BULLETIN = ^ = o f t h e

Chicago Herpetological Society

Volume 28, Number 3 March 1993

Bacteria of the genus Salmonella have long been known from reptiles. This scanning electron micrograph shows Salmonella arizonae bacteria cultured from wild prairie rattlesnakes. In this issue James W. Grier, Marty S. Bjerke and Lisa K. Nolan comment on "Snakes and the Salmonella Situation." Preparation and photograph by the North Dakota State University Electron Microscope Laboratory.

B U L L E T I N OF T H E CHICAGO H E R P E T O L O G I C A L S O C I E T Y Volume 28, Number 3

March 1993

Snakes and the Salmonella Situation James W. Grier, Mart>' S. Bjerke and Lisa K. Nolan 53

Another Association Between Reptiles and Illicit Drugs . , . David Chiszar, Len Jones, W. Douglas Costain and Hobart M. Smith 60

Helpful Herp Hints Dennis Engler 61

HerPET-POURRl Ellin Beltz 62

N E W T L I N E Newt 65

Herpetology 1993 67

The Tympanum Joseph T. Collins; John P. Levell; Drew Newman; Stephen L. Barten, D.V.M. 69

Unofficial Minutes of the CHS Board Meeting, February 12, 1993 72

Advertisements 73

News and Announcements 75

Herp-Acrostic Mike Dloogatch 76

E D I T O R S

Michael A. Dloogatch Joan F. Moore John C. Murphy

Copy editor: Jill Horwich Advertising Manager: Ralph Shepstone

CHS O F F I C E R S 1993

Ron Humbert, President John C. Murphy, Vice-President Gary Fogel, Treasurer Stacy Miller, Recording Secretary Brian Jones, Corresponding Secretary Michael A. Dloogatch, Publications Secretary Steve Spitzer, Membership Secretary Chuck Keating, Sergeant-at-Arms Jim Caspar, Member-at-Large Anthony Rattin, Member-at-Large Claus Sutor, Member-at-Large Jack Schoenfelder, Immediate Past President

The Chicago Herpetological Society is a nonprofit organiza­tion incorporated under the laws of the state of Illinois. Its purposes are education, conservation and the advancement of herpetology. Meetings are announced in this publication, and are normally held at 7:30 P.M., the last Wednesday of each month.

Membership in the CHS includes a subscription to the Bulletin. Annual dues are: Individual Membership, $17.50; Family Mem­bership, $20.00; Sustaining Membership, $25.00; Contributing Membership, $100.00; Instihitional Membership, $30.00. Remit­tance must be made in U.S. funds. Subscribers outside the U.S. must add $12.00 for postage. Send membership dues or address changes to: Chicago Herpetological Society, Membership Secre­tary, 2001 N . Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60614. Publications are sent to U.S. members via third class bulk mail; the post office does not forward such mail, even i f a special request is made to forward magazines.

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The B U L L E T I N of the Chicago Herpetological Society (ISSN 0009-3564) is published monthly by the Chicago Herpetological Society. Copyright 1993.

Bull. Chicago Herp. Soc. 28(3):53-59, 1993 53

Snakes and the Salmonella Situation James W. Grier', Marty S. Bjerke' and Lisa K. Nolan^

'Zoology Department and ^Department of Veterinary Science and Microbiology

North Dakota State University Fargo, ND 58105-5517

Introduction

Bacteria of tlie genus Salmonella tiave long been known to occur in reptiles in general, including snakes. However, most of the attention and discussion, including on occasional human health problems, have been associated with turtles and lizards.

Accumulating evidence suggests that salmonellae* are not only present in snakes, they are ubiquitous and very common. Their presence raises several implications and potential con­cerns; but, at the same time, the near absence of diagnosed health problems associated with these bacteria in snakes sug­gests that they are not really of serious concern, except under certain conditions. Unfortunately, we are currently faced with many more questions than answers.

We recently became aware of the presence of Salmonella in our collection of snakes. This created a dilemma for us due to the possible health risk to humans. After some concern and confijsion, our current view is not one of alarm; rather, we are proceeding with caution. To paraphrase an old cliche, we found that we had opened a can of germs!

In this article we discuss our experience, some of what we learned, and some of the implications and questions. This discussion could be extended to reptiles in general as well as to many other groups of animals and sources of salmonellae. (Salmonellae are far more common and frequently overlooked in animals, including many wild animals and domestic live­stock, than most people realize.) However, we will confine our attention for present purposes to snakes.

Our Experience: Background, Results and Discussion

Our experience with salmonellae began innocently enough when a snake (a hybrid bull snake x yellow rat snake, Pituophis calenifersayix Elaphe obsoleta quadrivittata) in our university collection died last June. A routine necropsy and bacterial analysis by our diagnostic laboratory indicated the presence of Salmonella and a tentative diagnosis of salmonellosis or septi­cemia due to Salmonella as the cause of death. We were not overly concerned at the time. We mostly viewed it as one of those deaths that occurs from time to time in any collection and which has happened only infrequently in ours.

However, a few weeks later another snake died (an urutu, Bothrops alternatus). Its death was ascribed to salmonellosis. A few days later an eyelash viper {Bothriechis schlegelii) died and was shown to contain Salmonella. Both the urutu and eyelash viper had been doing poorly and not eating for some time. We did not believe that any of the deaths were related to the others, but we were not sure and became concerned.

We did three things: we started calling around to find out what others knew about Salmonella in snakes; we began to systematically check the remaining snakes and other animals in our collection; and we initiated a review of the literature on the subject.

Comments from other persons, including veterinarians, microbiologists and others with interests in herps, were mixed and widely diverse. Some had never heard o( Salmonella in snakes; some were aware of it but not sure what to think about it; some thought it to be common in snakes but nothing to get concerned about, except occasionally when the snakes are stressed; and some considered it a potendally serious threat both to the snakes and people who worked with them.

Extensive further discussions also produced very mixed opinions concerning possible previous health problems with Salmonella. We heard a number of anecdotes about cases of sickness in both snakes and people, including other family members, that, in retrospect, might have involved salmonello­sis. (Salmonellosis in humans usually is not serious for other­wise normal, healthy persons. It produces symptoms of an upset stomach, diarrhea and fever; and it may be confused with other problems such as flu. Many persons experience salmo­nellosis without recognizing it.)

We learned of several known or suspected cases of salmo­nellosis in the snakes themselves. One involved a serious case traced to a source of purchased mice that had been fed to the snakes. There were a few instances of snakes that died and others in which the problem disappeared and the animals recov­ered completely. In some cases antibiofics were used and in other cases they were not.

Concerning possible cases of salmonellosis in humans, our discussions with others produced no clear picture. One person told us that he had a friend with a large collection of snakes whose small children always seemed to be sick whenever he visited them; but he had no idea whether it was related to the presence of the snakes. Another person in charge of a large commercial operation involving reptiles said that new employ­ees routinely became sick when they first started working with the animals; they would have the classic symptoms of salmo­nellosis for a few days; then recover and be okay from then on. He considered it to be a minor and transient problem, part of the job, and nothing to worry about. Another person, in charge of a different large scale commercial operation with decades of experience was just as confident that they had not seen any salmonellosis health problems with new employees, of whom there had been many through the years.

The systematic sampling of fecal samples from the remain-

* plural, following the style oi Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology (Krieg and Holt, 1984). (The term Salmonella is pluralized in many dirt'erent ways by different authors.)

der of our collection of over 50 snakes plus other types of animals, all of which seemed healthy and normal, proved interesting. We checked both feces and tissues from mice in our colony and found no Salmonella in the food we were giving the snakes.

Although we still have a few snakes remaining to be sam­pled, we discovered salmonellae of at least 24 different sero­types (strains or types based on antigen-antibody characteris­tics) including 18 of the Arizona subgroup and at least six other named "species" (see comments on classification below) in our collection. We have attempted to obtain as much diversity of reptiles as possible for educational purposes. It appears that we also acquired a wide diversity of salmonellae.

Most of our snakes (38 of 43 checked, or 88%) were carry­ing one or more serotypes of Salmonella. Most of the particu­lar serotypes were restricted to one or a few snakes, suggesting that the snakes came into our collection carrying their own serotypes. This observation also suggests that either there was minimal transmission of serotypes among animals within the collection or, perhaps, that established serotypes in individual animals outcompete or inhibit newly introduced forms. A few serotypes were common to some of the long-term residents of the collection. These otherwise unrelated animals were held in close physical proximity and had been interchangeably handled and exposed to the same equipment such as temporary holding boxes, suggesting that some transmission of serotypes between animals may have occurred.

We checked several of our snakes more than once. Most of them showed salmonellae in all samples but a few had the bacteria present in only some of their samples. Thus, the animals can have salmonellae without always shedding them.

We also checked wild rattlesnakes, Crotalus viridis viridis (see Figure 1), in the isolated western regions of our state and found them to be carrying salmonellae. Electron micrographs of salmonellae from these snakes are shown in Figures 2 and 3.

To check our analyses, we sent duplicate samples in which we found salmonellae to two other veterinary laboratories.

Figure 1. Wild prairie rattlesnake, Crotalus viridis viridis, from western North Dakota. Such snakes have been found to be carrying Salmonella bacteria, as appears to be the case in snakes generally. Photograph by Marty Bjerke.

54

Figure 2. Scanning electron micrograph of Salmonella arizonae bacteria, serotype 38:K-Z35, cultured from wild prairie rattlesnakes from western North Dakota. Magnification is 6,000 x. Preparation and photograph by NDSU EM Laboratory.

They analyzed the samples blindly; that is, the nature and source of the samples were not revealed until after the analyses were completed. One of the labs identified salmonellae in all of the samples that we had, although they diagnosed different "species" than we had in a few of the cases. The other lab, however, failed to detect Salmonella in any of the samples we sent them, apparently because of different and insufficient or inappropriate diagnostic procedures for this group of bacteria.

In addition to sampling our own collection, we spot checked a number of small private collections (most of their snakes showed salmonellae) and another moderately sized collection. In the latter case, 13 of 19 snakes checked, or 68%, were carrying at least 13 different serotypes of Salmonella; some different snakes carried the same serotypes and some individu­als carried more than one serotype. In one collection 5. enterit-idis was identified. It is commonly associated with poultry, domestic livestock and food poisoning. One of the other peo­ple we talked with, a private snake breeder with a large collec­tion of nearly one thousand breeding adults, routinely checks any sick or dead animals. Through the years he found most to be carrying salmonellae.

Snake parts, including shed skins, may also carry salmonel­lae. We analyzed several shed skins from our collection, in­cluding old, dried ones that had been hanging around for a long time — all had viable salmonellae on them! As part of our effort to sample other collections and situations, we also checked an old, unused muhi-unit snake display cage that had been in the home of a private collector who moved to a new house and lef̂ the cage at his former house. Although no reptiles had been in the cage or even in the building for over six months, we recov­ered viable salmonellae from several units of the cage.

55

Figure 3. Scanning electron micrograph of Salmonella arizonae bacteria, serotype 38:K-Z35, cultured from wild prairie rattlesnakes from western North Dakota. Magnification is 15,000 x. Preparation and photograph by NDSU EM Laboratory.

In the process of running our tests, we froze some samples then later thawed and analyzed them. Freezing did not kill the salmonellae. These bacteria are very resistant and can persist in the environment.

We also conducted a profile of the other kinds of bacteria, of which there are many, present in our snakes. There are numerous other bacteria in addition to salmonellae that can cause similar or worse problems for snakes.

Our literature review uncovered a large number of articles about salmonellae in snakes, with many of the articles being located in obscure, foreign and difficult to obtain sources. Some references to Salmonella crop up in unexpected places. For example, a colleague stumbled across a parenthetical refer­ence to the snake situation in an article from Britain on health for intemational travellers (Vines, 1992): " . . . a microbiologist at the Central Public Health Laboratory in London recently re­viewed all the cases oi Salmonella arizonae turning up in Britain since 1966. Just over a third involved people who had recently been abroad. (Oddly, most of the rest kept snakes and terrapins, or had a childminder who did, suggesting that reptiles can also harbour the infection.)"

Much of the published literature simply documents the presence of salmonellae in wild and captive snakes and other reptiles. However, some articles also raise questions about the health implications of salmonellae carried by snakes (as well as other herps), both for the animals themselves and for people who come in contact with them. Unfortunately, there has been relatively little synthesis of the information and what it all means. Salmonellae in general, and particularly in reptiles, are a very confusing and poorly understood group of bacteria.

There is not enough space here to review all of the litera­ture. Instead.we will simply provide a broad overview, con­clusions, and some of the more general or interesting and accessible references at the end of this article. For starting references, we recommend Frye (1991, e.g., pages 128-129) and Minton (1992). For technical references see Krieg and Holt (1984) and the DIFCO Manual (1984).

Salmonella can be easily missed on diagnosis unless proper media are used (e.g., tetrathionate or some other enrichment broth). Consequently, they are probably overlooked in many diagnostic analyses. They also can be present but not shed at all times by an animal carrying them. Between 1972 and 1974, for example, 38 percent of all batches of hatchling turtles that were certified to be free oi Salmonella before shipment were later shown to be carrying Salmonella (Cohen et al, 1980; Shane et al., 1990). Determining that an animal definitely does not carry Salmonella, without killing it and analyzing the tissues, may be most difficult or even impossible. Thus, a negaUve analysis does not necessarily mean that the animal is free of salmonellae.

Salmonellae have been documented widely and commonly in snakes from all parts of the world where snakes occur, both in captivity and in the wild — including in some of the least accessible and most remote parts of the Earth, as far from human contact as researchers have been able to check. This group of bacteria and the general disease associated with them, salmonellosis, are far more common than most persons realize. Salmonellae are found widely in the environment, in many food products and in many kinds of animals including numer­ous domestic animals.

The classification of Salmonella, incidentally, could best be described as in chaos. There are over 2,000 different serotypes, some of which have been given "species-like" names and many of which are identified only by antigenic formula. There are even problems at the generic level. One group of bacteria, probably the most common of the Salmonella serotypes in snakes, is generally recognized as Salmonella arizonae (or arizona, even the specific epithet is confused). However, it is considered by some to be a separate genus of bacteria (Arizona spp.). Many other workers have not decided what to do with these serotypes and simply refer to them as the "Arizona group" or the Salmonella subgenus III group. An intemational committee of bacteriologists is cuaently working on these taxo-nomic problems.

The large number of different serotypes of Salmonella in snakes is confusing and leads to the obvious questions, "Why are there so many kinds?" and "What does it all mean?" There are a number of factors that might be involved in producing the numerous serotypes, including phages and evolutionary diversi­fication. Salmonellae appear to be normal bacteria in snakes and are not usually pathogenic in the reptile. The bacteria may be normally transmitted "vertically" from the mother to young or horizontally (from animal to animal or via the environment) in the wild or within a collection.

Most of the suspected cause and effect relationships between salmonellae and disease in snakes are unproven. We are not

56

even sure, and probably never wil l know, if salmonellae were really responsible for the deaths of our snakes or i f their pres­ence was merely coincidental. The snakes that died were carrying different serotypes of Salmonella.

In some other animals such as poultry and ungulate live­stock, where salmonellae are better (but still not well) under­stood, some serotypes are known to be more virulent than others. Some serotypes in snakes might be almost or complete­ly harmless, but simply have a bad surname. As one person remarked, "Just because your name is Capone does not make you a mobster," In the meantime, however, until more be­comes known, the safest, most conservative precaution would be to consider all serotypes of Salmonella as potential, opportu­nistic pathogens. That is, under certain conditions involving a big enough dose and a weak enough host, any serotype of Salmonella might cause problems for snakes or other animals, including people.

The literature that we have reviewed thus far contains rela­tively few references to human salmonellosis acquired from snakes. However, salmonellae from snakes have clearly and definitely been implicated in several serious, and in some cases fatal, cases of salmonellosis in humans. Some of the more unfortunate (but nonetheless interesting) cases involve rattle­snake skin used in folk medicine (Riley et al., 1988; Waterman etal., 1990; Kraus et al., 1991). Rattlesnake capsules have been used by a number of persons with AIDS, diabetes, arthri­tis and cancer. Due to their prior diseases, these people were especially vulnerable to salmonellosis. After taking doses of rattlesnake skin, they developed severe cases of the disease. Less serious cases acquired from snakes may also be occurring, perhaps commonly, without being recognized.

It is difficult to rid a carrier animal of Salmonella. Thus, it is not certain that one should try to treat snakes carrying these bacteria. In fact, there are many reasons why otherwise healthy animals should not be treated, including problems with induc­ing bacterial resistance to the antibiotics and stresses and risks caused by the treatments.

Significance and Ramifications

The biological significance of the numerous serotypes of Salmonella in snakes extends into several topics of interest including: evolution and coevolution, genetics and recombina­tion, immunology, modes of transmission and biogeography. The significance to health, for either snakes or humans, remains unclear. We do not believe that most of the types of Salmonel­la carried by snakes and other repfiles pose a significant health hazard to normal, otherwise healthy individuals.

However, the presence of salmonellae in snakes and our lack of understanding about these bacteria raise a number of potentially thorny issues for persons interested in herps, partic­ularly concerning handling and husbandry procedures, public relations and educational efforts and restrictive regulations.

Persons working directly with snakes, whether wild or in captivity, should at least be aware of the likely presence of Salmonella and consider the procedures that they use. This

topic is discussed further in the next section.

One possible issue for persons working with herps involves the transportation of animals. There are numerous regulations already on the books that could potentially apply to this situa­tion. For example, the interstate transportation of anything carrying Salmonella technically requires certain procedures to be followed, including double, waterproof packaging with absorbent material between the first and second containers, and required labeling (Federal Regulations, 42 CFR, Ch. I , Part 72, concerning public health). However, these regulations were formulated primarily for shipment of diagnostic or research materials. I f the regulations were to be applied to living ani­mals generally, including snakes, they would have to also include many other animals such as cattle, pigs, sheep, horses and even many people. Current regulations, i f interpreted literally, would make It illegal for some persons to cross state lines!

Many of us have been involved in education about snakes and other reptiles, both in the classroom and involving the general public. We often display animals in the open, allow people to touch and handle the animals, and do other things such as give shed skins to people, particulariy children, as souvenirs. We are now faced with an ethical and legal dilem­ma. We still have an educational and informational responsi­bility concerning the animals, to tell others about their diversi­ty, biology, and the environmental problems caused by humans. Yet, we also arc responsible for not exposing others to unneces­sary health problems. At the same time, we are not sure how serious the problem really is. And, how do we incorporate all of this messy infomiation in with the more important messages about snakes that we need and want to get across to other people?

Salmonella in snakes is a potentially explosive topic. Ev­eryone, herpetologist and nonherpetologist alike, must be careful to avoid germ paranoia and hysteria.

The whole subject could provide ammunition for persons wishing to further restrict or prevent altogether the possession and keeping of animals in captivity. We must be prepared by keeping informed and using reasonable and proactive responses rather than heated and emotional reactions. Al l persons with captive animals must act responsibly. It also helps to know your local legislators, shipping agents, local media people and others. Such contacts and relationships are important to help inform those persons, to help keep a positive image in their minds about the animals before someone else tries to convince them otherwise, and also to help keep ourselves infomied on what is going on in their arenas.

We do not know how many snakes arc in captivity or how many people come into contact with them. Slavens and Slavens (1991) list 46,865 individual living herps known to be in collections throughout the worid as of January' 1, 1991. That includes all groups, not just snakes, and it is only a small fraction of the number of reptiles and amphibians actually in captivity. Iherc are also uncounted thousands to hundreds of ilunisands or more in private collections, public schools, other unlisted institutional collections (including ours, for example), and in homes as pets. The number of humans coming in con-

57

tact with those animals must be of a much larger order of magnitude. We know even less about the level of health in those herps and humans or what, i f any, association there is between the health and the various salmonellae that the animals may be canying.

We do know, however, that, aside from our three dead snakes discussed at the start of this article, perhaps one or two previous cases here during the past 20 years, and the anecdotes that we heard from others, all of the current animals and people of whom we are aware, including our snakes and ourselves, have suffered no known problems with Salmonella. This lack of significant problems involves a large number of both snakes and people with whom we have had direct experience during a period of many years.

In addition to our own personal contacts with snakes, people and snakes have been meeting similarly, including millions of encounters annually at zoos, schools, displays at fairs, etc., for decades. I f salmonellae were to be a genuine health threat, it seems reasonable to expect that we would have encountered significant problems long before now. The few really serious cases that have been documented, such as those associated with rattlesnake capsules, while serious to the few individuals in­volved, represent a minute fraction of the overall snake-human encounters. Additionally, those persons had predisposing conditions that made them vulnerable to any number of poten­tial infections. Thus, even in the worst known cases. Salmonel­la was a secondary, not a primary, problem.

Although we do not believe that the salmonellae carried by snakes pose a serious concern or health risk under normal conditions, there remain several uncertainties and questions. These doubts, in turn, raise a number of vexing practical prob­lems for anyone working with snakes.

What is a person (school, zoo, parent, etc.) to do?!

Every person, institution and organization involved with snakes wil l have to decide for themselves how to proceed in the face of the various issues posed by the known or likely pres­ence of salmonellae in the animals they work with. Some of the ideal recommendations for captive care and husbandry or working with wild specimens are listed below. It would be good advice, incidentally, to follow these procedures with animals of all kinds, not just reptiles.

I . Use reasonable and proper sanitation and care in hus­bandry and handling techniques, to minimize potential problems for the animals; in particular —

a. wash hands after handling and between handling different animals;

b. properly clean all equipment, holding containers, etc. after and between use with different animals;

c. be careful with animal water and food; in particu­lar, it is perhaps safest to properly discard any uneaten food after it has been exposed to one animal's environment rather than giving it to a different animal;

d. use proper quarantine techniques with all new and any sick animals, including working with them

last; • c. use care when you visit other people's collections

or when others visit yours to avoid transmission of different microbial organisms between collections.

2. Provide the best possible care for captive animals to reduce stress of any kind for the animals, as stress is considered to be related to onset of pathogenic activity, i.e., actual salmonellosis in the animals.

3. Conduct necropsies, including bacteriological analyses,' on animals that die.

4. Practice proper hygiene -and common sense (e.g., wash­ing hands) after touching or otherwise working with the animals, for the sake of one's own personal health.

5. Do not cat or drink while working with the animals or when in areas where they arc kept.

6. Be particularly careful of having or working with hcrps in food preparation areas, such as throwing dirty water from bowls or cage cleaning down kitchen sinks, having animals, cages, equipment, or related materials on kitch­en counters or tables.

7. Be aware of and tr>' to avoid or minimize possible con-lamination of items that might otherwise be overlooked, such as door knobs, faucet handles, floors, counter and table tops, pens, pencils, and books and papers.

8. Frequently clean commonly exposed surfaces with anti­bacterial cleaning solutions, such as those used in the food industry and public institutions.

9. Discuss the procedures and instruct all coworkers and assistants so that everyone who works with your animals uses the same standards and level of care.

10. Inform visitors that salmonellae are known or suspected to be present, that they are believed to be normal flora and not a health risk for persons who are otherwise healthy, but that hand washing is advised and persons who might be especially vulnerable should avoid contact with the animals.

Concerning the last point, people with weakened immune systems—particularly those with HIV/AIDS—are especially vulnerable and should probably be advised to avoid contact with animals such as snakes and other reptiles or their parts, such as shed skins. Handling of animals by young children should be supervised for several reasons, but contact with reptiles by children, as well as the elderly, may also need to be limited because they are often more vulnerable to salmonellae than others. Contact by such individuals should always be followed by hand washing and careful personal hygiene.

These recommendations arc ideals that may not always be practical or necessary. We have some colleagues who already follow most of these procedures as a standard matter of prac­tice. (We also know of many persons who follow virtually none of these procedures!) In our opinion, the most important principles arc to avoid excessive stress of animals, use quaran­tine procedures for all new and any questionable specimens, necropsy dead animals to diagnose the presence of known or possible pathogens, be particularly careful with activities and contacts involving food or other oral behavior (e.g.. smoking, putting pencils in mouths), wash hands after handling and

working with the animals, and use common sense.

We ourselves are following most, but not all, of these proce­dures. For example, we do not routinely wash hands and equipment between working with each and every specimen,-only between certain animals and circumstances and generally after completing our work with the animals. After carefully reviewing our maintenance and husbandry techniques, the fact that we have only a moderately sized collection with little turnover of animals and carefiil quarantine of all new animals, few cases of disease or death in the past and no more problems since the three last year (which we still think were only coinci­dental and not related to each other), and after considering our data on different serotypes of Salmonella, we do not believe that it is practical or really necessary to wash between every single specimen that we work with.

We replaced our previous soap container with a better dispenser and food-handler antiseptic soap, both for the sake of visitors and ourselves. We also added a dispenser with hand lotion to use afterwards, because the increased Emiount of hand washing can be hard on the skin.

We are continuing to use our collection of herps for educa­tional purposes, including with young children, mostly as in the past; but we now use more caution and have changed some of our procedures. We have posted an advisory sign with our collection and also generally advise visitors verbally, although we do not make a big deal of it. The text of our poster is included in an Appendix (it may be copied and used by others).

We also ask all visitors, particularly young children, who have touched the animals or anything in contact with them to wash their hands before they leave the premises. (We have found, incidentally, that parents and teachers usually appreciate our telling children to wash their hands after handling animals because it helps reinforce their previous messages on hygiene.)

For the time being, until we better understand the situation, we have stopped giving away shed skins.

Conclusions

Salmonella in snakes clearly is not a major, primary health

58

problem and should not serve as a scapegoat for other prob­lems. What is not clear, however, is how extensive or serious salmonellosis is as a secondary problem. Accordingly, we do not know to what extent one should be concerned and what, i f anything, can or should be done about the situation. Two things that definitely are not warranted are mass hysteria and widespread antibiotic treatment of the animals.

When health problems are encountered, whether in snakes or in persons associated with them, and there could be some involvement with Salmonella, attention should be focused on the primary predisposing factors such as stress and other things that have weakened the normal immune responses. Under such circumstances. Salmonella is only one of many possible com­plicating concerns.

The bottom line at present is that the salmonellae are pres­ent and cannot be ignored; but beyond not being a serious problem with otherwise normal, healthy individuals, we do not know what their presence really means. We recommend that all persons working with herps be alert for further develop­ments. We ourselves are continuing our literature review and have initiated further primary research on the subject.

Acknowledgements

We wish to thank several people for help and discussions. Our diagnostic laboratory and Department of Veterinary Sci­ence and Microbiology at NDSU have been most helpful; we . particularly thank D. Krogh, R. Devoid, I . E. Berg, G. J. Schamber, D. Steffen, C. Giddings, M . Moen, G. Leverson, B. R. Funke, M. H. Smith and D. BerryhiU. The National Veteri­nary Services Laboratories at Ames, Iowa, performed the serotyping for us. K. Iverson and T. Freeman in the NDSU EM Laboratory produced the electron microscope photographs of salmonellae from wild North Dakota rattlesnakes and helped with other photographic work. Some of the others interested in herps with whom we discussed the issues and the preparation of this manuscript, and some of whose animals we have checked, include: M . Dwyer, K. Earnest, D, Grier, T. Hoffnagle, K. Kundel, J. Lang, C. Lindberg, J. Maierhauser, J. Meltzer, D. Middaugh, D. Sayler, G. Sherman, E. Thiss and M . Tuegel.

Literature Cited and Other References

Anonymous, 1992. Iguana-associated salmonellosis — Indiana, 1990, Morb. and Mort. Weekly Report 4l(3):38-39.

Cohen, M . L., M . Potter, R. Pollard and R. A. Feldman. 1980, Turtle-associated salmonellosis in the United States: Effect of public health action, 1970 to 1976. J. Am. Med. Assoc. 243:1247-1249.

DIFCO Laboratories. 1984. DIFCO manual of dehydrated culture media and reagents for microbiology. Detroit: DIFCO Labs.

Edwards. P. R., M . A. Fife and C. H. Ramsey. 1959. Studies on the Arizona group of Enterobacteriaceae. Bact. Rev. 23:155-174,

Frye, F. C, 1991. Reptile care: An atlas of diseases and treatments. Neptune City, NJ: T.F.H, Publ,, Inc, [also published under the title Biomedical and Surgical Aspects of Captive Reptile Husbandry by Krieger Publishing, Malabar, FL]

Iveson, J. B,, E. M . Mackay-Scollay and V. Bamford. 1969. .Salmonella and Arizona in reptiles and man in western Australia. .1. Hyg., Camb. 67:135-145.

Kraus, A., G. Guerra-Bautista and D. Alarcon-Segovia. 1991. Salmonella arizona arthritis and septicemia associated with rattlesnake ingestion by patients with connective tissue diseases. A dangerous complication of folk medicine. J. of Rheumatology 18:1328-1331.

Krieg, N . R., and J. G. Holt, editors. 1984. Sergey's manual of systematic bacteriology. Baltimore: Williams and Wilkins.

Manolis, S. C , Q. J. W. Webb, D. Pinch, L. Melville and G. HoUis. 1991. Salmonella in captive crocodiles {CrocodylusjohnstonianA C. porosus). Australian Veterinary Journal 68:102-105.

Marcus, L, C. 1971. Infectious diseases of reptiles. J. Am. Vet. Med. Assoc. 159:1626-1631

Minton, S. A. 1992. Reptiles as a source of human infections. Pp. 3-7. In: P. D. Strimple and J. L. Srimple, editors. Contributions in Herpetology. Greater Cincinnati Herpetological Society, do Cincinnati Mus. Nat. Hist. Cincinnati, OH.

Riley, K. B., D. Antoniskis, R. Maris and J. M. Leedom. 1988. Rattlesnake capsule-associated Salmonella arizona infections. Arch. Intern. Med. 148:1207-1210.

Shane, S. M. , R. Gilbert and K. S. Harrington. 1990. Salmonella colonization in commercial pet turtles (Pseudemys scripta elegans). Epidemial. Infect. 105:307-316.

Slavens, F. L., and K. Slavens. 1991. Reptiles and amphibians in captivity: Breeding-longevity and inventory current January 1, 1991. Seattle: Woodland Park Zoological Gardens.

Vines, G. 1992. How to stay healthy on holiday. New Scientist 27 June:23-24.

Waterman, S. H., G. Juarez, S. J. Carr and L. Kilman. 1990. Salmonella arizona infections in Latinos associated with rattlesnake folk medicine. Am. J. of Pubhc Health 80:286-289.

Weiss, S. H., et al. (9 authors). 1986. Occurrence and distribution of serotypes of the Arizona subgroup of Salmonella strains in the United States from 1967 to 1976. J. Clinical Micro. 23:1056-1064.

Appendix: poster (may be copied)

NOTICE: SALMONELLA BACTERIA IN REPTILES

Reptiles, just like people and other animals, carry a wide variety of bacteria. These bacteria may include some in the Salmonella group. Under some circumstances at least some types of bacteria in this group can cause the disease known as salmonellosis. But we do not believe that most of the strains commonly found in reptiles pose a significant health risk either to the reptiles themselves or to otherwise normal and healthy persons who come into contact with them.

As precautions, however, we advise the following:

1. A L L P E R S O N S TOUCHING O R HANDLING S N A K E S O R O T H E R R E P T I L E S O R M A T E R I A L S THAT HAVE B E E N IN C O N T A C T WITH T H E S E ANIMALS S H O U L D WASH THEIR HANDS C A R E F U L L Y A F T E R W A R D S .

2. YOUNG C H I L D R E N (UNDER 5 Y E A R S O F A G E ) SHOULD B E S U P E R V I S E D IN THEIR C O N T A C T WITH T H E ANIMALS AND WITH R E G A R D T O S U B S E Q U E N T HYGIENE.

3. A N Y O N E WHO IS S I C K O R HAS A W E A K E N E D IMMUNE S Y S T E M — PARTICULARLY PERSONS WITH H /V /A /DS—SHOULD NOT T O U C H O R HANDLE S N A K E S , O T H E R R E P T I L E S , AMPHIBIANS, O R M A T E R I A L S THAT HAVE B E E N IN C O N T A C T WITH T H E S E ANIMALS.

Bull. Chicago Herp. Soc. 28(3):60. 1993 60

Another Association Between Reptiles and Illicit Drugs David Chiszar', Len Jones^, W. Douglas Costain^ and Hobart M. Smith''

In our earlier account of the correlation between drugs and reptiles (Chiszar et al., 1992), four categories of associations were identified. First there were cases in which reptiles were simply pets of people who also happened to be drug dealers. Second, reptiles have occasionally been used to transport con­cealed drugs through inspection barriers. Third, dangerous reptiles have been deployed so as to discourage theft of drugs or money, and to thwart or slow down the activities of police. Although these involvements of reptiles have been wildly sensationalized by the media, narcotics detectives interviewed by us regard such events as rare and unlikely to hamper their efforts. While any snake discovered during a drug bust is a cause for concern, officers are prepared to deal with such events. Finally, the most serious involvement of animals with the drug industry was "backloading,'" in which smugglers bringing illegal drugs into Australia attempt to make their homeward trip profitable by smuggling exotic birds and reptiles out of Australia. This is a multi-million dollar racket, probably not restricted to Australia, that is having injurious effects on already rare and endangered taxa.

Recently, a new use of reptiles has been discovered by one of us (LJ) in the course of his duties as a federal law enforce­ment officer in south Florida. Because this experience contains a number of features of interest, we consider it to be an impor­tant addition of the earlier account. Law enforcement person­nel is south Florida have frequently encountered venomous snakes in association with outlaw bikers and drug suspects. Hence, these officers are prepared to discover snakes, and

contingency plans exist for dealing with them. For example, when an eastern diamondback (Crotalus adamanteus) was encountered by Collier County deputies executing a narcotics search warrant, the presence of the snake was referred to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This agency checked with the Florida Game and Freshwater Fish Commission (GFWFC) to ascertain whether the person in question had a Florida permit to possess venomous reptiles. Upon learning that no permit existed, GFWFC officers and LJ visited the residence to confis­cate the rattlesnake. During this visit, a second snake was observed (a com snake, Elaphe guttata) in a cage separate from the one containing the rattlesnake. Upon inspecting the com snake, LJ noticed a white object partly concealed by the snake's body and the wood-chip substrate. That object turned out to be the pearl handle of a loaded .375 revolver (Jones, 1992).

It can be hypothesized that the presence of a weapon in a harmless snake's cage was calculated to permit easy access while the attention of the intruders might be diverted by the rattlesnake. Hence, harmless snakes can be put to nefarious purposes, giving rise to a fifth category of association between drugs and reptiles. Moreover, interviews with various col­leagues have suggested that this category of snake use is proba­bly not rare. Inasmuch as untrained people are seldom able to distinguish between harmless and dangerous snakes, we were tempted to use as our titie for this paper "Beware, Nonpoison-ous Snakes," but that title has been preempted in another con­text by Minton (1979).

Literature Cited

Chiszar, D., H. M . Smith, and W. D. Costain. 1992. Reptiles in association with illicit dnrgs. Bull. Chicago Herp. Soc. 27:1-4.

Jones, L. 1992. Weapon hidden in snake cage. Collier County Fl. Florida Criminal Activity Bulletin. June, Item 92-218:35.

Minton, S. A. 1979. Beware, nonpoisonous snakes. Clinical Toxicology 15:259-265.

1. Department of Psychology, Campus Box 345, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309. 2. United States Fish and Wildlife Service, 3860 Tollgate Boulevard, Suite 30, Naples, FL 33942. 3. Department of Political Science, Campus Box 333, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309. 4. Department of Environmental, Population and Organismic Biology, Campus Box 334, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309

Bull. Chicago Herp. Soc. 28(3):61. 1993 61

Helpful Herp Hints by Dennis Engler

Genetics seems to be a topic that (for some of us) could still use some explaining or simplifying. By using a few examples I hope to do exactly that and remove some of the confusion. Using a basic example of dominant and recessive genes, inheri­tance should proceed as follows. Capital letters (i.e.. A, B, C, etc.) wi l l represent dominant genes and small letters (i.e., a, b, c, etc.) recessive genes. There are at least two genes responsi­ble for each trait (one comes from the female and is present in her egg, the other comes from the male and is present in his sperm). 1 wi l l use normal coloration as a trait resulting from the influence of a dominant gene and albinism as a trait result­ing from the influence of a recessive gene. Thus, the letter "A" wil l stand for a gene producing normal coloration; and "a" wil l stand for a gene producing albino coloration. Combining two genes (one from each parent) at fertilization gives rise to three possibilities: 1) A A is an animal with normal coloration, both genes are dominant; 2) aa is an animal with the albino condi­tion, both genes are recessive; 3) Aa is an animal with normal coloration, but that animal is carrying a recessive gene for albinism. Both A A and aa individuals are said to be homozy­gous (having both genes the same) with respect to coloration. An Aa individual is termed heterozygous (having different genes) with respect to coloration.

Now how is this relevant and how do we use these letters? By using a Punnett square, inheritance can be easily illustrated. One parent's genes run horizontally across the top and the other's run vertically up one side. We then combine the letters into boxes going down and across (like using a mileage chart) to get the characteristics of the offspring. Examples and explanations follow: I f a normal-colored ani­mal with both genes dominant is bred to a genetically similar animal (Figure 1), all the offspring (barring any genetic mutations) wil l be exactly like the parents, normal-colored with both genes dominant. The same is true for two albino animals with both genes reces­sive (Figure 2). A l l offspring wil l be exactly like the parents, albino with both recessive genes. In these cases the parents and their offspring are said to be "true-breeding" for color characteristics. When parents have dif­ferent genes for the same trait, inheritance is a little different. The possibilities are as follows. Figure 3 illustrates the outcome of a mating between a normal-colored animal with two dominant genes (AA) and an albino animal with two recessive genes (aa). Al l four possi­ble combinations of genes from the two parents give the same result, namely Aa. A l l of the offspring wil l be normal-colored due to the dominant gene, but they wil l also carry the recessive gene, and thus wil l be heterozygous for albinism. When two such heterozygous animals are bred (Figure 4), the hidden reces­sive gene again becomes visible. The four possible outcomes include three that produce normal-colored animals and one that produces albinos (aa). Of the three normal-colored

A A

AA AA

A A A A

Figure 1

a a

aa aa

aa aa

Figure 2

A A

Aa Aa

Aa Aa

Figure 3

A a

AA Aa

Aa aa

A a

A A Aa

A A Aa

Figure 5

A a

Aa aa

Aa aa

Figure 4

outcomes, one would be homozygous A A (Uvo dominant genes) and two would be heterozygous Aa (one dominant and one recessive gene). The problem here is that there is almost no way to tell (without breeding these animals) which animal is homozygous AA and which is heterozygous Aa. They look the samel You could say here that there is a two out of three chance an animal wil l be heterozygous Aa and a one out of three chance it will be homozygous AA. But these are statisti­cal averages and not necessarily the exact genes these animals will actually pass. When a homozygous dominant animal AA is bred to a ^ heterozygous animal Aa (Figure 5) all four outcomes result in normal-colored animals but A half are expected to be homozygous A A and half heterozygous Aa. When a homozygous recessive aa is bred to a heterozygous Aa (Fig­ure 6) two of the four outcomes would be animals of normal coloration but carrying the recessive gene for albinism (Aa) and the other two would be albinos (aa). Another way to ^ examine this is by percentages. In Figure 1, ^ 100% of the offspring are AA normal-colored homozygous animals. In Figure 2, 100% of Figure 6

the offspring are homozygous aa albinos. In Figure 3, 100% of the offspring are normal-colored hetero­zygous Aa animals. In Figure 4, three of the four outcomes result in normal-colored individuals, so 75% of the offspring can be expected to be normal-colored. One of these three normal-colored outcomes is homozygous AA and two are heterozygous Aa, so of the normal-colored animals 66% can be expected to be heterozygous Aa and 33% homozygous AA. In Figure 5, all offspring are normal-colored, but 50% are expect­ed to be homozygous A A and 50% heterozygous Aa. In Figure 6, 50% of the offspring are expected to be normal-colored (but heterozygous Aa) and 50% albinos (aa).

Two last remarks: 1) some traits are not transmitted by a single pair of genes or by usual dominant and recessive charac­teristic inheritance. In these cases it is much harder to figure out what type of offspring wil l result from a given cross. 2) the above examples are all statistical examples. This means that although Figure 6 predicts that 50% of the offspring wil l be normal-colored and 50% albino, in real life it doesn't always happen like this. I f you have eight offspring four should be normal and four should be albinos, but you could have six normal and two albinos, or the reverse. Or you could have all normal-colored offspring or all albinos. This is not likely to happen but it is possible. It is like a coin toss. Each time you toss the coin you have a 50% chance of getting heads or tails. I f you toss the coin twice, although the most likely outcome is one head and one tail, you could get two heads or two tails. Just try it and see for yourself

I hope I have helped some of you understand basic genetics a little better. I f you would like more information, feel free to talk to me at any of the meetings. Also, don't forget that i f you'd like to share a bit of knowledge that has helped you in taking care of herps, you can send it to: Chicago Herpetologi­cal Society, Helpful Herp Hints, 2001 N. Clark Street, Chicago IL 60614. Happy HerpingI

Bull. Chicago Herp. Soc. 28(3):62-64. 1993 62

HerPET-POURRI by Ellin Beltz

Quote of the month: " I voted for the Endangered Species Act, but I thought it was about grizzly bears and bald eagles, not little fish and frogs." Member of Congress quoted in the January 1993 WaterShedd. [Contributed by Karen Fumweger]

Ecotour benefits Mexican herpetology I f rustic beach camping and sea turtles appeal to you, contact Javier Alvarado, a researcher at the University of Michoacan, Apartado Postal 2-35, 5800 Morelia 2, Michoacan, Mexico, or fax 011-52-451-45291. He can provide information on the Sea Turtle Recovery volunteer program which takes place from late October to mid-December every year. Only about 50-60 volunteers can be accommodated every year, so contact him soon i f you are interested. [San Diego Union-Tribune, Novem­ber 15, 1992, contributed by Dewey Ira Wallace, III]

Sea turtle update Help Endangered Animals - Ridley Turtles (HEART) reports "Good news from National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), again! After being delayed by Dan Quayle's special commit­tee, Dr. William Fox and NMFS were able to push through the long-awaited Turtle Excluder Device (TED) regulations requir­ing TEDs on all offshore shrimping vessels all year long!" [January 1993 HEART newsletter, contributed by Carole Allen] The Marine Turtle Newsletter [\993, number 60] adds, "As of 1 December 1992, U,S, commercial shrimp trawls over 25 feet in length are required to use TEDs in all offshore waters. The NMFS also announced that as of January 1993, all inshore shrimpers wil l be required to use TEDs unless outfitted with a single net with footrope length less than 44 feet and a headrope length less than 35 feet. A l l other inshore shrimp boats will be required to use TEDs year round no later than December 1994. Full implementation of these regulations should virtually elimi­nate the largest source of human-caused mortality to sea turtles in U.S. waters . . . . The use of TEDs in the U.S. shrimp fishery can reduce turtle mortality by as much as 97%." A l l five spe­cies of sea turtles using U.S. waters are listed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act. [Contributed by Karen Fumweger]

Don't use "real hops" Early American Life Magazine, more noted for uncomfortable looking furniture in bare blue rooms, recently published a recipe for molasses cookies named "Joe Froggers." The legend is that they were first made by an elderly black man who lived near a frog pond in Marblehead, Massachusetts. The shape and plumpness of the cookies resemble frogs. The recipe: IVt c. flour; 3 t. baking powder; VA t. baking soda; 1 t. each powdered cloves and ginger; 1 T. cinnamon; V2 c. butter, softened; 1 c. brown sugar; and % c. molasses. Sift all dry ingredients; cream butter and sugar ' t i l smooth, stir in molasses. Add dry mixture to creamed ingredients; use your hands to make a smooth dough. Roll out half of dough at a time to '/3-inch thick. Cut out in large circles and bake at 375°F until light brown. Rack cool and store covered. Chilling dough may make it easier to work.

Las Vegas tortoise news roundup Regular contributor Bob Pierson keeps this column updated on just about everything happening in Nevada about the desert tortoise. This month, he's contributed several articles and one highly disturbing piece of propaganda against the tortoise projects. This last appears to me to border on libel and slander and so wil l not be repeated here. Let it suffice to say that some people wil l twist anything around to their own advantage. It would probably not be out of line to say that the distributors of this scurrilous document are as anti-tortoise and anti-conserva-fion as supporters of the KIu Klux Klan are anti-black. It should be a warning, however, to supporters of the Endangered Species Act that there are some people out there who DO NOT WANT species saved and are willing to say just about anything in an effort to influence others to their point of view.

The Las Vegas ^eview-Jowr«a/[January 5, 1993] reports that Clark County may be violating a permit issued to that county to remove desert tortoises from lots for development. The Envi­ronmental Defense Fund sent a letter to Manuel Lujan, Bush's Secretary of the Department of the Interior which claimed that lots were bulldozed and graded before experts could determine i f the lots had been surveyed and cleared of tortoises. County officials counterclaimed that some of the lots were graded before the Habitat Conservation Plan took effect in 1991. Clark County's operations services coordinator, Terry Murphy said that the county lacks an effective means of enforcing its law for grading without a permit and added, "Fines are relative­ly inconsequential."

The Clark County Commission refused to award a contract to the nonprofit Tortoise Group which has promoted responsible care of captive tortoises in the community for 20 years. Ac­cording to a January 20, 1993, article in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the commission voted 4-3 to award the contract to Southern Nevada Environmental Consultants to operate a holding facility near Arden. The facility now holds about 100 tortoises, most found in urban areas. The contract was worth $50,000 in fiscal 1992. The Tortoise Group lost out because of the appearance of conflict of interest since the group helped define the scope of the project and is represented on the adviso­ry committee and had seen the competing proposal.

Seven conservation groups filed suit in the U.S. District Court in San Francisco accusing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service of violating the Endangered Species Act by not designating "criti­cal habitat" for the desert tortoise. Deborah Reames, an attor­ney for the Sierra Club said, "While we don't want to be a thorn in the side of the new administration, we must get their attention. The tortoise cannot wait any longer." [Las Vegas Review-Journal, January 29, 1993]

Giant controversy surrounds garter snake In 1971, the giant garter snake {Thamnophis gigas) was listed by the state of Califomia as a threatened species. In 1991, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) nominated it for federal endangered status and was supposed to make a final decision on or around December 27, 1992. However, the dead-

63

line appears to have been extended to allow the public and federal officials to review a report by G. R. Leidy of Pacific Environmental Consultants. Leidy used to be a biologist with USFWS. The study was paid for by developers in the North Natomas basin of Northern Califomia who felt that the feds had done a poor job of research, according to Gregory Thatch, an attorney for the developers. He added that they have spent about a half-million dollars on consulting and legal work re­garding the snake so far and think that the state protection is adequate. According to Leidy's report, the state listed 11 known active populations in 1971 in Northem Califomia. He says there are actually 127 distinct localities of occurrence. Peter Sorenson, a federal wildlife biologist, said the report drew inaccurate conclusions and had repeat sightings listed as sepa­rate sites. [Sacramento Bee, December 15, 1992, confributed by Bmce Hannem]

Peas release me! A family in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, had started to prepare dinner when they found a frozen frog in a kilo bag (2.2 lbs) of Libby's Canada Grade A peas. Agriculture Canada will be investigating the incident, which is apparently the first report of this type of "contaminanf' in their nation. [Hamilton Specta­tor, January 19, 1993, contributed by Brian Bankowski]

Iguana be free According to an article contributed by L. W. Reed from the Caymanian Compass [January 6, 1993], the Cayman Islands National Tmst plans to release sterilized hybrid blue iguanas into the wild. The captive breeding program began in 1990, unfortunately, one of the founding iguanas was not a pure-bred blue iguana. Her hybrid offspring wil l be sterilized by a veteri­narian, have radio devices implanted and be released in what is presumed to be ideal habitat. I f all goes well with the release of these "guinea pigs," purebred blue iguanas will be released.

Watch out for the j a w s . . . Visitors to Berryton, Kansas, might want to look out for the dinosaur-shaped mailbox noted in a recent AP wirephoto, contributed by Mark Witwer [Daily Local News, West Chester, PA, December 17, 1992]. Mark notes that the possibilities for herp-shaped mail boxes are "endless." I suppose so, i f you're really into snakes However, I 'd like to see mailboxes in the shape of the logo of the Mail "Service," a snail.

Primate group decries snake care The Intemational Primate Protection League recently published an appeal from one of their members to write letters protesting conditions at the Thonburi Snake Farm in Thailand [News, Volume 19, Number 3, December, 1992]. The description of the captive snakes read; "Even the basic necessities were not provided, the animals had no fresh water, their water bowls contained a thick layer of algae, the water itself was filthy." The member said that the snakes were handled cmelly, the "venomous snakes being milked so roughly that their mouths were bleeding." People wishing to write letters are urged to contact "The Director, Tourist Authority of Thailand, Rachdamnoen Nok Avenue, Bangkok, Thailand," or " H . E. Chuan Leekpai, Prime Minister, Govemment House, Nakom Pathom Road, Bangkok, Thailand," and "The Director, Ameri­

can Society of Travel Agents, 1101 King Street, Alexandria, VA 22314." [Contributed by Clover Krajicek]

Why not to release non-native animals, part X X I V Two 10-pound snapping turtles were captured on a boat ramp in California's Castaic Lake by animal control officers. The turtles were scheduled to be destroyed because they pose a threat to native species. However, at the last minute, a part-time officer with the Florida Game and Freshwater Fish Com­mission stepped in and offered to transport the turtles to a Florida science museum. [Sacramento Bee, December 30, 1992 and January 1, 1993, contributed by Bmce Hannem]

The question of released animals is one of the most poignant to me personally. I have a problem with keeping animals in captivity, since in no case is it possible to duplicate the ani­mal's native food, home or life. However, captivity does protect an animal from predation. On the other hand, animals in captivity often suffer from conditions and diseases not usual­ly found in nature. Some people think that it is a good idea to release captive animals without giving any attention to the appropriateness of their actions. It is not correct to release animals, under any circumstances, without the advise and consent of a state conservation agency and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. A quick thought about what happened to populations of local peoples in the Americas after contact with European diseases should convince even the most die-hard release-freak to behave in a cautious manner. Few herpetologi­cal releases have "taken." Unfortunately, the translocated species which do well are usually "supertramps" to begin with: e.g., brown tree snakes on Guam, bullfrogs all over the U.S., snapping turtles anywhere, red-eared sliders in England and Korea, and so forth. I f you are tired of your pet animals, give them to another herpetoculturist — DO NOT RELEASE THEM INTO THE WILD. You are not doing the local animals a favor; you are not doing your pet a favor; you are only massag­ing your conscience.

"Extinct" lizard found An amateur herpetologist 100 miles north of Adelaide, Austra­lia, picked up a road-killed brown snake and found a pygmy blue tongue lizard in the dead snake's gut. The lizard was last seen (by science) in 1959. A pink tongued colony of the appar­ently misnamed blue tongue lizards were found under grass tussocks nearby. [All dated December 28, 1992: Moline, IL Dispatch—Mark Seaholm; Sacramento 5ee —Bmce Hannem; and Daily Herald— Lawrence Akins]

Indian snakes and lizards in decline According to a report presented to the 80th Indian Science Congress in Goa by Dr. T. S. N . Murthy of the Zoological Survey of India, nearly one-fourth of the 238 species of snakes once found on the subcontinent have not been seen in the last decade. Also, a survey last year failed to find a type of gliding lizard that was a common sight in south Indian forests, and Murthy reported that even common varieties of pythons and boas are decreasing in number. Snake skin hunting has not ceased; but instead of legal exports, the skins are smuggled out of India by tourists and gangs. [Houma, LA Courier, January 7, 1993, contributed by Emie Liner]

64

Would it be Vipera berus*? Two scientists from the former U.S.S.R. have asked foreign colleagues to examine Russian snake venom to see if it is radioactive. Andrey Nedospasov of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Alexandr Cherkasov of the Kurchatov Institute, both in Moscow, wrote a letter to Nature containing their request. Bill Haast, director of the Miami Serpentarium Labs in Punta Gorda, Florida, said he did not know of any domestic or foreign drug company using Russian snake venom in medi­cine. The Russians wrote that because of the incredible envi­ronmental contamination caused by careless release of radioac­tivity during the Communist regime that, "it is highly likely that the snake venom is contaminated with radioactivity." They cite at least one case where a consignment of Russian snake venom was impounded by customs officials because of radioac­tivity. [Daily Herald, February 5, 1993, contributed by Law­rence Akins]

Why do newts cross roads? "Love" said Ned MacKay, a spokesman fdr Tilden Park in northem Berkeley, Califomia. For the last four years, park officials have closed a short cut through the park on rainy days to permit newts to cross from their hibemacula to Wildcat Creek where they breed. An absence of rainy days forced the newts to cross on sunny days this year, and after scraping up 200 plus corpses a day, the park has decided to close the road for the whole winter breeding season. [Sacramento Bee, De­cember 17, 1992 —Bmce Hannem; Daily Herald, December 18, 1992-Lawrence Akins]

How not to behave with reptiles According to an article in New Scientist [.lanuary 2, 1993], half of all victims of crocodile attacks in Australia had been drink­ing. Also only 18 deaths were recorded between 1981 and 1991 in that nation. Four people were bitten after picking up snakes. In 1992, a man who had been drinking tried to grab a brown snake from behind in the Murray River in South Austra­lia, and another man was bitten by the same species while he played with it in a bar in Queensland. Contributed by Rick Reifsnyder, who wrote, "Reading this article immediately re­minded me of your comments in the CHS Bulletin regarding the unfortunate death by constriction of the gentleman from Ontario. As you stated, alcohol and reptiles do not mix! . . . It is obvious from the [New Scientist] piece that alcohol induced carelessness or bravado (stupidity) contributed to a majority of the reptile related fatalities that have occurred in Australia over the past ten years. It seems common sense that one should not play with brown snakes while enjoying a few at the local pub. Likewise, it is probably not a good idea to take a couple of six packs out with you when baiting the local croc, but alcohol's reputation for interfering with normal thought processes is well known. Aquatic pursuits of venomous snakes should be avoid­ed at all costs! Venomous snakes, crocodiles and large con­strictors all should be treated with a great deal of respect whether they are wild animals or 'pets.' We all know at least one reptile 'enthusiast' that likes to pull out the hot stuff after having a few, but thankfully [this type of person] only repre­sents a small portion of the herpetocultural community. Re­spect and responsibility should go hand-in-hand with maintain­ing any animal in captivity, especially potentially dangerous

ones."

Help! I have a medium-size captive-bred baby box turtle desperately in need of a name. Any suggestions?

Thanks to everyone who contributed to this column. In addi­tion to those noted above, I'd like to thank Mark Miller of the Herpetology Network and Donal Boyer for duplicates of stories previously used. I f you find a reptile or amphibian related clipping in your local paper, magazine, bulletin board, or other source, please attach the publication and date bar from the top of the page, and your name and address (fimily) to the clipping and mail to: Ellin Beltz, 1647 North Clyboum Avenue, Chica­go, IL 60614-5507. The lead time for this column varies between 30 and 60 days, so please—be patient. You will even­tually see your contribution!

HERP-ACROSTIC CONTEST Send in the correct solution to the Herp-Acrostic puzzle on page 76. Send the quotation, the titie of the work and the author's name, together with your name and address to the Chicago Herpetological Society, Herp-Acrostic, 2001 N. Clark Street, Chicago IL 60614. The contest is open to CHS members only; entries must be received by April 9. The sender of the first correct solution chosen at random will receive a one-year extension to his or her CHS membership. The winner of this month's competi­tion will be announced in the May Bulletin.

January's winner: Lawrence W. Reed, D.V.M.

ANSWERS TO FEBRUARY'S PUZZLE The quotation in last month's Herp-Acrostic was taken from page 6 of Gila lUonster by [David E.J Brown and [Neil B.] Carmony: "Even within its stronghold in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona and Sonora. Mexico, where the animal is as characteristic a species as the saguaro cactus, the Gila monster is seldom seen by those who do not make it their business to seek him out."

A. Bockadam N . Night B. Racers 0. Yonahlossee C. Oxus P. Gwardar D. White's Q. lonides E. Nictitate R. Luth F. Ants S. Anesthetize G. Neodesha T. Mamushi H. Dhaman U. Orissa I . Charles M . Bogert V. Nineties ,1. Ascension w . Shawnee K. Rossi X. The Voice of the L. Moko Turtle M. Osteitis Y. Escorpion

Z. Rot

Bull. Chicago Herp. Soc. 28(3):65-66. 1993 65

N E W T L I N E

The CHS welcomed 122 members and guests to its Janu­ary 27, 1993, meeting held in the James Simp­son Theatre at the Field Museum. President Ron

Humbert began the lengthy business portion of the meeting by requesting comments or questions on December's Board meet­ing. There were none.

Ron began a long series of announcements beginning with the changes in the CHS library system. Lisa Koester has been appointed to serve as the 1993 librarian, as well as picnic chairperson. Ron thanked Tony Janowski for his previous assistance with the library. The library's new policy allows a member to check out a maximum of three books with renewals limited to one month. Lisa requested members with outstand­ing books to please retum them. Ron also announced that Jack Schoenfelder has been appointed to Show Chairperson; Antho­ny Rattin to Special Programs Chairperson; Ben Entwisle to Adoption Chairperson; Gary Fogel, assisted by Stacy Miller, to Raffle Chairperson; Stephen Barten, D.V.M., to head the 1993 Nominating Committee; and Chuck Keating to Awards Chairperson. Ron thanked Art Nohlberg for filling in for Chuck who was on active reserve duty Ron concluded the announcements with the Annual Salamander Outing set for March 28, 1993, at Camp Kiwanis, a Boy Scout facility.

Ron then relinquished the podium for special reports. Due to the transfer of funds, Treasurer Gary Fogel did not have an up-to-date treasury report. Membership Secretary Steve Spitzer reported membership to be at 1,969. He addressed the group and explained the rewards of membership. Adoption Chairperson Ben Entwisle reported 3 green iguanas, 1 king-snake and 1 Burmese python available for adoption. Rick Koester, representative for the Turtle Club, reported meetings were going well at the Emmerson Park Fieldhouse. Lisa Koester spoke about the Turtle Club's "Outreach Program," where Turtle Club members were encouraged to bring their favorite turtle book to the next meeting. Turtle books from the CHS library would be available for browsing, however, could be checked out only at a general meeting. Member Steve Vick reported the snake group has temporarily disbanded; however, would continue to look for a permanent space for meetings. Special Programs Chairperson Anthony Rattin reported the CHS wil l charter a bus to the St. Louis Zoo on April 3, 1993. The cost of transportation is $30 per person with entrance to the zoo included. There wil l be no age limit, however, a maxi­mum of 47 members wil l be allowed to attend. Sales merchan­diser Joan Moore reported special sales, new arrivals, and an expansion of Vita-lite sales. She explained that mail-order Vita-lites would be available with a 6 bulb minimum.

Dennis Engler introduced himself to the crowd and request­

ed material for his "Helpful Herp Hints" column.

Blessed with an evening of educators, I eagerly awaited the guest speaker presentations. Vice-President John Murphy presented the "Shorts" program entitled "Snakes of Danum Valley." Mr. Murphy is a biology instructor at Plainfield High School in Plainfield, Illinois, and research associate for the Department of Reptiles and Amphibians at the Field Museum. As part of a research grant from the Field Museum, Mr. Mur­phy spent two months in 1989 identifying, collecting and recording reptiles and amphibians in the rain forest of the third largest island in the world, Borneo. His findings were com­bined with three separate excursions made by different individ­uals beginning in 1986 and concluding in 1990. His 166 day field trip yielded 159 snakes comprised of 36 different species. The herps were recorded, photographed and deposited as speci­mens in the Field Museum. Among his colorful slides were several types of reed and cat snakes, an oriental whip snake, a blunt-headed tree snake, water snakes, a red-tailed racer, a mock viper, a black-headed spear snake, an odd scale snake, a white-bellied rat snake, a king cobra, a blood python, a reticu­lated python, and pit vipers.

Following the program, the group took a 30 minute break in the lobby to purchase Field Trip tickets, raffle tickets, books, soda, sign up or renew their membership, and browse through the library cart. Stacy Miller was stationed at the raffle table. Prizes included original artwork entitled, "The Frog Princess" by Don Wheeler, a 3 foot Neodesha tank, a Zoo-Med heater, hide boxes, trout chow, canned herp food, small toys, and plants.

After the group reconvened, among the fortunate raffle winners were Dottie Humbert, who chose Don Wheeler's artwork and Marcia Rybak who scooped up the hide boxes. One such disgruntled member was overheard saying, "The only lottery 1 ever won was the draft in 1969." Stacy Miller thanked donors Don Wheeler, Scott and Judy Gross, the Nature Company, Zoo-Med, Eileen Sievert, Gary Fogel and Brian Jones. Stacy also requested that anyone willing to donate items in the future should contact her.

The subsequent presentation was on the natural history and population ecology of amphibians by Dr. Spencer Cartwright, an ecology and general biology instructor at Indiana Universi­ty's Northwest Campus in Gary. Dr. Cartwright thanked CHS members Ken Mierzwa and Chris Neumann for slides used in the presentation.

Dr. Cartwright began by explaining that amphibians emerged on land 350 million years ago and are cold-blooded, moist, smooth-skinned animals whose eggs lack shells and therefore require water or humidity for hatching. His program detailed the diverse lifestyles of amphibians in the wetlands of Michigan, southern Indiana and southern Illinois. He presented methods of study and census data results. Surprisingly enough, he used few scientific names.

One of the most disturbing revelations was the cannibalistic nature of amphibians. Toads eat frog larvae. Tadpoles eat

66

tadpoles. Newts eat wood frog tadpoles. Tiger salamanders eat everything including other tiger salamanders. I wondered if toxic secretions produced to sway other predators would affect amphibian cannibalism.

Adult

With the help of sampling, drift fences, and a controlled breeding station in a southern Indiana pond, Dr. Cartwright was able to study diet, breeding factors and distribution of many types of salamanders. Photos of the Jefferson salamander, the tiger salamander, spotted salamander, marbled salamander, blue-spotted salamander, slimy salamander, and red spotted newts depicted these animals in their natural habitats.

Slides of the green frog, bullfrog, gray tree frog, spring peepers, a leopard frog and wood frogs were shown. A large portion of Dr. Cartwright's presentation focused on the study of the communal egg mass of wood frogs. Population growth was determined by counting the number of egg masses. I egg mass = I female frog. A series of technical graphs supported his census findings on a distribution map.

With respect to the global decline of amphibians. Dr. Cart­wright warned of the dangers in evaluating populations without proper study and questioned the alarm that has been set. He admitted, "There might be some room for concern due to

1993 FROG CENSUS

N a m e : N a l a l i e W o o d F r o g

A d d r e s s : B u l l f r o g L a k e , C o o k C o u n t y

E m p l o y e r : R a d i o T r a n s m i t t e r s , I n c .

A r e y o u m a r r i e d , d i v o r c e d o r s i n g l e ?

H o w l o n g h a v e y o u s w a m a t t h i s a d d r e s s ?

D o y o u o w n o r r e n t ?

H o w m a n y t a d p o l e s i n y o u r f a m i l y ?

W h a t a r e t h e a g e s o f y o u r t a d p o l e s ?

W i l l t h e y b e a t t e n d i n g F r o c o l l e g e ?

J A r e y o u e x p e c t i n g a n y t a d p o l e s i n t h e n e a r f u t u r e ? . . .

J W i l l y o u r o f f s p r i n g b e r e g i s t e r i n g t o v o t e ?

!, D o y o u s u p p o r t t h e P r e s i d e n t ' s F a m i l y L e a v e B i l l ? . . . .

S i n g l e

1 y e a r

R e n t

1 2 , 3 0 0

1 m o n t h

Y e s

Y e s

Y e s

Y e s

habitat destruction, but long term studies are needed to evi­dence true declines." He also believes that it is too early to determine population levels on a global scale. I wondered what Dr. James Vial, Task Force Coordinator of the lUCN/SSC Task Force on Declining Amphibians and editor of FrogLog, the newsletter, would think about that.

Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary defines herpe­tology as, "A branch of zoology dealing with reptiles and amphibians." However, due to the large number —or reducing number, as the case may be — and diverse types of frogs, toads, salamanders and caecilians, perhaps a separate term referring to the study of amphibians only could be structured.

We stay in touch, so you stay in touch.

NEWT

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Chicago Herp. Soc. 28(3): 67-68, 1993 67

Herpetology 1993 In this column the editorial staff presents short abstracts of herpetological articles we have found of interest. This is not an attempt to summarize all of the research papers being published. It is an attempt to increase the reader's awareness of what herpetologists have been doing and publishing. The editors assume full responsibility for any errors or misleading statements regarding the results of the abstracted research. JCM

CHORUS F R O G T A D P O L E KIN C O M P E T I T I O N

D. C. Smith [1990, Evolution 44(6):I529-1541] studied natural populations of the choras frog, Pseudacris triseriata, in small pools on the shore of Lake Superior. Hatchling densities are high and sufficient to cause competitive impact on survivor­ship, growth and development. The temporal and spatial pat-tem of egg laying indicates that tadpoles in many of these pools belong to single sibships (i.e., share common parents). The author calculates the average coefficients of relationships among tadpoles under the assumption that eggs laid together are the products of the same breeding pair; the coefficients indicate that relationship among competing larvae averages approximately 0.35, and varies widely among larval subpopu-lations, from less than 0.1 to about 0.5. Two growth experi­ments were carried out in pens to test whether growth trajec­tories and larval characteristics at metamorphosis are influenced by relationships among competing tadpoles. In both experi­ments, initial density was crossed with average relationship; relationship was controlled by varying the number of sibships per pen from one to four. The same sibships were used in both experiments, but one experiment had lower initial densities and less water volume per pen than the other. In both experiments, density reduced growth, developmental rate, size at metamor­phosis, survivorship to the onset of metamorphosis, and the proportion of survivors which actually attained metamorphosis by the end of the experiment. Kin effects occurred only in the experiment carried out in small pens at high initial densities: in this experiment pure sib populations grew faster, and a higher proportion attained metamorphosis. However, there were no kin effects on larval period or body size at metamorphosis. The choms frog appears to have a population structure condu­cive to kin-group selection. Furthermore, high variance in the average coefficient of relationship among pools should favor kin recognition and kin-specific interference behavior. The growth experiments suggest that the tadpoles respond to the genetic relationship of competitors with significant effects on the distribution of fitness at metamorphosis among members of the group,

A P O O R L Y KNOWN G E C K O

A. M . Bauer and W. R. Branch [1991, J. Herpetological Assoc. Africa (39): 1-5] report on Pachydactylusfasciatus horn north­em Namibia. Only 15 specimens of this lizard have been collected since 1888. The authors report on an additional 20 specimens collected along Torra Bay Road between the Damaraland border and Grootberg Pass. Al l of the lizards were collected under roadside calcrete stones on sandy soil and were inactive. The vegetation is transitional between mopanc scrub woodland and Busy Karoo-Namib scrubland. On the basis of incubation time for other species eggs are probably laid in January-February.

MASS DEATHS AND E X T I N C T I O N O F T H E MOUNTAIN Y E L L O W - L E G G E D F R O G

D. F. Bradford [1991, J. Herpetol. 25(2): 174-177] reports that Rana muscosa is one of several high-elevation amphibians that have recentiy disappeared from seemingly pristine sites. This report deals with an event of mass mortality among larval and metamorphosed R. muscosa in a lake in Kings Canyon National Park, Califomia, and the ultimate extinction of the population. In 1979 metamorphosed individuals declined from about 800 individuals in early summer to nearly zero in late summer. During this time many carcasses were collected. Individuals showed symptoms of red-leg disease, and blood from an affect­ed individual contained the bacterial pathogen characteristic of this disease, Aeromonas hydroplula. Also during the summer of 1979, almost all of the 1100 tadpoles began metamorphosis, but all metamorphosing individuals were consumed by Brewer's blackbirds, Euphagus cyanocephalus. The frog population continued to exist until at least 1983, but was extinct by 1989. Recolonization of the site wil l probably never occur because streams connecting to extant populations of R. muscosa now contain introduced fishes.

VENOM AND DIGESTION IN T H E P U E R T O RICAN R A C E R

J. A. Rodriguez-Roblcs and R. Thomas [1992, Copcia (1): 62-68] report that the colubrid snake Alsophis portoricensis normally employs the secretion of its Duvemoy's gland to subdue anoline lizards, fhe authors studied the effects of the Duvernoy gland's secretion on prey digestion by comparing digestion of various slmcturcs of nomially ingested lizards to that of nonenvenomated lizards force fed to snakes. Faster digestion rates were recorded for the skin, forelimbs. liver and lungs of envcnomated anoles when compared to nonenvenom­ated lizards. Also, overall digestion of envenomated anoles was faster than that of nonenvenomated lizards.

A NEW DINOSAUR-BIRD L I N K

A. FIzanowski and P. Wellnhofer [1992, Nature 359(6398): 821-823] report the discovery of a fragmentary skull of a theropod from the late Cretaceous of Mongolia that has both thcropod and bird characters. The skull has been named Archaeornilhoidesdeinosauriscus, which means "a little dino­saur resembling Archeopteryx" (the earliest known bird). And, the authors have erected a new family for the fossil skull. Archaenornithoidae. The fossil was found in 1965 by the Polish-Mongolian Palaentological Expedition, and it is consis­tent in similarities to the troodontid theropods for whom close avian relationships have been proposed. It is also similar to liarynnyx and Spinosaurus. two unusual theropods from the lower Cretaceous of England and the upper Cretaceous of Africa.

68

A R E T H E R E SMOOTH G R E E N SNAKES IN MISSOURI?

A. Grobman [1991, Trans Missouri Acad. Sci. 25;l-3] notes that several major works suggest that the smooth green snake, Opheodrys vernalis exists in three isolated colonies in northem Missouri —these include the Conant and Collins field guide, and three monographs on Missouri herpetology. However, he notes that Hurler's 1911 monograph provides evidence that a specimen had been collected in a garden in St. Charles County, but Hurler provides questionable, or no evidence that the spe­cies also exists in Randolph, Jackson and Johnson Counties. The author notes that the occurrence of this snake in Missouri appears to rest on unsupported locality records, locality data that is suspected to be erroneous, missing specimens, and two or three presumably reliable records all of which predate 1971. The author makes a plea for any Missouri smooth green snake specimens to be sent to natural history museums, along with accurate locality data.

F O U R - T O E D SALAMANDERS IN ARKANSAS

D. A. Saugey and S. E. Trauth [1991, Proc. Arkansas Acad. Sci. 45:88-91] report that the four-toed salamander, Hemi-dactylus scutatum, population in west central Arkansas repre­sents a disjunct population separated from their main range in the eastem United States and Canada. Recent investigation of distribution and habitat indicate that the species may be more common that previously believed. A total of 45 specimens were collected at 18 new locations in Garland, Montgomery and Polk counties. The authors state that this reaffirms the need to protect riparian habitat, springs, ponds, woodland seeps and other preferred, moist habitats containing mossy areas used . as primary egg deposition sites.

A NEW TOAD F R O M B R A Z I L — I T L A Y S ITS E G G S IN NUTS

J. P. Caldwell [1991, Papeis Avulsos Zool. 37(26):389-400] describes Bufo castaneolicus, a member of the Bufo typhonius species group and its smallest member (females reach 42.6 mm, males 36.8 mm). The new toad is known only from the type locality at a site near the Rio Xingu in lowland rainforest. The toad's name is derived from the Latin/Portuguese castanae/ castanha (chestnut). The allusion is not to the European chest­nut tree (Castanea) but rather to the tropical South American Brazilnut tree {Bertholletia excelsa, family Lecythidaceae) whose Brazilian common name is "Castanea do Para." The fallen fruits of this tree are the egg laying sites for this frog. The coconut-sized fmits have a woody pericarp and are func­tionally indehiscent. They are opened by agoutis which either cache or eat the seeds. Once empty, the fruits fill with rain water and are used by this toad and the poison arrow frog, Dendrobates castaneoticus. Males call singly during the day from the opening in the fmit capsule. Clutch size is the small­est reported for a member of the genus Bufo, 61-387 eggs (5 clutches). The tadpoles require only 16 days to complete metamorphosis, while B. typhonius tadpoles require 47 to complete metamorphosis. The rapid development may be an adaptation to egg deposition in the fruit capsule.

B E A R D E D DRAGON E G G S H E L L S

M . J. Packard etal. [1991, Can. J. Zool. 69:303-310] find that eggshells of the Australian bearded dragon, Amphibolurus barbatus, consist of a layer of calcite overlying a multilayered, fibrous shell membrane. Some layers of the shell membrane are comprised of tightly woven feltworks of fibers, whereas other layers are more open mats of fibers with numerous spaces between the fibers. The shell membrane is organized into a series of shallow crests and troughs with furrows delimiting the irregular plaques of crystal that cover tiie shell membrane. The outer crystalline layer varies from compact calcareous rosettes to coarsely granular aggregations of crystals. Numerous pore­like areas and fissures fenestrate the crystalline material. These openings presumably provide for exchange of gases and water between the eggs and its environment. The calcareous layer is organized into columns of loosely aggregated crystals extend­ing deep into the fibrous shell membrane and enclosing fibers of the membrane. The bearded dragon represents only the second lepidosaurian found to produce a flexible-shelled egg consisting of crystalline columns that extend into the shell membrane; the other is the tuatara, Sphenodon punctatus.

TWO NEW AMPHISBAENA F R O M BAHIA, B R A Z I L

P. E. Vanzolini [1991, Papeis Avulsos Zoof 37(17):259-276] describes two new species of worm lizards in the genus Amphisbaena from the great field of fossil dunes crossed by the Rio San Francisco between 11 and 10°S latitude in Bahia. Both species are small and extremely slender. A. hastata from Ibiraba, west of tire river is based on six specimens which have four preanal pores. .4. ignatiana is from St. Ignacio, on the opposite side of the river, and is based upon five specimens. It has six preanal pores. The two new species are not thought to be closely related to each other.

F O R A G I N G MODE AND R E P R O D U C T I O N IN T R O P I C A L L I Z A R D S

L. J. Vitt [1990, Papeis Avulsos Zool. 37(6): 107-123] notes that a model incorporating foraging modes of tropical lizards, resource availability and habitat patchiness predicts that sit and wait foragers should be seasonal in reproduction whereas widely foraging species should have prolonged reproductive seasons. Data on sympatric tropical caatinga lizards of various ecologies reveal that (1) widely foraging species are habitat generalist and reproduce continually, (2) sit and wait species are habitat specialists and, with the exception of the gekkonids, exhibit seasonal reproduction, (3) among the seasonally repro­ducing sit and wait foragers, reproductive seasons are not synchronous, and (4) the sit and wait foraging gekkonids repro­duce continually, possibly a consequence of low energy de­mands per episode for reproduction. Data from other studies on tropical lizards are mostly supportive of the model. It is concluded that much of the variation in seasonal patterns of reproduction in tropical lizards may be explained by a resource availability model that incorporates foraging mode. Neverthe­less, there is an interaction between foraging mode and phylog-eny, and certain taxa appear constrained in their reproductive response to seasonality.

Bull. Chicago Herp. Soc. 28(3):69-7!, 1993 69

The Tympanum

Congratulations on the Newtline in the CHS Bulletin. You are doing a fine job, and certainly increase the diversity of the Bulletin's offerrings. Joseph T. Collins, The University of Kansas, Museum of Natural History, Lawrence KS 66045.

I 'm writing in response to D.V.M. Lawrence W. Reed's recent letter which appeared in the January '93 CHS Bulletin, regard­ing my article "Eradicating Snake Mites." While 1 welcome criticism as well as praise, there are a few statements in Dr. Reed's letter 1 feel I must comment on.

In my statement "1/8 inch at most" I am referring to the chemi­cal's [Sevin] greatest depth, not a solid 1/8 inch layer. In reality, when applying Sevin dust to a cage we only sprinkle the product liberally over the floor, similar to what one would do i f using a carpet freshener prior to vacuuming. On the other hand, I have personally seen snakes (in collections other than my own) literally burrowing in an inch or more of Sevin with no apparent adverse effects, which I think clearly demonstrates the product's safety. As pointed out in my article the most important consideration is the length of time the snake is ex­posed to Sevin, not the product's depth,

More importantly however, 1 find Dr, Reed's statement "today I saw a client with a dead ball python that had been treated as directed" unfortunate, since there is no mention of any findings of a post-mortem examination on which to base his conclusion. This is precisely the type of information needed for us to prop­erly evaluate possible adverse effects of the use of this product. I am also most curious to know when was the last time, i f ever, Dr. Reed examined this particular specimen previous to its treatment and what condition the animal was in at that time. As it is well known that Python regius, in particular freshly imported specimens, can be plagued by a large variety of both external and internal parasites and are highly susceptible to stress related problems, there is a fair possibility that this par­ticular specimen's health may have been severely compromised prior to its exposure to Sevin and that its death may be totally unrelated to the use of that product. It is also possible that snakes which are in poor health may be more likely to suffer adverse effects from Sevin than specimens in good condition. Unfortunately, Dr. Reed's omission of the medical history of this animal coupled with the lack of a necropsy report severely limits our ability to accurately and fairly judge what effect, i f any, Sevin had on this animal's death. This makes his letter basically useless to the rest of us in the herpetological commu­nity.

Here I feel I must mention a ball python I currently have in my collection. This snake was in exceedingly poor condition when I received it as an adult approximately one year ago, so much so that Scott Michaels D.V.M., on seeing the animal, stated that "i t would be dead in a week." As this snake was moderately infested with mites in addition to its other problems (malnutri­tion, poor sheds, etc.), I felt I had no choice but to deparasitize it, which 1 did as described in my article. Today, this ball python is alive, eating, and has recovered its health nicely. In addition, I've treated several other specimens of Python regius

including hatchlings, and I have not found any evidence that this species of snake is any more likely to suffer adverse effects from the use of Sevin than any other species.

In my experience, I find Dr. Reed's statement "5% Sevin is too toxic to use as directed in the article" to be untrue. Although 1 do not have a degree in veterinary medicine, organic chemistry, or agriculture, I do have many years of practical hands-on experience in the captive husbandry of reptiles. Both my wife, Connie, and myself have had long time interests in reptiles and we both have maintained fairly large collections (privately and professionally) for a combined total of 25+ years. In that time we have tried every other recommended mite eradication pro­gram, and have ended each with either mites, sick (dead?) snakes, or both. Since we llrst started using Sevin about five years ago, we have dusted dozens of snakes as described in the article. We have found no evidence of ill effects in any of our snakes, and mites have always been effectively eliminated. This has included very young as well as adult specimens, and we currently have several snakes which have undergone treat­ment at some time in their lives and which have successfully reproduced the last three years. In all three years clutch sizes and hatching ratios have been excellent and the offspring these animals have produced have proven to be normal, healthy, and exceptionally hardy.

In conclusion, I 'm afraid that we have to admit to ourselves that any chemical preparation strong enough to eradicate ecto­parasites will also have the potential to be toxic to reptiles as well, and we have to temper our usage of these products with caution and common sense. I also would like to thank Dr. Reed for taking the time to comment on this issue and I sin­cerely hope he does not perceive this letter as a personal attack, which it is not. Just as I didn't take offense at Dr, Reed's comments in his letter, none is intended in mine. As I stated in my article, I welcome comments both pro and con regarding the use of Sevin or any other mite elimination procedure. Hopefully, however, such comments will contain some hard evidence and pertinent data. They will then be something more than purely speculative and be of much greater value to every­one concerned with any aspect of herpetoculture. This wil l ultimately benefit the welfare of the animals in our care. Since my main concern is the control of ectoparasites in captive reptile collections, I am always interested in finding more effective and safer methods of eradicating mites and ticks. I f and when one is found, I ' l l surely try to be among the first to publicize it. So far however, Sevin dusting is still the safest and most effective method I've found. John P. Levell, 531 Penn Avenue N., Minneapolis, MN 55405.

In the last two issues of Vivarium magazine (Vol. 4, Nos I&2), I came across a phrase used three times that so shocked and frightened that I penned letters to the A.F.H., Ellin Beltz, and now the CHS.

Under the heading "Herp News From Around The World," and in describing two recent elapid deaths, I was assailed by the

70

phrase "pet cobra."

In the first piece I realize that the clipping was probably taken intact from the Washington Post, where it was credited for appearing, I could not contain my fears though, of what terri­ble consequences could result from the pairing of two such incompatible words. In the next issue I found the same story summarized, with a second mention of yet anotiier captive cobra envenomation. Though the second excerpt looked like it was lifted directly from a clipping, the first recap looks like the narrative of Ellin Beltz.

My intention here is not to attack Ellin Beltz or discredit a fine magazine that has been at the forefront of many pertinent herp issues. I feel though, that the ramifications of an innocuous word such as "pef' in the context of herpetoculture, needs to be addressed.

While using the word " p e f in association with any venomous animal would seem i l l advised, I would like to go a step fur­ther. I suggest that we in the herp community distance our­selves from the use of it at all in regard to reptiles and amphibi­ans. Here is my reasoning.

First off, I believe this will benefit the animals. People have the connotation of a pet being a domesticated animal that will essentially thrive with a minimum of care. While herps are less labor intensive in areas such as needing to be walked or fed daily, they are much more demanding in terms of specialized husbandry requirements. By referring to them as "pets" we are giving out a message that these are creahires which wil l require no more care than a dog or cat. Even i f we choose to expound on what an animal's specific needs are, we can eradicate our good work by the usage of the word "pet." Chances are that the next person that the person you chose to educate speaks to, wi l l likely not hear about the husbandry you spoke of, but of how the lizard, frog, or snake was your "pet." By utterance of that one word we can negate a lot of crucial care information we are offering.

Also, as anyone who has been around herps for any period of time can tell you, species vary greatly, as do individuals within a species. For the uninformed there is going to be no great difference between a green iguana and a Nile monitor of a comparable size. While one is more suited to the novice enthu­siast and the other to the more experienced herpetoculturist, the layman is not going to make the distinction. To further illus­trate the point, look at the great difference in disposition be­tween the green iguana and the spiny-tailed iguana. By pro­moting your captive lizard as a "pet" most people are going to walk away thinking lizards in general make good pets. As we all know the wrong selection of a species (and sometimes even the right selection) in the hands of a novice will be to the detriment of the animal. By categorizing herps as "pets," 1 feel we can subconsciously make light of the serious responsibility of owning them.

Secondly, 1 feel that in referring to our animals as "pets" we do a disservice to the herpetocultural community. Most of the general public already perceives us as strange folks with queer ideas of fun. Do we need to further this notion and trivialize

the work that we are doing by putting the tomato frogs we are trying to breed in the same category as our golden retrievers? At a time when our enemies are attacking us through every avenue available, it would behoove us to put on the most pro­fessional collective face possible. It would seem to me that it would be easier for them to gather support and enact legislation against pet owners, than individuals the public perceives as dedicated amateur conservafionists. An analogy I like to use is what the public sector of reptile keeping has evolved into. Until the last decade you were most likely to see herps in roadside attractions and maybe in the snake-pit of the city zoo. Now many institutions have naturalistic vivaria and state of the art breeding facilities. They have transformed themselves from an atmosphere of circus-like sensationalism to a scientific and ecological respectability. The public's perception of where private sector herpetoculture is now is sensationalism. The more we do to euthanize that myth, the stronger we wil l be­come. By removing our animals from this all encompassing category society deems as pets, we are going to be viewed differently. We can shed the cloak of eccentricity and begin to be looked upon as committed individuals and groups working toward a better understanding of the world's herpetofauna and its conservation. Drew Newman, 680 Greenbriar, St. Paul MN 55106

I am writing concerning the article by Cheri L. Hosley, "Notes on Feeding a Wild-caught Royal (Ball) Python, Python regius" (Bull. Chicago Herp. Soc. 28(2):34-35, 1993). 1 want to con­gratulate Ms. Hosley on her well written paper and important observation that force feeding can often trigger a reluctant ball python into accepting food voluntarily. Indeed, refusal to eat by ball pythons is easily the most common complaint among snakes brought to our animal hospital, and force feeding is a valuable tool for dealing with this problem. The purpose of this letter is to add some additional infonmation to that present­ed in the article.

When attempting to get a ball python to accept food, other factors in addition to force feeding must be addressed. Like­wise, force feeding has the potential to injure the snake, some­times fatally, i f done roughly or incorrectly.

Before a ball python can be expected to eat, it must have ap­propriate captive conditions, including a proper cage, tempera­ture, water, humidity, and hide box. These are shy and easily stressed animals and they should be kept one to a cage. A new snake should not be handled until it has eaten at least six times. It should be noted that imported ball pythons, even those that accept food and have been in captivity for years, often refuse food between October and March, which corresponds with their normal period of aestivation during the dry season. This is a difficult time to attempt to have imported ball pythons accept their first meal.

Imported snakes should be treated for parasites. Snakes which refuse food do not have fecal samples to check for internal parasites. Cloacal washings may be done to obtain a sample, but the percentage of infected snakes is so high that they should be treated empirically. Medications must be given in carefully calculated doses based on accurate body weights, because the

71

differences between the therapeutic dose and the toxic dose may be small. The most effective parasite medications are available only by prescription, although some are sold occa­sionally by various reptile dealers. These drugs must be used responsibly.

Multi B vitamins may be given by injection, which may stimu­late the appetite. Snakes that have not eaten recently are defi­cient in B vitamins.

Force feeding is used as a last resort when all other methods have been attempted and have failed. It should be considered for snakes which haven't eaten for four to six months. Force feeding a snake without sedation is traumatic and potentially dangerous for the snake. The delicate oral tissue and esopha­gus are easily bruised, lacerated and even perforated, which may be fatal to the snake. Sedation also lessens the chance that the snake wil l immediately regurgitate when released. To force feed a snake, an injectable sedative is given. Next, a pre-killed rodent of appropriate size, usually slightly less in diameter than that of the snake, is prepared. The incisor teeth are clipped off to prevent throat lacerations in the snake and the rodent is lubricated with vegetable oil. The rodent is worked gently down the snake's throat and into its stomach, about one third of the total length back from the head. The snake is allowed to recover in an incubator overnight before being sent home. Most ball pythons wil l voluntarily accept food after one to

three force feedings.

In closing, let me again congrahilate Ms. Hosley on a good paper. Her effort points out the value of keeping records and reporting observations. Hopefully CHS members that are not professional herpetologists or veterinarians wil l continue to submit similar articles. Stephen L . Barten, D.V.M., Vernon Hills Animal Hospital, 1260 Butterfield Road, Mundelein I L 60060.

References

de Vosjoli, P. 1990. The general care and maintenance of ball pythons in captivity. Advanced Vivarium Systems, P.O. Box 408, Lakeside, CA 92040.

Klingenberg, R. J. 1992. A comparison of Fenbendazole and Ivermectin for the treatment of nematode parasites in ball pythons. Python regius. Bulletin of the Association of Reptil­ian and Amphibian Veterinarians 2(2):5-6.

Mader, D. R. 1992. Force feeding —how and why? The North American Veterinary Conference Proceedings Manual, pp. 697-698.

Rossi, J. R. 1992. Husbandry and diseases of the ball python, Python regius. The North American Veterinary Conference Proceedings Manual, pp. 710-711.

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72

Unofficial Minutes of the CHS Board Meeting, February 12, 1992

The meeting was called to order by President Ron Humbert at 8:05 P.M. Absent board members were Mike Dloogatch, Chuck Keating, Jack Schoenfelder and Claus Sutor.

Officers' Reports:

The minutes of the January board meeting were read and ap­proved as corrected.

Treasury: The treasurer's report was approved as read by Gary Fogel. The combined balance was $25,675.54 as of January 31, 1993. Gary wil l post the report at the membership meet­ings. Immediate Past Treasurer Ralph Shepstone presented a corrected December treasury report.

Membership; Steve Spitzer reported membership to stand at 1980 as of February 1, 1993. Steve moved to establish ex­change membership with the Czechoslovakian bulletin Terarata published by the Terrarium Society of Prague. Jim Caspar seconded and the motion passed unanimously.

Director of Sales Report:

A sales report for 1992 was published in the February Bulletin. A book list is also in the February issue. The future of sales was discussed.

Standing Committee Reports:

Programs: 122 people attended the January general meeting. John Murphy has scheduled 1993 Guest Speakers as follows: April — Merel "Jack" Cox of Bangkok, author of Snakes of Thailand wi l l speak on the that topic. May —Harold Heatwole, "Diving With Sea Snakes" June —Annual Show & Tell October — Roger Conant

Grants in Herpetology: The committee will accept applications until March 1. Recipients wil l be chosen in April. John Mur­phy has been approached by FM staff with a proposal for a co-grant between the CHS and the FMNH allowing a CHS member to work along with museum staff.

Shows: Ron reported that Phyllis Reuther wil l represent the CHS at "Expanding Your Horizons" on March 13 at the Col­lege of DuPage. Jill Horwich also offered to participate. Willow Bend School in Rolling Meadows has requested a show for May 21. Contact Ron for details.

Raffle: The January raffle yielded $123,50 gross.

Adoption: Ben Entwisle reported a decrease in activity, proba­bly due to down-time of the CHS phone recorder. He will provide a year-to-date adoption report in March.

Library: Ron presented a policy and mission statement as prepared by Lisa Koester

Ad Hoc Committee Reports:

Facility: Alan Resetar invited CHS to have a display during FMNH's member's night on Friday, May 7. The CHS owes the FMNH books as agreed upon for 1992, Delivery is being arranged.

Old Business:

Field Trips: The April 3 St. Louis Zoo Trip being organized by Tony Rattin has 19 people registered. The bus trip can accommodate 47 people. See Tony to register. Tony turned in the current registration fees to the treasurer. A "field trips" category will be added to the treasury report.

Merchandise Insurance: Ron is still researching available policies. He needs an estimate of average inventory.

Electoral Process: Ron presented Mike Dloogatch's proposed amendment to the CHS Bylaws regarding elections as follows: The following section is to be added to Article IX: Elections.

Section 5. A majority of the votes cast shall be required to elect any officer. In the event of a tie in any contest between two candi­dates, the deciding vote shall be cast by the President or acting President. In the event that three or more candidates are running for an office and none receives a majority, then a runoff election shall be held between the top two vote-getters. If a runoff is need­ed but there is a tie between three or more candidates for first place, then an election between the tied candidates shall be held as many times as necessary' either until one candidate receives a majority or until the tie is resolved so that a runoff can be held. Similarly, if a runoff is needed but there is a tie for second place, then an election shall be held between the tied candidates until one achieves a plurality and the runoff can then be held.

A plurality shall be sufficient to elect members-at-large of the Board of Directors. Any tie for the final member-at-large position shall be resolved by a runoff election among the tied candidates, In the event that the tie persists, it shall be resolved by a coin-flip.

Discussion of the proposed amendment was tabled to allow members to deliberate and to await Mike's input.

New Business:

Monitoring Amphibian Populations: Amphibian monitoring activity and potential CHS involvement in associated projects was discussed.

Membership Categories and Fund-Raising: The feasibility of muUi-year memberships was discussed along with other poten­tial membership categories, the dues structure and additional fund raising ideas.

Herp-acrostic: Drawn from qualified entrants, the winner of the Herp-acrostic puzzle was Lawrence W, Reed, D,V,M,

Round Table:

Stationery: Brian Jones requested a count of all existing CHS stationery.

Care in Captivity: Stacy Miller requested that all suggestions, proposed additions and rewrites for Care in Captivity be sub­mitted in writing by the March general meeting.

Herp Survey: Thatcher Woods Savannah Restoration Project wants a herpetological survey of their property. Contact Ron Humbert for details of involvement.

The meeting adjourned at 10:17 P.M.

Respectfully submitted, Stacy L . Miller, Recording Secretary

73

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Attention: the Varanid Information exchange is a society of herpetoculturists sharing an interest in MONITOR LIZARDS. Members receive the bimonthly newsletter, VaraNews. Annual membership is: U.S., SIO; foreign, $12 surface/$15 air. For a free copy, send a legal-size SASE lo: Varanix, 8726D S. Sepulveda Boulevard, #243, Los Angeles CA 90045.

Coming soon: The International Geckonoid Research Foundation, an information network dedicated to the protection and preservation of geckos and related lizards worldwide. For information write Frank Fast, P.O. Box 22146, Lincoln NE 68542.

Fauna classifieds: monthly classified publication for reptiles, amphibians, food items & supplies, literature and more. Excellent information source, worldwide circulation. Subscription $14/year. Free sample & info. Write: FAUNA, 2379 Maggio Circle Unit C, Lodi CA 95240,

For sale: WILLARD'S RODENT RANCH —teU 'em Ben sent ya! Live or fresh-frozen mice and rats —mice; pinks to hoppers $.35 each or 3/Sl,00; weanlings to adults $.50 each; jumbos $.75 each —rats; pinkies to chubbies $.50 each; fuzzies $L00 each; small $1,50 each; medium $2.25 each; large $3.00 each; jumbo $4.00 each. Discounts available on large one-time orders. Prices subject to change without notice, availability may vary. Pick-up or delivery at the CHS meeting, shipping available for large frozen orders. Contact Mike Miller (days) at (708) 974-2600.

For sale; H I G H Q U A L I T Y F E E D E R A N I M A L S PRODUCED FROM THE BEST LAB DIETS A V A I L A B L E . Tenth year of production and supply of frozen feeder animals. All feeders can be removed one at a time from the bag; they are not frozen together. All orders will arrive frozen. Now offering seven sizes of mice: small newborn pinks, medium size pinks, large fuzzy pinks, exU-a large fuzzies/small hoppers, juvenile mice, young adults, and large adults. Also available are pinkie rats, baby chicks, and quail chicks. Orders sent special delivery, postage extra. Free pricelist. Kelly Haller, 4236 SE 2Sth Street, Topeka KS 66605, (913) 234-3358, after 6 P.M . Central Time on weekdays, all day Saturday and Sunday.

For sale; THE GOURMET RODENT: rats and mice —pinkies, fuzzies and adults. Quantity discounts. Please send a SASE for pricelist or call Bill Brant, 6115 SW 137th Avenue, Archer F L 32618, (904) 495-9024.

For sale: top quality mice, rats and Chinese dwarf hamsters. All sizes at competitive prices, Gary W, Allison, 919 Wyandotte Street, Bethlehem PA 18015, (215) 974-8975,

For sale: murine-pathogen-frec rats and mice available in all sizes, live or frozen: pinkies, fuzzies, crawlers, small, medium and large. Frozen crawler mice in lots of 2000, $.17 each. .4lso available, full grown hairless mice. FOB shipping point. Master Card accepted. Call (518) 537-2000 between 8:00 A . M . and 5:00 P.M. or write SAS Corporation, 273 Hover Avenue, Germanlown NY 12526 for prices and additional information.

For sale; THE RAT SHACK: all colors, sizes & quantities of domestic rats. Call Keith or Shannon Allen in Alabama, (205) 536-3081, evenings.

For sale: MISSISSIPPI MICE: frozen mice, fuzzies, pinkies-quantity discounts. Rob Screws, 130 Calhoun Ave., Yazoo City MS 39194, (601) 746-8336.

For sale: fresh frozen mice: pinks to weanlings, 3 for $1; subadult mice, $.40 each. Fresh frozen rats now available: weanlings, $.80 each; small, $1 each; medium, $2 each; large, $3 each; jumbo, $4 each. Quantity discounts —inquire. Will deliver to CHS or swap. Will ship on large orders. Scott Michaels, (815) 363-0290.

For sale: high quality feeder mice. Shipped UPS Next Day Air. All mice are properly processed lo insure a quality product. Fourth year of production and supply of frozen feeder mice. Prices: pinks, $20/100; fuzzies, $25/100; weanlings, $30/100, Also available are 4 oz,+ rats, $100/100. The Mouse Factory, P.O. Box 85, Alpine TX 79831, (915) 837-7100, Ray Queen.

For sale; quality frozen mice, pinks through adults. Libby & Darriti Reed, Carolina Mouse Farm, P.O. Box 382, Salem SC 29676, (803) 654-0116.

For sale: Steve's Rodent Farm —rats only, any size, any quantity. Low prices, quantity discounts on orders over 1000. Call or write for price list. Steve Waldrop, Rt. 7 Box 1154. Haleyville A L 35565, (205) 486-8876.

For sale: top quality live mice for pickup or delivery in Chicagoland area only. Pinkies to adults, $.50 each. Call (708) 867-1078, ask for Garry or leave a message.

For sale: live mice, Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex. Adults, hoppers, fuzzies & pinkies. J.R.'s Cowtown Critters, (817) 465-4188 or (817) 465-2026, .Arlington TX.

For sale: We've grown and we've got a name! S E R P E N T C I T Y , INC. Celebrating 25 years of snake husbandry, c.b. snakes, supplies and expert husbandry advice. Minimum 30-day guarantee on all surplus. Introducing our new disposable cage liners! See our display ad this issue. Finally an affordable, functional, ready-to-use disposable liner. Herpetoculture has been asking for them —we believe there's nothing else like it on the market. Call to discuss custom cutting and bulk discounting. F L E X - W A T T * H E A T T A P E - a g a i n an excellent product-3" wide: 1-20', $2.50/foot; 21^9', $2.25/foot; 50'+, $2.00/foot- 11" wide: 1-10', $3.50/foot; 11-49', $3.25/foot; 50'+, $3.00.'foot-clip sets: 1-20, $2.00 each; 21+, $1.50 each. Assembled units available. Frozen rodents always available. Mice: pinks-weanlings, 3/$l; subadult. 40^; adults, 50^. Rats: small, 60-80?!; medium, $1-1,50; large, $2; jumbo, $3, Call on quantity discounts [note: discount on orders picked up at CHS meelings]. Live rodents available at a higher price. Send SASE for 1993 stock and supply list, Scott J, Michaels, D,V.M, P,0, Box 657, Island Lake IL 60042, (815) 363-0290,

For sale: Mealworms: 50 ct, units, 550 each; 100 ct, units, $1,00 each. Supcrworms: 25 ct. units. $1.55 each; 50 ct. units, $2.75 each. Crickets: 500 for $9; 1000 for $15.50. Cricket'superworm feed: 2'/2 lbs for $ 1. Send SASE for price list and shipping chart. Cheri Hosley, 23872 Brownstown Square, #IA-IOI, Brownstown MI 48174.

For sale: large selection of captive bom reptiles and amphibians, books and supplies. Send S.,*\.S. business-size envelope for complimentary price list or $5 for a I year subscription (bi-monthly), to Twin Cities Reptiles, 540 Winnetka Avenue North, Golden Valley MN 55427, (612) 593-0298.

For sale: books. Small Creatures of the Australian Wilderness by Leo Meier and Dr. A. J. Press, 1984(1990), 264 pp.. '^'A x 12'/2", excellent photos on nearly every page including some herps (geckos, skinks. dragons, Gould's monitor), $45; Australian Nature Close-up by Michael Morcombe, 1989, 96 pp., handsomely illustrated with color close-up photos including hcrps (thorny devil, pcrentie. slump-tailed skink, bearded dragon, among others), $22; The Last of the Ruling Reptiles by Wilfred T. Neil, 1971, 486 pp., 162 figs, (mostly b & w photos), ex-library, some very scattered light pencil underlining, otherwise very good condition, with dust jacket, $48. Prices postpaid. Send SASE for complete list. William R. Turner, 7395 Downing Circle W., Littleton CO 80122.

For sale: herp books. Auerbach — r/ie Reptiles & Amphibians of Botswana (S), $65, NciU —'//le Last of the Ruling Reptiles, $80; Mak\ Monograph of the Snakes of Japan, 3 vols. $465; Schmida— The Cold-Blooded Australians, $60. Plus many other titles, including many on South African herps and some succulent titles. Send for free list. Also looking to buy books. Keith Neitman, 2850 Wallingford Ave., #711, Houston T X 77042, (713) 780-9449.

74

Advertisements (cont'd) For sale: books on reptiles and amphibians, used, out of print and rare. Over 3400 titles listed. List sent free upon request. Herpetological Search Service & Exchange, 117 E . Santa Barbara Road, Lindenhursl N Y 1 1757.

For sale: 1993 HERPETOLOGICAL DIRECTORY. A valuable information source containing private and commercial breeders, foreign exporters, U S and foreign herp societies, wholesalers, and sources for rodents & other food items, supplies & equipment and publications. Send $15 to FAUNA, 2379 Maggio Circle Unit C, Lodi CA 95240.

For sale: Rattlesnake Hunting, a 60-minute video by a 30-year veteran collector. Don't miss this one! It's as close to being in the field as you can get. (Not a slick commercial production.) Send check or money order for $19.95 plus $3 postage & handling to; D. Wheeler, 2705 Sunset Trail, Riverwoods IL 60015. Allow 4-6 weeks for delivery.

For sale: Tired of getting bitten while collecting, feeding or maneuvering animals? Try my Whitney tongs —10% discount to herp sociery members—2', $65 each; 2Vi, $66 each; 3', $67 each; 3'/j', $68 each; 4', $69 each, 5', $85 each; 6', $90 each. Will ship U.P.S. extra. Send money order or cashier's check to Don Lunsford, 5661 Walkerton Drive, Cincinnati OH 45238.

For sale: bearded dragon, Pogona vitticeps, started hatchlings, $75 each. Peter and Phyllis Weis, Rt. 4, Box 468, Tallahassee F L 32304, (904) 574-1037.

For sale: quality captive bred Phelsuma. Currently surplussing grandis, standingi, kochi, laticauda and flavigularis. Doug, (215) 388-2234. [PA]

For sale: c.b. '92 geckos: giant day geckos, Phelsuma madagascariensis grandis, $35; gold dust day geckos, P. laticauda, $30; lined day geckos, P lineata, $25. Chicago pick-up only. Jim, (312) 583-1931, leave message.

For sale: 3' male rhino iguana, Cyclura cornuta, $1500, 18-20" female rhino iguana, $850, or both for $2200; three 8-9" African spur-thighed tortoises, Geochelone sulcata, $950/trio; one male and two female northern blue-tongue skinks, Tiliqua intermedia, approx. 12-13", $900/trio; albino red-eared sliders, '92 hatchlings, $150 each, extra large male African ridgeback frog, $150; extra large female Argentine horned frog, $150. All animals arc in flawless condition. Leon or Kathy, (615) 372-0288. [TN]

For sale: rhinoceros iguanas; Cuban iguanas; green iguanas; Geochelone sulcata; G. elephantopus (Florida sales only). Ask for D. J. or Sam, (305) 680-8492. [FL]

For sale: young adult male gray-banded kingsnake, $150; one adult male and one adult female motley mutant corn snakes, proven breeders, $200/pair; adult female amelanistic corn snake, $100; aduU female anerj'thristic corn snake, $100; adult female Oketee corn snake, $50; one adult male and one aduU female Baird's rat snakes, proven breeders, $200/pair. All animals are healthy, good feeders and currently in hibernation. Feeding records available. Joel Eidbo, Meadville PA, (814) 724-8351

For sale: 5' corn snake, nice color pattern with front-entry sliding glass cage, $75. (708) 371-4232.

For sale: reservations now being taken for the following c.b. snakes: Louisiana pine snakes, Pituophis melanoleucus ruthveni, from captive-hatched unrelated adults, $450 each; Mexican bullsnakes, P deppei jani, very rare in U.S. collections, two bloodlines available, $300 each; Baja gopher snakes, P. catenifer vertebralis, lots of red and orange, three bloodlines available, $125-150 each; mid-Baja gopher snakes, P. c. bimaris, two bloodlines available, lots of variation, $100-150 each. For more information call Eric, (708) 974-2679, 7:00 P.M. - 10:00 P.M . Central Time.

For sale: deposits now being accepted for intermountain corn snakes (the former Elaphe emoryi intermontana). These animals originate from a disjunct population in western Colorado and eastern Utah, are a light silvery grey with olive green transverse bands (very sharp contrast). They are voracious feeders, only grow to about 2'/j', and are very stout-bodied (they look a little like large caterpillars!) Asking $120/pair. Only a limited number will be available, so order now. Bart Bruno, (203) 773-9257.

For sale: one male and two female rough-scaled sand boas, c.b. '91, $350/trio; two male and two female rough-scaled sand boas, c.b. '92, $75 each; two female Kenyan sand boas, one yellow, one orange, both very nice, $50 each; one male and one female Mexican rosy boas, '92, excellent color, $175/pair; one male and one female mid-Baja rosy boas, gorgeous, '92, $350/pair; one male and one female Taiwan beauty snakes, '92, $l75/pair; one male and one female trinket snakes (Elaphe Helena), '92, $l75/pair; one male and one female Greer's kingsnakes, '92, excellent color, mouse eaters, $300/pair; two male and one female Nelson's milksnakes, '92, $90 each; one 3'A' mangrove monitor, possible female, fat and beautiful, $250 (others available). Call (619) 287-3937. [San Diego]

For sale: one red male and one gold female Malaysian blood pythons, c.b. '92, unrelated, both are extremely tame, great feeders, $1100/pair; one male and one female Children's pythons, unrelated, male is red desert phase, female is normal phase, ready to breed now, $450/pair. Gary Schiavino, (212) 210-7706 daytime, or (908) 225-4268 night.

For sale: 4'/a' male D'albert's python, Liasis alberlisii, has fathered one litter, $230; male Malaysian blood python. Python curtus brongersma, $350; baby Mexican rosy boas, Lichanura t. trivirgata, $80 each; adult pair black pine snakes, Pituophis melanoleucus todingi, sold as a pair only, $200. Free delivery to Chicago. Roger Carter, (317) 873-6561. [Indianapolis]

For sale: one male and two female Macklot's pythons, c.b. '92, $200 each; two male and one female Venezuelan red-tail boas, c.b. '92, $350 each; two female common Colombian x red-tail boas, c.b. '91, $250 each; 8' male yellow/green amethystine python, tame, $250; female Costa Rican milksnake (sluarti), c.b. '92, $300; two female albino northem pine snakes, c.b. '92, $140 each; two male Louisiana pine snakes, c.b. '92, $450 each; two female desert kingsnakes (exceptional splendida), c.b. '92, $50 each; three male Pueblan milksnakes, c.b. '92, $75 each; female Pueblan milksnake (exceptional), c.b. '92, $125. If you have changed your address within the last year and would like to remain on my mailing list, or if you are a new customer, please contact Terry L . Vandeventer, 1016 Andover Street, Clinton MS 39056, (601) 924-1409.

For sale: two male and three female Corallus caninus, proven breeders, captive born Dec. 1987 from a captive breeding of wild-caught parents, prefer to sell as a group at $3850 or offer. William Gehrmann, Biology Department, Tarrant County Junior College, 5301 Campus Drive, Fort Worth TX 76119.

For sale: baby Colombian rainbow boas, c.b. 1993, feeding on pinkie mice, $65 each. Gary Keller, Bartlett IL, (708) 837-4475.

For sale: baby boa constrictors! Third-generation Colombian red-tails selectively bred for light coloration and attractive patterns. Some with narrow hourglass-shaped saddles 2-4 scales wide. Priced from $125. Tanks & stands also, 5- to 30-gallon. I would also like to buy rodents. Ed Stone, (608) 233-9793. [Madison WI]

For sale: one male and one female Dumeril's boas, c.b. '88,'89, 51/2-6', $900; one male and one female Guyanan redtail boas, c.b. '88, 9-10', exceptional, $1000; one male and one female Surinam redtail boas, c.b. '90, 5', exceptional, $800; Brazilian rainbow boas, pick of the litter '92, $250-500. Photos available. Glenn Lewis, 37224 Capillo Avenue, Lake Villa IL 60046,

For sale: BRAZILIAN RAINBOW BOAS, 1993 babies from iridescent "Lamar strain" orange adults, $225 each; PUEBLAN MILKSNAKES. beeeding colony hand picked from many breeders around the country; excellent banding, brilliant colors and selectively bred. Grades A, B & C ($95, $75 & $55). 20% deposit assures best selection. Send SASE for 1993 price list. Scott P. Schuett, 1820 Bigelow St., Toledo OH 43613, (419) 473-0518.

75

Advertisements (cont'd) For sale: exceptional c.b. Indian pythons (Python m. molurus), $250 each. Permit required. Deposits being accepted. Michael Wood, 1025 Shady Lane, Warsaw IN 46580, (219) 269-7664.

For sale: Argentine boas, Boa constrictor occidentalis, bom 6/23/92, from unrelated parents, $1500/pair. Bill Brant, (904) 495-9024. [FL]

For sale: anerythristic boas, $300 to $600 each; rosy boas; kingsnakes; rat snakes; available April-December. Also, shoe box, sweater box, storage box units and custom-built herp cages. SASE for price list to: IRRPREL Manufacturing & Design, P.O. Box 5726, Whittier CA 90607, or call Glen at (310) 944-6719, best time 7 P.M. - 8 P.M.

For sale: 6' male Mexican boa constrictor, includes custom cage with the fix'n's, $150 or best offer. Matt Drucker, (309) 526-8277 days, [western IL]

For sale: one female prairie kingsnake, c.b. '70, $35; one male Nelson's milksnake, c.b. '92, $100; one adult male Mexican milksnake, c.b. '89, $130. Rick, (815) 825-2176.

For sale or trade: female South African bowsprit tortoise, long term captive, $400; captive hatched leopard tortoises, $100 each. Available soon, captive hatched African spurred tortoises, $125 each. Richard, (602) 439-8362.

Wanted: visitors/new members, Houston Turtle & Tortoise Society, first Saturday each month. Newsletter. Membership: $7 corresponding, $15 local. Ethelyn, (713) 682-0451.

Wanted: large pythons, anacondas, European glass lizard (Ophiosaurus apodus) for newly forming reptile exhibit in SW Missouri. Will pick up within a reasonable distance of Springfield, MO, or the Chicago area. We are long-time herpers; this is not a sideshow exhibit. If you have any animal you think we might be interested in, call us at (417) 485-3093, or (days) (800) 477-4451; ask for Dennis Harter. Or write Mid-Con Reptiles, P.O. Box 686, Ozark MO 65721.

Wanted: rare and unique lizards! Call or write Ray's Reptiles, P.O. Box 4732, Lincoln NE 68504-0473. Call Monday-Saturday (402) 477-1975, eves, are best.

Wanted: any and all information that anyone might have, either through personal experience or literature, on the Hog Island boa. Christina M. Serrone, Pops & Associates, Attorneys at Law, 225 Broadway, New York N Y 10007, (212) 732-3355.

Wanted: will provide good home for any unwanted large pythons and boa constrictors. Will pick up anywhere in Chicago area, Eric, (708) 974-2679, 7:00 P.M. - 10:00 P.M. Central Time.

Wanted: two or more Petrosaurus mearnsii, females. Also interested in exceptional color forms of Corallus enydris ssp. (i.e., pure red, yellow, etc.). Please leave message for Gregg, (305) 247-7226. [FL[

Wanted: female yearling or aduh gray-banded kingsnakes, ghost corns, snow corns. Will buy or accept trades for animals in my ad above. Joel Eidbo, (814) 724-8351.

Wanted: unusual African housesnakes and skaapstekkers. Call (619) 287-3937. [San Diego]

Wanted: hatchling female Queensland carpet python. If you are expecting any this season, please call. I am very interested. Austin. (312) 665-0951, leave message.

Wanted: the CHS Book Service is always in need of styrofoam "peanuts" for packaging shipments. Don't discard them; recycle by bringing them to Joan Moore at any monthly meeting.

Line ads in this publication are run free for CHS members ~ $2 per line for nonmembers. Any ad may be refused at the discretion o f the Editor.

Submit ads to: Michael Dloogatch, 6048 N . I.awndale Avenue, Chicago I L 60659, (312) 588-0728.

News and Announcements

MICHIGAN S O C I E T Y OF H E R P E T O L O G I S T S SPRING F L E A M A R K E T

The Michigan Society of Herpetologists wi l l be hosting its annual spring flea market on Saturday, Apri l 24, in Grand Rapids from 7:00 P .M. to 10:30 P .M. Admission wi l l be $2 per person. For more information please contact Theresa Moran at (517) 372-5730 or Jesse Jacques at (313) 373-3124.

T R I - S T A T E H E R P E T O L O G I C A L S O C I E T Y

The Tri-State Herpetological Society (Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia) is looking for new inembers. I f you think you might be interested, write to Tri-State Herpetological Society, Vo Pittsburgh Zoo, P.O. Box 5250. Pittsburgh PA 15206, or telephone Herb Ellerbrock at (412) 665-3764 work or (412) 361-0835 home.

WEST F L O R I D A HERP S O C I E T Y

Once again an attempt is being made to organize a West Florida Herp Society. For infonnation write: West Florida Herp Society, 3055 Panama Road, Pensacola FL 32526.

76

HERP-ACROSTIC #5 by Mike Dloogatch 1 N 2 C 3 J 4 F 5 U 6 0 7 Q 8 1 9 Y 10 E 11 H 12 N 13 F • 114 Q 15 L 16 S 17 T 18 N 19 K 20 0 1 1 Y

1 22 W

23 P • 24 X 25 1 26 N 27 • • 28 E 29 G 30 Y 31 V 32 M 33 P 34 R 35 J 36 B 37 W 38 0 39 L 40 Y 41 M 42 1

43 H 44 Q 45 Z 46 B 47 K 1 4 8 J 49 N 50 Y 51 P 52 R 53 L 54 Y 55 56 T 57 U 58 0 59 J 60 R 61 Y 62 K

63 P 64 A 65 1 66 H 67 0 68 B 69 D 0 N 71 P '•2 73 E 74 L 75 W 76 V 77 1 ^ 78 N 79 K SO A 81 K 82 A

83 0 84 B 85 J 86 S 87 Q 88 Y 89 F « H 91 U 92 L 93 0 94 1 95 W 96 A 97 C 98 X 99 Y 100 B 101 R 102 PfMm

103 T 104 S 105 M 106 W 107 N 108 H 109 Y 110 Z 111 A 112 X 113 J 114 K 116 M 116 N 117 1 118 0 119 D 120 B j It U

122 E 123 K 124 C 125 Q 126 1 127 H 128 Y 129 N 130 L 131 B 132 J 133 Q 134 M 135 V 136 0 137 W 138 Z 139 Y 140 Y 141 P

142 D 143 A 144 B 145 G 146 F 147 0 148 H 149 J 150 C 151 Z 152 L 153 Q 154 M 155 Z 156 T 157 W 158 U 159 J 160 N 161 H 162 A

163 E K 164 S 165 R

V

166 U 167 Y 168 X 159 Y 170 H 171 Q 172 1 173 V 174 W 175 D 175 K 177 X 178 Q 179 1 180 J 181 Y 182 R

• 183 G 184 M 185 U 186 0 137 L 188 N 189 Y 190 T 191 T 192 B 193 K 194 V 195 N 196 D 197 Z 198 M 199 W 200 Y 201 P 202 H

How to solve this puzzle: The diagram, when filled in, will contain a quotation from a published work on herpetology. The numbered squares in the diagram correspond to the numbered blanks under the WORDS. The WORDS form an acrostic; the first letter of each spells the name of the author and the title of the work from which the quotation is taken. The letter in the upper right-hand comer of each square indicates the WORD containing the letter to be entered in that square. The solution will appear in next month's nuUelin. Send in the correct solution and win a one-year extension to your CHS membership. See page 64 for contest rules and solution to last month's puzzle. The naine of this month's winner will appear in the May i 993 Bulletin.

C L U E S

A. Co-author of Herpetology of Michigan (last name only).

B. Large, rear-fanged, snake-eating, Neotropical colubrid.

C. American herpetologist (1894-1956), specialist in salamanders (last name only).

D . Shedding of an outer layer of skin.

WORDS

96 143 111 64 82 80 162

100 192 120 46 36 144 131 84 68

124 2 97 150

83 175 69 27 142 119 196

. corn: an anerythristic, hypomelanistic corn snake.

F. rat snake: a com snake from the lower Florida Keys.

G. Cleopatra's nemesis.

H. Snakestones.

163 28 122 10 73

146 4 89 13

29 183 145

1. Bothrops asper, as it's known in most English-speaking countries (hyphenated, from the French for "spearhead").

J. Vernacular name for any of several U.S. species of Sceloporus (two words).

43 11 127 161 202 90 66 108 148

^ T 7 2 T T 7 ^ ^ ~ 8 ~ T 2 6 ^ T 7 9

65~

3 59 132 1 13 180 85 159 149 48

1 ?

N. Bothrops asper, as it's known in parts of Mexico (two words, 70 49 195 1 78 12 129 188 107 Spanish for "yellow beard").

18 26 160 116

O. High-flown word meaning "a person who likes snakes." 93 58 118 38 67 186 6 147 136

20

P. . chameleon: large,

Q.

widespread Madagascan species.

snake: Pseudechis

201 71 141 63 170 51 33 23 102

australis (two words). 171 7 125 87 44 14 153 133 178

182 34 52 165 60 101

104 86 16 164

R. Key feature of Amphiuma pholeler (two words).

S. Island group where one might look for Brachylophus.

T. Key feature of Amphiuma means (two words).

U. Preferred method of locomotion for most anurans. 166 158 185 5 57 91 121

V. Liner or Wagner,

190 56 17 72 103 156 191

194 76 173 135 31

W. Key feature of Amphiuma tridactylum (two words). 199 157 37 137 75 106 22 95 174

K. Bothrops asper, as it's known X. Prefix indicating bone or in Costa Rica and many other 62 47 79 19 176 123 193 81 114 bones, parts of Latin America

55 Y. Bulletin of the

112 168 98 177 24

(Spanish for "velvet").

L. Corytophanes cristatus or Pelomedusa suhrufa, for instance.

M. Extinct order of reptiles, probably ancestral to the lizards and snakes.

. of America. 167 189 139 50 30 128 88 140 109

74 39 187 92 15 152 130 53

115 41 154 184 32 134 198 105

Volumes 1-5, 1927-1932, were reprinted in 1973 by the SSAR (two words).

Z. Pseudonaja affinis, to a Western Australian.

200 21 40 54 99 169 61 181

n o 45 151 138 197 155

UPCOMING MEETINGS

The next meeting of the Chicago Herpetological Society wi l l be held at 7:30 RM., Wednesday, March 31, at the Field Museum of Natural History, Roosevelt Road at Lake Shore Drive, in Chicago. Scott Keogh, a graduate student at Illinois State University, wi l l be our featured speaker. Scott's talk wi l l be on "The Tribe Lampropeltiinae," so those of you interested in the kingsnakes and their relatives should be sure to attend.

For our Apr i l meeting the scheduled speaker is Merel Cox, author of Snakes of Thailand.

We are required to use the entrance on the west side of the museum. The main entrances at the north and south ends of the building w i l l not be open. We have permission to use the staff parking lot to the west of the museum. Entrance to this lot is from McFetridge Drive, the wide street just to the south which lies between the museum and Soldier Field. There is also ample free parking available in the lot to the north of the museum.

Those of you who use public transportation can take the #146 bus directly to the museum. Unfortunately, this bus does not operate after 9:00 P .M . However, after the program anyone needing a ride to a bus or rapid transit stop w i l l have no trouble finding one—just ask any board member.

Turtle Club The Chicago Turtle Club wi l l meet Sunday, March 28, 1:00-3:30 P.M., at the Emmerson Park Fieldhouse, 1820 W. Granville Avenue, Chicago.

ANNUAL SALAMANDER WATCH

Sunday, March 28, is the date for the CHS salamander watch this year. We wil l meet at 9:00 A . M . at Camp Kiwanis, 9750 Willow Springs Road (U.S. 45), in Willow Springs. The entrance to Camp Kiwanis is on the east side of Willow Springs Road, about three blocks south of 95th. A selection of live ambystomid salamanders wi l l be available for photographing, in addition to the specimens we expect to uncover in the field. The purpose of the field trip is observation, not collection, and the policy of not taking animals wi l l be strictly enforced. Children are welcome. Please dress for the weather; the activity wi l l not be canceled i f it rains. Bring snacks and bag lunches, and waterproof shoes or boots.

ST. LOUIS ZOO C H A R T E R BUS TRIP

Register now for the Chicago Herpetological Society's St. Louis Zoo charter bus trip! The trip is scheduled for Saturday, Apr i l 3, 1993, and w i l l feature a behind-the-scenes tour of this world-class zoo's reptile house. After this guided tour, the rest of the zoo may be explored at your leisure. The bus (equipped with reclining seats, six television monitors, VCR, stereo and restroom facility) wi l l depart the Field Museum of Natural History at 6:00 A . M . and wi l l return at 10:00 P . M . Registration is limited to the first 47 prepaying individuals. Tickets are $30 each (nonrefundable) and wi l l be on sale at the March 31 general meeting. I f you wish to mail your payment early, please send a check or money order, payable to the Chicago Herpetological Society, to: Anthony Rattin, Abbott Labs AP9/46R, One Abbott Park Road, Abbott Park IL 60064-3500. Be sure to include a current return address so that tickets and detailed information brochures can be forwarded to you.

T H E ADVENTURES OF SPOT

NOW THERE'S AN A B E R R A N T PATTERN/

NONPROFIT ORG.

U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDPERMIT NO. 9869

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

CHICAGO HERPETOLOGICAL SOCIETYAffiliated with the Chicago Academy of Sciences

2001 North Clark Street • Chicago, Illinois 60614