vol. 31 (2011), no. 12
DESCRIPTION
Minnesota Herpetological Society NewsletterTRANSCRIPT
MinnesotaHerpetologicalSociety
December 2011 Volume 31
the newsletter of the
Number 12
C o n t e n t s
Upcoming Speaker: Women in HerpetologyRecap: Keeping and Breeding Russian and Redfoot TortoisesFeature: Texas Ratsnake Distrbution in Minnesota
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
PresidentBruce Haig [email protected]
Vice PresidentSonja Koolmo [email protected]
Recording SecretaryEllen Heck [email protected]
Membership SecretaryHeather Clayton 612.886.7175 [email protected]
TreasurerNancy Haig [email protected]
Newsletter EditorChristopher Rueber [email protected]
Members at LargeJeff LeClere [email protected]
Chris Smith [email protected]
Matt Carter [email protected]
Jacob Mee [email protected]
C ommitte es
AdoptionSarah Richard [email protected]
EducationJan Larson [email protected]
LibraryNancy Haig [email protected]
THE PURPOSE OF THE MINNESOTA HERPETOLOGICAL SOCIETY IS TO
• Further the education of the membership and the general public in care and captive propagation of reptiles and amphibians;
• Educate the members and the general public in the ecological role of reptiles and amphibians;
• Promote the study and conservation of reptiles and amphibians.
TheMinnesotaHerpetologicalSocietyisanon-profit,tax-exemptorganiza-tion. Membership is open to all individuals with an interest in amphibians and reptiles. The Minnesota Herpetological Society Newsletter is published monthly to provide its members with information concerning the society’s activitiesandamediaforexchanginginformation,opinionsandresources.
GeneralMeetingsareheldatBorlaugHall,Room335ontheSt.PaulCam-pusoftheUniversityofMinnesota,onthefirstFridayofeachmonth(unlessthereisaholidayconflict).Themeetingstartsat7:00pmandlastsaboutthree hours. Please check the MHS Voice mail for changes in schedules or cancellations.
SUBMISSIONS TO THE NEWSLETTER
Ads or Notices must be submitted no later than the night of the General Meeting to be included in the next issue. Longer articles will be printed as timeandspaceallowsandshouldbeinelec-tronicfileformatifpossible.See inside back cover for ad rates. Submissions may be sent to:
The Minnesota Herpetological Society -or- [email protected]: Newsletter EditorBell Museum of Natural History10ChurchStSEMinneapolis,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.Proper credit will be given including the author/photographer and the Minnesota Herpetological SocietyNewsletterciting:volume,numberanddate.
BellMuseumofNaturalHistory,10ChurchStreetSoutheast,Minneapolis,Minnesota,55455-0104
December 2011 Volume 31 Number 12
CoverPhotodrawnfromMHS Newsletter Archive
The Newsletter of the Minnesota Herpetological Society December 2011 Volume 31 Number 12
3
By Sonja Koolmo
CindySteinlewillbeourDecemberspeaker.Youmayrecognizehername,asCindyisthesitecoordi-natorforkingsnake.com.Shehassaidthathertalk,entitled“WomeninHerpetology”,wasinspiredbyTracy Barker. AttheheightofthefightagainstHR669,Tracy
called her to ask about statistics on kingsnake.com and they were both quite surprised to learn that almost50%oftheuserbaseonkingsnake.comwasfemale. Asawhole,thereptilecommunityisoftenlooked
uponasaboys’hobby.WithTracy’shelp,theyreal-
izedjusthowmanywomenhadpavedthewayforreptile keepers today; and how all too often they had originally taken a back seat to their male counterparts. Cindywillhighlightanumberofthewomenthat
havebeeninfluentialinHerpetology;describinghowtheygottheirstarts,aswellasobstaclestheyhadtoovercome.
We will also hear about the changes the communi-ty as a whole has had over time and the roles women now take.”CindywillagainjoinusatourHolidayBanquet
on Saturday evening to present us with a lighthearted look at “Herping the Southwest”.
November General Meeting Presentation - Friday, December 2nd - Starting at 7 P.M.University of MN - St. Paul Campus, Borlaug Hall, Room 335
Cindy Steinle presents..
Women in Herpetology
By Ellen Heck
ThespeakerforNovemberwasErnieJohnson,talking about keeping and breeding Russian and redfoot tortoises in the upper Midwest. He wrote up an article himself on Russian tortoise keeping printed elsewhereinthenewsletter,sothiswillcoverjusttheredfoots.
UnliketheRussian,whichisverywellsuitedtolife
inMinnesota,theredfootisaboutasunsuitedforourclimate that it can get. It comes from an area where thereislittlevariationintemperature,dailyandyear-round,andhashumidityinthe70-90%range.Theirdiet is more varied than most other warm-area tor-toises and is roughly equivalent to that of the box turtle.Theywilleatjustaboutanything,includingin-sects,invertebratesandsmallanimals.Ernierecom-mendsfeedingabout60%fruit,30%greensand10%protein.Thefruitcanbepapaya,mangoes,straw-berries,raspberriesorcantelope.Thegreenscanbecactuspads,escarole,endiveorturnipgreens.Theycanbeoccasionallyfedcollardgreens,okrapadsorcactus fruit in season.
Theytendtoignoretimothyhay,astapleofmanytortoise diets. Banana should be avoided. The pro-teincancomefromre-hydrateddriedcatfood,about10pelletspertortoiseperweek,andD3supple-ment.Unlikemanytortoises,redfootsdonotneedexposure to sunlight to process calcium. They can alsobegivenmushrooms.Ernie,asatreat,feedsportobellos.Asanotheroption,ZooMedmakesaforestvarietytortoisefood.Re-hydrated,thiscanbevery good. And they seem to like it. Despite common belief,redfootsliveontheedgesoftheforest,ratherthanontheplains,andsoseeverylittledaylight.
Redfoots are a more laid back tortoise than many andbothgenderscanbehousedtogether,althoughexpect clutches if you do this. They do not have a fixedbreedingseasonandcanproduceclutchesthroughouttheyear.Outdoors,Erniekeepshisanimalsinaheavilyplanted10’x10’enclosure,withlarge hostas and a cypress mulch bed. He uses plexi-glassinsertstohelpkeeptheheatinand2150wattheat emitters as well. They do not seem to mind the rain,althoughittendstokickinbreedingbehavior.
In case you missed Ernie Johnson’s talk at the November general meeting:
Keeping and Breeding Russian and Redfoot Tortoises in the Upper Midwest...
The Newsletter of the Minnesota Herpetological Society December 2011 Volume 31 Number 12
4
Indoors,Ernierecommendsatleasta4’x8’enclo-surefor2tortoises.Itislitbya75wattincandescentbulband2100wattheatemitters.Thelightsshouldbe timed for 12 hours of “sunlight” per day. As they arenativetoanareaneartheequator,thereisn’tmuch variation in the amount of sunlight they would naturallyget.Likemosttortoises,carapacescanbecome pyramided if their needs are not met. Pyra-midingcanbecausedbytoomuchfood,toomuchprotein,notenoughroomtowanderanddehydra-tion.Contrarytopopularbeliefthattheygetalltheirmoisturefromthefoodtheyeat,tortoisesshouldbeoffered water and/or be soaked twice a week.
Redfootsarenaturallycurious,socialani-mals.Theyalsotendtobeprolific;ErniehadonelayeggsonHalloween,Thanksgiving,ChristmasandfinishedheryearwithasmallclutchonNewYear’sDay.Theeggsincubate110-120daysbeforehatch-ing.Theviabilityrateofyoungerfemales,whentheystartlayingabout8yearsofage,isverylow–inthe25-40%range.Astheygrowolder,however,thisgoesuptoalmost90%inthe30-60yearrange.Thegender of the hatchlings is determined by the incuba-tiontemperature.Malesareproducedinthe82-85°Fandfemales86-89°F.
Themeetingwascalledtoorderat6:07pmattheSt.LouisPark Byerly’s.
Old Business
Adoption –Optionswerereviewedforhandlingthein-creasednumbersofanimalscomingin,includingnotaccept-inganimalsfromtheHumaneSociety,limitingthenumbersof certain animals accepted each month and making animals available to non-members. It was decided to post the list of adoptionanimalsonthepublic-sideforums,withanoticethatonlymembersareeligibletoadopt.Thevotewas5ayes,2naysand2abstentions.BrucewillfollowupwithSarah for her opinion
Newsletters –Mattwillfinishscanningthelastofthem.ChrisRneedstoget2011YTDtoMatt.Allwillbeavailableto members but the public will not see the current or previous year’s newsletters.
WebsiteHeather will enter the expiration dates for members 2 months out to give some leeway,asrightnowtheiraccessiscutoffimmediatelyonthefirstofthemonththeir membership is due. Anne-Marie is workingonanautomaticnotification,tobesentoutamonthinadvance,thatamembership is about to expire.AnareaforMHSdocuments,suchasnewmemberpackets,by-laws,etc,willbesetupbyChrisS.
New Business
Holiday Banquet –Theroomisreserved
andthespeakerlinedup,butsomeoneisstillneededtochair it. Bruce will contact possible candidates. For now the board will handle the chair duties.
Occasional Papers –Fundshavebeenallocatedinthebudgetforthesebutaspecificcoststillneedstobedetermined.Quantities and the possibility of an e-document were dis-cussed.
Motiontospendup$500onacoloredversionofJeff’slatestoccasionalpapers,quantitytobedetermined:Nancy;2ndMatt. Motion passed; Jeff abstained.
Motion to adjourn: Jeff; 2nd: Matt Meeting adjourned: 9:19pm
Board Minutes for September 10, 2011
The Newsletter of the Minnesota Herpetological Society December 2011 Volume 31 Number 12
5
Themeetingwascalledtoorderat6:10pmattheSt.PaulStudent Union.
RenFestCommitteeBrandy Snyder Danaki and Rae Jacobs are the proposed new chairs.
Old Business
Webmaster Duties: Matt needs to step down as webmaster. Heestimatesthepositiontakes1to4hoursaweek,answer-ing concerns and updating things
Website: After debate about the possibility of moving the WhitePagesonline,itwasdecidedthatanonlinedirectoryshould be setup based on the member’s permission and what information they provide to be listed. Anne-Marie will look into how to do this.
New Business
Holiday Banquet: The room has been reserved but the per-mits still need to be submitted. A projector will probably be required.BrucewillfollowupwithChrisS.
Adoption: After discussion on how to house and care for animalsthatarenotadopted,itwasdecidedtoformananimal fostering committee to relieve Sarah of the burden of organizingthis.Itsdutieswillincludehousingandtrackingthe animals being fostered. A chair person will be appointed atalatertime.CagingcanbeobtainedfromtheSarah,asmany animals are turned in with cages. Nancy and Jeff will helporganizethecommittee.
Newsletter Printing: As there have been issues with the cur-rentprinter,thenextnewsletterwillbesenttoFedExtoprintas a test to see how they do.
Motion to adjourn:Ellen;2nd:ChrisRMeetingadjourned8:28pm.
Board Minutes for October 8, 2011
In an effort to cut costs and be more environmentally friendly,thecurrentBoardofDirectorshasmadethede-cision to move the monthly newsletter to a digital format. It is our hope that as the society reduces the volume of its printedmaterials,itwillopenupadditionalfundsthatcanbeturnedaroundandusedtofurtherbenefitthemembersoftheMHS,alongwithfurtheringthegoalsofthesocietywith things such as by bringing in additional high-quality speakers and funding herpetofaunal research.
AsofJanuary1st,2012allnewandrenewingMHS
membershipsatthe$20(Basic),$40(Contributing),$60(Sustainable),and$25(Business)levelswillreceiveON-LINE ONLY newsletters by default. Memberships expir-ingafterthefirstofJanuarywillbegrandfatheredintothe printed newsletter system at no additional cost until their2012renewaldeadline.Themostrecent12onlinenewsletterswillbeviewable(tocurrentmembersonly)bylogging into the MHS’s website. All newsletters older than 12 months will be viewable to the public.
If a member desires to continue receiving printed cop-
iesofthenewsletterinthemail,theywillneedtoopt-in.Byoptingin,thememberisalsoagreeingtopayanaddi-tional$5.00abovethecostoftheirstandardmembership.That additional fee would need to be paid each year upon renewal.
CurrentmemberscanNOWviewthemostrecentMHSnewsletteronline!!YouwillneedtosignupandlogintotheMHSwebsite,however,todoso-anemailoptionwillbeavailablesoon.Itmaytake48-72hourstoauthen-ticateusers(verifycurrentmemberstatus)sopleasebepatient.
** Starting January 1st, 2012,anymembercanrequest
to be moved to the online only newsletter system. This is encouraged!
Sincerely,MHS Board of Directorswww.mnherpsoc.com
Change in Newsletter Delivery Notice
Board Positions filled for 2012! President Christopher E. Smith Vice President Dav Kaufman Treasurer Nancy Haig Recording Secretary Ellen Heck Membership Secretary Heather Clayton Newsletter Editor Chris Rueber Members-At-Large (4) Jeff LeClere Beth Girard Kat Rorvig Peter Tornquist
The Newsletter of the Minnesota Herpetological Society December 2011 Volume 31 Number 12
6
A Case of Mistaken Identity; A Re-evaluation of Pantherophis obsoletus Distribution in Minnesota
Christopher E. Smith1, 2 and Kenneth H. Kozak1
1 Bell Museum of Natural History, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minnesota, 55108, USA
2 Wildlife Research & Consulting Services, LLC, Saint Paul, Minnesota, 55127, USA
The Texas Rat Snake (Pantherophis obsoletus, sensu stricto) (Crother et al. 2008), also commonly referred to as the Black Rat Snake, (Pantherophis o. obsoletus, sensu lato), is one of the largest snake species native to Minnesota with adults ranging from 48 – 72 in (121 – 183 cm) (Conant and Collins 1994). Adult P. obsoletus from Minnesota are typically dark black, but retain much of their juvenile pattern into adulthood (Fig. 1). When young, juvenile Texas Rat Snakes (P. obsoletus) and Western Fox Snakes (P. vulpinus) have similar colors and patterns (Fig. 2) and are most reliably identified by counting the number of ventral scales, with the latter species having less than 217 and the former having greater than 220 (Powell et al. 1998).
In Minnesota, P. obsoletus is restricted to the southeastern portion of the state with specimens reported from four localities within Fillmore, Houston, and Olmsted counties (Oldfield and Moriarty 1994, Hall and Moriarty 2011). The vouchered specimen from Fillmore County (JFBM P258) was later determined to be an escaped pet when the original collector discussed the finding with a local reptile keeper (Eric Thiss, pers. comm.). Carol Hall (MN DNR, pers. comm.) received a photo of an additional P. obsoletus reported from Fillmore County but a local population has not been verified. This reduces the number of known and verified localities to three, all within Houston and Olmsted counties.
Since its collection in 1968, many have questioned the validity of the Olmsted County specimen’s original identification as a juvenile P. obsoletus (JFBM R2746). Only recently has the curatorial staff at the James Ford Bell Museum (JFBM) had the time and resources to attempt to verify the specimen’s identification, at which time the identification was determined to be incorrect.
Figure 1. Adult male captive-bred Texas Rat Snake (P. obsoletus) from wild-caught parents collected in Houston Co., Minnesota.
Figure 2. Top (A) is a neonate Western Fox Snake (P. vulpinus) and bottom (B) is a neonate Texas Rat Snake (P. obsoletus). Both specimens are from Houston Co., Minnesota localities.
Figure 3. Distribution map showing county with extant and verified P. obsoletus records in Minnesota.
The Newsletter of the Minnesota Herpetological Society December 2011 Volume 31 Number 12
7
Hereafter, we provide morphological evidence that suggests the specimen (JFBM R2746) is most likely a melanistic form of Garter Snake, Thamnophis sp. or possibly a Northern Water Snake, Nerodia s. sipedon. Using ventral
scale count data (Table 1) and other morphological characters, we are able to determine that the specimen is neither P. obsoletus nor P. vulpinus. While the specimen may be lacking the dorsal and lateral stripes typically observed on Thamnophis spp., other melanistic examples of Thamnophis have been documented in Minnesota (John J. Moriarty, pers. comm.). Another morphological character used to distinguish the specimen form Pantherophis is the presence of heavily keeled scales along the dorsal and lateral surface of the body. In Pantherophis spp., this dorsal surface is weakly keeled and often appears smooth on the scale rows just above of the ventral surface.
In light of this recent discovery, the current known
distribution of P. obsoletus in Minnesota has been reduced to two extant localities, both of which are found within Houston County (Fig. 3). Even though Minnesota Dept. of Natural Resources (see: Brecke 1997) and field herpetologists have spent a great deal of time surveying the herpetofauna of southeastern Minnesota, no additional localities of P. obsoletus have been recorded and verified by professional biologists. Please report any P. obsoletus sightings to Dr. Kenneth H. Kozak ([email protected]) at the Bell Museum of Natural History, and remember to look up when herping in SE Minnesota (Fig. 4).
Acknowledgments! We would like to thank Ben Lowe, Don Shepard, and Erica Hoaglund for discussion regarding species identification and for comments on this note. A special thank you goes out to the members of FieldHerpForum.com that provided insightful comments on the topic.
Table 1. Ventral scale counts for the four most likely candidate snake species. Values shown here are averages with corresponding range.
Species Sample Size (n)
Ventral Scale Count (Average) Range Source
Texas Rat Snake 12 229 221 - 235 Mann 2007, Unpub. Thesis Pantherophis
obsoletus
Western Fox Snake 12 201 189 - 208 LeClere et al. In Press Pantherophis vulpinus
Common Garter Snake 269 162 152 - 173 Dohm and Garland 1993 Thamnophis sirtalis
Plains Garter Snake 174 154 142 - 166 Arnold and Bennett 1988 Thamnophis radix
Northern Water Snake N/A N/A 128 - 155 Clark 1938 Nerodia s. sipedon
JFBM R2746 1 155 N/A
Literature Cited Arnold, S. J., and A. F. Bennett. 1988. Behavioural Variation in Natural Populations. V.
Morphological Correlates of Locomotion in the Garter Snake (Thamnophis radix). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 34: 175-190.
Brecke, B. J. 1997. Documentation of Ratsnake (Elaphe obsoleta) Dens in Southeastern
Minnesota. Report submitted to the Natural Heritage and Nongame Research Program, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. 3 pp.
Collins, J. T., and T. W. Taggart. 2008. An Alternative Classification of the New World
Rat Snakes (Genus Pantherophis [Reptilia: Squamata: Colubridae]). Journal of Kansas Herpetology, 26: 16-18.
Clark, W. M. 1938. A Synopsis of the North American Water Snakes of the Genus Natrix.
Copeia, 1938: 173-182. Crother, B. I., J. Boundy, F. T. Burbrink, and J. A. Campbell. 2008. Squamata – Snakes.
IN B.I. Crother (6th ed.), Scientific and Standard English Names of Amphibians and Reptiles of North America North of Mexico, pp. 24–45. SSAR Herpetological Circular 37.
Dohm, M. R. and T. Garland, Jr. 1993. Quantitative Genetics of Scale Counts in the Garter
Snake Thamnophis sirtalis. Copeia, 1993: 987-1002. Hall, C. D., and J. J. Moriarty. 2011. Minnesota’s Amphibian and Reptile Distribution
Maps. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Accessed, November 1, 2011. http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/eco/mcbs/herp_maps/p_obsoletus_ecs.pdf
LeClere, J. B., E. P. Hoaglund, J. Scharosch, C. E. Smith, and T. Gamble. In Press. Two
Naturally Occurring Intergeneric Hybrids (Pituophis catenifer sayi x Pantherophis vulpinus; Lampropeltini, Squamata) from the Midwestern United States. Journal of Herpetology.
Mann, A. M. 2007. A Taxonomic Investigation of the Black Ratsnake, Elaphe o. obsoleta
(Say) [Reptilia, Squamata, Colubridae], in West Virginia using Morphometric Analyses. Unpublished Master’s Thesis, Marshall University, Huntington, West Virginia. 75pp.
Oldfield, B. and J. J. Moriarty. 1994. Amphibians and Reptiles Native to Minnesota.
University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, Minnesota. 237 pp. Powell, R., J. T. Collins, and E. D. Hooper, Jr. 1998. A Key to the Amphibians and
Reptiles of the Continental United States and Canada. University Press of Kansas, Kansas, USA.
Figure 4. In-situ photograph of a P. obsoletus approximately 15 feet up in cedar tree, Houston County, Minnesota.
The Newsletter of the Minnesota Herpetological Society December 2011 Volume 31 Number 12
8
Treasurer’s Report for Oct 2011Prepared by Nancy Haig
Beginning Balance $13,415.54
Income:Membership $130.00Raffle $78.00Adoption $365.00RodentSales $362.00RenfestDonations $5,283.47MidwestRegistration $2,810.00RenfestPayment $2,750.00Other $40.00Total Income $11,818.47
Expense:Program $50.00RodentCost $302.90adopt/Vet $180.00Printing $965.61Midwest $968.97Donation $1,000.00Renfest $240.57Library $72.00Total Expense $3,912.58
Cash Increase/Decrease +$7,905.89
Ending Balance $21,321.43
Placement of cash holdings CheckingAccount $21,321.43 TCF/Paypal $2,421.09 Paypal $164.28 Cashonhand $175.00
Total $24,081.80
Notes: Other income is from Misc donation & Holiday Banquet.Midwestnumbersarenotfulltotals,$1000.00toWorldChelonianTrust.PrintingcostsincludeMHSleaflets& occasional papers
November Adoption ReportPostedbySarahRichard,EditedbyChrisRueber
RedEaredSlider,BeardedDragonJuv,IguanaJuv,LeopardGecko,(4)Boa,(2)BallPython,(2)Cornsnake
Message from Midwest Symposium Coordinators
The Minnesota Herpetological Society would like to thank GreatLakesBreadsfortheirgenerousdonationofScones,BreadsandMuffinsgiventoshareattheMidwestHerpe-tological Symposium. We would also like to thank Surley Brewingforthedonationofitemsfortheraffleandqualitybeer which was shared in our hospitality suite.Thankyou,LizBosman
The Midwest Herpetological Symposium committee would liketothankthefollowingCoordinatorsfortheircontri-butionoftimeandtalents:DanKeyler-Speakerlineup,HeatherClayton-Vendorline-up,SallyBrewer-Graphics,AnnPorwoll-T-shirts&bagprintingandpromotionalitems,EllenHeck-snakebags,Fred&LizBosman-HospitalitySuite,JohnMorairty-Auctioneer,BethGirard&JimGer-holdt for their exceptional live animal display of native MN herps. We would also like to thank the MHS members who stepped up and helped out during the Symposium week-end,SkylerBouley-allaroundvolunteerparexcellence,SarahRichard,ChrisSmith,EricaHoaglund,JanAndreasen,JacobMee,NinaKatayama,andTerryOdegaard.Aswellas Bill Moss and Nancy Hakomaki for their Renfest tribute FridaynightandBeerwenchesHeatherandChrista.
Next Meeting:Friday - December 2nd - 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
This newsletter is printed on recycled paper
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED