About
97
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Introduction
My passion lies in discipline of herpetology, the study of reptiles and amphibians. In particular this concerns native British amphibians and reptiles.
I am a member of the following:
- Zoological Society of London (ZSL)
- British Herpetological Society (BHS)
- Linnean Society of London
- International Varanid Interest Group (IVIG)
- Cambridge & Peterborough Amphibian and Reptile Group (CPARG)
- Amphibian Specialist Group (ASG)
Twitter: @stevoallain
Current institution
Additional affiliations
August 2016 - November 2016
September 2014 - July 2015
Education
October 2018 - September 2022
September 2017 - September 2018
Independent Researcher
Field of study
- Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
September 2012 - July 2015
Publications
Publications (97)
In the past decade, infectious disease threats to European herpetofauna have become better understood. Since the 1990s,
three major emerging infections in amphibians have been identified (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, B. salamandrivorans,
and ranaviruses) as well as at least one of unknown status (herpesviruses), while two major emerging infectio...
Pseudoacanthocephalus goodmani n. sp. is described from faecal pellets collected from Sclerophrys gutturalis (Power, 1927), the guttural toad. The species is characterized by a suite of characters, including a proboscis armature of 14–18 longitudinal rows of 4–6 hooks with simple roots, lemnisci longer than the proboscis receptacle, equatorial test...
The herpetology collection of the Ewha Womans University Natural History Museum (EWNHM) represents one of the oldest and largest institutional collections in the Republic of Korea. The specimens deposited in the EWNHM represent a major historical collection of the native herpetofauna, both in species diversity and time span. However, the full inven...
Ophidiomycosis is an emerging infectious disease affecting wild snakes in the Northern Hemisphere. Recently confirmed in Great Britain, the prevalence, severity and significance of ophidiomycosis has yet to be characterised in free-living snakes at a population level in Europe. Therefore, a population of barred grass snakes (Natrix helvetica) in ea...
Many herpetofauna species have been introduced outside of their native range. MtDNA barcoding is regularly used to determine the provenance of such populations. The alpine newt has been introduced across the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Ireland. However, geographical mtDNA structure across the natural range of the alpine newt is still incomp...
Late Cretaceous Earth was dominated by theropods such as tyrannosauroids and megaraptorans; however, it is unclear how these clades diversified and grew to massive proportions. This study aimed to conduct a biogeographical analysis and test climate as a potential mechanism for the increase in size. We used published phylogenetic matrices with the R...
The goal of the Eastern Asian Salamander Task Force (EASal-TF) will be to understand and identify actions necessary to address the threats to Caudata in the region, through scientific research and the implementation of science-based conservation plans, at the regional or species level.
MtDNA barcoding is regularly applied to determine the provenance of invasive species. Variation in spatial genetic structuring across a species’ range, typically high within glacial refugia and low in postglacially colonized areas, influences the precision of this approach. The palmate newt (Lissotriton helveticus) has been introduced north of its...
Context
Land-use change is a key driver of biodiversity loss. Models that accurately predict how biodiversity might be affected by land-use changes are urgently needed, to help avoid further negative impacts and inform landscape-scale restoration projects. To be effective, such models must balance model realism with computational tractability and m...
The amphibian chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis threatens amphibian species globally as the causative agent of chytridiomycosis, with the introduction of non-native species being one of the pathways that the pathogen can spread to naive populations. We have monitored and screened the common midwife toad Alytes obstetricans in four separ...
Over the years, the terminology in regards to the abnormal coloration of reptiles and amphibians has
become more complex with not all authors agreeing on the same terms. This, combined with the diversity of chromatic abnormalities, has led to some confusion, particularly between hobbyists and biologists who tend to use different
jargon. In this rev...
Ophidiomyces ophidiicola is an emerging fungal pathogen associated with infections in snakes across North America. Although documented in Pennsylvania, O. ophidiicola has not been found at the Powdermill Nature Reserve (PNR) in southwestern Pennsylvania, where the snake assemblage has been studied since 2002 and several species have recently declin...
The alpine newt (Ichthyosaura alpestris) is an alien species in Great Britain. Using location information derived from photographs posted on social media we have updated its known distribution, validated previously unconfirmed populations, and present an updated distribution map. Comparison of the records collected from social media with those in t...
Review and synthesis of the known, published dietary records for all snakes in the Eunectes genus.
Natural history record of trout predation on Natrix helvetica
Short note on range expansion and lowest elevation record for Hyloscirtus mashpi.
This is a short note on the first evidence of fish-scavenging behavior in the Yellow-Footed Tortoise (Chelonoidis denticulatus).
Every 3-4 years, herpetologists from around the world
meet at the World Congress of Herpetology. The 1st
World Congress was held in England (Canterbury) in 1989
when mysterious amphibian declines were discussed; this
was a full decade before one of the main causative agents
Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis was identified. The World
Congress series ha...
In the past decade, infectious disease threats to European herpetofauna have become better understood. Since the 1990s, three major emerging infections in amphibians have been identified (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, B. salamandrivorans, and ranaviruses) as well as at least one of unknown status (herpesviruses), while two major emerging infectio...
![Abb. [Fig.] 1: Männchen von [male of] Lissotriton vulgaris mit...](profile/Steven-Allain/publication/335541099/figure/fig1/AS:798428430860292@1567371580966/Abb-Fig-1-Maennchen-von-male-of-Lissotriton-vulgaris-mit-Anzeichen-einer_Q320.jpg)
It is important to map invasive species in order to demonstrate their rate of spread and current distribution. Most recording schemes rely on opportunistic sightings and awareness to collect and gather data. Mining data from online social media and other data sharing platforms has become more prevalent in recent years as increasing numbers of users...
Ranavirus is the second most common infectious cause of amphibian mortality. These viruses affect caudates, an order in which information regarding Ranavirus pathogenesis is scarce. In the Netherlands, two strains (CMTV-NL I and III) were suspected to possess distinct pathogenicity based on field data. To investigate susceptibility and disease prog...
Camera trap images from the Snapshot Serengeti project from 2010 were used to investigate the behaviour of rock agamas (Agama mwanzae) on the kopjes of the Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. The species was observed only from four locations in the south-west of Serengeti in September/October. The images were used to analyse the total numbers of bas...
The amphibian chytrid fungi (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis and B. salamandrivorans) threaten amphibian species globally, and the introduction of non-native species is an important pathway via which the pathogen has spread. Here we report the results of disease screening of an introduced population of common midwife toad (Alytes obstetricans) in Ca...
We report on a lesser known midwife toad (Alytes obstetricans) population within central Cambridge, England, UK with an initial investigation of the population’s extent. In order to achieve this we used call playbacks to locate and count individual toads which responded with a return call.
A poster outlining our research up until January 2017 regarding our midwife toad project.
There are many anthropogenic obstacles faced by amphibians in the urban environment. An example of
one of these are roads between habitat features such as hibernation sites and breeding ponds; this leads to traffic mortalities. In urban settings, cycle paths may be as busy as roads and present similar dangers; we report this in the case of smooth n...
The Cambridge Amphibian Survey 2013 was a pilot study that was a continuation of surveys carried out at the Cambridge City Crematorium near Bar Hill, for the local council. This report outlines our findings from the 2013 survey season.
Questions
Questions (17)
Hi everyone,
has anyone else experienced an 'Error 8008' with their NanoDrop 3300 (image attached), on a laptop which it previously worked fine on?
I have tried uninstalling the software and reinstalling it, as well as running the software as administrator and in compatibility mode. I suspect an update to Windows has created the issue and I would appreciate it if someone knows of a solution.
Thank you in advance,
Steve
With my current application of DS1921G-F5 thermochrons (measuring the temperature underneath artificial cover objects), there is a risk that they may be immersed in water for short periods of time due to localised flooding. I know they have a rubber grommet which seals them and they're advertised as 'water-resistant', but I'm not entirely sure what this means.
I was wondering if anyone had any experience with the tolerance of iButtons to these kind of conditions? If the site does unfortunately flood, will I need to retrieve my iButtons and redeploy them once the flood waters have receded? Thanks in advance.
I'm aware that the Mwanza rock agama (Agama mwanzae) can be found in the Serengeti National Park, Tanzania but I was also wondering if it occupied this area with any other sympatric species.
I've recently used the calls of male midwife toads played back to a restricted population of the toads in order to assess their overall population size. Has anything like this been done in the past within Europe either with midwife toads or another anuran species?
I'm currently researching the common midwife toad (Alytes obstetricans) and there are a few aspects of it's life history I can't find information for in the search I have so far carried out in the literature. A few websites (which aren't referenced) have stated that the toads can live up to eight years in the wild but an average lifespan is about 5 years. Other web sources also state that sexual maturity takes about 2-3 years. Can anyone please point me to any sources from peer-reviewed articles that either backup or refute these claims?
I am currently trying to assess the population size of a non-native species here in England, the midwife toad (Alytes obstetricans). So far I have only found what I think are males (as they call) but I have noticed a difference in the kind of calls that are made by the toads.When I have looked at the calls using sonogram analysis software two different calls are distinguished. I was wondering if one could be from a male and the other from a female.
I have attached a sonogram which shows a short section of one of my recordings. Am I right in thinking that individual A is a male and individual B is a female returning his call?
I shall soon be traveling to Malaysian Borneo, I intend to try to find as many amphibian and reptile species as I can whilst I'm out there. I was wondering if anyone was aware of a published checklist of all of Sandakan's reptile and amphibians.
I have noticed that at a number of sites toad (Bufo bufo) tadpoles have not developed as much as frog (Rana temporaria) tadpoles despite the spawn of both species being laid around the same time. Is there environmental factors that could explain this or is it more down to the species' biology?
I have been wondering what genetically causes frogs to lack melanin as well of the roles of chromatophores in their colouration. Its the role of chromatophores and other pigment cells which I am unsure of. What are the specific roles of xanthophores and erythrophores in amphibian colouration?
Hey everyone, I was wondering if much research has been done on the affect of lunar cycle on the activity of amphibians. I am aware of Deeming's 2008 paper where capture of newts correlated with the lunar cycle. I am interested to know if any other such correlations have been found in species around the world.
