Native or not, that is the question. The Florida bark anole, Anolis distichus floridana.
Of the Baker’s dozen (maybe 14) anole species that are still listed as being present in the USA, there are probably at least 2 taxa that no longer occur. And of those listed only 2 are native. These are the color changing, arboreal, green (or Carolina) anole that has 2 recognized subspecies (the northern form, Anolis c. carolinensis, and the very questionable southern form, A. c. seminolus). And then there’s the primarily treetrunk dwelling Florida bark anole, A. distichus floridana.

The northern form of the green anole ranges westward and southward from southern Virginia to eastern Texas and southern Florida, surrounding the relatively small range (western Sarasota to Collier counties) of the southern race.

The subspecies of the the green anole are recognized and differentiated by dewlap (throat fan) color. The northern race has a red dewlap and the southern has a gray dewlap. I feel that the gray throated race is “questionable” because when utilizing the subspecies concept there supposedly cannot be 2 subspecies existing sympatrically. However throughout the South Florida range of the southern green anole one can also encounter green anoles with red dewlaps. Perhaps just calling the gray throated form an occasional variant would be more accurate.

Questions of a different kind are often raised about the Florida bark anole; is it or is it not a native form. It would seem that the current concept is either “yes” or “maybe” to that ques

This race of the bark anole (A. distichus is a Bahaman and Hispaniolan group) is found from southeastern Palm Beach County southward to Monroe County and in many areas has intergraded with the non-native but established green bark anole, A. d. dominicensis. In its purest form it is a gray or brownish lizard with dark dorsal chevrons and a yellow to orange dewlap.

These two are only the tip of Florida’s anoline iceberg. I’ll say a few word about the others in future blogs.



Native or not, that is the question. The Florida bark anole, Anolis distichus floridana.

Green anoles in southern Florida may have a red or a gray dewlap. Currently those having gray dewlaps are considered A. c. seminolus.


Red dewlaps are the more common color with the green anole, A. c. carolinensis.

Once thought to be restricted to southernmore locales, Cope's gray treefrog is now known to occur pretty much over the entire range of the gray treefrogs. This is Hyla chrysoscelis.
Two genetic terms, diploid and tetraploid come into play when discussing these 2 lookalike species, the Gray treefrog, Hyla versicolor and Cope’s gray treefrog, Hyla chrysoscelis. At one time it was thought the the two could be identified by range and/or call with versicolor being the more northerly and having the more slowly trilled, more pleasing (=musical) call. These are now known to be invalid criteria. A friend has found versicolor as far south as Tallahassee, FL and others have found chrysoscelis as far north as Michigan and Massachusetts.

So, exactly how do you separate these 2 common treefrogs? Well, unless you have a genetics lab available you do so inexactly. With a lab, chromosome count can be determined. The gray treefrog is tetraploid, having twice the number of chromosomes as the diploid Cope’s gray treefrog. Without the lab you’ll have to extrapolate and hypothesize, determining the findings of previous researchers for the frogs from a given locale, then comparing whether the calls are pleasant and rather slowly trilled or harsh and rapidly pulsed (almost like a rivetgun)—and of course this latter will only work on the males—the females are silent. And I still find that gray treefrogs are the more common in the northerly climes while Cope’s gray treefrogs are more common in the south.

So you should now be able to at least guess at the identification of the treefrog you are listening to or watching. And of course the name, “gray”, is definitive, right. Nope. While they are often gray, they might actually be a pretty green through shades of gray to almost white. But in all phases they do have a white marking beneath each eye and extensive orange in the groin region.

Have fun.

San Diego ringneck, D. p. similisAmazingly, even today, in the midst of nomenclatural clownery, there remain 12 subspecies of ring-necked snake, Diadophis punctatus, in the USA. When you add the 2 exclusively Mexican forms (Todos Santos ringneck, D. anthonyi and the Michoacan ringneck, D. dugesii) there are 14 subspecies.

But for now let’s stick with the USA forms. Of the 12, 1 is northeastern (plus adjacent Canada), 3 are southeastern, 2 are more or less centralian, and 6 occur along the Pacific Coast from southern CA (and nearby Baja) to central WA. Interestingly, although a couple extend beyond CA, all 6 of these subspecies may be found somewhere in CA. And among those 6 are some of the most resplendent subspecies (not that all ringnecks, no matter where they may be found, aren’t of noteworthy beauty).

Here is a listing of the USA ringnecks as well as pix of three of the most brightly colored Pacific Coast subspecies.

Northeastern ring-necked snakes:
D. p. edwardsii — northern ring-necked snake

Southeastern ring-necked snakes:
D. p. acricus — Key ring-necked snake
D. p. punctatus — southern ring-necked snake
D. p. stictogenys — Mississippi ring-necked snake

Centralian ring-necked snakes:
D. p. arnyi — prairie ring-necked snake
D. p. regalis — regal ring-necked snake

Pacific Coast ring-necked snakes:
D. p. amabilis — Pacific ring-necked snake
D. p. modestus — San Bernardino ring-necked snake
D. p. occidentalis — northwestern ring-necked snake
D. p. pulchellus — coralbelly ring-necked snake
D. p. similis — San Diego ring-necked snake
D. p. vandenburgii — Monterey ring-necked snake

The hobbyist favorite, the colorful South African coral cobra.
Of the 3 subspecies of this interesting, 23 to 30 inch long, burrowing, elapine snake, it is the most brightly colored, southernmost, race, the Cape coral cobra, Aspidelaps l. lubricus, that is the hobbyist favorite.

A snake of arid habitats of the Cape region of South Africa and southern Namibia, when young this narrow-hooded cobra relative is clad dorsally and laterally in broad red and, except for the broad black nuchal marking, narrow black rings. When its anterior is elevated in the defensive posture, 2 or 3 broad black bands are displayed across its white throat and anterior venter. The red body rings are brightest dorsally and may fade noticeably on the sides. As the snake grows and ages the rings tend to break and become incomplete ventrally. The triangular nose-tip rostral scale is noticeably enlarged and helps this little snake with its burrowing proclivities. In nature it crepuscular and nocturnal and is often found beneath rocks.

The 2 more northerly forms, A. l. cowelsi of central Namibia and A. l. infuscatus (this latter being of questionable validity) of northern Namibia and southern Angola, are duller in color and may attain a slightly larger size. They are only marginally differentiated from each other, the former having a dark head and the latter having a light head, and are best identified by range.

Captives are easily maintained and, if cooled slightly in winter breed readily Frozen/thawed mice of suitable size are usually hungrily accepted as are various lizards. A clutch may contain from 4 to 8 (rarely a few more) eggs.

No matter how long they are captive, the coral cobras usually retain a feisty disposition, huffing, puffing, and occasionally striking at any and all disturbances.

Human deaths have been caused by bites from this small snake. The venom is neurotoxic. Extreme care should be used at all times.

Most of the western slender glass lizards that we found were between 16 and 22 inches in total length.
Last summer Jake and I spent a few days in Kansas looking for western massasaugas and Plains hog-nosed snakes. We succeeded admirably on the rattler (learning in the process that the Kansas examples are as fast as the proverbial greased lightning and very quick to take fright) but failed on the hoggy.

But while we were busily failing on Heterodon we began taking note of the number of western slender glass lizards, Ophisaurus a. attenuatus that we saw. Not only were the anguids present but they were present in numbers, and in huge numbers at that. As the sun was dipping low in the west or, if you prefer, as the earth was spinning rapidly eastward, we would see first one, then another, then 3 or 4 more, all subadults, of this pretty, prominently striped, lizard. By the time we acknowledged failure with the hognose each night we would have seen 10 to 20 glass lizards. While the western slender glass lizard was no stranger to me, at no other place had I seen them in such numbers.

And of at least as much interest as the mere presence of the lizards was the fact that almost all had a full, original tail. Kansas! For me the state itself and remembrances of western slender glass lizards will be forever intertwined.

I actually successfully bred this male South Florida mole king with a smaller female--both commercially obtained.
Dratted snake! How many times—how many years—how many pure thoughts—does it take to find a live one? I’ve tried over and over and over again— and then tried again--alone and with Jake. Sum total? Zero alive!

Other friends have found this elusive snake, and acquaintances have found even more. But my total--1, found years ago as road jerky over near Okeechobee City. And that doesn’t count in my book. So, other than a tale of failure, what is the story here?

Well, here it is in shortened format: After Price described this snake (Price, R.M. 1987. Disjunct occurrence of mole snakes in Peninsular Florida, and the description of a new subspecies of Lampropeltis calligaster. Bull. Chicago Herpetol. Soc. 22 (9): 148) the “lamprophiles of which I am not one, began flocking to South Florida (shades of L. alterna!) looking hard for the mole king.

Some succeeded, many (me included) failed. But I did continue to look occasionally, and did so throughout the described range of the subspecies. It was early on that I found the DOR and began to note that even though infrequently seen the snake was collected by others for the pet trade. So, wanting to actually see one in the wild, I began looking a little more frequently. I found garter snakes, water snakes and rat snakes galore, and even an occasional Florida king, but not a single mole king. I got so used to failure that when friends found one, I sulked. Yes, I sulked, and I’m not even fond of kingsnakes of any flavor. But I’m even less fond of perpetual failure.

So I stopped looking, and did so just in time, because the genetic wizards have just elevated it from subspecies status to a full species, and there’s no sense in wasting more time looking for a subspecies when I could be wasting it looking for a full species!

OK, Jake. No more procrastination. It’s time to find one of these durn things. South Florida, here we come!