vol. 3 (1983), no. 5

BELL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY 10 CHURCH STREET S.E. MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA 55455-0104

MHS NE'WSLETT:BlR

JUNJiJ MEETING

Thursday, .T'tme 2, 1983 7:00 PM Room 225, Smith Hall

University of IVJinnesota;-

NU1'1BER 5

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The June meeting will be one that we've had on tap for a while that should be of real interest to all of us. Dr. Henry Philmon will provide us with an on the spot anatomy lesson on snakes. The "disectee" will be an 11 foot Burmese Python that died of Lmknown causes. So that everyone will be able to see easily, we will have a television monitor set up, and we will also video tape the disection foI:' future use. This will be a great chance to pick up some pointers on snake anatomy, so bg sure and attend.


The "Critter of the Month" for the June meeting will be rvms adoptees from our "Help A Hapless Herr!p" program. If you have adopted an animal from MHS, this is your chance tn bring it in and show us how it is doing. We've adopted out over 40 animals .so far, so there should be no shortage of critters. See you there!


fJ:1he July meeting will.be on July 7 at 7:00 PM in Room 225, Smith Hall. The subject will be "Husbandry and Breeding of Cobras", and will be illustrated with live specimens. Don't miss this one! There will be no "Cri tter of the Tiflonth" for this meeting!


Our membership has moved up another notch and now totals 124! Let's keep movlllg!


POISON CeNTROL CENTER 405-271-5454

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In this issue of the :rvms Newsletter we have an excellent article by Gary Casper, and a care sheet on Leopard Geckos by Ron Tremper. We also have the following reply to the letter from Bart Bruno from Glenn Lewis:

I offer the following on the dealership discussion.

There are those who look down on the practice of collecting herps for financial gain. As I see it, whether collecting animals to benefit a personal interest or to benefit a personal pocketbook the effect on the animal is the same. Any moral distinctions should first rely on a determd.nation of the benefactor in the captive relationship, the collector or the herp. It is too easy to tailor the right and wrong reasons for collectdng to suit individual rationalizations. I collect and keep herps while realizing what I do may not be justifiable. I do not presume io decree what is an acceptable way to benefit at the animal's expense and what is not. Control should be directed towards collectirlg rather than subjectively discriminating against motives and missing the relevant issue.

Dealerships can be overcollectors and that should be controlled. However, they provide services to the herpetological community in that they provide access to otherwise inaccessible herps and serve as outlets for alien captive bred progeny. This helps foster interest in herpetology. I doubt MRS would have its present membership if its members had access to only local animals. It is for these reasons that I believe dealership information has a place in a herpetological newsletter.

]~S thanks Glenn for this input. Anyone else have a comment?


Refresbments for the Hay meeting were supplied by Sally Brewer and Pam Gerholdt. Thanks from MRS!


The r/illS "Help a Hapless Herp" program rolls along! Adopted out at the May meeting were:

\/Jestern- ll'ox Snake (Elaphe v .. vulpina) .. 44". male. Great Basin Gopher Snake (Pituophis memlanoleucus deserticola). male .. Red-Sided Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis). 25". male. Red-Jljared Slider (Chrysemys scripta elegans). 5 1/211 " male"

The 2 Iguanas did not materialize as promised. [ apologize for any inconvenience this might have caused. As of right now we have no definite animals for the next meeting .. And as always, this will likely change by meeting time" It usually does!


By the time you receive this copy of the filmS Newsletter, many of you will have returned from the spring outing in vlisconsin. Let us knmIJ at the June meeting how things went, and what all was found and/or sighted. There are a total of 25 species of reptile and amphibian possible How many did you find? Can you name all of the 25? Also, give us your thoughts on what you liked or dd:dn't 1ike .. " If there is enough interest, we can likely schedule another outing sometime this year to a different place. Any ideas as to where we might go?


For those of you who may have missed the JViay meeting due to a late Newsletter, th~ MRS Board apologizes. This was our first month on bulk mailing, and we did not mail it soon enough. We will try to announce the programs 2 months prior to the meeting from now on. This way if the Newsletter is late again, you will be aware of what and when the meeting is. Also, if you are in doubt, please call one of the Board members for information.

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Despite the late Newsletter, we still had an attendance of 43 1/2 at the May meeting! Among these were a reporter and a photographer from the Minneapolis Star and Tribune! The Saturday "Neighbor" section for May 21 will be a spread on MRS. If you missed it, be sure and scare a copy up. MRS extends a special thanks to the Star and Tribune for this feature!


The raffle at the lYlay meeting brought us $~22. 75. The first prize winner was Ger~ aId Binczik, who picked the painting of the Giant Tree lj'rog (Hyla maxima) by lYlES artist Perry LaBelle. Second prize was won by Matt Cutler, who picked the 8 x 10 photo of the Rococo Toad (Bufo paracnemis) by Tim Judy. Third prize was won by Jane Christopher .. This was an 11 x 14 (mistakenly called an 8 x 10 in the last Newsletter) photo of a Red-Eyed Tree Frog (Agalychnis callidryas) by MZG staff photographer Tom Cajacob. NBS thanks Perry, Tim, and. Tom for their works!


There will be no painting to raffle off at the June meeting. However, we do have a couple of aquariums to raffle off. One is a cracked 30 gallon, and the other is a large home made one. These are both tanks that were donated to MRS along with animals. The painting raffle will resume in July.


The MRS Board would like to extend a special thank you to President Del Jones for his work on the bookcase. It really turned out super and will be an asset to ~rns for years to come. If you haven't seen it, check it out at the next meeting ..


Although we don't have any new books to report this month, we do have a super improvement to report on the exchange newsletters;, other ,sooieties. A~'de6i.s-ion has been made to place them in fiberboard folders by years. This will be a safer way to keep them, and it will also keep them in order .. They will than be checked out by year or partial year. There's a lot of good stuff Tin these, so make use of them!

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A real crisis has arisen! At the May meeting an appeal was made for a new refreshment coordinator. The appeal was1net with deaf ears! If nobody comes forward on this we may be forced to eliminate refreshments at the meetings. Please think it. over and if you have a change of heart, let us know!


PLEASE NOTE! The enclosed color advertisement for "Turtles of Venezuela" is through the courtesy of.SSAR. This issue of the }mS Newsletter is being mailed in envelopes to preventJcthe folding of this circular. Please be advised that due to delays in production, the special pre-publication prices will be extended un-til September 1, 1983 II IVlany thanks to SSAR from MRS!

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We had a lot of "critters" at the May meeting. They were: Spotted Salamander (Ambystoma macula tum) Two-Toed Amphiuma (Amphiuma means) Fire-Bellied Toad (Bombina bombina) Colorado River Toad (Bufo alvarius) American Toad (Bufo a. americanus) California Toad (Bufo boreas halophilus) Great Plains 'I'oad (Bufo cognatus) Marine Toad (Bufo marinus) Rococo Toad (Bufo paracnemis) Southern Toad (Bufo terristris) Southwestern Woodhouse's Toad (Bufo woodhousei australis) Woodhouse·s Toad (Bufo w. woodhousei) Crested Toad (Bufo typhlonius) .Argentine Horned Frog (Ceratophrys ornata) F'ire-Bellied Newt (Cynops pyrrhogaster) Painted Frog (Ealoula pulchra) White's Tree Frog (Litoria caerulea) Barking Tree Frog (Hyla gratiosa) Grey Tree FTOg (Hyla sp.) Central Newt (Notopthalmus viridescens louisianensis) Surinam Toad (Pipa pipa) African Burrowing Bullfrog (Pyx1cephalus adsp'ersus) Northern Leopard Frog (Rana pipiens) Wood F'rog (Rana sylvatica) Greater Siren (Siren lacertina) African Clawed F'rog (Xenopus laevis) normal and albino

These were brought by: Sarina Brewer Bruce and Gonnie Delles Pam and Jim Gerholdt Del Jones

Thanks from r/lHS!

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President Vice-President Secretary Treasurer Newsletter Editor }\'fember-at-Large JVlem ber-a t-Lar ge Nember-at-Large Nember-at-Large

Del Jones Bruce Delles Connie Delles Diane Hans on Jim Gerhbldt }t'red Bosman J?ran }t'risch Kip Hanson Ann Porwoll

938-8555 938-1679 938-1679 448-7526 507-652-2996 476-0306 488-7619 448-7526 489-7853

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NOTE! If you had read all of the book titles on the shelves of "Inventory Burn Out" 'in the last Newsletter, you might have won a free MRS T-shirt! :B'or all of you who missed out, we have another con~est this month, courtesy of MRS master cartoonist Fran Frisch. Good luck!


It looks like MRS will be doing a herp display at the Minnesota State Fair this year! If you have a critter that you think we can use, please let Sally Brewer know about it. Also, check with her for a "want list" in case you run across something in the field. This will be our first r~al organized educational display, so let's make it a good one!


MHS will also be displaying again at Grand Old Days in st .. Paul .. Once again we will have space to show a few of our critters. The day is June 5! If you want to get in on this, let Fran Frisch know. Also check with Fran for more informatipn at 488-7619.


You 60 o

, No, ! NO, NO y u 0


"ALBINISM" IN CORN SNAKES

by

G.S. CaRper

The Corn Snake Elaphe guttata guttata, is commonly maintained by the reptile enthusiast. Recently, a variety of mutant Corn Snakes have been made available through captive breeding. These are often mistakenly called "albinos"~ The purpose of this article is to discuss the many terms being applied to these mutants, and dAscribe eyactly what they are.

Corn Snakes are relatively easy to care for, make good "pets, are very colorful, and breed readily in captivity. As a result, ca"ptive bred specimens are commonly available. Moreover, several different genetic strains are being bred, and a belTildering arra,y of different types of Corn Snakes are being traded ..

The Corn Snake is subject to much geographic variation in color, some individuals being very drab and others very colorful.TWe pattern consists of a series of dorsal and lateral blotches outlined in black and set against a lighter ground color. The blotches are orange, but highly variable. Drabber individuals have brownish blotches, brighter individuals red blotches. The ground color is likewise variable, sometimes a li.o:ht creamy gra;! (contrasting nicely with the blotches), and sometimes an intense orange. The belly is white with black rectangular markings. The amount of black bordering the blotches and in the belly is also variable, being nearly absent in eytreme south Florida popUlations (t'he subspfJcies ~ .&.. .rosacea) .. Individuals from the Okeetee region in South Carolina are the most vividly orange, with even the ground color a deep orange, and are often considered the most beautiful Corn Snake ..

Most, if not all, of these color variations are a reflection of gene frequencies in the popUlations.. This is supported by the fact that when you breed two Okeetee Corns together you R,'et offspring ,just as orange as the parents" Until recently, Okeetee Corns were the only really distinct variety of Corns commonly available ovpr the "standard" Corn, which is much drabber. Of course, the subspecies rosacea and emoryi (a western form lacking red color) are also commonly bred, but we are concerned here only with variant strains of guttata. (It should be noted that some workers question whether rosacea should be given subspecific status or not.)

For the past few years several new varieties of Corns have been available .. These have been variously dnscribed as "albino", "melanistic", "amelanistic", "anerythristic", "black albino", "red albino", "snow corns", "heterozygous It, and "double heterozygous lt • This plethera of terminology has been very misleading, as the animals in question are neither albinos nor melanos.

Albinism refers to a total lack of pip-:ments. In mammals, any mutation blocking the production of melanophores results in albinism, as melanovhores appear to be the only pigment cells present in mammalse In revtiles, however; at least four different chromatophores (color cells) are present melanophores for blacks and browns, erythrophores for reds, xanthophores for yellows, and iridonhores .. Iridophores do not contain pigments, but through the scattering, reflection, and refraction of light account for whites, blues, khaki, and other colors. True albinism does occur in reptiles, just as it does in most animals, and is kno"""m to be a simnle recessive trait in many instances; It a-ppears that a single gene can block the

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production of all types of color cells, urobably throu,~h the absence of an enzyme necessary for color cell production .. True albino snakes are all white with no color at all. The eyes are either pink or blue .. There are no pigments in these eyes. Like the albino rat, pink eyes are the result of visible blood vessels in the eye. Blue eyes appear to result from Tight refraction in the eye .. (Sereta, the famous albino Indian Python, Python ~ molurus, had blue eyes). An albino animal usually does not survive in the wild, as it is very visible to predators and very sensitive to sunlight. Roughly 200 instances of albinism have been reported in the Ii terature for North American amphibians and reptiles .. Hal-rever, many of these may not have been true albinism in the sense that all pigments were lacking. -- J

Melanism is annther color aberrancy, and refers to the excessive production of melanophores, producing an all black animal. This again is knol\m to be caused by a simple recessive gene in-many instances .. Unlike albinism, melanism can become established at a relatively high frequency in a Hild population .. For example, Eastern Garter Snakes, Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis, in the vicinity of Lake Erie are frequently melanistic .. Likewise, I have observed all black Eastern Gray Squirrels, Sciurus carolinensis, in Dellwood, Minnesota, with fair regularity .. Again, a melanistic animal is all black. Now back to our mutant Corn Snakes.. ---

It appears that two mutant types of Corns are being bred, both of ,'Thich originated in the wild through spontaneous mutation, presumably" The first type is an amelanistic animal. The term Itamelanistic" refr->rs to a lack of melanin (black pigments) which produces an orangish, red blotched, pink eyed serpent .. Apparently, the terms "albino" and ured albino" have been applied to this mutant .. These are misnomers, however, as red and yellow pigments are present .. The serpent is not all white, as an albino would be, and is much prettier than an albino animal .. Secondly, an anerythristic (nronounced ~n-1-r!th'rist/~k) mutant is present. This term pertains to a lack of red pigments, hence a serpent 1>ri th black or chocolate blotches against· a grayish background, with dark eyes (these mutants closely resemble

.&.. emoryi) .. Apparently, these mutants have been called "melanistic" as well as Itblack albinos", both misnomers .. The animal is not melanistic, but simply lacks red pigments. "Black albino" is a nonsense term, contradicting itself .. In sum, we have an amelanistic mutant, often misnamed "albino" or "red albino", and an anerythristic mutant, often misnamed "melanistic" or "black albino".. (Incidently, both these mutants are presently in stock at Twin Cities Reptiles. Stop in and see them!)

Having identified tvYO mutant types, "That happens when you breed them together, among themselves, or with normal Corns? Both these traits appear to be simple recessive genes .. To eyplain what a recessive gene is, a little genetics is called for. Inherited traits (SUCh as color in snakes or hemophilia in.humans) are determined by genes .. Genes are nothing more than regmons of the DNA molecule ,·,hich produce a narticular protein .. These proteins in turn are "(,That we are made out of - our "flesh and blood ", so to speak .. There are two copies of each gene in vertebrate (diploid) animals. These gene pairs are called "alleles" .. One allele is acquired from each parent during sexual reproduction.. Allele pairs are nnt necessarily identical, but can be slightly different and produce different proteins" If the alleles for a p;i ven trai t are identical, the animal is said to be "homo?'iygous" for that trai t (homo- meanin,Cl,' same) II> If the alleles are different, the animal is heterozygous for that trait (hetero- meaning di fferen t ) ..

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HO't':rever, because of the element of chance involved, the observed offspring mi~ht not come out in e~actly the same proportions as calculated

To complicate matters further, it turns out that amelanism (and other inherited color aberrancies) can result from more than one mutation .. rrhat is, one mutant may be amelanistic for one reason, and another mutant may be amelanistic for another reason .. rrhese amelanistics will look the same (have identical phenotypes) but differ genetically (have different Renotypes) .. As a result, if you breed these two amelani~tics together, all normal offsprinp; are producedofl These offsprin..a; -r,.dll be double heterozYfSOtes, carrying one recessive allele for each type of amelanism ..

The presence of two different genes responsible for amelanism has been demonstrated in at least four different snakes - Corn Snakes, 1iestern Diamondback Rattlesnakes (Crotalus atroy), Black Ratsnakes (Elaphe~ obsoleta), and San Diego Gopher Snakes (Pituophis melanoleucus annectens) .. In Black Rats and Gopher Snakes, it has been found that one type of amelanism is the result of a mutation which blocks the production of tyrosinase., an enzyme necessary for melanophore synthesis. Other amelanistic animals have been demonstrated to be tyrosinase-positive (tyrosinase is present) .. When these twotypes of amelanistics are crossed, all normal young are produced" Melanophore production is apparently blocked by a means other than tyrosinase inhibition in some mutations .. There are several other biochemioal mechanisms possible, but at present only the tyrosinase-negative mechanism has been conclusively demonstrated ..

There is also much variation in color aberrancies .. Partial blockage of any or all chromatophores can occurr .. The lack of one chromatophore may stimulate increased production of other chromatophores, or oroduction of the missing chromatophore through an alternate biochemical route, resulting in the darkening of an animal as it grows. For eyample, yellowish patterns often become increa~ingly prominant as amelanistic ~nakes age.. Genes can also be turned "on" or "off" during development, potentially resulting in color aberrancies appearing or disap"Pearing T.Ti th age. Pigment production may fail only in certain body cells or cell lineages, resuilting in "pie-bald" ~atterns. This may account for the American Robin, Turdus migratoriqs, with a white head I saw in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, many years ago, or the House Sparrow, Passer with a large white "patch in one wing ..

Blue reptiles and amphibians have also been reported, especially frogs (pos~ibly a reflection of the large numbers collected for biological supply houses) .. Very little is known about thiR color aberrancy, though it has been suggested that a lack of yellow uigments is associated ~,ri th i to I once cang'ht a blue frog in Lake Washburn, Cass County, Minnesota .. It TtlTap sky blue dorsally, dull whi te ventrally. It 1/yaR the 8i7.e of a Leopard Frog, Rana pipiens, thou~Q,'h it could have been a Green Frog, Rana cla.mi tans .. Xanthic animals (all yello'N) have also been reported. An all yellow Cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis, ~as recorded some years ago, nnd there is .a report of' an Alligator, Alligator mississippiensis, whose entire tail from the hind legs to the ti"p was a light lemon-yellow. Little is knovrn regarding the causes of xanthism.

Cle~rly, much more work needs to be done on the inheritance of color in reptiles and amphibians (or mammals and birds, for that matter) .. Very Ii ttle is knovm on this subject, and the more ''ie learn the less vTe know! rr'here is a revolution akinp-;o place in genetics wi tn,the development of new technologies" New methods of ranid evolution are coming to ~ight, . we're finding that DNA is not nearly as stable as we thought, but 1S subJect

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Many genes have two allele forms, and one of these (the dominant) wins out over the other (the recessive) when both are present The dominant! recessive allele pair is one of the most simple forms of ,Rene eyprsssion. For example, lets look at hemophilia in humans.. (Hemophilia is actually a sex linked rpcessive, but we'll ignore the sey linka~e here .. ) Let the capitol letter H symbolize the dominant, normal, allele and small h be the recessive, hemophilic, allele .. Three allele nairs are then possible: HH, Hh, and hh. Only the individual having the hh Dair will be a hemo;Jhiliac,. rrhe normal allele, H, is dominant in the Hh pair, so the Hh individual 'to7ill not eyhibit hemophilia, but carries hemophilia .. The Hh individual can pass on the h allele to his offspring. When eggs or sperm are produced only one allele is nresent in them .. In heterozygotes, half of the eggs or sperm contain one allele and half contain the other .. In homozygotes, all eggs or S'1erm contain the same allele, because only one is present to begin T,ri the Hhen eggs and sperm combine at fertilization, the two alleles pair up" With this background, then, we Can eyamine amelanistic and anerythristic Corn Snakes ..

An amelanistic Corn Snake is homozygous recessive for amelanism. Let the capitol letter M symbolille the normal allele, and small m the mutant, amelanistic, allele .. Then the homozygous recessive individual would have a mm allele pair. If we breed two homozygous recessives tngether, mm X mm, we always get more homozygous recessives, because only the m allele is present .. Thus breeding two amelanistic Corns together p~oduces all amelanistic babies .. Crossing an amelanistic to a normal Corn, mm X MM, results in all offspring being heterozygotes, or Mm .. These babies will look normal, because the normal allele M is dominant. If we cross two heterozygotes, MIn X Mm, 'rNA get ?590 MM babies, 50% Mm babies, and 25% mm babies .. Only the homozyP.,'ous recessives, mm, will be amelanistic .. If we cross a homozygous recessive to a heterozygote, mm X Mm, we get 50% Mm and 50% mm. These same proportions hold true for the anerythristic condition .. Animals havin~ both the dominant and rAcessive allAles arB nroDerly termed "heterozygous" for that trait, and will look normal ..

When we cross amelanistics to anerythristics things ~et more complicated because we are dealing now with two allele pairs. It is beyond the scope of this a.rticle to 1'2;0 into all the posr-dble combinations of alleles for thpse crosses, but two crosses should be mentioned. Let the letter E be the symbol for anerythrism. If we cross an amelanistic to an anerythristic, MMee X mmEE, we would eypect all offspring to be double heterozygotes A double heterozYtl,'ote is hetero7yg;ous for both amelanism and anerythrism, hence their symbol would be MmEe" They look normal, but ca.rry the recessive alleles .. Crossing them, MmEe X MmEe, should yield a 9:3:3:1 ratio - 9 normally colored, ei ther homo7.ygous dominant or heterozye:ous : 3 amAlamistics (mmEE or mmEe) : 3 anerythristics (MMee or MIDee) : 1 double reces~ive (mmee) ..

These double recessive individuals are amelanistic, lacking black pif?:ments, and anerythristic, lacking red pigments .. This produces a serpent faintly blotched Ivi th greenish or yellowish outlined in 'Hhi te against a 'Pale backp;round. These indivictuals are nOl,;r called HsnO't,! corns". H01'.rever, paler individuals of amelanistic broods have also been called "snow cornstr.

TN'hen breeding these Corn Snakes one should keep in mind that the ratios outlined above are probabilities They are based on random recombination of alleles durin~ fertilization@ In nature, these traits should be observed in actual off:.:rpring of the above crosses at close to the calculated ratios.

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to many mutating factors which are under cellular control, or even environmpntal control. Little DNA segments called transposons can jump around between and within chromosomes, inserting and excising themselves in the DNA, and introducing new genes and increasing mutation rates. It appears transposons have to be ke~t under control or the mutation rate becomes too high for survival. Transposon regulating mechanisms appear to brAak do~m somewhat when strains are crossed, as would happen during times of environmental stress and increased immigration, and could account for rapid evolution. Our conce~ts of genes and evolution are being rapidly modified. Honefully, throllgh p-;enerations of selective breeding, our understanding of reptilian genetics can be greatly enhanced.

Suggested Reading:

Bechtel, H .. Bernard. 1978. Color and Pattern in Snakes (Reptilia, Serpentes). Journal of Herpetology 12(4):521-532.

------- and E. Bechtel. 1962. Heredity of albinism in the corn snake, Elaphe guttata guttata, demonstrated in captive breedings. Copeia, 1962, No.2: 436-437.

------- -------------.--. 1980. Histochemical demonstration of two types of albinism in San Diego Gopher Snakes (Pituophis melanoleucus annectens) by use of dopa reaction. Copeia, 1980, No.4: 932-935.

------- ---------------. 1981. Albinism in the snake, Elaphe obsoleta. Journal of Herpetology 15(4):397-402.

Hensley, Max. 1959. Albinism in North American Amphibians and Reptiles. Publications of the Museum-Michigan State University Biological Series 1(4):133-159.

Martof, Bernard S. 1961. An unusual color variant of Rana pipiens. Herpetologica 17(4)= ?69-270.

Nevers, P. and H. Saedler. 1977. Transposable genetic elements as agents of gene instability and chromosomal rearrangements. Nature, vol. 268, 14 July 1977, Pp. 109-114.

Witkop, Carl J. Jr. 1975. Albinism. Natural History, vol. LXXXIV, no. 8, October, 1975.


PRANTASTIC PlmNOLOGICAL PHINDS

April 30-Western Painted ~~tle (Chrysemys picta belli). Minnetonka. April 17-Northern Leopard Frog (Rana pipiens) calling. Lake Independence, Baker

Park. May 1-Northern Prairie Skinks (:Emneces s. septentrional is ). Both species active Nay' ; .... \vestern painted Turtle'( Chrysemys picta belli). near Stacy, Chisago Co .. May 5-Northern Red-Bellied Snake (Storeria o. occipitomaculata). DOR Minnesota

Zoological Garden .. May 5-American Toad (Bufo a. americanus) calling in Minnetonka.

These were submitted by Del Jones and Jim Gerholdt. Several other people had phinds to report, but neglected to write them down at the May meeting. It's not too late to turn them in.


IS YOUR MRS MEMBERSHIP CURRENT? PLEASE ClmCK ryOUB. ADDRESS LABEL TO BE S1JRE!


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x heteroz.

CARE SHEET

LEOPARD GECKO (EUBLEPHARIS MACULARIUS)

li.J\NGE-])esert areas of eastern Iran, rakistan and 'western India$ Only the C01Jntry of Pakistan is still allowing the export of wild caught geckos to the lJ. S. Size-6" .... 9H ..

HOUSING-A ten gallon glass aquarium is ideal for 2 to 3 adult geckos. Plastic sweater storage boxes work nicely, also, for up to six hatchlings or a pair 'of older animals .. An egg carton with an opening cut into the side serves well as a "hide" box. This is very important to provide this security shelter. Your cage floor can be paper towels or pea gravel .. Do not use sand or dirt. Pick a location for your cage that is free of drafts

Since reptiles take on the temperature of their environment, you will want to supply the optimum conditions to ensure proper metabolic needs. A daytime high of 80-85 degrees F and a nightime low of no less than 70 degrees J~1 ;is essential .. Ideally one should have hot spots in one end of the cage so that lizards may choose temperatures at will .. Two or more hide boxes should be spaced throughout the cage so your geckos are npj; forced to take refuge in a hiding spot that is too warm or cold .. Heat may be provided via a 40-60 watt incandescent bulb placed in a reflector hood, sizzle stone, or heat tape regulated by a rheostat.

Cages of more than 12 inches deep do not require a lid .. But a cover of some sort iB advisable for safety ..

DIET-In captivity you can offer your geckos mealworm larvae, crickets, or newborn mice. These are the most readily available items for the keeper. Leopard geckos must have some vitamin-mineral supplementation on a daily basis in order to grow and survive for a normal period of time .. Any popular brand of powdered dog/cat supplement will probably do the job, but it should have vitamdm D3 and large amounts of calcium within its ingredients listed on the contain~r .. Mix a teaspoonful of fine beach sand and an equal amount of the vitamin-mineral powder together and place this in a shallow lid, which is readily accessible to the geckos. Mealworm larvae may be placed directly into this vitamin enriched sand during feeding time .. Healthy lizards have no trouble passing the sand particles through their intestinal tract .. Ground egg shell should be added for egg-laying adults and growing young ..

CAF-TIVE BREEDING-IViany of the leopard geckos sold in the U" Se are captive bred by private enthusiasts .. Some young geckos will produce eggs as early as 9-10 months old, with older females laying as many as five pairs of eggs over a 4-5 month breeding season each year.

Never keep more than one adult male together, as they will fight and injure one another .. One male can mate with over 100 females per season 9 so there is no need to keep extra males around unless you have the interest to do so. Copulation lasts for only a few minutes and this one mating will serve to fertilize all eggs produced for the next 15 months or more .. Males may be kept with females year around ..

Gravid females can have their eggs seen through their abdominal wall quite easily .. One and usually two eggs is the normal clutch size, which are pro-

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duced at an interval of 15-35 days during the egg laying season Jt can not be overstressed to use the vitamin-mineral regime for your fema,le" Failure to do so will not only cause infertLile or poorly formed eggs, but it can lead to the death of your gecko due to the deficiency brought on by egg product-ion.

A mixture of 50% beach sand and 50% peat moss should be moistened to the consistency of fresh earth and placed in a darkened container with easy access for your lizards. This is where your females will go when it is time to lay their eggs. (All lizards will find this moist media useful and necessary for their shedding process.) Eggs removed from this box can be placed in any container that has very little air exchange through the lid. A portion of the ne$tbox media serves as the incubation material A humid environment for the eggs is important to success. Do not bury the eggs more than 1/2" below the surface Place the container of eggs in a warm area or incubator. This can be as easy as utilizing a corner of the parents own cage. Take a temperature reading of the site you choose .. A constant incubation temperature of 80-85 degrees F will cause 99% of the hatchlings to become females and a higher temperature of 90-92 degrees F will produce all male babies ..

Hatching occurs in 39-44 days; but may last up to 80 Q The baby geckos are strikingly marked with light and dark solid bands, which change with age into spots and obscure patterns .. Young may be raised in the same fashion as the adults, but they will need to eat every day or two due to their high rate of metabolism ..

HEALTH-The leopard gecko rarely has any serious problems. Internal parasites may turn up in wild caught specimens .. Thin or vitamin deficient animals will usually recover if provided with all the requirements listed on page #1 of this care sheet .. Leopard geckos are known to live over 20 years in captivity .. Do not remove their skin sheddings from their enclosure, since they eat this cast skin in order. to aid their diet.

EDITOR'S NOTE:This care sheet was written by Ron Tremper, fonnerly Curator of Reptiles at the Roeding Park Zoo In Fresno. Ron is now Director of the Center for Heptile and Amphibian Propogation in Fresno .. Thanks from MRS!


:f.fEWSLETTER DEAnJ.J INE

The deadline for submitting ads, etc ,. is the 15th of the month .. Please send to me:

Jim Gerholdt p"O" Box 86 Webster, MN 55088

\t-lAl\1TED: BOOKS AND JOURNALS

IN Tm~ FIELD OF HERPETOLOGY

HE~LP BUILD YOUR ]VTJiS LIBRARY!

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Remember to look for MHS in the IVJinneapolis Star and Tribune on Saturday l'lay 21 !

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14

BREEDING NOTES

Bruce and Connie Delles Burmese Python-Bred December/January 1982/1983. Temperature approximate1y 85-90. 58 eggs laid on March 4 and 5, 1983. Incubated at 90 degrees in a 30 gallon aquarium. Hedium used was vermiculite. 3 eggs went bad within 2 days. Other eggs started to discolor and indent over the next few weeks. Some of the eggs were removed. Expected hatch date was April 29 through IVlay 2. All but 4 eggs had gone bad. by the expected hatch date. On IVlay 10 we cut open the last 4 eggs. 2 of the eggs contained fully formed dead neonates and 2 of the eggs contained li.ve neonates. 1 died the next morning. The other hatchling is still alive at this date (5-14) and has fed on a small pink ~at. I feel the reason for such a low hatch rate was due to infertile eggs. The female has laid previous clutches III the past with a high hatch rate. The male was acquired just prior to breedjng.

Breedings from the r~y AAZPA Newsletter

Zu~~ch Zoological Garden (Switzerland) 1 Snake-Necked Turtle

Los Angeles Zoo 5 Red Rat Snake 3 Aruba Island Rattlesnake

.Jacksonville Zoological Park 1 Amazonian Tree Boa

JVIemphis Zoo and Aquarium 1 Seychelle Isle Gecko 2 Gold Dust Day Gecko

National Zoological Park 1 Red-Footed Tortoise

Houston Zoological Gardens # \tJhite's Tree Frog (500 plus) 1 Turkestan Plate-Tailed G@cko 2 African Fat-Tailed Gecko

14 Uracoan Rattlesnake 1 Round Island Day Gecko 2 Giant Madagascan Day Gecko

Dallas Zoo 3 Double-Crested Basilisk

Rio Grande Zoological Park 2 Tucson Banded Gecko

Philadelphia Zoological Garden 10 Leopard Gecko

Cincinnati Zoo 1 Southeastern pYgmy Rattlesna.ke

Pam and Jim Gerholdt 1 Benjamin Nylen Gerholdt

(this is the 1/2 that attended the I'1ay meetjng)

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ItORTBER NOTE! As defined in the dictionary, refreshment is: 1. The act of refreshing, or the state of being refreshed; "!!estoration of vigor or liveliness .. 2. That which refreshes, as food or drink. 3. Flood, or food and drink, served as a light meal. This does not mean that you have to bake something or fix anything fancy! Just because we usually have baked "goods doesn't mean we have to! IF one of you volunteers to coordinate refreshments, it doesn't mean you have to ma.ke all of the meetings. If you can't find a substitute, merely contact one of the Board members. Basically, the job is to make coffee and koolaid, line up the goodies, and clean up. Again, do we have a volunteer out there? If we do, let us know. If not, goodbye,refreshments!


15

CLASSIFIEDS

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FOR SALE: 1.0 Red Rat Snake (Red Albino). 2 1/2'. $225.00. 2.1 Red Rat Snakes (Black Albinos). 11/2-2 1 • Hetro for snow. $225.00/pair or $150.00 each. 2.2 Red Rat Snakes (Red Alb!illos). 1 1/2-2 1 • Hetro for snow. ~p225.00/pair or $150.00 each •. 1.1 Red Rat Snakes (Double Hetro). 1 1/2-2'.$175.00/pair. 1.2 California King Snake (Albinos). Striped Phase. 1 1/2-2'. $525.00/pair. All of the above snakes were captive hatched in 1982 except the large Red Rat which was captive hatched in 1981. Contact Bruce or Connie Delles c/o Twin Cities Reptiles, 511 Excelsior Ave. E., Hopkins, ~m 55343. 612-938-0680.

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THE REVWBKABLE REPTILES

SCHOOL LECTURES AND DE1'10NSTRATIONS

J M'lES E. GERBOLDT P.O" BOX 86

WEBSTER, MN 55088 507-652- 2996


WORDER:

The tint ooa~v~ ~ of aM ~ of the ~ DOW _Mi. ~ and ~~ betpo~. 'IhlI ~ will _ ~ III

aM society, tlIe ~tutioa and bylillwl, III 1Bu, of aD previoM ~ ~ m~ Ii~ _ iii MtWc of worldwide ~ ~ ud orp~_'"

pubOOatiom ~ by the 1982 R~ Society Lia»oo C~.

".rM ~ will be i.n the MlDe Ityle ud Me the JOOrMl of H~ for ~ bin~. CommercW we of the li3t will DOt be p«mitted. Prio.

pding and wp~. A~ ~ to Dr. DOOBW H. Taylor, Deputment of ZooIotY. Miami Uruv~ty, OdaM, Ohio 45056 U.s.A. Reooipt ~ ooly. M.vk ~ 0 if )'00 wid to have iii complete prioelilt of SSAR puhlicamu m~ the J~ of H~, F~ R.,u.~ iii H~.

HlWpiI~ R~. H~. R~, H~ Circuu4F8, C4II~ of AlnM'm.lll'3 AmpbibU/U IUwl Rf2P~' ud the puhliaalicol of TM Ohio

H~Soaety.

SOCIETY FOR THE STUDY OF AMPHIBIANS AND REPTILES

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16

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l''lINNESOTA lJEHPE'J.10LOGICAL BDCIErry DELICATESSEN

HE]VIEMBER-After each meeting we will have available our featured take-out items ..

Remember, if you want rats or mice~ they are 8.:.vailable by reservation only 'ton FiUST place your order no later than 7: 00 PT1 on Wednesday the day before the JJleet

Logistics dictate this policy, so please cooperate with us" If you do try to order after the deadline, you will have to wait Until the following month e Don't miss out!

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s

JUST IMAGINII - I'LI_ DO

DESIGNING Be CREATING

FINE JEWELRY

C'll FOR APPOINT,,-UiNT

\0 A 'f0 7 f'

6' 2/920-4049 '

NOW THROUGH SUNDAY, JUNE 12TH

WE ARE OFFERING A

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17

EDITOR v S NOTE: The following poem is reprinted from the Kansa.s "Herpetological Society Newsletter No .. 51 .. J1HS thanks KHS and the author, Mar"'tio:ei Capror~io ..

BIG WIND IN TIm HERP ROOM --- ---- -- --- ---- ----A tornado just hit the herp room, what a disaster I'm lookin' thr6ugh the rubble for a bllig Bothrops asper The glass is shattered and the cages are broken And somewhere beneath it all, I hear a tree frog croakin'

My every bone is shaking and the situation's dire I'm looking eye to eye with a"Trimeresurus, danglcin' from a wire 1 don't know where he is, but I hear a rattler buzz'n And allover the floor there're copperheads by the dozen

I know therets got to be a gravid Vipera russelli But all I see's a 25 foot python, staring with a hungry eye An eight foot water monitor just sauntered out the door And damn those- pesky anoles, runnin t by the score

I've got myself a snake hook and I'm squattn on a table Beneath is my mom r S Black Namba, she lovingly calls "T1able ll

~here goes my herd of 'gators, ya know ft'll be a trial \~hen we get around to catch 'n that 15 foot crocodile

I guess this will teach me, how to build a zoo These blasted pre-fab barns will never ever do Now I best get back, to scout'n round the room Cause somewhere in the storm, I've lost my best Gaboon!

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\' I

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1A

MINNESOTA

HERPETOLOGICAL

SOCIETY

BELL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

10 CHURCI-/ STREET S E .. MINNEAPOLIS, !.1INNESOTA 554550104

MINNESOTA HERPETOLOGICAL SOCIETY BED, MUSEUM OF NATIJRAL HISTORY

10 CmffiCH STREET S,E, • MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA 55455-0104

NAME~ ____________________________________________________________________________ ___

ADDRESS ____________ ~ ____________________________________________________________ __

CITY ____________________________________ STATE ____________ ZIP. __________________________ _

PHONE __________________________ INTERESTS __________________________________________ __

TYPE OF MEMBERSHIP

o FAMILy .............................. $10.00

Admits all members of a family to monthly meetings,

o INDMDUAL ......................... $7.50

o CORRESPONDING .................... $5.00 For out-of-state members

OFFICIAL MUS T-SHIRT

Yellow shirt with blue screening.

S 0 MOL 0 XL 0

$7.00 each, $1.00 postage/handling.

PLEASE ENCLOSE PAYMENT WITH APPLICATION. MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO MINNESOTA HERPETOWGICAL SOCIETY. MEMBERSHIP IS FOR 12 MONTHS FROM THE DATE OF JOINING. YOU WILL RECEIVE YOUR MEMBERSHIP CARD BY RETURN MAIL. A RECEIPT WILL BE SENT ONLY UPON REQUEST.

vol. 3 (1983), no. 5

Documents

blr junjij meeting

pm room

inaccessible herps

animals expense

mhs newslett

rvms adoptees

snake anatomy

rvms newsletter