vol. 31 (2011), no. 11

MinnesotaHerpetologicalSociety

November 2011 Volume 31

the newsletter of the

Number 11

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

PresidentBruce Haig 763.862.8966president@mnherpsoc.com

Vice PresidentSonja Koolmo 763.755.1630vicepresident@mnherpsoc.com

Recording SecretaryEllen Heck 763.593.5414recsecretary@mnherpsoc.com

Membership SecretaryHeather Clayton 612.886.7175 memsecretary@mnherpsoc.com

TreasurerNancy Haig 763.434.8684treasurer@mnherpsoc.com

Newsletter EditorChristopher Rueber 952.594.0101newslettereditor@mnherpsoc.com

Members at LargeJeff LeClere 651.488.6388memberatlarge4@mnherpsoc.com

Chris Smith 651.315.7760memberatlarge1@mnherpsoc.com

Matt Carter 651.329.2290memberatlarge2@mnherpsoc.com

Jacob Mee memberatlarge3@mnherpsoc.om

C ommitte es

AdoptionSarah Richard 612.781.9544RealSarah@aol.com

EducationJan Larson 507.263.4391jan.skunkhollow@juno.com

LibraryNancy Haig 763.434.8684nanchaig@citilink.com

THE PURPOSE OF THE MINNESOTA HERPETOLOGICAL SOCIETY IS TO

• Furthertheeducationofthemembershipandthegeneralpublicincareandcaptivepropagationofreptilesandamphibians;

• Educatethemembersandthegeneralpublicintheecologicalroleofreptilesandamphibians;

• Promotethestudyandconservationofreptilesandamphibians.

TheMinnesotaHerpetologicalSocietyisanon-profit,tax-exemptorganiza-tion.Membershipisopentoallindividualswithaninterestinamphibiansandreptiles.TheMinnesotaHerpetologicalSocietyNewsletterispublishedmonthlytoprovideitsmemberswithinformationconcerningthesociety’sactivitiesandamediaforexchanginginformation,opinionsandresources.

GeneralMeetingsareheldatBorlaugHall,Room335ontheSt.PaulCam-pusoftheUniversityofMinnesota,onthefirstFridayofeachmonth(unlessthereisaholidayconflict).Themeetingstartsat7:00pmandlastsaboutthreehours.PleasechecktheMHSVoicemailforchangesinschedulesorcancellations.

SUBMISSIONS TO THE NEWSLETTER

AdsorNoticesmustbesubmittednolaterthanthenightoftheGeneralMeetingtobeincludedinthenextissue.Longerarticleswillbeprintedastimeandspaceallowsandshouldbeinelec-tronicfileformatifpossible.Seeinsidebackcoverforadrates.Submissionsmaybesentto:

TheMinnesotaHerpetologicalSociety-or-newslettereditor@mnherpsoc.comAttn:NewsletterEditorBellMuseumofNaturalHistory10ChurchStSEMinneapolis,MN55455-0104

Stay informed! Join us on our forums!And,youcanstillleaveusaVoice Mail:612.326.6516

SNAKE BITE EMERGENCY

HENNEPIN REGIONAL POISON CENTER 800-222-1222

©Copyright2011,MinnesotaHerpetologicalSociety.Exceptwherenoted,contentsmayberepro-ducedfornon-profit,non-commercialuseonly.Allmaterialmustbereproducedwithoutchange.Propercreditwillbegivenincludingtheauthor/photographerandtheMinnesotaHerpetologicalSocietyNewsletterciting:volume,numberanddate.

BellMuseumofNaturalHistory,10ChurchStreetSoutheast,Minneapolis,Minnesota,55455-0104

November 2011 Volume 31 Number 11

CoverPhotodrawnfromMHSNewsletterArchive

The Newsletter of the Minnesota Herpetological Society November 2011 Volume 31 Number 11

3

BySonjaKoolmo

OurNovemberspeakerwillbeoneofourfellowmembers,ErnieJohnson.Erniestartedkeepingtor-toiseswhenhewas14yearsold.ThefirstspeciesheworkedwithwastheTexasTortoise(Gopherusber-landieri).

Forthepast11years,hehasspecializedinRussian,GreekandRedfoottortoises,andhassuccessfullybredtheRedfoot(Geochelonecarbonaria).JoinupFriday,November4th,whenErnieshares

withushis40yearsworthoftortoisekeepingknowl-edge,andspecificallyhelpsustounderstandhowonecansuccessfullykeepandbreedbothRussianandRedfootTortoisesintheUpperMidwest.

November General Meeting Presentation - Friday, November 4th - Starting at 7 P.M.University of MN - St. Paul Campus, Borlaug Hall, Room 335

Ernie Johnson presents..

How to Successfully Keep and Breed Russian and Redfoot Tortoises in the Upper Midwest

ByEllenHeck

ThespeakerforOctoberwasTonyGamble.Tonywasalastminutereplacementbut,asheputit,heiswill-ingtotalkgeckosatthedropofahat.Heputtogeth-erhisfirsttalkongeckosin1999,whenhewasjustaguywithalotofgeckosandthepicturesthatwereon35mmslides.Todayheisapost-doctoralresearcherattheUniversityofMinnesotaintheDepartmentofGenetics,CellBiologyandDevelopment.

Sincehefirststartedresearchinggeckosalothasbeendiscovered,includingover300newspecies,howtheyarerelatedandhowtheycansticktoglass.Firstthough,somevocabularyisneeded.Phyloge-neticsisthestudyofhowanimalsarerelatedandisdeterminedthroughmolecularsequencing.Thiscanbedisplayedasabranchingtree.Thebasestartsinthepastandbranchesintonewgroupsfromanodeasitmovesforwardintime.Thenodespeciesareextinct.Theresultingdiagramshowshowdifferentspeciesarerelated.Closelyrelated“sister”species,oracompletegroupofbranches,arereferredtoasaclade.Thetreeanditsbranchescanberotated,buteveniftheresultingtreelooksdifferent,therelation-shipsbetweenthespeciesremainthesame.Thetreecanbeusedfortaxonomy,biogeography,comparativebiology,evolutionarymedicineandconservation.

ThenextquestionTonyaddressedwaswhatisagecko?Gekkonidaeisthelargestfamilyoflizardsintheworld.Althoughthereareanumberoftraitsas-sociatedwithgeckos,almostallhaveanexceptiontothem.Theyareuniqueinthelizardworldbecauseoftheirvocalizations.Theyroutinelychirpwheninter-actingwithothergeckos;inthecaseofthetokay,itisalmostconstant.Manyhavethe“sticky”toesthatallowthemtoclimbsurfacesandevenglass,butnotalldo.Manylayeggswithahardshell,makingthemuniqueinthereptileworldwhereleathery-shelledeggsarethenorm.Theyhaveafixedclutchsize–two.Somesmallgeckosonlylayone.Mosthavenoeyelidsandarenocturnal,buttherearenotableexceptionstobothtraits.Someareevenparthenoge-netic,whichallowsafemaletobreedwithoutamale.

Oneofthetraitsthatmaketheminterestingisthesheerdiversity–thereare1428speciesin114genera.Therehasbeenahugespikeinthenumberofspeciesdiscoveredinthelast30yearsorsoandnosignofslowingdown;in1999therewere1100species.Thisdiversityallowsresearchersmoreoptionsinstudyingthevarioustraitsandinpickingamodalorganismieaspeciesthatexhibitsthetraitsofmostspeciesintheclade.

In case you missed the October speaker (who stepped up to the plate at the last minute):

Tony Gamble on Geckos...

The Newsletter of the Minnesota Herpetological Society November 2011 Volume 31 Number 11

4

Geckosaregloballydistributedinwarmclimates.TheyarefoundinthefossilrecordbacktotheJurassicandsoco-existedwiththedinosaurs.Theyhoweversurvivedwhatevercataclysmkilledoffthedinosaurs.Specimenshavebeenfoundembeddedinamber,whichshowsthattheadhesivetoepadsexistedatleast70millionyearsago.Theyaremorphologi-callydiverse,withthelargestknown(althoughprob-ablyextinct)speciesabout24”longandthesmallest1.6cm(usuallyphotographedonacoin).

Thereare7describedfamiliesofgeckos.

PygopodidaeisfoundinAustraliaandNewZealandandhas412speciesin7genera.Thesearetheleastgecko-likeandhavenolegs.Fordecadestheywerenotevenconsideredtobegeckos.Theyfeedoninsectsandotherlizardsandsomeevenburrowlikeotherleglesslizards.Despitethistheydoexhibitonecommongeckotrait–theyhaveflattongues,whichtheyflickovertheirlidlesseyes

Carphodactylidaearetheleaf-tailedgeckosfromAus-traliaandconsistof7generawith29species.

Diplodactylidae19genera121speciesnewCaledo-niageckocrestedvelvetgeckosSomehaveglandsintailandsquirtblacktarliquid

Eublepharinaeareliddedgeckos,30speciesin6gen-era.Theyhaveawidedistributionandincludetheleopardgecko,oneofthemostrecognizablegeckosthatdoesn’tactuallysellinsurance.Theyarecharac-terizedbytheireyelidandnon-stickytoepads.Theireggsareleatheryratherthanhard.

Sphaerodactydaehas12generaand202species.TheyarefoundincentralandsouthAmericaaswellasAfrica.ThisgroupcontainssomeofTony’sfavoritegeckos,withgonatodesbeinghistoppick.Theyarethesmallestgeckos-functionallyandecologicallytheyaretheequivalentofinsects.

Phyllodactylidaeconsistsof11generawith119spe-cies.Theiradhesivetoepadslooklikeginkoleavesandtheyincludethefan-footedgeckos.Theyhaveatrans-Atlanticdistribution

Gekkonidaeisthelargestfamily,with882speciesin52generaandthenumberofdescribedspeciesis

growingrapidly.Itincludesthetokaygecko(whichwasusedformuchoftheadhesivetoeresearch),lepi-dodactylislugubris(aparthenogeneticspecies)andthepachydactylusorweb-footedgecko,sonamedbecauseofitssnowshoe-likefeetthatallowittorunoverthesanddunesthatmakeupitshabitat.

Becauseofthesheernumberofspecies,gettingsamplesofthemallfortestingcanbeachallengeinandofitself.Historically,empiricaltraits,suchasthestickytoepads,eyelidsandscalepatternshavebeenusedtosortgeckos.However,thesesomephysicaltraitshaveevolvedseparatelyindivergentgroups,whichleadstoincorrectclassification.Itwasn’tuntil2004thatamolecularphylogenyofgeckoswasstarted.WorkingwithAaronBauerandothers,thiswascompletedin2008.

Oncethiswascompleted,othertopicscouldbeap-proached,suchasthewidedistributionofgeckosfromthesamefamilyacrossmultiplecontinentsandevenhemispheres.Onepossibilityisthatthespeciesexistedbeforethecontinentssplitfromeachother.Thisdoesnot,however,explaintheexistenceonvolcanicislands,sincethesewereneverpartofthemassedcontinents.Thisiswheretheuniquegeckohard-shelledeggcomesintoplay.Beingmorerobust,theycansurviveimmersioninsaltwaterfordaysonendandstillhatch.Sincetheyadheretothesurfacetheyarelaidon,theycouldtravelhundredsofmilesacrosstheocean.Also,theoceansseparatingthecontinentsaremuchlargerthantheyoncewere.

Anotherpossibilityistheuseoflandbridges.Theclimatemillionsofyearsagowasverydifferentthanitistoday,allowinggeckostosurvivefurthernorthandsouththantheycantoday,allowingthemmorepos-siblelandroutes.Andmorerecentlyofcoursethereistravelonships.Allinall,itisestimatedthattherehavebeennofewerthan11independententriesintothenewworld.

Asmentionedearlier,mostofthestickytoepadre-searchwasconductedusingtokaygeckos.ThesecretisintheforceofattractioncalledvanderWaalsadhe-sionbetweenthegecko’sfootandthesurfacetheyareclimbing.Basically,theirfeethavemillionsofsmallhair-likefiberscalledsetae,whichbranchandre-branchattheendstoincreasesurfacearea.Therearesomanythatthecombinedtotalcouldholdapproxi-

The Newsletter of the Minnesota Herpetological Society November 2011 Volume 31 Number 11

5

Upcoming Hands-on Event ScheduleFri. Nov 11, 4-9PMSat. Nov. 12,10AM-5PMTradeShowMplsConventionCenterHallELotsofVolunteersNeeded!

LookingtomeetotherMHSmembers?Helpassistthesocietyachieveit’sgoalsofeducatingthepublic?Orjusthaveagoodtimeshowingoffyourherps?Here’stheperfectopportunity!

Here’s the deal-Bringyourherp(s)tooneoftheshowslistedabove,andtalkaboutthem.That’sit!Youdon’thavetobeanexpert,you’renotgivingspeech-es.Mostofthetimeyouwillfindthatpeoplearemorethanopentohearingaboutourmisrepresentedcritters.

Sound fun? Great! Therearejustafewrequirements:Bringonlyhealthyanimals.Makesureyouknowthebasicsaboutyouranimal;Whattheyeat,howlongtheylive,adultsize,cageneeds.Thereisnosizelimitsaslongasthehandlercancomfortablykeepcontrol.Wedonotletviewerspatthemontheheadanddonotallowthemtodirectlyholdtheanimal.Iftheanimalsareveryyoung,displayinacageisrecommended.Childrenmayparticipateaslongastheyhaveadultsupervision.

Contact: Jan Larson 507-263-4391 jan.skunkhollow@juno.com

ELECTIONS!

Theupcominggeneralmeet-ingisknownasthe‘an-nual’meeting.ItiswheretheelectionofthecomingyearsBoardMemberswillbedeter-mined.

MakesureyourvoteisheardonNovember4,2011at7:00PMatBorlaugHallontheUofMSaintPaulcampus.

Ifyouareinterestedinserv-ingontheboard,pleasecontactEllenHeckbeforethemeeting.

mately290lbs.Whilethismayseemlikeover-kill,sincegeckosseldomweighmorethanafewounces,itshouldbekeptinmindthatthesurfacestheynor-mallyscamperaroundonarenotsmoothandsonotallsetaewillmakecontact.Plusthereisthatpeskyforceofgravitywhenageckofallsandmustcatch

itself,orisrunningupside-downontheceiling.

Toreleasethegrip,thegeckomustchangetheangleofthefoot.Itactuallytakesmoreenergytounstuckitsfootthantostick,whichiswhyevenafterdeath,ageckostaysstuck.

The Newsletter of the Minnesota Herpetological Society November 2011 Volume 31 Number 11

6

Notices

BoardMinutesforSeptemberwereunavailable.Theywillbepostedinthecomingnewsletter.

Ifyouareinterestedinservingonthewebsitecomittee,pleasecontactaboardmemberformoredetails.

Treasurer’s Report for Sept 2011PreparedbyNancyHaig

Beginning Balance $11,013.61

Income:Membership $340.00Raffle $34.00Hands-on $388.00RodentSales $274.00RenfestDonations $2,204.75MidwestRegistration $1,535.00Total Income $4,775.75

Expense:Newsletter $150.82Program $381.17RodentCost $0.00adopt/Vet $0.00Supplies $430.63Midwest $0.00Hands-on $26.70Renfest $0.00Total Expense $989.32

Cash Increase/Decrease +$3,786.43

Ending Balance $13,415.54

Placement of cash holdings CheckingAccount $13,415.54 TCF/Paypal $1,429.42 Paypal $164.28 Cashonhand $175.00

Total $15,184.24

Notes:SeptRenfestdonationincomeswillap-pearonOctstatement.Supplyexpenseisforbulkpensandlanyardstobeusedashandouts.TransferofincomefrompaypaltoTcf/paypalisfrommemberships

October Adoption ReportPostedbySarahRichard,EditedbyChrisRueber

TwoRedEaredSliders,aMapTurtle,aRedFootTortoise,twoIguanas,twoBoas(1RF),aBallPython(RF),aCorn

Snake,aKingSnake(RF)

Upcoming Speakers

December General Meeting: CindySteinle-WomeninHerpetologyDecember Banquet: CindySteinle-HerpingtheSoutwhest

Candidates for Board Positions President No candidate. Vice President No candidate. Treasurer Nancy Haig Recording Secretary Ellen Heck Membership Secretary Heather Clayton Newsletter Editor Chris Rueber Members-At-Large (4) Jeff LeClere Jacob Mee Chris Smith No candidate.

As you can see, this is not a full docket of candidates. The Minnesota Herpetological Society is run by its members, and by those that have interest in the welfare of herps throughout our area. Time must be dedicated to the position, but it’s very worthwhile, and a lot of fun can be had.

The entire membership is encourage to take charge, consider becoming a board member, and casting your vote for all the board positions.

NextMeeting:Friday - November 4th - 7:00 pmRoom335BorlaugHall,UofMSt.PaulCampus

MHS Voice Mail:612.326.6516

MHS Web Page:www.mnherpsoc.com

Non-profit Organization U.S. Postage

PaidTwin Cities, MNPermit no. 92275

MINNESOTA HERPETOLOGICAL SOCIETYBELLMUSEUMOFNATURALHISTORY10CHURCHSTREETSEMINNNEAPOLIS,MN55455-0104

Thisnewsletterisprintedonrecycledpaper

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED