TABLE OF CONTENTS IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS • …€¦ · Bulletin of the American Museum of...

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IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS 27(1):96–97 APR 2020 Predation by a Black-banded Cat-eyed Snake, Leptodeira nigrofasciata Günther 1868 (Squamata: Dipsadidae) on a Yellow-bellied Gecko, Phyllodactylus tuberculosus Wiegmann 1834 (Squamata: Phyllodactylidae) in Northwestern Costa Rica José Manuel Mora 1 , Jasdiel Ramírez-Alvarado 2 , Jorge Alpízar-Rodríguez 3 , Andy Rodríguez-Picado 2 , Steven Gallo-Gutiérrez 4 , and Luis José Alfaro-Rodríguez 4 1 Carrera de Gestión Ecoturística, Sede Central, Universidad Técnica Nacional, Alajuela, Costa Rica ([email protected]) 2 Herpetario Monteverde, Monteverde, Costa Rica ([email protected]; [email protected]) 3 Cerro Plano, Monteverde, Costa Rica ([email protected]) 4 Los Llanos, Santa Elena, Monteverde, Costa Rica 96 IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS CONSERVATION AND NATURAL HISTORY Copyright © 2020. José Manuel Mora. All rights reserved. WWW.IRCF.ORG/REPTILESANDAMPHIBIANSJOURNAL T he Black-banded Cat-eyed Snake (Leptodeira nigrofasci- ata) is distributed along the Pacific versant from Mexico to Costa Rica (Leenders 2019). This snake is the most distinc- tive species of the genus in Costa Rica, easily recognized by its characteristic pattern of dark and light bands without dots or spots (Barrio-Amorós 2019). This nocturnally active, mostly terrestrial species (Leenders 2019) is rare and most individu- als are encountered while moving along paved roads (Savage 2002). Little is known about this species, but it is known to feed on leptodactylid frogs (Solórzano 2004), skinks, anoles (Solórzano 2004), and gymnophthalmids (Duellman 1958; Leenders 2019). The Yellow-bellied Gecko (Phyllodactylus tuberculosus) ranges from Mexico to Costa Rica (Leenders 2019), where it inhabits dry forests in which it mainly occurs in association with rocky outcrops, cave and tunnel entrances, bridges, rock fences, and buildings (Lee 1996). Phyllodactylus tuberculosus is strictly nocturnal and insectivorous (Savage 2002). Fig. 1. A Black-banded Cat-eyed Snake (Leptodeira nigrofasciata) ingesting a Yellow-bellied Gecko (Phyllodactylus tuberculosus) in Santa Rosa National Park, Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Photographs by Jorge Alpízar-Rodríguez. IRCF Reptiles & Amphibians ISSN 1098-6324

Transcript of TABLE OF CONTENTS IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS • …€¦ · Bulletin of the American Museum of...

Page 1: TABLE OF CONTENTS IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS • …€¦ · Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 111: 1–152. Lee, J.C. 1996. The Amphibians and Reptiles of the Yucatan

IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS • 27(1):96–97 • APR 2020

Predation by a Black-banded Cat-eyed Snake, Leptodeira nigrofasciata Günther 1868

(Squamata: Dipsadidae) on a Yellow-bellied Gecko, Phyllodactylus tuberculosus Wiegmann

1834 (Squamata: Phyllodactylidae) in Northwestern Costa Rica

José Manuel Mora1, Jasdiel Ramírez-Alvarado2, Jorge Alpízar-Rodríguez3, Andy Rodríguez-Picado2, Steven Gallo-Gutiérrez4, and Luis José Alfaro-Rodríguez4

1Carrera de Gestión Ecoturística, Sede Central, Universidad Técnica Nacional, Alajuela, Costa Rica ([email protected])2Herpetario Monteverde, Monteverde, Costa Rica ([email protected]; [email protected])

3Cerro Plano, Monteverde, Costa Rica ([email protected])4Los Llanos, Santa Elena, Monteverde, Costa Rica

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IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS • VOL15, NO 4 • DEC 2008 189TABLE OF CONTENTS

T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S

F E A T U R E A R T I C L E S

Chasing Bullsnakes (Pituophis catenifer sayi) in Wisconsin: On the Road to Understanding the Ecology and Conservation of the Midwest’s Giant Serpent ...................... Joshua M. Kapfer 190

The Shared History of Treeboas (Corallus grenadensis) and Humans on Grenada: A Hypothetical Excursion ............................................................................................................................Robert W. Henderson 198

R E S E A R C H A R T I C L E S

The Texas Horned Lizard in Central and Western Texas ....................... Emily Henry, Jason Brewer, Krista Mougey, and Gad Perry 204 The Knight Anole (Anolis equestris) in Florida

.............................................Brian J. Camposano, Kenneth L. Krysko, Kevin M. Enge, Ellen M. Donlan, and Michael Granatosky 212

C O N S E R V A T I O N A L E R T

World’s Mammals in Crisis ............................................................................................................................................................. 220 More Than Mammals ...................................................................................................................................................................... 223 The “Dow Jones Index” of Biodiversity ........................................................................................................................................... 225

H U S B A N D R Y

Captive Care of the Central Netted Dragon ....................................................................................................... Shannon Plummer 226

P R O F I L E

Kraig Adler: A Lifetime Promoting Herpetology ................................................................................................ Michael L. Treglia 234

C O M M E N T A R Y

The Turtles Have Been Watching Me ........................................................................................................................ Eric Gangloff 238

B O O K R E V I E W

Threatened Amphibians of the World edited by S.N. Stuart, M. Hoffmann, J.S. Chanson, N.A. Cox, R. Berridge, P. Ramani, and B.E. Young .............................................................................................................. Robert Powell 243

CONSERVATION RESEARCH REPORTS: Summaries of Published Conservation Research Reports ................................. 245 NATURAL HISTORY RESEARCH REPORTS: Summaries of Published Reports on Natural History ................................. 247 NEWBRIEFS ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 248 EDITORIAL INFORMATION ..................................................................................................................................................... 251 FOCUS ON CONSERVATION: A Project You Can Support ............................................................................................... 252

Front Cover. Shannon Plummer.Totat et velleseque audant mo estibus inveliquo velique rerchil erspienimus, quos accullabo. Ilibus aut dolor apicto invere pe dolum fugiatis maionsequat eumque moditia erere nonsedis ma sectiatur ma derrovitae voluptam, as quos accullabo.

Back Cover. Michael KernTotat et velleseque audant mo

estibus inveliquo velique rerchil erspienimus, quos accullabo. Ilibus

aut dolor apicto invere pe dolum fugiatis maionsequat eumque

moditia erere nonsedis ma sectia-tur ma derrovitae voluptam, as

IRC

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REPTILES & AMPHIBIANSC O N S E R V AT I O N A N D N AT U R A L H I S T O R Y

Copyright © 2020. José Manuel Mora. All rights reserved.

WWW.IRCF.ORG/REPTILESANDAMPHIBIANSJOURNAL

The Black-banded Cat-eyed Snake (Leptodeira nigrofasci-ata) is distributed along the Pacific versant from Mexico

to Costa Rica (Leenders 2019). This snake is the most distinc-tive species of the genus in Costa Rica, easily recognized by its characteristic pattern of dark and light bands without dots or spots (Barrio-Amorós 2019). This nocturnally active, mostly terrestrial species (Leenders 2019) is rare and most individu-als are encountered while moving along paved roads (Savage 2002). Little is known about this species, but it is known to

feed on leptodactylid frogs (Solórzano 2004), skinks, anoles (Solórzano 2004), and gymnophthalmids (Duellman 1958; Leenders 2019). The Yellow-bellied Gecko (Phyllodactylus tuberculosus) ranges from Mexico to Costa Rica (Leenders 2019), where it inhabits dry forests in which it mainly occurs in association with rocky outcrops, cave and tunnel entrances, bridges, rock fences, and buildings (Lee 1996). Phyllodactylus tuberculosus is strictly nocturnal and insectivorous (Savage 2002).

Fig. 1. A Black-banded Cat-eyed Snake (Leptodeira nigrofasciata) ingesting a Yellow-bellied Gecko (Phyllodactylus tuberculosus) in Santa Rosa National Park, Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Photographs by Jorge Alpízar-Rodríguez.

IRCF Reptiles & Amphibians ISSN 1098-6324

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At 2156 h on 22 July 2019, we observed an adult Leptodeira nigrofasciata feeding on an adult Phyllodactylus tuber-culosus (Fig. 1) in the camping area of the Santa Rosa National Park in northwestern Costa Rica (10°50'13"N, 85°37'08"W; WGS 84; elev. 297 m asl). Although July falls in the rainy sea-son in this area, conditions at the time of the observation were dry, calm, and quite dark (waning quarter of moon on 24 July, 76% illumination on 22 July, moonrise at 0003 h). Leptodeira nigrofasciata is a rear-fanged snake that kills its prey with a mild venom (Leenders 2019). During the predation event, the snake initially captured the gecko in a tree about 1 m above the ground and subsequently fell to the ground with its prey. The snake constricted the gecko with three complete loops around its body plus incomplete loops at the anterior posterior ends of the body (but not the tail). The snake then took the gecko by the head and began to ingest it. Ingestion lasted 31 minutes.

AcknowledgementsWe thank Luis A. Ruedas, whose valuable suggestions improved this manuscript.

Literature CitedBarrio-Amorós, C.L. 2019. On the taxonomy of snakes in the genus Leptodeira,

with an emphasis on Costa Rican species. Reptiles & Amphibians 26: 1–15.

Duellman, W.E. 1958. A monographic study of the colubrid snake genus Leptodeira. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 111: 1–152.

Lee, J.C. 1996. The Amphibians and Reptiles of the Yucatan Peninsula. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York.

Leenders, T. 2019. Reptiles of Costa Rica: A Field Guide. Zona Tropical Publications, Ithaca, New York.

Savage, J.M. 2002. The Amphibians and Reptiles of Costa Rica. A Herpetofauna between Two Continents, between Two Seas. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois.

Solórzano, A. 2004. Serpientes de Costa Rica: Distribución, Taxonomía e Historia Natural. Editorial INBio, Santo Domingo de Heredia, Costa Rica.

IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS • 27(1):96–97 • APR 2020MORA ET AL.