Iguana, June 2008 118 IGUANA • VOLUME 15, NUMBER 2 • JUNE 2008 Herpetofaunal Use of Riparian Buffer Zones in South Africa Habitat transformation is a growing threat to global biodiversity. Many species in South Africa, including reptiles and amphibians, are threatened by broad-scale habitat transformation as habitats are converted to agricultural uses. Understanding how wildlife uses these landscapes is critical for effective land management and for predicting how populations might react to further changes in habitat quality. MARITZ AND ALEXANDER (2007. African Journal of Herpetology 56:163–169) surveyed her- petofaunal species richness and abun- dance in riparian and non-riparian habi- tats to determine how these animals uti- lize different habitats within agricultural landscapes near Mtunzini, KwaZulu- Natal, South Africa. Riparian areas had a higher mean species richness and abun- dance than adjacent agricultural areas, and hosted 80% of all herpetofaunal species detected. Ten species were unique to riparian areas, including snakes, lizards, and frogs. In contrast, non-ripar- ian areas hosted only four unique species. These results indicate that conversion to agriculture is not desirable from a her- petological conservation perspective, and that preserved riparian areas can serve as corridors for herpetofaunal species to sur- vive and migrate through otherwise less hospitable terrain. Habitat Disturbances Affect Growth Rates in Turtles Disturbances often help structure ecolog- ical communities, and their effects may have consequences on population dynamics and long-term species persist- ence. Should disturbances affect resources, a trade-off may result between reproduction and individual growth, which could affect the timing of sexual maturity in animals dependent on reach- ing a requisite size for the onset of matu- ration. DODD AND DRESLIK (2008. Journal of Zoology 275:18–25) used a 14- year mark-recapture dataset to determine the effects of catastrophic storms and the removal of nonindigenous vegetation on individual growth rates of a long-lived turtle, Terrapene carolina bauri. Adult male growth rates increased 19% after the disturbances, whereas female growth rates decreased by a similar percentage. Juvenile growth rates briefly increased, but as these animals became subadults, their growth rates slowed after distur- bance, a change more pronounced in females than males. After the distur- bances, the onset of male sexual maturity decreased by about 1 year (from 10.8 to 9.5 years), female maturity was delayed by 2.5 years (from 8.5 to 11.0 years), and the subadult life stage was extended from 2 to 3.5 years. With resources and habi- tats similarly available to adults, the authors suggested that adult females diverted resources from growth to repro- duction, whereas males allocated avail- able resources to growth. Subadult growth rates decreased regardless of sex, implying that fewer or lower quality prey were available to smaller turtles in the years following disturbance. The results of this study suggest that habitat distur- bances affected individual growth rates differently according to sex and life stage, which affected the timing of maturation. In long-lived vertebrates, such perturba- tions on life-history traits such as growth rates likely affect population recovery, and may help to explain why turtle pop- ulations recover slowly following cata- strophic disturbance, even when adult survivability is high. Alligator Snapping Turtles in Oklahoma and Kansas Alligator Snapping Turtles (Macrochelys temminckii) historically occurred in the Arkansas, Caney, Verdigris, Neosho, and Spring river drainages of northern Oklahoma and southern Kansas. High harvest rates in Oklahoma and river impoundments in both states have greatly reduced turtle numbers by deci- mating populations and impeding disper- sal routes. Populations of M. temminckii are poorly studied in both states, but par- ticularly so in Kansas. Management efforts for M. temminckii were initiated in Oklahoma in 1997 with the collection of information on distribution, habitat use, and population structure, and establish- ment of a captive breeding/headstart pro- gram. Management efforts in Oklahoma C O N S E R V A T I O N R E S E A R C H R E P O R T S CONSERVATION RESEARCH REPORTS Amblyodipsas polylepis, Lycodonomorphus rufu- lus, and Philothamnus hoplogaster (from top) were captured in riparian areas only, whereas Mehelya nyassae (bottom) was detected in both habitat types. G R A H A M A LE X A N D ER After disturbances (catastrophic storms and removal of vegetation), the onset of male sex- ual maturity in Florida Box Turtles (Terrapene carolina bauri) decreased by about 1 year, female maturity was delayed by 2.5 years, and the subadult life stage was extended by 1.5 years. C . K EN N ET H D O D D , J R . B R Y A N M A R IT Z G R A H A M A LE X A N D ER G R A H A M A LE X A N D ER IGUANA • VOLUME 15, NUMBER 2 • JUNE 2008 119CONSERVATION RESEARCH REPORTS could have positive repercussions for the species in Kansas. RIEDLE ET AL. (2008. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 111:21–28) outlined current knowledge of the species in both states, provided information on management efforts for the species in Oklahoma, and made recommendations for interstate collaboration for managing the species in Kansas. Ranching to Conserve Horsfield’s Tortoises According to CITES, ranching is a method based on the collection of eggs, incubation, and artificial hatching. Since 1997, associates of Zoocomplex (Tashkent, Uzbekistan) have studied hatching of Horsfield’s Tortoises (Agrionemys horsfieldii) on farms at com- mercial levels. BYKOVA ET AL. (2007. Russian Journal of Herpetology 14: 232–236) obtained 20,000 eggs from tortoises kept in captivity, those tem- porarily kept in the nursery, and collected in the wild. Egg lengths varied from 36.1–56.5 mm. Survival rate of eggs was 75%. Body sizes of hatched tortoises were positively correlated with egg sizes. The size of hatched tortoises was 25.2–48.6 mm and about 20 g. During seven months of rearing, 5% of hatched tortoises died (versus 70–90% in the wild). Of 15,000 hatched tortoises, 29 twins (13 normal and 16 pairs asymmet- rical) and four terato-twin abnormalities with varying levels of terato-duplication were recorded. Conservation Status of the Ecuadorian Snake Dipsas andiana While studying the distribution and nat- ural history of Dipsas andiana, a little- known snake endemic to Ecuador, CISNEROS-HEREDIA (2007. Russian Journal of Herpetology 14:199–202) determined that the conservation status of D. andiana would classify for the IUCN category “Near Threatened” (NT). The ecological distribution of the species is apparently related with seasonal forests of the West Ecuadorian zone, a recently recognized biogeographic region between the very humid Choco and the dry Tumbesian zone. Management efforts for Alligator Snapping Turtles (Macrochelys temminckii) in Oklahoma could have positive repercussions for the species in Kansas. SU ZA N N E L. C O LL IN S, C N A H Ranching Horsfield’s Tortoises (Agrionemys horsfieldii) in Russia has been successful and may provide a hedge against extinction in nature. C ÉD R IC C O U TA R D , W W W .C H EL O N IO PH IL IE .C O M Dipsas andiana, a little-known dipsadid snake endemic to Ecuador, is associated with seasonal forests of the West Ecuadorian zone. H . M A U R IC IO O R TE G A -A N D R A D E Serpents and Dragons: Finding the Beauty in the Beast Limited Edition Press — Now Available! The photo book, Serpents and Dragons: Finding the Beauty in the Beast has just been released by Michael Kern, an officer of the IRCF. Photographing in the field and studio, Michael has been recognized worldwide for his ability to capture the beauty and personality of his natural subjects. The book contains striking images of many rare, exotic, and endangered creatures including two IRCF-sponsored species, the Guatemalan Beaded Lizard (Heloderma horridum charles- bogerti) and the Grand Cayman Blue Iguana (Cyclura lewisi). More information about the book and how to purchase it can be found on Michael’s website .