradise (tabachín) in full bloom growing as roadside weeds.
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Map 1. Diamonds indicate type localities, triangles indicate the range limit specimens.
Map 2. Bullseye indicates the specimen encountered by the author. Circle represents a possible record mentioned in the text (Bacadéhuachi). Rivers from west to east: Río Sonora; Río Moctezuma (terminates at the Río Yaqui in its south); Río Yaqui (formed at the confluence above the bullseye); Río Bavispe (forming the conuence of the Yaqui from the north); Río Aros (forming the conuence of the Yaqui from the east); El Riíto (entering the Aros from the north; containing the triangle on the map).
SONORAN HERPETOLOGIST 26 (1) 2013
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Map 3. Trip Route. Eastern star is trip launch at Natora, and western star is the trip end at the bridge above Sahuaripa. Rivers from west to east: Río Yaqui (formed at the junction just above the bullseye); Río Bavispe (river coming in from the north to form the Yaqui just above the bullseye); Río Aros (river coming in from the east to form the Yaqui just above the bullseye); El Riíto (not traveled; entering the Aros from the north).
Dorstenia dracena, a primitive fig (Moraceae). Photo by Robert Villa.
Río Aros. Photo by Robert Villa.
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to eight million years ago, various ice ages expanded and contracted the various biomes, becoming defined by increasingly seasonal precipitation. The biota in the adjacent Pacific lowlands perished, or retreated south with the tropics, and/or adapted to the newly established desert, and/or migrated and adapted to the new temperate woodlands of the SMO and adjacent ranges2 (Van Devender 2002). So like a biotic Humboldt Current, the modern Sonoran Gila Monster (Heloderma suspectum) in a side canyon of the Río Aros. Photo by Robert Villa. biota is a smörgåsbord of predominantly tropical affinity, including at least four Turtles (Rhinoclemmys pulcherrima), Sonoran Slider other biomes intermixing in southern Arizona and the (Trachemys nebulosa hiltoni), Alamos, Rough Footed, and entire state of Sonora. Most notable are the tropical Mexican Mud Turtles (Kinosternon alamosae, K. hirtipes, and temperate species reaching their distributional K. integrum). Slightly farther north reside Yaqui Slidlimits via biotic corridors on and along the SMO and ers (Trachemys yaquia) and the “Sonoran type” Desert the adjacent lowlands. These corridors are deep, north- Tortoise. And of course throughout the southern and south canyons or barrancos that act as tropical shelters eastern portion of Sonora resides one of the most from seasonally cold temperatures in more exposed elusive New World chelonians: the Spotted Box Turtle terrain; and temperate isolated mountain ranges as(Terrapene nelsoni). sociated with the SMO surrounded by lowlands (sky At around 95 km south of the international border, islands). While winters become increasingly mild to one can see the northernmost population of B. constricthe south, the odd freeze acts as a “pruning” factor for 2 Thanks to the examination and carbon dating of fossilized many tropical species in this giant transition zone bepackrat middens, we are able to determine the environmental tween northern temperate biota and southern tropical conditions of the location of the middens when they were biota between 28º and 31º north in east-central Sonora active up to around 12,000 years ago (Van Devender 2002). (Van Devender 2002). Indeed the upper regions of 3 Palo santo, holy tree, Mexican tree morning glory. “A spectacuthe SMO regularly freeze and rarely snow during the lar tree 7-10 m. high, with smooth, white-gray bark like the hide of winter months (Burquez et al. 1992). a hippopotamus. It flowers in winter when leafless, holding a high, At Sonora’s southern tip you have a few desert spe- thin spread of white corollas like stars against the morning sky. These stars soon fall upon the ground, where the deer eat them. cies at their southern limits such as Tiger Rattlesnakes With the summer rains the tree forms a dense foliage, which on the (Crotalus tigris), Gila Monsters (Heloderma suspectum), and characteristically recurved branches is somewhat plumelike, Saguaro cacti (Carnegia gigantea) amongst the northernespecially from a distance. It deciduates during late September or most Mexican Leaf Frogs (Pachymedusa dacnicolor), Pota- early October.” —Howard Scott Gentry, Rio Mayo Plants monid (semi terrestrial) crabs (Pseudothelphusa sonorenGentry (1903-1993) was a true gentleman naturalist and sis), Amazon Parrots (Amazona sp.), Margays (Leopardus ethnographer with a romantic knack for writing (to the annoyance of his editors). He was deeply in touch with plants weidii), pichecuates, tlacuachínes (Murine Opossums: and their affair with humans, particularly Agave plants. The first Tlacuatzin canescens), Blunt-headed Treesnakes (Imantodes to enter the Río Mayo and document its biota, his Rio Mayo gemmistratus), coralillos (West Mexican Coralsnakes: Plants and Agaves of Continental North America remain Micrurus distans), and Ant Hill Snakes (Sympholis lippiens) landmark contributions to North American botany. The former is at once scholarly, poetic, and long out of print, however a (Robichaux and Yetman 2000). Maybe even a Jaguarevised and edited edition preserving his romantic style is rundi (Herpailurus yagouaroundi)… available (Martin et al. 1998). For the cheloniaphile it should be noted that several 4 While this is the northernmost breeding region for Jaguars, species from distinct families may be encountered in individuals are known to reside along the U.S.-Mexico this relatively small geographic area (all but the second borderlands. Historically they were extirpated from as far north tortoise are endemic to Mexico and/or Sonora): The as the Grand Canyon, eastern Texas, and northern Baja California (San Pedro Martir). “Sinaloan type” Desert Tortoise, Mexican Wood SONORAN HERPETOLOGIST 26 (1) 2013
So like a biotic Humboldt Current, the modern Sonoran biota is a smörgåsbord of predominantly tropical affinity but including at least four other biomes intermixing within hours of the international border.
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tor amongst Saguaros, oaks (Quercus sp.), and palms (Brahea nitida) (Felger and Joyal 1999). Further at 161-201 km one can see maple trees (Acer grandidentatum) next to palms in the higher elevations. Lower in elevation are the northernmost Kapok (Ceiba and Pseudobombax sp.) and Morning Glory3 Trees (Ipomea arborescens), terrestrial bromeliads (Hechtia montana), and breeding populations of: Military Macaws (Ara militaris), Neotropical River Otters (Lontra longicaudis), and the largest, most powerful cat in the new world, the Jaguar (Panthera onca)4 (Felger and Joyal 1999, Felger et al. 2001, O’Brien 2006). It was in this region, on a biological expedition of the Río Aros and Yaqui that I encountered one of the least known New World chelonians in its habitat: a Northern Spotted Box Turtle (Terrapene nelsoni klauberi). Entrada In July of 2012 I had the pleasure of assisting with a biological rafting expedition of the Río Aros and surrounding wilderness. The purpose was to help monitor a large preserve, and surrounding properties for possible acquisition, that are flanked by the Aros. Rafting is the only practical route of entry to the extremities of these large properties. The particularly lush Foothills Thornscrub we were entering led me to entertain the hope of establishing new records expanding the known range of Beaded Lizards, and other tropical herps. More importantly on my mind were populations of Northern Spotted Box Turtles reported on previous rafting trips to this region. Since learning of this secretive creature, I knew I had to find this precious gem among North American chelonians in the Mexican back of beyond. The launch site was at Natora, two days drive from Tucson with the second day taken up by driving 100 km over mountainous dirt road from the nearest town. This little village is the last outpost before entering some of the most wild and inaccessible terrain in the Sonoran region. In the chaotic assembly of the rafts, gear, and supplies we were drenched by a chubasco (monsoonal downpour) and shivering in the middle of July. The locals had more ammunition for the theory that gringos are crazy (and as the river rose I began to agree). Among the gathering crowd I managed to buy a liter of home-distilled bacanora from a very inebriated man. This regional mezcal (Agave liquor) made from the Narrow-leaved Agave (Agave angustifolia) would be a most appreciated purchase later on. It was getting late and the spectators now included young men hoping we could get them and/or their clandestine goods to
The Spotted Box Turtle (Terrapene nelsoni) encountered by the author. Photo by Robert Villa.
el otro lado (the other side [of the border]) if we hired them as helpers. They offered us anything we wanted within their recreational pharmacopeia. We launched without them and landed just a few km downstream before dark. Beauty and Fracaso “The real Sierra Madre…the wondrous cruelty of those mountains.” —J. P. S. Brown, The Mulatos River Journal [The Cinnamon Colt and Other Stories]
In July of 2012 I had the pleasure of assisting with a biological rafting expedition of the Río Aros and surrounding wilderness. The purpose was to help monitor a large preserve, and surrounding properties for possible acquisition, that are flanked by the Aros.
My desire to participate in such an expedition grew from poring over online photo albums by whitewater runners on the great rivers and gorges of northwestern Mexico, including the Aros and Yaqui. My expectations were met as we passed through steep, deep canyons covered with Octopus Agave (A. vilmoriniana), so named for their curvy, spineless leaves. Beside them were various cacti, and some of the northernmost terrestrial bromeliads, frangipani (Plumeria rubra), and Rock Figs (nacapule/tescalama: Ficus petiolaris) whose exposed roots clung beautifully to the walls. These frost-sensitive plants could be indicators of specifically SONORAN HERPETOLOGIST 26 (1) 2013
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tropical herpetofauna! So on a midday hike when I was called over to look at Gila Monster, I hoped it would actually be a Beaded Lizard. Yaqui Sliders and otters left us only tracks on the sandbars to evidence their presence. One day approaching camp the paddler of the large raft I was on drifted beyond timely return while swimming. Quickly fatiguing, I was barely able to avert disaster from rapids and large debris. I was mad, Spotted Box Turtle (Terrapene nelsoni) near Ameca, Jalisco, near the southernmost ashamed, and high on endorphins. One known limit of this species’ distribution. Photo by Paulino Ponce-Campos. fracaso leads to another…. Another day we began to hear what could only friendships against the worst of the river. Sweet, hard be the raucous cacophony of large parrots. We were bacanora…. approaching the northernmost roost of Military We had reached the point of the trip where the Macaws, a spectacle beyond description. An hour of Aros meets the Bavispe to form the Yaqui. It was all observation from shore allowed us to determine there smooth sailing from here they said, and I was relieved, were about nine of these marvelous birds on the cliff since I had enough whitewater by this point! But I wall. We were also close to the three largest and most was admittedly dismayed not to have seen the more difficult rapids and were pausing to assess running impressive herps known from this river including them. I couldn’t help but wonder if the macaws were Indigo Snakes and Spotted Box Turtles. Every day a figurative offering from the universe before what we’d awake early to explore canyons in search of biota would turn out to be a test of mental, technical, and before breaking camp. I should have seen something physical fortitude. new by now… In Mexican fashion I called them Las Tres Marias, or The Three Marias, after the saint of that name with Tortuga de Chispitas which many people in Mexico pray to in dire straits. The first rapid was actually named for the canyon in “First you just look, the vicinity: La Morita (Little Mulberry). An oxymoron later you will find, find. for sure! We were all humbled as we observed from First you just look, shore one of the most impressive forces of nature I later you will find, find. had ever seen. Before returning to our respective crafts we noticed Over there, I, in an opening, one of the kayaks sans paddler headed down river. He in the flower-covered grove, didn’t tie off his kayak, not realizing that the river in I went out, fact rises and falls imperceptibly throughout the day then you will find, find due to distant storms in the watershed. This was to set First you just look, off the next set of fracasos before the end of the day. later you will find, find.” I never again want to be in such a fearful situation that I have to encourage another, who quite literally holds —Maso Bwikam (Yaqui Deer Song)5 my life in their hands, to extract us from between a We were nearing the end of the trip and I was berock and a hard place (quite literally). As the paddler ginning to question my abilities to find herps. Another I was riding with negotiated large waves and giant lunchtime hike. The hummingbirds were many, sipping boulders, we scarcely skirted a massive whirlpool I’m from the uvalama (Tree Verbena, Vitex mollis). It was sure would have flipped the twelve-foot raft we were on. By the end of the day we had tested our wits and 5
We were nearing the end of the trip and I was beginning to question my abilities to find herps. Another lunchtime hike. The hummingbirds were many, sipping from the uvalama (Tree Verbena, Vitex mollis). It was a lovely canyon with seeps from which we filtered drinking water.
See Evers and Molina (1987)
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a lovely canyon with seeps from which we filtered drinking water. Going to the raft for a tool, I noticed a log at the mouth of the canyon I hadn’t seen previously. Searching for amphibians and reptiles, logs must be flipped, even if half-heartedly. Hot and somewhat depressed I lifted it, and realizing it was heavier than I thought, dropped it on my foot, scraping off a gnarly bit of skin. PUTA MADRE! Cursing my rookie move I looked up and became instantly joyous. There in her quizzical silence a Spotted Box Turtle beheld a most peculiar ape. The ape was bleeding, in pain, and dancing. I had found one of North America’s most secretive and unknown chelonians. Photos were taken (gratuitous and documentary) and all was good. In the thrill of the moment I neglected my duty as a naturalist to observe anything of importance relating to the animal in its natural setting. Photos and specimen data was accessioned into the Madrean Archipelago Biodiversity Assessment database (http://www. madrean.org). Tortuga del Monte Like other box turtles, Terrapene nelsoni is active during the summer rainy season (July to September) and might brumate (cold season dormancy) in colder portions of its range. Otherwise T. nelsoni appears to aestivate (dry season dormancy) and seems to be most active/common after drenching rains (Buskirk and Ponce-Campos 2011). The apparent difficulty in finding individuals may have to do with their densely vegetated habitat, and effective camouflage. It has been found in a variety of habitats and corresponding elevational gradients including Foothills Thornscrub, Tropical Deciduous Forest, Oak Woodland, Pine-oak Woodland, and Mixed Conifer Forest (Buskirk and Ponce-Campos 2011). Terrapene nelsoni has been documented to eat beetles (Lemos-Espinal 2005) and the fruit of Pitaya (Stenocereus thurberi) and/or Prickly Pear (Opuntia sp.) as evidenced by crimson juice-stained beaks (O’Brien et al. 2006). Likely to be as opportunistic as other box turtles, one can surmise that they will eat carrion, bird eggs and nestlings, other fruits, scavenge through scat, and even eat their own offspring as observed in captive Desert Box Turtles (Terrapene ornata luteola) (author observation).
Mexican Bird of Paradise (Caesalpinia mexicana). Photo by R. Villa.
Mating and egg laying likely take place during the rainy season, with young presumed to emerge toward the end of this season as in the case of the T. o. luteola. Females are known to develop between one and four eggs (Minx 1984). There is a single recorded observation of a juvenile Spotted Box Turtle from Chihuahua state (Ponce-Campos and Buskirk 2011). The relation of Terrapene nelsoni to T. ornata (Ornate Box Turtle) has been strongly supported on the basis of osteology and historical biogeography (Milstead and Tinkle 1967, Dodd 2001). It would seem likely that the two species descended from a common ancestor and assimilated into their modern adjoining habitats during the biotic modifications within the five to eight million years (Van Devender 2002). Most of the range of T. nelsoni lies within mountainous regions with poor access and socially volatile, clandestine activities, thus explaining the paucity of specimens and the great hiatuses between them. However, within the last few years, new records of T. nelsoni have augmented its poorly known distribution. T. nelsoni is recorded in the states of Chihuahua, Jalisco, Nayarit, Sinaloa, and Sonora (Buskirk and PonceCampos 2011). The northernmost specimen is from the region east of Nacori Chico, Sonora on the El Riíto (river) (Buskirk and Ponce-Campos 2011). Unsubstantiated reports by locals in the Sierra Bacadéhuachi would extend the range of this turtle about 20 km northwest of the Nacori Chico specimen (Villa and Van Devender in prep.). More northerly specimens are possible in the Río Sonora drainage, and one has been reported on the adjacent Río Moctezuma. The westernmost population is about 146 km to the southwest in the Sierra Mazatán (Villa and Merzbacher in prep.), however more westerly specimens are possible along the Río SONORAN HERPETOLOGIST 26 (1) 2013
Like other box turtles, Terrapene nelsoni is active during the summer rainy season (July to September) and might brumate (cold season dormancy) in colder portions of its range. Otherwise T. nelsoni appears to aestivate (dry season dormancy) and seems to be most active/ common after drenching rains.
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Sonora as well. Two populations have been documented in western Chihuahua (Buskirk and Ponce-Campos 2011). Apart from an incomplete specimen (Hardy and McDiarmid 1969), there are only a handful of observations from Sinaloa including a low elevation record of 140 m (Buskirk and Ponce-Campos 2011). Populations likely occur in the adjacent state of Durango. Three relatively recent specimens in Jalisco represent the southern- and easternmost populations, roughly 230, 240, and 250 km away from the type locality (previously the most south- and eastern) at: the vicinity of Guachinango (Montes-Ontiveros and Ponce-Campos 2006), near the Sierra Ameca (easternmost; Ponce-Campos, in prep.), and near the Sierra de Quila (southernmost; Rodriguez-Canseco in prep) (respectively). These locales lie in the region between the Sierra Madre Occidental and the Mexican Trans-volcanic Belt, unique in its composition of biota from various biogeographic regions. The majority of records of this species are from Sonora due to the relatively more accessible nature of the region. It is here that undertaking detailed study of its ecology and natural history is desirable and more likely. There is a remote possibility that it occurs in the extreme western portion of the state of Zacatecas as indicated by a zone of suitable habitat near the borders of Nayarit and Jalisco. Probably the first specimen of Terrapene nelsoni collected for science was collected on the NelsonGoldman expedition of the Smithsonian Institution/ US National Museum of Natural History (USNM) in 18976 (Buskirk and Ponce-Campos 2011). Over the course of 14 years, Dr. W. E. Nelson and C. A. Goldman led the epic expedition that spanned every corner of the Mexican Republic. No greater and more thorough accumulation and synthesis of biotic information of such a massive and biotically diverse country had been undertaken; moreover by only two people. While it was indeed a golden age of exploration, Mexico will continue to hold her secrets, a steadfast allure to
the romantic, intrepid adventurer. Not included in the published summary of the expedition, are 150 amphibians and reptiles collected during the expedition, including some new to science7. Much later Leonhard Stejneger described T. nelsoni in 1925 from the very specimen collected on this expedition (the holotype: USNM 46252) at Pablo Pedro in the state of Nayarit (type locality) and named it after Nelson8. Eighteen years later Charles Bogert (herpetology curator, American Museum of Natural History (AMNH)) described Terrapene klauberi (=Terrapene nelsoni klauberi) from four female specimens collected at Rancho Güirocoba near Álamos, Sonora9, about 610 km from the holotype and only other known Spotted Box Turtle record at the time. Bogert’s description as a full species was due in part to the mislabeling of a photograph of the holotype of the Mexican Box Turtle (Terrapene goldmani [= T. carolina mexicana]) as that of T. nelsoni in a review of the genus Terrapene (Ditmars 1934). The animals likely were confused because both virtually lack carapace markings, the latter a result of advanced age (Shaw 1952). Had there been more than one T. nelsoni specimen available, the species would have been readily distinguishable from the species characteristic spots. Despite only having a photograph of the single uncharacteristic Terrapene nelsoni specimen at his disposal, Bogert was perceptive enough to note the morphological and biogeographic similarities between the holotype and his type series. After several reassignments between species and subspecies, Bogert’s taxon was ultimately classified as subspecific to T. nelsoni (Milstead and Tinkle 1967), as Bogert (1943) had originally predicted pending the collection of additional specimens. However, the characters used to distinguish the subspecies from each other are vague and unreliable. Perhaps if specimens are discovered within the still relatively large uncollected regions of congruous habitat between the putative subspecies, there will be consensus concerning the unity of the species.
It’s unclear whether Léon Diguet collected one in 1896 or 1897 (Buskirk and Ponce-Campos 2011).
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Included is the Mexican Box Turtle (T. carolina mexicana), which Leonhard Stejneger had originally named after Goldman in 1933 using their specimen. It should be noted that the first specimen of the species collected is not necessarily the holotype. So prolific and diverse was Stejneger in his contributions to zoölogy that many animals were named after him, including the type series of the Sinaloan Long-tailed Rattlesnake (Crotalus stejnegeri) also collected by Nelson and Goldman in Sinaloa the same year as T. nelsoni with which it may be sympatric in the more tropical foothills of the SMO (Dunn 1919).
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So prolific and diverse was Stejneger in his contributions to zoölogy that many animals were named after him, including the Longtailed Rattlesnake (Crotalus stejnegeri) that may be sympatric with T. nelsoni in the more tropical foothills of the SMO.
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Bogert with help from James Oliver (AMNH), John Hilton (painter and author), and Charles Lowe (University of Arizona) collected many of the first specimens for Sonora in the tropical thornscrub and deciduous forest in Alamos and vicinity. These were the basis for Bogert and Oliver’s A Preliminary Analysis of the Herpetofauna of Sonora, which remained until recently the first comprehensive account on the subject. One can read about Hilton’s exploits in Sonora (herpetological and otherwise) in his marvelous Sonora Sketchbook. Hilton collected the specimens in 1941 that T. n. klauberi is described from, and one of two Sonoran endemic slider turtles was named after him by the eminent Dr. Archie Carr (eminent turtle biologist and father of conservation biology) at the suggestion of Bogert. Charles Lowe deserves special mention as a larger-than-life character and one who could be considered the dean of Sonoran Desert ecology. A savant and early environmentalist, he was the first to document the natural histories of many Sonoran and Southwestern species, including an exhaustive monograph on the Saguaro cactus. He was also known to have befriended Marlon Brando in Tucson who rode with Lowe to the four corners region on collecting trips and to work in Native American activism, of which Lowe also partook (Rosen 2004).
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Among a few common names given to T. nelsoni are caja/ cajita (box/little box) and casco/ casquita (helmet/little helmet). But one that stands out is from southern Sonora near Álamos where some elders refer to it tortuga de chispitas (turtle of little sparks) in reference to the many yellow spots on the shell and skin of the species (Buskirk, pers. obs.). Indeed sparks will fly whenever I lay my eyes on this chelonian.
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Among a few common names given to T. nelsoni are caja/cajita (box/little box) and casco/casquita (helmet/little helmet). But one that stands out is from southern Sonora near Álamos where some elders refer to it tortuga de chispitas (turtle of little sparks) in reference to the many yellow spots on the shell and skin of the species (Buskirk, pers. obs.). Indeed sparks will fly whenever I lay my eyes on this chelonian. México, lindo, y que herido, que Dios te lleve… “Everywhere I look this night I hear the distant thunder of the Twentieth Century’s rush into the desert, the last pocket of space left in the idea of the frontier.” —Charles Bowden, Blue Desert A variety of threats face Terrapene nelsoni and its home in Sonora. Most directly is slashing and burning its habitat to plant Buffel Grass (Pennisetum ciliare) for cattle. Northern Mexico shares the deep-rooted romanticism for cattle and the cowboy with the U.S. So it’s not surprising that in 2003 government figures showed cattle (largely subsidized by the government) occupied 83 percent of the state of Sonora, and contributed approximately four percent to its $226 million gross domestic product that year (Ibarra-Flores et al. 2009). Holy cow! Holy $#%! Furthermore, 71 percent of the Sonoran region we speak of occurs in the state of Sonora, only five and a half percent of which is actually designated as wilderness preserves. In 2006 it was determined that 80 percent of these preserves remained intact (IbarraFlores et al. 2009). T. nelsoni is found in four protected wilderness areas in Mexico, and protected by the country’s laws (Buskirk and Ponce-Campos 2011). Logging, agricultural, urban and highway expansion, climate change, and poaching for the exotic pet trade constitute other threats to T. nelsoni throughout its range.
Southernmost known Spotted Box Turtle (Terrapene nelsoni) near Quila, Jalisco. Photo by Jim Pint.
the face of whatever life offers.
4 A variety of
“It has never occurred to me to speak with elegant animals. I am not curious about the opinion of wasps or of racing mares. Let them settle matters while flying, let them win decorations while running! I want to speak with flies, with the cur that has recently littered, and to converse with snakes. I want to speak with many things and I will not leave this world without knowing what I came to find, without solving this affair, and people are not enough. I have to go much farther and I have to go much closer.” —Pablo Neruda, Bestiary Gracias Thanks to those who revised prior drafts of this article for grammatical and factual errors, especially James Buskirk, Randy Babb, Taylor Edwards, Kaitlyn
threats face Terrapene nelsoni and its home in Sonora. Most directly is slashing and burning its habitat to plant Buffel Grass (Pennisetum ciliare) for cattle.
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“Of what avail are forty freedoms without a blank spot on the map?” —Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac If the sky is indeed falling, maybe we should at least have the faith of turtles and other living things who become displaced, persecuted, and sense global climate shifts far more than we do, and yet carry on in
Photo of Rock Fig (nacapule/tescalama; Ficus petiolaris), Octopus Agave (Agave vilmoriniana), and Prickly Pear (Opuntia sp.). Photo by Robert Villa.
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Foley, Eric Goode, John Iverson, Sky Jacobs, James Juvik, Ross Kiester, Eric Kroll, James Merzbacher, Lee Oler, Ted Papenfuss, Todd Pierson, John and Susy Pint, Paulino Ponce-Campos, Jesus Rodríguez-Campos, and Philip C. Rosen. For information on museum specimens, thanks goes to Jeremy F. Jacobs and Kenneth Tighe (Amphibians and Reptiles Staff at Smithsonian/ USNM) for providing information on the box turtles of the Nelson-Goldman expedition, and to Carol L. Spencer (Staff Curator, Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley). Literature Cited and Suggested Reading Bogert, C.M. 1943. A New Box Turtle from Southeastern Sonora, Mexico. American Museum Novitates No. 1226, American Musuem of Natural History, New York, New York. http://digitallibrary.amnh. org/dspace/handle/2246/4799 Bogert, C.M., and J.A. Oliver. 1945. A Preliminary Analysis of the Herpetofauna of Sonora. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 83(6):297426. American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York. http://digitallibrary.amnh.org/ dspace/handle/2246/333 Bowden, C. 1993. The Secret Forest. The Southwest Center Series, University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, New Mexico. Brown, J.P.S. 1974. Forests of the Night. Dial Press, New York, New York. Brown, J.P.S. 1991. The Cinnamon Colt and Other Stories. Doubleday Publishing, New York, New York. Burkhalter, D. 1998. La Vida Norteña: Photographs of Sonora, México. The Southwest Center Series, University of Arizona Press, Tucson, Arizona. Burquez, A., A. Martínez-Yrízar, and P.S. Martin. 1992. From the high Sierra Madre to the coast: Changes in vegetation along Highway 16, Maycoba-Hermosillo. Pages 239-252 in: K.F. Clark, J. Roldán-Quintana, and R.H. Smith (editors). Geology and Mineral Resources of Northern Sierra Madre, Mexico. El Paso Geological Survey, El Paso, Texas. Buskirk, J.R., and P. Ponce-Campos. 2011. Terrapene nelsoni Stejneger 1925—Spotted Box Turtle, Tortuga de Chispitas, Tortuga de Monte. Pages 60.1-60.8 in: A.G.J. Rhodin, P.C.H. Pritchard, P.P. van Dijk, R.A. Saumure, K.A. Buhlman, J.B. Iverson, and R.A. Mittermeier (editors). Conservation Biology of Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises: A Compilation Project of the IUCN/SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group. Chelonian Research Monographs No. 5, Chelonian Research Foundation. http://www. iucn-tftsg.org/wpcontent/uploads/file/Accounts/ crm_5_060_nelsoni_v1_2011.pdf Ditmars, R.L. 1934. A review of the Box Turtles. Zoologica 17(1):1-44.
Dobie, J.F. 1980. Tongues of the Monte. University of Texas Press, Austin, Texas. Dobie, J.F. 1985. Apache Gold and Yaqui Silver. University of Texas Press, Austin, Texas. Dodd, C.K. 2001. North American Box Turtles—A Natural History. Animal Natural History No. 6. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, Oklahoma. Dunn, E.R. 1919. Two new crotaline snakes from western Mexico. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 32:213-216. Evers, L., and F.S. Molina. 1987. Yaqui Deer Songs | Maso Bwikam—A Native American Poetry. Sun Tracks: A Native American Literary Series, Vol. 14. University of Arizona Press, Tucson, Arizona. Felger, R.S., M.B. Johnson, and M.F. Wilson. 2001. The Trees of Sonora, Mexico. Oxford University Press, New York, New York. Felger, R.S., and E. Joyal. 1999. The Palms (Areaceae) of Sonora, Mexico. Aliso 18(1):1-18. Franklin, C.J., and D.C. Killpack. 2009. The Complete North American Box Turtle. ECO Herpetological Publishing & Distribution, Rodeo, New Mexico. Gentry, H.S. 1963. The Warihio Indians of Sonora-Chihuahua: An Ethnographic Survey. Anthropological Papers, No. 63, Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin 186: 61-144, pls. 28-38. United States Printing Office, Washington, District of Columbia. Goldman, E.A. 1951. Biological Investigations in México. Smithsonian Miscellaneous Publications Volume 115 (whole volume), Publication 4017, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, District of Columbia. Hardy, L.M., and R.W. McDiarmid. 1969. The Amphibians and Reptiles of Sinaloa, México. University of Kansas Publications, Museum of Natural History 18(3):39-252. Hilton, J.W. 1947. Sonora Sketchbook. Macmillan, New York, New York. Ibarra-Flores, F.A., M.H. Martín-Rivera, F.G. DenogeanBallesteros, and R. Aguirre-Murrieta. 2009. Buffelgrass, Cattle, and the Sonoran Desert. Pages 375-381 in: T.R. Van Devender, F.J. Espinosa-García, B.L. Harper-Lore, and T. Hubbard (editors). Invasive Plants on the Move: Controlling Them in North America. Based on Presentations from Weeds Across Borders 2006 Conference, Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, May 25th through 29th, 2006. ArizonaSonora Desert Museum, Tucson, Arizona and U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, D.C. Johnson, Jr., R. 2005. The Quiet Mountains: A Ten-Year Search for the Last Wild Trout of Mexico’s Sierra Madre Occidental. The Southwest Center Series, University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, New Mexico. Lemos-Espinal, J.A. 2005. Anfibios y Reptiles de la Sierra Tarahumara. Informe final: SNIB-CONABIO proyecto X004. Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Martin, P.S., D. Yetman, M. Fishbein, P. Jenkins, T.R. SONORAN HERPETOLOGIST 26 (1) 2013
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Van Devender, and R.K. Wilson. 1998. Gentry’s Río Mayo Plants: The Tropical Deciduous Forest and Environs of Northwest Mexico. The Southwest Center Series, University of Arizona Press, Tucson, Arizona. Milstead, W.W., and D.W. Tinkle. 1967. Terrapene of Western Mexico, with comments on the species groups in the genus. Copeia 1967(1):180-187. Minx, P. 1984. Phylogenetic Relationships Among the Box Turtles, Genus Terrapene. Herpetologica 52:589-597. Montes-Ontiveros, O., and P. Ponce-Campos. 2006. Terrapene nelsoni nelsoni (Southern Spotted Box Turtle). Geographic Distribution. Herpetological Review 37(2): 239. Northern Jaguar Project. http://www.northernjaguarproject.org. Robichaux, R.H., and D.A. Yetman (editors). 2000. The tropical deciduous forest of Alamos: Biodiversity of a threatened ecoystem in Mexico. University of Arizona Press, Tucson, Arizona. Rosen, P.C. 2004. Charles Herbert Lowe, Jr., 19202002. Copeia 2004:961-972. Shaw, C.E. 1952. Sexual dimorphism in Terrapene klauberi and the Relationship of T. nelsoni to T. klauberi. Copeia 1952(2):39-41.
Stejneger, L.H. 1925. New species and subspecies of North American turtles. Journal of the Washington Academy of Sciences 15(2): 462-463. http://www. biodiversitylibrary.org/pdf4/011943300123269.pdf Van Devender, T.R. 2002. Environmental history of the Sonoran Desert. Pages 3-24 in: T.H. Flemming and A. Valiente-Banuet (editors). Columnar cacti and their mutualists: Evolution, ecology, and conservation. University of Arizona Press, Tucson, Arizona. Villa, R.A., and T.R. Van Devender. In preparation. Herpetofauna from the Sierra Bacadéhuachi, Sonora, Mexico. Villa, R.A., T.R. Van Devender, C.M. Valdéz-Coronel, and T.R. Burkhardt. In preparation. Peripheral and elevational distribution, and a novel prey item of Drymarchon melanurus rubidus (Mexican West Coast Cribo, babatuco, apalcuate) in Sonora, México. Herpetological Review. Yetman, D. 1996. Sonora: An intimate geography. The Southwest Center Series, University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, New Mexico. Yetman, D. 2002. The Guarijios of the Sierra Madre: Hidden people of northwestern Mexico. The Southwest Center Book Series, University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Call for Proposals: Charles H. Lowe, Jr., Herpetological Research Fund
The Charles H. Lowe, Jr., Herpetological Research Fund is accepting proposals to support research that
contributes to the conservation of amphibians and/ or reptiles of the Sonoran Desert Region, inclusive of the states of Arizona, southeastern California, the Baja California peninsula, Sonora, and islands in the Sea of Cortés. Proposals are due 15 April 2013. Eligibility: Any current THS member is eligible to receive awards from the C.H. Lowe Research Fund. Researchers neither need to be affiliated with an institution nor have previous experience. K-12 schools and students are encouraged to apply. THS Board Members and the C.H. Lowe Fund Committee Members are not eligible. Individuals are allowed to apply for funding in consecutive years assuming all deliverables have been received from the previous award, or significant progress has been made on a past award as approved by the Committee Chair. Funding and Selection Criteria: Up to $1,000 will be awarded per applicant. Proposals will be reviewed by the C.H. Lowe Fund Commit-
tee in April and May 2013. Decisions to award will be made on the value of the research proposed and not on the experience or status of the person making the request. No proposals that involve collecting animals for personal collections or profit will be funded. The fund is primarily for the purchase of equipment, but can also pay for personnel and travel costs. All awards are subject to C.H. Lowe Fund Committee recommendations and THS Board approval. Awards may not be granted every period and are subject to availability of funds. Funding may be awarded out of cycle under special circumstances. Contact the C.H. Lowe Research Fund Committee Chair (see information below) regarding out-of-cycle proposals. Proposals will be evaluated in accordance with the following criteria: 1) Degree to which the objectives of the proposal are clearly stated, feasible, and achievable 2) Clarity of the research question or hypothesis (purely educational or management proposals can be funded, but are ranked lower) 3) Focus on Sonoran Desert region amphibians SONORAN HERPETOLOGIST 26 (1) 2013
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and/or reptiles (projects in the Sonoran Desert are ranked higher, but projects in adjacent nondesert communities can be funded) 4) Contribution to conservation 5) Contribution to education 6) Uniqueness or degree to which the work represents novel work 7) Degree to which the work is supported by other means (proposals without such support will rank higher on this criterion) 8) Likelihood of novel distributional data or range extensions 9) Degree to which equipment purchased under this proposal could be used in other research projects 10) Overall quality of the proposal Proposals: Proposals should include 1) a cover sheet with contact information and name(s) of the applicants. 2) a not-to-exceed two page (single-spaced) description of the project objectives, methods, schedule for equipment use and project closure, and products (reports, etc.), and 2) a one page budget detailing expenditure of the C.H. Lowe dollars and a summary of other funding and support. For anonymity in the review process, the cover sheet is the only place the proponent’s name should appear. The proposal should provide enough information so the selection criteria listed above can be evaluated by the C.H. Lowe Committee. Proposals should be Word documents sent electronically to the C.H. Lowe Fund Committee Chair (jrorabaugh@hotmail.com) no later than 15 April 2013. The C.H. Lowe Fund Committee will review each proposal with the cover sheet removed. We will strive to fund accepted proposals by 1 June 2013. Deliverables: Within six months of award, all awardees are required to submit to the editor of the Sonoran Herpetologist a progress report that will be published in the “Current Research News.” This report will include a description of the project and any preliminary results, which may vary from just a few sentences to a longer report, depending on the project and progress to date. We also encourage submission of full-length articles in Sonoran Herpetologist at the conclusion of the project.
Equipment: All equipment purchased under a C.H. Lowe grant is the property of the THS and can be withdrawn from a project at any time upon request of the Committee. Expendable items purchased may remain the property of the awardee. We understand that damage to or loss of equipment may occur. We only ask that awardees treat THS equipment with care and respect. Equipment already owned by THS can be requested anytime by an awardee from the Committee Chair. Equipment may not be available or may need to be shared among projects. We also cannot be responsible for the proper functioning or calibration of equipment. The Committee can authorize use of equipment without THS Board approval. The following equipment is owned by THS and may be available for C.H. Lowe projects: 1) 2) 3) 4) 5)
Infrared thermometer Cloacal thermometer GPS unit Digital camera Lizard nooses
Additional Information: Awardees must adhere to all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations, including but not limited to, Fair Labor, Civil Rights, and Americans with Disabilities Act regulations. Awardees must be in compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations regarding wildlife, animal welfare, and land access. Awardees must obtain all necessary permits prior to beginning their work. Copies of these permits may be requested by the C.H. Lowe Committee and if in the judgment of the Committee a project is deemed to be out of compliance with permits, or other applicable laws or regulations, the award will be immediately revoked. THS holds no responsibility for research deliverables that may be required by other participating parties or grantees on a project. For further information, please visit: http://tucsonherpsociety.org/CHLoweFund.html Or contact: Jim Rorabaugh, Committee Chair C.H. Lowe Research Fund jrorabaugh@hotmail.com
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N AT U R A L H I S TO RY N OT E
Occurance of a Western Spadefoot Toad in the burrow system of the Giant Kangaroo Rat, San Luis Obispo County, California
Monica J. Hememez1, Howard O. Clark, Jr.2, and Robert K. Burton2 Field Biologist, H. T. Harvey & Associates, 4251 S. Higuera Street, Suite 800, San Luis Obispo, CA, mhemenez@harveyecology.com 2 Senior Wildlife Ecologist, H. T. Harvey & Associates, 7815 N. Palm Avenue, Suite 310, Fresno, CA, hclark@harveyecology.com; rburton@harveyecology.com
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he Western Spadefoot Toad (Spea hammondii) is a California species of special concern occurring within the grassland vernal pool systems and other habitats in California’s Great Central Valley, adjacent valleys and mountain foothills, and along the lower half of the coastal mountain range, extending into Baja California (Jennings and Hayes 1994). The species is typically nocturnal with an invertebrate diet, consisting mainly of adult beetles, larval and adult moths, crickets, flies, ants, and earthworms (Morey and Guinn 1992). The Western Spadefoot spends most of its time underground, usually in burrows it excavates by using hardened knobs on the hind feet. During heavy rains (October through May) the toad will break out of its burrow and find water pools in which to breed (Stebbins and McGinnis 2012). Little is known regarding suitable habitat and soil characteristics of burrow systems. Jennings and Hayes (1994) wrote: “…the features of suitable habitat remain poorly understood. It has often been assumed that S. hammondii requires loose soil for subterranean dormancy, but it has also been observed to occupy small mammal burrows (Stebbins 1951). Whether it uses the latter only as temporary refuges during its season of surface activity is unknown, but a better understanding of its pattern of utilization of subterranean refuges will allow refining of our current understanding of suitable habitat.” Here we report use of a Giant Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys ingens) burrow as a subterranean refuge. While excavating the burrow of a Giant Kangaroo Rat on January 3, 2013, within the Carrizo Plain, San Luis Obispo County, CA, the lead author discovered a Western Spadefoot buried in a kangaroo rat tunnel system approximately 1.8 m (~6 ft) underground. The toad aroused quickly when disturbed. Stebbins and McGinnis (2012) report that the typical tunnel depth for the Western Spadefoot was 1 m (~ 3 ft). It is likely that the toad followed the tunnels constructed by the Giant Kangaroo Rat and buried itself within a tunnel terminus rather than excavating a separate tunnel. The
Western Spadefoot Toad (Spea hammondii) after release near another burrow on conservation land. Photo by R. Burton.
spadefoot was relocated to another Giant Kangaroo Rat burrow in a conservation area; which it readily entered. No other toads were found in the kangaroo rat tunnel system. Literature Cited Jennings, M.R., and M. Hayes. 1994. Amphibian and reptile species of special concern in California. Sacramento, California. California Department of Fish and Game. Morey, S.R., and D.A. Guinn. 1992. Activity patterns, food habits, and changing abundance in a community of vernal pool amphibians. Pages 149-158 in: D.F. Williams, S. Byrne, and T.A. Rado (editors). Endangered and sensitive species of the San Joaquin Valley, California: Their biology, management, and conservation. The California Energy Commission, Sacramento, California, and the Western Section of The Wildlife Society. Stebbins, R.C. 1951. Amphibians of Western North America. University of California Press, Berkeley, CA. Stebbins, R.C., and S.M. McGinnis. 2012. Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of California: Revised Edition (California Natural History Guides). University of California Press, Berkeley, CA.
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While excavating the burrow of a Giant Kangaroo Rat on January 3, 2013, within the Carrizo Plain, San Luis Obispo County, CA, the lead author discovered a Western Spadefoot buried in a kangaroo rat tunnel system approximately 1.8 m (~6 ft) underground.
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BOOK REVIEW
World Without Cats Review by Howard O. Clark, Jr., Editor, Tuscon Herpetological Society, Tuscon,AZ, editor.sonoran.herp@gmail.com beloved animal in human culture cannot be stressed enough. Richards is able to tell a riveting story with all of these elements working together with one thought in mind—will the domestic cat go extinct, and how can we save the species? The book is a good read for cat lovers and cat haters alike. The book touches on the larger question of species extinction in general, using the cat as a model. It illustrates the possibility that a newly evolved virus with devastating impacts can happen at any time and begs the question: are we really prepared for such an event? Only time will tell. Bonham Richards (Author) Paperback: 320 pages Publisher: iUniverse (June 19, 2012) Language: English ISBN-10: 1475926014 ISBN-13: 978-1475926019 Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
W ith some herpetologists there is a love/hate relationship with domestic cats. Cats have been shown
to have significant impacts on local native reptile and amphibian populations (Bonnaud et al. 2007, Félix et al. 2011, Konecny 1987), as well as song bird and small mammal populations (Kutt and Kitchener 2012). Recently, an article took the world by storm when it reported that, “free-ranging domestic cats kill 1.4-3.7 billion birds and 6.9-20.7 billion mammals annually” (Loss et al. 2013). On the other hand, there are many reptile and amphibian researchers that have feline companions and value the relationship. Often I have wondered what it would be like if domestic cats were removed from the ecosystem (i.e., feral populations, and limit access to the outdoors by house cats). They are indeed an introduced species to most parts of the world and their impact on the environment is measurable—most of the impacts being negative. Bonham Richards has written a science fiction account of a world without cats. A mystery virus is rapidly killing domestic cats and a team of scientists scramble to figure out a cure. Set in the years 20202023, cats are at an all-time healthy population of 1,100 million and in 200 weeks the population drops to nearly zero. To find out if the domestic cat is saved, you must read the book—but I can reveal that the story is thought-provoking and allows one to reflect on the multi-faceted issues surrounding the domestic cat. Richards has certainly done his homework—he details the science behind viruses and diseases from the RNA/DNA technology to the methods of producing a vaccine. But dove-tailed into the science is human emotion and drama. The extinction of such a
Literature Cited Bonnaud, E., K. Bourgeois, E. Vidal, Y. Kayser, Y. Tranchant, and J. Legrand. 2007. Feeding ecology of a feral cat population on a small Mediterranean island. Journal of Mammalogy 88:1074-1081. Félix, M., E. Bonnaud, E. Vidal, B. Tershy, E. Zavaleta, J. Donlan, B. Keitt, M. Corre, S. Horwath, and M. Nogales. 2011. A global review of the impacts of invasive cats on island endangered vertebrates. Global Change Biology 17:3503-3510. Konecny, M.J. 1987. Food habits and energetics of feral house cats in the Galápagos Islands. Oikos 50:24-32. Kutt, A.S., and A. Kitchener. 2012. Feral cat ( Felis catus) prey size and selectivity in north-eastern Australia: implications for mammal conservation. Journal of Zoology 287:292-300. Loss, S.R., T. Will, and P.P. Marra. 2013. The impact of free-ranging domestic cats on wildlife of the United States. Nature Communications 4, Article number:1396; doi:10.1038/ncomms2380.
Recently, an article took the world by storm when it reported that “free-ranging domestic cats kill 1.4-3.7 billion birds and 6.9-20.7 billion mammals annually” (Loss et al. 2013).
Richards holds a Ph.D. in microbiology from UC Los Angeles. Before his retirement, he taught biology at California State San Bernardino and at the University of Southern California. Richards resides in Camarillo, California.
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BOOK REVIEW
Sea turtles of the Eastern Pacific: Advances in Research and Conservation Review by Taylor Edwards, Assistant Staff Scientist, University of Arizona Genetics Core, Tucson, AZ, taylore@email.arizona.edu
Jeffrey A. Seminoff (Editor), Bryan P. Wallace (Editor), Peter C. H. Pritchard (Foreword) Hardcover: 368 pages Publisher: University of Arizona Press; 1 edition (June 1, 2012) Language: English ISBN-10: 0816511586 ISBN-13: 978-0816511587 Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 1.3 x 9.2 inches
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his volume of the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum studies in Natural History is edited by Jeffrey Seminoff and Bryan Wallace. Jeffrey is head of the Marine Turtle Ecology and Assessment Program at the US National Marine Fisheries Service’s Southwest Fisheries Science Center (and he is a former graduate student of Cecil Schwalbe at the University of Arizona). Bryan Wallace is the Director of Science for the Marine Flagship Species Program at Conservation International. The forward was written by Peter C.H. Pritchard, who has led the charge in sea turtle conservation for over 50 years. Sea turtles epitomize the challenges of conservation; a long history of exploitation, multiple conflicting interests, and a reliance on international cooperation. In addition, turtles are long-lived species which require long-term initiatives to create change. Imagine trying to preserve a species that not only is highly sought after for its eggs, but also nests on beaches under pressure for development; matures in areas home to the world’s most intense fisheries with extremely high risk of incidental take; and regularly crosses multiple international boundaries such that one nation’s non-
compliance could decimate a population. This work documents these challenges and the dedicated people that are facing them. The eastern Pacific is home to five of the world’s seven sea turtle species; theLeatherback (Dermochelys coriacea), the Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas), the Hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata), the Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea), and the Loggerhead (Caretta caretta). This is a region with tremendous diversity of habitat and resources. It encompasses warm tropical waters, coral reefs, oceanic islands, and hotspots of upwelling that result in extremely nutrient rich waters. The turtles utilize the region for nesting beaches, feeding grounds, and nurseries; some staying as residents and others migrating great distances from Asia to exploit the abundant resources off the coasts of the American continents. The eastern Pacific spans 13 countries from the coasts of Chile to Canada and this contributes to the diversity of challenges that are necessary to make conservation successful. The book is organized into three parts with all chapters well written and easy to read. Like the efforts of sea turtle conservation, the authors are interdisciplinary (fishery management, government, academia, NGOs) and represent multiple perspectives. The authors represent a suite of nations and each brings their local perspectives to light. Part 1 addresses “Sea turtle biology and human dimensions”. Chapters 1-4 focus on what is currently known about sea turtles. This section details the complex life history of sea turtles, including migratory patterns, habitat choices, and the greater regional influence of climate. It also outlines the threats resulting from attributes specific to the eastern Pacific. For anyone interested in a big picture approach toward the region and not just sea turtles, Chapter 2 (Saba) highlights the process of El Niño and La Niña and its affect on the environment and influence of ocean productivity. As a result, the eastern pacific has incredible fluctuations in resources (just like a desert) and this poses special challenges to species and to conservation. Part 2 is dedicated to “International management and policy frameworks”. This section (Chapters 5-7) includes diverse perspectives on balancing fishing industry interests. In Chapter 5, Helvey and Fahy argue the controversial issue of allowing regulated long line fishing (e.g., for sailfish) to resume off parts of coastal California where the industry can be better controlled. Under current restrictions, the U.S. industry is not competitive but the demand for products like swordfish are high, resulting in a market flooded with less SONORAN HERPETOLOGIST 26 (1) 2013
Sea turtles epitomize the challenges of conservation; a long history of exploitation, multiple conflicting interests, and a reliance on international cooperation. In addition, turtles are long-lived species which require longterm initiatives to create change.
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sustainable products from foreign nations (~85%). Thus, the net loss of turtles as bycatch has not changed and the consumer demand continues to rise. Unless that demand changes, allowing US fisherman a stake in the market while implementing appropriate practices will benefit turtles by reducing incidental take. Chapter 7 (Frazier) gives an important perspective as to the critical role of treaties, laws, and regulations in successful conservation, particularly for species that cross international boundaries. A former field biologist, Frazier now focuses on policy as the strongest mechanism to maintain sustainability. This chapter is an important reminder of the need to find compromise among all parties involved in the exploitation and conservation of a resource, not just sea turtles. It documents how challenging conservation efforts can be. The final section of the book focuses on “Fieldbased conservation and signs of success”. Chapters 8-13 are for the most part written as individual accounts of local conservation efforts focusing on particular species or geographic regions. The personal stories and perspectives of the authors are incorporated into the chapters and all chapters emphasize the importance of including local communities in conservation efforts. Of note is the inspirational story of Efraín de la Paz Regalado in Chapter 12 (Peckham and Díaz). A Mexican small-scale fisherman, de la Paz, voluntarily abandoned using bottom set longlines after participating in the Trinational Fisherman’s Exchange. Once he understood the impacts his practices had on turtles,
he was moved to make a change. As the author’s point out, out of the millions of dollars invested in conservation every year with limited success, de la Paz single-handedly saved thousands of loggerhead turtles at their most important juvenile nursery along the coast of Baja California Sur. For those of us who occasionally need a boost in our own conservation efforts, de la Paz’s personal sacrifice for the environment is motivating. Part 3 of the book is very positive and concludes with the remarkable recovery of Olive Ridley turtles in Chapter 13 (Plotkin, Briseño-Dueñas, and AbreuGrobois). However, as these authors summerize, the successes are tenuous and there are many unknowns still in the future of sea turtles in the eastern Pacific. More research is needed and most certainly no retreat of current conservation efforts can be allowed. Sea turtles still face a tumultuous future and it is only because of the efforts of the scientists, resource managers, and conservationists highlighted in this book that the turtles still have a fighting chance. I commend the editors for bringing together a diverse group of authors and perspectives that culminates in a truly comprehensive work. This book certainly has a place on the shelves of those interested in sea turtles and the biology of the Pacific Ocean, however, it is also an important book for those interested in conservation biology in general. The scientific and conservation efforts documented in this volume will have a lasting legacy in the world of conservation biology and on the charismatic species they aim to preserve.
I commend the editors for bringing together a diverse group of authors and perspectives that culminates in a truly comprehensive work. This book certainly has a place on the shelves of those interested in sea turtles and the biology of the Pacific Ocean, however, it is also an important book for those interested in conservation biology in general.
Olive Ridley Sea Turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) from the Wikimedia Commons. Photo by Thierry Caro.
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MEETING MINUTES BOD minutes can be found here: www.dropbox.com/sh/bxl4xdoyxc1x4bx/s4fCPAHXgS
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M E M B E R S H I P U P DAT E
Membership Information Individual Family Student
$20 $25 $14
Sustaining Contributing Life
Sonoran Herpetologist Natural History Observations
$30 $50 $500
The Tucson Herpetological Society would like to thank existing members and new members for renewing their membership. We appreciate your support and are always looking for members to actively participate in THS activities and volunteer opportunities. It is a great way to be involved with the conservation of amphibians and reptiles in the Sonoran Desert. Including the THS in your will is an excellent way to support the value of this organization and the conservation of the herpetofauna of the Sonoran Desert. We would like to recognize and thank anyone who has included the THS in their will. Please contact us so we can express our appreciation. For information about designating the THS in your will, please contact Heidi Flugstad, Treasurer, Tucson Herpetological Society, at heidi_flugstad@hotmail.com. Time to Renew Your THS membership? Thank you for your membership in the Tucson Herpetological Society. Renewal reminders for upcoming membership expiration will be emailed at the beginning of the month that your membership expires. If you have any questions about your membership or would like to be in touch with a THS member you do not know how to reach, please contact our Membership Coordinator, Sarah Ashby by email at halfaussie@gmail. com or by phone at (520) 396-9832.
he Tucson Herpetological Society invites your contributions to our Natural History Notes section. We are particularly interested in photographs and descriptions of amphibians and reptiles involved in noteworthy or unusual behaviors in the field. Notes can feature information such as diet, predation, community structure, interspecific behavior, or unusual locations or habitat use. Please submit your observations to Howard Clark, editor.sonoran. herp@gmail.com. Submissions should be brief and in electronic form.
Local Research News
T he Sonoran Herpetologist welcomes short reports for our Local Research News, a regular feature in our
journal. We are interested in articles that can update our readers on research about amphibians and reptiles in the Sonoran Desert region. These articles need be only a few paragraphs long and do not need to include data, specific localities, or other details. The emphasis should be on how science is being applied to herpetological questions. Please submit your materials to Howard Clark, editor.sonoran.herp@gmail.com. Submissions should be brief and in electronic form.
Tucson Herpetological Society P.O. Box 709, Tucson, Arizona 85702-0709 MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL FORM NAME: ________________________________________________ Date ______________ Address or Personal Information Changes_______________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ MEMBERSHIP DUES [ ] $20 Individual [ ] $25 Family [ ] $14 Student [ ] $30 Sustaining [ ] $50 Contributing [ ] $500 Life $ _______ Jarchow Conservation Award $ _______ Flat-tailed horned lizard Fund
$ _______ Speakers Bureau $ _______ C.H. Lowe Herp Research Fund
$ _______ Total (MAKE CHECK PAYABLE TO: TUCSON HERPETOLOGICAL SOCIETY) The THS newsletter, the Sonoran Herpetologist, is delivered online only. Please indicate the email address you would like to receive the newsletter if you are not currently receiving the newsletter at your preferred address. If you are unable to receive the newsletter online, please contact Sarah Ashby at halfaussie@gmail.com. If not already done, please indicate if you want your email added to the THS directory and/or the Monthly meeting announcement (circle one or both). Please return this form with your check to the address above. Email address ___________________________________________________________
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Sonoran Herpetologist is the newsletter-journal of the Tucson Herpetological Society, and is Copyright 2013. The contents of Sonoran Herpetologist may be reproduced for inclusion in the newsletters of other herpetological societies provided the material is reproduced without change and with appropriate credit, and a copy of the publication is sent to the Tucson Herpetological Society. Occasional exceptions to this policy will be noted. Contents are indexed in Zoological Record. A complete set of back issues are available in the Special Collections area of the University of Arizona library. They are accompanied by a copy of The Collected Papers of the Tucson Herpetological Society, 1988-1991. Editor-in-Chief Howard Clark, editor.sonoran.herp@gmail.com Associate Editors Roy Averill-Murray, royaverillmurray@charter.net Robert Bezy, robertbezy@gmail.com Dennis Caldwell, dennis@caldwell-design.com Suman Pratihar, pratihar_vu@rediffmail.com Roger Repp, repp@noao.edu Don Swann, donswann@dakotacom.net Art Editor Dennis Caldwell, dennis@caldwell-design.com Book Review Editor Philip Brown, philipandbarbara@earthlink.net
Information for Contributors Authors should submit original articles, notes, book reviews to the Editor, either via email using an attached word processed manuscript or by mail to the Societyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s address. The manuscript style should follow that of Journal of Herpetology and other publications of the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles. For further information, please contact the editor, at editor.sonoran.herp@gmail.com.
Deadline for Sonoran Herpetologist: 15th of every other month
Tu c s o n H e r p S o c i e t y. o r g
The Tucson Herpetological Society is dedicated to conservation, education, and research concerning the amphibians and reptiles of Arizona and Mexico. Tucson Herpetological Society is a registered non-profit organization.
Officers President Roger Repp, repp@noao.edu Vice President Krista Schmidt, turtlerad@hotmail.com Secretary RenĂŠ Clark, serpentprincess@comcast.net Treasurer Heidi Flugstad, heidi_flugstad@hotmail.com Directors: Sarah Ashby, halfaussie@gmail.com Dennis Caldwell, dennis@caldwell-design.com Rob Nixon, sapo1047@msn.com Ed Moll, e.o.moll@gmail.com Jim Rorabaugh, jrorabaugh@earthlink.net Warren Savary, wsavary@yahoo.com Past President Robert Villa, cascabel1985@gmail.com
Society Activities
Monthly Members Meeting Roger Repp, Program Chair 3rd Tuesday, 7:15 PM Board of Directors Meeting Last Tuesday of each month (except December), 7:00 PM University of Arizona, BIO5/Keating Building 1657 East Helen Street Speakers Bureau (scheduled presentations) Robert Villa & Ed Moll Conservation Committee Dennis Caldwell Herpetological Information Hotline Bob Brandner, 760-0574 Jarchow Conservation Award Roger Repp Publications: Sonoran Herpetologist, Backyard Ponds brochure, Living with Venomous Reptiles brochure, THS Herp Coloring Book, THS Collected Papers, 1988-1991 THS Internet World Wide Webpage http://tucsonherpsociety.org Marty Tuegel, Webmaster, mtuegel@cox.net
For more information about the THS and the reptiles and amphibians of the Tucson area visit
tucsonherpsociety.org
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