Henrik Bringsøe

A portrait of the newly described bent-toed gecko Cyrtodactylus phamiensis known from Ban Pha Mi in the northernmost Thailand, namely 1 km east of the Myanma border and 24 km west of the Laotian border, is provided. The new species belongs to the C. chauquangensis group endemic to limestone massifs in northern Indochina. A time-calibration of the p...

Phylogenetic and morphological analyses delimit and diagnose, respectively, a new population of a karst-dwelling Cyrtodactylus from extreme northern Thailand. The new species, Cyrtodactylus phamiensissp. nov., of the chauquangensis group inhabits karst caves and outcroppings and karst vegetation in the vicinity of Pha Mi Village in Chiang Rai Provi...

On a herpetological two-week journey to Ecuador in September-October 2023, four days were spent at Yarina in the Amazonian region of Ecuador, i.e., from 6 to 10 October. This report covers our stay at Yarina on the south side of Rio Napo (east of Coca) and the amphibians and reptiles which we observed there. Valuable assistance was provided notably...

Kleptoparasitism, or food theft, is seldom reported in wild populations of snakes. Here, we describe as case where two Red-tailed Coral Snakes, Micrurus mipartitus , were observed competing for the same caecilian prey, either Caecilia leucocephala or C. perdita . This took place at night in a rainforest habitat in Valle del Cauca Department, wester...

Examples of colour anomalies and nuptial colours of Rana temporaria, all documented photographically, are provided. A male albino with red eyes was recently observed west of Aarhus, Denmark, during the breeding season. This may be the first record of an albino R. temporaria from Denmark. It is briefly added that an albino R. arvalis was also found...

An observation of predation on Chamaeleo africanus by a scorpion is reported. In summer a newly hatched chameleon was captures and killed by an Aegaeobuthus gibbosus on a sandy beach where C. africanus commonly nests. This is the first report of a scorpion preying on C. africanus.

A leucistic adult male Rana dalmatina has been observed and photographed in eastern Denmark. This is apparently the first published record of a color anomaly in this species.

A portrait of the newly described poison frog Andinobates supata known from a tiny area in the municipality of Supatá, department of Cundinamarca north of Bogotá in an altitudinal range of 1800–2000 m. is provided. In comparison with the six other species of the genus, A. supata can only be confused with A. tolimensis which is the only other specie...

Four observations on rapid colour change in Rana dalmatina in north-west Italy are described. As the frogs were initially spotted, they were very dark with blackish brown markings. After having been kept in plastic bags for 30–55 minutes they had turned much lighter, namely the normal light-brown colouration of this species. The habitat consisted o...

This report consists of the author’s observations on two fascinating populations of the Alpine newt: Ichthyosaura alpestris apuana in the southwestern Alps and Ichthyosaura alpestris veluchiensis in the northern Peloponnese, Greece. In the westernmost part of the range of Ichthyosaura alpestris apuana, a high altitude lake of 1570 m a.s.l. was visi...

This paper deals with amphibians and reptiles recorded near the headquarter of Khao Pu Khao Ya National Park and an adjacent locality, Thung Kai Botanic Garden in the outskirts of Trang, in South Thailand. Khao Pu Khao Ya was visited in January 2013 and in late February 2020 and one visit in Trang was made in early March 2020. The following species...

An observation of Natrix natrix re-swallowing a regurgitated Bufo bufo after disturbance during the initial process of swallowing. Ingestion was resumed more than 70 minutes later. The observation was made in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. We believe that this is the first published observation of a snake re-swallowing a regurgitated prey...

This report covers the amphibian and reptile species found by the author during a brief visit to Bang Lang National Park, Yala Province, Southeast Thailand. This national park reaches the Malaysian border and my searching was made near the headquarters approx. 4 km from Malaysia. Four species of amphibians and 12 species of reptiles were recorded....

Two very large Vipera berus from Norway are reported, one female and one male. The length of the female was 93.5 cm (total length) which constitutes the longest vouchered or otherwise properly documented specimen to date. The male measured 78.5 cm which we believe is the second longest male ever recorded.

A case of Oligodon ocellatus eating a toxic adult toad, Duttaphrynus melanostictus, in Cat Tien National Park, southern Vietnam, is provided. We found a kukri snake having buried its head deeply into the abdomen of the toad and probably being in the process of eating organs. Subsequently, the toad was swallowed whole and the kukri snake moved away...

Predation on adult microhylid frogs Kaloula pulchra by two closely-related colubrid snakes is described, based on two observations of Oligodon formosanus in Hong Kong and one observation of O. fasciolatus in Thailand. In two instances, O. formosanus was observed cutting open the abdomen of this anuran species. In one case, it performed repeated rot...

A record of a large Boiga melanota with a severe head injury is provided. It was found in a stream on a night trip in a cultivated area in Southeast Thailand in the southern part of the Narathiwat Province. The injury was in the left part of the head, just behind the left eye. A considerable portion of bone had been destroyed, the mouth could not c...

An adult Boiga melanota was observed swallowing a juvenile Varanus nebulosus in Bang Lang National Park, Yala Province, Thailand, in February 2020. This monitor lizard is a new record for the diet of the B. dendrophila complex. It is also the first known instance of colubrid predation on V. nebulosus.

A hitherto unknown feeding mode among snakes is described for the colubrid snake Oligodon fasciolatus in Northeast Thailand. Three cases of O. fasciolatus using enlarged posterior maxillary teeth to cut open the abdomen of a live poisonous toad Duttaphrynus melanostictus and eat its organs are described. The snakes and toads fought vigorously, and...

Two observations of interspecific amplexus involving Bufo spinosus and Sclerophrys mauritanica from Imlil (1710 m elevation), the High Atlas Mountains, Morocco, is reported. This is the first record of amplexus between these two bufonid species.

One blue female Pelophylax esculentus was recorded in the outskirts of Copenhagen, Denmark, in August 2017. Minor green areas persisted. After capture and subsequent handling its base coloration darkened from what was first observed. No other individuals with blue coloration were found. Blue coloration is an anomaly due to lack of or reduction of x...

The author’s encounter with the contact-poisonous plant Dendrocnide sinuata during observation and photography of Cyrtodactylus zebraicus in Khao Luang, South Thailand, is described. The gecko was perching on the vertical main stem of a young plant and appeared unaffected by the strong poison of the stinging hairs or trichomes. In that position it...

First observations of mating in Speleomantes supramontis, Sopramonte Cave Salamander, in its natural habitat. A first-time observation of mating in Speleomantes supramontis in the central part of East Sardinia is reported. Our observation was made in the cave Grotta di Su Ventu or Grotta di Su Bentu which is situated 7 km (in linear distance) east...

During a visit to Osor on the island Cres, Croatia, in mid August 2016 I photographed one adult Dalmatolacerta oxycephala eating a stink bug of the (family Pentatomidae). Judging from the pertinent literature it is concluded that D. oxycephala eats a wide variety of invertebrates, including scorpions, beetles and possibly even centipedes. Ripe frui...

The scientific name Vipera ammodytes would indicate that this viper is typically sand-dwelling but the reality is that this habitat is unusual for the species. Though it was formally described by Linnæus (1758), earlier works portrayed the species in much more detail and explained the curious name. In this context the works of Aldrovandi (1639) and...

A record of an Adder, Vipera berus, preying upon a Least Weasel, Mustela nivalis, in Denmark is provided. The observation was made in Skagen, North Jutland, on 21 June 2016 as the adder was photographed swallowing a weasel. Small mammals are commonly part of the diet of V. berus, but it is unusual that adders eat members of Carnivora. Only one prev...

An adult male Uromastyx aegyptia with the measurements of SVL 41.8 cm, tail 32.5 cm, total length 74.3 cm was captured at Hazeva in the northern Negev Desert of Israel on 19 March 1994. 13 years 88 days earlier it was measured to SVL 38.7 cm, tail 31.3 cm, total length 70.0 cm. It is estimated that its age was at least 33 years in 1994 which will b...

From the northern Negev Desert of Israel three new localities for land tortoises are reported: Be’er Mash’abim, the Mash’abim Sands Nature Reserve for Testudo kleinmanni and T. graeca; approximately 2 km south of Lahav (southwest of Eshkolot) for T. graeca and approximately 6 km northeast of Nizzana for T. kleinmanni. Be’er Mash’abim is the first r...

Observations on nocturnal activity in Phelsuma sundbergi s.l. near night lights on the Seychelles. Eight times during one month nocturnal activity was observed in Phelsuma sundbergi s.l. on the Seychelles. These observations were comprised by three observations on P. s. longinsulae on Mahé, four on P. s. sundbergi on Praslin and one on P. s. ladigu...

Early records of egg-laying and eggs in Triturus cristatus in the spring 2017 are reported from eastern Zealand, Denmark. Egg-laying was observed in one pond on 25 March, one egg in another pond on 1 April and 33 eggs in a third pond on 8 April. Several Danish egg records made during the first third of April and cited from a Danish fauna and flora...

Alpine Newt (Ichthyosaura alpestris) established after unauthorised introduction in Gentofte, north of Copenhagen, far from its natural Danish distribution. Is translocation of the Alpine Newt acceptable? In August 2017, a hitherto unknown population of the Alpine Newt, Ichthyosaura alpestris, was recorded in the northern outskirts of Copenhagen o...

A Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) was photographed eating an adult female Triturus cristatus in northern Denmark in August 2013.

In early May 2015 one individual of Natrix natrix was photographed climbing a willow tree to a height of 475 cm near a lake on the island of Zealand, Denmark. A number of published reports document that N. natrix may occasionally shrubs and low trees to heights up to approx. 2-3 m. Previously only one observation of climbing to a height of approx....

A new record of Polychrus gutturosus is made from the Península de Nicoya of northwestern Costa Rica. Two males were observed in combat behavior in a low shrub in September 2016 (during the rainy season). The habitat was Tropical Dry Forest (riparian forest). Due to the small stream the vegetation near the water would never dry out completely. This...

A record of Hemidactylus parvimaculatus preyed upon by a Yellow-billed Babbler, Turdoides affinis, at Puttalam, western Sri Lanka, is reported. The biology of this gecko is poorly known and this is the first published record of any predation on H. parvimaculatus.

Two cases of Bufo bufo climbing vegetation in Denmark (Jutland) are reported. One small B. bufo was observed among the yellow flowers in the inflorescence of a European Goldenrod, Solidago virgaurea, at night. In the other case, two toads were found perching in a young Norway Spruce, Picea abies, during the day. These observations are compared with...

A new record of Hellenolacerta graeca is reported from a dry rock habitat at Kaiafas in the western Peloponnese, Greece, in an altitude 10-18 m. It constitutes a western range extension by approximately 26 km. Two individuals were observed in a dry habitat of limestone rocks. Its currently known geographical range is presented. A large population o...

An introduction to the Aesculapian Snake, Zamenis longissimus, is provided on the basis of observations made during a field trip to South Germany in August 2015. In spite of a heat wave with day temperatures above 35°C two individuals were recorded east of Passau on the north side of the Danube, close to the Austrian border. One small adult was obs...

We show that Fennoscandia was invaded in the Holocene by three distinct mitochondrial lineages of Natrix natrix. Two of these lineages arrived from the south, and one from the east. One of the ‘southern lineages’ is confined to Gotland, where also the second ‘southern lineage’ is found. The latter is widely distributed in the southwestern Baltic re...

13 cases of terrestrial height-seeking or climbing habits in Lissotriton vulgaris are reported, apparently for the first time. This behaviour seems to be unknown in all other Palaearctic salamandrid newt species. 12 observations were made from throughout Denmark and one from Germany, mainly during the terrestrial phase. The observations involved ma...

Observations on social interactions between one female and one juvenile Zootoca vivipara made in eastern Jutland, Denmark, in late summer 2009 are described and illustrated. They were basking on top of a pole and remained close together for most of a 39 minute period between rain showers. Regularly tongue-flicking occurred. Other hitherto unpublis...

Five brightly yellowish individuals of Rana graeca were observed during one night excursion in a stream in southwest Albania while individuals with ordinary brown coloration were not found. Four normally coloured brown individuals were observed during the day. Several types of colour change and aberrant colours in amphibians are reviewed. Colour ch...

Using ancient DNA sequences of subfossil European pond turtles (Emys orbicularis) from Britain, Central and North Europe and accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon dating for turtle remains from most Swedish sites, we provide evidence for a Holocene range expansion of the pond turtle from the southeastern Balkans into Britain, Central Europe and...

A sub-dult Calumma tigris was observed eating White-footed ants, Technomyrmex albipes complex, in the Vallée de Mai national park on Praslin (Seychelles). It is noteworthy that this species of ant is, as far as can be demonstrated, not eaten by any other predator in the Seychelles. Considering the restricted range and possibly low population densit...

Lacertid species are rarely seen entering water in the wild, but a male Podarcis muralis was observed entering the water of a cold, fast-running stream voluntarily or deliberately on Mt. Dirfis on the Aegean island of Evvia, Greece on 19 April 2005. The lizard was not disturbed by the two observers. Figures show the lizard in the various positions...

Near Tonnegrande in French Guiana one Oxybelis fulgidus was found dead on the road on 14 February, 1999. It was a female with a total length of 153 cm. There was one avian prey in its stomach: a russet-crowned crake, Anurolimnas viridis (Rufirallus viridis). This is the first observation of O. fulgidus eating a terrestrial bird, but it is not surpr...

One of the snakes which were observed in the accordion position (Bringsøe 1999: 135), has proved to be wrongly identified. It was not Chironius fuscus, but Pseustes poecilonotus [Phrynonax poecilonotus]. Another specimen of P. poecilonotus, a juvenile of about 50 cm total length , had been found on 13 February 1999 in the Kaw Mts. in the dense rain...

On a journey to French Guiana in February 1999 an interesting habit was observed twice in colubrid snakes, Liophis typhlus and Chironius fuscus in Montagnes Tortue. In the late afternoon the snakes were observed motionless, frozen in an accordion-like posture. They were observed on a dirt road. As the author grabbed them, they struggled fiercely. S...

On parental care and growth in Bolitoglossa mexicana

Following the extensive habitat management of T. alpestris carried out since 1988 in Southeast Jutland, South Denmark, there has been an impressive increase in the number of breeding habitats. From 1988 to 1997 the number has increased by more than 6 times, from 32 to 201. That is a yearly growth of 22.7%. In the future more emphasis will be put on...

A new record of the Dalmatian algyroides, Algyroides nigropunctatus, is published from the southern part of its range, in Central Greece north of the Gulf of Corinth. The habitat is described and sympatrically occurring reptiles and amphibians are listed. Its implication in relation to the hitherto known Greek range are discussed.