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All living things, including humans, exist in complex interdependent relationships known as ecosystems. Destruction and degradation of natural ecosystems are the primary causes of declines in biodiversity, the key indicator [...]

The article focuses on the history of the Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles (CAAR), discussing its beginnings and evolution, including changes in editorial leadership and the expansion of its scope to encompass a broader range of American taxa. It also highlights the contributions of key individuals involved in the CAAR's development and publication.

During the first half of the 1900s, the porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) in Texas was restricted to the northernmost Panhandle and parts of the Trans-Pecos (Bailey 1905; Taylor & Davis 1947; [...]

The conservation of rarely encountered species is notoriously difficult mainly because of the lack of information about their natural history. This is definitely the case for the spot-tailed earless lizards (Holbrookia lacerata and H. subcaudalis). Sparse distributional records and infrequent observations at known sites were used as evidence to petition these species for protection under the Endangered Species Act. For this study, we did surveys in historic and new areas to determine the current distribution of both species. We also radio-tracked individuals from two populations to estimate movement potential and home range sizes, as well as understand habitat use. Distribution surveys indicate that H. lacerata has undergone range contraction (39%); however, H. subcaudalis was historically found in 21 counties but we only observed them in five. We found home ranges to be relatively large compared to similarly sized insectivores and at least four times larger than the similar H. maculata. Both species are inhabitants of historic grasslands, but within this habitat type they used sites that were more open compared to what was available, including areas such as row-crop agriculture and frequently mowed fields. Frequent habitat disturbance seems to be important for both species. Urbanisation, invasive woody vegetation and invasive grasses are all considered threats that may have already caused declines to both species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined genetic relationships among individuals and populations of the species Holbrookia lacerata, the spot-tailed earless lizard, using whole mitochondrial genomes. Lizards were collected from south, central and west Texas. We found significant amounts of genetic structure among populations and evidence of two major reciprocally monophyletic groups of spot-tailed earless lizards in Texas. Holbrookia lacerata lacerata occurs on the Edwards Plateau and adjacent regions of West Texas north of the Balcones Escarpment, while Holbrookia lacerata subcaudalis occurs in South Texas and adjacent Mexico south of the Balcones Escarpment. These two recognised subspecies correspond to the two clades we discovered. Holbrookia l. lacerata occupies much of its historical range at sometimes high population densities, while populations of H. l. subcaudalis appear to be highly fragmented based on recent observations compared to their historical range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on defensive behavior in rattlesnakes, particularly Crotalus scutulatus, which includes various actions such as crypsis, flight, rattling of the tail, coiling into a defensive posture, hissing, body flattening, and scent gland secretion.

The article discusses two direct observations of scavenging behavior in the Snapping Turtle or Chelydra serpentina in Maryland, U.S. The first observation involved a turtle vigorously eating a dismembered conspecific, possibly killed by a mower, while the second observation involved a turtle eating a flattened and decayed Virginia Opossum on the road. Diet of C. serpentina is reported to include carrion, but there is a lack of direct observations of scavenging behavior in this species.

The article describes observations of the climbing behavior and thermal refugium of an adult male Crotalus scutulatus or Mohave Rattlesnakes that was encountered above the ground on a fencepost at C. E. Miller Ranch in Jeff David County, Texas on August 11, 2020. Factors to arboreal and climbing behaviors in Crotalus include foraging, escape behavior from predators and floodwaters and thermoregulation. The researchers recorded the body temperature and arboreal habitat use of the species.

The article reports that Kinosternon flavescens is a highly terrestrial kinosternid occurring across a portion of central North America, from Nebraska, USA south through the northern portions of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas, México. Topics include the reproduction has generally been reported as occurring in the spring, the observations of copulation in the wild appear absent from the literature, and the pair were copulating in shallow water with abundant emergent vegetation.

The article reports on new observations of Hypsiglena jani (Chihuahuan Nightsnake) diet, noting a newly documented prey species and an updated maximum prey/predator mass ratio. Topics discussed include the snake's typical prey items and sizes, the disparity in prey selection among different lizard genera, and comparisons of prey/predator mass ratios with other species.

Information on geographic distribution of Hemidactylus Aff. Parvimaculatus in Texas, including information on locality, collector and verified by, is presented.

Species delimitation attempts to match species-level taxonomy with actual evolutionary lineages. Such taxonomic conclusions are typically, but not always, based on patterns of congruence across multiple data sources and methods of analyses. Here, we use this pluralistic approach to species delimitation to help resolve uncertainty in species boundaries of phrynosomatid sand lizards of the genus Holbrookia. Specifically, the Spot-tailed Earless Lizard (H. lacerata) was historically divided into a northern (H. l. lacerata) and southern (H. l. subcaudalis) subspecies based on differences in morphology and allopatry, but no research has been conducted evaluating genetic differences between these taxa. In this study, patterns in sequence data derived from two genes, one nuclear and one mitochondrial, for 66 individuals sampled across 18 counties in Texas revealed three strongly supported, reciprocally monophyletic lineages, each comprised of individuals from a single geographic region. Distinct genetic variation evident across two of these regions corresponds with differences in morphology, differences in environmental niche, and lines up with the presumed geographic barrier, the Balcones Escarpment, which is the historical subspecies boundary. The combined evidence from genetics, morphology and environmental niche is sufficient to consider these subspecies as distinct species with the lizards north of the Balcones Escarpment retaining the name Holbrookia lacerata, and those south of the Balcones Escarpment being designated as Holbrookia subcaudalis.