A tank-like robot that uses a gecko-inspired material to scale smooth surfaces like glass has been developed by a group of B.C. researchers.
Jeff Krahn, a research assistant in the engineering science department at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, B.C. and his colleagues, demonstrated their new robot rolling up a whiteboard in a video posted on YouTube. The segmented robot has two tank-like treads at the back and two in the front, separated by a motorized joint. The design allows the robot to bend around a corner as it moves from a horizontal plexiglass surface and starts heading down a vertical one in the video.
The robot itself may not look much like a gecko, a small lizard famous for its sticky feet and its ability to run up and down slippery walls or even across the ceiling. But at a microscopic level, the tank treads are made of a material designed to imitate the stickiness of a gecko's feet.
The researchers suggest similar robots could make their way across slippery surfaces to scale normally inaccessible sites, so they could be used to inspect pipes and parts of buildings or airplanes, or be used in search and rescue operations.
The prototype was described in an article published this week in the journal Smart Materials and Structures.
By Emily Chung
Read more ...
Showing posts with label gecko. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gecko. Show all posts
Monday, November 14, 2011
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Philippine Government Warns Against Geckos Treatments (Vioa Herp Digest)
Philippine Government Warns Against Geckos Treatments
Friday, 15 July 2011, Based on Red Orbit article and Wire Rreports
The Philippines government warned on Friday that using geckos to treat AIDS and impotence could put patients at risk.
Environmental officials expressed alarm about the growing trade in the wall-climbing lizards in the Philippines. An 11-ounce gecko reportedly sells for at least $1,160.
Geckos are reportedly exported to Malaysia, China and South Korea to be used as aphrodisiacs and as traditional medicine for asthma, AIDS, cancer, tuberculosis and impotence.
A health department statement said their use as medical treatments has no scientific basis and could be dangerous because patients might not seek proper treatment for their diseases.
"This is likely to aggravate their overall health and put them at greater risk," it added.
The statement said treatments for asthma are easily available and affordable, while there are antiviral drugs to control the progress of HIV.
Wildlife official Mundita Lim said her office asked law enforcers to look into the possibility that scammers may be trying to get involved in the trade because of the exorbitant prices being quoted online by buyers demanding geckos weighing at least 14 ounces.
She said geckos in the wild grow up to 7 ounces, and those in captivity grow only up to 10 ounces.
According to Lim, geckos are dried and pulverize to use as medicine, and there are anecdotal accounts of the saliva or internal organs being collected.
Environment Secretary Ramon Paje warned that collecting and trading geckos without permit can be punishable by up to four years in jail and a fine of $6,900.
He said a health population of geckos is needed to regulate pests and maintain the fragile ecosystem.
Friday, 15 July 2011, Based on Red Orbit article and Wire Rreports
The Philippines government warned on Friday that using geckos to treat AIDS and impotence could put patients at risk.
Environmental officials expressed alarm about the growing trade in the wall-climbing lizards in the Philippines. An 11-ounce gecko reportedly sells for at least $1,160.
Geckos are reportedly exported to Malaysia, China and South Korea to be used as aphrodisiacs and as traditional medicine for asthma, AIDS, cancer, tuberculosis and impotence.
A health department statement said their use as medical treatments has no scientific basis and could be dangerous because patients might not seek proper treatment for their diseases.
"This is likely to aggravate their overall health and put them at greater risk," it added.
The statement said treatments for asthma are easily available and affordable, while there are antiviral drugs to control the progress of HIV.
Wildlife official Mundita Lim said her office asked law enforcers to look into the possibility that scammers may be trying to get involved in the trade because of the exorbitant prices being quoted online by buyers demanding geckos weighing at least 14 ounces.
She said geckos in the wild grow up to 7 ounces, and those in captivity grow only up to 10 ounces.
According to Lim, geckos are dried and pulverize to use as medicine, and there are anecdotal accounts of the saliva or internal organs being collected.
Environment Secretary Ramon Paje warned that collecting and trading geckos without permit can be punishable by up to four years in jail and a fine of $6,900.
He said a health population of geckos is needed to regulate pests and maintain the fragile ecosystem.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Gecko hoax correction (via Herp Digest)
Via Herp Digest:
Correction Volume 7, # 27 article 7, -illegal Wildlife Traders Target Endemic Geckos
The basis of the article, the dealers paying out big money for geckos as a hoax
From the April Issue of "Pets Unlimited" published in Manilla, the Philippines.
The recent surge of interest on tokay geckoes throughout the country has been linked to an internet hoax. Unknown foreign buyers are apparent willing to pay Malaysian Ringgit (MyR 25,000 to 1,000,000 (MyR1-PHP14.25 for tokay geckos weighing at least 300 grams and up to one killogram each purportedly due to its curative properties against cancer and HIV.
Enticed poachers in Luzon, Palawan, Cebu, Bohol, Leyte, Davao Zamboanga and other provinces serched for the mythical giant-sized reptile in vain and ended up trapping geckos regardless of sizein the false belief that they can fatten the lizards in captivity to an ideal weight to sell them for lucrative prices. Fueling the hoax are individuals fraudulently claiming that they tokay geckos for sale weighing up to 1.2 killograms each. In April 2011, Manbojoc, Bohol Mayor Leonicio Evasco Jr. alarmed by the unabated pacohing of the lizard prohibited residents from collecting and trading today geckos.
Tokay Gecko is commonly found in disturbed area and forest edges throughout Asia, South China, Bangladesh, India and Nepla. It can attain 7" in snout to vent length (SVL) and almost 14" in total length. Adult Tokay geckoes typically weigh less than 150 grams.
Editor- Basically there were no dealers and Tokay Geckos don't grow as large as advertised.
Last issue I published an article on massive gecko collection for Chinese markets in China. According to Pets Unlimited, a Philapine publication it all was a hoax.
Correction Volume 7, # 27 article 7, -illegal Wildlife Traders Target Endemic Geckos
The basis of the article, the dealers paying out big money for geckos as a hoax
From the April Issue of "Pets Unlimited" published in Manilla, the Philippines.
The recent surge of interest on tokay geckoes throughout the country has been linked to an internet hoax. Unknown foreign buyers are apparent willing to pay Malaysian Ringgit (MyR 25,000 to 1,000,000 (MyR1-PHP14.25 for tokay geckos weighing at least 300 grams and up to one killogram each purportedly due to its curative properties against cancer and HIV.
Enticed poachers in Luzon, Palawan, Cebu, Bohol, Leyte, Davao Zamboanga and other provinces serched for the mythical giant-sized reptile in vain and ended up trapping geckos regardless of sizein the false belief that they can fatten the lizards in captivity to an ideal weight to sell them for lucrative prices. Fueling the hoax are individuals fraudulently claiming that they tokay geckos for sale weighing up to 1.2 killograms each. In April 2011, Manbojoc, Bohol Mayor Leonicio Evasco Jr. alarmed by the unabated pacohing of the lizard prohibited residents from collecting and trading today geckos.
Tokay Gecko is commonly found in disturbed area and forest edges throughout Asia, South China, Bangladesh, India and Nepla. It can attain 7" in snout to vent length (SVL) and almost 14" in total length. Adult Tokay geckoes typically weigh less than 150 grams.
Editor- Basically there were no dealers and Tokay Geckos don't grow as large as advertised.
Last issue I published an article on massive gecko collection for Chinese markets in China. According to Pets Unlimited, a Philapine publication it all was a hoax.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Illegal Wildlife Traders Target Endemic Geckos (Via Herp Digest)
Illegal Wildlife Traders Target Endemic Geckos
By Carla P. Gomez, Inquirer Visayas, 6/1/11
BACOLOD CITY, Philippines-The tuko has been making a lot of noise in the wildlife trade-and conservationists don't like what they're hearing.
Environment officials here are looking into reports that foreigners have been offering hefty sums to buy native geckos, locally known as tuko, a nocturnal lizard one would either love or hate for the loud sound it makes.
Some buyers are reportedly willing to pay P100,000 or more each for geckos that weigh at least 500 grams, according to Valentin Talavero, head of the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office.
Among the purported buyers are Korean and Chinese nationals, the latter said to be interested in geckos for their AIDS research, Talavero told the Inquirer on Monday.
Errol Abada Gatumbato, vice president and managing director of the Philippines Biodiversity Conservation Foundation Inc., said gecko "collection" seemed to have gone unchecked not only in Negros, but in other provinces where the species still thrive.
Reports reaching his group indicated that the sought-after lizards were being used either for gaming or medicinal purposes, Gatumbato added.
"This is quite alarming because there are endemic geckos with conservation values," he added, citing sketchy accounts of "clandestine buying" all over the country.
In interviews with the Inquirer, several Negrenses who asked not to be identified admitted to poaching the native gecko population for sale to foreign buyers.
A more enterprising resident said he even "fattened" the lizards first in captivity.
But whether in rural or urban areas, one need not look far to have a sense of the growing tuko trafficking.
For example, information on which types of geckos are in demand-and how to sell them-is easily available on www.tuko.com.ph.
The website even lists down the characteristics of a "perfect tuko." To supposedly fetch a higher price, a gecko should sport red, orange or white spots on its skin, their feet splayed flat and shaped like a flower.
A marketable gecko should also weigh 400 grams or more, with a body length of at least 21 inches, the website said. It should look healthy-no severed body parts-and fed with food (mainly insects) found in their natural environment.
The gecko must also be active and fierce when one tries to hold it, the website added.
Geckos are also sold at sulit.com.ph, a popular buy-and-sell site.
And yet on paper, the prized lizards supposedly enjoy the full protection of the law.
Under the Wildlife Act of the Philippines, the collection of wildlife species such as the tuko requires a permit from the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB), Gatumbato said.
'
Reached for comment in Manila, PAWB Director Theresa Mundita Lim maintained that poaching and selling geckos are "illegal activities."
But lacking ample data on the country's gecko population, the government could not ascertain at the moment whether the species should be considered endangered or not, Lim said.
"We need to ensure first that its natural population will not be affected. Without that, it's illegal to catch it," the PAWB chief stressed.
According to Lim, geckos largely figure in the wildlife trade because of a demand in China, where their body parts are used in Chinese medicine.
Joan Gerangaya, head of the City Environment and Natural Resource Office, said several locals had asked his office to issue permits to "transport" tuko, but that they were all turned down since it would be in violation of the wildlife act.
Those interested in "breeding" tuko, however, may secure special permits from regional offices of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Gerangaya added. With a report from Kristine L. Alave in Manila
By Carla P. Gomez, Inquirer Visayas, 6/1/11
BACOLOD CITY, Philippines-The tuko has been making a lot of noise in the wildlife trade-and conservationists don't like what they're hearing.
Environment officials here are looking into reports that foreigners have been offering hefty sums to buy native geckos, locally known as tuko, a nocturnal lizard one would either love or hate for the loud sound it makes.
Some buyers are reportedly willing to pay P100,000 or more each for geckos that weigh at least 500 grams, according to Valentin Talavero, head of the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office.
Among the purported buyers are Korean and Chinese nationals, the latter said to be interested in geckos for their AIDS research, Talavero told the Inquirer on Monday.
Errol Abada Gatumbato, vice president and managing director of the Philippines Biodiversity Conservation Foundation Inc., said gecko "collection" seemed to have gone unchecked not only in Negros, but in other provinces where the species still thrive.
Reports reaching his group indicated that the sought-after lizards were being used either for gaming or medicinal purposes, Gatumbato added.
"This is quite alarming because there are endemic geckos with conservation values," he added, citing sketchy accounts of "clandestine buying" all over the country.
In interviews with the Inquirer, several Negrenses who asked not to be identified admitted to poaching the native gecko population for sale to foreign buyers.
A more enterprising resident said he even "fattened" the lizards first in captivity.
But whether in rural or urban areas, one need not look far to have a sense of the growing tuko trafficking.
For example, information on which types of geckos are in demand-and how to sell them-is easily available on www.tuko.com.ph.
The website even lists down the characteristics of a "perfect tuko." To supposedly fetch a higher price, a gecko should sport red, orange or white spots on its skin, their feet splayed flat and shaped like a flower.
A marketable gecko should also weigh 400 grams or more, with a body length of at least 21 inches, the website said. It should look healthy-no severed body parts-and fed with food (mainly insects) found in their natural environment.
The gecko must also be active and fierce when one tries to hold it, the website added.
Geckos are also sold at sulit.com.ph, a popular buy-and-sell site.
And yet on paper, the prized lizards supposedly enjoy the full protection of the law.
Under the Wildlife Act of the Philippines, the collection of wildlife species such as the tuko requires a permit from the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB), Gatumbato said.
'
Reached for comment in Manila, PAWB Director Theresa Mundita Lim maintained that poaching and selling geckos are "illegal activities."
But lacking ample data on the country's gecko population, the government could not ascertain at the moment whether the species should be considered endangered or not, Lim said.
"We need to ensure first that its natural population will not be affected. Without that, it's illegal to catch it," the PAWB chief stressed.
According to Lim, geckos largely figure in the wildlife trade because of a demand in China, where their body parts are used in Chinese medicine.
Joan Gerangaya, head of the City Environment and Natural Resource Office, said several locals had asked his office to issue permits to "transport" tuko, but that they were all turned down since it would be in violation of the wildlife act.
Those interested in "breeding" tuko, however, may secure special permits from regional offices of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Gerangaya added. With a report from Kristine L. Alave in Manila
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Geckos Inspire New Method to Print Electronics on Complex Surfaces (Via HerpDigest)
Geckos Inspire New Method to Print Electronics on Complex Surfaces
ScienceDaily (Sep. 21, 2010)
Researchers from Northwestern University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign designed a clever square polymer stamp that allows them to vary its adhesion strength. The stamp can easily pick up an array of electronic devices from a silicon surface and move and print them on a curved surface.
The research will be published Sept. 20 by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
"Our work proposes a very robust method to transfer and print electronics on complex surfaces," said Yonggang Huang, Joseph Cummings Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Mechanical Engineering at Northwestern's McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science.
Huang, co-corresponding author of the PNAS paper, led the theory and design work at Northwestern. His colleague John Rogers, the Flory-Founder Chair Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Illinois, led the experimental and fabrication work. Rogers is a co-corresponding author of the paper.
Key to the square and squeezable polymer stamp are four pyramid-shaped tips on the stamp's bottom, one in each corner. They mimic, in a way, the micro- and nano-filaments on the gecko's foot, which the animal uses to control adhesion by increasing or decreasing contact area with a surface.
Pressing the stamp against the electronics causes the soft tips to collapse up against the stamp's body, maximizing the contact area between the stamp and the electronics and creating adhesion. The electronics are picked up in a complete batch, and, with the force removed, the soft tips snap back to their original shape. The electronics now are held in place by just the four tips, a small contact area. This allows the electronics to be easily transferred to a new surface.
"Design of the pyramid tips is very important," Huang said. "The tips have to be the right height. If the tips are too large, they can't pick up the target, and if the tips are too small, they won't bounce back to their shape."
The researchers conducted tests of the stamp and found the changes in contact area allow the stamp's adhesion strength to vary by 1,000 times. They also demonstrated their method can print layers of electronics, enabling the development of a variety of complex devices.
The National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy supported the work.
The title of the PNAS paper is "Microstructured Elastomeric Surfaces with Reversible Adhesion and Examples of Their Use in Deterministic Assembly by Transfer Printing." In addition to Huang and Rogers, other authors of the paper are Jian Wu (a postdoctoral fellow at Northwestern), Seok Kim, Andrew Carlson, Sung Hun Jin, Anton Kovalsky, Paul Glass, Zhuangjian Liu, Numair Ahmed, Steven L. Elgan, Weiqiu Chen, Placid M. Ferreira and Metin Sitti.
ScienceDaily (Sep. 21, 2010)
Researchers from Northwestern University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign designed a clever square polymer stamp that allows them to vary its adhesion strength. The stamp can easily pick up an array of electronic devices from a silicon surface and move and print them on a curved surface.
The research will be published Sept. 20 by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
"Our work proposes a very robust method to transfer and print electronics on complex surfaces," said Yonggang Huang, Joseph Cummings Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Mechanical Engineering at Northwestern's McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science.
Huang, co-corresponding author of the PNAS paper, led the theory and design work at Northwestern. His colleague John Rogers, the Flory-Founder Chair Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Illinois, led the experimental and fabrication work. Rogers is a co-corresponding author of the paper.
Key to the square and squeezable polymer stamp are four pyramid-shaped tips on the stamp's bottom, one in each corner. They mimic, in a way, the micro- and nano-filaments on the gecko's foot, which the animal uses to control adhesion by increasing or decreasing contact area with a surface.
Pressing the stamp against the electronics causes the soft tips to collapse up against the stamp's body, maximizing the contact area between the stamp and the electronics and creating adhesion. The electronics are picked up in a complete batch, and, with the force removed, the soft tips snap back to their original shape. The electronics now are held in place by just the four tips, a small contact area. This allows the electronics to be easily transferred to a new surface.
"Design of the pyramid tips is very important," Huang said. "The tips have to be the right height. If the tips are too large, they can't pick up the target, and if the tips are too small, they won't bounce back to their shape."
The researchers conducted tests of the stamp and found the changes in contact area allow the stamp's adhesion strength to vary by 1,000 times. They also demonstrated their method can print layers of electronics, enabling the development of a variety of complex devices.
The National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy supported the work.
The title of the PNAS paper is "Microstructured Elastomeric Surfaces with Reversible Adhesion and Examples of Their Use in Deterministic Assembly by Transfer Printing." In addition to Huang and Rogers, other authors of the paper are Jian Wu (a postdoctoral fellow at Northwestern), Seok Kim, Andrew Carlson, Sung Hun Jin, Anton Kovalsky, Paul Glass, Zhuangjian Liu, Numair Ahmed, Steven L. Elgan, Weiqiu Chen, Placid M. Ferreira and Metin Sitti.
Geckos Inspire New Method to Print Electronics on Complex Surfaces (Via HerpDigest)
Geckos Inspire New Method to Print Electronics on Complex Surfaces
ScienceDaily (Sep. 21, 2010)
Researchers from Northwestern University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign designed a clever square polymer stamp that allows them to vary its adhesion strength. The stamp can easily pick up an array of electronic devices from a silicon surface and move and print them on a curved surface.
The research will be published Sept. 20 by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
"Our work proposes a very robust method to transfer and print electronics on complex surfaces," said Yonggang Huang, Joseph Cummings Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Mechanical Engineering at Northwestern's McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science.
Huang, co-corresponding author of the PNAS paper, led the theory and design work at Northwestern. His colleague John Rogers, the Flory-Founder Chair Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Illinois, led the experimental and fabrication work. Rogers is a co-corresponding author of the paper.
Key to the square and squeezable polymer stamp are four pyramid-shaped tips on the stamp's bottom, one in each corner. They mimic, in a way, the micro- and nano-filaments on the gecko's foot, which the animal uses to control adhesion by increasing or decreasing contact area with a surface.
Pressing the stamp against the electronics causes the soft tips to collapse up against the stamp's body, maximizing the contact area between the stamp and the electronics and creating adhesion. The electronics are picked up in a complete batch, and, with the force removed, the soft tips snap back to their original shape. The electronics now are held in place by just the four tips, a small contact area. This allows the electronics to be easily transferred to a new surface.
"Design of the pyramid tips is very important," Huang said. "The tips have to be the right height. If the tips are too large, they can't pick up the target, and if the tips are too small, they won't bounce back to their shape."
The researchers conducted tests of the stamp and found the changes in contact area allow the stamp's adhesion strength to vary by 1,000 times. They also demonstrated their method can print layers of electronics, enabling the development of a variety of complex devices.
The National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy supported the work.
The title of the PNAS paper is "Microstructured Elastomeric Surfaces with Reversible Adhesion and Examples of Their Use in Deterministic Assembly by Transfer Printing." In addition to Huang and Rogers, other authors of the paper are Jian Wu (a postdoctoral fellow at Northwestern), Seok Kim, Andrew Carlson, Sung Hun Jin, Anton Kovalsky, Paul Glass, Zhuangjian Liu, Numair Ahmed, Steven L. Elgan, Weiqiu Chen, Placid M. Ferreira and Metin Sitti.
ScienceDaily (Sep. 21, 2010)
Researchers from Northwestern University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign designed a clever square polymer stamp that allows them to vary its adhesion strength. The stamp can easily pick up an array of electronic devices from a silicon surface and move and print them on a curved surface.
The research will be published Sept. 20 by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
"Our work proposes a very robust method to transfer and print electronics on complex surfaces," said Yonggang Huang, Joseph Cummings Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Mechanical Engineering at Northwestern's McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science.
Huang, co-corresponding author of the PNAS paper, led the theory and design work at Northwestern. His colleague John Rogers, the Flory-Founder Chair Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Illinois, led the experimental and fabrication work. Rogers is a co-corresponding author of the paper.
Key to the square and squeezable polymer stamp are four pyramid-shaped tips on the stamp's bottom, one in each corner. They mimic, in a way, the micro- and nano-filaments on the gecko's foot, which the animal uses to control adhesion by increasing or decreasing contact area with a surface.
Pressing the stamp against the electronics causes the soft tips to collapse up against the stamp's body, maximizing the contact area between the stamp and the electronics and creating adhesion. The electronics are picked up in a complete batch, and, with the force removed, the soft tips snap back to their original shape. The electronics now are held in place by just the four tips, a small contact area. This allows the electronics to be easily transferred to a new surface.
"Design of the pyramid tips is very important," Huang said. "The tips have to be the right height. If the tips are too large, they can't pick up the target, and if the tips are too small, they won't bounce back to their shape."
The researchers conducted tests of the stamp and found the changes in contact area allow the stamp's adhesion strength to vary by 1,000 times. They also demonstrated their method can print layers of electronics, enabling the development of a variety of complex devices.
The National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy supported the work.
The title of the PNAS paper is "Microstructured Elastomeric Surfaces with Reversible Adhesion and Examples of Their Use in Deterministic Assembly by Transfer Printing." In addition to Huang and Rogers, other authors of the paper are Jian Wu (a postdoctoral fellow at Northwestern), Seok Kim, Andrew Carlson, Sung Hun Jin, Anton Kovalsky, Paul Glass, Zhuangjian Liu, Numair Ahmed, Steven L. Elgan, Weiqiu Chen, Placid M. Ferreira and Metin Sitti.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Vampire fish to lipstick geckos among new species found around Mekong River
The 'sucker' fish (Oreoglanis) which uses its body to stick to rocks in fast flowing waters Photo: WWFA red-lipped gecko, a fish with "vampire" fangs and a seven metre high carnivorous plant are among 145 new species discovered around the Mekong River in South-East Asia.
By Danielle Demetriou
Published: 7:00AM BST 06 Oct 2010
The catalogue of unusual new creatures and plants was outlined in a new World Wildlife Fund (WWF) report which called for action to protect the biodiversity of the region.
The report revealed that an average of three new species were discovered by scientists in the region every week throughout 2009.
The catalogue of unusual new creatures and plants was outlined in a new World Wildlife Fund (WWF) report which called for action to protect the biodiversity of the region.
The report revealed that an average of three new species were discovered by scientists in the region every week throughout 2009.
Another new discovery was the tiny "lipstick gecko" which has bright red lips.
A "sucker" fish which uses its body to stick to rocks in fast flowing waters to move upstream was also identified for the first time by scientists.
Other creations discovered last year included a fangless snake, a frog that chirps like a cricket and a tall insect-trapping pitcher plant that grows to over 23 feet.
"The rate of discovery in the Mekong is almost without equal globally," said Stuart Chapman, the regional conservation director of WWF.
"That's attributed to the enormous geographical and climatic range within the region, going from high altitude to dense tropical forests through to some of the richest freshwater in the world.
"Undoubtedly this region is one of the richest in terms of its biodiversity, but it's also one of the most threatened."
The study was released as government representatives from around the world prepared to gather in Japan for next week's United Nations convention on biodiversity.
The meeting aims to establish new global targets to halt a growing decline in biodiversity, with the loss of wildlife around the world currently estimated to be 1,000 faster than the natural rate.
The Greater Mekong region – which covers Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and the southern Chinese province of Yunnan – is home to some of the planet's most endangered species, from tigers and Asian elephants to the Mekong dolphin and giant cuttlefish.
Scientists are increasingly calling for its wide-ranging biodiversity to be protected, as it is home to an ever-growing number of previously unidentified animals and plants.
More photos at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/8045252/Vampire-fish-to-lipstick-geckos-among-new-species-found-around-Mekong-River.html
(Submitted by Richard Freeman)
Vampire fish to lipstick geckos among new species found around Mekong River
The 'sucker' fish (Oreoglanis) which uses its body to stick to rocks in fast flowing waters Photo: WWFA red-lipped gecko, a fish with "vampire" fangs and a seven metre high carnivorous plant are among 145 new species discovered around the Mekong River in South-East Asia.
By Danielle Demetriou
Published: 7:00AM BST 06 Oct 2010
The catalogue of unusual new creatures and plants was outlined in a new World Wildlife Fund (WWF) report which called for action to protect the biodiversity of the region.
The report revealed that an average of three new species were discovered by scientists in the region every week throughout 2009.
The catalogue of unusual new creatures and plants was outlined in a new World Wildlife Fund (WWF) report which called for action to protect the biodiversity of the region.
The report revealed that an average of three new species were discovered by scientists in the region every week throughout 2009.
Another new discovery was the tiny "lipstick gecko" which has bright red lips.
A "sucker" fish which uses its body to stick to rocks in fast flowing waters to move upstream was also identified for the first time by scientists.
Other creations discovered last year included a fangless snake, a frog that chirps like a cricket and a tall insect-trapping pitcher plant that grows to over 23 feet.
"The rate of discovery in the Mekong is almost without equal globally," said Stuart Chapman, the regional conservation director of WWF.
"That's attributed to the enormous geographical and climatic range within the region, going from high altitude to dense tropical forests through to some of the richest freshwater in the world.
"Undoubtedly this region is one of the richest in terms of its biodiversity, but it's also one of the most threatened."
The study was released as government representatives from around the world prepared to gather in Japan for next week's United Nations convention on biodiversity.
The meeting aims to establish new global targets to halt a growing decline in biodiversity, with the loss of wildlife around the world currently estimated to be 1,000 faster than the natural rate.
The Greater Mekong region – which covers Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and the southern Chinese province of Yunnan – is home to some of the planet's most endangered species, from tigers and Asian elephants to the Mekong dolphin and giant cuttlefish.
Scientists are increasingly calling for its wide-ranging biodiversity to be protected, as it is home to an ever-growing number of previously unidentified animals and plants.
More photos at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/8045252/Vampire-fish-to-lipstick-geckos-among-new-species-found-around-Mekong-River.html
(Submitted by Richard Freeman)
Monday, September 13, 2010
New Gecko Species Identified in West African Rain Forests
RIGHT: The West African forest gecko, Hemidactylus fasciatus, is secretive but common in the tropical rain forest patches stretching nearly 3,000 miles from the coast of Sierra Leone to the Congo. Two post-docs -- former UC Berkeley students -- have now determined that the gecko is at least four distinct species scattered through isolated patches of forest across West Africa. (Credit: Charles Linkem)ScienceDaily (June 1, 2010) — The West African forest gecko, a secretive but widely distributed species in forest patches from Ghana to Congo, is actually four distinct species that appear to have evolved over the past 100,000 years due to the fragmentation of a belt of tropical rain forest , according to a report in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
The discovery by former University of California, Berkeley, students Adam D. Leaché and Matthew K. Fujita demonstrates the wealth of biodiversity still surviving in the islands of tropical rain forest in West Africa, and the ability of new DNA analysis techniques to distinguish different species, even when they look alike.
"We tended to find this gecko, Hemidactylus fasciatus, throughout our travels in West Africa," said Leaché, a herpetologist with UC Berkeley's Museum of Vertebrate Zoology. "Despite the fact that it is recognized as one species, using new methods we have established a high probability that it is composed of at least four species."
Though the forest fragmentation is part of a long-term drying trend in West Africa, the loss of forest and the resultant impact on the gecko is increasing as a result of human activity, he noted.
"These rain forests are classified as one of the biodiversity hotspots on the planet, yet they are one of the most endangered areas on the earth," Leaché said. "Human deforestation is accentuating the process of habitat destruction."
Leaché, currently a post-doctoral fellow at UC Davis but soon to become an assistant professor of biology at the University of Washington, has mounted five expeditions since 2003 to the tropical rain forests of West Africa to survey reptile and amphibian populations. All of the forest patches are isolated, some requiring hours of hiking to reach, and many are protected in national parks. Access was often difficult because he had to hire porters to carry liquid nitrogen with which to preserve tissue specimens of rare species, plus pickling containers in which to bring home more common animals, including the forest gecko.
"Out intent was to go to remote sites where people haven't done much exploration to try to document biodiversity in Africa," he said.
Having collected numerous specimens of the six-inch gecko, he and Fujita, who accompanied Leaché on several of the expeditions, decided to see whether genetic diversity among the geckos could tell them something about the history of the rain forest belt. That belt stretches nearly 3,000 miles from the coast of Sierra Leone through the Guinean rain forest in Ghana, through Nigeria and Cameroon, to the Congolian rain forest. Over millions of years, the forest has expanded and shrunk with climate change, and an aridification trend over the past several hundred thousand years has caused the forest to contract to mountainous areas, Leaché said.
Leaché and Fujita found sufficient genetic differences among the 50 geckos collected from 10 different forest patches to identify four distinct species. The different species were found in different forest patches, suggesting that the species divergence was driven by the isolation of gecko populations from one another after gaps developed in the rain forest.
Not all of the species were separated by forest gaps, however. The wide Sanaga River in Cameroon is the dividing line between two species, which the researchers named Hemidactylus coalescens and Hemidactylus eniangii, the latter in honor of Nigerian conservation biologist and herpetologist Dr. Edem A. Eniang.
They retained the name Hemidactylus fasciatus for the westernmost species, which ranges from Sierra Leone to the wide Dahomey Gap, but identified an isolated species, Hemidactylus kyaboboensis, in the Togo Hills, which they named after Kyabobo National Park in the Volta Region of Ghana.
A key component of their research was testing a different statistical method, called Bayesian species delimitation, that provides odds that researchers are correct when naming a new species.
"This method gives you a probability associated with the number of species identified, something we haven't been able to do in speciation research until now," Leaché said. "Before, it was more of a qualitative assessment. Here, we get a quantitative assessment, which is reassuring."
As a result, the researchers were able to state with high probability -- essentially 100 percent that the specimens break down into four species.
Fujita, formerly of UC Berkeley's Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and now a post-doctoral fellow at Harvard University's Museum of Comparative Zoology, took tissue samples from the specimens and conducted the Bayesian analysis. The analysis involved five genes from the cell nucleus and one gene from the mitochondria.
Leaché plans to continue his biodiversity survey of West Africa, but also to look more closely at the forest gecko to see what observable differences -- size, shape or scale arrangement, for example -- can be used to confirm and identify the four species.
The work was supported by the National Science Foundation.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100601205756.htm
New Gecko Species Identified in West African Rain Forests
RIGHT: The West African forest gecko, Hemidactylus fasciatus, is secretive but common in the tropical rain forest patches stretching nearly 3,000 miles from the coast of Sierra Leone to the Congo. Two post-docs -- former UC Berkeley students -- have now determined that the gecko is at least four distinct species scattered through isolated patches of forest across West Africa. (Credit: Charles Linkem)ScienceDaily (June 1, 2010) — The West African forest gecko, a secretive but widely distributed species in forest patches from Ghana to Congo, is actually four distinct species that appear to have evolved over the past 100,000 years due to the fragmentation of a belt of tropical rain forest , according to a report in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
The discovery by former University of California, Berkeley, students Adam D. Leaché and Matthew K. Fujita demonstrates the wealth of biodiversity still surviving in the islands of tropical rain forest in West Africa, and the ability of new DNA analysis techniques to distinguish different species, even when they look alike.
"We tended to find this gecko, Hemidactylus fasciatus, throughout our travels in West Africa," said Leaché, a herpetologist with UC Berkeley's Museum of Vertebrate Zoology. "Despite the fact that it is recognized as one species, using new methods we have established a high probability that it is composed of at least four species."
Though the forest fragmentation is part of a long-term drying trend in West Africa, the loss of forest and the resultant impact on the gecko is increasing as a result of human activity, he noted.
"These rain forests are classified as one of the biodiversity hotspots on the planet, yet they are one of the most endangered areas on the earth," Leaché said. "Human deforestation is accentuating the process of habitat destruction."
Leaché, currently a post-doctoral fellow at UC Davis but soon to become an assistant professor of biology at the University of Washington, has mounted five expeditions since 2003 to the tropical rain forests of West Africa to survey reptile and amphibian populations. All of the forest patches are isolated, some requiring hours of hiking to reach, and many are protected in national parks. Access was often difficult because he had to hire porters to carry liquid nitrogen with which to preserve tissue specimens of rare species, plus pickling containers in which to bring home more common animals, including the forest gecko.
"Out intent was to go to remote sites where people haven't done much exploration to try to document biodiversity in Africa," he said.
Having collected numerous specimens of the six-inch gecko, he and Fujita, who accompanied Leaché on several of the expeditions, decided to see whether genetic diversity among the geckos could tell them something about the history of the rain forest belt. That belt stretches nearly 3,000 miles from the coast of Sierra Leone through the Guinean rain forest in Ghana, through Nigeria and Cameroon, to the Congolian rain forest. Over millions of years, the forest has expanded and shrunk with climate change, and an aridification trend over the past several hundred thousand years has caused the forest to contract to mountainous areas, Leaché said.
Leaché and Fujita found sufficient genetic differences among the 50 geckos collected from 10 different forest patches to identify four distinct species. The different species were found in different forest patches, suggesting that the species divergence was driven by the isolation of gecko populations from one another after gaps developed in the rain forest.
Not all of the species were separated by forest gaps, however. The wide Sanaga River in Cameroon is the dividing line between two species, which the researchers named Hemidactylus coalescens and Hemidactylus eniangii, the latter in honor of Nigerian conservation biologist and herpetologist Dr. Edem A. Eniang.
They retained the name Hemidactylus fasciatus for the westernmost species, which ranges from Sierra Leone to the wide Dahomey Gap, but identified an isolated species, Hemidactylus kyaboboensis, in the Togo Hills, which they named after Kyabobo National Park in the Volta Region of Ghana.
A key component of their research was testing a different statistical method, called Bayesian species delimitation, that provides odds that researchers are correct when naming a new species.
"This method gives you a probability associated with the number of species identified, something we haven't been able to do in speciation research until now," Leaché said. "Before, it was more of a qualitative assessment. Here, we get a quantitative assessment, which is reassuring."
As a result, the researchers were able to state with high probability -- essentially 100 percent that the specimens break down into four species.
Fujita, formerly of UC Berkeley's Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and now a post-doctoral fellow at Harvard University's Museum of Comparative Zoology, took tissue samples from the specimens and conducted the Bayesian analysis. The analysis involved five genes from the cell nucleus and one gene from the mitochondria.
Leaché plans to continue his biodiversity survey of West Africa, but also to look more closely at the forest gecko to see what observable differences -- size, shape or scale arrangement, for example -- can be used to confirm and identify the four species.
The work was supported by the National Science Foundation.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100601205756.htm
Thursday, June 3, 2010
New gecko species identified in West African rain forests
New gecko species identified in West African rain forests
Secretive Hemidactylus fasciatus is actually 4 species distributed in forest patches across W. Africa
1-Jun-2010
The West African forest gecko, a secretive but widely distributed species in forest patches from Ghana to Congo, is actually four distinct species that appear to have evolved over the past 100,000 years due to the fragmentation of a belt of tropical rain forest , according to a report in this week's issue of the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
The discovery by former University of California, Berkeley, students Adam D. Leaché and Matthew K. Fujita demonstrates the wealth of biodiversity still surviving in the islands of tropical rain forest in West Africa, and the ability of new DNA analysis techniques to distinguish different species, even when they look alike.
"We tended to find this gecko, Hemidactylus fasciatus, throughout our travels in West Africa," said Leaché, a herpetologist with UC Berkeley's Museum of Vertebrate Zoology. "Despite the fact that it is recognized as one species, using new methods we have established a high probability that it is composed of at least four species."
Though the forest fragmentation is part of a long-term drying trend in West Africa, the loss of forest and the resultant impact on the gecko is increasing as a result of human activity, he noted.
"These rain forests are classified as one of the biodiversity hotspots on the planet, yet they are one of the most endangered areas on the earth," Leaché said. "Human deforestation is accentuating the process of habitat destruction."
Leaché, currently a post-doctoral fellow at UC Davis but soon to become an assistant professor of biology at the University of Washington, has mounted five expeditions since 2003 to the tropical rain forests of West Africa to survey reptile and amphibian populations. All of the forest patches are isolated, some requiring hours of hiking to reach, and many are protected in national parks. Access was often difficult because he had to hire porters to carry liquid nitrogen with which to preserve tissue specimens of rare species, plus pickling containers in which to bring home more common animals, including the forest gecko.
"Out intent was to go to remote sites where people haven't done much exploration to try to document biodiversity in Africa," he said.
Having collected numerous specimens of the six-inch gecko, he and Fujita, who accompanied Leaché on several of the expeditions, decided to see whether genetic diversity among the geckos could tell them something about the history of the rain forest belt. That belt stretches nearly 3,000 miles from the coast of Sierra Leone through the Guinean rain forest in Ghana, through Nigeria and Cameroon, to the Congolian rain forest. Over millions of years, the forest has expanded and shrunk with climate change, and an aridification trend over the past several hundred thousand years has caused the forest to contract to mountainous areas, Leaché said.
Leaché and Fujita found sufficient genetic differences among the 50 geckos collected from 10 different forest patches to identify four distinct species. The different species were found in different forest patches, suggesting that the species divergence was driven by the isolation of gecko populations from one another after gaps developed in the rain forest.
Not all of the species were separated by forest gaps, however. The wide Sanaga River in Cameroon is the dividing line between two species, which the researchers named Hemidactylus coalescens and Hemidactylus eniangii, the latter in honor of Nigerian conservation biologist and herpetologist Dr. Edem A. Eniang.
They retained the name Hemidactylus fasciatus for the westernmost species, which ranges from Sierra Leone to the wide Dahomey Gap, but identified an isolated species, Hemidactylus kyaboboensis, in the Togo Hills, which they named after Kyabobo National Park in the Volta Region of Ghana.
A key component of their research was testing a different statistical method, called Bayesian species delimitation, that provides odds that researchers are correct when naming a new species.
"This method gives you a probability associated with the number of species identified, something we haven't been able to do in speciation research until now," Leaché said. "Before, it was more of a qualitative assessment. Here, we get a quantitative assessment, which is reassuring."
As a result, the researchers were able to state with high probability – essentially 100 percent that the specimens break down into four species.
Fujita, formerly of UC Berkeley's Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and now a post-doctoral fellow at Harvard University's Museum of Comparative Zoology, took tissue samples from the specimens and conducted the Bayesian analysis. The analysis involved five genes from the cell nucleus and one gene from the mitochondria.
Leaché plans to continue his biodiversity survey of West Africa, but also to look more closely at the forest gecko to see what observable differences – size, shape or scale arrangement, for example – can be used to confirm and identify the four species.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-06/uoc--ngs060110.php
Secretive Hemidactylus fasciatus is actually 4 species distributed in forest patches across W. Africa
1-Jun-2010
The West African forest gecko, a secretive but widely distributed species in forest patches from Ghana to Congo, is actually four distinct species that appear to have evolved over the past 100,000 years due to the fragmentation of a belt of tropical rain forest , according to a report in this week's issue of the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
The discovery by former University of California, Berkeley, students Adam D. Leaché and Matthew K. Fujita demonstrates the wealth of biodiversity still surviving in the islands of tropical rain forest in West Africa, and the ability of new DNA analysis techniques to distinguish different species, even when they look alike.
"We tended to find this gecko, Hemidactylus fasciatus, throughout our travels in West Africa," said Leaché, a herpetologist with UC Berkeley's Museum of Vertebrate Zoology. "Despite the fact that it is recognized as one species, using new methods we have established a high probability that it is composed of at least four species."
Though the forest fragmentation is part of a long-term drying trend in West Africa, the loss of forest and the resultant impact on the gecko is increasing as a result of human activity, he noted.
"These rain forests are classified as one of the biodiversity hotspots on the planet, yet they are one of the most endangered areas on the earth," Leaché said. "Human deforestation is accentuating the process of habitat destruction."
Leaché, currently a post-doctoral fellow at UC Davis but soon to become an assistant professor of biology at the University of Washington, has mounted five expeditions since 2003 to the tropical rain forests of West Africa to survey reptile and amphibian populations. All of the forest patches are isolated, some requiring hours of hiking to reach, and many are protected in national parks. Access was often difficult because he had to hire porters to carry liquid nitrogen with which to preserve tissue specimens of rare species, plus pickling containers in which to bring home more common animals, including the forest gecko.
"Out intent was to go to remote sites where people haven't done much exploration to try to document biodiversity in Africa," he said.
Having collected numerous specimens of the six-inch gecko, he and Fujita, who accompanied Leaché on several of the expeditions, decided to see whether genetic diversity among the geckos could tell them something about the history of the rain forest belt. That belt stretches nearly 3,000 miles from the coast of Sierra Leone through the Guinean rain forest in Ghana, through Nigeria and Cameroon, to the Congolian rain forest. Over millions of years, the forest has expanded and shrunk with climate change, and an aridification trend over the past several hundred thousand years has caused the forest to contract to mountainous areas, Leaché said.
Leaché and Fujita found sufficient genetic differences among the 50 geckos collected from 10 different forest patches to identify four distinct species. The different species were found in different forest patches, suggesting that the species divergence was driven by the isolation of gecko populations from one another after gaps developed in the rain forest.
Not all of the species were separated by forest gaps, however. The wide Sanaga River in Cameroon is the dividing line between two species, which the researchers named Hemidactylus coalescens and Hemidactylus eniangii, the latter in honor of Nigerian conservation biologist and herpetologist Dr. Edem A. Eniang.
They retained the name Hemidactylus fasciatus for the westernmost species, which ranges from Sierra Leone to the wide Dahomey Gap, but identified an isolated species, Hemidactylus kyaboboensis, in the Togo Hills, which they named after Kyabobo National Park in the Volta Region of Ghana.
A key component of their research was testing a different statistical method, called Bayesian species delimitation, that provides odds that researchers are correct when naming a new species.
"This method gives you a probability associated with the number of species identified, something we haven't been able to do in speciation research until now," Leaché said. "Before, it was more of a qualitative assessment. Here, we get a quantitative assessment, which is reassuring."
As a result, the researchers were able to state with high probability – essentially 100 percent that the specimens break down into four species.
Fujita, formerly of UC Berkeley's Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and now a post-doctoral fellow at Harvard University's Museum of Comparative Zoology, took tissue samples from the specimens and conducted the Bayesian analysis. The analysis involved five genes from the cell nucleus and one gene from the mitochondria.
Leaché plans to continue his biodiversity survey of West Africa, but also to look more closely at the forest gecko to see what observable differences – size, shape or scale arrangement, for example – can be used to confirm and identify the four species.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-06/uoc--ngs060110.php
Friday, April 23, 2010
RARE LIZARD KILLED IN TRAP
Thank you to Tony Lucas for the story
The first giant gecko found on the New Zealand mainland for almost 100 years has been killed in a mouse trap at Maungatautari. The Duvaucel's gecko was found in the trap last month, and while dead, its discovery has led to hopes among Maungatautari staff and supporters that more of the rare species are living on the mountain.
Up until it was discovered at Maungatautari, the Duvaucel's gecko could only be found on predator-free offshore islands.
Maungatautari ecologist Chris Smuts-Kennedy said the dead gecko was "in the size range for an adult male".
The Duvaucel's can grow up to 30cm long, "weigh as much as a blackbird", and live for more than 50 years.
Mr Smuts-Kennedy said the trap had been laid as part of routine pest control, and while it was a cruel irony the gecko was dead, it indicated a strong possibility of a population of the species being on the inland island sanctuary.
"The most likely scenario is that it represents a surviving population, and this is a species which has been thought to be extinct on the mainland for probably close to a century. If he's a Maungatautari born-and-bred animal, it's very unlikely he's the last one. It's one of New Zealand's rare species. The last known mainland record (of the species) was about the 1920s in the Thames area."
Maungatautari staff and volunteers hoped to survey the mountain for more of the geckos, although increasingly cold weather could hamper that. A special nocturnal spotlighting technique would be used. Mr Smuts-Kennedy said the Duvaucel's was prone to being hunted by ship rats, but was a feisty critter who would use its teeth and claws to defend itself.
They will feed on insects, "and even their own young, if they get the opportunity", he said.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/news/3610131/Rare-lizard-killed-in-trap
The first giant gecko found on the New Zealand mainland for almost 100 years has been killed in a mouse trap at Maungatautari. The Duvaucel's gecko was found in the trap last month, and while dead, its discovery has led to hopes among Maungatautari staff and supporters that more of the rare species are living on the mountain.
Up until it was discovered at Maungatautari, the Duvaucel's gecko could only be found on predator-free offshore islands.
Maungatautari ecologist Chris Smuts-Kennedy said the dead gecko was "in the size range for an adult male".
The Duvaucel's can grow up to 30cm long, "weigh as much as a blackbird", and live for more than 50 years.
Mr Smuts-Kennedy said the trap had been laid as part of routine pest control, and while it was a cruel irony the gecko was dead, it indicated a strong possibility of a population of the species being on the inland island sanctuary.
"The most likely scenario is that it represents a surviving population, and this is a species which has been thought to be extinct on the mainland for probably close to a century. If he's a Maungatautari born-and-bred animal, it's very unlikely he's the last one. It's one of New Zealand's rare species. The last known mainland record (of the species) was about the 1920s in the Thames area."
Maungatautari staff and volunteers hoped to survey the mountain for more of the geckos, although increasingly cold weather could hamper that. A special nocturnal spotlighting technique would be used. Mr Smuts-Kennedy said the Duvaucel's was prone to being hunted by ship rats, but was a feisty critter who would use its teeth and claws to defend itself.
They will feed on insects, "and even their own young, if they get the opportunity", he said.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/news/3610131/Rare-lizard-killed-in-trap
Friday, April 2, 2010
Gecko survives week in cold fridge after being packed in apple bag
A gecko survived a week in a fridge after accidentally ending up in a bag of apples.
Published: 8:00AM BST 02 Apr 2010
Wendy Newbury from Bideford, Devon found the small lizard-like creature when she took the last of the apples out of the bag in the fridge.
"This thing just fell out the bag and it looked dead," she said.
"It then must have started warming up and he started moving around.
"He was such a sweet and amazing little thing and me and my husband, Brian, are both animal lovers so we didn't want anything to happen to it."
Mrs Newbury said she had taken in stray cats and chickens before but wasn't sure what care a gecko needed.
So the couple put holes in a plastic container and took the gecko to Bideford's Torbridge Veterinary Centre.
Veterinary assistant Stephen Warren said the gecko was lively and appeared to be in good heath - particularly after spending a week refrigerated.
The gecko was named Gordon by staff after the fictional character, Gordon Gekko in the film Wall Street.
Mr Warren added: "It was a weird thing to find and a bit of a surprise for the couple.
"He seemed in good health but has a small injury on his tail, which is not surprising considering the trip he has had.
"This is the first time I've come across anything like this - I know you hear about spiders in bananas, but luckily I've never found a creepy crawly in my fruit or veg before."
The vets gave Gordon to the RSPCA, who will be able to offer him the specialist care he needs.
The vets believed the gecko probably originated in Asia meaning it may have travelled thousands of miles to get to North Devon.
Although the apples Wendy bought from Waitrose in Holsworthy say they're from Kent.
A spokesman for Waitrose added: "We take every care to protect our products at all stages of distribution and storage, supporting this with routine monitoring and checks.
"We're perplexed about this discovery as our apples are sourced and packaged in Kent. However, we are investigating with our supplier."
Mr Warren said: "If members of the public do find any weird or wonderful creatures like this, they should let vets or the RSPCA know, as some animals do have specialist requirement."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/7545077/Gecko-survives-week-in-cold-fridge-after-being-packed-in-apple-bag.html
Published: 8:00AM BST 02 Apr 2010
Wendy Newbury from Bideford, Devon found the small lizard-like creature when she took the last of the apples out of the bag in the fridge.
"This thing just fell out the bag and it looked dead," she said.
"It then must have started warming up and he started moving around.
"He was such a sweet and amazing little thing and me and my husband, Brian, are both animal lovers so we didn't want anything to happen to it."
Mrs Newbury said she had taken in stray cats and chickens before but wasn't sure what care a gecko needed.
So the couple put holes in a plastic container and took the gecko to Bideford's Torbridge Veterinary Centre.
Veterinary assistant Stephen Warren said the gecko was lively and appeared to be in good heath - particularly after spending a week refrigerated.
The gecko was named Gordon by staff after the fictional character, Gordon Gekko in the film Wall Street.
Mr Warren added: "It was a weird thing to find and a bit of a surprise for the couple.
"He seemed in good health but has a small injury on his tail, which is not surprising considering the trip he has had.
"This is the first time I've come across anything like this - I know you hear about spiders in bananas, but luckily I've never found a creepy crawly in my fruit or veg before."
The vets gave Gordon to the RSPCA, who will be able to offer him the specialist care he needs.
The vets believed the gecko probably originated in Asia meaning it may have travelled thousands of miles to get to North Devon.
Although the apples Wendy bought from Waitrose in Holsworthy say they're from Kent.
A spokesman for Waitrose added: "We take every care to protect our products at all stages of distribution and storage, supporting this with routine monitoring and checks.
"We're perplexed about this discovery as our apples are sourced and packaged in Kent. However, we are investigating with our supplier."
Mr Warren said: "If members of the public do find any weird or wonderful creatures like this, they should let vets or the RSPCA know, as some animals do have specialist requirement."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/7545077/Gecko-survives-week-in-cold-fridge-after-being-packed-in-apple-bag.html
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Rare geckos returned home
Added: 7:25PM Friday March 19, 2010
Source: ONE News
Sixteen rare jewelled geckos at the centre of a foiled smuggling bid are now back where they belong.
See video here: http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/rare-geckos-returned-home-1-42-video-3423523
(Submitted by Tony Lucas)
Source: ONE News
Sixteen rare jewelled geckos at the centre of a foiled smuggling bid are now back where they belong.
See video here: http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/rare-geckos-returned-home-1-42-video-3423523
(Submitted by Tony Lucas)
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
HerpDigest Volume # 10 Issue #9 2/23/09 Bibliographies Major Herp Publications
HerpDigest.org: The Only Free Weekly Electronic Newsletter That Reports on The Latest News on Herpetological Conservation, Husbandry and Science
Volume # 10 Issue #9 2/23/09 - Bibliographies Major Herp Publications
Publisher/Editor- Allen Salzberg
__________________________________________________________________.
Table of Contents
1) Herpetological Monographs, Vol. 23, Issue 1, Dec 2009 (Bibliography)
2) Herpetologica Vol. 65, Issue 4, Dec 2009 (Bibliography
3) Journal of Herpetology Vol. 44, Issue 1, Mar 2010 (Bibliography
______________________________________________________
1) Herpetological Monographs (Bibliography
Vol. 23, Issue 1, Dec 2009
Articles
Philippine Frogs of the Genus Leptobrachium (Anura; Megophryidae): Phylogeny-based Species Delimitation, Taxonomic Review, and Descriptions of Three New Species
Rafe M. Brown, Cameron D. Siler, Arvin C. Diesmos, and Angel C. Alcala
Pages: 1-44
The Spatial and Reproductive Ecology of the Copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix) at the Northeastern Extreme of Its Range
Charles F. Smith, Gordon W. Schuett, Ryan L. Earley, and Kurt Schwenk
Pages: 45-73.
Reproductive Biology of Agkistrodon piscivorus Lacépède (Squamata, Serpentes, Viperidae, Crotalinae)
Dustin S. Siegel, David M. Sever, Justin L. Rheubert, and Kevin M. Gribbins
Pages: 74-107.
Selected Body Temperature and Thermoregulatory Behavior in the Sit-and-Wait Foraging Lizard Pseudocordylus melanotus melanotus
Suzanne McConnachie, Graham J. Alexander, and Martin J. Whiting
Pages: 108-122.
Two New Species of Cnemidophorus (Squamata: Teiidae) from Islands of the Northeastern Coast of Venezuela
Gabriel N. Ugueto, Michael B. Harvey, and Gilson A. Rivas
Page: 123-155
_______________________________________________________________________
2) Herpetologica (Bibliography
Vol. 65, Issue 4, Dec 2009
Articles
Sexual Dimorphism in Leposternon microcephalum and L. wuchereri (Squamata: Amphisbaenidae) from Minas Gerais, Southeastern Brazil
Renato Filogonio, Conrado A. B. Galdino, Daniel P. R. Cabral, Alexandre F. Righi, Marcelo F. Lopes, and Luciana B. Nascimento
Effects of Radio Transmitter Burdening on Locomotor Ability and Survival of Iguana Hatchlings
Charles R. Knapp and Juan G. Abarca
Age, Size and Growth in Two Populations of the Southern Crested Newt, Triturus karelinii (Strauch 1870) from Different Altitudes
Nazan Üzüm and Kurtuluþ Olgun
Testing Species Boundaries within theAtractus occipitoalbus Complex (Serpentes: Dipsadidae)
Paulo Passos, Altagratia Chiesse, Omar Torres-Carvajal, and Jay M. Savage
A New species of Coniophanes (Squamata: Colubridae), from the Coast of Michoacán, Mexico
Oscar Flores-Villela and Eric N. Smith
A New species of Microcaecilia (Amphibia: Gymnophona: Caeciliidae) from Suriname
Mark Wilkinson, Ronald Nussbaum, and Marinus Hoogmoed
A Revision of the Fish Scale Geckos, Genus Geckolepis Grandidier (Squamata, Gekkonidae) from Madagascar and the Comoros
Gunther Köhler, Hans-Helmut Diethert, Ronald A. Nussbaum, and Christopher J. Raxworthy
A New Species of Mesobaena Mertens, 1925 (Squamata: Amphisbaenidae) from Brazilian Guiana, with a Key to the Amphisbaenidae of the Guianan Region
Marinus S. Hoogmoed, Roberta R. Pinto, Wáldima Alves da Rocha, and Emiliane G. Pereira
A New Limb-Reduced, Loam-Swimming Skink (Squamata: Scincidae: Brachymeles) from Central Luzon Island, Philippines
Cameron D. Siler, Edmond L. Rico, Mariano R. Duya, and Rafe M. Brown
New Species of Toxicocalamus (Squamata: Elapidae) from Papua New Guinea
fred Kraus
A New Species of the Scinax catharinae Species Group (Anura: Hylidae) from Minas Gerais, Southeastern Brazil
Ana Carolina Calijorne Lourenço, Luciana Barreto Nascimento, and Maria Rita Silvério
3) Journal of Herpetology (Bibliography)
Vol. 44, Issue 1, Mar 2010
Ecology
Sexual Size and Shape Dimorphism Variation in Caesar's Lizard (Gallotia caesaris, Lacertidae) from Different Habitats
M. Molina-Borja, M. A. Rodríguez-Domínguez, C. González-Ortega, and M. L. Bohórquez-Alonso
Pages. 1-12.
Morphology
Macroscopic Recognition of Nontraumatic Osseous Pathology in the Postcranial Skeletons of Crocodilians and Lizards
Bruce Rothschild
Pages. 13-20.
Ecology
Density-Dependent Processes during the Juvenile Stage in the Lizard Sceloporus virgatus
V. Mark Manteuffel and Martin Eiblmaier
Pages. 21-27.
Systematics
New Species of Cnemaspis Strauch 1887 (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Southwestern ambodia
Jesse L. Grismer, L. Lee Grismer, and Thou Chav
Pages. 28-36.
New Forest Gecko (Squamata; Gekkonidae; Genus Luperosaurus) from Mt. Mantalingajan, Southern Palawan Island, Philippines
Rafe M. Brown, Arvin C. Diesmos, Melizar V. Duya, Harvey J. D. Garcia, and Edmund Leo B. Rico
Pages 37-48.
New Loam-Swimming Skink, Genus Brachymeles (Reptilia: Squamata: Scincidae) from Luzon and Catanduanes Islands, Philippines
Cameron D. Siler, Arvin C. Diesmos, and Rafe M. Brown
Pages 49-60.
Conservation
Anuran Calling Survey Optimization: Developing and Testing Predictive Models of Anuran Calling Activity
Charlotte K. Steelman and Michael E. Dorcas
Pages 61-68.
Interaction of an Aquatic Herbicide and Predatory Salamander Density on Wetland Communities
Robert Brodman, W. Dan Newman, Kristin Laurie, Sarah Osterfeld, and Nicole Lenzo
Pages. 69-82.
Ecology
Seasonal Patterns of Body Condition, Hydration State, and Activity of Gila Monsters (Heloderma suspectum) at a Sonoran Desert Site
Jon R. Davis and Dale F. DeNardo
Pages. 83-93.
Abundance and Sexual Size Dimorphism of the Giant Gartersnake (Thamnophis gigas) in the Sacramento Valley of California
Glenn D. Wylie, Michael L. Casazza, Christopher J. Gregory, and Brian J. Halstead
Pages 94-103.
Behavior
Vagility of Aquatic Salamanders: Implications for Wetland Connectivity
Christopher M. Schalk and Thomas M. Luhring
Pages 104-109.
Multiscale Influences of Landscape Composition and Configuration on the Spatial Ecology of Eastern Diamond-backed Rattlesnakes (Crotalus adamanteus)
Shannon K. Hoss, Craig Guyer, Lora L. Smith, and Gordon W. Schuett
Pages110-123.
Ecology
Seasonal and Site Variation in Angulate Tortoise Diet and Activity
Quinton I. Joshua, Margaretha D. Hofmeyr, and Brian T. Henen
Pages 124-134.
Physiology
Nutritional Quality of Natural Foods of Juvenile and Adult Desert Tortoises (Gopherus agassizii): Calcium, Phosphorus, and Magnesium Digestibility
Lisa C. Hazard, Danielle R. Shemanski, and Kenneth A. Nagy
Page 135-147.
Ecology
Diet and Reproductive Ecology of the Desert Nightsnake (Hypsiglena chlorophaea) in Central Washington State
Robert E. Weaver
Pages 148-152.
Systematics
Karyotypes of a Cryptic Diploid Form of the Unisexual Leposoma percarinatum (Squamata, Gymnophthalmidae) and the Bisexual Leposoma ferreirai from the Lower Rio Negro, Amazonian Brazil
Marcia M. Laguna, Miguel T. Rodrigues, Rodrigo M. L. dos Santos, Yatiyo Yonenaga-Yassuda, Teresa C. S. Ávila-Pires, Marinus S. Hoogmoed, and Katia C. M. Pellegrino
Pages 153-157.
Ecology
Altitude and Rock Cover Explain the Distribution and Abundance of a Mediterranean Alpine Lizard
Camila Monasterio, Alfredo Salvador, and José A. Díaz
Pages 158-163.
Conservation
Seasonal Variation in Survivorship and Mortality of Desert Tortoises in the Sonoran Desert, Arizona
J. Daren Riedle, Roy C. Averill-Murray, and David D. Grandmaison
Page 164-167.
Ecology
Population Structure and Growth of Immature Green Turtles at Mantanani, Sabah, Malaysia
Nicolas Pilcher
Page 168-171.
Age and Growth of a Subtropical High-Elevation Torrent Frog, Amolops mantzorum, in Western China
Wen Bo Liao and Xin Lu
Pages 172-176.
Morphology
Ventral Colored Patches in Tropidurus semitaeniatus (Squamata, Tropiduridae): Sexual Dimorphism and Association with Reproductive Cycle
Leonardo B. Ribeiro, Miguel F. Kolodiuk, and Eliza M. X. Freire
Pages 177-182.
Reviewers
List of Reviewers for the Journal of Herpetology, 2009
Pages 183-184.
You are receiving HerpDigest because through your own request, which was confirmed by HerpDigest by email. If you wish to stop receiving HerpDigest just contact salzberg@herpdigest.org and your subscription will be terminated immediately
________________________________________________________________
If you have any questions or complaints please send them directly to us at asalzberg@herpdigest.org And you'll receive a response or acted on immediately.
________________________________________________________________________
Sales From All Items Advertised In HerpDigest Goes Directly To Keep HerpDigest.org Free, Alive And An Independent Voice In The World Of Herpetology. HerpDigest.org Is A 501 © 3 Non-Profit Organization. So Donations Are Of Course Gratefully Accepted.
________________________________________________________________________
Still available:
THE ECOLOGY, EXPLOITATION AND CONSERVATION OF RIVER TURTLES
by Don Moll and Edward O. Moll. Considered by turtle scientists, and conservationists as one of the best books on turtle conservation. 420 pages; 90 halftones & 3 line illus.; 6-1/8 x 9-1/4; List price $80, now $30.00 plus $7.50 S&H.
AMPHIBIAN ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION: A HANDBOOK OF TECHNIQUES (TECHNIQUES IN ECOLOGY & CONSERVATION) (Paperback) by C. Kenneth Dodd Jr. (Editor) 556 pages, USA, Oxford Univ. Press. Available. $59.95 plus $7.50 S&H LIMITED NUMBER AUTOGRAPHED COPIES, By editor Kenneth Dodd
Table of Contents Available, Chapter one available, free at http://fds.oup.com/www.oup.com/pdf/13/9780199541188_chapter1.pdf
"THE FROGS AND TOADS OF NORTH AMERICA" is an amazing book.
It contains:
A CD of all 101 species found in US & Canada./Almost 400 great color photos
101 color location maps /In just 344 pages.
Books this comprehensive usually go for at least $50.00.to &75.00. Or just $19.95 for the CD. But the publisher is offering it JUST FOR $19.95 Plus 7.50 S&H. (See below on how to order)
THE COMPLETE NORTH AMERICAN BOX TURTLE
Carl J. Franklin, and David C. Killpack with foreword by C. Kenneth Dodd (who wrote the now classic "Natural History of North American Box Turtles"
Just published. 260 Pages Over 300 full color photos and illustrations. Probably the most comprehensive book on Box Turtles and the most beautiful available.
Hardcover, Eco/Serpent's Tales
Only $49.95 plus $7.50 S&H, lowest price on net
Not even Amazon who are offering it for $59.95.
"TURTLES: THE ANIMAL ANSWER GUIDE." By Whit Gibbons and Judy Greene
of the Savannah River Ecology Lab. © 2009 176 pages, 35 color photos, 64 halftones, Paperback., 7" x 11"-$24.95 PLUS $6.00 S&H
THE TURTLES OF U.S. & CANADA by Carl Ernst and Jeffrey Lovich, 2009, 840 pp. 240 color photos, 11 line drawings, 52 maps, 8 ½" X 11
List price $95.00, Only 1 Autographed copy left for sale at $85.00. Non autographed on back-order. $85.00.
($11.00 for S&H sent media mail, delivery confirmation, It's an 8 plus pound book)
"BIOLOGY OF THE BOAS AND PYTHONS"
Edited by R.W. Henderson and R. Powell
2007,Eagle Mountain Publishing,
448 pages, 30 chapters by 79 authors, over 200 color photographs, maps, figures, and drawings, Table of Contents available, $100.00 PLUS $7.50 For S&H.
SNAKES: A NATURAL HISTORY (ILLUSTRATED)
Roland Bauchot ,Editor
USD $24.95, 220 pages, Over 100 color photos. Sterling;
Paperback, Oversized (9" x 12")Illustrated Edition (2006) A definitive natural history of snakes, a try masterful work.
Hardcover $50.00 - Our price $35.00 - $7.50 S&H. (Only 1 copy left)
VENOMOUS SNAKES OF THE WORLD
by Mark O'Shea
$24.00, Hardcover, 160 pages, Hardcover, New Holland Publishers Ltd (February 20, 2008) S&H $7.50 (Only 1 copy left)
And soon three new books on amphibians, the "Salamanders of the Southeast".
"Ecological and Environmental Physiology of Amphibians" and "Extinction in Our Times-Global Amphibian Decline"
On how to order see below
(IF YOU ARE OVERSEAS -WHICH INCLUDES CANADA AND MEXICO-EMAIL US FIRST FOR SHIPPING COSTS.).
*********************************************************************
TO ORDER:
ATTENTION ----- IF USING A CCARD WE NOW NEED THOSE THREE LITTLE NUMBERS ON THE BACK OF THE CARD TO PROCESS YOUR ORDER.
1) Send a check to Herpdigest/Allen Salzberg/67-87 Booth Street -5B/Forest Hills, NY 11375. Make the check out to Herpdigest.
2) By Paypal - our account is asalzberg@herpdigest.org
3) By credit card, Master or Visa, Discover and Amex, only, send us your credit card number, expiration date, billing and shipping address to asalzberg@herpdigest.org. (Though I haven't heard of this happening, a credit card number stolen from an email, I'm told to prevent this send ccard number divided into two emails.)
And don't forget to include those 3 numbers from the back of the credit card.
4) By phone, call us at 1-718-275-2190 Eastern Standard Time (NYC) - Any Day Of The Week, 11 A.M.- 6 P.M. If not in, leave message and we'll call back.
Volume # 10 Issue #9 2/23/09 - Bibliographies Major Herp Publications
Publisher/Editor- Allen Salzberg
__________________________________________________________________.
Table of Contents
1) Herpetological Monographs, Vol. 23, Issue 1, Dec 2009 (Bibliography)
2) Herpetologica Vol. 65, Issue 4, Dec 2009 (Bibliography
3) Journal of Herpetology Vol. 44, Issue 1, Mar 2010 (Bibliography
______________________________________________________
1) Herpetological Monographs (Bibliography
Vol. 23, Issue 1, Dec 2009
Articles
Philippine Frogs of the Genus Leptobrachium (Anura; Megophryidae): Phylogeny-based Species Delimitation, Taxonomic Review, and Descriptions of Three New Species
Rafe M. Brown, Cameron D. Siler, Arvin C. Diesmos, and Angel C. Alcala
Pages: 1-44
The Spatial and Reproductive Ecology of the Copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix) at the Northeastern Extreme of Its Range
Charles F. Smith, Gordon W. Schuett, Ryan L. Earley, and Kurt Schwenk
Pages: 45-73.
Reproductive Biology of Agkistrodon piscivorus Lacépède (Squamata, Serpentes, Viperidae, Crotalinae)
Dustin S. Siegel, David M. Sever, Justin L. Rheubert, and Kevin M. Gribbins
Pages: 74-107.
Selected Body Temperature and Thermoregulatory Behavior in the Sit-and-Wait Foraging Lizard Pseudocordylus melanotus melanotus
Suzanne McConnachie, Graham J. Alexander, and Martin J. Whiting
Pages: 108-122.
Two New Species of Cnemidophorus (Squamata: Teiidae) from Islands of the Northeastern Coast of Venezuela
Gabriel N. Ugueto, Michael B. Harvey, and Gilson A. Rivas
Page: 123-155
_______________________________________________________________________
2) Herpetologica (Bibliography
Vol. 65, Issue 4, Dec 2009
Articles
Sexual Dimorphism in Leposternon microcephalum and L. wuchereri (Squamata: Amphisbaenidae) from Minas Gerais, Southeastern Brazil
Renato Filogonio, Conrado A. B. Galdino, Daniel P. R. Cabral, Alexandre F. Righi, Marcelo F. Lopes, and Luciana B. Nascimento
Effects of Radio Transmitter Burdening on Locomotor Ability and Survival of Iguana Hatchlings
Charles R. Knapp and Juan G. Abarca
Age, Size and Growth in Two Populations of the Southern Crested Newt, Triturus karelinii (Strauch 1870) from Different Altitudes
Nazan Üzüm and Kurtuluþ Olgun
Testing Species Boundaries within theAtractus occipitoalbus Complex (Serpentes: Dipsadidae)
Paulo Passos, Altagratia Chiesse, Omar Torres-Carvajal, and Jay M. Savage
A New species of Coniophanes (Squamata: Colubridae), from the Coast of Michoacán, Mexico
Oscar Flores-Villela and Eric N. Smith
A New species of Microcaecilia (Amphibia: Gymnophona: Caeciliidae) from Suriname
Mark Wilkinson, Ronald Nussbaum, and Marinus Hoogmoed
A Revision of the Fish Scale Geckos, Genus Geckolepis Grandidier (Squamata, Gekkonidae) from Madagascar and the Comoros
Gunther Köhler, Hans-Helmut Diethert, Ronald A. Nussbaum, and Christopher J. Raxworthy
A New Species of Mesobaena Mertens, 1925 (Squamata: Amphisbaenidae) from Brazilian Guiana, with a Key to the Amphisbaenidae of the Guianan Region
Marinus S. Hoogmoed, Roberta R. Pinto, Wáldima Alves da Rocha, and Emiliane G. Pereira
A New Limb-Reduced, Loam-Swimming Skink (Squamata: Scincidae: Brachymeles) from Central Luzon Island, Philippines
Cameron D. Siler, Edmond L. Rico, Mariano R. Duya, and Rafe M. Brown
New Species of Toxicocalamus (Squamata: Elapidae) from Papua New Guinea
fred Kraus
A New Species of the Scinax catharinae Species Group (Anura: Hylidae) from Minas Gerais, Southeastern Brazil
Ana Carolina Calijorne Lourenço, Luciana Barreto Nascimento, and Maria Rita Silvério
3) Journal of Herpetology (Bibliography)
Vol. 44, Issue 1, Mar 2010
Ecology
Sexual Size and Shape Dimorphism Variation in Caesar's Lizard (Gallotia caesaris, Lacertidae) from Different Habitats
M. Molina-Borja, M. A. Rodríguez-Domínguez, C. González-Ortega, and M. L. Bohórquez-Alonso
Pages. 1-12.
Morphology
Macroscopic Recognition of Nontraumatic Osseous Pathology in the Postcranial Skeletons of Crocodilians and Lizards
Bruce Rothschild
Pages. 13-20.
Ecology
Density-Dependent Processes during the Juvenile Stage in the Lizard Sceloporus virgatus
V. Mark Manteuffel and Martin Eiblmaier
Pages. 21-27.
Systematics
New Species of Cnemaspis Strauch 1887 (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Southwestern ambodia
Jesse L. Grismer, L. Lee Grismer, and Thou Chav
Pages. 28-36.
New Forest Gecko (Squamata; Gekkonidae; Genus Luperosaurus) from Mt. Mantalingajan, Southern Palawan Island, Philippines
Rafe M. Brown, Arvin C. Diesmos, Melizar V. Duya, Harvey J. D. Garcia, and Edmund Leo B. Rico
Pages 37-48.
New Loam-Swimming Skink, Genus Brachymeles (Reptilia: Squamata: Scincidae) from Luzon and Catanduanes Islands, Philippines
Cameron D. Siler, Arvin C. Diesmos, and Rafe M. Brown
Pages 49-60.
Conservation
Anuran Calling Survey Optimization: Developing and Testing Predictive Models of Anuran Calling Activity
Charlotte K. Steelman and Michael E. Dorcas
Pages 61-68.
Interaction of an Aquatic Herbicide and Predatory Salamander Density on Wetland Communities
Robert Brodman, W. Dan Newman, Kristin Laurie, Sarah Osterfeld, and Nicole Lenzo
Pages. 69-82.
Ecology
Seasonal Patterns of Body Condition, Hydration State, and Activity of Gila Monsters (Heloderma suspectum) at a Sonoran Desert Site
Jon R. Davis and Dale F. DeNardo
Pages. 83-93.
Abundance and Sexual Size Dimorphism of the Giant Gartersnake (Thamnophis gigas) in the Sacramento Valley of California
Glenn D. Wylie, Michael L. Casazza, Christopher J. Gregory, and Brian J. Halstead
Pages 94-103.
Behavior
Vagility of Aquatic Salamanders: Implications for Wetland Connectivity
Christopher M. Schalk and Thomas M. Luhring
Pages 104-109.
Multiscale Influences of Landscape Composition and Configuration on the Spatial Ecology of Eastern Diamond-backed Rattlesnakes (Crotalus adamanteus)
Shannon K. Hoss, Craig Guyer, Lora L. Smith, and Gordon W. Schuett
Pages110-123.
Ecology
Seasonal and Site Variation in Angulate Tortoise Diet and Activity
Quinton I. Joshua, Margaretha D. Hofmeyr, and Brian T. Henen
Pages 124-134.
Physiology
Nutritional Quality of Natural Foods of Juvenile and Adult Desert Tortoises (Gopherus agassizii): Calcium, Phosphorus, and Magnesium Digestibility
Lisa C. Hazard, Danielle R. Shemanski, and Kenneth A. Nagy
Page 135-147.
Ecology
Diet and Reproductive Ecology of the Desert Nightsnake (Hypsiglena chlorophaea) in Central Washington State
Robert E. Weaver
Pages 148-152.
Systematics
Karyotypes of a Cryptic Diploid Form of the Unisexual Leposoma percarinatum (Squamata, Gymnophthalmidae) and the Bisexual Leposoma ferreirai from the Lower Rio Negro, Amazonian Brazil
Marcia M. Laguna, Miguel T. Rodrigues, Rodrigo M. L. dos Santos, Yatiyo Yonenaga-Yassuda, Teresa C. S. Ávila-Pires, Marinus S. Hoogmoed, and Katia C. M. Pellegrino
Pages 153-157.
Ecology
Altitude and Rock Cover Explain the Distribution and Abundance of a Mediterranean Alpine Lizard
Camila Monasterio, Alfredo Salvador, and José A. Díaz
Pages 158-163.
Conservation
Seasonal Variation in Survivorship and Mortality of Desert Tortoises in the Sonoran Desert, Arizona
J. Daren Riedle, Roy C. Averill-Murray, and David D. Grandmaison
Page 164-167.
Ecology
Population Structure and Growth of Immature Green Turtles at Mantanani, Sabah, Malaysia
Nicolas Pilcher
Page 168-171.
Age and Growth of a Subtropical High-Elevation Torrent Frog, Amolops mantzorum, in Western China
Wen Bo Liao and Xin Lu
Pages 172-176.
Morphology
Ventral Colored Patches in Tropidurus semitaeniatus (Squamata, Tropiduridae): Sexual Dimorphism and Association with Reproductive Cycle
Leonardo B. Ribeiro, Miguel F. Kolodiuk, and Eliza M. X. Freire
Pages 177-182.
Reviewers
List of Reviewers for the Journal of Herpetology, 2009
Pages 183-184.
You are receiving HerpDigest because through your own request, which was confirmed by HerpDigest by email. If you wish to stop receiving HerpDigest just contact salzberg@herpdigest.org and your subscription will be terminated immediately
________________________________________________________________
If you have any questions or complaints please send them directly to us at asalzberg@herpdigest.org And you'll receive a response or acted on immediately.
________________________________________________________________________
Sales From All Items Advertised In HerpDigest Goes Directly To Keep HerpDigest.org Free, Alive And An Independent Voice In The World Of Herpetology. HerpDigest.org Is A 501 © 3 Non-Profit Organization. So Donations Are Of Course Gratefully Accepted.
________________________________________________________________________
Still available:
THE ECOLOGY, EXPLOITATION AND CONSERVATION OF RIVER TURTLES
by Don Moll and Edward O. Moll. Considered by turtle scientists, and conservationists as one of the best books on turtle conservation. 420 pages; 90 halftones & 3 line illus.; 6-1/8 x 9-1/4; List price $80, now $30.00 plus $7.50 S&H.
AMPHIBIAN ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION: A HANDBOOK OF TECHNIQUES (TECHNIQUES IN ECOLOGY & CONSERVATION) (Paperback) by C. Kenneth Dodd Jr. (Editor) 556 pages, USA, Oxford Univ. Press. Available. $59.95 plus $7.50 S&H LIMITED NUMBER AUTOGRAPHED COPIES, By editor Kenneth Dodd
Table of Contents Available, Chapter one available, free at http://fds.oup.com/www.oup.com/pdf/13/9780199541188_chapter1.pdf
"THE FROGS AND TOADS OF NORTH AMERICA" is an amazing book.
It contains:
A CD of all 101 species found in US & Canada./Almost 400 great color photos
101 color location maps /In just 344 pages.
Books this comprehensive usually go for at least $50.00.to &75.00. Or just $19.95 for the CD. But the publisher is offering it JUST FOR $19.95 Plus 7.50 S&H. (See below on how to order)
THE COMPLETE NORTH AMERICAN BOX TURTLE
Carl J. Franklin, and David C. Killpack with foreword by C. Kenneth Dodd (who wrote the now classic "Natural History of North American Box Turtles"
Just published. 260 Pages Over 300 full color photos and illustrations. Probably the most comprehensive book on Box Turtles and the most beautiful available.
Hardcover, Eco/Serpent's Tales
Only $49.95 plus $7.50 S&H, lowest price on net
Not even Amazon who are offering it for $59.95.
"TURTLES: THE ANIMAL ANSWER GUIDE." By Whit Gibbons and Judy Greene
of the Savannah River Ecology Lab. © 2009 176 pages, 35 color photos, 64 halftones, Paperback., 7" x 11"-$24.95 PLUS $6.00 S&H
THE TURTLES OF U.S. & CANADA by Carl Ernst and Jeffrey Lovich, 2009, 840 pp. 240 color photos, 11 line drawings, 52 maps, 8 ½" X 11
List price $95.00, Only 1 Autographed copy left for sale at $85.00. Non autographed on back-order. $85.00.
($11.00 for S&H sent media mail, delivery confirmation, It's an 8 plus pound book)
"BIOLOGY OF THE BOAS AND PYTHONS"
Edited by R.W. Henderson and R. Powell
2007,Eagle Mountain Publishing,
448 pages, 30 chapters by 79 authors, over 200 color photographs, maps, figures, and drawings, Table of Contents available, $100.00 PLUS $7.50 For S&H.
SNAKES: A NATURAL HISTORY (ILLUSTRATED)
Roland Bauchot ,Editor
USD $24.95, 220 pages, Over 100 color photos. Sterling;
Paperback, Oversized (9" x 12")Illustrated Edition (2006) A definitive natural history of snakes, a try masterful work.
Hardcover $50.00 - Our price $35.00 - $7.50 S&H. (Only 1 copy left)
VENOMOUS SNAKES OF THE WORLD
by Mark O'Shea
$24.00, Hardcover, 160 pages, Hardcover, New Holland Publishers Ltd (February 20, 2008) S&H $7.50 (Only 1 copy left)
And soon three new books on amphibians, the "Salamanders of the Southeast".
"Ecological and Environmental Physiology of Amphibians" and "Extinction in Our Times-Global Amphibian Decline"
On how to order see below
(IF YOU ARE OVERSEAS -WHICH INCLUDES CANADA AND MEXICO-EMAIL US FIRST FOR SHIPPING COSTS.).
*********************************************************************
TO ORDER:
ATTENTION ----- IF USING A CCARD WE NOW NEED THOSE THREE LITTLE NUMBERS ON THE BACK OF THE CARD TO PROCESS YOUR ORDER.
1) Send a check to Herpdigest/Allen Salzberg/67-87 Booth Street -5B/Forest Hills, NY 11375. Make the check out to Herpdigest.
2) By Paypal - our account is asalzberg@herpdigest.org
3) By credit card, Master or Visa, Discover and Amex, only, send us your credit card number, expiration date, billing and shipping address to asalzberg@herpdigest.org. (Though I haven't heard of this happening, a credit card number stolen from an email, I'm told to prevent this send ccard number divided into two emails.)
And don't forget to include those 3 numbers from the back of the credit card.
4) By phone, call us at 1-718-275-2190 Eastern Standard Time (NYC) - Any Day Of The Week, 11 A.M.- 6 P.M. If not in, leave message and we'll call back.
Monday, January 25, 2010
It's weird when lizards fall out of trees
BY GLENN TERRY
Special to The Miami Herald
Two weeks ago it was raining lizards in South Florida. The cold temperatures made a million or more geckos, iguanas and Cuban anoles lose their grip and fall out of trees.
Didn't you find it hard to sleep with all those critters hitting the ground?
My wife and I tried to imagine we were hearing large raindrops.
The morning told us different. We waded out into a front yard littered by a sea ( OK, about a dozen) of those once fleet-footed beasts.
Picking them up, I couldn't tell if they were dead or in some sort of cold-induced coma. I arranged them on the hood of my car.
Later I moved them to a large, warm rock where the sun brought half back to life.
Sunday night was another freezer so I booked the still stiff six into a room at our home's Hotel Tupperware.
On Monday I took them to the elementary school where I teach. By then, two of the lizards were slowly moving. The duo spent the day entertaining 10-year-olds while the "frozen four" were given a sunny spot in the schoolyard.
The next morning the four were gone. Maybe they crawled off or perhaps the birds ate them. The last two seemed eager to return to the trees.
My students and I set them free, happy to be helping our mosquito-eating friends.
http://www.miamiherald.com/brickell/story/1441176.html
(Submitted by Caty Bergman)
Special to The Miami Herald
Two weeks ago it was raining lizards in South Florida. The cold temperatures made a million or more geckos, iguanas and Cuban anoles lose their grip and fall out of trees.
Didn't you find it hard to sleep with all those critters hitting the ground?
My wife and I tried to imagine we were hearing large raindrops.
The morning told us different. We waded out into a front yard littered by a sea ( OK, about a dozen) of those once fleet-footed beasts.
Picking them up, I couldn't tell if they were dead or in some sort of cold-induced coma. I arranged them on the hood of my car.
Later I moved them to a large, warm rock where the sun brought half back to life.
Sunday night was another freezer so I booked the still stiff six into a room at our home's Hotel Tupperware.
On Monday I took them to the elementary school where I teach. By then, two of the lizards were slowly moving. The duo spent the day entertaining 10-year-olds while the "frozen four" were given a sunny spot in the schoolyard.
The next morning the four were gone. Maybe they crawled off or perhaps the birds ate them. The last two seemed eager to return to the trees.
My students and I set them free, happy to be helping our mosquito-eating friends.
http://www.miamiherald.com/brickell/story/1441176.html
(Submitted by Caty Bergman)
Monday, October 26, 2009
Thursday, March 26, 2009
New Species Found In Papua-New Guinea
WASHINGTON - Jumping spiders, a striped gecko and a chirping frog are among more than 50 new species discovered in Papua-New Guinea, the environmental group Conservation International reported on Tuesday.
The creatures were found during an expedition in July and August in Papua-New Guinea's highlands wilderness, the group said in a statement.
A total of 50 spider species, two plants, three frogs and one gecko found on the expedition are believed to be new to science.
The three frogs include a tiny brown frog with a sharp chirping call, a bright green tree frog with big eyes and a torrent-dwelling frog that has a loud ringing call.
http://planetark.org/wen/52210
The creatures were found during an expedition in July and August in Papua-New Guinea's highlands wilderness, the group said in a statement.
A total of 50 spider species, two plants, three frogs and one gecko found on the expedition are believed to be new to science.
The three frogs include a tiny brown frog with a sharp chirping call, a bright green tree frog with big eyes and a torrent-dwelling frog that has a loud ringing call.
http://planetark.org/wen/52210
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