Carol Townsend and Jay Cole were both hired by the. Charles J. (Jay) Cole and Carol R. Townsend

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1 Volume 19 July 2006 Number 7 T H I S M O N T H ' S G U E S T S P E A K E R S Charles J. (Jay) Cole and Carol R. Townsend American Museum of Natural History, New York Herpetological Exploration of the Guianan Shield, South America, and What Happened to "Cnemidophorus" in Arizona? 7:15 PM Tuesday, 18th July Arizona Game and Fish Department Office 555 North Greasewood Road (between Speedway and Anklam, west of Pima Community College) Carol Townsend and Jay Cole were both hired by the Department of Herpetology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, in They had not met before reporting to work. Carol arrived first, hired as a Scientific Assistant, with a B.A. from Russell Sage College, Troy, NY. She would assist the three Herpetology Curators with their research, and the Chairman at the time, R. G. Zweifel, thought that the previous laboratory experiences Carol had at Bell Telephone Laboratories would mesh well with the needs of the new Curator, to arrive three months later. That was Jay, who was finishing a Ph.D. with C. H. Lowe at the University of Arizona. N E X T M O N T H ' S G U E S T S P E A K E R Female Stefania evansi, a treefrog from Guyana featured in the July membership meeting talk. Note the babies on her back, just hatching as froglets from eggs she carried through the developmental process, and in which there is no free-living tadpole. Photo by Charles J. Cole and Carol R. Townsend. Carol and Jay were married in Their research focused primarily on all-female species of lizards, particularly whiptails (reproduction in the laboratory, evolutionary history, taxonomy, population genetics); incorporating genetic data into herpetological research; exploration of the Guianan Region of South America; and forays into the taxonomy of scaly lizards, black-headed snakes, and other reptiles and amphibians. Their research has benefitted from collaborations with many others, such as H. C. Dessauer, L. M. Hardy, and H. L. Taylor. This career followed from Jay s college introduction to all-female whiptail lizards, from summer studies with Dick Zweifel at the Southwestern Research Station, and collaborations in graduate school in Tucson with Chuck Lowe, R. L. Bezy, and J. W. Wright. Recently, Jay and Carol retired from their daily commute in New York City (when not in the field in the Southwest, Mexico, or South America) to continue their research programs from their present home, on the eastern bajada of the Tucson Mountains. The talk will describe adventures of living in remote camps to do herpetological research in South America, and why it has become necessary to use the name Aspidoscelis for whiptail lizards in Arizona. Harry Greene Topic to be Announced Tuesday, 15th August Tucson Herpetological Society meetings are open to the public and are held on the third Tuesday of each month starting at 7:15PM SONORAN HERPETOLOGIST 19(7)

2 American Bullfrog Eradication in Sycamore Canyon, Arizona, a Natural Open Aquatic System David A. Kahrs School of Natural Resources, University of Arizona, Tucson. dkahrs@ .arizona.edu. Arizona was once home to six native ranid frog species (seven including the Ramsey Canyon Leopard Frog). Of these, the Tarahumara Frog (Rana tarahumarae) and the Relict Leopard Frog (Rana onca) have been extirpated and later reintroduced, while the other native ranids have all suffered from population declines and range reduction. The causes most often cited are the usual ones, including introduced predators (particularly fish), habitat loss, drought, and disease. Of all of these species, including the reintroduced species with populations that number only in the hundreds of individuals, only the Chiricahua Leopard Frog (Rana chiricahuensis) has received federal protection as a Threatened species. In addition to the natives, two ranid frog species have been introduced into Arizona. The Rio Grande Leopard Frog (Rana berlandieri) was introduced in the 1960s or 1970s into Painted Rock Reservoir on the Gila River. As the Rio Grande Leopard Frog range expands through the Colorado, Gila, and Salt Rivers, competition is expected to occur with the Lowland Leopard Frog (Rorabaugh et al. 2002). The other non-native ranid, the American Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) was introduced as a game species at an unknown date, presumably around The frog has since proven a formidable predator and competitor to native frogs, and has been cited as the primary cause of the disappearance of populations of native frogs in many localities. Bullfrogs now occupy nearly every substantial permanent body of water in the state, are capable of remarkable population densities, and have been found to disperse distances of at least 6.8 miles across open grassland (Suhre unpublished data). High population densities are supported by the ability of adult frogs to sustain themselves on juvenile frogs when necessary, as well as the lack of appropriate predators. Most fish find bullfrog tadpoles distasteful (Kruse and Francis 1977, Smith et al. 1999), and the larger aquatic predators such as snakes and wading Figure 1. Sycamore Canyon, Pajarito Mountains, Arizona, December Photo by David A. Kahrs. birds that feed on bullfrogs in their native range are absent or present in low numbers in the arid Southwest. The Chiricahua Leopard Frog (CLF) now exists in two disjunct population segments, which may be distinct species (USFWS 2005). The northern population occurs in the Mogollon Rim region into New Mexico, and the southern population ranges through the Sky Island region of southern Arizona into the Sierra Madre in Mexico. Little is known of the status of the species in Mexico. 74 SONORAN HERPETOLOGIST 19 (7) 2006

3 The Pajarito-Atascosa Mountain complex in Santa Cruz County contains what is perhaps the most robust remaining CLF metapopulation in the US, and likely in its remaining geographic range (P. Rosen, pers. comm.). The metapopulation is also potentially connected with CLFs present in Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge and other sites in the Altar Valley, although many of these sites have been invaded by bullfrogs. The region as a whole has been designated as a distinct Recovery Unit in the recently released Draft Recovery Plan. Within the Pajaritos, much of the remaining CLF habitat is provided by man-made stock tanks. Central to the health and persistence of the metapopulation is Sycamore Canyon, as the largest perennial natural aquatic system in the area and home to a thriving (relative to many other sites) CLF population. The canyon was at one time home to three native ranid frogs. The Lowland Leopard Frog and Tarahumara Frog were last documented there in the 1970s. Heavy metal pollution was cited as a potential cause at the time (Hale et al. 1995), although recent research into the history and origins of the fungal disease chytridiomycosis suggests that it may have been an important factor (Bradley et al. 2002). The canyon also supports high densities of another Threatened aquatic species, the Sonora Chub (Gila ditaenia). In May of 2004, I passed through southern Arizona on my way to a field job in California. I spent a night camping in the parking lot at Sycamore Canyon, and heard bullfrogs calling. As a California native familiar with the impacts of bullfrogs on native frog populations, I was of course disturbed. However, this was prior to my familiarity with the present state of affairs in Arizona amphibian conservation, and I assumed this was just one more site that had been lost. Upon arriving in Tucson in the fall of that year to begin an MS project examining predator/prey relationships within the vertebrate and invertebrate community in Cienega Creek, I learned of the potential seriousness and hope for the situation in Sycamore Canyon. I returned Figure 2. Chiricahua Leopard Frog, Sycamore Canyon, July Photo by David A. Kahrs. to the canyon in December of that year, and observed what appeared to be small bullfrog tadpoles throughout the part of the canyon that I visited. Identification was confirmed from photographic records, and for what appeared to be the first documented time, the bullfrog was established and reproducing in Sycamore Canyon. The winter was unusually wet, and on an April visit to the canyon, I found bullfrog tadpoles throughout almost the entire canyon, apparently having been carried by the stream flow a distance of up to 4 miles from the nearest point that I found adults of reproductive size. Only a small series of pools, the last before the stream dried up near the border, remained free of bullfrogs. While much of the canyon appeared unsuitable for bullfrog reproduction due to intermittent drying and the potential for scouring floods, the dispersal abilities of the species put the entire CLF population at risk of predation by adult bullfrogs. Eradication seemed to be imperative. By one of the few strokes of good fortune to befall me that summer, a friend from my undergraduate program had graduated in May of 2005 and wanted to relax for a summer of herping in Arizona before entering into his own graduate research on pit viper systematics at the University of Texas at Tyler. So, upon his arrival in Tucson, he was immediately drafted as a volunteer into the eradication attempt. Figure 3. Seining American Bullfrog tadpoles in Sycamore Canyon, June Photo by David A. Kahrs. Bullfrogs now occupy nearly every substantial permanent body of water in the state, are capable of remarkable population densities, and have been found to disperse distances of at least 6.8 miles across open grassland. SONORAN HERPETOLOGIST 19(7)

4 Figure 4. Dead Chiricahua Leopard Frog in Sycamore Canyon, presumably killed by the chytrid fungus. Photo by David A. Kahrs. Most if not all successful bullfrog eradication efforts have involved closed and generally man-made systems. Stock tanks can be securely fenced and pumped dry during the summer, eliminating every bullfrog with complete confidence. If reintroduction can be prevented, this method can be very effective in regaining aquatic habitat for native species recovery. However, to our knowledge no eradication campaign has been attempted in a situation similar to Sycamore Canyon, as an open natural system. Obviously any methods used would have to be completely manual and minimally invasive due to the presence of two Threatened species. We used seines as the primary method in removing tadpoles. We seined each pool multiple times on a visit, until we began to catch fewer than 10 tadpoles per sweep. During the initial phase of the eradication last summer, complete removal was not feasible, so we directed our efforts towards removing the greatest number of tadpoles possible. In one pool for instance, we seined perhaps 15 times in an afternoon, but continued to remove large numbers of tadpoles. We removed approximately 500 tadpoles that day, only to return the following week to find that the pool had rapidly dried and our work had been unnecessary. However, during the course of the summer we removed over 7000 bullfrog tadpoles. During the same period, we only encountered 317 CLF tadpoles. The eradication was facilitated in most ways by the late onset of the monsoon. Despite the high water levels (very much higher than this year), many pools dried completely, and many of those remaining were greatly reduced in size, making our work much easier. It also appeared that the CLFs, as one would expect, were much better adapted to the timing of summer drying. In the pool mentioned above, the bullfrog tadpoles were far from metamorphosis. However, we also captured 13 CLF tadpoles in the same pool. Nearly all of them had complete hind legs and had begun resorption of the tail. Few CLF tadpoles seemed in danger of dying in drying pools. Adult and metamorph bullfrogs were removed by hand capture and shooting. We used a BB gun for most of the summer, which was effective on the smaller frogs. It was fatal for the larger frogs as well, although they were often able to escape into the water and prevent confirmation of their removal. Few large, breeding adult frogs were found, although two gravid females were captured and removed, thus stopping breeding events that would have compounded the problems we still face. As not every frog shot was recovered, an exact count of adult and metamorph removal is not available although the number probably exceeded 500. Crews from AZGFD were also involved in bullfrog removal intermittently during the summer. Finally, a large volunteer effort was scheduled in which we hoped to remove nearly all of the bullfrogs from the canyon. The AZGFD crew with approximately 12 volunteers and I arrived at the campsite only to find that the first storms of the monsoon were beginning. I entered the canyon that night to conduct my usual evening work eradicating adults and metamorphs, only to find that the first rain apparently triggered a massive dispersal event. Pools that the week before had perhaps hundreds of metamorph bullfrogs had a mere handful. I found fewer than 20 frogs that night instead of the masses I had expected. However, the dispersal seemed to be mostly unidirectional as few frogs were present after the monsoon. The work continues this summer. I observed many dead frogs this winter, presumably chytrid-killed, although all were in the upper canyon. We have installed i-buttons in several pools in the canyon to get a temperature profile and an idea of the degree of difference between the areas with and without die-offs. A large-scale CLF site monitoring project is also underway with volunteer help to visit satellite populations in tanks within the Pajaritos. Any that seem in immediate danger of drying may be salvaged. My eradication work will continue in the canyon, as a few frogs still remain as well as tadpoles in some pools. Two bullfrogs managed to reproduce last summer in Sycamore Canyon, although it was detected early and most of the tadpoles were removed last fall. 76 SONORAN HERPETOLOGIST 19 (7) 2006

5 For a project such as this, removal must be 100% to be of any value at all. If one bullfrog manages to reproduce while our backs are turned, and the several thousand tadpoles are spread by stream flow again, the work will have been nearly completely undone. Once dispersal from potential sources such as Ruby Lakes and other tanks in the area becomes a possibility during the monsoon, regular nocturnal frog surveys will be a must to ensure that no more breeding takes place. Until the source populations have been dealt with, a massive undertaking which is just now coming under serious discussion, continuing immigration of bullfrogs to Sycamore Canyon remains a distinct possibility. Figure 5. Using a BB gun to eradicate the non-native American Bullfrog from Sycamore Canyon. Photo by David A. Kahrs. Acknowledgements I thank Robert Jadin, as without his willing help in 2005, little work could have been accomplished. USGS and USFWS have provided funding, allowing this work to continue. AZGFD have assisted with volunteer support and continued monitoring. I also thank Phil Rosen and Cecil Schwalbe for assisting me with methods and concepts, as well as allowing me to be distracted from my research by this project. Literature Cited Bradley, G. A., P. C. Rosen, M. J. Sredl, T. R. Jones, and J. E. Longcore Chytridiomycosis in Native Arizona Frogs. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 38 (1): Hale, S. F., C. R. Schwalbe, J. L. Jarchow, C. J. May, C. H. Lowe, and T. B. Johnson Disappearance of the Tarahumara Frog. Pages in LaRoe, E.T., G.S. Farris, C.E. Puckett, P.D. Doran, and M.J. Mac, eds. Our living resources: a report to the nation on the distribution, abundance, and health of U.S. plants, animals, and ecosystems. U.S. Department of the Interior, National Biological Service, Washington, D.C. 530 p. Kruse, K. C., and M. G. Francis A predation deterrent in larvae of the Bullfrog Rana catesbeiana. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 106(3): Rorabaugh, J. C., M. J. Sredl, V. Miera, and C. A. Drost Continued invasion by an introduced frog (Rana berlandieri): Southwestern Arizona, southeastern California, and Rio Colorado, Mexico. Southwestern Naturalist 47(1): Smith, G. R., J. E. Rettig, G. G. Mittelbach, J. L. Valiulis, and S. R. Schaack The effects of fish on assemblages of amphibians in ponds: A field experiment. Freshwater Biology 41(4): United States Fish and Wildlife Service Draft Chiricahua Leopard Frog (Rana chiricahuensis) Recovery Plan. U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Southwest Region, Albuquerque, NM. 149 pp. + Appendices A-N. SONORAN HERPETOLOGIST 19(7)

6 N A T U R A L H I S T O R Y N O T E Yarrow's Spiny Lizards (Sceloporus jarrovii) on Lizard Rock, Santa Catalina Mountains, Pima County, Arizona: Adventures of a Diaper- Bag-Toting Herpetologist Kevin E. Bonine Tucson Herpetological Society, Tucson, Arizona, USA. Figure 1. The author and family on Lizard Rock, Santa Catalina Mountains, Arizona. Photo by Kevin E. Bonine. The recent attention paid Sceloporus jarrovii (Archie et al. 2006) in the Sonoran Herpetologist was fresh in my mind as we took our family s newest herpetologist, Molly, on her first hike (Fig. 1). The destination was Lizard Rock (Fig. 2), a prominent landmark on the Mt. Lemmon highway (near mile marker 16). Upon reaching the summit on 21 May 2006, ca. 1015h, I noticed one adult S. jarrovii in species-typical pose on the lip of a crevice in the exfoliating granite boulders that comprise much of the Santa Catalina mountains. I briefly retreated from the summit to secure the safety of my fellow hikers, shed my diaper bag, and returned to the summit armed with camera. While settling in to wait for a voucher-photo opportunity, two other S. jarrovii emerged from the same crevice. I did not handle the animals, but they appeared to be one male and two females (Fig. 3). Lizard Rock is atop the ridge that separates Bear Canyon from Willow Canyon and, according to the USGS, is a bit more than a kilometer straight-line map distance from the General Hitchcock picnic area where S. jarrovii was first documented in the Santa Catalinas in 1996 (Archie et al. 2006). The presence of multiple individuals, and of both sexes, so far from the likely origination point of S. jarrovii into this sky island suggest that the population is spreading. As Archie et al. (2006) point out, documenting the range expansion of S. jarrovii will indeed be interesting from the perspectives of ecology and conservation. Also of interest are the concomitant genetic changes in a population rapidly expanding from perhaps just a few (or even one) pioneering individuals (see discussion in Edwards et al. 2005). 78 SONORAN HERPETOLOGIST 19 (7) 2006

7 Figure 2. View of northwest face of Lizard Rock from Willow Canyon. Photo by Angela Urbon-Bonine. I plan to take camera, diaper bag, and my young apprentice into the Willow Canyon environs on future S. jarrovii missions. Feel free to accompany us, but please bring your own burp cloth. Acknowledgements Thanks to my wife Angela for her knowledge of, and interest in, the natural world, and for her willingness to shepherd a newborn and a dog while her husband leans off into space seeking photos of invasive lizards. Thanks to Don Swann for discussion and insight regarding this species and many others. Literature Cited Archie, J. W., R. L. Bezy, and E. F. Enderson Yarrow s Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus jarrovii Cope 1875): Lowe s line revisited. Sonoran Herpetologist 19: Edwards, T., K. E. Bonine, C. Ivanyi, and R. Prescott The molecular origins of spiny-tailed iguanas (Ctenosaura) on the grounds of the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. Sonoran Herpetologist 18: The presence of multiple individuals, and of both sexes, so far from the likely origination point of S. jarrovii into this sky island suggest that the population is spreading. Figure 3. Sceloporus jarrovii at the summit of Lizard Rock, Santa Catalina Mountains, Arizona, 21 May Photo by Kevin E. Bonine. SONORAN HERPETOLOGIST 19(7)

8 L O C A L R E S E A R C H N E W S Rattle Reduction and Loss in Rattlesnakes Endemic to Islands in the Sea of Cortés Ali M. Rabatsky Department of Biology, University of Louisiana, Lafayette, LA. rattlesnake@louisiana.edu. Figure 1. Comparison of rattle morphology in gulf island rattlesnake species to their nearest mainland relative. Note the rounded lobes and larger groove depths and angles evident in island forms. The variability observed among species is a fascinating component of this system. Top group: Clockwise from top left: Mainland Crotalus ruber, island C. catalinensis, island C. ruber (currently being described as a new taxon), and island C. lorenzoensis. Middle pair: Mainland C. mitchelli (left) and island C. angelensis (right). Bottom pair: Mainland C. molossus (left), and island C. estebanensis (right). Photos by Ali M. Rabatsky. You re committing academic suicide. You have no degree, no job, no money. You couldn t have crafted a better project perfectly designed for failure. Why don t you just do a nice, neat, safe, laboratory project? something a little less risky? Because I m a herpetologist, dammit. I kept this rebuke to myself for the remainder of my dissertation proposal defense. Later that April day it was decided that I would be given the summer to try to put my project together. Since then, my collaborator Dr. Méndez de la Cruz and I have not only been successful with my dissertation, but we have also been able to support two Master s theses and an undergraduate research project. And although my chosen project certainly presented challenges, I knew that they could all be overcome. As a mere grad student, I knew something about the herpetological community that my former committee member didn t. For my dissertation, I decided to investigate rattle reduction and loss in rattlesnakes endemic to the islands in the Sea of Cortés. Most herpetologists agree that the rattle evolved to warn away predators or other potentially dangerous animals. Since the islands on which these rattleless species occur lack terrestrial predators, it has been hypothesized that these snakes are losing their rattles due to relaxed selection for a warning mechanism. This reduction probably occurs through the evolutionary process of vestigialization. Examples that are a little more familiar include the reduced wing structure in flightless birds and reduced eyes in cave-dwelling fish. In certain gulf island rattlesnake species, the shape and characteristics of the style, or the most basal and 80 SONORAN HERPETOLOGIST 19 (7) 2006

9 living portion of the rattle, have actually been modified and reduced such that most individuals no longer retain segments with each shed, rendering some individuals completely rattleless. It had already been reported that the morphology of the Isla Santa Catalina rattlesnake (Crotalus catalinensis) was reduced such that few, if any, individuals retained rattle segments. The same was suspected to be true for Isla San Lorenzo rattlesnake (C. lorenzoensis) and the Isla San Esteban rattlesnake (C. estebanensis), but how much their rattles were reduced and whether or not they were reduced in a similar fashion were unknown. Reductions in other aspects of the rattling system, such as the physiological capacity of island species to sustain rattling or the behavioral context in which rattling occurred, were also unclear. To quantify rattle reduction in these species and to better understand the process of vestigialization, I am in the process of comparing my data collected in the field on the island species to the same data I have collected on the nearest mainland relatives to each island species. So far, it appears that only the morphological component of the rattling system is reduced. This result prompted me to look for additional cases of rattle reduction in other gulf island rattlesnakes. In recent visits to the California Academy of Sciences and the San Diego Natural History Museum, I have discovered that morphological rattle reduction appears to occur in up to seven additional rattlesnake subspecies, more than doubling the number of previously known cases. This is an important result because it allows for at least two new species descriptions and for the first statistical test of the relaxed selection hypothesis for rattle reduction. It has also allowed me to ask questions beyond the realm of my dissertation, questions that promise to keep me busy for many years. I owe many thanks to the Tucson Herpetological Society, the C. H. Lowe Committee, and especially Dave and Billie Hardy, Sr. and Matt Goode and his graduate students. I also owe thanks to the numerous other societies and scientists that have supported this research and will be formally acknowledged in future manuscripts. The list is long and valued and I knew it would be the day of my defense. I knew that I would have the accumulated knowledge, experience and support of a field with a rich history, deep sense of community, and a commitment to facilitating the development of its junior scientists. This spirit is profoundly evident in the THS and its members. Thanks for helping me turn academic suicide into scientific discovery, knowledge, and education. The President's Corner Young Cage President, Tucson Herpetological Society. ydcage@aol.com. I hope that by the time you receive this that we will have had abundant rainfall. I can never remember any time in the Sonoran Desert when it has been this dry. I was down in the Canelo Hills last week and not even the lizards were moving. Live Oaks looked anything but live. Bring on the monsoons, and hopefully it will be a long, wet season! Meanwhile the work of the Tucson Herpetological Society goes on. Our activities are varied, but all come back to our guiding principles - dedication to conservation, education, and research concerning the amphibians and reptiles of Arizona and Mexico. With the enormous pressures of growth in our area, much of our work involves protecting the animals themselves and the land and environment they live on. You can be very proud of all the activities of your society, but these activities take hard work and leadership, which is the thrust of my commentary today. The THS has annual elections coming up. We will soon form an election committee to begin the process. The elections will take place at our November Meeting, with officers and new board members taking office in January. The election will cover President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer (all for one year terms), as well as three board members (for two year terms). Some of our officers and board members will no doubt run again, and that would be great because they are very dedicated and talented people. But any organization needs some turnover to keep the energy level high and to bring in new ideas. So I am asking each of you to step back for a minute and consider becoming involved in one of the elected positions. Bring forward your talents and passion, so that our wonderful critters can continue to be protected and looked after. If you are interested, please let me or one of the other board members know, and we will answer questions or get your name on the ballot. And as soon as our election committee is set up, feel free to contact the committee members as well. I have served two terms as President, and will not run again this round. I have very much enjoyed it and suspect I will serve again. But it is time for someone else to come in to bring in new energy and ideas. The THS is involved in many activities this summer, including booths at both the Tucson Reptile and Amphibian Show and Sale Sept 30 th thru Oct 1 st and the Cienega Corridor Pioneer Days. We will keep you posted with the details of these events. That is all for now. Hope that you have a safe and productive summer season. SONORAN HERPETOLOGIST 19(7)

10 B O A R D M E E T I N G S Y N O P S I S M E M B E R S H I P U P D A T E 20 June 2006 Robert L. Bezy, Secretary Directors Present: Robert Bezy, Kevin Bonine, Young Cage, Dennis Caldwell, Kent Jacobs, Paul Condon, Elissa Ostergaard, Erin Zylstra. Directors Absent: Taylor Edwards, Brian Wooldridge, Robert Villa. Treasurer s Report Young Cage for Kent Jacobs. 30 May 2006 Beginning Balance $9, Deposits $ Expenses $ Ending Balance $8, Speaker s Bureau $1, Jarchow Award $45.00 FTHL Fund $ C.H.Lowe Research Fund $2, General Fund $5, CRHSD CD $8, Itemized Deposits: Membership $ , Speakers Bureaus $ T-shirts $ Itemized Expenses: Earth Day table $40.00, Lowe Fund $500.00, Newsletter $138.00, Postage $ Committee Reports Conservation Dennis Caldwell. Four ponds are up and running and a fifth is progressing. The matamorph Rana yavapaiensis have emerged. One Rana catesbeiana has been discovered and eliminated. The surveys of tanks for Rana chiricahuensis in the Atascosa Mts. is being conducted by students at the University of Arizona, and Dennis is turning his attention to other drainages. Program Elissa Ostergaard. The lineup of speakers includes: 18 July Jay Cole and Carol Townsend 15 August Harry Greene 19 September D. Caldwell and D. Swann 17 October or 18 December Jeff Seminoff 15 November Photo contest and elections Old Business Elections Young Cage. The board is in the process of appointing a nominating committee for this year. THS Photo Contest Kevin Bonine. The contest will be held at the 15 November general meeting. San Rafael Valley Project Brian Wooldridge. The project has received approval. Upcoming Events Young Cage. The THS is planning to have a table at the following events, and any member wishing to help staff the table should contact the person listed: Tucson Reptile Show - Robert Villa. Pioneer Day, Vail Robert Villa, Bill Savary. Membership Information Individual $20 Sustaining $30 Family $25 Contributing $50 Student $14 Life $500 To receive a membership form and recent issue of Sonoran Herpetologist call (520) or write: Tucson Herpetological Society P. O. Box 709 Tucson AZ Time to Renew Your THS Membership? I hope this is a helpful reminder to those of you whose membership renewal is due this month. Please call or with corrections and errors or dhardysr@theriver.com Dave Hardy Sr., Membership Secretary Due in July William Broyles & Joan Scott Steve Hale Robert Kane Patricia Latas Robert Moses Marty Tuegel Betsy Wirt & Peter Holm Membership Update - 4 July 2006 Sustaining Hill Johnson New Members Andrea, Emily & Hunter Eggers Louise & Jerry Epstein Cristina Jones & Joseph Beals Ray & Theresa Kennedy Tom & Judy McDonald Russ & Karen Solsky Thomas Wiewandt Tucson Tucson Charles H. Lowe Research Fund Taylor Edwards Tucson Allison Titcomb & Chuck Fellows Tucson 82 SONORAN HERPETOLOGIST 19 (7) 2006

11 Sonoran Herpetologist is the newsletter-journal of the Tucson Herpetological Society, and is Copyright The contents of Sonoran Herpetologist may be reproduced for inclusion in the newsletters of other herpetological societies provided the material is reproduced without change and with appropriate credit, and a copy of the publication is sent to the Tucson Herpetological Society. Occasional exceptions to this policy will be noted. Contents are indexed in Zoological Record. A complete set of back issues are available in the Special Collections area of the University of Arizona library. They are accompanied by a copy of The Collected Papers of the Tucson Herpetological Society, Editor Don Swann, donswann@dakotacom.net Associate Editors Dale Turner, dturner@theriver.com Robert Bezy, bezyr@theriver.com Art Editor Dennis Caldwell, dennis@caldwell-design.com Book Review Editor Eric Stitt, stitt@cox.net Distribution Fred Wilson, fredtj@comcast.net Trevor Hare, trevor@skyislandalliance.org Membership Dave Hardy Sr., dhardysr@theriver.com Information for Contributors Authors should submit original articles, notes, book reviews to the Editor, either via using an attached word processed manuscript or by mail to the Society s address. The manuscript style should follow that of Journal of Herpetology and other publications of the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles. For further information, please contact the editor. The Tucson Herpetological Society is dedicated to conservation, education, and research concerning the amphibians and reptiles of Arizona and Mexico. Tucson Herpetological Society is a registered non-profit organization. Officers President Young Cage, ydcage@aol.com Vice President Kevin Bonine, kebonine@u.arizona.edu Secretary Bob Bezy, bezyr@theriver.com Treasurer Kent Jacobs, jacobskent@earthlink.net Directors Dennis Caldwell, dennis@caldwell-design.com Paul Condon, ptcondon@comcast.net Elissa Ostergaard, elissaost@gmail.com Robert Villa, herpsandviolin@aol.com Brian Wooldridge, c_scutulatus@yahoo.com Erin Zylstra, erinzylstra@hotmail.com Past President Taylor Edwards, taylore@u.arizona.edu Society Activities Monthly Members Meeting Elissa Ostergaard, Program Chair 3rd Tuesday, 7:15 PM Board of Directors Meeting Last Tuesday of each month (except December), 7:00 PM Arizona Game and Fish Department Office 555 North Greasewood Road Speakers Bureau (scheduled presentations) Robert Villa, Director Ed Moll, Director Conservation Committee Dennis Caldwell, Director Herpetological Information Hotline Bob Brandner Jarchow Conservation Award Taylor Edwards, Chairperson Publications: Sonoran Herpetologist, Backyard Ponds brochure, Living with Venomous Reptiles brochure, THS Herp Coloring Book, THS Collected Papers, THS Internet World Wide Webpage Marty Tuegel, Webmaster, mtuegel@yahoo.com Deadline for Sonoran Herpetologist 19(8): July 15 For more information about the THS and the reptiles and amphibians of the Tucson area visit tucsonherpsociety.org SONORAN HERPETOLOGIST 19(7)

12 Your membership has expired. This is your only reminder. Please renew! July 2006, Volume 19, Number 7 FEATURE ARTICLE 74 American Bullfrog Eradication in Sycamore Canyon NATURAL HISTORY NOTE 78 Yarrow's Spiny Lizards on Lizard Rock, Santa Catalina Mountains LOCAL RESEARCH NEWS 80 Rattle Reduction and Loss in Endemic Rattlesnakes on Islands in the Sea of Cortés 84 SONORAN HERPETOLOGIST 19 (7) 2006