SWCHR BULLETIN Archive
The SWCHR BULLETIN is published quarterly by the Southwestern Center for Herpetological Research. Current year issues are distributed to our members as they are published throughout the calendar year. Below is an archive of issues from past years made available here for your reading pleasure. Although we are unable at this time to provide links to specific, individual articles, clicking on the Volume & Issue number headings below will open the complete issue containing all included articles.
2023
Volume 13, Issue 1 (Spring 2023)
Synopsis of SWCHR Region Notes from 2022 Publications; ADDENDUM | A Summary of the Diet of the Texas Spiny Lizard | When Caution Isn’t Enough: an Accident in the Field | Trans-Pecos Ratsnake Feeding on Bats in the Wild | Book Review: Armadillos to Zizaphus: A Naturalist in the Texas Hill Country
2022
Volume 12, Issue 1 (Spring 2022)
Predation on a Western Mud Snake by an American Bittern | Field Observations of Desert Iguanas and Comparison with Husbandry Techniques | Anthropogenic Basking Spots and Sourced Cover items used by the Yellow-backed Spiny Lizard in the Western Mojave Desert | The “Roadkill” Trans-Pecos Ratsnake Who Refused to Die: Pancake’s Story | Retrospective Book Review: Mountain Islands and Desert Seas – A Natural History of the U.S. Mexican Borderlands
Volume 12, Issue 2 (Summer 2022)
Hassayampa Ecosystems BioBlitz Wrap Up | Report on Effects of a Bite from a Captive Mexican Hognose Snake | Continued Investigations of Fluorescence in Southwestern Herpetofauna | Book Review: A field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles in Arizona – Second Edition by Holycross, et al.
Volume 12, Issue 3 (Fall 2022)
Observation of an Apparent Attempted Predation on a Texas Indigo Snake by a Texas Coral Snake | Observations on the Behavior of Free Ranging Desert Iguanas in Southern Arizona | A Patternless Western Banded Gecko in southern California | Book Review: Discovering Snakes in Wild Places: Stories of Passions, Adventure and Science by Harvey B. Lillywhite | In Memoriam: Tim Cole, 1957 – 2022
Volume 12, Issue 4 (Winter 2022)
Synopsis of SWCHR Region Notes from 2022 Publications | Discovery of a Leucistic Western Dwarf Salamander in Texas | Update from Our 2022 Laurence M. klauberi Summer Research Grant Recipient: Texas Turtles | Am “Emily Litella” Moment in Herpetological Classification
2021
Volume 11, Issue 1 (Spring 2021)
Arboreal Behavior off a Desert Night Lizard | An observation of Iguana Tick Parasitizing the Texas Indigo Snake | An Unusual Collared Lizard from “an Undisclosed Location in the Southwest” | Behind the Image: “Two Men in Basin in the Chisos Mountains, Big Bend Brewster County, Texas | Book Review: Snakes of Arizona by Andrew Tl Holycross and Joseph C. Mitchell
Volume 11, Issue 2 (Summer 2021)
Gopher Snake Utilization of a Desert Woodrat Nest | Thoughts on Herping Etiquette during the Arizona Monsoons | The Unrequited Blacktail Blues | An Albino Gulf Coast Toad Found in Northeast Texas | Book Review: The Kauffeld Letters by Gary M Williamson with Charles F. Smith and Gordon W. Schuett
Volume 11, Issue 3 (Fall 2021)
Tracking Gopherus berlanderi Movement Patterns and habitat Use in a Protected Natural Area in Cameron County, Texas | Arboreal Behavior of Red Racers in an Urban Environment | Homing and Site Fidelity in a Transplanted Captive Box Turtle | Book Review: The Mohave Rattlesnake – and how it became an urban legend
Volume 11, Issue 4 (Winter 2021)
Synopsis of SWCHR Region Notes from 2021 Publications | Captive Lineage Saved? A Subsequent Breeding of Arizona Milksnakes from Cochise County: a Preliminary Report | Product Review: MeteoTracker – A Potential Breakthrough in Herping Weather Data Collection | The Convoluted Taxonomic History of the Massasaugas, or Another fine “Massasaugus”
2020
Volume 10, Issue 1 (Spring 2020)
Spotting the “Gray-checkered Whiptail” in Antelope Pass | Constructing Outdoor Enclosures for Turtles and Tortoises | An Update on “Dash Cam Herping” with a Real-world Comparison of Equipment Performance | Book Review: Night Lizards – Field Memoirs and Summary of Xantusiidae
Volume 10, Issue 2 (Summer 2020)
Predation of a Pacific Ring-necked Snake by a California Scrub Jay | Mysterious Injuries to Horned Lizards in California and Arizona | A Brief Review of the Conservation Status Assessment and Various Conservation Designations of Reptiles and Amphibians in Texas | Behind the Image: Martin L Crimmins – Amateur Ophidian Herpetologist of Note
Volume 10, Issue 3 (Fall 2020)
Summary of Amphibians and Reptiles Introduced into California | Husbandry of the Reticulated Gecko | Captive Husbandry of the Greater Earless Lizard | Book Review: Texas Snakes: A Field Guide
Volume 10, Issue 4 (Winter 2020)
SWCHR Laurence M. Klauber Memorial Summer Research Grant Update: Testing for Hybridization and Defining the Contact Zone between the Northern Black-tailed Rattlesnake and the Ornate Black-tailed Rattlesnake | Red Racer Predating on Western Diamondback Rattlesnake | A Sandhills Elegy: Snakebite Treatment in the 1880s | Synopsis of SWCHR Region Notes from 2020 Publications
2019
Volume 9, Issue 1 (Spring 2019)
Egg Predation on a Red-eared Slider by a Juvenile Alligator While Eggs Were being Laid | Updated Annotated Checklist of Amphibians and Reptiles of California | Crepuscular Activity in the Little Brown Skink | Book Review: Herping Texas: The Quest for Reptiles and Amphibian | 2018 Hans F. Koenig Memorial Award for Excellence in Herpetological Photography – Junior Category Winner
Volume 9, Issue 2 (Summer 2019)
Second Recent Documented Finding of an Eastern Black-tailed Rattlesnake in Travis County, Texas | A Non-invasive Technique for Extracting Chuckwallas from Rock Crevices | A Novel (and Simple) Method of Captive Reptile Record Keeping | Book Review: Peterson Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians, Fourth Edition | A Belated Rebuttal to Jeff Boundy’s Disparagement of Subspecies
Volume 9, Issue 3 (Fall 2019)
Fluorescent Reptiles in the Western Mojave Desert of California | Exploring the Influence of Species Coexistence on Venom Evolution: Summer 2019 Update | Frugivory in Captive Great Plains Skinks | Courting a Tiger: Courtship of Tiger Whiptails in Southern Arizona | Book Review: Arizona’s Amphibians and Reptiles: A Natural History and Field Guide
Volume 9, Issue 4 (Winter 2019)
Synopsis of SWCHR Region Notes from 2019 Publications | Pre-Monsoon Breeding in Phoenix Arizona’s Non-Native Bent-toed Geckos | Captive Husbandry of the New Mexico Whiptail | SWCHR Summer Research Grant 2019 Field Season Recap | Observations of Green Anole Frugivory and Drinking from Hummingbird Feeders
2018
Volume 8, Issue 1 (Spring 2018)
A “DOR” Birth Event for a Valley Garter Snake | Arizona Game and Fish Department Meeting with Arizona Herpers | Bat Predation by a Great Basin Gopher Snake | Natural lighting Considerations for Outdoor Enclosure Siting | Herping Regulations for the Southwestern Region Part 6: Utah
Volume 8, Issue 2 (Summer 2018)
A Rare Observation of the Feeding habits of the Gila Monster | Ethnoherpetology of Southwestern Rattlesnakes: Myths, Misinformation and Folklore | Attempted Predation on a Sonoran Coral Snake by a Desert Nightsnake |U. S. Fish and Wildlife Servide Actions against Box Turtle Smuggling | Book Review: Amphibians and Reptiles of the US-Mexico Border States
Volume 8, Issue 3 (Fall 2018)
Jack Reid: Tribute to a Citizen Scientist of Our Past | Use of a Manmade Compost Pile as a Refugium by a Broad-headed Skink | A Review of Taxonomy Notes: ”Synopsis and Taxonomic Revision of Three Genera in the Snake Tribe Sonorini” | A Surprise Encounter with a Texas Tortoise | Passive Speciation: Regarding the Taxonomic “Boldness” of Collins |
Volume 8, Issue 4 (Winter 2018)
Synopsis of SWCHR Region Notes from 2018 Publications | Feeding Observations of the Desert Spiney Lizard | Using Wild Observations of the Desert Iguana to Improve Captive Husbandry | Red-spotted Toad Metamorph Diurnal Activity and Microhabitat Use | Book Review: Reptile Odyssey: Adventures of a Herpetologically -Oriented Life
2017
Volume 7, Issue 1 (Spring 2017)
Progress Report on Black-Spotted Newt Research in Southern Texas | Use of Bioactive Substrate in Reptile and Amphibian Enclosures | The Citizen Science Army: It’s History, Utilization and Success in Helping Understand All things Living | Programming a Raspberry Pi as a Herpetofaunal Enclosure Monitor | Herping Regulations for States in the Southwestern Region, Part 3: Nevada
Volume 7, Issue 2 (Summer 2017)
An Observation of Feeding Habits of the Western Patch-nosed Snake | A visit to the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park | Observations on Mating and Feeding in Bleached Earless Lizards | Herping Regulations for States in the Southwester n Region, Part 4: New Mexico | Book Review: Rattlesnakes of Arizona, Volume 1: Species Accounts and Natural History
Volume 7, Issue 3 (Fall 2017)
Evasive Maneuvers of a Western Coachwhip After Predation on a Young Desert Cottontail | Aberrant Variations in Color and Patterns within Mohave Rattlesnakes Programing an Automated Herpetofaunal Enclosure Monitor, Part II | Book Review: Rattlesnakes of Arizona, Volume 2: Conservation Behavior, Venom and Evolution
Volume 7, Issue 4 (Winter 2017)
Synopsis of SWCHR Region Notes from 2017 Publications | An Interesting Predation Event of a Checkered Gartersnake by a Speckled/Desert Kingsnake Intergrade | Snake Fungal Disease | Distinguishing Between the Greenhouse Frog and the Rio Grande Chirping Frog | Herping Regulations for States in the Southwester n Region, Part 5: Texas
2016
Volume 6, Issue 1 (Spring 2016)
Synopsis of SWCHR Region Notes from 2015 Herpetological Review Issues | The Importance of Citizen-Science Observations | The Emerald Ghost: A History of the Smooth Green Snake in Texas and Adjacent States | Captive Husbandry of the Desert Night Lizard | Book Review: The Texas Tortoise: A Natural History by Francis Rose and Frank Judd
Volume 6, Issue 2 (Summer 2016)
The Emerald Ghost: ADDENDUM | Getting the Message: Multimodal Signals Mediate Social Interactions in Sceloporus Lizards | Keeping and Breeding Senticolis triaspis intermedia in Captivity: A Continuing Saga | Notes on the Texas Reticulate Collared Lizard | Video Review: The Venom Interviews: The Work and Science of Venomous Herpetology by Ray Morgan
Volume 6, Issue 3 (Fall 2016)
Short-term Habitat Modification Project Reduces Mortality Bottleneck at Metamorphosis in Amphibians | A Possible Historical Explanation for Anomalous Texas Locality Records for the Mexican Tree Frog | Herping Regulations for States in the Southwestern Region, Part 1: Arizona | Balancing Ambient and Artificial Lighting: A Powerful Technique to Improve Your Field Photography | Book Review: Texas Turtles and Crocodilians: A Field Guide by Hibbitts & Hibbitts
Volume 6, Issue 4 (Winter 2016)
Synopsis of SWCHR Region Notes from 2016 Herpetological Review Issues | A Brown Anole County Record: the Story behind the Story | Synopsis of Snakebite Cases in the Houston, Texas Area in 2016 | Herping Regulations for States in the Southwestern Region, Part 2: California | Book Review: Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Fourth Edition by Robert Powell, Roger Conant, and Joseph T. Collins
2015
Volume 5, Issue 1 (Spring 2015)
The Verdant Enigma—Forgotten Allegations of the Smooth Green Snake (Opheodrys vernalis) from the Edwards Plateau of Texas | Maintaining Chuckwallas in East Texas | Predation on a Long-nosed Snake by a Common Raven | Captive Brumation in North American Desert Lizard Species | My Time in the New Mexico Herpetological Society
Volume 5, Issue 2 (Summer 2015)
Rediscovering the Mexican White-lipped Frog in South Texas | Account of a Human Envenomation by a Gila Monster | An Observation of Diurnal Predation by a Round-Tailed Ground Squirrel on a Long-nosed Snake | Book Review: Texas Lizards: A Field Guide by Troy and Toby Hibbetts | In Memoriam: SWCHR Board Member Orion McElroy
Volume 5, Issue 3 (Fall 2015)
Thoughts on the Southern Rubber Boa | Predation on a Pocket Mouse by a Big Bend Patch-nosed Snake | An Unconventional Path into the World of Venom Production | Predation on a Bat by a Western Coachwhip
Volume 5, Issue 4 (Winter 2015)
Enhanced Health in Captive Snakes Begins with Proper Husbandry | Husbandry Techniques for a Large Colony of Whiptail Lizards | A Two-headed Sidewinder and Review of Axial Bifurcation in Snakes | Photographing Reptiles and Amphibians on a White Background | Notes on a Clutch of Eggs from a Buttermilk Racer
2014
Volume 4, Issue 1 (Spring 2014)
Notes from a Novice: Attending an Eye-Opening Event | Notes on Building Naturalistic Desert Vivaria | A Pattern Anomaly in Bogertophis subocularis subocularis An Observation of Male Combat in Banded Gila Monsters | Book Review: Reptiles and Amphibians of the Mojave Desert: A Field Guide by Joshua M. Parker, PhD and Simone Brito, MS
Volume 4, Issue 2 (Summer 2014)
Citizen Herpetology, Part 2—Some of the Questions that Molecules Can Answer | Update on the Distribution of the Rio Grande Chirping Frog in the United States Observation of a San Bernardino Ring-necked Snake Feeding on a Skilton’s Skink | A Validated Record of the Northern Cat-eyed Snake in Kleberg County, Texas: An Example of Citizen Science at Work | Observation of Arboreal Behavior in a Night Snake | Utilization of Livestock Watering Tanks by Gila
Volume 4, Issue 3 (Fall 2014)
Highlights from the NAFHA 2014 Field Meeting \ An Observation of Coachwhip Predation of a Copperhead in Texas | Musings of a Desert Tortoise Naturalist | Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake Use of Barrel Cactus Root Structures as Refugia | A Series of Unfortunate Escapes: Jumping/Climbing Ability of Two U.S. Coleonyx species | Comments on the Recent Proposed Revision of the Milk Snake (Lampropeltis triangulum) Complex | Book Review: The Invisible Ark: In Defense of Captivity, by Dave and Tracy Barker
Volume 4, Issue 4 (Winter 2014)
The “Pickle Party.” Utah herpers Gather to Preserve Specimens for Science | Notes on Fossorial Southwestern Snake Husbandry | Predation by a Desert Grassland Whiptail on an Eastern Side-blotched Lizard in New Mexico | Brown Anole Death from Acrylamide Polymer Gel Crystal Ingestion: A Cautionary Tale | A Call to Action Inspired by The Invisible Ark: In Defense of Captivity
2013
Volume 3, Issue 1 (Spring 2013)
A Continuing Discussion on the Breeding of Senticolus triaspis intermedia | Naturalistic Southwestern Vivaria | Aberrant Snakes—Some Unusual Field Findings
Book Review: Amphibians and Reptiles of Texas, With Keys, Taxonomic Synopses, Bibliography, and Distribution Maps (Third Edition, Revised and Updated
The Life and Times of Hans F. Koenig
Volume 3, Issue 2 (Summer 2013)
Herpetofaunal Biodiversity Survey along the Wasatch Mountains, Utah: A Focus on Morgan and Weber Counties | Predation on a Cicada by a Trans-Pecos Copperhead | An Analysis of the “Snake Measurer” Software Tool | Mating Pair of Texas Horned Lizards on a New Mexico Roadway
Volume 3, Issue 3 (Fall 2013)
Life History of the California Newt | A Possible Record Clutch Size for Senticolis triaspis intermedia | Use of Home Security Timers for Herpetocultural Photoperiod Control | Snakes in a Minnow Trap | Presenting Herp Observation Database Information in User-Friendly Formats
Volume 3, Issue 4 (Winter 2013)
Citizen Herpetology, Part 1—The Importance of Herpetoculture in Raising a Scientist | Examples of Albinism in the Rough Earth Snake | Arboreal Sleeping Behavior of a Round-tailed Horned Lizard | Oophagous Behavior in a Captive Glossy Snake | A Possible Subcutaneous Nematode in a Wild Horned Lizard
Book Review: New Mexico’s Reptiles and Amphibians: A Field Guide by R.D. Bartlett and Patricia P. Bartlett,
2012
Volume 2, Issue 1 (Spring 2012)
Breeding and Incubation in Captive Northern Green Rat Snakes | Southwestern Drought Effects on Eastern Hognose Snake (Heterodon platirhinos) Movement in the Central Texas Hill Country | Book Review: Lizards of the American Southwest: A Photographic Field Guide | Observations on the Distribution of the Rio Grande Chirping Frog in the United States
Volume 2, Issue 2 (Summer 2012)
Sanderson Snake Days Recap | Preliminary Results of the Sanderson Snake Days Data Collection Project | Book Review: Common Kingsnakes: A Natural History of Lampropeltis getula | Geographic Distribution Note: Virginia striatula
Volume 2, Issue 3 (Fall 2012)
A Pattern Mutation in Thornscrub Ratsnakes | South Texas Breeding Trials for Arizona Mountain Kingsnakes | Book Review: Texas Amphibians: A Field Guide
Geographic Distribution Note: Terrapene ornata ornata
Volume 2, Issue 4 (Winter 2012)
Natural History Observations of the Anguid Lizard in Travis County, Texas | Feeding Observations of Captive Regal Ringneck Snakes
Notes on Natural History and Captive Maintenance of the Texas Horned Lizard | Book Review: A Field Guide to Oklahoma’s Amphibians and Reptiles
2011
Volume 1, Issue 1 (Spring 2011)
New State Record for Nevada | Successful Breeding in a Pair of Captive Northern Green Rat Snakes | Predation by Juvenile Crotalus atrox on an Invasive Species in Texas | SWCHR 2010 Award for Excellence in Herpetological Photography | 2011 First Quarter Photographs of the Month
Volume 1, Issue 2 (Summer 2011)
Texas Legislative Update | 2011 Annual Field Meet | Captive Care of Fringe-toed Lizards The Imperiled Dunes Sagebrush Lizard |
Second Quarter Photographs of the Month | In Memory of William E. “Bill” Haast, 1910 – 2011
Volume 1, Issue 3 (Fall 2011)
TPWD Reptile & Amphibian Stamp FAQ | Amended Texas Parks and Wildlife Code Pertaining to Reptiles and Amphibians | An Annotated Checklist of the Snakes of Atascosa County, Texas, | 2011 Third Quarter Photographs of the Month
Volume 1, Issue 4 (Winter 2011)
Feds Drop Concho Water Snake from ESA | Eurycea Cave Salamander Adventures | Notes from Recent Salamander Research | Observations on Cave Temperatures in the Southwest | Caving and Herping | 2011 Fourth Quarter Photographs of the Month