January 2021 | Website was offline for several weeks but as of January 5, 2021 is fully operational once again. 11 new entries to the Bibliography page, as well as a newer and cleaner PDF file for A. E. Brown (1901)—the species description for Lampropeltis alterna. Most of the new bibliographic entries are trivial, but a few are of interest:Brown (1901) – as noted aboveCarbajal et al. (2020) – new distributional record for L. greeri in ZacatecasVan Devender (2020) – obituary for Tim Walker, an exceptional naturalist and field collector |
March 2020 | Finally getting caught up with recent publications! 18 new entries to the Bibliography page—too many to list here. Most notably:Greenbaum & Zhuang (2019) – obituary for Robert G. WebbGuajardo Welsh et al. (2020) – new state record for L. leonis Lazcano et al. (2019) – herpetofauna of CoahuilaQuintero-Díaz & Carbajal-Márquez (2019) – new state record for L. mexicana |
February 2019 | Added new entries to the Bibliography page:Fields (2019) – popular article on herping in West TexasLemos-Espinal et al. (2019) – new book on Durango herps |
January 2019 | Added new entries to the Bibliography page:Box (2018) – L. alterna dietBurger (2018) – new book on herpetocultureCorrea Sánchez et al. (2009) – L. mexicana range extensionGowen (1989) – interview with herpetoculture pioneer Ernie WagnerGraham (2018) – new book on American snakesLemos-Espinal et al. (2018) – San Luis Potosí herp checklistLemos-Espinal et al. (2018) – Durango herp checklistLemos-Espinal et al. (2018) – new book on Nuevo León herpsO’Shea (2018) – new book on snakes of the worldSmith & King (2018) – new book on herping in TexasStuart (2018) – radio interview with Dennie Miller |
December 2018 | Added new entries to the Bibliography page:Myers e al. (2019) – Genetic diversity in L. alternaBlair & Hansen (2018) – First state record for L. alterna in Chihuahua |
May 2018 | Added new entries to the Bibliography page:Hansen & Alamillo (2018) – L. greeri in ZacatecasLemos-Espinal et al. (2018) – Checklist of San Luis Potosí herpsOrtega-Berno et al. (2017) – New Mexico herpetofaunaAdded links to sample downloads of two new photographic poster prints available for purchase. Visit the Available Animals page for details. |
Jan 2018 | Added new entries to the Bibliography page:Chavez-Avila et al. (2015) – analysis of Jalisco herpetofaunaContreras-Lozano et al. (2015) – Sierra Madre Oriental herpsDixon (2015) – Texas herpsFarr (2015) – Tamaulipas herpsHansen et al. (2015) – L. ruthveni in GuanajuatoHernández-Melo & Fernández-Badillo (2015) – L. ruthveni in HidalgoLemos-Espinal (2015) – edited volume on herps of the US-Mexico border statesLemos-Espinal & Cruz (2015) – herps of Nuevo LeónLemos-Espinal & Smith (2015) – checklist of Hidalgo herpsLemos-Espinal & Smith (2015) – herps of CoahuilaLemos-Espinal et al. (2015) – herps of Sonora, Chihuahua, and CoahuilaLeyte-Manrique et al. (2015) – herps of GuanajuatoPainter & Stuart (2015) – herps of New MexicoPrice & Dimler (2015) – new records for TexasDavis Rabosky et al. (2016) – mimicry in New World snakesFernández-Badillo et al. (2016) – herps of Hidalgo’s arid zoneFigueroa et al. (2016) – phylogeny of colubrid snakesGrünwald et al. (2016) – new records of L. ruthveniHansen et al. (2016) – new records of L. mexicana for Hidalgo and Estado de MexicoHeimes (2016) – new book on snakes of MexicoJones et al. (2016) – habitat management guidelines for southwestern U.S. herpsLatella et al. (2016) – range extension for L. alterna in New MexicoLemos-Espinal & Smith (2016) – herps of CoahuilaLemos-Espinal & Dixon (2016) – herps of HidalgoLemos-Espinal et al. (2016) – herps of Nuevo LeónNevárez-de los Reyes et al. (2016) – herps of Nuevo LeónNevárez-de los Reyes et al. (2016) – distribution records for L. alterna and L. leonisNew Mexico Department of Game & Fish (2016) – conservationTerán-Juárez et al. (2016) – herps of TamaulipasWoolrich-Piña et al. (2016) – herps of NayaritCampos-Rodríguez et al. (2017) – Zacatecas distribution recordsChen et al. (2017) – phylogenomic study of ratsnakesCruz-Sáenz et al. (2017) – herps of JaliscoFernandez-Badillo et al. (2017) – Lampropeltis in HidalgoGarcía-Vázquez et al. (2017) – distribution of L. mexicana in San Luis PotosíHansen & Salmon (2017) – distribution, taxonomy, and conservation of mexicana-group kingsnakesHibbitts (2017) – review of Texas herping regulationsJohnson et al. (2017) – conservation of Mexico’s endemic herpsLazcano et al. (2017) – snake mortality on roads in Nuevo LeónLott (2017) – review of New Mexico herping regulationsLove (2017) – herp-themed autobiographyMerker & Merker (2017) – L. alterna in herpetocultureNevárez-de los Reyes et al. (2017) – diet of L. alternaPainter et al. (2017) – checklist of New Mexico herpsRoth-Monzón et al. (2018) – herp biodiversity in Hidalgo |
Jul 2015 | Added new entries to the Bibliography page:Gehlbach & McCoy (1965) – better quality pdf linked Lemos-Espinal & Smith (2015) – checklist of Hidalgo herpsPhillips et al. (2014) – physiology of Lampropeltis leonis eggsTerán-Juárez et al. (2015) – Tamaulipan herp recordsAdded one new photo of a field-collected snake to the Leonis Gallery (thanks to Louis Porras) Added new photos of field-collected snakes to the Alterna Gallery (Sanderson sub-gallery, thanks to Daniel Thompson; Alpine, Davis Mountains, Christmas Mountains, and Hueco Mountains sub-galleries, all courtesy of Kyle Vargas) |
Dec 2014 / Jan 2015 | Added new entries to the Bibliography page:Archer (2013) – review of presentation by G. SalmonBanda-Leal et al. (2013) – Sierra Madre Oriental herpetofaunaBanda-Leal et al. (2014) – Sierra Madre Oriental herpetofauna Carbajal-Márquez & Quintero-Díaz (2014) – maximum elevationFernández Badillo et al. (2011) – venomous snakes of HidalgoFlores-Villela et al. (2010) – taxonomy of Alfredo DugèsMartín del Campo (1940) – pdf added to existing entryRamírez-Bautista et al. (2014) – herpetofauna of Hidalgo Valdez-Lares & Gadsden (2014) – Durango herpetofauna Wallach et al. (2014) – checklist and taxonomy |
Sept-Oct 2014 | Updated Available Animals pages.Added new habitat photos to the Webbi Gallery.Added one new photo of a field-collected snake to the Leonis Gallery.Added two new photos of field-collected snakes to the Alterna Gallery Added three new photos of field-collected snakes to the Greeri Gallery. |
July-Aug 2014 | Updated Available Animals pages.Added new entries to the Bibliography page:Greene (2013) – autobiographyKölpin (2012) – social behaviorSalmon (2007) – book reviewsUpdated the Alterna Gallery by adding new images of field-collected specimens in the following sub-galleries: Davis Mountains, Alpine, Howard Draw, River Road, and Coahuila/Nuevo Leon, thanks to cooperation from Colin Smith, Robert Bryson, Jr., and Chad Whitney. |
June 2014 | Updated Available Animals pages. Added new entries to the Bibliography page:Ahumada-Carrillo et al. (2014) – distributional record for Lampropeltis greeriHornig (2013) – terrarium for Lampropeltis alternaHornig (2014) – pattern variation in Lampropeltis alternaMcMartin (2014) – influence of weather on snake activityPrival & Goode (2014) – herp inventory of Chihuahuan Desert national parksRosenthal & Forstner (2014) – biogeography of Chihuahuan Desert herpetofauna |
March 2014 | Updated the Resources page to include additional sources for flashlights and discount bulk batteries. |
February 2014 | Added two new field images, courtesy of Andrew Godambe, to the Leonis Gallery. Added new entries to the Bibliography page:Merker & Merker (2014) – husbandry of L. alternaPowell et al. (1998, 2012) – keys to the herpetofauna of the U.S. |
January 2014 | Added new entry to the Bibliography page:Ramírez-Bautista et al. (2010) – Checklist of the herpetofauna of Hidalgo |
December 2013 | Added new entries to the Bibliography page:Arbuckle (2010) – phylogenetic survey of mimicry in snakesBeltz (1995, 2006) – origins of scientific names and describers Burbrink & Myers (2013) – diversification of N American snakesCollins (1997) – checklist of N American speciesCollins & Taggart (2002, 2009) – checklist of N American species Couvillon (2011) – herpetofaunal inventory of Indio MountainsCrother (2000, 2008, 2012) – checklist of N American species Hubbs (2013) – new book (Harmless Snakes of the West)Liner (1994) – checklist of Mexican species Liner & Casas-Andreu (2008) – checklist of Mexican speciesRossi & Rossi (2003) – captive husbandry Ruane (2013) – dissertation re: Lampropeltis triangulum complex Ruane et al. (2013) – phylogeny of Lampropeltis groupsSchmidt (1953) – checklist of N American herpetofauna (US only) Stejneger & Barbour (1917, 1923, 1933) – checklists of N American herpetofauna (US only)Switak (1970, 1984) – booklets on care and life history of desert reptiles Tennant et al. (2000) – snakes of eastern/central US Webb (1984) – pdf added Wrobel (2004) – dictionary of reptile species Updated the Taxonomy page to include a summary of the findings of Ruane et al. (2013)Updated the Alterna Gallery by adding 3 specimens from Nuevo Leon (the only 3 known from that state), plus 1 new specimen image from Coahuila. Photos courtesy of Joe Forks, Chris Harrison, and Gerry Salmon. |
October 2013 | Added several new images, courtesy of David Barker, to the Alterna Gallery (Christmas Mountains, River Road, Langtry, Hwy 277, and Juno Road), as well as new material in the Greeri Gallery, Leonis Gallery, and Mexicana Gallery. Added new entries to the Bibliography page:Bartlett & Bartlett (2013) – New Mexico field guide Kemnitz & Kruse (1986) – field work in Durango Valdez Lares et al. (2013) – checklist of Durango herps |
September 2013 | Added 2 new images to the Alterna Gallery from Coahuila, Mexico, courtesy of Joe Forks. Added some discussion of pattern variation to the alterna species account. |
August 2013 | Added new images of field-collected snakes from Aguascalientes to the Greeri Gallery, courtesy of Rubén Carbajal. Added 2 new images to the Alterna Gallery in the Sanderson and Langtry galleries.Added 2 new entries to the Bibliography page:Rossi & Rossi (1992) – use of geckos as snake foodSchmidt & Smith (1944) – Big Bend area herps |
23 June 2013 | Added 2 new images to the Alterna Gallery: snakes from Pinto Canyon, Chinati Mountains, Presidio Co., Texas Added 2 new entries to the Bibliography page:Pyron & Burbrink (2012) – New World ratsnakes phylogeny Pyron et al. (2013) – updated phylogeny of Squamata |
14 June 2013 | Added 2 new entries to the Bibliography page:Rausch & Phillips (2013) – Raising hatchling L. mexicana Wilson et al. (2013) – Conservation of Mexican reptilesAdded 2 new images to the Alterna Gallery (Howard Draw and Hwy 277 / Loma Alta) |
04 April 2013 | Added 4 new entries to the Bibliography page:Raun & Gehlbach (1972) – Texas snakes Smith (1943) – Mexican collections Smith & Taylor (1950) – Type localities for Mexican species Trumbower (2012) – Popular look at snake hunting |
16 March 2013 | Added 4 new entries to the Bibliography page:Dixon (1987, 2000, 2013)Dixon and Werler (2000) |
12 January 2013 | Added 7 new entries to the Bibliography page:Hornig (2012) – Lampropeltis alterna popular magazine article Contreras-Lozano et al. (2010) – Nuevo Leon Lazcano et al. (2007) – Nuevo Leon Lazcano et al. (2009 – two papers) – Nuevo LeonGray (2011) – Survey of apical pits in N American snakesCarbajal-Marquez et al. (2012) – First record of predation on L. greeriHernandez Arciga (2012) – L. mexicana in Guanajuato |
2 December 2012 | Added 3 new habitat images for Lampropeltis leonis in the Coahuila gallery, from a collection site near the Coahuila-Nuevo Leon border, courtesy of Gerry Salmon. |
21 October 2012 | Updated Available Animals page for Durango Mountain Kingsnakes and Plateau Mountain Kingsnakes.Added the following publications to the Bibliography page with assistance from Gerry Salmon and Alan Tennant:Begley and Hager (1981) – Newsweek article on wildlife poaching Contreras et al. (1995) – Nuevo Leon herps Milstead et al. (1950) – better quality pdf added to existing entry.Phillips (1934) – Thayer biography Tennant (1982) – article on field herping |
27 September 2012 | Updated Available Animals page for San Luis Potosí Kingsnakes and the Specials page to include Baja Mountain Kingsnake 2012 hatchlings. |
30 July 2012 | Added one new image to the Greeri Gallery—a wild-caught snake from Aguascalientes, courtesy of Ivan Villalobos. |
29 July 2012 | Updated Available Animals page for Nuevo Leon Kingsnakes and added offerings under Specials. |
26 July 2012 | Updated Alterna Gallery to include a number of new images of wild-caught Texas animals. Specific galleries are Alpine, Davis Mountains, River Road, and Sanderson. Thanks to Doug Beckwith, Colin Smith, Gary Swinford, Chad Whitney, Tim Burkhardt, and Troy Hibbitts for their contributions. |
21 June 2012 | Updated Available Animals pages for alterna and leonis. |
20 June 2012 | Updated Bibliographypage, adding entries for Lassiter (2012), Pfennig & Mullen (2010), and Rhoads & Salmon (2012). Updated the Resources page to include a video link for Gerry Salmon’s lecture at Sanderson Snake Days (June 2012). |
25 March 2012 | Updated Bibliographypage, adding an entry for Price et al. (2012) reporting a new record for Lampropeltis alterna from Mexico. Updated the Resources page to include a new listing for WeatherSpark.com. |
08 January 2012 | Updated Bibliographypage, adding an entry for Prestridge et al. (2011) concerning the herp trade in Texas, as well as Hoover (1998) regarding legal export of reptiles from the U.S. |
12 December 2011 | Updated Bibliographypage, adding entries for Flores et al. (2010) and Lavín-Murcio & Lazcano (2010). Updated Resources page, adding one vendor (PetFoodDirect.com). |
31 July 2011 | Updated Bibliographypage, adding entries for Dixon & Lemos Espinal (2010) and Lazcano et al. (2010). Updated Resources page, checked every link—updated where needed, deleted dead ones, and added some new resources. |
27 July 2011 | Updated Available Animals pages for alterna and leonis. |
30 May 2011 | Available Animals page updated, including addition of a Specials page. Added Greene (1979) to the Bibliography page, and added the full article pdf for Tryon and Murphy (1982). |
22 May 2011 | Added one new pdf (Hansen et al. 2011) to the Bibliography page, as well as images of the first-ever wild-caught greeri from Nayarit in the Greeri Gallery. |
9 April 2011 | Site re-launched following construction activities. Updated Available Animals pages. Added captions to all alterna images, as well as uploading new images for most species. Several additions made to the Bibliography page. |
13 April 2010 | Major additions to the photo galleries, mostly for alterna, reflecting significant contributions from Gerry Salmon and Michael Price. |
13 April 2010 | A number of individuals have been added to the Acknowledgments page in appreciation for various contributions, including literature, images, information, or making their live animal collections available for photography: Linda Acker, Frank Burbrink, Terry Heuring, Michael Heyduk, Terry Hibbitts, Jerry Johnson, Gunther Köhler, John Lassiter, Dave Long, Brendan O’Connor, Michael Price, Colin Smith, Richard Worthington. |
13 April 2010 | We have added over 60 new entries to the Bibliography page, nearly all with pdf links. These are divided among herpetocultural, scientific, and popular articles or books, and range from trivial to substantial. |
11 March 2010 | Updated Available Animals page. |
7 July 2009 | New additions to the Bibliography page.Salmon, G. T., W. F. Holmstrom, Jr., B. W. Tryon, and G. P. Merker. 1997.Added new links to Resources page under PHOTOGRAPHY:The Battery StationNew additions to the Bibliography page.Ernst, C. H., and E. M. Ernst. 2003.Tennant, A., J. E. Werler, J. E. Forks, G. T. Salmon, A. Sansom, and L. D. Sinclair. 1998.Tryon, B. W., and R. K. Guese. 1984. |
19 May 2009 | Added new links to Resources page under MAPS:Map Coordinate ConversionAnd under PHOTOGRAPHY:Sto-Fen ProductsJoby GorillapodWimberlyMedic BatteriesAdded three distribution-related notes to the Bibliographypage:Hansen & Bryson (2009)Hibbitts et al. (2003)Savage & Hansen (2009) |
09 January 2009 | Updated the Resources page to reflect new products and websites – WeatherBuffs, SPOT Satellite Messenger and GPS Handheld Units. See the Resources page for more information. |
01 November 2008 | Added new photos to the mexicana gallery representing a new locality in Guanajuato. Images include several specimens as well as a new habitat gallery. |
17 September 2008 | Added new photos to the greeri gallery as well as the ruthveni habitat gallery under the Jiquilpan section. |
31 August 2008 | Added new images of leonis (plus habitat photos) from our field work in Mexico during July–August 2008. Two new galleries have been added for leonis collection sites in Nuevo Leon (“Mountains near Ascensión”) and Tamaulipas (“Eastern Flank, Sierra Madre Oriental”). leonis Gallery Added photos to our greeri Galleryof a specimen collected by Ron Savage in 2007 from a new, northern outpost for this species in Durango. Added photos to our ruthveni Gallery of several specimens found in 2007 in Querétaro and Guanajuato by Ron Savage. New entries for the Bibliography page:Gadsden et al. (2006)Ingrasci et al. (2008)Miller (1979)Added photos to our alterna Gallery of a specimen from a new area in northeastern Durango, as well as two additional specimens from high elevation on the eastern slopes of the Sierra Madre Occidental. |
25 May 2008 | New links added to the Resources page – Kingsnake.com Graybanded Kingsnake forum, In situ Gear and Fenix Outfitters. |
24 May 2008 | 2 new images added to the leonis gallery |
19 May 2008 | Several animals are now available on the Available Animals page. |
07 Feb 2008 | Added one new entry (Conant 1957) to the Related Publications section on the Bibliography page. |
23 Jan 2008 | Updated the Alterna Photo Gallery to include images of alterna from the Mexican state of Coahuila, as well as a new habitat gallery for the Cuesta La Muralla region.In the Leonis Gallery, added shots of two wild leonis observed in Nuevo Leon during 2007.On the Resources page, we added a link to a moon phase calculator, a current rainfall map of Mexico, and a new outlet for maps of various regions of Mexico. |
18 Nov 2007 | We’ve added 31 new listings to the Bibliography page, many available as PDF downloads. Some of these are pretty obscure and only touch on mexicana kingsnakes in a very minor way but are interesting nonetheless. We also want to call your attention to the fact that Adler et al. (1989. Contributions to the History of Herpetology), a volume out of print and difficult to find, is now available online from SSAR. The link can be found near the bottom of the Bibliography page under RELATED PUBLICATIONS. New stuff includes:Applegate (1992)Bartlett (1988)Bartlett & Bartlett (2000, 2002)Bartlett & Markel (2005)Bechtel (1995)Coburn (1991)David et al. (1994)De Lisle (1977, 1984)Dowling et al. (1983, 1990)Flury (1950)Greene (1997)Hakkila (1994)Hammock & Burghardt (1985)Lasky (1980)Markel (1995)Markel & Bartlett (1995)Mattison (1988, 1990, 1995)Murphy et al. (1978)Retes (1989)Smith & Smith (1969)Smith & Taylor (1945)Tanner (1953)Taylor (1940)Trutnau (1986)Tryon (1979)Wagner (1980)Walls (1996)Zweifel (1952) – addition of PDF file |
25 Sept 2007 | We’ve added numerous photos to our gallery pages. This includes revamped gallery pages for Gray-Banded Kingsnakes, with 179 new images of alterna, nearly all of which are wild caught. The vast majority of these were contributed by Troy Hibbitts, and we are pleased to be able to share these here. Notable among the new photos are those of two live alterna from the mountains of Durango, Mexico, obtained by our crew during field work in the Sierra Madre Occidental in July 2007.Other photo additions include field photos of Durango Mountain Kingsnakes and their habitat from the Otinapa region of Durango. These are the result of field work by Tim Burkhardt and Troy Hibbitts during August 2007. |
3 Sept 2007 | Added several new entries to the Available Animals page. |
2 Sept 2007 | Added two new entries to the Bibliography page: Applegate (2007); Lemos Espinal and Smith (2007).Added new weather map link to the Resources pageAdded several other links under “Knowledge” on the Resources page |
19 July 2007 | Added one new pdf (Dixon et al 1972) to the Bibliography pageUpdated available animals page |
4 July 2007 | Added Painter, C. W., C. L. Hayes, and J. N. Stuart. 2002. Recovery and conservation of the Gray-Banded Kingsnake. See Bibliography page |
25 May 2007 | Added Bryson, R. W., Jr., J. Pastorini, F. T. Burbrink, and M. R. J. Forstner. 2007. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 43:674-684. See Bibliography page |
20 February 2007 | Updated distribution page to reflect the addition of Jiquilpan habitat imagesNew photos added to leonis gallery |
15 February 2007 | Added habitat and animal images to ruthveni gallery |
12 February 2007 | Updated available page |
8 February 2007 | Added PDF – Bryson 2007 to the Bibliography page. |
5 February 2007 | New photos of DOR webbi added to the galleryNew photo of DOR mexicana added to the gallery, along with a corresponding habitat shot.Added one new publication (Vermilya & Acuna 2004) to the Bibliography page. |
1 February 2007 | New photos of wild-caught greeri added to gallery. |