ratsnakes - Ratsnake Information

The Quarterly Newsletter of The Ratsnake Foundation
RATSNAKES
Digest
July 2008
www.ratsnakefoundation.org
Board of Directors
Chairman - Dave Royans
Vice Chairman - TBA
Treasurer - Graham Seal
Membership - Lou Reading
Admin - Sue Knight
Secretary - Dan Fryer
Committee- John (RiseAbove)
IN THIS ISSUE
Page 2.
Exciting Times Ahead - Treasurer
Welcoming Thoughts - Membership Secretary
Page 3.
Looking Forward - Chairman
Page 4.
Eggciting Times, When Bad Eggs Come Good
-Oreocryptophis porphyraceaus coxi - Rob Kool
-Coelognathus radiatus - Sue Knight
Page 5.
Unexpectedly low mitochondrial DNA variation within the
Ladder Snake Rhinechis scalaris - Valeria Nulchis et al.
Page 8.
Snakes Can’t hear ... Or can they?
Page 9.
Breeders Notes - Japanese Forest Ratsnake - Rob Kool
Page 10.
Eggztended Incubation in Coelognathus helena - Dave
Royans
Page 11.
Patronyms of the Pioneer West XIV. Bogertophis subocularis
(Brown, 1901), Trans-Pecos Ratsnake - Edward O. Moll and
Manny Rubio
Page 15.
Reptile Art - Tell Hicks Prints
Chief - TBA
Design - Sue
Team - RiseAbove
Page 16.
Members Interview - Dusty Rhoads
Page 21.
Albino Chocolate Pantherophis emoryi - KJUN
Admin - Sue
Co-Admin - Dave
Page 22.
Outdoor Enclosure for Fox Snakes - Tell Hicks
Page 23.
Trinket Snakes Coelognathus helena - Dave Royans & Sue
Knight
PR & Fundraising
Chief - Dan
Team - RiseAbove
Graphics - Sue
Editors
Chief - Dave
Design - Sue
Projects - Steve
Team - Lou
Team - Graham
Team - Dan
Translators
Japanese - Yusu
Spanish & Portuguese - Spiderman
Newsletter
Page 29.
Page 30.
From the Wild - Albino Grey Ratsnake
Taxonomy - An Alternative Classification of the New World
Ratsnakes (Genus Pantherophis)
This is the first edition of the Ratsnake Digest that is exclusively for you,
the Full member. It will in the future be published every quarter, October,
January, April & July on the 1st of the month. We hope that you enjoy the
new look, which we feel is easier on the eye, and enjoy reading the content.
If you would like to contribute to the newsletter please contact me. If your
not happy with writing an article, just send me some notes and we can
work together to share your experiences via print.
- Sue Knight (Chief Newsletter Editor)
1
MEMBERSHIP
Welcoming Thoughts
The last couple of months has been a busy time,
with lots of new members discovering us.
Welcome aboard to all of you, we hope you find
the Ratsnake Foundation an interesting project to
support. We now have 495 registered users
(17/06/08). Currently we have 71 full members
and I would also like to thank you all for taking
out a subscription. Thus continuing to support our
aims for conservation.
On the subject of conservation, at the beginning
of next year, all full members will have the chance
to decide which conservation project their membership fees will contribute towards. If you know
of any projects that involve ratsnakes, please
contact a member of the staff with details. If we
don't know about them, they cannot benefit.
There are various new and updated features to
the site now. We have our own Keeper & Breeder
Registry, updated Classifieds section and
Herpetological Events Calendar. Are there any
other features that you would like included on the
site? Again, please drop us a message and let us
know.
To join the Ratsnake Foundation as a full member,
the cost is £8.00 per annum, all currencies are
accepted via paypal, or you can post a personal
cheque with details of user name to :
The Ratsnake Foundation
PO Box 810
Taunton
TA1 9EA.
If you do post to the PO Box, can I please ask you
to drop me a PM or email, what with fuel costs
and availability at the present, I am making limited journeys on four wheels.
Look forward to hearing about all your ratsnake
experiences. - Lou (Membership Secretary)
If anyone has the time, commitment and desire
to join us on the staff of the Ratsnake
Foundation or the newly forming Cornsnake
Foundation, please get in touch with either Sue
or Dave, letting us know how you want to serve
our membership. This is an unpaid job as are all
the positions both staff and committee on the
Foundation, but it does have it's own personal
rewards such as a pride in helping a great community grow, getting information out there to
our membership and seeing folks on site, enjoying the features that you've helped to build. It
can be hard work, but it's fun also!
TREASURER
Exciting Times Ahead
With the publication of this edition of the
Newsletter the Foundation enters a very important time in it’s short life. At the end of this, our
fourth six month period, we will decide which
Ratsnake conservation project the membership
has chosen to be the recipient of our first conservation donation
“As the Foundation is not a commercial venture
in nature, any funds exceeding running costs and
expenses incurred by members or the
Committee, minus a float for unforeseen expenses and the setting up of merchandisable goods
shall be donated to the Conservation Fund, which
shall be donated annually to a conservation project that will benefit ratsnake species as agreed
by its members commencing after the first two
years of operation.”
As has been reported here by Lou, we now have
around 500 registered members, and there is a
steady flow who take out the £8 annual subscription to become full members of the Foundation.
It is these full members who will soon be voting
on which project we shall be supporting at the
end of our second year. I hope that you too will
want to be part of this experience and upgrade to
full membership of the Foundation.
The financial state of the Foundation is healthy
for such a young organisation. At the end of our
first year we had a surplus of income over expenditure of £523.80 and this has continued to grow
and stood at £830.05 at the end of May. This
healthy balance has been achieved through
membership subscriptions, donations (mainly
directly to the conservation fund) and 2008
Calendar sales.
In the coming weeks we will see the introduction
of the Foundation’s bookstore offering excellent
discounted prices for full members which will
help swell our finances even more. Soon, there
will also be the opportunity to buy Ratsnake
Foundation merchandise which will also ultimately benefit the conservation project of our choice.
One other new project about to be launched is
the Cornsnake Foundation which will result in
more full members.
You can see why I think that the next six months
will be such an exciting time. I’d like to thank
those of you who have subscribed to become full
members of the Foundation and hope that with
so much going on in the near future that many
more of you will choose to join us especially at
that special time when we choose the conservation project to receive our first donation. Graham (Treasurer)
2
CHAIRMAN
Looking Forward
To get a feel for what we may yet achieve in the Ratsnake Foundation,
we need to take a look back through our history, don't worry that won't
take too long, as our history is very brief. When we started this venture,
our primary aim was to relay information about all things pertaining to
ratsnakes, along with a way of giving something back to the natural
world that we all appreciate, via the interest in this group of animals and
for the most part all other wild things.
The primary aim we feel is being met and added to, with articles on the
site mainly available to our paying members in addition to the ones
available to our free registered members in the newsletter and the occasional ones on the site. Similarly, there are other applications that support information for reference dotted all around the site, in various formats (visual, data, written accounts), all of which are added to forming
an ever growing source, for our users to access for their own research.
So we are still in the process of achieving our first aim and with your
continued support, long may it continue.
Listening to our paying members is of paramount importance to us,
although we have certain objectives that we wish to adhere to - a focus
on ratsnakes for instance, we have bent with the wind of our memberships wishes when expressed -some examples of which are an inclusion
for an 'off topic' forum, the addition of 'rare snakes' to a lesser degree
and most recently, that of a sister site that caters for Cornsnakes. This
last one was always on the cards, due to the bulk of all reptile keepers
having owned in the past, present or future an example of a Cornsnake.
As Cornsnakes are 'Red Ratsnakes', they were always welcome on the
original site, however, devoting a 'standalone' Foundation for them helps
to hopefully attract fresh blood amongst us die hard ratsnake enthusiasts. This can only be a positive thing, one thing that Cornsnake enthusiasts excel at is breeding and genetic inheritable traits - calm down
dear reader and I'm just talking about their snakes, not the keepers'
themselves. This expertise is always interesting to read about and like
many aspects of husbandry, aspects of this may be incorporated into
facets of the care and propagation of other species.
One aspect of broadening our potential membership base is to be able
to garner more membership fees. Funds raised go to the running of the
Foundation, all profits less a small float (set aside for future expenses
and projects), are deposited into our 'Conservation Fund'. As both Lou
Reading (Membership Secretary) and Graham Seal (Treasurer) have
already mentioned in this publication, at the close of this year, we are in
a position to donate to a specific conservation project whatever funds
have been raised in this Conservation Fund. Ancillary to this, by asking
our membership to nominate and in due course vote for a specific project associated (at least in part) to ratsnakes, this will hopefully prove to
be a vehicle for promoting all causes that are nominated, so that some
good may come to all projects mentioned, regardless of which is ultimately voted for. In the next few months, I'll be nominating various
projects that have come to our attention, please get in touch if you know
of any more.
Everything in today's world incurs a cost in some respect. With the
expansion of the site and its current rate of growth, the main cost of our
staff is in time. If you'd like to get involved with helping us run this site,
please do get in touch with a member of staff expressing what you'd feel
comfortable with doing. Many hands make for light work, as the saying
goes. Help us to help you, become a part of something that is ever
growing! - Dave Royans (Chairman)
Future Full
Member Articles
A Brief Look at Reptile
Taxonomy - Shawn R. Lockhart
Hybrid Ratsnakes - Lou
Reading
Care and Captive Husbandry of
The Eastern Indigo Snake,
Drymarchon couperi - Anthony
Carlisle
More Ratsnake Revelations Mark O’shea
Asian Snakes of the genus
Elaphe - Elaphe
(Coelognathus) erythurus Klaus Schulz
* Report of a bite by the South
American colubrid snake María Elisa Peichoto, Jorge
Abel Céspedez, Juan Antonio
Pascua
Quick guide to North American
obsoletus sp. - Sue Knight
Ratsnakes - Climates & Biomes
- Sue Knight
The Vivarium Set up - Dan
Fryer
* Cases of Human Envenoming
caused by Philodryas olfersi &
P. pathagoniensis
* The Utah Mountain
Kingsnake (Lampropeltis
pyromelana infralabialis) in
Arizona (Tanner, 1953) - Hans
F. Koenig
* Milksnakes (Lampropeltis triangulum) from Cochise
County: Notes on captive
breeding and pattern - James
A. Badman and Larry Neinaber
* On the Occurrence of the
Black Cat Snake, Telescopus
nigriceps (Ahl, 1924)
(Serpentes: Colubridae) from
the Southeastern Anatolia,
Turkey with some taxonomical
comments
Notes on Keeping & Breeding
Rhynchophis boulengeri - Sue
Knight
* Occasional articles that will
also be made available to registered members.
3
E GWGheC
I
T
I
N
G
T
I
M
E
S
n BAD Eggs Come GOOD
The female T+ Albino Radiated Ratsnake had
been for several months depositing infertile eggs
randomly in her viv, so when I found several one
morning it wasn't much of a surprise. She was
curled up in her favourite hide, a terracotta flowerpot so I didn't like to disturb her. I went down
stairs and took a weaner rat out of the freezer for
her, returning to the reptile room with it several
hours later, I dangled it above the hole in the
flowerpot and she struck out and dragged it back
into the hide to eat, changed her water and left
her be to digest it.
I
have
incubated
several
clutches
of
Oreocrypophis porphyraceus coxi, The Thai Red
Mountain Ratsnake in the past and have found
them to hatch around day 55. This particular
clutch of seven eggs that I wish to talk about had
been in the incubator for 65 days. The eggs has
totally collapsed and because of the length of
time compared to previous clutches, I decided to
cut the eggs open so as to see what was happening inside. I carefully cut open two of the eggs
and discovered fully developed but dead hatchlings. Thinking that the rest of the clutch would
also be dead, but not actually cutting the rest of
the eggs, I put the box on a shelf and pretty
much forgot about them. You can imagine my
surprise then to find a perfect little hatchling
curled up in the corner of the box on day 72, the
next day much to my delight the remaining four
eggs had hatched and another 4 perfect snappy
little babies had emerged. All five hatchlings after
their neonate slough began feeding with eagerness that I haven’t witnessed with previous
clutches. I put this down to the lower incubation
temperatures. As I write I have another clutch of
five eggs hatching after 67 days which have been
incubated at 25-26C. I hope that these too will
have the same greedy response to food as soon
as they slough - Rob Kool
On cleaning out her viv two days later I lifted the
flowerpot and much to my horror discovered 4
white very desiccated eggs which I nearly binned
there and then. But I didn't, I prepared an incubation box, a bit wetter than I normally would
and half buried the eggs in the vermiculite then
completely covered them in a layer of damp moss
and popped them in the incubator at 82F
Checking them a few days later there was no
change, again two weeks later and still they were
totally collapsed and the shells felt rock hard. A
month later and there was some change to three
of the eggs which were in a clump, they seemed
fuller but still very dented, could they be fertile?
I tried candling them but the shells are so thick
that it was impossible to tell. Six weeks after finding them the three suddenly or so it seemed were
fully hydrated and looked good a little discoloured
but good, the single egg was still totally collapsed. 73 days later one very small but perfect
very placid hatchling had emerged, I then cut the
other two eggs open which contained fully formed
hatchlings and left them to exit the eggs. Sadly
one of them didn't make it and died. I'm not sure
how well these two will do as they look tiny and
don't have the usual defensive attitude that is so
common with this species. I'll keep you posted
via the forum on their progress. – Sue Knight
4
Unexpectedly low mitochondrial DNA variation within the Ladder
Snake Rhinechis scalaris
Valeria NULCHIS1, Marta BIAGGINI2,
Miguel A. CARRETERO3, and D. James HARRIS3,4*
1. Societas Herpetologica Italica - Sezione Sarda, c/o Alea, Via Canepa, 09170 Oristano, Italy.
2. Dipartimento di Biologia Animale e Genetica, Università di Firenze, Via Romana 17, 50125 Firenze, Italy.
3. CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Campus Agrário de Vairão, P-4485-661
Vila do Conde, Portugal
4. Departamento de Zoologia e Antropologia, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto, 4099-002 Porto,
Portugal.
* Corresponding author: D. James Harris, e-mail: [email protected]
Abstract. The Iberian Peninsula, as an important glacial refugia for much fauna and flora, is a well known biodiversity hotspot. Of the studied herpetofauna almost all species that are not recent colonizers of the area show
extensive intraspecific genetic variation, often at a level that has implied cryptic speciation. In this study variation
within the ladder snake, Rhinechis scalaris, essentially an Iberian endemic, was examined using cytochrome b mitochondrial DNA sequences. Surprisingly no variation across the species range was found. This is an extremely unusual situation, that deserves further investigation into the causes of the low variation.
Key words: Rhinechis scalaris, ytochrome b, mitochondrial DNA, phylogeography, Iberian Peninsula
The ladder snake, Rhinechis scalaris, is a large colubrid inhabiting the Iberian Peninsula except parts of
the north, and Southeast France (Arnold 2002). Although historically included with the other European
ratsnakes in the genus Elaphe, it is genetically very differentiated from these, which has led to the revalidation of the monotypic genus Rhinechis Michaeles, 1833 (Lenk et al. 2001, Utiger et al. 2002). Using
molecular dating techniques, Nagy et al. (2004) indicate R. scalaris may have split from its closest relatives, a clade comprising Elaphe quatuorlineata and Coronella, approximately 20 million years ago. This
would suggest that there has been considerable time for intraspecific variation to have evolved.
This is particularly relevant, since molecular phylogeographic assessments have illuminated a number
of cryptic species in other Iberian reptiles including Podarcis (Pinho et al. 2006), Blanus (Vasconcelos et
al. 2006) and Iberolacerta (Carranza et al. 2004a). Diversity has also been considerable in most widespread reptile groups studied in this region, including Lacerta schreiberi (Godinho et al. 2006), Timon
lepidus (Paulo 2001), and Psammodromus algirus (Carranza et al. 2006a). It is well known that
Southern European areas such as the Balkans, Italy and the Iberian Peninsula acted as refugia for many
species during the climatic fluctuations of the Pleistocene (Hewitt 2000). Further, the findings of highly
divergent groups within species from the Iberian Peninsula have led to the description of “refugia within refugia” (Gomez & Lunt 2007), with distinct parts of the Iberian Peninsula acting as separate refuges
and allowing extensive genetic differentiation to develop. In this context, the aim of this study was to
assess levels of diversity within R. scalaris using Cytochrome b mitochondrial DNA sequence data to
assess if this species showed similarly high levels of genetic diversity.
The number and geographic locations of the specimens used in this study are given in Table 1 and Figure
1
.
Most samples were comprised of roadkills. Live individuals were released after tail tips were collected.
Tissue samples were stored in 100% ethanol. Total genomic DNA was extracted from tissue samples following the Sambrook et al. (1989) protocols. Polymerase Chain Reaction primers used in both amplification and sequencing were GluDG and Cytb2 from Palumbi et al. (1991) and Kocher et al. (1989)
respectively. Amplification conditions were the same as described by Harris et al. (1998). Amplified fragments were sequenced on a 310 Applied Biosystem DNA Sequencing Apparatus. DNA sequences were
aligned by eye. Three specimens from GenBank (Lenk et al. 2001; Nagy et al. 2004) were also analysed.
In total 333 base pairs of mitochondrial DNA were analysed for 12 new specimens and three specimens
from GenBank, although two of these (Lenk et al. 2001) were 16 base pairs shorter. All the sequences
for this region were identical, except for one C-T transition in one sample from Nagy et al. (2004), from
Spain. The single haplotype recovered from the specimens sequenced in this study has been submitted
to GenBank (EU497 634).
5
mtDNA variation within Rhinechis scalaris
Figure 1. Map showing the sampling locations of R. scalaris sequenced for this study. Codes are
given in Table 1.
Such low diversity within a wide-spread snake is unexpected, especially given the very high levels of
intraspecific variation typically seen in herpetofauna from the Iberian Peninsula. Although sampling was
limited, they do cover a wide area and so this is unlikely to be the reason that diversity is so low. In the
viperine snake, Natrix maura, there is high differentiation between samples in Southern Iberia and
the rest of the Peninsula (Guiking et al. 2006; Barata et al. in press). This southern region shows
6
no differentiation in R. scalaris.
Diversity within the Iberian Peninsula is also high in the relatively closely related Coronella austriaca partially using the same gene region (Santos et al. 2008). Diversity is low in the Iberian Peninsula in the
snakes Malpolon monspessulanus, Hemorrhois hippocrepis (Carranza et al. 2006b) and Macro-protodon
brevis (Carranza et al. 2004b; Vasconcelos & Harris 2006), but these species all show extensive variation in North Africa, and seem to be relatively recent colonizers of the Iberian Peninsula. The low diversity within R. scalaris would then require that it too was found in North Africa but has either gone unnoticed or went extinct if a similar hypothesis for this species was made. A different hypothesis would be
that R. scalaris suffered an extreme range decline during the last glacial periods, and lost most genetic diversity. Current populations would then reflect a recent expansion from a single refugium. A similar
situation occurs in the Wall lizard Podarcis bocagei, but this species is found only in the Northwest
Iberian Peninsula – other Podarcis species in the south of the Iberian Peninsula still contain extensive
genetic variation (Pinho et al. 2007). In comparison with the other common Iberian large snakes
Malpolon monspessulanus and Hemorrhois hippocrepis, R. scalaris displays early breeding due to summer spermatogenesis (Pleguezuelos & Feriche in press); a stenophagous diet restricted to endotherms
and in particular mammals, all actively hunted (Pleguezuelos et al. 2007); and high optimal temperatures despite partial nocturnal activity (Blázquez 1995). Such life history traits may have allowed R.
scalaris to face the rigorous conditions during the glaciations in better conditions than the other two
species, both late breeders, with more reptile consumption and diurnal (Moreno-Rueda & Pleguezuelos,
2007), which went extinct in Iberia and then recolonized the area from North Africa (Carranza et al.
2006b). Nevertheless, the ladder snake was probably the largest reptile surviving in Iberia during this
period in a worse situation than small lizards and it apparently became restricted to a small, single refugial area. A very different explanation for the low diversity could be the phenomenon of a “selective
sweep”, where direct or indirect selection leads to a near fixation of a mitochondrial DNA lineage within a species (reviewed in Ballard & Whitlock, 2004). It is now more clearly understood how the history
of the mitochondria may not always reflect the history of the species, and assessment of nuclear markers is clearly needed to fully understand the situation in R. scalaris. The species does however seem to
stand as the exception to the rule of very high intraspecific mitochondrial variation in Iberian herpetofauna.
Acknowledgments. This project was supported by grants from Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia
POCTI/BIA-BDE/74349 /2006, SFRH/BPD/27025/2006 and SFRH/BPD/ 26738/2006. Thanks to JC Brito
and all the students from CIBIO who participated during fieldwork.
References
Arnold, E. N. (2002): A field guide to the reptiles and amphibians of Britain and Europe. HarperCollins publishers.
Ballard, J.W.O., Whitlock, M.C. (2004): The incomplete history of mitochondria. Molecular Ecology 13: 729-744.
Barata, M., Harris, D. J., Castilho, R. (2008): Comparative phylogeography of Northwest African Natrix maura (Serpentes: Colubridae) inferred
from mtDNA sequences. African Zoology 43: in press.
Blain, H.-A., Bailon, S. (2006): Catalogue of Spanish Plio-Pleistocene amphibians and squamate reptiles from the Museu de Geologia de Barcelona.
Treballs del Museu de Geologia de Barcelona 14: 61-80.
Blázquez, M. C. (1995): Movement patterns in Elaphe scalaris at Donãna National Park, Southwest Spain. Israel Journal of Zoology 41: 125-130.
Carranza, S., Arnold E.N., Amat, F. (2004a): DNA phylogeny of Lacerta (Iberolacerta) and other lacertine lizards (Reptilia: Lacertidae): did competition cause long-term mountain restriction? Systematics and Biodiversity 2: 57-77
Carranza, S., Arnold, E.N., Wade, E., Fahd, S. (2004b): Phylogeography of the false smooth snakes, Macroprotodon (Serpentes, Colubridae): mitochondrial DNA sequences show European populations arrived recently from Northwest Africa. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 33: 523-532.
Carranza, S., Arnold, E.N., Pleguezuelos, J.M. (2006b): Phylogeny, biogeography and evolution of two Mediterranean snakes, Malpolon monspessulanus and Hemorrhois hippocrepis (Squamata, Colubridae) using mtDNA sequences. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 40: 532-546.
Carranza, S., Harris, D.J., Arnold, E.N., Batista, V. Gonzalez De La Vega, J.P. (2006a): Phylogeography of the lacertid lizard, Psammodromus algirus,
in Iberia and across the Strait of Gibraltar. Journal of Biogeography 33: 1279-1288.
Godinho, R., Domingues, V., Crespo, E.G., Ferrand, N. (2006): Extensive intraspecific polymorphism detected by SSCP at the nuclear C-mos gene in
the endemic Iberian lizard Lacerta schreiberi. Molecular Ecology 15: 731-738.
Gomez, A., Lunt, D.H. (2007): Refugia within refugia: patterns of phylogeographic concordance in the Iberian Peninsula. pp. 155-188. In: S. Weiss,
N. Ferrand, (eds) Phylogeography in Southern European
Refugia: Evolutionary Perspectives on the Origin and Conservation of European Biodiversity. Springer.
Guiking, D., Lawson, R., Joger, U., Wink, M. (2006): Evolution and phylogeny of the genus Natrix (Serpentes: Colubridae). Biological Journal of the
Linnean Society 87: 127-143.
Harris, D.J., Arnold, E.N., Thomas, R.H. (1998): Relationships of the lacertid lizards (Reptilia:Lacertidae) estimated from mitochondrial DNA
sequences and morphology. Proceedings Royal Society London B. 265: 1939-1948.
Kocher, T.D., Thomas, W.K., Meyer, A., Edwards, S.V., Pääbo, S., Villablanca, F.X., Wilson, A.C. (1989): Dynamics of mitochondrial DNA evolution in animals: amplification and sequencing with conserved primers. Proceedings of the National. Academy of Sciences USA. 86: 61966200.
7
Lenk P., Joger U., Wink M. (2001): Phylogenetic relationships among European ratsnakes of the genus Elaphe Fitzinger based on mitochondrial DNA
sequence comparisons Amphibia-Reptilia 22: 329-339
Moreno-Rueda, G., Pleguezuelos, J. M. (2007): Long-term and short-term effects of temperature on snake detectability in the wild: a case study
with Malpolon monspessulanus. Herpetological Journal: In Press.
Nagy Z.T., Lawson R., Joger U., Wink M. (2004): Molecular systematics of racers, whipsnakes and relatives (Reptilia : Colubridae) using mitochondrial and nuclear markers Journal of zoological systematics and evolutionary research 42: 223-233
Palumbi, S., Martin, A., Romano, S., McMillan, W., Stick, L., Grabowski, G. (1991): The single tools guide to PCR. Marine Version 2, Honolulu, Hawaii.
Paulo, O.S. (2001): Phylogeography of reptiles of the Iberian Peninsula. PhD thesis, University of London, UK.
Pinho, C., Ferrand, N., Harris, D.J. (2006): Reexamination of the Iberian and North African Podarcis (Squamata: Lacertidae) phylogeny based on
increased mitochondrial DNA sequencing. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 38: 266-273.
Pinho, C., Harris, D.J., Ferrand, N. (2007): Contrasting patterns of population subdivision and historical demography in three western Mediterranean
lizard species inferred from mitochondrial DNA variation. Molecular Ecology 16:1191-1205.
Pleguezuelos, J.M., Feriche, M., (1999). Reproductive ecology of the horseshoe whip snake, Coluber hippocrepis, in the Southeast of the Iberian
Peninsula. Journal of Herpetology 33: 202–207.
Pleguezuelos, J.M., Feriche, M., (in press). Reproductive ecology of a Mediterranean ratsnake, the ladder snake Rhinechis scalaris (Schniz,1822).
Herpetological Journal.
Pleguezuelos J.M., Fernandez-Cardenete J.R., Honrubia S., Feriche M. (2007): Correlates between morphology, diet and foraging mode in the Ladder
Snake Rhinechis scalaris (Schinz, 1822). Contributions to Zoology 76: 179-186
Sambrook, J., Fritsch, E. F., Maniatis, T. (1989): Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual. New York, Cold Spring Harbor Press.
Santos, X., Roca, J., Pleguezuelos, J.M., Donaire, D., Carranza, S. (2008): Biogeography and evolution of the Smooth snake Coronella austriaca
(Serpentes: Colubridae) in the Iberian Peninsula: evidence for Messinian refuges and Pleistocenic range expansions. Amphibia-Reptilia 28:35-47.
Utiger, U., Helfenberger, N., Schätti, B., Schmidt, C., Ruf, M.. Ziswiler, V. (2002): Molecular systematics and phylogeny of Old World and New World
ratsnakes, Elaphe, and related genera (Reptilia, Squamata, Colubridae). Russian Journal of Herpetoly 9: 105-124.
Vasconcelos, R., Harris, D.J. (2006): Phylo-geography of the false smooth snakes, Macroprotodon – mtDNA sequences from Portugal confirm
European populations arrived recently from Northwest Africa. Herpetozoa 19: 77-81.
Vasconcelos, R., Carretero, M.A., Harris, D.J. (2006): Phylogeography of the genus Blanus (worm lizards) in Iberia and Morocco based on mitochondrial and nuclear markers- preliminary analysis. Amphibia-Reptilia 27:339-346.
Courtesy of: North-Western Journal of Zoology Vol. 4, No. 1, 2008, pp.119-124
Snakes Can’t Hear ... Or can they ?
According to a paper published,
January this year in the 'Physical
Review Letters' journal titled
Auditory Localization of GroundBorne Vibrations in Snakes by
Paul Friedel, Bruce A. Young and
J. Leo van Hemmen they can.
The study has found that snakes
do possess an inner ear with a
functional cochlea which they
use to detect vibrations caused
by prey. The ears of snakes are
sensitive enough to not only hear
prey approaching but also to
know what direction it's coming
from.
Leo Van Hemmen et al, say that
any disturbance on the surface of
soil creates vibration waves that
radiate away from the source
and along the surface of the subthey
These
waves
strate.
describe as similar to fluid
motion, pretty much like the
effect of throwing a stone in to a
puddle. The sound waves however are much quicker, approx 50m
a second than water surface disturbance on a very loose substrate such as sand. More solid
substrates such as stone still create these sound waves but are
less intense.
Even on stony substrates the
snake can detect the approaching prey .. how ? by resting it's
head on the ground, the two
sides of the lower jaw pick up the
vibrations by the incoming
waves. These vibrations are then
transmitted directly into the
inner ear by means of a chain of
bones attached to the lower jaw.
J. Leo Van Hemmen says this
process is comparable to the
transmission of auditory signals
by the ossicles in the human
middle ear. Thus the snake literally hears vibrations. Not only
that sound wave originating from
the right will stimulate the right
side of the lower jaw slightly earlier than the left side, and vice
versa. Using a mathematical
model, the scientists calculated
the vibration response of the jaw
to an incoming surface wave and
found the small difference in the
arrival time of the wave at the
right and the left ear is sufficient
for the snake's brain to calculate
the direction of the sound
source.
Ref:
Auditory localization of groundborne vibrations in snakes.
Physical Review Letters 100,
048701
(2008).
doi:
10.1103/PhysRevLett.100.04870
1
8
Rob Kool has kept
and
successfully
bred this species
for several years
and has shared
some notes with us
at the Foundation
on their basic husbandry and breeding
which will be relayed
through this short article.
The Japanese Forest Ratsnake (Euprepiophis
conspicillatus) is rarely seen in collections and
only a handful of keepers have actually bred this
species. A nocturnal terrestrial species, they love
to burrow, this habit is why they are sometimes
referred to as the Burrowing Ratsnake.
Inhabiting the cool mountainous forested areas of
Japan and some of it’s surrounding smaller
islands, they can be found at elevations of
between 500 & 3000m above sea level. Rob says
this species requires similar temperatures to other
mountainous species such as Euprepiophis mandarinus, avoiding temperatures over 28.5C as this
will result in the snake going off it’s food. In the
wild Euprepiophis conspicillatus feeds mainly on
voles, lizards & amphibians. In captivity some
keepers have reported that mice would often be
refused. Contrary to this and the reported short
seasonal activity periods from April to June and
again during the autumnal months, Rob hasn't
had this problem and his adults eagerly take
defrosted rodents all year round.
Being one of the smaller Ratsnake species, reaching lengths of only 120cm, a large vivarium isn't
required. Japanese Forest Ratsnakes in some literature are described as shy and secretive. Rob's
adults couldn't of read these books as he says his
are not shy at all. Whenever he opens the terrarium door they will come out and are very nosy. He
says his adults never attempt to bite and he can
even feed them out of his own hand. One thing
that is essential to their well being he says is the
inclusion of a humid hide, which without, will
result in the snake experiencing bad sloughs.
To condition his adults for breeding he only ever
brumates them for 6 to 8 weeks due to the mild
temperatures experienced in his country throughout the winter, any longer than this they would
experience too warm a temperature and begin to
lose weight. Like many Ratsnake species they will
breed after their post brumation slough. The
clutch size for the Japanese Forest Ratsnakes is
quite small with an average of only 3-5 eggs being
laid, but can be as many eight. Rob's female this
year (2008) laid 3 eggs, two of these measured 9
& 8cm long by 2cm wide, these are still in incubation as I write. In 2007 a clutch of 5 eggs were laid
between the hours of 3 & 4am these in compari-
son to this year were
a lot smaller measuring only 5cm. In
2006
the
eggs
again
averaged
8cm but only two in
the clutch. He says
in previous years the
clutch size always numbered three.
The babies, who unlike their parents are bright red with black markings, hatch
after an incubation period of 50-55 days. Rob's
experience with the hatchlings like other breeders
is that they refuse all food offered to them after
their neonate slough. He tried brumating the
hatchlings one year, which is one trick employed
for difficult feeders but sadly lost them all. Instead
now he gives them a cooling at room temperature,
leaving them well alone except for general maintenance until February. On being warmed up, they
usually begin to feed and Rob recommends starting them on Mastomys mice pinkies as he has
found they prefer these as a first meal. After a few
meals of Multimammate Mice they usually begin
to accept regular pinkies. Once feeding they are
an easy species to keep although they will occasionally refuse to feed for a while, but he says this
is no different to any other Ratsnake. Young animals are not brumated until they have enough fat
reserves as along with the hatchlings mentioned
earlier he also lost some yearlings, so is a little
wary about brumating any young animal now.
Thank you Rob for sharing your experiences of
keeping and breeding Japanese Forest Ratsnakes
if anyone would like to see more photo's of this
stunning species we have several in the
Euprepiophis Gallery online. In the Wild Asia
forums there are also a few photos from
Shane_OK from his recent visit to Japan, and of
course we also have a species profile for this
Ratsnake in the Articles section under Ratsnake
Species - Asian Ratsnakes - Euprepiophis.
9
After infrequent brief introductions, my female Trinket Snake lay five eggs on 13/2/08, it is possible that
they were actually laid a day before, as I was out that day. Four of which looked good, one was clearly
infertile due to having a darker appearance and being harder to the touch. All eggs were numbered to
record their development throughout incubation. There measurements when laid were taken, egg
dimensions, a brief description and their weight were as follows:1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
4cm x
4cm x
4cm x
4cm x
3.5cm
1.75cm - looked fertile & good 9g
1.75cm - looked fertile & good 9g
2cm - looked fertile & good 10g
1.5cm - looked fertile sunken, possibly squashed by the female, requires hydration 8g
x 1.5cm - looked infertile 5g
I chose to incubate all eggs at an overall lower mean temperature than the norm (27-28C/80.6-82.4F),
the temperature range was from 21-27C (68.9-80.4F), mostly the eggs endured temperatures between
24-27C (75.2-80.4F).
By 22/2/08, number 4 egg, the squashed one, started to look yellow where it was constricted at its narrowest point. Numbers 1-3 still looked white and healthy however. Number 4 egg started to develop
mould at its narrow point and was becoming discoloured. This egg never filled out and had clearly failed
by 24/02/08. Egg number 3 was the next to fail, turning slightly yellow by 28/2/08 and then obviously
yellow by 10/03/08, two days after this egg started to develop mould, so was separated from the others. A few days after this I cut this egg open to discover it was solid!
On the 14/5/08, the eggs started to hatch, some 91 days after they were laid. One hatchling emerged
from its egg on the 14th, while the other hatchling only poked its nose out of the egg, emerging the
next day (day 92).
Egg 1 measured 4cm x 1.75cm when laid, at time of hatching measured 5.5cm x 2.5cm and the resultant hatchling measures 29cm (snout to tail). This baby seems to have more girth, overall more robust
and feisty.
Egg 2 measured 4cm x 1.75cm when laid, at time of hatching measured 5.2cm x 2.3cm and the resultant hatchling measures 28cm (snout to tail). This baby has good body proportions but is slighter in build
than the first one, overall slighter and seems more relaxed.
Both hatchlings appear healthy and take pink mice current, the largest now takes these two at a time.
Sue Knight amongst others (Trevor Smith for instance), have reported a curve at the extremity of hatchlings tails; this appears to be a temporary effect, as it grows out without any damage to the tail. The
cause of which has been attributed to lower incubation temperatures. As neither of mine exhibited this
phenomenon, I assume that it was a sharp drop in temperature from the normal incubation temperature, rather than a low temperature that may have caused this effect.
I currently have 6 eggs from the same mother C. helena, these will be incubated at a more even temperature of 27C (80.4F). I'll be reporting the total incubation time, size when laid, dimensions at time
of hatching and snout to tail measurements of the babies when born, for comparison - Dave Royans
10
Prior patronyms in this series have involved pioneers in the more traditional sense, i.e., persons involved
in the early topographical and scientific explorations of the western United States. This patronym honors Charles Mitchill Bogert who, along with Raymond B. Cowles, pioneered a field of study. Cowles and
Bogert, with the1944 publication of their landmark paper, “Preliminary Study of the Thermal
Requirements of Desert Reptiles,” ushered in a new field of
reptilian physiological ecology. Their studies demonstrated
that ectotherms can and do control their body temperatures
but differ from endotherms through a greater reliance on
behavioral methods of control and a greater dependence on
external sources of heat. Today any published paper dealing
with the thermal relationships of reptiles makes obligatory reference to the paper that inaugurated the subject, Cowles and
Bogert (1944). Before delving into the life of the man that
Roger Conant (1992) called a “world-class herpetologist” and
Myers and Zweifel (1993) labeled “the most influential herpetologist of the century,” let’s take a brief look at Bogertophis
subocularis, the bearer of one of the many patronyms named
in Bogert’s honor.
This beautiful, secretive ratsnake resides in rocky terrain within the Chihuahuan Desert reaching its northern limits in New
Mexico and southwest Texas. Although the accepted common
name, according to the “Committee on Standard English and
Scientific Names,” Brian I. Crother, chair, is ‘Trans-Pecos
Ratsnake,’ it is known by a variety of aliases by those who
have yet to pay their $11 to the SSAR for the Crother
Committee’s report. For example, in Texas, it is often called
the ‘Davis Mountain Ratsnake’ after the type- locality. Others
refer to it as the ‘H-snake’ based on the distinctive H-shaped
blotched pattern. Reptile breeders use the name ‘Suboc’ in
reference to the extra set of scales between the eye and labi- Figure 1. Charles Bogert holding a rarely
als that diagnose the genus. EOM once heard a Texas rancher found Crotalus molossus oaxacus as it is
being prepared for preservation at his lab
refer to one as “a damn chicken snake.” For those who wonin Oaxaca, 1971. Photo by Manny Rubio.
der why biologists prefer scientific names, this is why.
Whatever you call it, this tan, slender, elongated serpent is distinguished by a distinctly wide head,
accentuated by a slender neck, with large eyes that bespeak their nocturnal habits.
Males average larger than females, attaining lengths to 168 cm (66 in). Their dorsal scales are weaklykeeled in ratsnake fashion, but subocular (lorilabial) scales and a higher number of chromosomes (not
a good field character) diagnose Bogertophis from Elaphe. These attractive constrictors forage nocturnally for small mammals (including bats) and birds. Youngsters feed on small lizards in the wild
but will take pinky mice in captivity. During the day they retreat to rock piles, limestone crevices, and
animal burrows. In New Mexico clutches of 3 to 7 eggs are reported to be laid between June and August.
The unusual pattern, docile demeanor, and readiness to take mice in captivity have made the TransPecos Ratsnake a popular species with herpetoculturalists.
Surprisingly, such a large and beautiful snake was unknown to science until 19 June, 1901 when E.
Meyenberg, a resident snake collector in the Pecos region of Texas, found a specimen in the Davis
Mountains near the head of Toyah Creek and sent it to the Zoological Gardens of Philadelphia. Arthur
Erwin Brown, a herpetologist at the Gardens, then offered a reward for additional specimens to make
sure that a population of the species really occurred in the locality. Three more specimens were forthcoming, and Brown proceeded to describe the snake as Coluber subocularis in the August 1901
Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. Ever since Linneaus described
Coluber constrictor in 1758, the genus had been a receptacle for large, generalized colubrids. Our
11
ratsnake cohabited with Coluber for sixteen more years until Leonard Stejneger and Thomas Barbour
separated out a group of constrictors with weakly-keeled scales into the genus Elaphe (a genus first created by Fitzinger in 1833) in their 1917 A Checklist of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. In 1957
Herndon Dowling, as part of an extensive review of the Elaphe, further distinguished Elaphe rosaliae
(Baja California Ratsnake) and E. subocularis as a distinct group that he called the ‘Rosalie Section.’ In
1988 Dowling along with Robert Price went one step further, proposing that the ‘Rosalie Section’ (based
on scutellation differences, karyotype analysis, and immunological comparisons) be given the status of
a separate genus named Bogertophis, recognizing Charles M. Bogert for “his many contributions to the
knowledge of the relationships of colubrid snakes. The new genus was not universally accepted. For
example, Van Devender and Bradley (1994) felt that other than a greater number of chromosomes and
the lorilabial scales, other characters used to diagnose the new genus were variable among the Elaphe
and not unique to Bogertophis. They suggested that Bogertophis, and Senticollis (Green Ratsnake) be
viewed as well-differentiated species of Elaphe rather than unique genera, not closely related to other
North American colubrids. The current final word is that Crother et. al. recognized the genus in their official list, citing “it is a demonstrably monophyletic group.”
A related aside about the name change concerns a tick with a predilection for Trans-Pecos Ratsnake
blood. Degenhardt and Degenhardt (1965) found this particular ectoparasite to be host specific to the
snake in nature. Naming ectoparasites after their host has been a common practice, and Price (1958),
in the original description, christened this diminutive bloodsucker as Aponomma elaphe to recognize its
relationship with a member of
the Elaphe, the snake’s genus
at the time. However, with the
genus
now
changed
to
Bogertophis, the tick’s name
suddenly became inappropriate.
One would have thought that
the framers of the International
Code of Nomenclature might
have foreseen such a grave
problem and made provisions to
rectify it, but apparently none
exist. As this poor misnamed
tick is not likely to switch hosts
at this late stage in its evolution, it is destined to forever live
with an inapt name. On the
bright side, the Degenhardt duo
did find that deprived of their
favourite host, Aponomma
elaphe would demean itself to
feed on Elaphe obsoleta (Black
Figure 2. Bogertophis subocularis near Big Bend in Texas. Note dis- Ratsnake) rather than starve,
tinctive “H”pattern and neck stripes..” Photo by Manny Rubio.
so the name is not completely
inapt.
Charles Mitchill Bogert began life on a ranch in Mesa, Colorado on 4 June, 1908. While his interest in
nature likely developed there, it was probably difficult to cultivate much interest in herpetology due to
the decided paucity of herps. Rather his fascination with reptiles likely developed after his family moved
to California in 1920. Bogert embarked on his college education with a two year stint at Pasadena Junior
College. He went on to attain a Bachelor of Arts at UCLA (1934) and a Master of Arts degree in (1936).
His interest in natural history was reflected in his choice of jobs while getting these degrees. He worked
as a Technician in the Division of Nature Study for the Los Angeles City Schools, as a guide at Rocky
Mountain National Park, and as a Ranger/Naturalist for the U. S. National Park Service at Grand Canyon.
Earlier, sometime in the late 1920s, Bogert was taken under the wing of Lawrence Klauber, who can most
likely be credited with channeling his career choice toward herpetology. Raymond Cowles was another
key mentor in his life, serving as major professor for his MA (a dissertation study on patch-nosed
snakes, Salvadora), introducing him to thermoregulatory studies, coauthoring the seminal work on reptile thermoregulation, and continuing as a life-long friend. Bogert, much to his regret, never continued
on to attain a doctorate. Rather, due to the ‘Great Depression’, economic conditions dictated that he get
a job. Much later (1966), Bogert received an honorary LLD from his alma mater, UCLA.
In respect to advancement, Bogert found the right job at the right time; in 1936 he was hired as
an Assistant Curator in the Department of Herpetology at the American Museum of Natural History
12
working under G. Kingsley Noble. Noble died four years later and Bogert was promoted to Associate
Curator, taking over administrative responsibility for the Department. In 1943 he was promoted to
Curator, and in 1944 to Chairman and Curator of the Department of Herpetology. Until his retirement in
1968 from the museum following a 32 year reign, Bogert was a driving force for the museum’s
Department of Herpetology. The job was not an easy one. For 20 plus years the Department was inadequately staffed and under funded; Bogert was the only curator for much of that time. Despite this, the
collection remained well curated and increased by 67%. By his retirement in 1968, he had received a
number of accolades and awards
including: the honorary doctorate, a
Guggenheim Fellowship, an appointment as first President of the
Herpetologist’s League in 1946 by
the founder Chapman Grant, service
as President of the American Society
of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists
from 1952 – 1954, and election as
Fellow for the AAAS, the Indian
Society of Zoology, and the
Zoological Society of New York (to
mention a few)
In regard to research, Charles Bogert
was best known for his work with
thermoregulation, but his herpetological interests were wide ranging,
including African elapids, helodermatids, Lanthanotus, the herpetofauna of Mexico, and the significance
Figure 3. Head of Bogertophis subocularis showing prominent
of vocalizations in anurans. Bogert
eyes. Photo by Manny Rubio
published some 1700 printed pages
over his career. Myers and Zweifel
(1993) categorized these contributions into 65 scientific papers, 151 titles of abstracts, reviews, and
popular publications, and four commercially available records. He described 27 new taxa, including two
genera and in return he had some 20 taxa (including a phalangid and a scorpion) named in his honor.
Of these patronyms two are genera, a gecko Bogertia, and Bogertophis. On the personal side, Bogert
married Martha (or Mickey as she is known to most) in 1937 and they had two daughters. Professionally,
he was a workaholic who strived for thoroughness and perfection and put in long hours of overtime along
with taking home a brief case of work each evening. His friend, Roger Conant described him as a latterday Jekyll and Hyde. On one hand, he was polite and helpful to visitors, a good correspondent, and
would bend over backwards to assist a colleague to find references and materials held by the Museum.
Others found him rude and abrasive, quick to anger and slow to forgive. To his subordinates he could
be scathingly critical and reluctant to compliment a job well done. He was highly competitive in the field,
and should an underling or acquaintance out produce him, it could bring on what Conant has called a
‘vituperative outburst.’ At such times the most recent of Bogert’s many patronyms seems most appropriate – Heloderma horridum charlesbogerti, the horrible Charles Bogert. At times, he could display a
perverse sense of humor. One of the best known examples was his naming of an imaginary species in
the 1956 monograph on Heloderma with Martin del Campo. Overriding his Editor Ruth Taylor’s objections, Bogert described Sampoderma allegorhaihorhai, a hybrid lizard-like reptile supposedly related to
Heloderma. One can only imagine the vituperative outburst had Bogert discovered one of his subordinates confusing the literature in this fashion. As to why Bogert pulled this hoax, two versions exist. One
that appears in the forward of the SSAR Facsimile Reprint of the Heloderma monograph suggests that
the scam was intended to poke fun at a “leading evolutionary biologist” and former fellow at the Museum
whom Bogert regarded as “pompous and virtually devoid of a sense of a sense of humor” (read Ernst
Mayr).
However, Dick Zweifel, former and long-time member of the AMHS herpetological staff recently interviewed Mickey Bogert asking about theSampoderma description. Hertake was that the Sampoderma
description was only intended to be humorous and was not a subtle jab at Ernst Mayr. Whether or not
the ruse was aimed at Mayr, it raised his hackles. So incensed that anyone would do such a thing in a
scientific publication, Mayr went to the then Director of the AMNH, Albert Parr, and tried to get Bogert
fired. Obviously, he failed. The drive for knowledge and perfection along with the aggressive and tenacious methodology that characterized Bogert’s long career was based on the philosophy that empirical
data dismisses conjecture. An early example of putting this philosophy into practice occurred during his stint as a Ranger at the Grand Canyon where Bogert found an opportunity to investigate a
13
long debated mystery why participants are not envenomated handling
rattlesnakes during the famous annual Hopi Snake Dances? Although concerned about invading the secrecy of
this highly sacred rite, his scientific
curiosity overruled.
Bogert was familiar with the ceremony and knew that (after the dance)
the Hopi Rattlesnakes, Crotalus
viridis
nuntius,
Sonoran
Gophersnakes, Pituophis catenifer
affinis,
and
Desert
Striped
Whipsnakes, Masticophis taeniatus
taeniatus would be whisked off into
the desert and released in predetermined places. On cue the dancers
grabbed handfuls of snakes and ran
Figure 4. Bogert negotiating the purchase of amphibians and in four distinct directions to sandand reptiles collected by local inhabitants of Tejote in the stone ridges lying several hundred
mountains of Oaxaca, 1971. Mickey Bogert is behind Chuck feet from the ceremonial site, where
and Manny Rubio is to his side
the snakes were liberated. Bogert
and his companion left with the
throng of observers, surreptitiously circling back to a snake-bearing outcrop. He found and captured one
of the small rattlesnakes. Placing it in a small cloth sack, he decided to hide it from inquisitive Hopis that
he might encounter as they left the reservation. True to his somewhat unorthodox manner, the only
available place was under his wide-brimmed hat
atop his head.
Later he pried the jaws open disclosing that the
fangs along with the imbedded replacements had
been removed with relatively sophisticated surgery.
The live snake was sent to Klauber to verify his previous suggestion that it was probable the snakes
had been “defanged”. We suggest searching out and
reading The Hopi Snake Dance by Bogert, 1941 for
an excellent overview of the snake ceremony and an
expansion of his involvement.
In his last years, Bogert suffered from a series of
strokes, each leaving him progressively more
impaired. Always wishing to be in control and knowing the drain his illness was placing on his beloved
wife, who for four years exhaustingly cared for him
on a nearly 24 hour basis, he died by his own hand,
at a time of his own choosing, April 10, 1992. His
wife, Mickey scattered his ashes over two of his
favourite places- a hillside in Oaxaca and on the
slopes of the Chiricahua Mountains. Bogert’s name
has been etched indelibly on the field of herpetology.
He will always be remembered for his pioneering
work in thermoregulation and anuran vocalizations,
and his name will be perpetuated as a taxonomic
attachment for the 27 species that he described as
well as the 20 others named in his honor. One might
imagine that he was especially pleased to be the
patronym for a genus of beautiful, big-eyed ratsnakes with H-shaped blotches inhabiting the desert
country he loved so well.
Figure 5. Bogert in his office at the AMNH in
1969. Photo by Manny Rubio
Acknowledgments
We are beholden to Kraig Adler and Richard Zweifel for clarifying the history of pseudonym,
Sampoderma.
14
Sources
Brown, A. E. 1901. A new species of Coluber from western Texas. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences Philadelphia. 53:492-495.
Bogert, C. M. 1941. The Hopi snake dance. Natural History Magazine 47:276-293.
Bogert, C. M., and R. Martin del Campo. 1956. The Gila Monster and its allies: The relationships, habits, and behavior of the lizards of the family
Helodermatidae. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 109:1-238. 1993. (reprinted as) Bogert and Martin del Campo’s The Gila
Monster and its allies with a new preface by Charles M. Bogert and a retrospective essay by Daniel D. Beck. Facsimile Reprints in Herpetology, SSAR.
Conant, R. 1992. Charles Mitchill Bogert, June 4, 1908 – April 10, 1992. In Memoriam. Herpetological Review 23:102-105. Cowles, R. B. and C. M.
Bogert. 1944. A preliminary study of the thermal requirements of desert reptiles. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 83:261-296.
Degenhardt, W. G., and P. B. Degenhardt. 1965. The host-parasite relationship between Elaphe subocularis (Reptilia: Colubridae) and Aponomma
elaphensis (Acarina: Ixodidae). Southwestern Naturalist 10:167– 178.
Dowling, H. G. 1957. A taxonomic study of the ratsnakes, genus Elaphe Fitzinger. V. The Rosalie section. Occasional Papers of the Museum of Zoology
University of Michigan (583):1-22.
Dowling, H. G., and R. M. Price. 1988. A proposed new genus for Elaphe subocularis and Elaphe rosaliae. The Snake 20:52-63
Myers, C. W., and R. G. Zweifel. 1993. Biographical sketch and bibliography of Charles Mitchill Bogert, 1908-1992. Herpetologica 49: 133— 146.
Pough, F. H. 1974. Preface, i-iv. In SSAR facsimile reprint of R. B. Cowles and C.M. Bogert. 1944. A preliminary study of the thermal requirements.
of desert reptiles. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural Hististory 83: 265-296.
Van Devender, T. R., and G. L. Bradley. 1994. Late Quaternary amphibians and reptiles from Maravillas Canyon Cave, Texas, with discussion of the
biogeography and evolution of the Chihuahuan Desert herpetofauna, pp. 23-53. In P. R. Brown and J. W. Wright (eds.), Herpetology of the North
American Deserts. Special Publication 5, Southwestern Herpetologica Society.
Courtesy of - SONORAN HERPETOLOGIST 19 (10) 2006
The Art of Ratsnakes
The original print done in the 90's of the European
quatuorlineata group has been reprinted and is now
available from the Artist, Tell Hicks. This historic,
beautifully detailed print, reproduced from original
artwork depicts Elaphe q. quatuorlineata, Elaphe q.
sauromates, Elaphe q. muernenti and the then
problematic form Elaphe rechingeri.
The original painting was commissioned in the early
90's to illustrate an article in the Herptile (Journal
of the International Herpetological Society) titled
The Amorgos enigma - Elaphe rechingeri (Werner,
1932) by Kevin Hingley. The four specimens in the
print were from Kevin's own collection, whose love,
knowledge and enthusiasm of Ratsnakes was evident to anyone who was lucky enough to have
known him.
Also available, which might interest members of
The Foundation is an equally stunning print of
Elaphe (Zamenis) situla. I believe this was also
painted from animals in Kevin Hingley's collection.
All prints are numbered and signed by the artist
and are ready for your own framing. Available
direct from Tell Hicks or Eco Universe in the USA.
The quatuorlineata print is not on either website at
the date of writing this, but can be ordered by dropping him an email for details. - Sue Knight
Tell Hicks Website
Eco Universe Website
Ref: Hingley, Kevin J. 1995 The Amorgos enigma - Elaphe rechingeri (Werner, 1932)
Herptile: Journal of the International
Herpetological Society 20 1 20-35
15
Hi Dusty and thank you for agreeing to take part in this interview.
Hi, Sue. I'm so excited and quite flattered to be asked to be interviewed for the RSF!
Can I firstly ask you to tell our readers a little about yourself.
Well, I was born and raised on the Gulf Coast of Texas. My father is a ship captain, so we lived very
close to the water, no more than a couple of minutes from Galveston Bay. I grew up playing sports –
mostly baseball and American football, catching/keeping/and reading about reptiles, surfing with friends
in Galveston, and playing the electric guitar, which is still a passion of mine.
My passion for reptiles and amphibians started long before I can even remember. I don't remember ever
not liking them. My parents have photos of me as a toddler holding Gulf Coast Toads and Green Anoles
that I had caught. These – along with Rough Earth Snakes, Mediterranean Geckos, and Ground Skinks
– were prevalent in our yard and neighborhood.
On my fifth birthday, I received my first real reptile pets, which were two Curly-tailed Lizards. I also
received a 30-inch ribbon snake for my seventh birthday. They were all kept in the same terrarium, and
their names were Stinky, Dinky, and Slinky. "Slinky" must have been the snake's name, obviously.
Looking back, I am surprised that one of the lizards actually lived for three years.
I read dozens of books on reptiles as a kid. My mother would drop me and my younger sisters off at the
public library when she went to run her errands in the mornings. When she returned in a few hours, it
wasn't uncommon for me to ask her if I could stay the rest of the day, just reading about reptiles. I
would also sit for hours in the isles of the local pet store and read books about how to keep herps. I was
about 11 years old when that store opened, and this was right at the time when the AVS books came
onto the scene. I had been keeping herps since I was five, and those quality, little, black-and-white
books just fueled a passion that was already on fire. That was the one topic my parents never had to
push me to read bout. Always did my herp "homework".
Currently, I'm a student at BYU in Provo, Utah. I'm soon to graduate and am aiming my sights for graduate school.
Dusty as a student herpetologist at Brigham Young University studying Integrative Biology,
which aspects interest you the most? I guess what I'm asking is what job do you see your
self doing at the end of it all?
I'm very interested in ecology and ex-situ conservation. And I enjoy husbandry. Nothing excites me
more than cracking the code on a difficult captive that needs a conservation effort to ensure its survival.
I definitely see myself doing zoo curatorial work. I want to be right in there, actively involved at the
forefront of some key insurance populations, with the end result of getting these creatures back into the
wild, in a less-threatened location where they can regain their numbers and prosper.
This is why ecology is so important to study. Herpetoculturists would know nothing about how to keep
herps alive if it wasn't for the small amount of ecology that we do understand. "Farm-raised" Savannah
Monitor Lizards, for example, are imported to the U.S. by the tens of thousands each year, and most of
them die before they are a year old, simply because the general reptile-keeping community doesn't
understand their ecological habits and environmental needs.
In the future if the opportunity arises, which current herpetologist(s) would you most
like to work with and with which animals?
16
There are many species of herps I would love to work with professionally, but mostly I want to give priority to species that need the most help. Crocodilians, chelonians, and especially frogs seem to need the
most attention right now. But I do hanker to work with species such as tree monitors – I've never been
more intrigued to work with an entire new clade of animals than when I met an "ackie" monitor for the
first time – how entertaining! I could watch them for hours!
On a hobbyist level, I'd like to continue work with Baja Ratsnakes. They're a bit of a challenge. They're
easily the rarest North American ratsnake in collections and their husbandry needs aren't quite as clear
as say, subocularis...at least, not yet anyway.
As far as herpetologists, Harvey Lillywhite is doing some amazing studies on Cottonmouths at the
University of Florida in Gainesville. There are a few others, but I find his work intriguing.
Your book The Complete Suboc hit the book shelves a few weeks back and will hopefully be
a source of inspiration for others whose expertise lies in a single species to share their knowledge also. It must of been a labour of love and sometimes, quite a daunting task from the
conception to the birth of this book. Would you mind sharing with us the process involved in
bringing your first seeds of thought to fruition.
I could probably write another book just on what was involved to bring it to fruition. It began a LONG
time ago. I had always wanted to write a book about snakes. When those first AVS books hit the scene,
I decided to write a letter to Mike McEachern telling him of my desire to write a snake book. So, wanting to learn from the feet of the wise, I asked for his advice and suggestions on making that dream a
reality. I was 12 when I wrote that letter. Michael was very generous in his response, and I'm sure he
was a little more than humored and surprised to receive an ambitious letter from such a young person.
His response was encouraging, but I was sobered by it and at peace with the fact that the logistics
involved in such a process would probably warrant at least a few more years under my belt.
Later, as a teenager, I felt a drive to write a book on a species of snake with which there was very little info. I made it a goal to write a book on chondros. At the age of 19, I left to do missionary work in
Chile for two years. By the time I returned home, there was already a good book out on chondros and
Emerald Tree Boas by Kivit and Wiseman. And Maxwell's book by ECO Publishing soon followed, and I
found that book very inspiring.
Right around that time, I became very enamored with subocs. The little information that was out there,
coupled with my interest in observing my own captives, really pushed me to write about them. I began
researching them all I could. I tracked down obscure articles from retired zookeepers who were gracious
enough to literally search for and dig their 30-year-old articles out of their basements.
The more I found out, the more I wanted to research and write about them. I kept casually and halfjokingly titling the book "The Complete Suboc" in my word processor documents (because it sounded
better than something with Trans-Pecos Ratsnakes in the title), but really had no intention of making
the book anything more than maybe a little black-and-white, paperback manual of 30 pages or so. Even
that, in my mind, would have been a treasure trove of knowledge compared to what was out there, literature-wise.
I soon asked Michael Price to co-author it with me, and he agreed, and said that he already had a deal
with ECO to write a series of books on montane rattlesnakes, and that Bob and Sheri Ashley were open
to doing colubrid books. The idea of being a published author for an actual publishing company that specialized in herpetocultural literature drove me wild with excitement. If I was even working hard at all on
the book before, I was working like a mad scientist thereafter. Later – sometime during my typing frenzy – Michael mentioned that he was too busy to do the suboc book. A little disheartened that I was no
longer co-authoring a book with someone who already had a connection with a publishing company, I
asked a friend, another snake book author – Colette Sutherland of ballpython.com, what she would recommend for me. She told me that I should contact ECO, and that Bob would take care of me.
I did exactly that. When I called ECO, Bob expressed his interest in subocs and asked me to send him
a sample chapter. I sent him a book outline, a sample chapter, and a bio. The very next morning he
called me and said that he wanted to print the book. I was on my way to school in the car. My wife and
I were so excited that I couldn't go to class. We just sat and excitedly talked, laughed, and hugged for
nearly an hour.
Once I had the green light from ECO, I worked in an even more frenzied fashion. Russ Gurley
17
worked with me on the layout, and he was very encouraging that the book should be one of the
"Complete" series.
It took me giving up a fairly high-paying summer sales manager job (yes, I have a VERY supportive
wife) and working full-time on my laptop all summer long to make it work. I enlisted the help of many
herpetologists, zoo curators, keepers, photographers, etc. to make the book a complete, comprehensive
piece of literature. The hardest part was waiting on busy people to come through with photos and info,
but miraculously, they did, and things just seemed to come together, and I'm so very grateful to all who
went out of their way for my benefit. There's really nothing like the herpetocultural community, perhaps
not in all of the vertebrate zoology disciplines and subcultures.
I once thought that the Trans Pecos Ratsnake was a species for the intermediate to expert
keeper, with the introduction of your book into the hobby, I would think that it will give a lot
of keepers the confidence they need to consider this species earlier on in their snake keeping. Was this at the forefront of your thoughts when compiling The Complete Suboc, or would
you still say that some long term skills are needed before considering keeping and later
breeding this species.
My message in the book is that anyone can keep a suboc as long as their needs are first understood and
met. I do believe, however, that keeping a very foolproof species beforehand, such as a Corn Snake, will
give someone an edge of snake savvy, while mitigating risk of killing a new type of pet. They're not difficult to keep at all, but so many people buy a reptile or exotic animal on impulse, and end up either
killing it for neglect or ignorance, and later find out they're not really interested in keeping a snake after
all. A species such as a Corn Snake, is a bit more forgiving of beginner mistakes. They can, for example, tolerate lower levels of cage ventilation than a desert species such as a suboc.
Early days yet as the book has only been out a matter of weeks but do you think there will
be a "The More Complete Suboc" published as new morphs are bred and new information is
discovered, or perhaps you even think, "oh I wish I'd added that now?"
Morph-wise, the book is very complete and not obsolete ...yet. I would love to update a newer "More
Complete" edition, and I hope that others will be inspired to study subocs, write about them, travel to
see them in the wild, keep them, and even pursue a suboc-related thesis or dissertation project. They're
very interesting, very poorly-studied snakes, and we haven't begun to illuminate more than the tip of
the iceberg, concerning their ecological and reproductive habits in the wild.
I visit your two websites Simply Subocs & Suboc.com regularly to catch up on the latest
colour/locality morphs and happenings. One project that hit the headlines recently was the
Patternless Suboc project, can you please tell us a little of this snakes' history and also give
us a hint of what to expect in the future from various pairings that you have planned.
The Patternless morph is quite possibly the most exciting suboc morph project in several decades. The
Patternless animal is a one-of-a-kind male that hatched in 2002 in a small suboc collection in the U.K.,
of all places. That just goes to show you that ANYBODY, not just the "big breeders", can have equal
chances of exciting morphs pop up in your collection, no matter how many you keep.
Breeder Richard Trant hatched this animal, and this snake is now in my collection. To see this snake is
a treat. He's completely golden yellow and immaculate without a single tiny speck on his body. It is my
guess that his patternless phenotype is caused by a simple recessive mutation. He's betrothed to several very pretty females. An Axanthic Blonde, an Albino, and a Pink phase have all been with him. He
has shown extreme interest in all of them. He's quite the stud breeder. I've never seen a male so interested in aggressively breeding as often as he is. So far, I'm seeing good things...a very large Axanthic
Blonde (aka Silver Blonde) female appears to be gravid and is refusing food. I can't even imagine a more
devastatingly beautiful morph than a Patternless Silver. The "Silver" phase of subocularis is quite easily the prettiest Axanthic morph of all snake species.
Of course, I'm sure that Patternless Snows and Patternless Oranges will likewise knock my socks off with
their stunning looks, whenever those are eventually created.
Trans Pecos Ratsnakes seem to be really popular in the US, has this always been the way or
do you think that the recent explosion of morphs has played a part in this?
They've always been very popular, but a lack of husbandry info and literature has kept a lot of
would-be keepers from pursuing them. I hope that The Complete Suboc will change some of that
18
hesitation that some people have felt in the past. Of course, suboc morphs are nothing short of breathtaking, and this has been a very tremendous "healthy shot in the arm" for the popularity surrounding
an already-popular snake species. Suboc morphs are, without a doubt, the highest-end morphs of North
American ratsnake species.
We don't see Subocs for sale that often in the UK & Europe. I don't think this is because they
aren't popular but simply due to lack of availability. I believe this will all change over the next
few years and in conjunction with Darren from Crystal Palace Reptiles you will be sending
some little gems our way. Can you give us some indication of what may be available and possibly when?
I think, again, with the lack of suboc literature and without all of the morphs that several other snake
species have, some exporters probably didn't feel as confident sending these overseas as they did with
their Corn Snakes and Ball Pythons, for instance. Furthermore, most of the color morphs of subocs are
either relatively new or indeed, very new, and morphs seem to be what drives this hobby.
Subocs have never seemed to last long on breeders' availability lists. They tend to sell out very quickly, lay smaller clutches, don't typically double-clutch, don't really go down in price, don't flood the market as quickly, mature more slowly than other snakes, and probably sell out here in the U.S. first, and
so breeders haven't felt the need to export them. There certainly are no large scale breeders of subocs
yet, because they've never had that reputation as a "pet store" staple that you see in nearly every shop.
And different from most other "pet" type snakes found in the U.S., their habitat is in a very wild, remote,
unpopulated corner of the Southwest. Even people who live in parts of what is considered to be West
Texas have to drive about six hours to get to Big Bend country. It's very expensive, even for Texans, to
make the trip out west, stay in motels in small ghost towns, hopefully collect some stock, and travel
back home. Most other species of ratsnakes, garter snakes, kingsnakes, hognose snakes, gopher
snakes, etc. can be collected by the dozens in many peoples' own backyards here in the U.S. That just
isn't the case with subocs. All of these things come into play with the availability and price of subocs,
here or abroad.
And so yes…at long last, some really amazing subocs are coming to the U.K. by way of Crystal Palace
Reptiles in London. I have 3.6 100% Het for Albino Trans-Pecos Ratsnakes that I'm sending over, hopefully no later than August during the NRBE expo in Daytona, Florida, and preferably sooner if we can get
them shipped over. These are large 2007 babies, and they are the "grandsnakelings" of the first Albinos
to hatch at Dave and Tracy Barker's facility, VPI, just a few years ago. Albinos are very rare – I've only
hatched three, and they are still babies. The only adult albinos in captivity are either one of the few
remaining from that first group of roughly ten to hatch at VPI in 1999 or the direct offspring of those
snakes.
To my knowledge, these are the first subocs from the Albino line to be offered for sale in the U.K. To
boot, they're also 50% possible Het Blonde, since their Albino father was bred to two 100% Het Blonde
females.
Do you manage to get out in the field very often to study Trans Pecos Ratsnakes and how difficult are they to encounter in the wild?
Definitely not as often as I would like. If I can make a single trip out to "Bogey Land" once a year, I'm
a very happy man. Trans-Pecos Ratsnakes are not at all difficult to find out at night, crossing the remote
roads of the Chihuahuan Desert. I found four in five nights, and some herpers have even seen that many
in one night of road-cruising. They're very slow-moving, and they're usually not spooked by automobiles, sometimes to their own demise. They're one of the larger species of snake found in the area, and
although you usually see fewer larger species than smaller ones as a rule, that part of the U.S. is so
herp-abundant and snake-rich, that it's very common to see many species of snakes, large and small
(including subocs), in a single night of road cruising.
What is your most memorable field herping experience?
Tough one to answer. Probably, when snake hunting was newest for me. Somehow, after a few childhood years of seeing plenty of adult six-inch-long Rough Earth Snakes in my yard, they no longer counted as "real" snakes.
I was 11 years old and looking for snakes in a wild, mountainous region of western New Mexico,
in a gorgeous creek behind the motel where my family and I were staying for the night. We had
19
literally been at the hotel, still unpacking, for no more than three minutes. As I was walking along the
stony creek bed, a huge garter snake slithered past me, easily 38 inches or more in length. I was so
excited that I was literally trembling quite violently, as I remember, knees knocking in anticipation as I
stealthily crept towards the snake that was about to slither into the fast-moving stream and be gone
forever. A minute later, I had the huge garter snake in my hands, running back to the motel room, yelling
with glee to show my family the treasure I had caught. My knees were still shaking as I showed everyone. What a surge of excitement and thrill that was.
Do you keep anything other than subocs?
Yes, I have a pair of Texas Banded Geckos that are eating me out of house and home. Though crickets
can get expensive for someone who doesn't breed lizards, I'm a sucker for Eublepharid geckos and these
guys are as cute and fascinating as anything. I have a group of Western Green Ratsnakes from Arizona,
a Honduran Green Ratsnake, a group of Gray-banded Kingsnakes that are really growing on me, several varieties and color phases of Baird's Ratsnakes, a pair of Bredl's Pythons, an Abbott Okeetee Corn
Snake, and a group of Baja Ratsnakes, including one of the clutch-mates from the only Axanthic Bajas
known to exist. I'm very excited about the Baja Rats.
Why Subocs? What was it about Subocs that made you specialize in them?
Once again, I could fill another book on the subject of "Why subocs?". Subocs are very unique, and that
is an understatement. Some systematists believe that they are so unique that it is unfair to call them
"ratsnakes". Other than basic body structure and food preference, they are very different from other
snakes that are classified as "ratsnakes" in almost countless ways. They are, for example, one of the
only colubrid species to have what I would consider an actual "face". Most other species of colubrids
have eyes that attach directly to the upper lips. Subocs, as we know – implied by their species name of
subocularis – have scales that separate their eyes from their lips.
As herpetologists and enthusiasts, we seem to be enchanted by places such as deserts and rainforests,
as well as by the amazingly adapted animals that come from those remote regions. Subocs represent
their genus monotypically in the U.S., and Bogertophis is the only North American genus of medium-tolarge size colubrid that is confined to desert habitat. If you're looking for a great desert snake to keep
that climbs rock walls and doesn't have beady little eyes and burrows all the time, like a sandboa, then
this snake is for you
Thankyou Dusty - Sue Knight
FOUNDATION BOOK STORE
The Ratsnake Foundation will be launching it’s own bookstore within the next few months
with HUGE DISCOUNTS on popular titles for Full Members.
Books on Snakes, Lizards, Amphibians, Inverts, Chelonia and General Reptile Books.
from Publishers such as ECO, AVS & Barron !
20
In Emory ratsnakes, the chocolate and
albino genes were both started by Don
Soderberg (South Mountain Reptiles).
The original male albino was collected
as a juvenile in Butler, Kansas; Don
acquired it soon afterward. He personally collected the original female
chocolate in Franklin County, Kansas.
Obviously, the stock for this project
originated from southeast Kansas, but
they don't come from the same county.
Normals from each county were bred
to the original albino and chocolate to
produce the first heterozygous captive-bred offspring. Both genes have
been determined to be inherited as a
recessive mutation. Most of these lines
have since been crossed to Emory ratsnakes from other areas (including
Intermontane ratsnakes), so not all of
them can be considered locality animals today.
Don Soderberg started the albino
chocolate project by producing the
first double heterozygous snakes, and
he eventually hatched the first albino
chocolate.
I purchased almost his
entire Emory ratsnake collection in
2003, but we did not breed any of
them in 2004. No albino chocolates
were produced from them in 2005.
One female was produced in 2006, and
a male was produced in 2007.
In
early 2008, we produced a total of four
albino chocolates which increased the
total number of known albino chocolate Emory ratsnakes to six
KJ & Kasi Lodrigue / KJUN Snakehaven
Chocolate Emory ratsnakes are still very uncommon with
very few having ever been sold. Chocolate Emory ratsnakes are unique for the entire cornsnake/Emory ratsnake complex because they seem to be the first case of
hypermelanism ever reproduced in captivity. Their coloration goes from looking like a VERY brown Emory ratsnake through a milk chocolate coloration where the
blotches are very indistinct to an almost brown-black
hypermelanistic coloration. On top of the coloration,
chocolate Emory ratsnakes typically have each dorsal
blotch split in half resulting in two paired blotches that
look like mirror images on each side of their spine
All Images Copyright KJ & Kasi Lodrigue / KJUN Snakehaven
21
With only a small collection of reptiles to maintain,
I like to keep them in as near to natural conditions
as I'm able. It's very satisfying to look out from my
studio window and watch the snakes out basking in
the early morning sunshine or to study their daily
routines and interactions.
When considering the use of outdoor enclosures,
though, there are many things to take into
account. Obviously the enclosures need to be fairly escape proof. Trying to find a snake that has
escaped from an indoor vivarium is often quite a
task, but if they escape out in the garden, they are
usually lost forever.
Unless the species to be kept is
hardy enough to stand the
rigours of our climate, you'll
have to provide some protection from the wind and cold. I
keep my Fox Snakes in glass
enclosures, similar to the coldframes used by gardeners.
Mine are custom made, with
stone and glass sides, and a
hinged glass roof (see picture).
Each measures approx. 4ft x 4ft x 4ft.
Plenty of ventilation is essential. One of the greatest dangers of this type of enclosure is overheating. I have them situated under a tree to provide
them with shade during the hottest part of the day.
I also provide each enclosure with a large hide box,
partially buried and heated by a small heat pad.
I have found that a 7 watt heat pad is sufficient to
keep the snakes warm enough at night and during
the occasional cold spell. The hide boxes are also
stuffed with dried leaves or hay to retain the heat
and to make the snakes feel more secure.
I like to have quite large water containers in the
enclosures in which the snakes can swim or soak,
but also provide small drinking water dishes which
are cleaned and refreshed daily. The larger ponds
are replenished with rainwater direct from the guttering of a nearby greenhouse, and have pond
weed and water plants to increase the natural look
of the enclosures. They also allow me to keep and
breed a few amphibians in with the snakes.
A 4ft X 4ft enclosure, planted out with appropriate
vegetation and equipped with a hide box, water
and plenty of basking areas is fine for a trio of
adult Fox Snakes.
The enclosures have natural substrate and are
kept clean by regular spot cleaning, with a 'poopscoop'. The plants in the enclosures are regularly
watered and, at the same time, the walls of the
enclosure and rock basking areas are washed
down.
Feeding is done by hand and every effort is made
to ensure that they all get their fair share (not
always easy but usually
quite entertaining).
My
Fox Snakes are avid feeders and you have to be
very quick to avoid competition over the same offering. The snakes very quickly learn when food is available and will usually come
out of their hide boxes
when the lid to the enclosure is raised.
I've never been brave enough to hibernate the
snakes in the outdoor enclosures. In late Autumn,
when the snakes are no-longer feeding, I bring
them into the studio to hibernate them under more
controlled conditions.
The snake's first month, or so, after hibernation is
also spent in the studio, where I can monitor them
individually, ensure that they are all eating well,
pair them up for breeding and make provisions for
egg laying.
The males are the first to be put back out into the
outside enclosures, once there is little risk of heavy
frosts. The females are either kept back until they
have laid their eggs or the outdoor enclosure's are
provided with heated boxes containing suitable
incubating material (eggs will then be collected
and removed to the incubator).
Outdoor reptile enclosures aren't for everyone, but
for me they are a perfect solution to keeping reptiles in a healthy and natural environment. The
enclosures can also make an interesting and decorative addition to the garden - Tell Hicks
22
Introduction
Coelognathus helena are named after the daughter of the Greek god Zeus, who was famed for being
the most beautiful woman in Greek mythology. More usually in English speaking countries, they are
called the Common Trinket Snake or the Indian Trinket Snake, they are arguably the most beautiful of
all Ratsnakes.
In various 'Indian dialects they are called; Arbaki Sab & Kumro-doga (Bengali), Rupsundri (Gujarati),
Kaatu pambu (Malayalam), Taskar (Marathi), Kalu kateya, Katakaluwa, Mapil habara, Mudu habara, &
Mudu karawala (Sinhalese), Azhagu sarpam, Kattu pambu, Kattu viriyan, Mega-rekula-ponda, Micro
pambu & Mothiravallaiyan (Tamil) and Megarukula poda (Telugu). Perhaps the occurrence of multiple
names within any one dialect is a reflection of their wide range and therefore familiarity to humanity
throughout their range.
Words struggle to convey their true beauty - the phrase 'various shades of brown' fails to conjure up an
appropriate image of their real splendour. Especially after a slough they have this wonderful iridescence
to there scales, with natural sunlight bouncing back all the colours of the rainbow. Their pattern is also
attractive, white 'collars' or bands edged with black break up after the anterior third as they travel down
the body toward their tails, with flecks of white and black interrupting their brown to tan background,
along with short thick black stripes along their neck and an even smaller 'eye stripe'. Schulz describes
the iris as being 'golden-yellow' but the authors note that this is sometime more of a green, a colour
that seems to compliment their brown backdrop perfectly.
A few colour variations are marketed in the hobby, which
include the 'High Yellows' which the authors believe to
have originated from Sri Lanka, as these variations are
not genetic morphs and most probably are locale variations. Some examples have an olive greenish hue. These
are stunning as they usually contain a high amount of
light flecks along the anterior part of their body. There
are also some hatchlings being sold as heterozygous for
albino, although as yet, no one who has purchased these
and bred them, have produced any albino mutations. An
albino specimen is reliably on record however (Gohil,
1983) and also completely black or melanistic specimens
(Wall 1913). Some blue-turquoise specimens have been
observed which are particularly attractive, also probably
originating from at least one other location. These colour
variations have been noted as coming from near or in Nepal and southern mainland India. As is common with many species of ratsnake, neonates are more colourful and have more contrast to their pattern than adults but adults still retain their beauty and the difference isn't usually that great between
the two.
The Trinket Snake is an attractive captive with some interesting features. One of these being their sexual dimorphism in size between adults, which is very apparent within this species, once a certain amount
of maturity has been achieved. Females can attain lengths of between four and five foot (122-152cm)
whilst males are small in comparison only averaging three foot (92cm) and are comparatively slimmer.
On occasion, females have been recorded at a little over five and a half feet (168cm) but this is most
exceptional. Both sexes in our experience undergo the same growth rate until around twelve months of
age, after this time the males' growth rate will slow down and noticeable differences in food intake
become obviously apparent.
When resting their body it is often formed into a series of waves, a trait that is also shared with other
Ratsnakes, Elaphe climacophora, C. radiatus and Orthriophis taeniurus spp. Something that is remarked
on by a lot of keepers when holding a Trinket Snake for the first time is how different they feel,
being more rigid and solid feeling, not so flexible as other Ratsnake species when in the hands.
23
They are however, still capable of great flexibility and are very able agile climbers.
Like their cousin the Radiated Ratsnake C. radiatus, they too have quite an intimidating display where
they 'S' up, inflating their throat and a gape exposing the black lining to their mouth. This is usually only
a defensive pose adopted by hatchlings occasionally, captive bred adults will very rarely exhibit such
behaviour. As the snake grows, so does their confidence which likely reduces their perceived need to
posture. They generally are a gentle snake and very rarely attempt to bite once adult, although may be
more nervous when young or if startled.
Such an attractive, moderately sized, easily catered for and highly prolific species is surely set to
become more popular within the hobby.
A Brief Taxonomic Description
This snake falls within the largest snake family Colubridae, residing in the subfamily Colubrinae, genus
Coelognathus and species of helena. This species knows two subspecies which will be described a little
further on.
Throughout the history of its description, this species has formerly been known by a variety of names;
Coluber helena (Daudin 1803), Natrix helena (Merrem 1820),
Herpetodryas helena (Schlegel 1837), Cynophis bistrigatus
(Gray 1849), Plagiodon helena (Duméril, Bibron & Duméril
1854), Herpetodryas malabaricus (Jerdon 1854), Cynophis
helena (Günther 1864) and was first known by the more well
known tag of Elaphe helena (Minton) in 1943.
More recently, Utiger, Schätti, Helfenberger and colleagues
have demonstrated that along with some other Asiatic 'Elaphe'
species Elaphe helena were more closely related to five other
species than the former Elaphe genera. So the then defunct
genus of Coelognathus was revalidated to reflect this and along
with the five other species (C. erythrurus, C. phillipinus, C.
radiatus, C. subradiatus & C. flavolineatus) they were placed in
a separate genus from the former catch-all Elaphe genera.
Such name changes are inevitable, as these recent studies into ratsnake systematics shed more light
on our understanding of the relationship (phylogeny) between snakes and subsequently their evolution
from a single common ancestor (monophyletic relationship or paraphyletic relationship if not all of the
descendants are represented in a particular lineage). Although not completely agreed upon by all, the
proposals mentioned above are readily accepted by those who wish to differentiate between Asiatic
'racer-type ratsnakes' and their more Elaphe-like ratsnake cousins e.g. E. schrencki, E. dione, E. climacophora and E. quatuorlineata for instance. They certainly seem to be embraced by those of us (with
only the vaguest comprehension of MtDNA sequencing), that wish to demonstrate the various marked
differences between the various New and Old World species.
Myth
The Katakaluwa, it is believed by Sri Lankans, are extremely venomous and a bite will result in discolouration not only of the site of the bite but the whole body, blood and urine. Perhaps the idea for the
discolouration has its origin in the inside of the snake's mouth which is usually dark to black. The popular myth follows that the snake will watch its 'victim' from the safe confines of a tree, until the victim
dies, only then will it climb down to the ground and go on its way. It's possible that people believe that
the snake 'must' be venomous because it will readily bite when encountered in the wild and demonstrate
its impressive defensive display. As already mentioned, captive specimens are much more evenly tempered as adults than their wild counterparts.
As fantastic a tale as this sounds, it is equally nonsense. Trinket snakes are considered to be non-venomous or harmless at least. Localised swelling and prolonged blood flow has been noted in some people and studies show that a close relative (C. radiatus) shares the same kind of 3FTx or three finger toxins that are synonymous with cobra-like venoms. Trinkets, if they do share the same properties as their
close cousins the Radiated Ratsnakes, also have a very much diluted derivative of this saliva and
lack an efficient delivery system for administration into large mammals' blood streams. Rest
24
assured many hobbyists have been bitten numerous times by small hatchlings and never experienced
any discomfort at all.
This snake is aglyphous, which basically means that it has no fangs or grooves along any of its teeth to
administer its saliva into its prey. It has to chew to do so and as already mentioned, the properties in
its saliva if present at all, are so weak that it would only likely have some effect on very small prey and
is utterly useless as a defensive weapon.
Natural History
There are two subspecies of the Indian Trinket snake, the nominate form Coelognathus helena helena
and the Collared or Montane Trinket Snake C. h. monticollaris. The latter is very rare in the hobby and
has only been kept and bred on a few occasions that we know of.
The nominate form has a natural range that includes most of
India, some sources stating that it is particularly prevalent in
coastal regions, although it is possible that this is due to central India not being surveyed as thoroughly as other areas.
Areas known to hold populations of C. helena are Jammu &
Kashmir, Gujarat, Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh,
Uttaranchal, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Arunachal Pradesh,
Assam, Bangladesh, Manipur, Orissa, Nagaland, South
Pakistan and Sri Lanka. There are unconfirmed reports from
more central Pakistan too. On the Island of Sri Lanka, it can
be found between sea level and at altitudes up to around
900m, where it has a preference for scrub areas at the edge
of rain forests, rice fields, plantations and the edges of meadows, especially in the vicinity of water like irrigation ditches
or small pools.
Generally, these snakes have a tan, olive to brown background with two strong black stripes on their neck, followed
by bands of white bordered with black or checks on the anterior third of their bodies which merge to form two dark brown
to black longitudinal stripes onto their tail. The ventral scales
are pearly white in both subspecies, in C. h. monticollaris
they have black tracing that edges the ventral scales joining
the more strongly defined bands or collars. There may be
some keeling on the scales on the posterior portion of snakes
of either subspecies.
Differences in pattern and colouration are noted from different localities, those from southern and central Nepal seem to
often have stronger collars or bands behind the head and
lack the central stripe that usually separates the two parietal
head scales (the rear two largest head 'plates') than those
found throughout the rest of the Indian subcontinent.
Interestingly, this is a trait reminiscent of the rarer subspecies C. h. monticollaris which also shares higher elevations. These are the only representatives of the nominate subspecies that inhabit elevations up
to 1500m.
The pattern of Bengalese animals is said to be more pronounced than their southern and eastern relatives, often having bands/collars similar to C. h. monticollaris although not as well-defined. Their background colour is also variable geographically, on Sri Lanka the background may become so light in
Ceylon that it is rendered yellow, while back on the southern mainland turquoise specimens may be
found.
The Collared Trinket Snakes' range is restricted to the Western Ghats - Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka,
Goa and Maharashtra where it has been found in towns as well as the expected evergreen forests. It is
strictly a montane snake, inhabiting the southwest Indian mountain range at altitudes between 700 and
1900m.
There is an area of uncertain taxonomic residence of one subspecies or other, to the west of
25
Mumbai and the east of Chandrapur in Maharashtra, whether this is an area of subspecific integration
or a race of either subspecies has not been verified to date, as far as can be ascertained.
In the wild the diet of C. helena consists of reptiles, frogs and small mammals as well as birds and their
young, although they seem to strongly prefer mammals, particularly mice and rats. It has also been
noted that young Trinket Snakes will take insects and small lizards as part of their diet. A non-feeding
hatchling that one of the authors kept several years back was enticed into feeding with a standard brown
cricket, probably due to the erratic movement eliciting a strike.
They can be both diurnal and crepuscular/nocturnal in summer months, also noted as sheltering in termite mounds, rock piles and crevices, presumably both as a means to evade excessive temperatures
and avoid predation. In cooler times of the year, they have been observed resting draped on bushes and
trees with heavy foliage, where it can be presumed they would be hard to notice unless they were in
motion.
Although noted as a prolific species that can breed throughout the year in warm tropical parts of its
range, specimens that inhabit more northerly climes or at higher elevations probably do not mate all
year round, with some form of rest period during the cooler months likely taking place. Whether this
takes the form of a metabolic break (brumation) or a brief reduction in their period and level of activity is poorly understood at present in such populations, especially in the case of the Montane Trinket
Snake, as little is known about its natural history. Captive specimens have been maintained in a similar
fashion to the nominate subspecies and fed on a diet of mice and rats, so it is likely that many aspects
of their natural history are shared with the more common subspecies.
Husbandry
Trinket Snakes do not require a large vivarium and can be successfully maintained in the standard formula for vivarium size, that being
length x width = the length of snake.
As might be expected over such a large geographical range, temperatures experienced throughout the seasons are quite variable, corresponding with the wide scope of climatic conditions. Trinkets in the
northernmost part of their distribution are likely to experience a
greater scope of temperatures, than their lowland insular relatives.
For captive C. helena, it can be assumed that a temperature of 84F
is approaching their upper limit of high temperature tolerance and
68F their low temperature tolerance.
So by providing a wide thermal gradient for your Trinket Snake, you'll be hedging your bet regards being
able to provide its preferred body temperature at any one given time, an enclosure incorporating a thermal gradient with a hot spot of 84F and the temperature slopping off to around 77F, should provide
ample flexibility to thermoregulate properly. A night time drop within the cooler area of their enclosure
to 68F is acceptable, as suggested by Schulz but not necessary, we have found a drop of a few degrees
to be sufficient. Like any other snake, higher temperatures within the parameters set out above, will be
preferred by gravid females, to aid digestion or to accelerate ecdysis (shedding), while cooler ones are
likely to be favoured when resting.
Being a shy species several hides should be placed in various areas of the cage, with one of them being
a humid hide, which is essential for the overall well being of this species, without such a hide it will likely have problems sloughing. Another benefit of having a permanent humid hide is that it can be very
hard to determine when a female is gravid and so this can also double as a laying box. An overall humidity of between 70-80 % should be aimed for and a medium sized water bowl will also help to increase
the humidity. When they are approaching a slough it is also recommended that you spray the cage daily
with tepid water. Multiple hides will provide several secure places within the temperature range for the
snake to choose a temperature to best suit its needs.
C. helena is mainly active during the night and early morning, for most of the day they are hidden away
in their hides or occasionally found resting amongst the greenery attached to their branches, mirroring
wild observations.
In captivity C. helena will readily accept a diet of rodents, an interesting observation is their ability to constrict multiple food items at once. If you offer food via tongs, the first will be seized and
26
constricted. Then while offering an additional food item before the snake has finished its investigation
to find the head to begin consuming it, it will strike out and take the second into its coils, prior to continuing to eat both food items. We have observed this in both juvenile and adult specimens. Trinkets
snakes have a marked preference for smaller food items and larger items may be ignored or constricted and left. This is to be expected for a snake with a relatively elongated head and smaller gape than
some other Ratsnakes. Females have a voracious appetite and will feed every 5-7 days whereas the
males will probably only feed every 10-14 days once adult. The intense feeding schedule for females is
essential to maintain good body weight because of there prolific breeding abilities. Reducing this food
intake can successfully reduce the rate at which they reproduce, with a view to a more sensible regime
for curtailing the rate at which they are physically capable of reproduction.
Breeding Coelognathus helena helena
The Trinket snake has been bred in the UK for nearly
twenty years with the first UK breeding by Trevor Smith
in the late eighties, since then they have steadily gained
popularity in the hobby and within the last two to three
years many hobbyists are sourcing this beautiful species
for there own collections.
C. helena is a tropical species and as such does not
require a hibernation period, in earlier times of keeping
this species in captivity, specimens were lost to hibernation in the belief that they required this to be able to produce viable sperm. Trinket snakes are fairly prolific and
will lay eggs all year round, with approx 2-8 eggs in each
clutch and an average of 4 clutches per year, up to 7 has
been recorded for this species (Schulz 1996). Therefore
it is of prime importance that adults especially the females be well conditioned. The females will store
sperm (Amphigonia retarda) and up to four fertile clutches can be achieved from one mating, although
pairing every second clutch may be more successful in insuring the fertility of the clutches.
Copulation can be a lengthy affair with pairs hooked up for several hours,
(Smith 1990) commented on the stamina of his snakes which were hooked up
for five hours. One of the authors also witnessed a pairing lasting in excess of
12 hours.
Hatchlings emerge from their eggs as miniature replicas of their parents
although their colouration is more intense. Most are unproblematic and will
accept pinkies directly after their neonate slough, they are fast growing and
some males have been reported to be sexually mature at 8 months, although
18 months is more usual and much preferred.
In December 2006 one of the authors attempted to breed a pair of adults for
the first time. Introducing the male to the females cage, although no copulations were witnessed the pair spent a lot of time sharing a flowerpot hide so
pairing was probably in seclusion. After around 10 days of the male being introduced, tail rattling could be heard from within the hide, from day 14 to 17 the
male took to hiding in the plastic foliage which was attached to a branch in the
vivarium. These cues were a sign that the female was no longer receptive to his
advances and he was moved back to his own enclosure. Throughout the time
he was with the female and for three weeks after he refused all food, although
he didn't lose any weight during this time he was coaxed back into feeding by
offering him large rat pups which he took with gusto a couple of feeds of these
and his usual fare was offered which he accepted.
The female continued to feed throughout gestation every five to seven days on
medium sized mice and the occasional rat pup, she completed a pre-laying
slough on 13th January 2007 four days later she laid 4 eggs in her moss box.
The eggs were transferred to an incubation box that was set up ready in the
incubator so that the correct humidity and temperature could be achieved before the eggs were laid.
The incubation medium was damp sphagnum moss, the eggs were laid on the top of this and then
a loose layer was placed over the eggs. The female accepted two medium mice a few hours after
27
laying. The eggs began pipping on the 24th March 2007 after 69 days at an average temperature of 80F.
A second clutch of four fertile eggs were laid 130 days after her last clutch on the 25th May 2007. Again
this occurred four days after her pre-laying slough. These eggs measured :
6 cm x 17mm (11g)
5.5cm x 1.8cm (10g)
4.9cm x 1.7cm (8g)
5.2cm x 1.8cm (9g)
All four eggs hatched after 62 days incubation at 30C.
A very mature female who measured 5 foot plus laid a clutch of 8 eggs on 28th September 2007, they
averaged 4.5cm X 2.2cm. Sadly due to an electrical fault most of the eggs were lost, at day 66 when
no hatchlings had emerged, they were manually pipped to find only one live hatchling which was badly
deformed.
Another female and some egg laying data.
Following brief introductions with a male, a female shed on the 9/02/08 and 5 eggs were laid on
12/02/08. These were experimentally incubated at temperatures ranging between 75.2-80.6F (24-27C).
Some measurements taken on hatching:1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
4cm x
4cm x
4cm x
4cm x
3.5cm
1.75cm, 9g - hatched after 91 days.
1.75cm, 9g - hatched after 92 days.
2cm, 10g - failed 12/4/08, was cut open to reveal a solid egg.
1.5cm, 8g - failed 24/2/08.
x 1.5cm, 6g - infertile.
Number 1 egg measured at time of hatching, 5.5cm x 2.5cm, with the resultant hatchling measuring
29cm. Number 2 egg at time of hatching measured 5.2cm x 2.3cm, with the resultant hatchling measuring 28cm.
She then sloughed on 19/3/08, laying 5 eggs on 22/3/08 without any introductions with a male. Some
measurements of this clutch:1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
5cm
5cm
5cm
5cm
5cm
x
x
x
x
x
1.8cm, 11g
1.8cm, 11g
1.8cm, 11g
1.9cm, 11g*
2cm, 12g
* This egg had a slight bulge on it, presumably the first laid as it was on the bottom of the pile. All these
eggs had failed by 6/4/08.
This same female then completed another slough on 2/6/08 after a deliberate reduction of food in an
attempt at slowing her egg production down, laying a further 6 eggs all of which looked white and fertile measuring:1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
5cm x
5cm x
5cm x
5cm x
4.5cm
4.5cm
2cm 11g
2cm 10g
2cm 11g
2cm 12g
x 2cm 9g
x 2cm 9g
All these eggs are currently being incubated at a more even temperature of 80.6F (27C), the resultant
egg size upon hatching and their hatchlings will be measured to compare them with the first clutch,
although it is expected that these won't be as large as the young that underwent the lengthy incubation. - Dave Royans & Sue Knight
References:
GOHIL K.K. 1983 An Albino Trinket Snake (Elaphe helena). Hamadryad, Madras 8/1: 14.
GUIDO NIEHAUS & SCHULZ K-D. 1989 Asian Ratsnakes of the Genus Elaphe Part X1. Elaphe helena (Daudin 1803) Snake Keeper.
METHA R S. 2003. Prey Handling Behaviour of Hatchling Elaphe helena (Colubridae) Herpetologica 59 (4) pg 469-474.
28
SCHULZ K-D. 1996 A Monograph of the Colubrid Snakes of the Genus Elaphe Fitzinger.
SMITH T. 1990 The Trinket Snake, Elaphe helena The Herptile. Vol 15. No.1.
SMITH T. The Captive Care & Breeding of Two Asiatic Ratsnakes. The Reptilian Vol. 1 No.2.
SOMAWEERA R. 2004 Guest Article: Sri Lankan Colubrid Snakes Sri Lankan Naturalist Vol. 6 No. 3-4 pg 32-46.
STASZKO R & WALLS J G. 1994 Rat Snakes: A Hobbyist's Guide to Elaphe and Kin.
UTIGER U, SCHÄTTI B & HELFENBERGER N. 2005 The Oriental Colubrine Genus Coelognathus Fitzinger, 1843 and Classification of Old and New World
Racers and Ratsnakes (Reptilia, Squamata, Colubridae, Colubrinae) Russian Journal of Herpetology Vol. 12, No.1. pg 39-60.
UTIGER U, HELFENBERGER N & SCHÄTTI B, CATHERINE SCHIMDT, MARKUS RUF & VINCENT ZISWILER. 2002 Molecular systematics and phylogeny of Old and New World Ratsnakes, Elaphe, auct., and related genera (Reptilia, Squamata, Colubridae). Russian Journal of Herpetology Vol. 9, No.2.
pg 105-124.
WALL F. 1913 A Popular treatise on the common Indian snakes. Part 19. Coluber helena. J. Bombay nat. hist. Soc. 22: pg 22-28.
WHITAKER R & CAPTAIN A. 2004 Snakes of India: The Field Guide.
ld
i
W
h e snake
T
F r o m Grey Rat s spiloides
o
u
t
Albin is obsole
roph
e
h
t
Pan
An Albino Grey Ratsnake,
Pantherophis obsoletus spiloides
was found in the vicinity of Lake
Talquin in Tallahassee Florida in
someones front yard. The guy
who found it took it along to the
local reptile store in a trash can.
Which is where it is currently
being housed
- Photos by: Nathanael
Classified Adverts
FOR SALE
Habistat Temperature Thermostat *NEW* - £25
3x2x2 viv stack - £175.00
4x2x2 viv stack - £195.00
Arboreal Viv Stack - £200.00
Contact - Lou (UK)
Coelognathus subradiatus CB 2008 - £ 75.00 O.N.O
Oreocryptophis porphyraceus laticinctus CB 2007 - £ 400.00 O.N.O
1.1 Oligodon formosanus - £ 130.00 O.N.O
1.1 Rhynchophis boulengeri CB 2004 - £ 1,100.00 O.N.O
1.1 Coelognathus subradiatus cb 2005 - £ 450.00 O.N.O
Contact - Gidi Van de Belt (Netherlands)
WANTED
Elaphe dione morphs & locales, can collect at the Dutch Snake Day
Contact - Sue (UK)
29
AN ALTERNATIVE CLASSIFICATION OF THE NEW WORLD RATSNAKES
(GENUS Pantherophis [REPTILIA: SQUAMATA: COLUBRIDAE])
Joseph T. Collins and Travis W. Taggart
Sternberg Museum of Natural History
Fort Hays State University
Hays, Kansas 67601
[email protected] & [email protected]
Abstract: Mintonius, gen. nov, is erected for two species of large snakes (100-140 cm) from the northcentral United States and adjacent Canada, principally around the Great Lakes region. The genus contains M. vulpinus and M. gloydi, and is distinguishable from its closest relatives, Pantherophis, Pituophis,
and Scotophis, by aspects of its scutellation, color pattern, and gross morphology, as well as biochemically, genetically, and phylogenetically.
In brief Collins & Taggart propose the following: The genus of Pantherophis (Fitzinger 1843) shall
consist of these species; guttatus, slowinski & emoryi. The genus Scotophis (Baird & Girard 1853) is to
be resurrected for bairdi, obsoletus, alleghaniensis & spiloides. The following species; catenifer, deppei,
lineaticollis, melanoleucus, and ruthveni remain in Pituophis (Holbrook, 1842) and a newly described
genus, Mintonius (Collins & Taggart 2008), be assigned for vulpinus & gloydi (Fox Snakes).
The proposed alternative reclassification by Collins & Taggart, is based on the findings of Burbrink &
Lawson (2007) who found that by using two different methods of computer analysis, morphological
characteristic comparisons, scutellation testing mitochondrial DNA, that Pituophis was a sister taxon to
Pantherophis vulpinus and P. gloydi and were embedded within the Pantherophis clade. According to
cladistic rules, systematists aim to reflect monophyletic relationships (those containing all descendants
from a single ancestor) rather than paraphyletic relationships (those originating from a single ancestor
but omitting some descendants), so the answer was to lump them all into a single genus. Since the
genus Pituophis was older than Pantherophis, it took priority and all the recently transferred
Pantherophis (Utiger et al) species were dumped into Pituophis.
Now Collins & Taggart looked at this data and thought, Hey! this single genus now needs some tidying
up, as it's too confusing as it presently stands. We'll take a look at how they live, where they live and
their outward appearance and further divide them, knowing the inner make-up of them based on mitochondrial DNA and their various other comparisons given by Burbrink & Lawson to reflect a clearer
understanding of their relationship.
The new genus Mintonius is named in recognition of the late Sherman A. Minton & Madge Rutherford
Minton of Indiana, both of whom made their mark in herpetology worldwide and also in Indiana, where
the type species of this new genus occurs.
A PDF of this paper can be found on the CNAH website in their PDF library.
©Copyright the Ratsnake Foundation 2008. You may not copy, reproduce, republish, download, post,
broadcast, transmit, make available to the public, or otherwise use the Ratsnake Foundation content in any
way except for your own personal, non-commercial use. You also agree not to adapt, alter or create a derivative
work from any of the Ratsnake Foundation content except for your own personal, non-commercial use. Any other
use of the Ratsnake Foundation content requires the prior written permission of the Ratsnake Foundation and original author where stated. Any member found to be in breach of this will have there account terminated and further
action may be taken against them.
Herpetological Society Editors : If your society is a not for profit society and you wish to exhange newsletters,
please contact Dan: [email protected]
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this newsletter aren't necessarily those of the Ratsnake Foundation, they are
however expressions of the author’s point of view. We do not hold ourselves responsible for any inaccuracies in the
text herein. Different authors may harbor different beliefs. Any information supplied through these pages should
also be verified by your own research. We would encourage you to read further into the subjects and draw your
own conclusions where appropriate.