Herpetological Highlights

A tortoise and turtle double-bill. Gopher tortoises face burrow cave-ins, and sea turtles eat human food.

Become a Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/herphighlights

Full reference list available here: http://www.herphighlights.podbean.com

Main Paper References:

Goodman SJ, Smith JA, Gorman TA, Haas CA. 2018. Longevity of Gopher Tortoise Burrows in Sandy Soils. Southeastern Naturalist 17:531–540. DOI: 10.1656/058.017.0310.

Smulders FOH, O’Shea OR, Christianen MJA. 2021. Animal-borne video reveals atypical behaviour in provisioned green turtles: A global perspective of a widespread tourist activity. Global Ecology and Conservation 25:e01417. DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2020.e01417.

Other Mentioned Papers/Studies:

Mendonca, M., Beauman, R., & Balbach, H. (2007). Burrow Collapse as a Potential Stressor on the Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus polyphenus). Engineer Research And Development Center Champaign IL Construction Engineering Research Lab.

Wester, E.E. (2004). Impact of natural gas pipeline operation and maintenance on longterm population viability of the threatened gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus). Report to Florida Gas Transmission Company. Southern Ecosystems Research, Auburn, AL

Other Links/Mentions:

Bulldog stuck in tortoise burrow: https://yhoo.it/3RYLgQh 

Editing and Music:

Podcast edited by Emmy – https://www.fiverr.com/emmyk10 

Intro/outro – Treehouse by Ed Nelson

Species Bi-week theme – Michael Timothy

Other Music – The Passion HiFi, https://www.thepassionhifi.com

Sirens resemble a salamander crossed with an eel. We work out how these bizarre amphibians hunt, and talk about a siren species only recently discovered by science. 

Become a Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/herphighlights

Full reference list available here: http://www.herphighlights.podbean.com

Main Paper References:

Martin BT, Goodding DD, Ford NB, Placyk JS. 2013. Sensory Mediation of Foraging Behavior in the Western Lesser Siren (Siren intermedia nettingi). Journal of Herpetology 47:75–77. DOI: 10.1670/11-209.

Species of the Bi-Week:

Graham SP, Kline R, Steen DA, Kelehear C. 2018. Description of an extant salamander from the Gulf Coastal Plain of North America: The Reticulated Siren, Siren reticulata. PLOS ONE 13:e0207460. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0207460.

Editing and Music:

Podcast edited by Emmy – https://www.fiverr.com/emmyk10 

Intro/outro – Treehouse by Ed Nelson

Species Bi-week theme – Michael Timothy

Other Music – The Passion HiFi, https://www.thepassionhifi.com

Animals have to adapt to all sorts of changes, but urbanisation is perhaps one of the most drastic. Urban noise can majorly interfere with communication, so how do frogs overcome the noise and busyness of the big city?

Become a Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/herphighlights

Full reference list available here: http://www.herphighlights.podbean.com

Main Paper References:

Halfwerk W, Blaas M, Kramer L, Hijner N, Trillo PA, Bernal XE, Page RA, Goutte S, Ryan MJ, Ellers J. 2018. Adaptive changes in sexual signalling in response to urbanization. Nature Ecology & Evolution. DOI: 10.1038/s41559-018-0751-8.

Other Mentioned Papers/Studies:

Halfwerk W, Jones PL, Taylor RC, Ryan MJ, Page RA. 2014. Risky Ripples Allow Bats and Frogs to Eavesdrop on a Multisensory Sexual Display. Science 343:413–416. DOI: 10.1126/science.1244812.

Graitson, E., & Taymans, J. 2022. Impacts des lâchers massifs de faisans de Colchide (Phasianus colchicus L.) sur les squamates (Reptilia Squamata). Bull. Soc. Herp. Fr, 180.

Kaczmarek, E.B., Gartner, S.M., Westneat, M.W. and Brainerd, E.L., 2022. Air Breathing and Suction Feeding Kinematics in the West African Lungfish, Protopterus annectens. Integrative and Comparative Biology.

Other Links/Mentions:

The forest and urban calls from Halfwerk et al., 2018.

Forest call: https://static-content.springer.com/esm/art%3A10.1038%2Fs41559-018-0751-8/MediaObjects/41559_2018_751_MOESM3_ESM.wav

Urban call: https://static-content.springer.com/esm/art%3A10.1038%2Fs41559-018-0751-8/MediaObjects/41559_2018_751_MOESM4_ESM.wav

Editing and Music:

Podcast edited by Emmy – https://www.fiverr.com/emmyk10 

Intro/outro – Treehouse by Ed Nelson

Species Bi-week theme – Michael Timothy

Other Music – The Passion HiFi, https://www.thepassionhifi.com

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No it’s a Plethodontid Salamander, more specifically Aneides vagrans AKA the wandering salamander. As strange as it sounds we look at a gliding salamander this episode. Species of the Bi-week is an elegant wine-gum-looking beast.

Become a Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/herphighlights

Full reference list available here: http://www.herphighlights.podbean.com

Main Paper References:

Brown CE, Sathe EA, Dudley R, Deban SM. 2022. Gliding and parachuting by arboreal salamanders. Current Biology 32:R453–R454. DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.04.033.

Species of the Bi-Week:

Dahinten-Bailey H, Serrano MJ, Alonso-Ascencio M, Cruz-Font JJ, Rosito-Prado I, Ruiz-Villanueva KJA, Vásquez-Almazan C, Ariano-Sánchez D. 2021. A new species of Bolitoglossa (Caudata: Plethodontidae) of the Bolitoglossa franklini group from an isolated cloud forest in northern Guatemala. Zootaxa 4966:202–214. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4966.2.7.

Other Links/Mentions:

Gliding salamanders video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5w13ZHyTs8 

Editing and Music:

Podcast edited by Emmy – https://www.fiverr.com/emmyk10 

Intro/outro – Treehouse by Ed Nelson

Species Bi-week theme – Michael Timothy

Other Music – The Passion HiFi, https://www.thepassionhifi.com

Many large animals have gone extinct in the last 50,000 years - but not Komodo dragons. We explore a paper detailing why they have survived while other megafauna have not. 

Become a Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/herphighlights

Full reference list available here: http://www.herphighlights.podbean.com

Main Paper References:

Shine R, Somaweera R. 2019. Last lizard standing: The enigmatic persistence of the Komodo dragon. Global Ecology and Conservation 18:e00624. DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2019.e00624.

Editing and Music:

Podcast edited by Emmy – https://www.fiverr.com/emmyk10 

Intro/outro – Treehouse by Ed Nelson

Species Bi-week theme – Michael Timothy

Other Music – The Passion HiFi, https://www.thepassionhifi.com

Snakes are often thought of as totally solitary, but this isn't always the case. We talk about a new study detailing snake social behaviour, and follow it up with two recently described frog species from Central Africa.

Become a Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/herphighlights

Full reference list available here: http://www.herphighlights.podbean.com

Main Paper References:

Skinner M, Miller N. 2020. Aggregation and social interaction in garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis). Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 74. DOI: 10.1007/s00265-020-2827-0.

Species of the Bi-Week:

Greenbaum E, Allen KE, Vaughan ER, Badjedjea G, Barej MF, Behangana M, Conkey N, Dumbo B, Gonwouo L, Hirschfeld M, Hughes DF, Igunzi F, Kusamba C, Lukwago W, Masudi FM, Penner J, Rödel M, Roelke CE, Romero S, Dehling JM. 2022. Systematics of the Central African Spiny Reed Frog Afrixalus laevis (Anura: Hyperoliidae), with the description of two new species from the Albertine Rift. Zootaxa 5174:201–232.

Other Mentioned Papers/Studies:

Alexander, G. J. 2018. Reproductive biology and maternal care of neonates in southern African python (Python natalensis). Journal of Zoology, 305(3), 141-148.

Editing and Music:

Podcast edited by Emmy – https://www.fiverr.com/emmyk10 

Intro/outro – Treehouse by Ed Nelson

Species Bi-week theme – Michael Timothy

Other Music – The Passion HiFi, https://www.thepassionhifi.com

Foxsnakes are widely distributed and with an apparently tumultuous taxonomic history, but we can still take a look at the habitats they prefer and their ability to traverse fragmented landscapes.

Become a Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/herphighlights

Full reference list available here: http://www.herphighlights.podbean.com

Main Paper References:

Row JR, Blouin-Demers G, Lougheed SC. 2012. Movements and Habitat Use of Eastern Foxsnakes (Pantherophis gloydi) in Two Areas Varying in Size and Fragmentation. Journal of Herpetology 46:94–99. DOI: 10.1670/10-262.

Other Mentioned Papers/Studies:

Chambers EA, Hillis DM. 2019. The Multispecies Coalescent Over-splits Species in the Case of Geographically Widespread Taxa. Systematic Biology:syz042. DOI: 10.1093/sysbio/syz042.

Conant, R. (1940). A new subspecies of the Fox Snake, Elaphe vulpina Baird and Girard. Herpetologica, 2(1), 1-14.

Crother, B. I., White, M. E., Savage, J. M., Eckstut, M. E., Graham, M. R., & Gardner, D. W. (2011). A Reevaluation of the Status of the Foxsnakes Pantherophis gloydi Conant and P. vulpinus Baird and Girard (Lepidosauria). International Scholarly Research Notices, 2011.

Other Links/Mentions:

Eastern fox snake combat (mistitled): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogaXTO-XcKc

Editing and Music:

Podcast edited by Emmy – https://www.fiverr.com/emmyk10 

Intro/outro – Treehouse by Ed Nelson

Species Bi-week theme – Michael Timothy

Other Music – The Passion HiFi, https://www.thepassionhifi.com

Lizards can live in some tough environments, but does any lizard top the chubby Phymaturus living on the side of an active volcano? This episode we explore how they are coping with repeated ashfall events, as well as highlighting a newly described Phymaturus species.

Become a Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/herphighlights

Full reference list available here: http://www.herphighlights.podbean.com

Main Paper References:

Boretto JM, Cabezas-Cartes F, Kubisch EL, Sinervo B, Ibargüengoytía NR. 2014. Changes In Female Reproduction And Body Condition In An Endemic Lizard, Phymaturus spectabilis, Following The Puyehue Volcanic Ashfall Event. Herpetological Conservation and Biology:11.

Species of the Bi-Week:

Lobo F, Barrasso DA, Hibbard T, Quipildor M, Slodki D, Valdecantos S, Basso NG. 2021. Morphological and Genetic Divergence within the Phymaturus payuniae Clade (Iguania: Liolaemidae), with the Description of Two New Species. South American Journal of Herpetology 20:41.

Other Mentioned Papers/Studies:

Becker, L. A., Boretto, J. M., Cabezas-Cartes, F., Márquez, S., Kubisch, E., Scolaro, J. A., ... & Ibargüengoytía, N. R. (2019). An integrative approach to elucidate the taxonomic status of five species of Phymaturus Gravenhorst, 1837 (Squamata: Liolaemidae) from northwestern Patagonia, Argentina. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 185(1), 268-282.

Cabezas-Cartes F, Kubisch EL, Ibargüengoytía NR. 2014. Consequences of volcanic ash deposition on the locomotor performance of the Phymaturus spectabilis lizard from Patagonia, Argentina: Effect Of Volcanic Ash In Locomotion Of Lizards. Journal of Experimental Zoology Part A: Ecological Genetics and Physiology 321:164–172. DOI: 10.1002/jez.1846.

Other Links/Mentions:

Frog call of Boana faber from Rodrigo Dela Rosa – https://amphibiaweb.org/cgi/amphib_query?special=call&genus=Boana&species=faber

Editing and Music:

Podcast edited by Emmy – https://www.fiverr.com/emmyk10 

Intro/outro – Treehouse by Ed Nelson

Species Bi-week theme – Michael Timothy

Other Music – The Passion HiFi, https://www.thepassionhifi.com

Toad headed agamas have a bonkers display - bright pink flaps which pop out of the sides of their head. It has long been assumed this serves as a warning to would-be predators, but does scientific evidence support this?

Become a Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/herphighlights

Full reference list available here: http://www.herphighlights.podbean.com

Main Paper Reference:

Whiting, M. J., Noble, D. W. A., & Qi, Y. (2022). A potential deimatic display revealed in a lizard. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 136(3), 455–465. https://doi.org/10.1093/biolinnean/blac044

Other Mentioned Papers/Studies:

Petrovan, S. O., Al-Fulaij, N., Christie, A., & Andrews, H. (2022). Why link diverse citizen science surveys? Widespread arboreal habits of a terrestrial amphibian revealed by mammalian tree surveys in Britain. PloS one, 17(7), e0265156.

Editing and Music:

Podcast edited by Emmy – https://www.fiverr.com/emmyk10 

Intro/outro – Treehouse by Ed Nelson

Species Bi-week theme – Michael Timothy

Other Music – The Passion HiFi, https://www.thepassionhifi.com

Some vipers have crazy horns - we chat about it, and discuss a brand new species of lizard from South America.

Become a Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/herphighlights

Full reference list available here: http://www.herphighlights.podbean.com

Main Paper References:

Busschau, T., & Boissinot, S. (2022). Habitat determines convergent evolution of cephalic horns in vipers. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 135(4), 652–664. https://doi.org/10.1093/biolinnean/blac008

Species of the Bi-Week:

Amézquita, A., Daza, J. M., Contreras, L. A. B., Orejuela, C., Barrientos, L. S., & Mazariegos H., L. A. (2022). One more and one less: a new species of large bromelicolous lizard (Gymnophthalmidae: Anadia) from the Andean cloud forests of northwestern Colombia and the phylogenetic status of Anadia antioquensis. Zootaxa, 5150(2), 217–238. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5150.2.3

Other Mentioned Papers/Studies:

Petrovan, S. O., Al-Fulaij, N., Christie, A., & Andrews, H. (2022). Why link diverse citizen science surveys? Widespread arboreal habits of a terrestrial amphibian revealed by mammalian tree surveys in Britain. PloS one, 17(7), e0265156.

Editing and Music:

Podcast edited by Emmy – https://www.fiverr.com/emmyk10 

Intro/outro – Treehouse by Ed Nelson

Species Bi-week theme – Michael Timothy

Other Music – The Passion HiFi, www.thepassionhifi.com