Herpetological Highlights

An arms race between newts and snakes means biological warfare. 

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

Main Paper References:

Gilbert AL, Cabrera S, Hague MTJ, Stokes AN, Feldman CR, Hanifin CT, Brodie ED, Brodie ED. 2023. Phenotypic outcomes of predator–prey coevolution are predicted by landscape variation in climate and community composition. Functional Ecology 37:2170–2180. DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.14360.

Other Mentioned Papers/Studies:

Calhoun, D. M., Bucciarelli, G. M., Kats, L. B., Zimmer, R. K., & Johnson, P. T. (2017). Noxious newts and their natural enemies: Experimental effects of tetrodotoxin exposure on trematode parasites and aquatic macroinvertebrates. Toxicon, 137, 120-127.

Williams, B. L., Hanifin, C. T., Brodie, E. D., & Brodie III, E. D. (2010). Tetrodotoxin affects survival probability of rough-skinned newts (Taricha granulosa) faced with TTX-resistant garter snake predators (Thamnophis sirtalis). Chemoecology, 20, 285-290.

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

New research sets out to work out what the meadow vipers like.

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

Merch: https://www.redbubble.com/people/herphighlights/shop

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

Main Paper References:

Mizsei E, Budai M, Móré A, Rák G, Radovics D, Bancsik B, Wenner B, Márton S, Korsós Z, Lengyel S, Vadász C. 2023. Management impacts on three reptile species ( Vipera ursinii , Lacerta agilis , Lacerta viridis ) in sandy grasslands in Hungary: Mowing should be avoided. Conservation Science and Practice:e13048. DOI: 10.1111/csp2.13048.

Species of the Bi-Week:

Jablonski D, Ribeiro-Júnior MA, Simonov E, Šoltys K, Meiri S. 2023. A new, rare, small-ranged, and endangered mountain snake of the genus Elaphe from the Southern Levant. Scientific Reports 13:4839. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-30878-4.

Other Mentioned Papers/Studies:

Gould E, et al. 2023. Same data, different analysts: variation in effect sizes due to analytical decisions in ecology and evolutionary biology. EcoEvoRxiv. DOI: 10.32942/X2GG62.

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

Gopher tortoises build wonderful and important burrows, but what happens when an invasive species decides to move in.

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

Merch: https://www.redbubble.com/people/herphighlights/shop

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

Main Paper References:

Durso A, Rivero J. 2023. Black spiny-tailed iguana (Ctenosaura similis) use of gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) burrows in Buckingham, Florida. Florida Field Naturalist 51:58–73. DOI: 10.6084/M9.FIGSHARE.24021423.

Other Mentioned Papers/Studies:

Lopes RJ, Pinho CJ, Santos B, Seguro M, Mata VA, Egeter B, Vasconcelos R. 2019. Intricate trophic links between threatened vertebrates confined to a small island in the Atlantic Ocean. Ecology and Evolution 9:4994–5002. DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5105.

Other Links/Mentions:

Cuban Treefrog sound from Ariel Rodríguez & Roberto Alonso via: AmphibiaWeb 2009 Osteopilus septentrionalis: Cuban Treefrog <https://amphibiaweb.org/species/1019> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed Nov 26, 2023. Also https://www.fonozoo.com/fnz_detalles_registro_amphibia.php?id=98045&tipo_registro=1

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

We are relatively familiar with modern snake bite advice, but what snakes did the ancient Egyptians deal with?

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

Main Paper References:

McBride E, Winder IC, Wüster W. 2023. What Bit the Ancient Egyptians? Niche Modelling to Identify the Snakes Described in the Brooklyn Medical Papyrus. Environmental Archaeology:1–14. DOI: 10.1080/14614103.2023.2266631.

Species of the Bi-Week:

Liedtke HC, Malonza PK, Wasonga DV, Müller H, Loader SP. 2023. A new genus and species of toad from Mount Kenya illuminates East African montane biogeography. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society:zlad160. DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlad160.

Other Links/Mentions:

Ross Mcgibbon calendars https://rmrphotography.com.au/2024-fundraising-calendar/ 

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

An exciting new study suggests turtles might be social creatures. 

Main Paper References:

McKnight DT, Serano JC, Thompson DM, Ligon DB. 2023. They really do move in herds: evidence of group living in an aquatic turtle. Animal Behaviour:S0003347223002142. DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2023.08.015.

Other Mentioned Papers/Studies:

Fernandes IY, Koch ED, Mônico AT. 2023. First record of a snake call in South America: the unusual sound of an ornate snail-eater Dipsas catesbyi. Acta Amazonica 53:243–245. DOI: 10.1590/1809-4392202300431.

Other Links/Mentions:

Code review preprint: https://ecoevorxiv.org/repository/view/5393/ 

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

Fire salamanders are the focus of this episode. Like humans, they have been facing a pandemic recently, and new research delves into how populations have been coping. We top it off with a brand new snake species from Vietnam.

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Merch: https://www.redbubble.com/people/herphighlights/shop

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

Main Paper References:

Erens J, Preissler K, Speybroeck J, Beukema W, Spitzen-van Der Sluijs A, Stark T, Laudelout A, Kinet T, Schmidt BR, Martel A, Steinfartz S, Pasmans F. 2023. Divergent population responses following salamander mass mortalities and declines driven by the emerging pathogen Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 290:20230510. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.0510.

Species of the Bi-Week:

Kane D, Tapley B, La TV, Nguyen LT. 2023. A new species of the genus Rhabdophis Fitzinger, 1843 (Squamata: Colubridae) from the Hoang Lien range, northwest Vietnam. Zootaxa 5343:101–125. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5343.2.1.

Other Mentioned Papers/Studies:

Ivimey‐Cook ER, Pick JL, Bairos‐Novak KR, Culina A, Gould E, Grainger M, Marshall BM, Moreau D, Paquet M, Royauté R, Sánchez‐Tójar A, Silva I, Windecker SM. 2023. Implementing code review in the scientific workflow: Insights from ecology and evolutionary biology. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 36:1347–1356. DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14230.

Other Links/Mentions:

Adder conservation genetics preprint: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.09.19.557540v1.full 

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

Crocodiles leave their mouths open for long periods of time, and we don’t really know why. We also take a long tangent on the swiftlet nest business and what wee reptiles are cashing in themselves.

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Merch: https://www.redbubble.com/people/herphighlights/shop

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

Main Paper References:

Price C, Ezat MA, Hanzen C, Downs CT. 2022. Never smile at a crocodile: Gaping behaviour in the Nile crocodile at Ndumo Game Reserve, South Africa. Behavioural Processes 203:104772. DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2022.104772.

Other Mentioned Papers/Studies:

Quah ESH, Chong JL. 2022. Reptile predators of swiftlets (genus Aerodramus) with a focus on their impact on the swiftlet farming industry. Herpetology Notes.

Wüster, W., & Tillack, F. 2023. On the importance of types and the perils of “en passant” taxonomy: a brief history of the typification of Coluber naja Linnaeus, 1758 (Serpentes: Elapidae) and its implications, with the designation of a lectotype. Zootaxa, 5346(4), 403-419.

Other Links/Mentions:

AmphibiaWeb. 2023. University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed 28 Sep 2023. https://amphibiaweb.org/cgi/amphib_query?where-scientific_name=Hyperolius+tuberilinguis&rel-scientific_name=contains&include_synonymies=Yes

Audio from flamelily via iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/152630015

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

Tracking and understanding invasive species is difficult, but even more so when the invasive can interbreed with the endangered native species creating a more powerful hybrid. This episode we look at a hybridising salamander. We also have a very special Species of the Bi-week.

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

Merch: https://www.redbubble.com/people/herphighlights/shop

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

Main Paper References:

Cooper RD, Shaffer HB. 2023. Managing invasive hybrids with pond hydroperiod manipulation in an endangered salamander system. Conservation Biology:cobi.14167. DOI: 10.1111/cobi.14167.

Species of the Bi-Week:

Major T, Renk P, Reissig J, Paijmans JLA, Morris E, Hofreiter M, Barlow A, Broadley DG, Wüster W. 2023. Museum DNA reveals a new, potentially extinct species of rinkhals (Serpentes: Elapidae: Hemachatus) from the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe. PLOS ONE 18:e0291432. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0291432.

Other Links/Mentions:

Conversation article about the Nyanga rinkhals: https://shorturl.at/ouvyL

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

Chameleons have evolved a diversity of weaponry. New research determines what these weapons are, and which chameleon groups are the most heavily-armed.

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

Merch: https://www.redbubble.com/people/herphighlights/shop

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

Main Paper References:

Van Kleeck-Hann M, Wiens JJ. 2023. Macroevolution of sexually selected weapons: weapon evolution in chameleons. Evolution:qpad138. DOI: 10.1093/evolut/qpad138.

Other Mentioned Papers/Studies:

Kang, C., Kim, Y. E., & Jang, Y. 2016. Colour and pattern change against visually heterogeneous backgrounds in the tree frog Hyla japonica. Scientific reports, 6(1), 22601.

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

They call them mamushi, or the Japanese pitviper. New research determines whether these snakes operate in chilly weather, or if their prey are safe to relax. 

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

Merch: https://www.redbubble.com/people/herphighlights/shop

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

Main Paper References:

Kodama T, Mori A. 2023. How important is temperature for strike success of ectotherms? Thermal effects on predator–prey interactions of free‐ranging pit vipers (Gloydius blomhoffii). Ethology:eth.13400. DOI: 10.1111/eth.13400.

Species of the Bi-Week:

Lawson LP, Loader SP, Lyakurwa JV, Liedtke HC. 2023. Diversification of spiny-throated reed frogs (Anura: Hyperoliidae) with the description of a new, range-restricted species from the Ukaguru Mountains, Tanzania. PLOS ONE 18:e0277535. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0277535.

Other Mentioned Papers/Studies:

Kimbrough L. 2023.No croak: New silent frog species described from Tanzania’s ‘sky island’ forests. Available at https://news.mongabay.com/2023/02/no-croak-new-silent-frog-species-described-from-tanzanias-sky-island-forests/ (accessed April 12, 2023).

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