DAVOR VRCIBRADIC, Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Fed-

eral do Estado do Rio de Janeiro. Av. Pasteur 458, Urca,22240-290, Rio deJaneiro, RJ, Brazil (e-mail: davor@centroin.com.br); MAURICIO ALMEIDA-GOMES (e-mail: almeida.gomes@yahoo.com.br), CARLA C. SIQUEIRA (e-

mail: carlacsiqueira@yahoo.com.br), VITOR N ETSON T. BORGES-JUNIOR(e-mail: borges_bio6ryahoo.com.br), and CARLOS FREDERICO D. ROCHA(e-mail: cfdrocha@uerj.br), Departamento de Ecologia, Universidade doEstado do Rio deJaneiro, Rua 56o Francisco Xavier 524, Maracana,20550-

01 1, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.

I'AN:ilIEROPIIIS BAIRDI (Baixl's Ratsnake). DIET AND FOR-AGING BEHAVIOR. A Pantherophis bairdi was found inside a

cave (La Sepultura) in the municipality of Cd. Victoria, Tamau-lipas, M6xico (23.7756667"N, 99.22S8056"W datumWGSB4; elev.597 m). The snake was found coiled 2 m above the ground alongone of the rvalls of the cave attempting to catch bats of the spe-cies Leptonycteris curasoae (Fig. l). Other species of bats foundand identified in this cave included Desmodus rotundus, Di-phylla ecaudata, and Pteronotus parnelli. Previous reports men-tion that P. bairdi preys on rats, mice, bats, birds, bird eggs, andlizards, without reference to specific species or families of eachgroup (Schulz 1996. A Monograph of the Colubrid Snakes of theGenus Elaphe Fitzinger. Koeltz Scientific Books, Czech Republic.439 pp.). Schulz (1996, op. cit.) mentions that caves are inhabitedby several species of rat snakes at least temporarily. For example,Pantherophis guttata, P obsoleta, and Senticolis triaspis wererecorded from caves occupied by bats, which served as prey.Moreover, the only known P bairdi record in this municipalitywas published in 2009, but referred to a specimen found byT. W.Walker in 1969 (Farr et al. 2009. Herpetol. Rev. 40:459-467). Thus,this record represents the second municipality record in a spanof over 40 years. The snake and bats were not caught or collectedand were identified photographically and with the help of LuisCanseco-Mdrquez and Arnulfo Moreno-Valdez, respectively. Wealso thank David Lazcano-Villarreal for revising the manuscript.

ELi GARCIA-PADILLA, Centro de lnvestigaciones Biol69icas delNoroeste, Mar Bermejo 195, Colonia Palo de Santa Rita, La Paz, Baja Cali-fornia Sur, 23090 M6xico (e-mail: eligarcia_l8@hotmail.com); .IOSE lVAfrt

CUMPIAN-MEDELLIN, NOE FELIPE VARGAS GONZALEZ, ANd AARON

Ftc. l. Pantherophis bairdi atlempting to carch Leptonycteris curasoaein the cave La Sepultura, Tamaulipas, M6xico.

HERNANDEZ MALDONADO, lnstituto Tecnol69ico de Cd. Victoria. Bo: =.vard Emil io Portes Gil 1 301 pte. Cd. Victoria, Tamaulipas, 8701 0 Mexico.

PANIIIEROPHIS SP/IOIDES (Gray llatsnake). REPRODUC-TIVE BEHAVIOR / ARBOREAL MALE COMBAT. The goal of ma_.combat in snakes is to establish dominance over an oppone::through physical superiority (Gillingham 1987. In Seigel ei 'leds.l, Snakes: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, pp. 184-2t:McGraw-Hill Publishing Co., NewYork). Male ratsnakes compe:.for mates by participating in dominance "combat dances" (Rr:-ley 1971. I. Herpetol. 5:65-66; Stickel et al. 1980. Amer. Midl. \a:103:l-14); although the role of this behavior is not fully unde:-stood (Rigley, op. cit.). The arboreal habits of species in the Par-therophis obsoleta complex are also well documented (Ernst an :Ernst 2003. Snakes of the United States and Canada. Smithso:_-ian Institution Press., Washington, D.C., 68l pp.), and arbore:mating has been noted in P o. obsoleta (Padgett 1987. Catesbe--ana 7:27-28), but to our knowledge, arboreal male combat ha:not been reported.

On 24 May 2006 at 1200 h, we observed a pair of free-rangir:.male Pantherophis spiloides engaged in arboreal combat on ri:.Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center, Forrest Co., Missi.-sippi, USA. The snakes were found entwined approximately 5 r:-

above ground, hanging from a broken limb in a Quercus mar:-landica (Fig. l). The smaller male (SVL = l4l cm, 612 g) conrir-ued to break contact and move up the tree, and was followed b'.

Frc. l. TWo adult male Pantherophis spiloides engaged in arborealcombat in Forrest Co., Mississippi, USA.

\Dl

r;lki

The Official News-Journal of the

SOCIETY FOR THE STTJDY OF AMPHIBIANS AND REPTILES

ssAR BUS|NESS. ................... 129

MEET|NGS......... .................... r30

NEW5NOTES..... .................... 131

CURRENT RESEARCH................... ................... r32

zoovlEw......... .................... 136

tNsTtruTloNAL PROFI1E............... ................. 150

HERPETOCULTURAL NOTES ...........................232

GEOGRAPHTC DISTRIBUTION .. ....................... 235

NATURAL HTSTORY NOTES.......... ................... 258

PUBLTCATTONS RECE|VED.......... .....................316

ARTICLES

Ecological Consequences of Continual Volcanic Activityon the Lizard, Anolis liuidus, from Montserratwt. M. MUNOZ and J. HEWLETT.... ............... 160

Slevin's Bunchgrass Lizard (Sceloporus sleuinl) PopulationBarely Extant on the Sonoita Plain, ArizonaC. A. D'ORGEIX,T. MATHIES, and N. D. BRIDGERS.. ................. I66

Using Scrape Fishing to Document Terrapins in Hibernaculain Chesapeake BayG. M. HARAMIS, P. P. F. HENRY and D. D. DAY ........................ 170

A Large-Scale Snake Mortality EventJ. EVANS, J. WEWERKA, E. M. EVERHAM lll, and A. J. WOH1PART..........................177

TECHNIQUESUsing a Portable Reader for Non-invasive Detection of PIT-taggedSkinks IInder CoverboardsC. N. CAVALIERI, D.T. LYNCH, and S. F. FOX............ ................ lBl

A New Rapid Assessment Technique for Amphibians: Introductionof the Species List Technique from San los6 de Payamino, EcuadorA. P. MUIR and M. C. A. MU|R.... .................. I84

A Taping Method for External Transmitter Attachment onAquatic SnakesG. D. WYLIE, J. J. SMITH, M. AMARELLO and M. L. CASSAZZA.......................... 187

Shell Hardness Measurement in Juvenile Desert Tortoises,Gopherus agassiziiK. A. NAGV M. W.TUMA, and L. S. HILLARD..... ...................... 191

CONSERVATION

Rediscovery of Abroniafrosti (Sauria: Anguidae) from a CloudForest in Cuchumatanes Highlands in Northwestern Guatemala:Habitat Characterization and Conservation StatusD. ARIANO-5ANCHEZ, M.TORRES-ALMAZAN, ANd A. URBINA-AGUILAR .......

Prime Time for Turtle ConservationA. R. KIESTER and D. H. OLSON...

AMPHIBIAN DISEASES

Chltrid in a Canopy Amphibian: Picado's Bromeliad Treefrog,Isthmohyla picadoi (Hylidae), Persists at a Site Affected byB atr acho chy tr i um de ndr ob ati d isE. D. LINDQUISI M. J. SHIN. J. O. COSSEL JR., A. M. M. STUCKERI

M. C. BLETZ, and N. C. TRIMMER.. ............... 205

Prevalence and Distribution of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidisat Montane Sites in CentralWashington State, USAC. A. GAULKE, J. T. lRWlN, and R. S. WAGNER .... ..................... 209

First Detection of Ranavirus in Lithobates pipiens in QuebecL. J. PAETOW B. D. PAULI, J. D. McLAUGHLIN, J. BIDULKA,

and D. J. MARCOGLIESE................ .................. 21 I

Occurrence of Batrachochytrium derulrobalirlls in AmphibiansofWise County, Virginia, USAS. A. DAVIDSON and D. L. CHAMBERS................... ................214

Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in Siren intermediain Illinois, USA

B. L.TALLEY, K. R. LIPS, and S. R.BALLARD... .........................216

Low Prevalence of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidisDetected inAppalachian Salamanders from Warren Counry Virginia, USAB. GRATWICKE, M. EVANs, E. H. CAMPBELL GRANI J. GREATHOUSE,

W. J. McSHEA, N. ROTZEL, and R. C. FLEISCHER. ....................217

Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis on the Endemic FrogLitoria ranifurmrs in South AustraliaJ. VoRoS, L. PR|CE, and S. C. DONNELLAN... .........................220

Ranavirus Outbreaks in Amphibian Populations of Northern IdahoD. M. RUSSELL, C. S. GOLDBERG, L. SPRAGUE, L. P. WAITS, D. E. GREEN, K. L.

SCHULER, and E. B. ROSENBLUM ....................223

HERPETOCULTURE

Effects of Captivity on Female Reproductive Cycles and EggIncubation in Ball Pythons (Python regius)B. H. MORRILL, L. F. RICKORDS, C. SUTHERLAND, and J. G. JULANDER ...............226

BOOK REVIEWS

Alien Reptiles and Amphibians: A Scientific Compendium and AnalysisReviewed by R, N. REED.... ..........................306

The Amphibians and Reptiles of Ethiopia and EritreaReviewed by H. MULLER... ..........................309

Stolen World: A Tale of Reptiles, Smugglers, and SkullduggeryReviewed by B. l. CHAMBERS..................... .......................... 311

Secrets ofthe Snake Charmer: Snakes in the 21st CenturyReviewedbyO.S.G.PAUWE1SandP.J.R.KOK.............................................313

Lizards in an EvolutionaryTree: Ecology and Adaptive RadiationofAnolesReviewed by D. PINCHEIRA-DONOSO......... ..........................3I4

I96

198