William W. Lamar

The snakes of Thailand and their husbandry

Written for both the amateur and professional herpetologist, this book provides a guide to the identification and husbandry of the snakes of Thailand. The text covers topics such as colouration, scale counts, diet, natural habitats, housing and breeding.

Natural history of the terciopelo Bothrops asper (Serpentes: Viperidae) in Costa Rica.

The terciopelo Bothrops asper is the only lancehead species widely distributed in the humid lowlands of Middle America and northwestern South America. Its large body size, relative abundance and cryptic habits contribute to the high incidence of snakebites induced by this species throughout its distribution. The terciopelo plays an important role in ecosystems, both as prey and as a generalist predator. Diet comprises a great variety of prey items, including some species that are considered nuisances. B. asper, as other lancehead species, exhibits a notable ontogenetic shift in diet, consuming ectotherms (mainly frogs and lizards) when young, and increasingly incorporating birds, rodents, and other small mammals with maturity. Adult terciopelos also consume large anurans, especially when endothermic prey availability is low. Using radiotelemetry we determined home range and movement patterns from 28 individual B. asper at La Selva Biological Station, Costa Rica. Overall home range estimates are relatively small compared with other pitvipers, averaging between 3.71ha and 5.95ha; home range size did not differ between males and females. Movement patterns are largely aseasonal and consist of short (<10 m) movements between daytime shelter and nocturnal ambush sites within a given area, interspersed with longer distance (>50 m) movements to new foraging areas. Habitat use is related to prey availability and therefore to foraging strategy. Our data support a strong preference for areas near swamps by both sexes. Reproduction in B. asper is highly seasonal, and--apparently--biannual. Reproductive cycles in Costa Rica are tightly related to rainfall patterns. Therefore, the timing of breeding differs between populations in the Caribbean and Pacific lowlands. Bothrops asper is adapted to areas with low levels of disturbance along the agricultural frontier, and consequently it is not rare to find it in or near human dwellings. However, despite popular belief, no evidence supports a purported increase in population density of this species in Costa Rica. Despite human persecution and substantial modification of habitat, B. asper is a species with a conservation status of least concern, and probably will likely persist well into the future. Thus, it is important to learn how to coexist with this species, and to improve mechanisms for the prevention and treatment of accidental snakebite and its consequences.

A NEW SPECIES OF FROG OF THE ELEUTHERODACTYLUS LACRIMOSUS ASSEMBLAGE (LEPTODACTYLIDAE) FROM THE WESTERN AMAZON BASIN, WITH COMMENTS ON THE UTILITY OF CANOPY SURVEYS IN LOWLAND RAINFOREST

We describe a new species of Eleutherodactylus from the lowlands of the western Amazon Basin. The new species is referred to the Eleutherodactylus unistrigatus group, lacrimosus assemblage. It differs from other members of the group by having a dorsal olive-green coloration with an interorbital creamy yellow stripe that extends posterolaterally and reaches the level of the sacrum, and low ulnar and tarsal tubercles. The new species inhabits western Amazon tropical rainforests and has been found in arboreal bromeliads by day and on vegetation by night. We discuss the effect of lack of sampling in the forest canopy in our understanding of tropical amphibian communities. Based on work conducted at two localities in Ecuadorian Amazonia, we find that even limited sampling effort in the canopy can greatly improve efficiency of biological inventories.

A New Diagnosis and Description of Variation among Adult Rhinella ceratophrys (Boulenger) (Amphibia: Bufonidae), with Notes on Ecology and Distribution

ABSTRACT. Published accounts and descriptions of Rhinella ceratophrys Boulenger, 1882 were all based on juvenile specimens until 1994, thus it had generally been presumed to be a diminutive species. Based on examination of additional material, including adult specimens, as well as the holotype, we here report on variation in this large-sized bufonid toad and provide a new diagnosis for the species. Additionally, we present notes on the ecology and distribution of this species.