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Review of Snakes of Eastern North America

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Snakes of Eastern North America by Carl H. Ernst; Roger W. Barbour
Review by: Michael V. Plummer
Copeia,
Vol. 1990, No. 1 (Mar. 6, 1990), pp. 253-255
Published by: American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (ASIH)
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REVIEWS REVIEWS
By J. R. Peters and B. Orejas-Miranda Bull. U.S.
Natl. Mus., 297.
GROOMBRIDGE,
B. 1986. Comments on the M. pter-
ygoideus
glandulae of crotaline snakes (Reptilia: Vi-
peridae). Herpetologica 42:449-457.
KOFRON,
C. 1985. Systematics of the neotropical gas-
tropod-eating snake genera, Tropidodipsas and Si-
bon.
J. Herpetol. 19:84-92.
KUHN,
0. 1967. Amphibien und Reptilien. Katalog
der Subfamilien und h6hren Taxa mit Nachweis
des ersten Auftretens. Gustav Fischer, Stuttgart,
West Germany.
MYERS,
C. W. 1974. The systematics of Rhadinaea
(Colubirdae), a genus of New World snakes. Bull.
Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. 153:1-262.
ROBINS,
C. R., R. M. BAILEY,
C. E. BOND,J. R. BROOK-
ER, E. A. LACHNER,
R. N. LEA AND
W. B. SCOTT.
1980. A list of common and scientific names of
fishes from the United States and Canada. 4th ed.
Amer. Fish. Soc., Spec. Publ., 12.
SAVAGE,J. M., AND
B. I. CROTHER. 1989. The status
of Pliocercus and Urotheca
(Serpentes: Colubridae),
with a review of included species of coral snake
mimics. Zool. J. Linn. Soc. 95:335-362.
STORR, G. M. 1967. The genus Vermicella
(Serpentes,
Elapidae) in Western Australia and the Northern
Territory. J. Roy. Soc. W. Aust. 50:80-92.
1985. Phylogenetic relationships of Austra-
lian elapid snakes: external morphology with an
emphasis on species in Western Australia, p. 221-
222. In: Biology of Australian frogs and reptiles.
G. Grigg, R. Shine and H. Ehmann (eds.). Surrey
Beatty & Sons Pty. Ltd., Chipping Norton, Austra-
lia.
WALLACH, V. 1985. A cladistic analysis of the ter-
restrial Australian Elapidae, p. 223-253. In: Biol-
ogy of Australian frogs and reptiles. G. Grigg, R.
Shine and H. Ehmann (eds.). Surrey Beatty & Sons
Pty. Ltd., Chipping Norton, Australia.
WELLS,
R. W., AND
C. R. WELLINGTON. 1983. A syn-
opsis of the class Reptilia in Australia. Aust. J. Her-
petol. 1:73-129.
DARREL FROST, Museum of Natural History, The
University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66045.
SNAKES OF EASTERN NORTH AMERICA.
By Carl H. Ernst and Roger W. Barbour. 1989.
George Mason University Press, 4400 Univer-
sity Dr., Fairfax, Virginia 22030, vii + 282 p.,
$62.50 (hardcover).-This book is the first ma-
jor compilation on the snakes of eastern North
America since the now badly outdated Wright
and Wright (1957). It contains a wealth of in-
formation on the 58 species of snakes found in
By J. R. Peters and B. Orejas-Miranda Bull. U.S.
Natl. Mus., 297.
GROOMBRIDGE,
B. 1986. Comments on the M. pter-
ygoideus
glandulae of crotaline snakes (Reptilia: Vi-
peridae). Herpetologica 42:449-457.
KOFRON,
C. 1985. Systematics of the neotropical gas-
tropod-eating snake genera, Tropidodipsas and Si-
bon.
J. Herpetol. 19:84-92.
KUHN,
0. 1967. Amphibien und Reptilien. Katalog
der Subfamilien und h6hren Taxa mit Nachweis
des ersten Auftretens. Gustav Fischer, Stuttgart,
West Germany.
MYERS,
C. W. 1974. The systematics of Rhadinaea
(Colubirdae), a genus of New World snakes. Bull.
Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. 153:1-262.
ROBINS,
C. R., R. M. BAILEY,
C. E. BOND,J. R. BROOK-
ER, E. A. LACHNER,
R. N. LEA AND
W. B. SCOTT.
1980. A list of common and scientific names of
fishes from the United States and Canada. 4th ed.
Amer. Fish. Soc., Spec. Publ., 12.
SAVAGE,J. M., AND
B. I. CROTHER. 1989. The status
of Pliocercus and Urotheca
(Serpentes: Colubridae),
with a review of included species of coral snake
mimics. Zool. J. Linn. Soc. 95:335-362.
STORR, G. M. 1967. The genus Vermicella
(Serpentes,
Elapidae) in Western Australia and the Northern
Territory. J. Roy. Soc. W. Aust. 50:80-92.
1985. Phylogenetic relationships of Austra-
lian elapid snakes: external morphology with an
emphasis on species in Western Australia, p. 221-
222. In: Biology of Australian frogs and reptiles.
G. Grigg, R. Shine and H. Ehmann (eds.). Surrey
Beatty & Sons Pty. Ltd., Chipping Norton, Austra-
lia.
WALLACH, V. 1985. A cladistic analysis of the ter-
restrial Australian Elapidae, p. 223-253. In: Biol-
ogy of Australian frogs and reptiles. G. Grigg, R.
Shine and H. Ehmann (eds.). Surrey Beatty & Sons
Pty. Ltd., Chipping Norton, Australia.
WELLS,
R. W., AND
C. R. WELLINGTON. 1983. A syn-
opsis of the class Reptilia in Australia. Aust. J. Her-
petol. 1:73-129.
DARREL FROST, Museum of Natural History, The
University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66045.
SNAKES OF EASTERN NORTH AMERICA.
By Carl H. Ernst and Roger W. Barbour. 1989.
George Mason University Press, 4400 Univer-
sity Dr., Fairfax, Virginia 22030, vii + 282 p.,
$62.50 (hardcover).-This book is the first ma-
jor compilation on the snakes of eastern North
America since the now badly outdated Wright
and Wright (1957). It contains a wealth of in-
formation on the 58 species of snakes found in
253 253
North America east of the Mississippi River and
the western border of Ontario. Ernst and Bar-
bour purposed to write a book that would allow
one to identify any snake species from this area
(facilitated by a key to species) and which would
summarize information on life history, a term
they use in a broader sense than currently used
by population and evolutionary biologists.
For the most part, I found that Ernst and
Barbour achieved their goals. With few excep-
tions, they covered the primary literature well
through 1986 (including some 1987 refer-
ences). For each species, they provide a sum-
mary of its ecology and behavior from the lit-
erature, interspersed with occasional personal
anecdotes. After reading the accounts, one is
impressed with the extensive literature that ex-
ists on snakes, but the incomplete and anecdotal
information available for most species leaves one
less than satisfied that we know a lot about their
ecology. This will not come as a revelation to
anyone who has worked with snakes in the field.
They know well that snakes are not the animal
of choice for ecological studies, being secretive,
periodically dormant, and generally intractable.
Thus, studying snakes requires a commitment
to the organism in addition to (or instead of) a
commitment to a biological problem. Many
books surveying the biology of a group of ani-
mals illuminate our ignorance and stimulate
further study. Ernst and Barbour's book cer-
tainly does the former and I hope will also do
the latter. To this end, the authors frequently
point out species in need of additional work.
The book is organized into six sections. The
first summarizes the general biology of snakes.
Next is a guide to identification including an
illustrated key to species. Species accounts fol-
low and are arranged in this taxonomic order:
Typhlopidae, Colubridae (Xenodontinae, Col-
ubrinae, Lampropeltinae, Natricinae), Elapi-
dae, and Viperidae. The accounts contain sec-
tions on recognition, karyotype, fossil record,
distribution, geographic variation, confusing
species, habitat, behavior, reproduction, growth
and longevity, food and feeding, venom and
bites (in venomous forms), predation and de-
fense, populations, and remarks. The remarks
section addresses miscellaneous topics such as
taxonomic problems, biogeography, gaps in
knowledge, mimicry, effects of environmental
pollutants, conservation, genetics and hybrid-
ization, suitability for captivity, and folklore.
Each species account contains a black and white
photograph and a distribution map showing the
North America east of the Mississippi River and
the western border of Ontario. Ernst and Bar-
bour purposed to write a book that would allow
one to identify any snake species from this area
(facilitated by a key to species) and which would
summarize information on life history, a term
they use in a broader sense than currently used
by population and evolutionary biologists.
For the most part, I found that Ernst and
Barbour achieved their goals. With few excep-
tions, they covered the primary literature well
through 1986 (including some 1987 refer-
ences). For each species, they provide a sum-
mary of its ecology and behavior from the lit-
erature, interspersed with occasional personal
anecdotes. After reading the accounts, one is
impressed with the extensive literature that ex-
ists on snakes, but the incomplete and anecdotal
information available for most species leaves one
less than satisfied that we know a lot about their
ecology. This will not come as a revelation to
anyone who has worked with snakes in the field.
They know well that snakes are not the animal
of choice for ecological studies, being secretive,
periodically dormant, and generally intractable.
Thus, studying snakes requires a commitment
to the organism in addition to (or instead of) a
commitment to a biological problem. Many
books surveying the biology of a group of ani-
mals illuminate our ignorance and stimulate
further study. Ernst and Barbour's book cer-
tainly does the former and I hope will also do
the latter. To this end, the authors frequently
point out species in need of additional work.
The book is organized into six sections. The
first summarizes the general biology of snakes.
Next is a guide to identification including an
illustrated key to species. Species accounts fol-
low and are arranged in this taxonomic order:
Typhlopidae, Colubridae (Xenodontinae, Col-
ubrinae, Lampropeltinae, Natricinae), Elapi-
dae, and Viperidae. The accounts contain sec-
tions on recognition, karyotype, fossil record,
distribution, geographic variation, confusing
species, habitat, behavior, reproduction, growth
and longevity, food and feeding, venom and
bites (in venomous forms), predation and de-
fense, populations, and remarks. The remarks
section addresses miscellaneous topics such as
taxonomic problems, biogeography, gaps in
knowledge, mimicry, effects of environmental
pollutants, conservation, genetics and hybrid-
ization, suitability for captivity, and folklore.
Each species account contains a black and white
photograph and a distribution map showing the
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COPEIA, 1990, NO. 1
range within eastern North America as well as
the entire range. Color photographs of each
species are grouped in plates in the middle of
the book. Common names conform to those in
Collins et al. (1982). After the species accounts,
there is a glossary of scientific names, a bibli-
ography containing over 1500 citations pri-
marily concerning ecology, behavior and sys-
tematics dating 1955-87 (the reader is referred
to Wright and Wright, 1962, for older papers),
and an index to scientific and common names.
The most disappointing feature of the book,
especially to non-professionals, will be the uni-
formly poor quality of the black and white pho-
tographs. This appears to be more related to
poor reproduction on low quality paper than to
low quality of photographs. The maps also are
poorly reproduced, the crosshatching is dark
and distinct on some, while on others it is light
and indistinct, fading completely in portions of
the map leaving holes in the range. The color
plates are excellent, but (at least in my copy)
are arranged in an order opposite that in the
text.
It is unfortunate that the glossary includes
only scientific names. Ernst and Barbour ap-
parently assume much technical backgrounds
on behalf of their readers, an assumption un-
warranted considering the broad audience that
this book could attract. For example, many
readers will be stimied when they encounter in
the key the loreal, a scale undefined in text and
unlabeled in the illustrations, but used as the
basis for discrimination in several couplets of
the key. Also unfortunate is that instead of
adopting the most important and most fre-
quently used measure of body size in snakes
(snout-vent-length, SVL, Seigel and Ford,
1988), the authors use, again without defintion,
"total length" and "total body length" appar-
ently as synonyms. Enigmatic is the controver-
sial use of the subfamily Lampropeltinae, made
without comment.
The authors state, "When a topic is not men-
tioned in a species account, it is unknown." This
bold statement challenges readers. Here I offer
some more general concerns. One is the erro-
neous interpretation of literature, for example
the statement, "When the tongue is retracted,
its tips are inserted into the openings of Jacob-
son's organ, ...." Gillingham has shown that
the tongue tips are not inserted into the open-
ings, rather their ventral surfaces are drawn
over the anterior processes in the floor of the
mouth which, in turn, transfer chemicals to the
openings. Another is dubious conclusions. For
example, considering the extreme rarity of find-
ing snake eggs in the field, I doubt that "gath-
ering of eggs" by humans contributes signifi-
cantly to the decline of snake populations.
Another is using the most appropriate litera-
ture for a topic. For example, to summarize
growth and age at maturity in Opheodrys
aestivus,
Ernst and Barbour use studies in which growth
and age at maturity were inferred from museum
specimens collected at various localities over ex-
tended periods of time rather than on a pub-
lished study based on recaptures of living in-
dividuals in a natural population.
I agree with the authors that one of the fac-
tors in the terrestrial success of reptiles has been
their reduced cutaneous water loss. However,
the statement, "The scaly skin has few surface
glands; that is, very little fluid is lost cutaneous-
ly," oversimplifies and misrepresents. This book
is supposed to feature diversity, but oversim-
plification reduces diversity. Recent research by
several investigators has revealed much inter-
specific variation in rates of cutaneous water loss
in reptiles, related to the aridity of their habitat
and to the lipids in their skin. Thus, semi-aquat-
ic and fossorial snakes lose more water than
terrestrial snakes which lose more water than
arboreal snakes. Some species of reptiles lose as
much water as do some amphibians. These dif-
ferences are more than trivial. It is becoming
clear that some behaviors we observe in snakes
are dependent upon underlying physiological
processes. Therefore, diversity in physiology
may be expressed as diversity in behavior, an
interesting relationship that warrants consid-
eration in a book featuring diversity.
In any large compilation of material, there
likely will be typographical errors, and this book
has enough (misspellings, missidentifications,
wrong and missing values, citations running to-
gether in the bibliography and misalignment of
headings in the table of contents) to suggest a
lack of proper proofreading and editing.
I enjoyed reading this book and learned many
new "facts" while doing so. For example, I
learned that Farancia abacura is found in Iowa,
"mean clutch length" at ovulation in Carphophis
is 23.9 mm, and 10 subspecies of Micrurusfulvius
occur in eastern North America! But lest I be
too critical, these and the above errors do not
distract in a major way from the usefulness of
this book as a source of information. Citations
are used liberally in the species accounts so that
questionable points may be readily investigated.
254
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REVIEWS REVIEWS
In short, Ernst and Barbour have produced a
useful reference for anyone interested in snakes.
I highly recommend Snakes of Eastern North
America for public, school and university li-
braries, and also for interested laymen and am-
ateur naturalists. For professionals the value of
owning a copy of this book will primarily be in
its bibliography and species accounts. For North
American herpetologists beginning work in the
growing field of snake biology, arming them-
selves with copies of Ernst and Barbour's Snakes
of Eastern North America and Seigel et al.'s
Snakes: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
(1987) would not be a bad way to start.
LITERATURE CITED
COLLINS, J. T., R. CONANT, J. E. HUHEEY, J. L.
KNIGHT, E. M. RUNDQUIST AND H. M. SMITH. 1982.
Standard common
and current scientific names for
North American
amphibians
and reptiles. 2nd ed.
Soc. Stud. Amphib.
Rept. Herpetol. Circ. 12:1-28.
SEIGEL, R. A., J. T. COLLINS AND S. S. NOVAK (EDS.).
1987. Snakes: ecology and evolutionary biology.
Macmillan Publ. Co., New York, New York.
, AND N. B. FORD. 1988. A plea for standard-
ization
of body
size
measurements
in studies
of snake
ecology. Herpetol. Rev. 19:9-10.
WRIGHT,
A. H., AND
A. A. WRIGHT.
1957. Handbook
of Snakes
of the United States and Canada. Vols.
I, II. Comstock Publ. Assoc., Ithaca, New York.
, AND . 1962. Handbook of Snakes of
the United States and Canada. Vol. III. Bibliog-
raphy. Edwards
Brothers, Inc., Ann Arbor, Mich-
igan.
MICHAEL V. PLUMMER, Savannah River Ecology
Laboratory, Drawer E, Aiken, South Carolina
29801. (Present address: Department of Biology,
Harding University,
Searcy,
Arkansas 72143).
DIGGING INTO THE PAST. By Edwin H.
Colbert. 1989. Dembner Books, 80 Eighth Ave.,
New York, New York. 496 p., $25.00 (hard-
cover).-When I read Roy Chapman Andrews'
description of collecting dinosaurs in the Gobi
Desert, I knew (at age 11) that I wanted to hunt
dinosaurs when I grew up. Over the years, I
have met others who relate similar experiences.
Although many did not become paleontologists,
they can trace their decision to work in science
to the influence of a dinosaur collector's auto-
In short, Ernst and Barbour have produced a
useful reference for anyone interested in snakes.
I highly recommend Snakes of Eastern North
America for public, school and university li-
braries, and also for interested laymen and am-
ateur naturalists. For professionals the value of
owning a copy of this book will primarily be in
its bibliography and species accounts. For North
American herpetologists beginning work in the
growing field of snake biology, arming them-
selves with copies of Ernst and Barbour's Snakes
of Eastern North America and Seigel et al.'s
Snakes: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
(1987) would not be a bad way to start.
LITERATURE CITED
COLLINS, J. T., R. CONANT, J. E. HUHEEY, J. L.
KNIGHT, E. M. RUNDQUIST AND H. M. SMITH. 1982.
Standard common
and current scientific names for
North American
amphibians
and reptiles. 2nd ed.
Soc. Stud. Amphib.
Rept. Herpetol. Circ. 12:1-28.
SEIGEL, R. A., J. T. COLLINS AND S. S. NOVAK (EDS.).
1987. Snakes: ecology and evolutionary biology.
Macmillan Publ. Co., New York, New York.
, AND N. B. FORD. 1988. A plea for standard-
ization
of body
size
measurements
in studies
of snake
ecology. Herpetol. Rev. 19:9-10.
WRIGHT,
A. H., AND
A. A. WRIGHT.
1957. Handbook
of Snakes
of the United States and Canada. Vols.
I, II. Comstock Publ. Assoc., Ithaca, New York.
, AND . 1962. Handbook of Snakes of
the United States and Canada. Vol. III. Bibliog-
raphy. Edwards
Brothers, Inc., Ann Arbor, Mich-
igan.
MICHAEL V. PLUMMER, Savannah River Ecology
Laboratory, Drawer E, Aiken, South Carolina
29801. (Present address: Department of Biology,
Harding University,
Searcy,
Arkansas 72143).
DIGGING INTO THE PAST. By Edwin H.
Colbert. 1989. Dembner Books, 80 Eighth Ave.,
New York, New York. 496 p., $25.00 (hard-
cover).-When I read Roy Chapman Andrews'
description of collecting dinosaurs in the Gobi
Desert, I knew (at age 11) that I wanted to hunt
dinosaurs when I grew up. Over the years, I
have met others who relate similar experiences.
Although many did not become paleontologists,
they can trace their decision to work in science
to the influence of a dinosaur collector's auto-
biography. So in addition to providing inter-
esting reading, such books are important be-
cause they seem to recruit young people into
the sciences.
I do not know if Colbert's book would have
the same influence on a child as the books of
Roy Chapman Andrews. I doubt it. Andrews
was an adventurer who had the knack of telling
a good story. Colbert does not have these qual-
ities, although his autobiography is much more
honest to the profession. He paints his past al-
most as a series of coincidences. He happened
to become interested in vertebrate palaeontol-
ogy because of a visit to the museum at the
University of Nebraska. On a whim he asked
what kind of a future there might be in paleon-
tology. As a student, he became the research
assistant of Henry Fairfield Osborn, the most
famous vertebrate paleontologist of that time,
because he happened to be in the right place at
the right time. He married the daughter of
another eminent paleontologist, W. D. Mat-
thew, although this had little to do with any
association he had with that reknowned scien-
tist. Although Colbert started off working on
Cenozoic mammals, he became an authority on
dinosaurs only because he was asked to fill a
vacancy left by the retirement of Barnum Brown.
This autobiography is more personal than
most, describing in detail the events that led to
the development of the professional style and
biases evident in many of Colbert's papers.
There is some useful insight into the trials and
tribulations of being a paleontologist with a wife
and children, something that is usually ignored
in works like this, and not thought of by those
working towards careers in field oriented sci-
ences. Social pressures and historical events ob-
viously have a major impact on the growth and
development of scientific ideas. Colbert has doc-
umented many of the changes that occurred
throughout his career (such as the shift in trans-
portation from horses to automobiles, and the
advent of commercial air travel) in a pictur-
esque manner that gives the reader a feel for
how different the influences are today. He also
discusses the advent and slow acceptance of new
ideas in the Earth Sciences, such as plate tec-
tonics, and their influence on paleontological
research.
Colbert has had a long and distinguished ca-
reer, during the course of which he met and
associated with many famous vertebrate pale-
ontologists. His comments and anecdotes about
some of these people are of great interest, but
biography. So in addition to providing inter-
esting reading, such books are important be-
cause they seem to recruit young people into
the sciences.
I do not know if Colbert's book would have
the same influence on a child as the books of
Roy Chapman Andrews. I doubt it. Andrews
was an adventurer who had the knack of telling
a good story. Colbert does not have these qual-
ities, although his autobiography is much more
honest to the profession. He paints his past al-
most as a series of coincidences. He happened
to become interested in vertebrate palaeontol-
ogy because of a visit to the museum at the
University of Nebraska. On a whim he asked
what kind of a future there might be in paleon-
tology. As a student, he became the research
assistant of Henry Fairfield Osborn, the most
famous vertebrate paleontologist of that time,
because he happened to be in the right place at
the right time. He married the daughter of
another eminent paleontologist, W. D. Mat-
thew, although this had little to do with any
association he had with that reknowned scien-
tist. Although Colbert started off working on
Cenozoic mammals, he became an authority on
dinosaurs only because he was asked to fill a
vacancy left by the retirement of Barnum Brown.
This autobiography is more personal than
most, describing in detail the events that led to
the development of the professional style and
biases evident in many of Colbert's papers.
There is some useful insight into the trials and
tribulations of being a paleontologist with a wife
and children, something that is usually ignored
in works like this, and not thought of by those
working towards careers in field oriented sci-
ences. Social pressures and historical events ob-
viously have a major impact on the growth and
development of scientific ideas. Colbert has doc-
umented many of the changes that occurred
throughout his career (such as the shift in trans-
portation from horses to automobiles, and the
advent of commercial air travel) in a pictur-
esque manner that gives the reader a feel for
how different the influences are today. He also
discusses the advent and slow acceptance of new
ideas in the Earth Sciences, such as plate tec-
tonics, and their influence on paleontological
research.
Colbert has had a long and distinguished ca-
reer, during the course of which he met and
associated with many famous vertebrate pale-
ontologists. His comments and anecdotes about
some of these people are of great interest, but
255 255
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All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
... Analysis.-Stomach contents were identified to family and genus, if possible, using a dissecting microscope along with appropriate keys and guides (Peckarsky 1990;Merritt and Cummins 1996;Fisher and Cover 2007;Bradley 2012;Evans 2014). Additionally, presumed habitat of origin (aquatic or terrestrial) and invertebrate life stage (larval or adult) were reported, if applicable. ...
... Similarly to Sites (1978), we found staphylinids to be the most abundant coleopteran in the diet of D. welteri. The staphylinids represent the largest coleopteran family in North America with 4,400 species (Evans 2014). Many genera are known to occur preferentially along the banks of streams or among the nearby vegetation (Evans 2014). ...
... The staphylinids represent the largest coleopteran family in North America with 4,400 species (Evans 2014). Many genera are known to occur preferentially along the banks of streams or among the nearby vegetation (Evans 2014). In addition to dipterans and coleopterans, we found larval lepidopterans, formicids, and collembolans to make up a large portion of the adult D. welteri diet. ...
... Nest sites include grassy tussocks, hummocks of grass, sedge or sphagnum moss, marshy pastures, and edges of roads (Hunter et al. 1992, Ernst et al. 1994. Eastern fox snakes deposit their eggs in the soil, hollow logs, rotting stumps, root wads, mammal burrows, and rock crevices, as well as decaying leaf piles, compost piles, and sawdust or wood chip piles (Ernst and Barbour 1989, Harding 1997, Eastern Foxsnake Recovery Team 2010. Spotted turtles have been documented overwintering in shallow water in the mud or in muskrat burrows or lodges in waterways, swamps, bogs, and fens (Ernst et al. 1994, Graham 1995, Lewis and Ritzenthaler 1997, Haxton and Berrill 1999, Litzgus and Brooks 2000. ...
... Spotted turtle hibernacula have had water depths of 55 to 95 cm (22 to 37 in) with a slow but steady fl ow through densely vegetated wetlands with a deep, soft, mucky substrate (NatureServe 2017). Eastern fox snakes hibernate in abandoned mammal burrows, muskrat lodges, old wells, dikes, septic tile beds, building foundations, and people's homes (Ernst and Barbour 1989, Watson 1994, Harding 1997, Eastern Foxsnake Recovery Team 2010. Identifying nesting areas, oviposition sites, and/or hibernacula for spotted turtles and eastern fox snakes within and around St. John's Marsh SWA will inform management and protection of these habitats, particularly if these areas occur on or along the dikes or in areas that are actively managed. ...
Technical Report
In the 2016 fi eld season, the Wildlife Division of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) commissioned Michigan Natural Features Inventory (MNFI) to conduct Michigan Forest Inventory (MiFi) Stage 1 inventory and surveys for high-quality lakeplain prairie in St. John’s Marsh SWA. Stand level mapping and lakeplain prairie surveys in 2016 were followed in 2017 by additional natural community surveys, targeted rare animal surveys, and vernal pool surveys. Over the course of the project, MNFI documented two new element occurrences (EOs) and provided information for updating an additional six EOs within St. John’s Marsh SWA.
... 23,24 Adult beetles are known to visit a range of flowering plants primarily for their pollen, [25][26][27] and laboratory feeding experiments with females have demonstrated that pollen consumption stimulates ovarian production. 28 Bruchid beetles, including Acanthoscelides and Bruchus spp., 29,30 can be seen on members of the Apiaceae. 26,27 Of these, we chose Daucus carota L. 31 as the model plant to study floral odour detection in A. obtectus and hypothesized that females utilize volatile compounds to find inflorescences. ...
Article
Background: The response of virgin females of the legume pest Acanthoscelides obtectus (Coleoptera: Bruchidae) to headspace extracts of volatiles collected from flowers of a nectar plant, Daucus carota, was investigated using behaviour (four-arm olfactometry) and coupled gas chromatography-electrophysiology (GC-EAG). Results: Odours from inflorescences were significantly more attractive to virgin female beetles than clean air. Similarly, a sample of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) collected by air entrainment (dynamic headspace collection) was more attractive to beetles than a solvent control. In coupled GC-EAG experiments with beetle antennae and the VOC extract, six components showed EAG activity. Using coupled GC-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and GC peak enhancement with authentic standards, the components were identified as α-pinene (S:R 16:1), sabinene, myrcene, limonene (S:R 1:3), terpinolene and (S)-bornyl acetate. Females preferred the synthetic blend of D. carota EAG-active volatiles to the solvent control in bioassays. When compared directly, odours of D. carota inflorescences elicited stronger positive behaviour than the synthetic blend. Conclusion: This is the first report of behaviourally active volatiles linked to pollen location for A. obtectus, and development of the six-component blend is being pursued, which could underpin the design of semiochemical-based field management approaches against this major pest of stored products.
... We also have documented this species active in late October on a number of occasions ( Geluso 2012). To the north in Minnesota, T. radix is active late April through September ( Ernst and Barbour 1989), but to the south in Kansas and northwestern Missouri, they were reported active from March to November (Kansas; Collins 1993) and early April to midNovember (Missouri; Rossman et al. 1996). In northern Illinois, at a similar latitude, T. radix was active through October ( Seibert and Hagen 1947). ...
Article
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A natural history note on new observations in the diet and feeding pattern of the plains garter snake (Thamnophis radix). It was observed that the plains garter snake had consumed a boreal chorus frog (Pseudacris maculate) late in the season. The note provides insight to the patterns of the species that may not have been known previously.
... We also have documented this species active in late October on a number of occasions ( Geluso 2012). To the north in Minnesota, T. radix is active late April through September ( Ernst and Barbour 1989), but to the south in Kansas and northwestern Missouri, they were reported active from March to November (Kansas; Collins 1993) and early April to midNovember (Missouri; Rossman et al. 1996). In northern Illinois, at a similar latitude, T. radix was active through October ( Seibert and Hagen 1947). ...
... Sex ratios and juvenile to adult ratio -Sex ratios for neonate and adult S. dekayi are often female-biased (Clausen 1936;Freedman and Catling 1978;Ernst and Barbour 1989;Ernst and Ernst 2003). In the single litter from the HWY 832 site, males (n = 11) outnumbered females (n = 9), and the sex ratio of juveniles was approximately equal; in adults, the total sex ratio was male-biased (1:0.56). ...
Article
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A population of Dekay’s Brownsnake, Storeria dekayi was studied using mark-recapture techniques in Erie County, Pennsylvania, USA during the spring, summer and autumn of 2012. Morphometric data were similar to that reported for the species, with adult females averaging larger and more massive than adult males. However, sexual dimorphism in snout-vent length (SVL) and total length (TL) was not significantly different (P>0.05) in juveniles, although relative tail length (tl/TL) was dimorphic. Relative tail length in both juveniles and adults was greater in males (tl/TL = 0.22-0.27) than females (tl/TL = 0.18-0.23). Storeria dekayi were active from 21 March through 22 October, and displayed a bimodal activity pattern, with peaks in April and August. Using the Schnabel and the Schumacher-Eschmeyer methods, population size was estimated to be 122 ± 19 and 130 ± 35 individuals, respectively. Density was estimated to be 244 and 260 snakes/ha, and biomass 1.60 and 1.71 kg/ha. Additional data regarding population structure, mortality, diet, reproduction, body temperature, movements and site fidelity are also presented.
Technical Report
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A list of my publications from 1977 to July 2020 are provided. These includes 549 items which comprise several books, numerous papers and notes, many book reviews etc.
Article
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Between April 2012 and October 2017, 18 southern black racers, Coluber constrictor priapus , were collected from nine counties of Arkansas ( n = 13) and McCurtain County, Oklahoma ( n = 5) and their faeces examined for coccidian parasites. One of 18 (6%) C. c. priapus harboured an eimerian that we describe here as new. Oocysts of Eimeria dunni sp. nov. were subspheroidal with a lightly pitted bi-layered wall measuring L × W 24.0 × 21.1 and L/W ratio of 1.2. A micropyle was absent but an oocyst residuum and polar granule were present. Sporocysts were ovoidal and measured 11.9 × 8.1 with L/W of 1.5. A Stieda body was present but substieda and parastieda bodies were absent. The sporocyst residuum was composed of medium-sized granules aligned along perimeter of sporocyst or in a dispersed mass. This represents the first valid eimerian reported from the southern black racer.
Preprint
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Pollinators in general and monarch butterflies in particular are in decline due to habitat loss. Efforts to restore habitats for insects that rely on specific plant groups as larvae or adults depend on the ability of practitioners to grow and produce these plants. Monarch larvae feed exclusively on milkweed species, primarily in the genus Asclepias, making propagation and restoration of these plants crucial for habitat restoration. Seed germination protocols for milkweeds are not well established, in part due to the large number of milkweed species and conflicting reports of seed dormancy in the genus. We tested for seed dormancy and the optimum period of cold stratification in 15 populations of A. speciosa and 1–2 populations of five additional species, including A. asperula, A. fascicularis, A. subulata, A. subverticillata and A. syriaca. We exposed seeds to cold (5 °C) moist conditions for 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 weeks and then moved them to 15 °C/25 °C alternating temperatures. In A. speciosa, dormancy was detected in eight populations, and this dormancy was broken by 2–4 weeks of cold stratification. The remaining seven populations showed no dormancy. Seed dormancy was also detected in two populations of A. fascicularis (broken by 4–6 weeks of cold stratification) and a single population of A. syriaca (broken by 2 weeks of cold stratification). No dormancy was detected in A. asperula, A. subulata or A. subverticillata. Seed dormancy appears to be widespread in the genus (confirmed in 15 species) but can vary between populations even within the same species. Variation in seed dormancy and cold stratification requirements within and among Asclepias species suggests local adaptation and maternal environments may drive seedling ecology, and that growers should watch for low germination and use cold stratification as needed to maximize seed germination and retain genetic variability in restored populations.
Article
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Continued sorting of Malaise trap samples obtained from national park sites within the George Washington Memorial Parkway (Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve, Great Falls Park, and Turkey Run Park) and more recent hand picking, has produced new beetle records for the park and for Virginia. The park boundaries are discussed and delineated on a map provided in Steury (2011). Specimens are deposited at the Turkey Run Park Headquarters of the George Washington Memorial Parkway (GWMP) in McLean, Virginia. These new records are summarized below.
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