Woo-Hoo - New Herps! (Newly discovered snakes in Ecuador)

Some of you are aware that I'm currently working on developing the management and conservation plans for a newly-designated protected forest reserve (lowland moist tropical forest) in the Ecuadorian Amazon. As part of that project, we have been undertaking systematic biodiversity surveys in the reserve since late February. After only two months, it appears the reserve is higher in endemics than even I had hoped for.I'm excited to announce we may have discovered two new herps:An officially new morph of Atractus major, the Amazon earth snake. There is still discussion as to whether this morph represents only a variety or a completely new sub-species. Our working name for it is Atractus major var. yachana.Second, and even more exciting, what many of us on the project believe may be a completely new species of Hemiphractus (sorry, there's no English common name for it - it's an Amazonian horned frog genus). Although the specimen is still under investigation at the Ecuadorian Museum of Natural History, morphology and behavior lead us to believe it's a new one. The closest resemblance is to H. scutatus, but it is different enough to have hopes we're looking at a new species. Hemiphractus quetzalis anyone? BTW: This should put paid to the contention that no one on this board ever talks about their own work. {Added the "(Newly discovered snakes in Ecuador)" part to the topic title. - Adminnemooseus}This message has been edited by Adminnemooseus, 05-10-2006 02:05 PM

I have always wanted to look at how Wright might have thought about color inheritance comparing Atractus and Lampropeltis. Atracti etc.
milk snakes in USThe milks' stop off in Columbia. I have been dying to make these comparisions:: -------------------------------------------- MAJOR This message has been edited by Brad McFall, 05-10-2006 10:07 AM

Awesome. Congratulations. Would you name a species after me for a small fee?

Thanks Brad. Our Atractus doesn't look much like either of the two photos you put up. If you can picture a smallish Bothrops atrox with an Atractus head and 1 cm patches of blue-black iridescence every 6-8 cm along its length, you'll get an idea of what this baby looks like. It's simply a beauty all around.

OK, I got the picture but what was atrox more like yours than the major one I showed? Are you speaking about the shape of the 6-8 cm pattern repeat? Seems to me that major is generally like a dull triangulum or calligaster, except of course now that you mention the "blue." Page not found – Amphibians and Reptiles of Iowa Elegant Bronzeback - Dendrelaphis formosus http://www.scwf.org/articles/index.php?view=67 Wildfinder | Pages | WWF

Somewhat. Like atrox, our Atractus has a very subdued brown, tan and black banding pattern. Very cryptic. Even the iridescence pattern, which is a common feature of major, is subdued.Ya know, Brad, I think this is the longest coherent conversation we've ever had. Thanks - I'm enjoying it!

We might start referring to you as HornToad
Maybe you could use a picture of the little hopper as your avatar? Who says? It's not against the guidelines, is it?
..cause I am guilty too...

Hey guys, I'm going to Ecuador soon on a field trip and I'm particularly interested in herps/herpetology and snakes in particular. I'm looking for any information I can get before I go as I wont be getting much access to the net (if any at all) out there.This looked like a good place to start looking for help. If anyone has any info or knows of a good place that I can look, please do let me know.Thanks in advance, Ed

Well look here
Some newborns, today - BLACK RACERSThe whole claim of mine really comes down to the difference between the WHITE repeat here that develops to BLACK BUT the snake itself continues to grow till death.Best of luck with the "exotics".

Hi Reishtak.Wow. I'm really sorry I didn't see this post of yours before - I was out in the field, then vacation, and the topic dropped waaaaay off the bottom of the page before Brad resurrected it. I assume you've already been and gone. I'm sorry I missed you. I would have been interested in hearing about your trip - where, with whom, and why.Some standard references:Torres-Carvajal O., 2001, Lizards of Ecuador, SmithsonianCampbell JA, Lamar WW, 1993, Venomous Reptiles of Latin America, Cornell Uni PressRon S, Coloma SA, Merino-V A, Guayasamin JA, Bustamente M, 2000, Declinaciones de anfibios en el Ecuador, Universidad CatolicaTorres-Carvajal O, "Reptiles de Ecuador: Lista de especies y distribucion", Universidad Catolica

Hi!Luckily, you havnt missed my trip, it is still in the near future. However your message has called it pretty close - its 1am here, and I need to leave the house at 8am to get to the airport. Yes, I'm slightly drunk and filled with warmth having said my goodbyes to some very close friends.Inbetween this post and my last, not much has happened, though I have decided that the course I was on wasnt for me, and I will be trying something new after I come back from Ecuador - yeah, Im going on the trip but not telling them Im quitting til im finished. So hopefully that means that I can concentrate more on what I enjoy doing rather than some silly projects to get marks.Anyway, Ill update this topic when I am back and with photos - Ill be back around the 26th of August, so ill try and remember to post then, otherwise remind me with an email or something, and we can have some fun identifying flora and fauna etc.Hope you are well, and enjoyed the time out in the field doing what is meant to be done!Speak to you soon!
Ed

The Yachana Reserve continues to bring forth new species. I suppose this shouldn't come as a surprise due to the heterogeneity of the microhabitats within the reserve, and in fact it is something I was hoping for when we started systematic surveying, yet it's still very gratifying.In this case, we are excited to have discovered a new Centrolene spp. of Amazonian glass frog (family Centrolenidae). Two independent labs have confirmed the species status of the new specimens. The formal description should be submitted for publication within the next few months. So you heard it here first! (If I could figure out how to post a photo... Perhaps an admin can let me know.)Update: the species status of the casque-headed frog (Hemiphractus) reported above is still in dispute. We have not yet reached concensus as to whether the specimen represents a new species, or merely a new geographical race or morph of Hemiphractus scutatus. Stay tuned...The Yachana Reserve is proving to be a gold mine of new species. As the region as a whole is little studied, I have hopes that even more exciting discoveries await. Edited by AdminAsgara, : added pictures

contact me and we can get the pics up

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Aslan is not a Tame Lion

Thanks jar.A very big thank you to the Queen for working with the photos and adding them to the post.*Q adds yet another box of chocolate to what is owed Her Majesticness".

No comment, just wanted to get that title up there before anybody else.