Ichthyology & Herpetology Volume 112: Issue 2

Threatened across much of their range, Timber Rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus) exhibit patterns of genetic diversity that are shaped by movement and aspects of their environment in ways that may foster or constrain conservation. We combine movement data with nuclear and mitochondrial population genetic data to understand the population structure and patterns of gene flow for snakes in four overwintering sites (hibernacula) in central Pennsylvania. Our analyses show that hibernacula separated by only a few kilometers can maintain genetic structure along with high gene flow. Female spatial use rarely overlapped with individuals from adjacent hibernacula, whereas male spatial use typically did overlap with individuals from adjacent hibernacula. This study offers new evidence for how asymmetry in gene flow (with males responsible for inter-hibernaculum matings) shapes Timber Rattlesnake population genetics.

A new species of Gigantactis is described from a single female collected from the eastern North Pacific. As with others of this genus, this species is distinguished by its unique luring apparatus, most obviously through the presence of a relatively short illicium, bearing a secondary escal-like appendage.

A new species of Nannocharax is described from the Luongo and Kalungwishi Rivers, tributaries of the Luapula River in the northeastern region of Zambia. The new species differs from its congeners by a combination of characters, such as the body coloration pattern formed by a series of one-scale-wide vertical bars, a small caudal-peduncle spot surrounded by a light clear area at the base of the middle caudal-fin rays, and a low number of scales in the circumpeduncular series and lateral line series. The new species is also distinguished from other members of the Nannocharax multifasciatus species-group by genetic distances ranging from 10.3% to 11.6% with DNA barcoding. Likewise, distance and coalescent molecular species delimitation approaches recovered the new species as an independent operational taxonomic unit. Newly generated hypotheses of phylogenetic relationships based on maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference for the new taxon are provided.

CURRENT APPOINTMENT

Adjunct Professor, Department of Biology, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona (1992–present)

Adjunct Professor, Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, Utah (2011–present)

Adjunct Professor, Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, Utah (2012–present)

EDUCATION & PREVIOUS APPOINTMENTS

B.A., University of Kansas, 1968

M.A., University of Kansas, 1972; advisor, William E. Duellman

Ph.D., University of Kansas, 1974; advisor, William E. Duellman

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Brooklyn College, City University of New York, 1974–1976

Research Associate, American Museum of Natural History (Department of Herpetology), 1976–1992

Affiliate Curator of Herpetology, Florida Museum of Natural History, 1978–1992

Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Full Professor, University

CURRENT APPOINTMENT

Postdoctoral Researcher, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland and Fish Ecology and Evolution, EAWAG, Kastanienbaum, Switzerland

EDUCATION & PREVIOUS APPOINTMENTS

B.Sc. Ecology, Evolution, & Environmental Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana

Ph.D. Population Biology, University of California, Davis, Davis, California

Tell us a little about your research.—

Tens of thousands of fish species inhabit diverse aquatic settings, partly due to the evolution of functional innovations. Such traits enable new interactions with the environment and enhanced access to resources, often promoting increased diversification. My research combines functional morphology, kinematics, and phylogenetic comparative methods to explore

Male Dispersal Drives Gene Flow in Timber Rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus)

A New Species of the Anglerfish Genus Gigantactis (Lophiiformes: Ceratioidei) from the Clarion Clipperton Zone of the Eastern North Pacific Ocean, an Ecosystem Threatened by Deep-Sea Mining

A New Species of Banded Nannocharax from the Luapula River Basin, Zambia, Africa (Cithariniformes: Distichodontidae)

Gonadal Dysfunction in Abnormal-Looking Anoles Is Consistent with Hybridization and Reproductive Isolation

A New Western Atlantic Species of Five-Gilled Hagfish (Myxinidae: Eptatretus) from the Bahamas

Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) Vertebrate Burrow Commensals within a Private, Working Forest Landscape

Capital to Coast: Primary Drivers of Distribution in the Secretive and Data-Limited Neuse River Waterdog (Necturus lewisi)

Interspecific Interactions between Salamanders and a Small-Bodied Stream Fish Are Not Mediated by Flow in Experimental Streams

Impacts of Wastewater Effluent on Temperate Stream Fish Assemblage Structure

Life-History Complementarity in the Miniaturized Salamanders Desmognathus aeneus and Desmognathus wrighti

Courtship and Mating Behavior of the Rare, Rock-Crevice Dwelling Salamander Plethodon petraeus with a Review for Eastern North American Woodland Salamanders (Amphibia: Plethodontidae)

Riverscape Genetics of Rainbow Darters, Etheostoma caeruleum, Reveals Lasting Impacts of Glacial History on Contemporary Populations

A Long Overlooked New Species of Fanged Frog, Genus Limnonectes (Amphibia: Anura: Dicroglossidae), from Luzon Island, Northern Philippines

Martha L. (Marty) Crump, Ph.D.

CURRENT APPOINTMENT

EDUCATION & PREVIOUS APPOINTMENTS

Alexus Roberts Hugghis, Ph.D.

CURRENT APPOINTMENT

EDUCATION & PREVIOUS APPOINTMENTS

Tell us a little about your research.—

Angel Chua Alcala (1929–2023): A Pioneer of Community-Led Marine Resource Management and the Premier Filipino Herpetologist

Héctor S. Espinosa-Pérez (1954–2022)

Book Reviews

Health and Welfare of Captive Reptiles. Second edition

Editorial Notes and News

ICHTHYOLOGY & HERPETOLOGY 2023 REVIEWERS

Temperature Manipulation Induces Ecdysis in Lab-Held Rattlesnakes

Integrative Taxonomy Reveals a New Species of Imparfinis (Siluriformes: Heptapteridae) from the Upper Xingu River Basin

A New Species of Psalidodon (Characiformes: Acestrorhamphidae) from the Upper Rio São Francisco Basin, Brazil, with Comments on Hasemania

SUMMARY OF THE MEETINGS

Illuminating the Early Life of Salamanders: Exploring Biofluorescence During Development