Meet the Banded Knob-tailed Gecko, N. wheeleri cinctus.
Earlier we discussed the 2 most distinctive Knob-tailed Geckos, the Centralian and the Queensland Rough-skinned species. Today we’ll take a look at two species, the Three-banded and the Banded Knob-tails, respectively known as Nephrurus levis (three subspecies, N.l. levis, N.l. occidentalis and N.l. pibarenis) and N.wheeleri cinctus. As with other members of this genus, these 2 are capable of “barking” vocalizations.

The Three-banded Knob-tailed Gecko, Nephrurus levis, is the most widespread member of this genus on the Australian Continent. Two of the 3 subspecies of this species occur in westernmost Western Australia. The third, has a vast range throughout most of interior Australia. The reference of 3 bands refers to the three narrow light bands, often dark bordered, that cross the dorsum between the back of the head and the shoulders. If taken literally, the reference to smooth in a second common name is erroneous. It is meant only as a comparison to differentiate the relative skin texture of this species from the very roughened dorsal and lateral skin of other members of this genus.

This species has a rather long, somewhat flattened, knob-tipped tail. Counting tail, the length of this species would be about 5 inches. It, like other members of the genus is oviparous.

The more commonly seen of the 2 subspecies of Wheeler’s Knob-tail, is the northernmore form, N. wheeleri cinctus. It has been elevated to full species status, N. cinctus, by some researchers. It is also known as the Banded Knob tail Gecko. It is restricted to Western Australia.

It is a rough-skinned species with the dorsum being much rougher than the sides. Dorsal and lateral coloration is purplish with wide brownish bands.

This species seems to prefer vegetated rocky areas as habitat.

The Banded Knob-tailed Gecko has a rather long, flattened tail tipped with a small knob. Counting the tail, the length of this species would be about 4 ½ inches. It, like other members of the genus is oviparous.

Both the Banded and the Three-banded Knob-tailed Geckos have proven hardy captives and have been bred numerous times by hobbyists. Aridland terrariums are preferred, and several inches of clean sand is a suitable substrate. Watering is a bit of a chore. Besides not recognizing water dishes as moisture sources, their normal activities usually have dishes rapidly sand filled. It has been found that spraying the terrarium sides in the evenings when these lizards are active is the best solution to the watering question.

Nesting female Florida Softshelled Turtle, Apalone ferox.
Jake and I were zipping along on our favorite “Canebrake Rattler road” when Jake hollered “softshell, a big one.” Translated that meant photo-op so I swerved, turned, and drove almost up to the turtle—a big female—and she was nesting. Pix were taken and we left, the turtle still undisturbed.

Two hours later, after finding a beautiful canebrake rattler, we decided to recheck the nesting Florida Softshell, Apalone ferox. She was gone. Initially, from the car, it seemed that all was well, that she had laid, covered the nest, and returned to the flooded swamps. But, deciding to take some pix of the turtle’s swampland home, I left the car, our security from the dozens of gathering deerflies, horseflies, and “skeeters,” and Jake elected to take pix of the turtle nest.

Disaster. Her primary nest and several other attempted nestings, had been pilfered.

Our initial thoughts ran to raccoons, a well known and abundant predator of turtles and their eggs. But before leaving we had changed our minds, now leaning toward human predation.

The thought change was brought about by the finding of one intact egg at the mouth of the nest and then finding 2 others, one broken and one still intact several feet away on road edge.

We picked up the 2 “good” eggs after deciding to incubate them while all the while feeling sure that after having been rolled about and dropped incubation would be unsuccessful.

But the hatching, more than 2 months later, proved me wrong. And now we have 2 healthy appearing hatchlings to return to the swamp.

This is N. asper, recognized by name rather than appearance
Australia! A veritable land of geckos! But from among this plethora of hobbyist favorites, one group, those of the genus Nephrurus, stands out, or at least once stood out, by the presence of knobs tipping the shortened and/or fattened tails. But now, with its inclusion to the genus by Aaron Bauer, the old Underwoodisaurus millii, a species with a comparatively fat but long tail that bears no visible tipping knob, has become a member of the knobbed cluster. It is N. millii. All are capable of vocalizations.

But this blog post is about only 2 members of the genus whose tails differ from the rest but that are themselves of confusingly similar appearance. These two, the Queensland Rough Knob-tail, Nephrurus asper and the Centralian Rough Knob-tail, N. amyae have, by far, the shortest tails in the genus. The former inhabits much of Queensland, from the Cape York Peninsula southward and the latter ranges over much of central Australia including Northern Territory and extreme eastern Western Australia. Both are associated with ledges, rocks, and arid soils.but in eastern Queensland N. asper may be found to range into areas a little moister than the norm. There it seems associated with creviced, rocky, ledges.

These 2 species are so similar that unless their geographic range is known you will have difficulty determining which is which. The species name asper relates to the rough-skin of these geckos, while amyae is a patronym. Although both are “sand” colored, of the 2, N. amyae, beings associated with red sand areas in Australia, is often the redder while N. asper tends to vary from sand tan to pale brown. Both have faint darker crossbands with the nuchal (neck) band being the most prominent. Dorsally and laterally these two geckos have spiny scales encircled by somewhat enlarged smoother scales.


Both species are hardy captives, feeding well on insects and pill-bugs. They will drink water droplets from the sides of the terrarium or from their own scales when gently sprayed. They may not recognize a shallow dish as a water source. Both species are adult at a svl of 4 ½ to just over 5 inches with the Centralian being slightly the larger and the very short tail adding a few fractions of an inch. They are, like many geckos, terrestrial, lack expanded digital laminae, fully capable of burrowing in suitable soils, and are oviparous.

Peltophryne fustiger is the Giant Toad species from the region of Soroa, Cuba
Our first herping experience was at Soroa, a locale southwest of Habana, known for its waterfalls and streams. The region is home to a big aquatic anole and other lizards, a variety of snakes, and an endemic giant toad, Peltophryne fustiger.

Our second morning proved to be fruitful. Within minutes we were all gazing at several Stream Anoles, Anolis vermiculatus,. There were juveniles on fallen branches in the stream and adult males displaying on nearby treetrunks. Having been told that the species was difficult to find and photograph, we found our experience to be totally opposite.We learned also, that while most accounts claim this and the related A. bartschi to be the only 2 amongst the hordes of anole species to be devoid of a dewlap, that this was not precisely the case. In fact, both of those taxa have a dewlap, small though it is.

An adult Cuban Crocodile. This species is not inclined to have a gentle disposition.
This Island Nation (archipelago) has always intrigued me. ‘Way back in the 1950s I had contemplated a visit to Cuba, but politics prevented a visit. And although politics still play an important role in a visit to Cuba, it is now at least possible. These reminiscences are about Patti’s and my trip number 3, from Havana westward to Soroa and Vinales and then southward to the Cienega Zapata, the home of the fabled Cuban Crocodile.

Cuba’s herpetofauna (and endemic birds) are very different from species found only 90 miles northward on the Florida peninsula and keys. Amongst the herpetofauna, for example, there are no seriously venomous species, although several snake taxa are rear-fanged and produce a venom of “mild” toxicity that assists in overpowering prey. Among the constrictors are the big Cuban Boa and a number of “Tropes” that were until recently considered dwarfed members of the boid family. Simply put, if you exclude the Cuban species of anoles and a treefrog now established in Florida, no matter where we stopped to search, any herps found would be distinctly different from those found only 90 miles distant in the Florida Keys. Now onto the air conditioned tour bus, and driver, Ronel, had us on our way in mere minutes.

Note the slightly upturned nose of this species.
Hypsirhyncus ferox, the Hispaniolan Cat-eyed or Hog-nosed Snake, is an interesting little dipsadine species about which very little is written. Both common names are well deserved, this snake having elliptical pupils and a flattened slightly upturned rostrum.

Coloration may range by individual from a solid brick red, through various shades of yellow, to a deep olive-gray, all with or without dorsal patterning.

Long a single species found in both Hispaniolan countries and having 3 subspecies, recently it has been revisited by geneticists and (surprise, surprise!) has now been split into 2 species, one of which has 2 ssp. Adult size is about 15 inches and prey includes lizards and frogs. Seemingly related to the small dipsadine racers of the Caribbean Islands, the Cat-eyed Snakes can move agilely and quickly. Over the years I have maintained a few as captive and found them to be secretive and hardy, readily feeding on anoles. Other than the fact that this is an oviparous snake, little is known about its breeding methodology.

Koch's Day Gecko is one of the plainer colored green taxa, but also one of the largest.

Having decided to write a bit about a couple of day gecko species, I just (08Feb22) looked at the day gecko (Phelsuma sp.) listings on my host’s, Kingsnake.coms, page to see what species were available today. I was shocked to see only a single listing, this for 2 Koch’s Day Geckos. P. madagascariensis kochii. This was so very different than during the heyday of Malagasy importations, the 1980s, that I could hardly believe my eyes.

Admittedly, I am no longer keeping up with the vagaries of herp availability like I did in the 1970s and 1980s, but the almost absolute lack of ads for these wonderful and easily bred lizards actually shocked me. I well remember the arrival of Malagasy shipments at Gulf Coast Herps (sadly, now closed), and Rob MacInnis and Bill Love scurrying about in their Ft. Myers facility to ascertain all were unpacked and suitably housed as quickly as possible.

I posted a few pix and queries on my Facebook page today (08Feb) and a few responses have come in. It seems that a few of the more common or larger species are being maintained both as pets and breeders. I can only hope that a few hobbyists (there now seems a larger number than I initially thought!) continue to maintain other taxa. Replenishment from the wild seems unlikely, so whether or not these beauties remain available to hobbyists is quite likely now up to the hobbyists themselves.

Eyelashed Pit Vipers come in almost all shades of green and yellow plus gray and brown.
We had just met with a little blunt-headed tree snake on a trailside shrub. It looked so like the twigs on which it quietly lay that we had walked by and then, for some reason decided to retrace our few steps back to the creek. Only then, because it had decided to lift its head a bit, did we see the tree snake. Aha. Imantodes inornata. A new species.

Again, we scanned the creek, then moved ahead on the trail only to be stopped in a few steps by the creek itself that had there decided to widen, deepen, and cross the trail. What had earlier looked to be a yard wide and a foot deep had been deepened and widened here by innumerable footsteps on the pathway. We were either going to get wet or turn back, so of course we got wet.

And it was a good thing we had done so, for as we sloshed along our guide quietly said “Oropel.”

I said "Oh WOW!"

I had kept an example of the Eyelashed Viper, Bothriechis schlegelii, many years before. That snake had been rather dark and overall nondescript. But it had been a gift and I was still a kid, so I cherished it. Then, I was fortunate over the years to have seen many others, at dealers, at breeders, and at zoos, but now I was looking at my first “in field” example. This was an experience different and more exciting than the others and a beautiful example this oropel, the yellow phase, was. And before the walk was over we were to see a second, a greenish one that time.

A memorable stroll!

Small snakes, variable bush vipers are adult at from 18 to 24 inches in length.
Meet Africa’s non-eyelashed, muilticolored viperine answer to the crotaline Eyelashed Pit Viper of Central and South America! This is the variable bush viper, Atheris squamiger. An arboreal species, this 18 to 24 inch long viperine is most at home in forest shrubs rather than canopy reaching trees.

Although in some populations the color of the variable bush viper may be a rather standardized olive-green, in other locales the variations in coloration are nothing short of remarkable. In these latter the little snakes may be of some shade of green, orange, russet, cinnamon, blue, yellow, charcoal, or brownish. Some may even be of one color dorsally and a second color laterally. And on any of these colors the snake may or may not bear a vague or prominent dorsal pattern of dark-edged, darker than ground color, dorsal saddles or chevrons. The belly may vary from immaculate to heavily spotted. Have I yet described a variability sufficient to warrant the name? I would certainly think so.

Atheris squamiger occurs in tropical West and Central Africa

This snake will bite if threatened and envenomation has resulted in human death.

Mussels and crayfish beware. You are being searched for.
Rapids, calm, more rapids then more calm. Kelly and I were on the 7-Point River, now searching for, among other things, common map turtles, Graptemys geographica. Still an hour or so before dusk, robins were already chirruping their evening songs and red bats were flitting in quest of insects just a few feet above the water.

Thanx to Kelly and another AR GFC biologist, both of whom dove deeply to check on Ozark hellbenders, Cryptobranchus bishopi, I had already had an opportunity to see and photo one of these huge salamanders. Throughout that float we had been watched by raccoon, a mink, and taunted by common map turtles that rose from the depths almost, but not quite, in reach from the boat.

But now we had a longer net that I hoped would increase our chance of getting up close and personal with one of these chelonians. It didn’t. They continued to surface but as if divining our intent, all were now even more distant. Well, darn.

While not the largest of the genus, the common map turtle is big. Females attain a 10” carapace length and males are between 4 and 6” in shell length. Females, mollusk and crustacean eaters, develop the enlarged head associated with such a diet. IOW, they are an impressive turtle. And I had just about decided I was going to have to leave with no photo.

But Lady Luck was with us. Just as we beached a big female map turtle came trudging down the sandy bank. Probably returning to the river from a nesting, pix were taken, and we, turtle and humans, went merrily on our individual ways.

Thanx again, Kelly. Yours is a beautiful region.

A pair of diminutive Egyptian tortoises, Testudo kleinmanni.
OK, Chris, what are those?

I had ventured over to harass Chris and Mike while they unpacked a shipment of Egyptian imports. I recognized most of the herps, but the critters before now, little tortoises, were something new. They looked a bit like Hermann’s tortoises, but were much smaller, a little more elongate, and these ostensibly came from Egypt and Hermann’s didn’t, so????

And that was my introduction to the little “Egyptian” tortoise, Testudo kleinmanni. It was apparently rare back then and is now even more so. And sadly, as I later learned, those in that first shipment didn’t fare very well.

There seem to be very few of this tortoise species in America but a few are bred in zoos and by private hobbyists each year.

The highly domed carapace varies in color from a variable off-white, through buff, to brown. Reflecting more heat than darker colors, this allows the little tortoise to remain in the open and forage longer. The carapacial scutes often have dark edges or dark anterior blotches. The plastron is off white to buff and carapace is light yellow, often with two dark triangles on each of the two abdominal scutes. The head, neck, and legs are pale. These colors blend well with the light background colors of their desert home. Adult size is about 4”.

This is a chelonian species that I have never worked with. I have been told that although shy, the species does well and breeds readily once acclimated. I’m glad I had an opportunity to meet them so many years ago and hope to see more captive bred examples in the future.

An adult female Patch-nosed Salamander
By Dick and Patti Bartlett

In 2009 a new species of “miniplethodontid” salamander was described. Although looking much like the brook salamanders of the genus Eurycea, research determined that this pretty little miniature was sufficiently different from the brook salamanders to warrant the erection of a new genus—Urspelerpes. This genus contains only the single species, U. brucei. Because of the nose-spot this salamander was given the common name of Patch-nosed Salamander.

It is an uncommon denizen of the leaf-strewn montane streams and stream edges of northern GA and adjacent SC.

As mentioned the yellowish patch on the nose tip is characteristic. Including tail, adults are about 1 7/8th inches long. Unlike the Brook Salamanders on which males and females are similarly colored, the males and females of Urspelerpes differ in color. Females tend to be patternless while males are strongly patterned with a pair of dorsolateral stripes.

Nose to nose with a California Giant Salamander.
California has it all. Well almost all. Except for what they don’t have. But if its caudatan diversity you’re interested in, California is definitely a state you should consider visiting. Newts, Lunged salamanders and Lungless salamanders all may be found there. Some are colorful, some are drab. Some are tiny, some are comparatively large. All are interesting.

One of the groups that I find of great interest are the Giant Salamanders of the genus Dicamptodon (family Dicamptodontidae). Of the 4 species 2 dwell in California’s cool, moist forestlands. These are The California and the Pacific Giant Salamanders, D. ensatus and D. tenebrosus, respectively. Both are hefty, and both top out at just about a foot in length, with tenebrosus perhaps being a bit more slender, a tiny bit shorter, having a proportionately smaller head and shorter limbs. This latter is also a bit darker in color. The former, the California Giant, is the southernmore of the 2, ranging southward in the Coast Range from southern Mendocino County to western Glenn County. The Pacific Giant ranges northward from Glenn County to southwest British Columbia, Canada.

Populations of both of these big nocturnal salamanders are adversely affected by foresting practices that leave stream banks unprotected, subject to drying, and the streams themselves subject to warming. Although both of these salamanders are variably colored, neither is brightly colored. Ground color of both is tan to light brown with well-defined reticulations and spots of reddish brown to dark brown. They breed in streams and creeks and the aquatic larvae may take several years to metamorphose.

Prey includes invertebrates such as worms and slugs as well as vertebrate prey such as smaller salamanders.

This coachwhip caused a scream, a screeching stop, and a marathon run. But it was worth it.At scream volume “---S T O P!!!!!!!!!! ---.“ Yep, Jake had managed to scare me again. I was in the passing lane doing about 65, about halfway past a slower car, when Jake yelled. Fortunately there was no one following tightly so I slammed on the brakes and before I stopped Jake was out of the car running east while we were heading west. I parked on the verge, clambered out and back about 50 yards Jake was stationed in the grass trying to decide what the snake he had seen and I had missed on the side of the road was going to do.

Hurry screamed Jake. Hmppphhh. Not likely. My days of hurrying are long gone. But I WAS closer now. Go out on the road and try to prevent it from crossing. It’s a coachwhip—a PINK coachwhip!

Now I understood. We had seen but failed to catch or even photo pink coachwhips on our last 3 trips to or through Texas. Suddenly I felt Jake’s excitement. I do love racers and racer relatives.

So I limped out in the road and rather than watching me the big snake was now watching me. Then it turned it’s head towards Jake and started to move. In an instant Jake was airborne.In anotjhert instant he was flat on his belly in the grass and sandspurs. And in a 3rd instant he was screaming OWWWWWCH! GET IT! Certainly no problem now because he alresdyu had the snake at midbody and the snake had him by the eyebrow. Interesting dilemma. I wondered which would win?

But heck I wanted to photo the snake as badly as Jake did, so I grabbed it before it decided to swallow Jake and the snake immediately transferred its attention to my arm. Oh well. It was worth it.

Right Jake?

And I guess it might have been because another 5 miles down the road we had a similar but a bit less bitey encounter with a second pink coachwhip.

I was so impressed with these snakes that I did something that I haven’t done in a long while. I decided that if Jake didn’t wish to retain the snake I would like to keep them. Jake didn’t, I did.

But here’s what I didn’t expect. Once home and caged these 2 adult coachwhips proved dog tame. The first time I fed them both slowly left the hidebox, came to cage top, and gently took each thawed mouse from my fingers. No biting, no striking. And both have continued to do so on each feeding attempt. Now I’m excitedly awaiting their next shed. They should be knockouts.

Banded Geckos look a lot more delicate than they actually are. This is a San Diego Banded Gecko.

Counting species and subspecies there are 7 forms of banded geckos, genus Coleonyx, in the American West. Two of these, the Barefoot, C. switaki, and the Reticulated C. reticulatus, are larger than the remaining 5 and have very limited ranges. One, the Texas, C. brevis, is the easternmost and is smaller than any of the others. It is the remaining 4, all subspecies of the wide ranging Western Banded Gecko, C. variegatus, that we shall mention here. All have elliptical pupils and are nocturnal. The body is slender and between 2 and 3 inches long. The original tail (the tail is easily autotomized and often in some stage of regeneration) is about the same length as the snout-to-vent. Original tails are prominently banded.

The 4 subspecies of the Western Banded Gecko that occur in the USA are the San Diego, C. v. abbotti, the Tucson, C. v. bogerti, the Utah, C.v. utahensis, and the Desert, C. v. variegatus. Appearance differences are slight and it is best if you are interested in a particular form that you check a field guide for ranges.

Generally speaking though, the San Diego subspecies occurs on the Pacific slopes of southern CA. The Tucson form may be encountered in seAZ and swNM, the Utah race is restricted to swUT and immediately adjacent NV and AZ, and the Desert, by far the most wide-ranging of the 4, is found over much of AZ, NV and eastern CA.

Although these little geckos may be found beneath surface debris such as wood, cardboard, and rock by day, I’ve always found it a lot more fun to road hunt them at night. They are active, their light color contrasts well with dark pavement, and they cross roads in a series of darting rushes, often with their tail curled up over their back, this initially giving them the appearance of a large scorpion. Keep this similarity in mind as you jam your car into park, slam open the door, and rush out to slap a cupped hand of the little creature on the road. It’s not pleasant to be painfully surprised!