INTERNATIONAL HERPETOLOGICAL SYMPOSIUM, INC

ABSTRACTS FROM THE 23rd ANNUAL MEETING OF THE

INTERNATIONAL HERPETOLOGICAL SYMPOSIUM, INC.
July 28-31, 1999
San Diego, California

HOSTED BY
The San Diego Zoo and
The San Diego Herpetological Society

IHS Officers/Board of Directors
President
Aaron Bauer
Department of Biology
Villanova University
Villanova, PA
 		 Herpetological Natural History
Editors
Hinrich Kaiser & L. Lee Grismer
Department of Biology
La Sierra University
Riverside, CA
Vice-President
Clay Garrett
Department of Biology
University of Texas at Tyler
Tyler, TX		 Program Coordinator
Robert Sprackland
San Diego, CA
 
Secretary
Stan Draper
Salt Lake City,UT		 Host Committee Chairman
Donal Boyer
San Diego Zoo
San Diego, CA
Treasurer
David Hulmes
Hawthorne, NJ
 
Immediate Past President
Louis W. Porras
Orem, UT		Vendors and General Mailing
Ed Tunstall
Gilbert, AZ

Advisors

  • Bill Becker
  • David Blody
  • Bill Branch
  • Ken Foose
  • Phillip Samuelson
  • Vince Scheidt
  • Val Hornyak
  • John Behler (Honorary)
  • James B. Murphy (Honorary)

 

ABSTRACTS OF PRESENTATIONS



Herpetariums and Herpetological Collections of Mexico


Arevalo, Carlos H. Biologist, Herpetario Keeper, Zoologico de Guadalajara, Paseo del Zoological, 600 Jalisco, Mexico.

The Mesoamerican cultures like the Aztecs and Mayans were strongly influenced politically and religiously by natural phenomenon. Snakes played a fundamental role in their knowledge and traditions.

Reptiles in ancient Mexico were kept and cared for long before the Spaniards arrived and conquered Mexico. According to some historians and Spaniards, Montezuma had a well-stocked zoo in which he kept all sorts of animals. After the destruction of Montezuma's zoo, Mexico had to wait quite some time before a new zoo was built. It was not until 1942 that Dr. Miguel Alverez Del Toro established the Chiapas Herpetarium, which is now named after him. In those days, there were several zoos established in Mexico, but none of them had an actual dedicated reptile house.

Today in Mexico there are 30 herpetariums. 11 belong to zoos, 10 to universities, one belongs to the Institute of Hygiene, and 8 are private collections. Among the most important herpetariums, based upon their infrastructure, collections, and programs (reproduction, education, and reintroduction) are:
  • Herpetario del ENEP
  • Herpetario ZOOMAT
  • Herpetario Chapultepec
  • Herpetario Reptilmex
  • Herpetario del Instituto Nacional de Higiene
  • Herpetario La Nauyaca
  • Herpetario de Morelia
  • Herpetario del CEAMICH
  • Herpetario de Guadalajara
The Guadalajara Herpetarium is considered to be one of the finest and largest in Latin America. In the last twenty years in Mexico there has been a marked increase in the research of amphibians and reptiles. There are now 19 herpetological collections in universities and 40 in institutions that are currently working in studies if amphibians and reptiles.




The Thick-toed Geckos, Pachydactylus of southern Africa


Bauer, Aaron M. Department of Biology, Villanova University, 800 Lancaster Avenue, Villanova, Pennsylvania 19085-1699, aaronbauer@villanova.edu.

Gekkonid lizards constitute one of the most diverse and highly endemic components of the southern African herpetofauna. Although higher order relationships among African geckos remain obscure, the Pachydactylus group has been widely accepted as monophyletic. There are 33 species (seven of which have putatively valid subspecies, yielding a total of 43 recognized taxa) in Pachydactylus. In addition there are several distinctive ground-dwelling geckos that are probably evolutionary offshoots of Pachydactylus (Chondrodactylus angulifer, Colopus wahlbergii, Palmatogecko rangei, P. vanzyli).

The group is Early to Mid-Tertiary in age and has evolved primarily in association with rocky and sandy substrates in southwestern Africa, with a few species reaching as far north as equatorial east Africa. The earliest radiation of the genus was a group of large-bodied forms, including the well-known P. bibronii, as well as several species that use regional integumentary loss as an escape strategy. The greatest diversity in the genus is seen in the small-bodied forms that occupy terrestrial and rupicolous habitats in the arid and semi-arid zones of the subcontinent. Morphological and molecular data indicate that evolutionary patterns within this group are especially complex.




Captive husbandry and propagation of Pacific boas (genus Candoia)


Conway, Jerry 6050 N.W. 55th Lane, Tamarac, FL 33319.

I shall present an overview of the Pacific boas, covering descriptions and distribution. Then I shall review the common and scientific names of Candoia and their validity. Basic care and maintenance topics will include caging, temperature, humidity and feeding. The breeding of Candoia involves cooling down periods, cage mates, multiple males, color morphs and gravid females. The ease of sexing all Candoia species will be discussed in detail. Neonate husbandry includes feeding newborns, assist feeding and caging. Finally, a short summary detailing why I specialize in this genus and the future of Candoia husbandry & propagation will be presented. I will also talk about the possibility of new species awaiting discovery.




Captive incubation and head-start programs for the conservation of tuatara (Sphenodon)


Daugherty, Charles H., Susan N. Keall, and Nicola J. Nelson. School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, P.O. Box 600, Wellington, New Zealand.

By 1984, tuatara (Sphenodon), the sole survivors of an ancient reptilian lineage, had been reduced to about 30 populations on mostly small offshore islands of New Zealand, five of which were at significant conservation risk. Between 1989-1999, we used captive incubation and head-start techniques to support conservation programs for these populations. Adults from four rat-threatened populations of the common tuatara (S. punctatus) were brought into captivity for their own safety. They subsequently produced 255 eggs that were incubated at Victoria University. Only 88 of these hatched successfully. Ultimately, the surviving adults and their progeny will be returned to rat-free habitats in nature.

The fifth at-risk population was the only extant population of S. guentheri. Between 1989-1991, we collected 209 eggs from North Brother Island, of which 171 hatched. Progeny have now been used to establish two zoo populations and two new wild populations. By the year 2010, similar programs can be expected to establish at least six new populations of both species, including the first mainland population in over a century, bringing the total number to about 40 and reversing a millennium of decline for tuatara.




Clinical Nutrition of Tortoises


Donoghue, Susan, VMD, DACVN, Nutrition Support Services, Inc., Walkabout Farm, Pembroke, VA 24136.

Terrestrial chelonians are strictly herbivorous or, for certain forest-dwelling species and box turtles, omnivorous. Diets consumed by herbivores should be low in fat and relatively high in fiber. Diets of omnivores contain more fat, and intakes of essential fatty acids and amino acids differ from those of strict herbivores. Fibers consumed by tortoises include cellulose and hemicellulose; omnivorous chelonians may consume substantial amounts of fruit fibers, such as pectin. Chelonians utilize hindgut fermentation of fiber as well as hydrolytic digestion in the small intestine. Dietary fibers are fermented by microbes, producing short-chain fatty acids (SCFA). Fibers and SCFA aid regulation of gut motility and secretions, water balance, and absorption of certain nutrients. Improper feeding of fiber may lead to diarrhea, nutrient deficiencies, colic, and poor growth, and perhaps contribute to shell deformities. Other dietary imbalances found in tortoises include calcium deficiency, micronutrient imbalances due to over- or under-supplementation, underfeeding, and overfeeding. Specific nutritional stresses differ between tortoises kept outside and those maintained indoors. New developments in clinical nutrition have application to tortoise nutrition. These include use of probiotics, prebiotics, and neutraceuticals. Nutrition support, especially feeding enterals and use of indwelling pharyngostomy tubes, has had significant impact on recovery of chelonians from illness.




The natural history of the frogs of Borneo


Inger, Robert F. Field Museum of Natural History, Roosevelt Rd & Lake Shore Dr., Chicago, IL 60605.

Borneo, located astride the equator in the East Indies and not long ago entirely covered in rain forest, has a known frog fauna of 140 species, more than half of them not known from elsewhere. The species shared with other land masses show strongest relations with the faunas of Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula. Except for seven species that are commensals of man, the frogs of Borneo are forest dwellers. They have three basic life styles: riparian in both larval and adult phases, riparian larvae and non-riparian adults, and non-riparian in both stages. Although there is little evidence of regional division of the fauna within Borneo, it is clear that distributions are not uniform, but are strongly affected by topography, elevation, and forest types. At any given place, species vary greatly in terms of larval distribution and vertical and horizontal distribution of adults. Studies of marked individuals have shown that, though capable of extensive and rapid movements, most adults remain faithful to a surprisingly small territory. Species differ in amount of movement, in short term fluctuations in activity, and in spatial distributions along streams. Bornean species of frogs form communities that vary over time and from place to place.




Lizards of the genus Ctenosaura: natural history, captive breeding and conservation


Köhler, Gunther Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseum Senckenberg, Senckenberganlage 25, D-60325 Frankfurt a.M., Germany.

Ctenosaura is a genus of neotropical lizards ("spiny-tailed iguanas") that includes thirteen species distributed over parts of Mexico and Central America. Most of the species occur in open woodland or edge habitat in seasonally dry lowlands. One exception is the Utila iguana (Ctenosaura bakeri) that inhabits mangrove swamps.

Exploitation of the ctenosaur is heavy in some parts of Mexico and Central America where they are a common article of the diet for country people and are sold in city markets. As a result, at many localities numbers have decreased drastically. Especially for species with very restricted distribution areas such as C. bakeri (endemic to Isla de Utila) and C. oedirhina (endemic to Isla de Roat) conservation is needed.

The "Conservation Project of the Utila Iguana" is a joint project of the Frankfurt Zoological Society (ZGF) and the Senckenberg Nature Research Society (SNG). The project activities include: a broad education and information program for the local community; restrictions on hunting of the Utila iguana, through the presence of game wardens and conservationists on a nature reserve; research on the biology of the Utila iguana; a survey of the fauna and flora of Utila. Since April 1997, the "IGUANA Research and Breeding Station" on Utila makes possible effective and continuous work on the project. It is a base for scientists conservationists, and volunteers and has become an important center for information and environmental education on Utila.




Puzzling pit-vipers: what we don't know aboutTrimeresurus


Malhotra, Anita University of Wales, Bangor, Gwynedd, United Kingdom.

Asian Trimeresurus pit vipers (particularly the green species) are popular with hobbyists because many of them are extremely beautiful. There are over 40 species, which are extremely diverse in appearance, natural history and reproductive mode. Most taxonomists agree that there are several distinct groups present but no one has yet proposed a satisfactory scheme for dividing them. This is partly attributable to the fact that our knowledge of many species is extremely imperfect. Because many of the species in the trade are very similar in appearance, and the names under which they were originally exported were not always scientifically accurate, useful information about the biology of these animals that is potentially available from their herpetoculture is currently wasted. In this talk I will describe the species in the group and the reasons why we know so little about them. I will then briefly describe my own attempts to understand the evolutionary relationships of this group. I use a combination of approaches, but the use of molecular data is crucial. Not only does it give access to an unprecedented amount of information, but it also allows inferences to be made about the biology of species that we currently know very little about.




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