GMJFORNIA FBH'-GAME "CONSERVATION OF WILDLIFE THROUGH EDUCATION" f VOLUME 69 JULY 1983 NUMBER 3 J I ii 1 J^ 1 wj^x^lliil^ll ^fdDi i^ ^ RniH j9i ^^^ !2^^^ ►i^ 6 6 AUG (N=27) SEP (N^25) OCT (N=20) J9 9 31 0 ^18.0 GRAMINOIDS SOFT MAST HARD MAST °«^ 13 5 5 20 2 19 3 INSECTS OTHER ANIMAL GARBAGE 186 ■■»■-■- 23 4 rf 23 8 ill* ■ 25 8 1 I r I I t » t I II.1. 10 3 4 0 0 0 0 FIGURE 4. Seasonal use and relative importance values of major food types determined from 171 black bear scats collected from Tahoe National Forest in 1980. 138 CALIFORNIA FISH AND CAME I E o «^ u «« M o i ^ •8 o u I It I ^ II s _4J _ ^ ^ 2 I ^ i i s •— .— rv| ^O^^r^4r^^\^r^l0O■^O^ •-•-»- 1 * m t^ Lo •— rsi rs( .— 0^ .— rs( l-v •- oo rs ra oo oo ro O 1^ O in o^ ^ r^ »— fN| m »— ) CM -e ^ cL 3 9J o .5 c Q. n 3£ O 1/1 .1 LA ^ _ 5c i a> fO E < ^ ^ S 5 ^< !i; o- ^ n ii S >- 4> -C -C U O. Q. 2 o ^^1 I. IS CO QD (_) ■ _0 Li_ it fc ^1 > U -■e-#e1 2 u- o) c w a; .Q E S n ^ ^ c •^ U Q- Q- C I- Z) SEASONAL FOODS OF BLACK BEARS 139 <-M r^ >- ,>- ,>- ,1- o^ f^ L^ L^ <^ I o^ i*-! I^^CpC^rs^^^ r^^fNlO^CT^ ^ -| ?^ rsi CM -r -18 Ln O CM eoi vJ3 CM CM IT) m 1^ c -I "^ LO CO o en <« ^ >/>' $ 2 c >>i ^ o ^ X i2 o O o '^ § :c ^ c a; .™ ^ I J < 9-= a; n3 a> 2; U :^ oD Q. O ■g O) B — Q.-C i| '-'^ ^^ ^^ CO CO ^^ Q. O -C c O O 3 ■D ^ 0) — °--£ tu 01 00 H "^ N HI 2 c |l 5 Q. E I/) o Q. II # §85 < n II *^ II Z J^ 140 CALIFORNIA FISH AND CAME ^1^^ »5 II ^ ^ ^ i< m •^ c o ^^2 "i5 S II ifi 5. 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Q. < < I O 3 to I- 0^ Si - E 2 ^ u J5 -?^ i 8 9- ^ a,- "^ "5 3 !5 "a; U I c= '^ U >- OO OO 3 142 CALIFORNIA FISH AND CAME c % z o i .— >— I Ln g: ■o a c o ^|. "(5 u. cj. < so .Oj -^ s^ ^18 r is 5 •J- TT Tf Tj- CM t-M .— LO rsi (vi rv| »— I r^ r- 60 C *Z 3 o a; t3 "o u 1/1 a E (/> u ^ II § II S II 8 8 1^ it CO u CO ■o V c a; (/> E 2i o o CO < i J3 3 ^ ^ ^ oo "S s. w 3 U « £ Si j: u a> E 3 c o *~" > — (A w ~5 fO c o^ u 0) — t/> if c o ^1 1> N 0) 00 c 4; E (5: < 2 ," o a z S. >K SEASONAL FOODS OF BLACK BEARS 143 .^s ^^* l4^^ IV 'g w ^ Q t -^v ^ «2 -%^^ "<3 II* *« ^ 2J Q 1 <« Z 1^1 H- 3 "N •» t^^ ^ M e k 3 :.^ o t'!? "^^ *# U u. _a; "5 u ■q. E *^s Ji 3 S .^^ n. CO < J( w JJ 5 e i E I lU s § •~'^«0»— •— "— <^^LnrM4»— 9 r*t\ en O SIS m ro ^o vo SIS s or o 1^ rv ^O »* >• ^ CO ,•- in i/> CO m rn Ln ro oo •* r^ J ■5 •i o- J8 00 LD CD 00 a: 3 I s ^:i 3 0 to ll 3 8 u -e Is *- o i aJ :c p ?? §■§ .ti -J l*- C ^ f^ OJ h- n c ;? = U- O OQ 144 CALIFORNIA FISH AND CAME 3 *** c o 1 - p ^ K ^ ^ II 5? 1^^ Ss 8 O 1^ c z o :t t^ O^ -9 •■£) »-.— .— rsi ,»- I .— O 1^ (^ f S;£!22g2 ? £§S OO ,•- CM I CnI rr> IV, ■.D s ?s; fN vC O - I ,•- r^ o^ •— \0 \0 f^ a E \D •— I rr, 8 8 \0 Tt- '« Q. 5 « i 7. ■ ^ J- ^ = 2 ^ > ^ O) .Q (-0 CD 3 3 U ^ E 0) ^ u .X Qt ^ ? E 3 c o •~" > — . i3 <- -S fO c o^ o 11 >- l/l y c "o ^1 a; 01 so 2j til N iS c 0* |l Q. y ^ ?! £ II op u < 2 II ^ II Z LL. «^ 2— T72U 146 CALIFORNIA FISH AND CAME Black bear food items were dependent on plant phenology (Tables 1, 2, and 3). Bears utilized at least 69 different kinds of plants, 6 orders of insects, and 9 genera of mammals. No attempt was made to identify birds from feather frag- ments. Three major dietary shifts occurred during the black bear activity period. Herbaceous plants, mostly grasses, were the most important (importance value) component of the bear diet from May to July (Figures 2, 3, and 4). Later, manzanita and lesser amounts of other berries replaced green plants in the diet. Berry consumption reached a peak between August and October. As the acorn crop matured, it was included in the diet. Consumption of insects and other animal food types was evenly distributed throughout the year; use of garbage was minimal. Herbaceous Plants The 1979-80 spring and early summer data indicate that black bears chose green plants, especially grasses, more than any other food type. However, grasses generally were the only major food source available. Importance values of forbs compared to grasses and grass-like plants (grami- noids) must be interpreted with caution. When graminoid frequency was re- gressed against graminoid volume an r value of .97 was obtained, while a similar analysis for forbs produced an r value of .54. This suggests a bias, probably associated with the higher cellulose content of graminoids resulting in more residual undigested material in scats. Many species of delicate forbs are probably underestimated in the diet because of low amounts of residual plant skeletal material occuring in bear scats. Precipitation during the winter of 1977-78 was 130% of normal and should have resulted in more green plants for bear food, but the data (Figure 2 and Table 1) do not agree, probably because of low sample size (N = 54). Forbs noted most often in the analysis were bedstraw, Calium sp.; Kel loggia, Kelloggia galiodes; lovage, and clover (Tables 1, 2, and 3). Since these same forbs were commonly seen in the study area, a subjective judgment regarding selective or random feeding could not be made. However, bears apparently selected against lupine, bracken fern, corn lily, and mule ears. These plants were also common in the study area, but seldom were found in analysis. Lupine, bracken fern, and corn lily are poisonous to livestock. Black bears lack a cecum and have a simple stomach too acidic to support microorganisms capable of digesting cellulose (Rogers 1976), and therefore have a limited ability to digest vegetation. The black bear digestive system, which is intermediate in length between a herbivore and carnivore, probably has evolved to allow better digestion and absorption of plant material (Herrero 1978). Graminoids and forbs are about 43% digestible compared to 73-81% for animal food stuffs (Mealy 1975). When plant protein is a major part of the diet, its low digestibility must be compensated by a large intake. In the Tahoe Forest study area, scats containing herbaceous material were abundant in spring and more easily located than any other time of year. This period of predominantly herbaceous food consumption has been de- scribed as the "negative foraging period" (Jonkel 1962) because bears continue to draw on any remaining winter fat reserves in combination with a subsistence level diet of herbaceous plants. Many other researchers have reported that SEASONAL FOODS OF BLACK BEARS 147 weight loss also occurs during this time (Jonkel and Cowan 1971, Poelker and Hartwell 1973, Kelleyhouse 1975). However, current research in Colorado indi- cates that some female bears show a weight gain on a diet of green plants and aspen buds (T. Beck, Colorado Dept. of Wildlife, pers. commun.). In the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the black bears' spring diet consisted of 90% grasses plus other herbaceous stems and leaves (Beeman and Pelton 1977). Graminoids and forbs bulked 67% of the spring black bear food in Yosemite National Park (Goldsmith et al. 1980). Black bears in the San Bernardino Mountains of southern California averaged 53% herbaceous plants consumed during the spring seasons of 1975 and 1976 (Boyer 1976). Herbage was the principal food of Yosemite bears during spring and early summer (Gra- ber 1982). The results of this study parallel the above findings, as well as many others (Tisch 1961, Hatler 1972, Poelker and Hartwell 1973, Kellyhouse 1975, Landers et al. 1979). Graminoid flowers were seldom found in food habit analyses. Protein content of pre-flowering graminoids is higher than that of post-flowering plants and the highest protein digestibility also is associated with the pre-flowering phase (Mealy 1975). Hence, there is an indication that bears were using grass-type foods when the protein content was greatest. Soft Mast The most abundant berry crop in the study area is manzanita. As the nutrition- al quality of herbaceous plants declined, black bears shifted to this food re- source. Bears utilized manzanita in all stages: flowers and unripe, ripe, and dried fruit. Where manzanita occurs at lower elevations and/or on south-facing slopes, flowers and unripe fruit were eaten as early as May. Dried berries from the previous year were noted in a few scats collected in early spring. Use of soft mast continued throughout the year, with peak consumption occurring in late summer and fall. Manzanita berries, like herbaceous plants, are low in digestible energy (Goldsmith et al. 1981 ); consequently, large quantities of this food must be eaten. Hard Mast Another dietary shift occurred as the acorn crop matured, but was not as pronounced as in other California studies. Importance values for acorns in- creased in September (Figures 2, 3, and 4), but there were indications that acorn use by bears is greater than these data show. In the fall, scats were difficult to find because of deciduous leaf cover and general inaccessibility of oak habitats. Most oak woodlands in the study area are found on steep canyon slopes far from roads. Helicopter transport to one such area (Royal Gorge) in January 1981 enabled a ground search that revealed, in just a few hours, over 40 bear scats consisting of manzanita berries and acorns. The nutritional value of acorns nearly approximates that of corn (Barrett 1971 ), and acorns become available when other foods have lost much of their nutritional quality (Menke and Fry 1979). Barrett (1971) reports that another omnivorous, monogastric animal, the wild pig, Sus scrofa, will abandon a diet of manzanita berries in favor of an adequate acorn supply. In this study area, bears appear to behave similarly. During 1979, a failure of the black oak acorn crop occurred, but acorns from 148 CALIFORNIA FISH AND CAME canyon live oak were abundant. When both acorn crops fail, an increase in bear depredation and nutrition-related mortality can be expected, followed by poor reproductive success the following winter. Similar occurrences resulting from mast shortages have been noted in other studies (Jonkel and Cowan 1971, Rogers 1976). Even though breeding occurs in summer, the blastocyst does not implant until November or December, but then only if the female is in good condition. A variety of mature oak species is necessary for optimum black bear habitat in California. In 1980 bears did not utilize well-formed, abundant black oak acorns in one area, but did utilize those from other oak locations. Examination of the unutilized area revealed that 85% of those acorns had sustained insect damage. Reports of similar damage to acorns (as high as 80%) have cited the larvae of the filbert worm, Melissopus latiferreanus, and filbert weevil, Curculio occidentis, as the responsible insects (Brown 1979). Larvae tunnel throughout the acorn, destroy the embryo, and deplete its nutritional value. Bears have been observed climbing oak trees in order to feed on acorns before they drop (Beeman and Pelton 1977). Arboreal feeding behavior was not ob- served in this study. Insects Carpenter ants, Camponotus spp.; termites Zootermopsis spp.; and yellow jackets, Vespula sp., were consistently represented seasonally during each year of the study (Figures 2, 3, and 4). Black bears were observed "raking" logs on occasion, and further evidence of this behavior was often noted throughout the study area during all seasons. Carpenter ants appeared in the diet all through the year (Tables 1, 2, and 3). Termites mainly occurred from early spring to mid- summer. Yellow jackets were noted in the diet from August to October. Insects were second in importance to herbaceous plants in the spring, to berries in the summer and to acorns in the fall (Figures 2, 3, and 4). Apparently, black bears actively seek out social insects for food which may be their only consistent source of high quality animal protein (Beeman and Pelton 1977). Therefore, the density, size, and age of dead and down woody material may be critical to maintaining optimum black bear habitat. Other Animal Food Mule deer, Odocoileus hemionus, as determined by the presence of deer hair and one fawn hoof in bear scats, predominated the "other animal food" cate- gory. One black bear scat was collected on 1 August 1979 close to where a coyote had killed a doe. On 31 October 1979 several scats containing deer hair and acorns were located near a deer carcass. A local cattleman (B. Dobbas, pers. commun.) claims that black bears feed on deer gut piles during the deer hunting season, which commences in mid-September and terminates in early November. The study area is part of the summer range of the Blue Canyon deer herd. Fawn drop begins in early June, peaks in mid-July, and tapers off in August. In 1 978 and 1 980 the highest occurrence of deer hair in bear scats was associated with the fawn drop. In 1979 deer hair in scats were most abundant during deer hunting season; unretrieved or crippled deer surely provide a food source during this time of year. Animal foods other than deer occurred sporadically (Tables 1, 2, and 3) and SEASONAL FOODS OF BLACK BEARS 149 included Douglas squirrel, Tamiasciurus douglasii; vole, Microtus sp.; shrew, Sorex sp.; mole, Scapanus sp.; harvest mouse, Reithrodontomys sp.; and \\no species of ground squirrel, Spermophilus spp. In analysis, carrion v^as so desig- nated only when animal tissue was associated with substantial amounts of maggots (Diptera larvae). Most researchers (Beeman and Pelton 1977, Gold- smith et al. 1981 ) have concluded that mammal and bird food items are proba- bly taken opportunistically. Mammalian or avian tissue may be undetected in bear scats unless bone, hair, or feathers are present, so it is likely that this food source is under-represented in our data. This would be particularly true with a large animal such as deer with high body volume (flesh) compared to low body surface (hair). Garbage Garbage had the lowest importance value of any major food type and was notable only during the summer of 1980 (Figure 4). During that time, bear disturbances in campgrounds were frequent in spite of the abundance of natural foods. However, garbage, like forbs and flesh, leaves little evidence in bear scats and may be underestimated. Black bears should be expected to seek out these "high quality" human foods, especially if they are available during periods when natural foods are in short supply (Hatler 1972, Rogers 1976, Goldsmith et al. 1981, Graber 1982). SUMMARY Black bear feeding patterns in California approximate those cited by other researchers. In early spring black bears feed primarily on herbaceous plants and to a lesser extent on over-winter berries and acorns. If, or when, berry crops become available in summer and fall, a shift to that food source occurs. Bear foraging strategy again changes when acorns mature in early fall. Social insects and other animal foods are consumed throughout the year. Artificial food sources (garbage, camp supplies, orchard crops) are taken locally when oppor- tunity permits. This information should aid in the prediction of bear food habits in unstudied areas in California. This research and other studies demonstrate the omnivorous feeding habits of black bears (Poelker and Hartwell 1973, Boyer 1976, Beeman and Pelton 1977, Graber 1982). The results emphasize the importance of vegetation in the bear diet and illustrate cyclic feeding patterns consistent with plant phenology. MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS The quantity and quality of known bear foods might well be used to determine relative potential population density. Reproductive failure and/or depredation should be anticipated if bear foods are eliminated or key mast crop failures occur. Seasons and bag limits could be adjusted geographically in accordance with fluctuations in important bear foods. Sufficient quantity and variety of mast-producing trees and shrubs, particularly oaks, are essential to maintaining optimum habitat for black bears as well as many other species of wildlife in California. Timber harvest plans should be designed to provide for the mainte- nance of mature mast-producing trees and shrubs, dead and down timber, and grasses and forbs. 150 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME LITERATURE CITED Barrett, R.H. 1971. Ecology of the feral hog in Tehama County, California. Dissertation. Univ. of California, Berkeley. 368p. Beeman, L.E., and M.R. Pelton. 1 977. Seasonal foods and feeding ecology of black bears in the Smokey Mountains. Pages 141-147 inQ. Martinka and K. McArthur, eds. Bears — their biology and managennent. Fourth Int. Conf. Bear Research and Management, Kalispell, Mont. Boyer, K. 1976. Food habits of black bears (Ursus americanus) in the Banning Canyon area of San Bernardino National Forest. Unpubl. Thesis. Calif. State Polytechnic University, Pomona, Calif. 63p. Brower, ).E., and ).H. Zar. 1977. Field and laboratory manual methods for general ecology. Wm. C. Brown Co., Dubuque, Iowa. 194p. Brown, L.R. 1979. Insects feeding on California oak trees. Pages 184-194 in T.R. Plumb, ed. Ecology, management and utilization of California oaks. USDA Forest Service. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-44. Goldsmith, A., M.E. Walraven, D. Graber, and M. White. 1981. Ecology of the black bear in Sequoia National Park. Natl. Park Serv. Final report Contract No. CY-8000-4-0022. 64p. Graber, D., and M. White. 1978. Management of black bears and humans in Yosemite National Park. Cal-Neva Wildlife, 1978:42-51. Graber, D. 1982. Ecology and management of black bears in Yosemite National Park. Tech. Rep. #5. Univ. of Calif. Davis. Hatler, D.F. 1972. Food habits of black bears in interior Alaska. Can. Field Nat., 86(1):17-31. Herrero, S. 1978. A comparison of some features of the evolution, ecology, and behavior of black and grizzly/ brown bears. Carnivore, 1 (1):7-17. Jonkel, C). 1962. Black bear population studies. Montana Dept. of Fish. Wildl. Parks. P-R Completion Rep. W-98-R-1. Jonkel, C.)., and I. McT. Cowan. 1971. The black bear in the spruce-fir forest. Wildl. Mon., 27, 57p. Kelleyhouse, D.G. 1975. Habitat utilization and ecology of the black bear in northern California. Thesis. Calif. State Univ., Areata. 61 p. Landers, J.L., R.). Hamilton, A.S. Johnson, and R.L. Marchinton. 1979. Foods and habitat of black bears in southeast- ern North Carolina. J. Wildl. Manage., 43(1 ):143-153. Mealey, S.P. 1975. The natural food habits of free-ranging grizzly bears in Yellowstone National Park, 1973-74. Thesis. Montana State Univ., Bozeman. 158p. Menke, J.W., and ME. Fry. 1979. Trends in oak utilization — fuelwood, mast production, animal use. Pages 297-305, in J.R. Plumb, ed. Ecology, management and utilization of California oaks. USDA Forest Service. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-44. Piekieiek, W., and T.S. Burton. 1975. A black bear population study in northern California. Calif. Fish and Came, 61(1):4-25. Poelker, R.J., and H.D. Hartwell. 1973. Black bear of Washington. Washington State Game Dept., Biol. Bull. No. 14. 180p. Rogers, L. 1976. Effects of mast and berry crop failures on survival, growth and reproductive success of black bears. Trans. N. Am. Wildl. and Nat. Res. Conf., 41:431^38. Tisch, EL. 1961 . Seasonal food habits of the black bear in the Whitefish Range of northwestern Montana. Thesis. Montana State Univ., Bozeman 108p. Verner, J., and A.S. Boss. 1980. California wildlife and their habitats: western Sierra Nevada. USDA Forest Service. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-37. 439p. AMPHIBIAN AND REPTILE CHECK LIST 151 Calif. Fish and Came 69(3): 151-171 1983 AN ANNOTATED CHECK LIST OF THE AMPHIBIANS AND REPTILES OF CALIFORNIA ' MARK R. JENNINGS* California Department of Fish and Game P.O. Box 607, 2440 Main Street Red Bluff, California 96080 This represents a comprehensive check list of the present status of all known marine, freshwater, and terrestrial amphibians and reptiles that have been reliably reported as part of the California fauna. Included is a main list of native and estab- lished exotic species and four supplementary lists: (i) native species extinct in California, (ii) distributionally or taxonomically invalid species, (iii) established exotic species, and (iv) exotic species unsuccessfully introduced or of questionable status. The main list is composed of 129 full species, comprising 124 native freshwater and terrestrial species, 5 native marine species, and 5 introduced species. The 129 species comprise 29 families and 66 genera. INTRODUCTION Previous listings of the herpetofauna of California include: Cooper (1870), Van Denburgh (1897, 1922), Grinneil and Camp (1917), Storer (1925), Slevin (1928, 1934), Smith (1946), and Wright and Wright (1952), with regional lists by numerous authors. Stebbins (1972) provided the most recent check list of amphibians and reptiles from the State along with their distributions. Since then, however, there have been changes in the herpetofauna, its nomenclature, and the status of many species and subspecies. Also, a current comprehensive check list of all known amphibians and reptiles (to the subspecies level) in California has been lacking. This paper is an attempt to enumerate in a single document the present status of all marine, freshwater, and terrestrial species that have been reliably reported as part of the California fauna. PURPOSE Like other check lists of the various natural faunas of California, the purpose of this list is to establish the basis for compilation of a detailed handbook of these animals, and to promote stability and uniformity in both common and scientific names. Since Stebbins (1951, 1954, 1966, 1972) has largely achieved these two goals, this list is mainly an update based on new information. It is hoped that the list will become the basis for future editions as major revisions become necessary. This list also complements the comprehensive check lists of other vertebrate groups found in the State ( most recently: Hubbs, Follett, and Dempst- er 1979; Shapovalov, Cordone, and Dill 1981). SCOPE The main list covers both native and established exotic species. The supple- mentary lists include: (i) native species believed to be extinct in California, (ii) distributionally or taxonomically invalid species, (iii) established exotic species, and (iv) exotic species unsuccessfully introduced or of questionable status. ' Accepted for publication March 1982. ' Present address: School of Renewable Natural Resources, 210 Biological Sciences East Building, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721. 1 52 CALIFORNIA FISH AND CAME An attempt has been made to include all native forms whose occurrence has been reported and not disproved in the literature. The existence of most of these species and subspecies will not be questioned as they are known to have breeding populations in the State; however, there are a few exceptions. None of the marine reptiles reproduce in California, but since they occasionally enter state waters, they must be included in the main list. Such criteria allow the inclusion of the sea snake, Pelamis platurus, which has been reported several times in southern California waters (Kropach 1975). There is the distinct possibility that some native species are no longer part of the California fauna. One such native form that now appears to be extinct is the Sonoran mud turtle, Kinosternon sonoriense. Since it is virtually impossible to prove or disprove its absence, however, this turtle is still included in the main list. On the other hand, only those exotic species which are known to have successfully reproducing populations in the State are included. For the purposes of this paper, the definition of the State includes the entire Colorado River where it forms the California boundary, and the Pacific Ocean within 805 km of any point of land in the State between the seaward projections of its northern and southern boundaries. The westward limit coincides roughly with the outer edge of the California Current (Hubbs et al. 1979). The status of endangered, threatened, and rare species, along with species of special concern, is based on information presented by Stewart (1971), Bury ( 1 972 ) , Ashton ( 1 976) , the California Administrative Code ( 1 980) , Mallette and Nicola (1980), the Federal Register, and the Department of Fish and Games files. The status of exotic species is determined by information presented by Stebbins (1966, 1972), Bury and Luckenbach (1976), Smith and Kohler (1977), personal communications with various authorities, and other papers cited in the text. Hybrids have been omitted. Intraspecific, interspecific, and intergeneric hy- brids of a number of subspecies listed have been recorded from California. The most striking examples are salamanders of the genus Ensatina (Brown 1974). NAMES Uniformity in the usage of scientific and common names continues to be a never-to-be attained goal (Shapovalov et al 1981 ). This is due, in part, to our ever increasing knowledge of the relationships of amphibians and reptiles at the family, generic, species, and subspecies levels. New techniques and discoveries, along with painstaking research, have contributed to the problems of nomen- clatural confusion. This is especially true with such variable groups as Batra- choseps, Crotaphytus, Gambelia, and Thamnophis, which seem to defy taxonomic classification at times. In preparing this list, care has been taken to follow a standard set of rules and not add to the nomenclatural confusion. Classification schemes follow those employed by Coin, Coin, and Zug (1978) with few exceptions. Scientific names used conform to the provisions of the International Code of Zoological Nomen- clature, 1964, and the amendments adopted by the Monaco (1972) Congress. Common names, however, have proven to be a never ending source of contro- versy. The previous authorative list of common names for amphibians and reptiles (Conant et al. 1956) was an outgrowth of Schmidt's (1953) check list. Accepted by most herpetologists, this list served as the basis for the common names utilized by Conant (1958, 1975) and Stebbins (1966, in prep.) in their AMPHIBIAN AND REPTILE CHECK LIST 153 field guides. Unfortunately the list remained unrevised over the years except for a quick update by Dowling (1974) who did not include subspecies. Collins et al. (1978) was the first group to revise this list in depth, but their disregard of the criteria they proposed in adopting common and scientific names, along with many other inconsistencies in taxonomy and spellings, has resulted in this list being unacceptable as the definitive work for North American amphibian and reptile nomenclature. Because of these problems, I decided to utilize the criteria adopted by Collins et al. (1978) and not the list itself. Thus, common names are based on Conant era/. (1956) and Stebbins (1966), except for those species and subspecies that were established after these publications were compiled or that are of uncertain status. In these cases, the original published descriptions (or revisions) or the accounts contained in the Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles (American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists 1963-1970; Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles 1970-present) are utilized as the final authority. These exceptions are mentioned in the text. In regard to the spelling of scientific patronyms emended to represent a man's name (such as Ensatina eschscholtzii, Rana boylii, Copherus agassizii, Phrynosoma douglassii, Thamnophis couchii, etc.), I chose to follow the lead of Schmidt (1953), Stebbins (1954, 1966, 1972), Conant et al. (1956), Wright and Wright (1957), Conant (1958, 1975), Leviton (1972), Cochran and Coin (1978), Collins et al. (1978), Smith (1978), and Behler and King (1979), and use single -/ endings for the sake of clarity. This approach is also taken by ichthyologists (Robins etal. 1980). This nomenclatural enigma and its surround- ing controversy is amply treated by Jennings (1982). CHECK LIST Native Species and Established Exotic Species This list consists of 129 full species, which may be subdivided as follows: 124 native species (5 marine) and 5 established introduced species. Species which have been introduced into California are denoted by an asterisk (*), marine reptiles by an (O), and extinct species by a dagger {]). The following symbols are used to denote current status: SE: State-listed endangered species. SR: State-listed rare species. SP: State-listed protected species. FE: Federally listed endangered species. FT: Federally listed threatened species. FP: Species protected by other federal laws (principally those relating to national parks and monuments). C: Species common in the State. S: Species of special concern in the State. (Those species which may become listed as rare, threatened, endangered, or protected in the near future due to habitat modification or destruction, excessive collecting, disease, or impact of exotic species.) r: Species of very limited distribution only in California. Common in adjoining states or Mexico. Native and Established Exotic Species Order Caudata — Salamanders. Family AMBYSTOMATIDAE— Mole Salamanders and Relatives' ^ Edwards (1976) places Dicamptodon and Rhyacotriton in a separate family— DICAMPTODONTIDAE. 154 CALIFORNIA FISH AND CAME 1. Ambystoma gracile (Baird). northwestern salamander. la. Ambystoma gracile gracile (Baird). brown salamander C 2. Ambystoma macrodactylum (Baird). long-toed salamander. 2a. Ambystoma macrodactylum croceum Russell and Anderson. Santa Cruz long-toed salamander SE, FE 2b. Ambystoma macrodactylum sigillatum Ferguson, southern long-toed salamander C 3. Ambystoma tigrinum (Green), tiger salamander^ 3a. Ambystoma tigrinum californiense (Gray). California tiger salamander' S 4. Dicamptodon ensatus (Eschscholtz). Pacific giant salamander C 5. Rhyacotriton olympicus (Caige). Olympic salamander. 5a. Rhyacotriton olympicus variegatus Stebbins and Lowe, southern Olympic salamander C Family SALAMANDRIDAE— Newts. 6. Taricha granulosa (Skilton). rough-skinned newt. 6a. Taricha granulosa granulosa (Skilton). northern rough-skinned newt C 7. Taricha rivularis (Twitty). red-bellied newt C 8. Taricha torosa (Rathke). California newt. 8a. Taricha torosa torosa (Rathke). Coast Range newt C 8b. Taricha torosa sierrae (Twitty). Sierra newt C Family PLETHODONTIDAE— Lungless Salamanders. 9. Aneides ferreus Cope, clouded salamander C 10. Aneides flavipunctatus (Strauch). black salamander* C 11. Aneides lugubris (hiallowell). arboreal salamander C 12. Batrachoseps aridus Brame. desert slender salamander SE, FE 13. Batrachoseps attenuatus (Eschscholtz). California slender salamander C 14. Batrachoseps camp/ Marlow, Brode, and Wake. Inyo Mountains salamander* S 15. Batrachoseps nigriventris Cope, black-bellied slender salamander C 16. Batrachoseps pacificus (Cope). Pacific slender salamander*. 16a. Batrachoseps pacificus pacificus (Cope). Channel Islands slender salamander S, FP 16b. Batrachoseps pacificus major CAmp. garden slender salamander C 16c. Batrachoseps pacificus relictus Brame and Murray, relictual slender salamander S 17. Batrachoseps simatus Brame and Murray. Kern Canyon slender salamander SR 18. Batrachoseps stebbinsi Brame and Murray. Tehachapi slender salamander SR 19. Ensatina eschscholtzi Gray, ensatina. 19a. Ensatina eschscholtzi eschscholtzi Gray. Monterey salamander C 19b. Ensatina eschscholtzi croceator (Cope), yellow-blotched salamander S, SP 19c. Ensatina eschscholtzi klauberi Dunn, large-blotched salamander S, SP 19d. Ensatina eschscholtzi oregonensis (Cirard), Oregon salamander C 19e. Ensatina eschscholtzi picta Wood, painted salamander C 19f. Ensatina eschscholtzi platensis (Espada). Sierra Nevada salamander C 19g. Ensatina eschscholtzi xanthoptica Stebbins, yellow-eyed salamander C 20. Hydromantes brunus Gorman, limestone salamander SR 21. Hydromantes platycephalus (Camp). Mount Lyell salamander S, SP 22. Hydromantes shastae Gorman and Camp. Shasta salamander SR 23. Plethodon dunni Bishop. Dunn's salamander S, r 24. Plethodon elongatus Van Denburgh. Del Norte salamander C ^Collins, Mitton, and Pierce (1980) suggest a thorough reexamination of the taxonomy of this species. The undesecribed subspecies of A. tigrinum from Grass Lake, Siskiyou County, may represent a relect population of tiger salamanders ( Mullen and Stebbins 1 978) . Further study is needed to clarify their taxonomic position. 'Taxonomy after Cehlbach (1967). Considered a distinct species by some authors (Storer 1925; Bishop 1943), and listed as such by Collins et al. (1978). * No subspecies of A. flavipunctatus are currently recognized (Lynch 1981). 'Taxonomy after Marlow, Brode, and Wake (1979). 'Taxonomy after Yanev (1980), who also reports two additional undescribed subspecies of B. pacificus in California. ' Known only in California from three localities in Del Norte County (Bury, Fellers, and Ruth 1969; Storm and Brodie 1970; Stebbins 1972). Common in Oregon and Washington. AMPHIBIAN AND REPTILE CHECK LIST 155 25. Plethodon stormi Highton and Brame. Siskiyou Mountains salamander SR Order Anura — Toads and Frogs. Family PIPIDAE — Tongueless Frogs. 26. Xenopus laevis Daudin. African clawed frog* C Family ASCAPH I DAE— Tailed Frogs. 27. Ascaphus ^we/ Stejneger. tailed frog C Family PELOBATIDAE— Spadefoot Toads. 28. Scaphiopus couch/ Baird. Couch's spadefoot r 29. Scaphiopus hammondi Baird. western spadefoot S 30. Scaphiopus intermontanus Cope. Great Basin spadefoot C 31. Bufo alvarius Girard, in Baird. Colorado River toad S, r' 32. Bufo boreas Baird and Girard. western toad. 32a. Bufo boreas boreas Baird and Girard. boreal toad C 32b. Bufo boreas halophilus Baird and Girard. California toad C 33. Bufo canorus Camp. Yosemite toad S 34. Bufo cognatus Say. Great Plains toad r 35. Bufo exsul Myers, black toad SR 36. Bufo microscaphus Cope, southwestern Toad. 36a. Bufo microscaphus microscaphus Cope. Arizona toad S, SP, r 36b. Bufo microscaphus californicus Camp, arroyo toad S, SP 37. Bufo punctatus Baird and Girard. red-spotted toad C 38. Bufo woodhousi Girard. Woodhouse's toad. 38a. Bufo woodhousi woodhousi Girard. Woodhouse's toad r Family HYLIDAE — Treefrogs and Their Allies. 39. Hy/a cadaverina Cope. California treefrog S 40. IHyla regilla Baird and Girard. Pacific treefrog C Family RANIDAE — True Frogs. 41. Rana aurora Baird and Girard. red-legged frog. 41a. Rana aurora aurora Baird and Girard. northern red-legged frog S 41b. Rana aurora draytoni Baird and Girard. California red-legged frog S, SP 42. Rana boy/i Baird. foothill yellow-legged frog S 43. Rana cascadae Slater. Cascades frog r 44. Rana catesbeiana Shaw, bullfrog* C 45. Rana muscosa Camp, mountain yellow-legged frog C 46. Rana pipiens Schreher . northern leopard frog' C 47. Rana pretiosa Baird and Girard. spotted frog S, r '° Order Testudines — Turtles. Family CHELYDRIDAE— Snapping Turtles. 48. Chelydra serpentina (Linnaeus), snapping turtle *. 48a. Chelydra serpentina serpentina (Linnaeus), common snapping turtle * C * Once fairly common in lowlands and fields bordering Colorado River in Imperial County. Fouquette (1970) cites Crinnell and Camp (1917), Storer (1925), and Slevin (1928) for original records. Probably extirpated over most of its native range in California due to habitat destruction and heavy use of pesticides. Last known specimens taken 6 miles north of Winterhaven, Imperial County, on July 31, 1955 (Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History; LACM 87044). Bufo alvarius has only been recorded from the Arizona side of Colorado River in recent years (W. Loudermilk, Fisheries Biologist, Calif. Dept. Fish and Game, pers. com- mun.). ' Reportedly native east of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and in the Colorado River Basin (Bury and Luckenbach 1976). Introduced elsewhere in California (see the list of Established Exotic Species). '"Known in California only from two specimens taken in Modoc County (Turner and Dumas 1972). Common in northwestern states. 156 CALIFORNIA FISH AND CAME Family KINOSTERNIDAE— Musk and Mud Turtles. 49. Kinosternon sonoriense (Le Conte). Sonoran mud turtle, t 49a. Kinosternon sonoriense sonoriense (Le Conte). Sonoran mud turtle, t SP Family EMYDIDAE— Box and Water Turtles. 50. Chrysemys scripts (Sthoepff). slider *. 50a. Chrysemys scripts elegans (Wied). red-eared slider* C 51. Clemmys marmorata (Baird and Cirard). western pond turtle. 51a. Clemmys marmorata marmorata (Baird and Cirard). northwestern pond turtle C 51b. Clemmys marmorata pallida Seeliger. southwestern pond turtle S Family TESTUDINIDAE— True Land Tortoises. 52. Copherus agassizi (Cooper), desert tortoise S, SP Family CHELONIDAE— Sea Turtles. 53. Caretta caretta (Linnaeus), loggerhead O. 53a. Caretta caretta gigas Deraniyagala. Pacific loggerhead O FT, r" 54. Chelonia mydas (Linnaeus), green turtle O. 54a. Chelonia mydas agassizi Bocourt. Pacific green turtle O FT, r " 55. Lepidochelys olivacea (Eschscholtz). Pacific ridley O FT, r" Family DERMOCHELYIDAE— Leatherback Turtles. 56. Dermochelys coriacea (Linnaeus), leatherback O. 56a. Dermochelys coriacea schlegeli (Carman). Pacific leatherback O FE, r " Family TRIONYCHIDAE— Softshell Turtles. 57. Trionyx spiniferus Le Sueur, spiny softshell *. 57a. Trionyx spiniferus emoryi (Agassiz). Texas spiny softshall * C Order Squamata — Lizards and Snakes. Family GEKKONIDAE— Geckos. 58. Anarbylus switaki Murphy . Switak's barefoot gecko" SR 59. Coleonyx variegatus (Baird). banded gecko. 59a. Coleonyx variegatus variegatus (Baird). desert banded gecko C 59b. Coleonyx variegatus abbotti Klauber. San Diego banded gecko C 60. Phyllodactylus xanti Cope, leaf-toed gecko. 60a. Phyllodactylus xanti nocticolus Dixon, leaf-toed gecko S, r Family IGUANIDAE — ^Iguanid Lizards. 61. Callisaurus draconoides Blainville. zebra-tailed lizard. 61a. Callisaurus draconoides myurus Richardson. Nevada zebra-tailed lizard r 61b. Callisaurus draconoides rhodostictus Cope. Mojave zebra-tailed lizard C 61c. Callisaurus draconoides ventralis (Hallowell). Arizona zebra-tailed lizard C 62. Crotaphytus bicinctores Smith and Tanner, western collared lizard " C 63. Crotaphytus insularis Van Denburgh and Slevin. Baja collared lizard. 63a. Crotaphytus insularis vestigium Smith and Tanner. Baja collared lizard r 64. Dipsosaurus dorsalis (Baird and Cirard). desert iguana. 64a. Dipsosaurus dorsalis dorsalis (Baird and Cirard). desert iguana C 65. Cambelia silus (Stejneger). bluntnose leopard lizard SE, FE 66. Cambelia wislizeni (Baird and Cirard). common leopard lizard. " Occasional along the California coast (Stebbins 1972). More abundant in tropical nnarine waters further south. " Common name as proposed by Murphy (1974). Listed as "Magic Gecko" by the California Administrative Code (1980). '^The taxonomy of this species remains disputed. Smith and Tanner (1972, 1974) placed it as a subspecies of Crotaphytus collaris, while Axteil (1972) and Montanucci, Axtell and, Dessauer (1975) preferred to group it under C. insularis. For the purposes of this paper, the phylogeny of Sanborn and Loomis (1979) is utilized. They recognize C. bicinctores as a full species. AMPHIBIAN AND REPTILE CHECK LIST 157 66a. Cambelia wislizeni wislizeni (Baird and Cirard). common leopard lizard C 66b. Cambelia wislizeni copei (Yarrow). Cope's leopard lizard r 66c. Cambelia wislizeni maculosus (Tanner and Banta). Lahontan Basin leopard lizard r 67. Petrosaurus mearnsi (Stejneger). banded rock lizard r 68. Phrynosoma coronatum (Blainville). coast horned lizard. 68a. Phrynosoma coronatum blainvilli Gray. San Diego horned lizard S '■* 68b. Phrynosoma coronatum frontale Van Denburgh. California horned lizard C 69. Phrynosoma douglassi (Bell), short-horned lizard. 69a. Phrynosoma douglassi douglassi (Bell), pigmy short-horned lizard r 70. Phrynosoma mcalli (Hallowell). flat-tailed horned lizard S, SP 71. Phrynosoma platyrhinos G\rard. desert horned lizard. 71a. Phrynosoma platyrhinos platyrhinos GWard. northern desert horned lizard C 71b. Phrynosoma platyrhinos calidiarum (Cope), southern desert horned lizard C 72. Sauromalus obesus Baird. chuckwalla. 72a. Sauromalus obesus obesus Baird. western chuckwalla S 73. Sceloporus graciosus Baird and Cirard. sagebrush lizard. 73a. Sceloporus graciosus graciosus Baird and Cirard. northern sagebrush lizard C 73b. Sceloporus graciosus vandenburghianus Cope, southern sagebrush lizard C 74. Sceloporus magister Hallowell. desert spiny lizard. 74a. Sceloporus magister transversus Phelan and Brattstrom. barred spiny lizard C 74b. Sceloporus magister uniformis Phelan and Brattstrom. yellow-backed spiny lizard C 75. Sceloporus occidentalis Baird and Cirard. western fence lizard. 75a. Sceloporus occidentalis occidentalis Baird and Cirard. northwestern fence lizard C 75b. Sceloporus occidentalis becki Man Denburgh. island fence lizard S,FP 75c. Sceloporus occidentalis biseriatus Hallowell. San Joaquin fence lizard C 75d. Sceloporus occidentalis bocourti Bell. Coast Range fence lizard C 75e. Sceloporus occidentalis longipes Bell. Creat Basin fence lizard C 75f. Sceloporus occidentalis taylori Camp. Sierra fence lizard C 76. Sceloporus orcutti Ste'ineger . granite spiny lizard S,r 77. Uma inornata Cope. Coachella Valley fringe-toed lizard '^ SE,FT 78. Uma notata Baird. Colorado Desert fringe-toed lizard. 78a. Uma notata notata Baird. Colorado Desert fringe-toed lizard S 79. Uma scoparia Cope. Mojave fringe-toed lizard '^ C 80. Urosaurus graciosus Hallowell. long-tailed brush lizard. 80a. Urosaurus graciosus graciosus Hallowell. western brush lizard C 81. Urosaurus microscutatus (Van Denburgh). small-scaled lizard r 82. Urosaurus ornatus (Baird and Cirard). tree lizard. 82a. Urosaurus ornatus symmetricus (Baird). Colorado River tree lizard r 83. Uta stansburiana Baird and Cirard. side-blotched lizard. 83a. Uta stansburiana stansburiana Baird and Cirard. northern side-blotched lizard C 83b. Uta stansburiana elegans Yarrow. California side-blotched lizard C 83c. Uta stansburiana nevadensis Ruthven. Nevada side-blotched lizard r 83d. Uta stansburiana stejnegeri Schmidt, desert side-blotched lizard C Family XANTUSIIDAE— Night Lizards. 84. Xantusia henshawi Stejneger. granite night lizard. 84a. Xantusia henshawi henshawi Stejneger. granite night lizard S,r 85. Xantusia riversiana Cope, island night lizard SP,FT 86. Xantusia vigilis Baird. desert night lizard. 86a. Xantusia vigilis vigilis Baird. desert night lizard C 86b. Xantusia vigilis sierrae^ezy . Sierra night lizard r Family SCINCIDAE— Skinks. 87. Eumeces gilberti y an Denburgh. Gilbert's skink. 87a. Eumeces gilberti gilbertiVan Denburgh. greater brown skink C '* Bury (1972) considered this subspecies to be depleted, while Ashton (1976) considered it threatened. '* Taxonomy after Rough (1973). England and Nelson (1977) discuss present status. '* Taxonomy after Rough (1974). 158 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME 87b. Eumeces gilberti cancellosus Rodgers and Fitch, variegated skink C 87c. Eumeces gilberti placerensis Rodgers. northern brown skink C 87d. Eumeces gilberti rubricaudatus Taylor, western red-tailed skink C 88. Eumeces skiltonianus (Baird and Cirard). western skink. 88a. Eumeces skiltonianus skiltonianus (Baird and Girard). western skink C 88b. Eumeces skiltonianus interparietalis Tanner. Coronado Island skink r Family TEIIDAE— Whiptail Lizards. 89. Cnemidophorus hyperythrus Cope, orange-throated whiptail. 89a. Cnemidophorus hyperythrus beldingi SXe'ineger . orange-throated whiptail S '',r 90. Cnemidophorus tigris Baird and Girard. western whiptail. 90a. Cnemidophorus tigris tigris Baird and Girard. Great Basin whiptail C 90b. Cnemidophorus tigris multiscutatus Cope, coastal whiptail C 90c. Cnemidophorus tigris mundus Cope. California whiptail C Family ANGUIDAE— Alligator Lizards. 91. Cerrhonotus coeruleus VJ'iegmann. northern alligator lizard. 91a. Cerrhonotus coeruleus coeruleus W\egrr\ar\n. San Francisco alligator lizard C 91b. Cerrhonotus coeruleus pa Imeri Sle\nesef. Sierra alligator lizard C 91c. Cerrhonotus coeruleus principis (Baird and Girard). northern alligator lizard r 91d. Cerrhonotus coeruleus shastensis Fitch. Shasta alligator lizard C 92. Cerrhonotus multicarinatus (Blainville). Southern alligator lizard. 92a. Cerrhonotus multicarinatus multicarinatus (Blainville). California alligator lizard C 92b: Cerrhonotus multicarinatus scincicauda (Skilton). Oregon alligator lizard C 92c. Cerrhonotus multicarinatus webbi Baird. San Diego alligator lizard C 93. Cerrhonotus panamintinus S[ebb\ns. Panamint alligator lizard S,SP Family ANNEILLIDAE — California Legless Lizards. 94. Aniella pulchra Gray. California legless lizard. 94a. Aniella pulchra pulchra Gray, silvery legless lizard C 94b. Aniella pulchra nigra Fischer, black legless lizard S Family HELODERMATIDAE— Venomous Lizards. 95. Heloderma suspectum Cope. Gila monster. 95a. Heloderma suspectum cinctum Bogert and Martin del Campo. banded Gila monster S,SP,r '* Family LEPTOTYPHLOPIDAE— Slender Blind Snakes. 96. Leptotyphlops humilis (Baird and Girard). western blind snake. 96a. Leptotyphlops humilis humilis (Baird and Girard). southwestern blind snake C 96b. Leptotyphlops humilis cahuilae Klauber. desert blind snake C Family BOIDAE— Boas. 97. Charina bottae (Blainville). rubber boa ''' 97a. Charina bottae bottae (Blainville). northern rubber boa C 97b. Charina bottae umbratica Klauber. southern rubber boa SR 98. Lichanura trivirgata Cope, rosy boa. 98a. Lichanura trivirgata gracia Klauber. desert rosy boa S 98b. Lichanura trivirgata roseofusca Cope, coastal rosy boa S,r Family COLUBRIDAE— Colubrids. 99. Arizona elegans Kennicott. glossy snake. "Considered threatened by Ashton (1976). " Only recorded a few times in California from Imperial, Inyo, and San Bernardino counties (Bradley and Deacon 1966, Funk 1966, Ford 1981). Specimens reported by Klauber (1931) from jacumbra Mountain, San Diego County, and Bury and Luckenbach (1976) from the residential areas of Walnut Creek, Contra Costa County, are all escaped pets. " Taxonomy after Stewart (1977). AMPHIBIAN AND REPTILE CHECK LIST 159 99a. Arizona elegans Candida Klauber. Mojave glossy snake C 99b. Arizona elegans eburnata Klauber. desert glossy snake C 99c. Arizona elegans occidentalis Blanchard. California glossy snake C 100. Chionactis occipitalis (Hallowell). western shovel-nosed snake. 100a. Chionactis occipitalis occipitalis (Hallowell). Mojave shovel-nosed snake C 100b. Chionactis occipitalis annulata (Baird). Colorado desert shovel-nosed snake r 100c. Chionactis occipitalis talpina Klauber. Nevada shovel-nosed snake r 101. Coluber constrictor UnnAeus. racer. 101a. Coluber constrictor mormon Baird and Girard. western yellow-bellied racer ^° C 102. Contia tenuis (Baird and Girard). sharp-tailed snake S 103. Diadophis punctatus (Linnaeus), ringneck snake. 103a. Diadophis punctatus amabilis Baird and Girard. Pacific ringneck snake C 103b. Diadophis punctatus modestus Bocourt. San Bernardino ringneck snake C 103c. Diadophis punctatus occidentalis Blanchard. northwestern ringneck snake C 103d. Diadophis punctatus pulchellus Baird and Girard. coral-bellied ringneck snake C 103e. Diadophis punctatus regalis Baird and Girard. regal ringneck snake r 103f. Diadophis punctatus similis Blanchard. San Diego ringneck snake C 103g. Diadophis punctatus vandenburgi ^\dir\c\\Axd. Monterey ringneck snake C 104. Hypsiglena torquata (Gijnther). night snake. 104a. Hypsiglena torquata deserticola Tanner, desert night snake C 104b. Hypsiglena torquata klauberi J anner. San Diego night snake C 104c. Hypsiglena torquata nuchalata Tanner. California night snake C 105. Lampropeltis getulus (Linnaeus), comnnon kingsnake^' 105a. Lampropeltis getulus californiae (Blainville). California kingsnake C 105b. Lampropeltis getulus nigritus Zwe\ie\ and Norris. black desert kingsnake r 106. Lampropeltis zonata (Lockington, ex. Blainville). California mountain kingsnake. 106a. Lampropeltis zonata zonata (Lockington, ex. Blainville). Saint Helena mountain kingsnake SP 106b. Lampropeltis zonata multicincta (Yarrow). Sierra mountain kingsnake SP 106c. Lampropeltis zonata multifasciata (Bocourt). coast mountain snake SP 106d. Lampropeltis zonata parvirubra Zwe\ie\. San Bernardino mountain kingsnake S,SP 106e. Lampropeltis zonata pulchra Zweifel. San Diego mountain kingsnake S,SP 107. Masticophis flagellum (Shaw), coachwhip. 107a. Masticophis flagellum fuliginosus (Cope). Baja California coachwhip r 107b. Masticophis flagellum piceus (Cope), red coachwhip C 107c. Masticophis flagellum ruddocki Brattstrom and Warren. San Joaquin coachwhip S 108. Masticophis lateralis (Hallowell). striped racer. 108a. Masticophis lateralis lateralis (Hallowell). California striped racer C 108b. Masticophis lateralis euryxanthus Riemer. Alameda striped racer SR 109. Masticophis taeniatus (Hallowell). striped whipsnake. 109a. Masticophis taeniatus taeniatus (Hallowell). desert striped whipsnake C 110. Phyllorhynchus decurtatus (Cope), spotted leaf-nosed snake. 110a. Phyllorhynchus decurtatus perkinsi K\auber. western leaf-nosed snake C 111. Pituophis melanoleucus (Daudin). gopher snake. 111a. Pituophis melanoleucus affinis (Hallowell). Sonora gopher snake r 111b. Pituophis melanoleucus annectens Baird and Girard. San Diego gopher snake C 111c. Pituophis melanoleucus catenifer (Blainville). Pacific gopher snake C Hid. Pituophis melanoleucus deserticola Stejneger. Great Basin gopher snake C Hie. Pituophis melanoleucus pumilis Klauber. Santa Cruz Island gopher snake S,FP 112. Rhinocheilus lecontei Band and Girard. long-nosed snake. 112a. Rhinocheilus lecontei lecontei Baird and Girard. western long-nosed snake C 113. Salvadora hexalepis (Cope), western patch-nosed snake. 113a. Salvadora hexalepis hexalepis (Cope), desert patch-nosed snake r 113b. Salvadora hexalepis mojavensis Bogert. Mojave patch-nosed snake C 113c. Salvadora hexalepis virgultea Bogert. coast patch-nosed snake C 114. Sonora semiannulata Baird and Girard. western ground snake.^ 22 " Fitch, Brown, and Parker (1981) consider this snake to be a full species. ^' Taxonomy after Blaney (1977). " Frost and Van Deventer (1979) prefer to consider Sonora semiannulata as a highly variable species with no subspecies. 160 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME 114a. Sonora semiannulata isozona (Cope). Great Basin ground snake C 114b. Sonora semiannualata linearis Stickel. vermilion-lined ground snake C 115. Tantilla hobartsmithi Jaylor ^\ southwestern black-headed snake ^^ r 116. Tantilla planiceps (Biainville) ^^ western black-headed snake C 117. Thamnophis couchi (Kennicott). western aquatic garter snake ^^ 117a. Thamnophis couchi couchi (Kennicott). Sierra garter snake C n7b. Thamnophis couchi aquaticus Fox. aquatic garter snake C 117c. Thamnophis couchi atratus (Kennicott, in Cooper). Santa Cruz garter snake C 117d. Thamnophis couchi gigas Fitch, giant garter snake SR 117e. Thamnophis couchi hammondi (Kennicott). two-striped garter snake S 117f. Thamnophis couchi hydrophilus^*' Fitch. Oregon garter snake C 118. Thamnophis elegans (Baird and Girard). western terrestrial garter snake. 118a. Thamnophis elegans elegans (Baird and Girard). mountain garter snake C 118b. Thamnophis elegans biscutatus (Cope). Klamath garter snake ^'' r 118c. Thamnophis elegans terrestris Fox. coast garter snake C 118d. Thamnophis elegans vagrans (Baird and Girard). wandering garter snake r 119. Thamnophis marcianus (Baird and Girard). checkered garter snake. n9a. Thamnophis marcianus marcianus (Baird and Girard). checkered garter snake r 120. Thamnophis ordinoides (Baird and Girard). northwestern garter snake r 121. Thamnophis sirtalis (Linnaeus), common garter snake. 121a. Thamnophis sirtalis fitchi Fox. valley garter snake C 121b. Thamnophis sirtalis infernalis (Biainville). California red-sided garter snake C 121c. Thamnophis sirtalis tetrataenia (Cope, in Yarrow). San Francisco garter snake .. SE,FE 122. Trimorphodon biscutatus (Dumeril, Bibron, and Dumeril). lyre snake. 122a. Trimorphodon biscutatus lambda Cope. Sonoran lyre snake C 122b. Trimorphodon biscutatus vandenberghi K\auber. California lyre snake S Family HYDROPHIDAE— Sea Snakes^* 123. Pelamis platurus (Linneaus). yellow-bellied sea snake 0 .r 29 Family VIPERIDAE— Vipers. 124. Crotalus atrox Baird and Girard. western diamondback rattlesnake r 125. Crotalus cerastes Hallowell. sidewinder. 125a. Crotalus cerastes cerastes Hallowell. Mojave Desert sidewinder C 125b. Crotalus cerastes laterorepens Klauber. Colorado Desert sidewinder C 126. Crotalus mitchelli (Cope), speckled rattlesnake. 126a. Crotalus mitchelli pyrrhus (Cope), southwestern speckled rattlesnake C 126b. Crotalus mitchelli stephensi K\auher. Panamint rattlesnake C 127. Crotalus ruber Cope, red diamond rattlesnake. 127a. Crotalus ruber ruber Cope, red diamond rattlesnake r 128. Crotalus scutulatus (Kennicott). Mojave rattlesnake 128a. Crotalus scutulatus scutulatus (Kennicott). Mojave rattlensnake C 129. Crotalus viridis Rafinesque. western rattlesnake. 129a. Crotalus viridis helleri Meek, southern Pacific rattlesnake C 129b. Crotalus viridis lutosus Klauber. Great Basin rattlesnake C 129c. Crotalus viridis oreganus Holbrook. northern Pacific rattlesnake C " Taxonomy after Cole and Hardy (1981). " Common name as proposed to the SSAR Committee on Common and Scientific Names. Taylor (1937) did not state a common name in his original description and Tantilla hobartsmithi synonymtzes all of T. utahensis and part of T. atriceps. ^' The taxonomy of this species is currenty under review (G. Stewart, Professor of Zoology, Calif. St. Univ., Pomona, pers. commun,). "The correct spelling of this subspecies is apparently T. c. hydrophilus, not T. c. hydrophila (Rossman 1979). "The validity of this subspecies is presently disputed (Rossman 1979, Fitch 1980). ^'Classification after Pickwell and Culotta (1980). " Strays occasionally are found in California waters ( Kropach 1 975, Pickwell and Culotta 1 980) . Such occurrences are probably due to storm enhanced currents which sweep the snakes north of their breeding range off the southern Baja California coast. AMPHIBIAN AND REPTILE CHECK LIST 161 SUPPLEMENTARY LISTS Native Species Extinct in California: Order Testudines — Turtles. Family KINOSTERNIDAE— Musk and Mud Turtles. 1. Kinosternon sonoriense (Le Conte). Sonoran mud turtle, f. la. Kinosternon sonoriense sonoriense (Le Conte). Sonoran mud turtle* f- Never abundant in the State. Positively known only from old records listed by Van Denburgh (1922) at Palo Verde and Yuma Indian Reservation, Imperial County, along the lower Colorado River (Stebbins 1954, 1966, 1972). Dill (1944) reported seeing K. sonoriense in the Colorado River in 1942, but did not obtain any specimens. The species now appears to be extinct in California even though it is protected by State law. Distributionally or Taxonomically invalid Species: Order Testudines — Turtles. Family KINOSTERNIDAE— Musk and Mud Turtles. 1. Kinosternon flavescens (Agassiz). yellow mud turtle. la. Kinosternon flavescens arizonense Gilmore. Arizona mud turtle". Thought by Stebbins ( 1 966, 1 972 ) to be expected in California because of the subspecies' close proximity in Yuma, Arizona. This is no longer considered to be true (Seidel 1978). The species is listed as protected in California (California Fish and Game Code 1980). Family TRIONYCHIDAE— Softshell Turtles. 2. Aspidonectes californiana Rivers. "Sacramento softshell".* Described by Rivers (1889) from a specimen obtained by three fishermen from the Sacramento River. Van Denburgh (1917) cortcluded that this turtle was an escaped specimen from the San Francisco Fish Markets and originated from China. Pope (1935) concurred with Van Denburgh and declared the specimen to be Trionyx sinensis Weigmann, a softshell turtle native only to eastern Asia. Webb (1975) has since considered this softshell to be T. steindachneri Slebenrock, a species also native to Asia." No other specimens have been recorded from the wild in California. Aspidonectes californiana is not a valid taxonomic entity. Established Exotic Species: Order Anura — Toads and Frogs. Family PIPIDAE — Tongueless Frogs. 1. Xenopus laevis Daudin. African clawed frog *. Several species of the genus Xenopus were once widely imported into the state for use in pregnancy tests and also for the pet trade (McCoid and Fritts 1980). Escaped or released individuals have developed large breeding populations in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Diego counties (St. Amant, Hoover, and Stewart 1973; McCoid 1976; McCoid and Fritts 1980). The genetic make-up of some of these populations is not known and may be composed of more than one species (J. St. Amant, Fisheries Biologist, Calif. Dept. of Fish and Game, pers. commun.). The population in the Santa Clara River Basin at Vasquez Rocks, Los Angeles County, has been greatly reduced to prevent the spread of the species into adjacent drainages further north (St. Amant 1975, Zacuto 1975, Bell 1978, Branning 1979). To date, there have been no records of any clawed frogs north of Los Angeles County with the exception of the specimen mentioned by McCoid and Fritts (1980) from Yolo County. Family RANIDAE— True Frogs. 2. Rana catesbeiana Shaw, bullfrog *. Uncertainty exists over the date of the first introduction of this species into California (Jennings, in prep.). Storer (1922, 1925) states that the bullfrog was introduced several times in California between 1914 and 1920 from stock obtained in Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Missouri, and else- *' Taxonomy after Iverson (1981). "Taxonomy after Iverson (1979). ^ Both of these turtles have been introduced into the Hawaiian Islands and are now established locally in several areas (Ernst and Barbour 1972; McKeown and Webb 1982). 162 CALIFORNIA FISH AND CAME where. It was later spread rapidly throughout the state by well-meaning naturalists and farmers and is now established in most areas except high mountains and deserts (Stebbins 1972, Bury and Luckenbach 1976). An important game animal (Treanor and Nicola 1972, Treanor 1975), it may have contributed to the decline of two native frog species in the Central Valley (Moyle 1973). 3. Rana pipiens Schreber. northern leopard frog *. Some uncertaintly exists over the native range and genetic make-up of R. pipiens populations found in California. The frog is reportedly native east of the Sierra Nevada Crest and along Colorado River (Bury and Luckenbach 1976) and was probably introduced into the Lake Tahoe Basin and perhaps Modoc and Inyo counties after the turn of the century (Bryant 1917, Storer 19^5, Bury and Luckenbach 1976). It is known to have been introduced into El Dorado, Imperial, Kern, Los Angeles, Orange, San Francisco, Tehama, and Tulare counties (Storer 1925; Banta and Morafka 1966; Stebbins 1966, 1972; Dixon 1967; Moyle 1973; Bury and Luckenbach 1976). The status of these introduced populations is not clear at this time although several appear well established. The leopard frogs found in the Lake Tahoe Basin and northeastern California are definitely R. pipiens (Pace 1974), while leopard frogs found elsewhere in the State probably represent a mixture of stocks. Affinities of the Colorado River populations are currently under study (Jennings, in prep.). Order Testudines — Turtles. Family CHELYDRIDAE— Snapping Turtles. 4. Cheiydra serpentina (Linnaeus), snapping turtle *. 4a. Cheiydra serpentina serpentina (Linnaeus), common snapping turtle *. Reported as introduced into California (Pritchard 1979) and established in the vicinity of Fresno, Fresno County (Stebbins 1972). Specimens have also been taken in San Diego River, San Diego County (L. Bottroff, Fisheries Biologist, Calif. Dept. Fish and Game, pers. commun.). Long Beach, Los Angeles County (L. Swantz, Orange County Chap, of the Calif. Turtle and Tortoise Soc, pers. commun.). Walnut Creek, Contra Costa County, Corte Madera, Marin County, and Colorado River (Bury and Luckenbach 1976). The origin of these populations is probably escaped juveniles once kept as pets. The importation of snapping turtles into California is now prohibited (California Fish and Game Code 1980). Family EMYDIDAE— Box and Water Turtles. 5. Chrysemys scripta (Schoepff). slider*. 5a. Chrysemys scripta elegans (Wied). red-eared slider *. Young of this turtle were once widely imported by the pet trade. Although their sale has been greatly curtailed, the species has become well established in many areas of San Diego County. Principal locations include: LJpperand Lower Otay, Miramar, El Capitan, Sweetwater, and Poway reservoirs and San Diego River (L. Bottroff, pers. commun.). The species is also established in several ponds near Long Beach, Los .Angeles County (L. Swantz, pers. commun.) and may be reproducing in the Sacramento-San Joaquin drainage area. Family TRIONYCHIDAE— Softshell Turtles. 6. Trionyx spiniferus Le Sueur, spiny softshell *. 6a. Trionyx spiniferus emoryi (Agassiz). Texas spiny softshell *. Probably introduced into the lower Colorado River Basin from New Mexico around 1 9(X) ( Dill 1944, Miller 1946, Stebbins 1972). Now strongly established in Colorado River from the Interna- tional Boundary upstream to Nevada and westward in Imperial County to Salton Sea. Specimens have also been taken in San Pablo Reservoir, Contra Costa County, and San Gabriel River, Los Angeles County (Bury and Luckenbach 1976). The species has recently become established in Lower Otay Reservoir and San Diego River, San Diego County, from illegally released specimens originating from Colorado River (L. Bottroff, pers. commun.). The turtle is currently classified as a sport animal (California Fish and Game Commission 1981). Exotic Species Unsuccessfully Introduced Or Of Questionable Status: Order Caudata — Salamanders. Family CRYPTOBRANCHIDAE— Giant Salamanders and Hellbenders. 1. Andrias japonicus (Temminck). Japanese giant salamander *. AMPHIBIAN AND REPTILE CHECK LIST 163 Reported by Croker (1942) "to be found in the wild state in the Sacrannento Valley." This statement is apparently based upon a single specimen collected from the Sacramento River. The source of the salamander was a cargo vessel from Japan (W. Houck, Professor of Zoology, Humboldt St. Univ., pers. commun.). Other specimens found include one reported by Myers (1951 ) and another listed by Bury and Luckenbach (1976). Both appear to be introductions and it is unlikely that the species is established in the State. Family AMBYSTOMATIDAE— Mole Salamanders and Relatives. 2. Ambystoma tighnum (Green), tiger salamander. 2a. Ambystoma tigrinum diaboli Dunn, gray tiger salamander *. 2b. Ambystoma tigrinum mavortium Baird. barred tiger salamander. * 2c. Ambystoma tigrinum melanosticum (Baird). blotched tiger salamander*. 2d. Ambystoma tigrinum nebulosum Hallowell. Arizona tiger salamander *. Larvae of these subspecies have been widely introduced into reservoirs in the Central Valley, southern California, Colorado River Basin, and the Salton Sea from various sources for use as live fish bait. Metamorphosed adults have been observed at China Lake, Kern County, Twenty Nine Palms, San Bernardino County, and Santa Ana River, Orange and Riverside counties (Bury and Luckenbach 1976, B. Brattstrom, Professor of Zoology, Calif. St. Univ., Fullerton, pers. commun.). Reproducing populations are not yet known, but the potential is there. Such activities have increased the distribution of this salamander in Arizona (Stebbins 1966, Collins 1981). The population of salamanders at Crass Lake, Siskiyou County, may represent a native relict popula- tion and not an introduction (Mullen and Stebbins 1978). 3. Notophthalmus viridescens (Rafinesque). eastern newt*. 3a. Notophthalmus viridescens viridescens (Rafinesque). red-spotted newt*. 3b. Notophthalmus viridescens lousianensis (Wotterstorff). central newt *. Adults of these subspecies are .commonly sold in pet stores and the larvae have been sold as fish bait in several localities. Many have escaped or have been intentionally released into the wild, but there are no known naturally reproducing populations in the State. Order Anura — Toads and Frogs. Family BUFONIDAE— True Toads. 4. Bufo marinus (Linnaeus), giant toad *. One specimen of this toad was found living in the wild in Ventura County (J. St. Amant, pers. commun.). Intensive searches in the surrounding area revealed no other specimens. The importa- tion of B. marinus into California is prohibited (California Administrative Code 1980). Order Crocodylia — Crocodilians. Family CROCODYLIDAE — Alligators^ Caimans, True Crocodiles, and False Gavials ". 5. Alligator mississippiensis (Daudin). American alligator*. Escaped specimens which were illegally imported from the southeastern United States have been reported in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta area. Only one authentic case of a 1.5 m specimen of A. mississippiensis found living in the wild in the Delta is known. All other sightings have turned out to be Caiman crocodilus (see below). Hock (1954) reported a 3 m specimen of A. mississippiensis taken in Colorado River that was apparently dumped into the river by a traveling carnival. 6. Caiman crocodilus (Linnaeus), spectacled caiman *. Several subspecies of this crocodilian are widely sold in pet stores. Escaped or liberated specimens have been found living in the wild in the Sacramento — San Joaquin Delta area and in southern California (Bury and Luckenbach 1976). The crocodilian recently sighted in the Feather River, Sutter County, may be a spectacled caiman (W. Dejesus, Herpetologist, Sacra- mento City Zoo, pers. commun.). There are no known reproducing populations. At present, because of the uncertainty to which family caimans are classified under, spectacled caimans are considered exempt from the laws that prohibit the importation of crocodilians into California (N. ''classification of the families of the order Crocodylia remains unresolved. Conant (1975) places alligators and caimans in a separate family — ALLICATORIDAE, while Coin et al. (1978) places them in a subfamily under the family CROCODYLIDAE. For the purposes of this paper, the latter classification is utilized. 164 CALIFORNIA FISH AND CAME Dollahite, Chief, Wildlife Protection Branch, Calif. Dept. Fish and Came, pers. commun.). Order Testudines — Turtles. Family CHELYDRIADE— Snapping Turtles. 7. Macroclemys temmincki (Troost). alligator snapping turtle *. Murphey (1969) recorded a specimen of this species from Sacramento County. The turtle was apparently an escaped pet. No other specimens have been found. Family EMYDIDAE— Box and Water Turtles. 8. Chrysemys concinna (Le Conte). river cooter * ^*. 8a. Chrysemys concinna hieroglyphica (Holbrook). hieroglyphic river cooter *. 9. Chrysemys floridana (Le Conte). cooter *. 9a. Chrysemys floridana hoyi (Agassiz). Missouri cooter *. 10. Chrysemys scripta (Schoepff). slider*. 10a. Chrysemys scripta scripta (Schoepff). yellow-bellied slider *. 10b. Chrysemys scripta callirostris (Gray), peacock slider *. 10c. Chrysemys scripta elegans (Wied). red-eared slider *. 11. Craptemys geographica (Le Sueur), map turtle *. 12. Craptemys kohni (Baur). Mississippi map turtle *. 13. Craptemys pseudogeographica (Cray), false map turtle*. 13a. Craptemys pseudogeographica ouachitensis Cagle. Quachita map turtle *. All of the above turtles were once widely imported as young for the pet trade. Many escaped or were intentionally released into the wild, resulting in sporadic sightings in various areas of the State, principally the Central Valley and southern California. None have established known reproducing populations except for Chrysemys scripta elegans (see C s. elegans in the list of Established Exotic Species). Recently, several adult cooters and map turtles were trapped in a pond near Long Beach, Los Angeles County (L. Swantz, pers. commun.) and adult cooters, mainly C f. hoyi, have also been taken in San Diego County (L. Bottroff, pers. commun.). The lack of young individuals at both of these locations, however, tends to support the view that they are not reproducing. Two specimens of C. s. callirostris, native to South America, taken in Lower Otay Reservoir, San Diego County, were apparently released pets (L. Bottroff, pers. commun.). The sale of young turtles in California has been effectively curtailed by the Federal Government (U.S. Public Health Service 1972). 14. Chrysemys picta (Schneider), painted turtle*. 14a. Chrysemys picta picta (Schneider), eastern painted turtle*. 14b. Chrysemys picta belli (Gray), western painted turtle *. 14c. Chrysemys picta dorsalis Agassiz. southern painted turtle *. 14d. Chrysemys picta marginata Agassiz. midland painted turtle *. Chrysemys picta belli was once thought to be native to California based upon adult specimens observed at the San Francisco Fish Markets. The turtles probably originated from Oregon or Washington (Van Denburgh 1922). Young and adults of various subspecies of C picta reported in recent years from the San Francisco area (Banta and Morafka 1966) and Los Angeles (Bury and Luckenbach 1976) were escaped or intentionally released pets. Observations of a large female C picta and several young at Kaiser Meadow, Siskiyou County, are currently under investigation (R. Stebbins, Emeritus Professor of Zoology, Univ. of Calif., Berkeley, pers. com- mun.). 15. Malaclemys terrapin (Schoepff). diamondback terrapin *. 15a. Malaclemys terrapin terrapin (Schoepff). northern diamondback terrapin *. 15b. Malaclemys terrapin centrata (Latreille). Carolina diamondback terrapin *. One hundred and twenty of these turtles were imported from the East Coast and planted in San Francisco Bay in 1896 (Vogelsang and Gould 1900). Several other attempts have been made to establish this turtle in San Francisco Bay since then (most notably Taft (1944) with 562 individuals from North Carolina), but all have been unsuccessful (Brown 1971 ). The species is still occasionally encountered in the pet trade, probably the source of the turtles reported by Banta and Morafka (1966) in Stow Lake, San Francisco County. Malaclemys terrapin is still '* Chrysemys concinna has recently tjeen lumped under C. floridana (Pritchard 1967), a move not accepted by all authorities (Ernst and Barbour 1972) . The old taxonomy is utilized in this list so as not to obscure temporal data, a concern voiced by Holman (1977). AMPHIBIAN AND REPTILE CHECK LIST 165 protected by State law in California (California Administrative Code 1980). 16. Terrapene Carolina (Linnaeus), eastern box turtle *. 16a. Terrapene Carolina Carolina (Linnaeus), eastern box turtle *. 16b. Terrapene Carolina triunguis (Agassiz). three-toed box turtle *. 17. Terrapene ornata (Agassiz). western box turtle *. 17a. Terrapene ornata ornata (Agassiz). ornate box turtle *. 17b. Terrapene ornata luteola Smith and Ramsey, desert box turtle *. Large numbers of these turtles (mainly adults) have been imported into the State for the pet trade. Escaped or released individuals have been encountered in the wild in Walnut Creek, Contra Costa County (Bury and Luckenbach 1976), the Los Angeles region (Dixon 1967), San Diego County (L. Bottroff, pers. commun.), and the Central Valley. Lip to 50 specimens yearly were recovered from fields and residential areas of Walnut Creek (Bury and Luckenbach 1976). In spite of the large numbers of individuals in localized areas, there are no known naturally reproducing populations. Family TESTUDINIDAE— True Land Tortoises. 18. Ceochelone carbonaria (Spix). red-legged tortoise *. Six specimens of this tortoise were found during 1972 in fields and yards near Walnut Creek, Contra Costa County (Bury and Luckenbach 1976). They were escaped or released pets. 19. Gopherus berlandieri (Agassiz). Texas tortoise*. Literally thousands of Texas tortoises have been imported into California in recent years for the pet trade (Brameand Peerson 1969). Escaped or intentionally released specimens have been encountered in the wild in southern California, the Central Valley, and the Mojave Desert. The release of C. berlandieri in desert areas threatens the genetic integrity of native C. agassizi populations (Stebbins 1972). Order Squamata — Lizards and Snakes. Family GEKKONIDAE— Geckos. 20. Cehyra mutilata (Wiegmann). stump-toed gecko*. Shaw (1946) reported a single specimen of "Peropus mutilatus"[= Cehyra mutilata] on the San Diego Zoo grounds, San Diego County. The lizard was apparently an escapee from the San Diego Zoo Reptile House where four species of Hawaiian geckos were regularly released by Cyrus B. Perkins to feed the lizard-eating snakes (Shaw 1946). No further specimens have been sighted or captured. James E. Berrian (Curatorial Assistant, Dept. of Herpetology, San Diego Nat. Hist. Mus.) reports that there are no Cehyra in the Museums' collection and further that Dr. James Bacon (General Curator of Herpetology, San Diego Zoo) informed him that the winters in the area are probably too cold for the species to survive. However, the possibility of geckos still living in buildings should not be ruled as out of the question. A careful search should be made of likely Zoo structures to determine if any geckos are present. Family AGAMIDAE — Agamid Lizards. 21. Agama sp. Daudin. African rock lizard*. 22. Zonurus sp. Merrem. African rock lizard*. Members of these Old World lizard genera are sold in pet stores in the State. Specimens have been found in the wild in the Los Angeles area (Bury and Luckenbach 1976). There are no reproducing populations. Family IGUANIDAE — Iguanid Lizards. 23. Anolis carolinensis (Voigt). green anole*. 23a. Anolis carolinensis carolinensis (Voigt). green anole*. Ronald Marlow of the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, Univ. of Calif., Berkeley (now at the Univ. of Chicago), reported in Bury and Luckenbach (1976) that this subspecies had established a breeding population in Ontario, San Bernardino County. The population is apparently now extinct (G. Stewart, pers. commun.). Individuals are still occasionally found in residential areas of San Francisco County (Banta and Morafka 1966), and southern California (LACM 131565). All are escaped or intentionally released pets. The species is widely sold in pet stores and at carnivals throughout the State. 24. Ctenosaura hemilopha (Cope), spiny-tailed iguana*. 24a. Ctenosaura hemilopha macrolopha Smith. Long crested spiny-tailed iguana * ^' " Taxonomy after Smith (1972). 166 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME Reported by Stebbins (1972) in Fullerton, Orange County. Lizards were originally brought from Sonora, Mexico, to California State University, Fullerton, for use in an experiment. A fire destroyed the building in which the lizards were housed and many escaped. Intensive collecting by students and school personnel recaptured all but a few individuals. These specimens survived through three or four winters, after which the population disappeared (B. Brattstrom, pers. commun.). 25. Iguana iguana (Linnaeus), green iguana*. This species is imported into the United States in large numbers for the pet trade (Busack 1974). Many have escaped or have been intentionally released into the wild. Specimens have been taken in the San Francisco area (Banta and Morafka 1966) and in southern California. There are no known naturally reproducing populations. 26. Phrynosoma cornutum (Harlan). Texas horned lizard'. Escaped or intentionally released pets have been reported in the wild in southern California and in residential areas of San Francisco (Banta and Morafka 1966). No known naturally reproducing populations. This reptile is widely sold in pet stores throughout the State. 27. Sceloporus cyanogenys Cope, blue spiny lizard'. A single specimen of this species was collected in 1970 at the base of the Palms to Pines Highway, Riverside County, and deposited in the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History (LACM 65240) (Stebbins 1972, Bury and Luckenbach 1976). The specimen was appar- ently an escapee or released captive from a scientific project or personal collection. No other specimens have been collected (B. Brattstrom, pers. commun.). 28. Sce/oporus jarrov/ Cope. Yarrow's spiny lizard'. 28a. Sceloporus jarrovi jarrovi Cope. Yarrow's spiny lizard'. A group of these lizards ( many of them toe clipped ) were released on a vacant lot in Fullerton, Orange County, about a decade ago. This population was extirpated 6 months after the release when a shopping center was built on the site (B. Brattstrom, pers. commun.). 29. Sceloporus poinsetti Baird and Girard. crevice spiny lizard*. 29a. Sceloporus poinsetti poinsetti ?>a^\r6 and Girard. crevice spiny lizard'. A single specimen was collected from a residential neighborhood in Northridge, Los Angeles County, and presented to the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History during 1980 (LACM 131566). It was an escaped or intentionally released pet. Family SCINCIDAE— Skinks. 30. Eumeces obsoletus (Baird and Girard). Great Plains skink'. Bury and Luckenbach (1976) reported a specimen in the Los Angeles area. It apparently was an escaped pet. 31. Tiliqua sp. Gray, blue-tongued skink*. Reported by Myers (1951) on the outskirts of San Mateo, San Mateo County. The skinks apparently were escaped pets. Family CORDYLIDAE— Girdle-tailed Lizards. 32. Cordylus giganteus Smith, sungazer*. This South African live-bearer is the largest member of the girdle-tailed lizard group. Because of its ferocious appearance (the whole body except for the belly is covered with large heavy- keeled scales), large size, and ability to thrive in captivity, the species is sometimes seen in pet stores. One such lizard (apparently a released pet) was captured in Arroyo Seco Canyon, Angeles National Forest, Los Angeles County, and brought to the Eaton Canyon Nature Center in the late 1970's (R. Jillson, Whittier Narrows Nature Center, pers. commun.). The specimen was taken to the Los Angeles Zoo where it was identified to species (H. Fisher, Curator of Herpetology, L.A. Zoo, pers. commun.). All attempts to breed this specimen in captivity were unsuccessful and it was returned to the Nature Center where it died in 1981. It has since been preserved and is now on public display (P. Sullivan, Eaton Canyon Nature Center, pers. com- mun.). No other specimens have been reported. Family TEIIDAE— Teiid Lizards. 33. Tupinambis sp. (Linnaeus), tegu lizard*. Lizards of this South American genus are widely sold in pet stores throughout the State. Their large size and ability to thrive on chicken eggs, make them a popular pet item. Specimens have been encountered in residential areas of southern California (Bury and Luckenbach 1976) and AMPHIBIAN AND REPTILE CHECK LIST 167 San Francisco (Banta and Morafka 1966). All are escaped pets. There are no reproducing populations in the wild. Family HELODERMATIDAE— Venomous Lizards. 34. Heloderma horhdum (Wiegmann). Mexican beaded lizard*. Two escaped pets were discovered in the residential areas of Walnut Creek, Contra Costa County (Bury and Luckenbach 1976). No other specimens of this venemous lizard have been reported. Family VARANIDAE— Monitor Lizards. 35. Varanus exanthematicus (Daudin). savannah monitor lizard*. Sean Barry of the Department of Zoology, Univ. of Calif., Davis, reported in Bury and Luckenbach (1976) a specimen of this lizard found in Pasadena, Los Angeles County. It was an escaped pet. Family BOIIDAE— Boas and Pythons. 36. Boa canina Linnaeus, emerald tree boa*. This South American species was occasionally observed in California warehouses in the days before banana shipments were routinely gassed on entry into the U.S. One such specimen was taken in Stockton and deposited in the California Academy of Sciences (CAS 8375) (Bury and Luckenbach 1976). The species has not been seen in the State for many years. 37. Boa constrictor Linnaeus, boa constrictor*. 38. Corallus enydris (Linnaeus), tree boa*. 39. Python molurus Linnaeus. Indian python*. 40. Python reticulatus Schneider, reticulated python*. The above four species of snakes are frequently sold as pets and there are many reports of escaped specimens in and near residential areas (Bury and Luckenbach 1976). There are no known wild reproducing populations. Many of the specimens found in the wild often die during winter because of low temperatures (W. Dejesus, pers. commun.). Family COLUBRIDAE— Colubrids. 41. Drymarchon corals (Daudin). Indigo snake*. 42. Lampropeltis getulus (Linnaeus), common kingsnake. 42a. Lampropeltis getulus floridana Blanchard. Florida kingsnake*. 43. Nerodia fasciata (Linnaeus), southern water snake * ^^. 43a. Nerodia fasciata fasciata (Linnaeus), banded water snake*. These three snakes, all native to the eastern United States, were reported by Bury and Luckenbach (1976) in the Los Angeles city area. All were escaped pets. There are no known naturally reproducing populations. 44. Nerodia sipedon (Linnaeus), common water snake*. 44a. Nerodia sipedon sipedon (Linnaeus), northern water snake*. One young specimen was collected from El Dorado Park, Los Angeles County, and given to the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History in 1974 (LACM 109564). The snake is probably the result of a released pregnant female. No other specimens have been found. 45. Leptodeira annulata (Linnaeus), cat-eyed snake*. Repeatedly reported from San Francisco warehouses before the practice of routinely gassing banana shipments (Banta and Morafka 1966). The species has not been seen in California for many years. Family ELAPIDAE — Cobras and Their Allies 46. Naja haje (Linnaeus). Egyptian cobra*. Reported by Sean Barry as collected in Pasadena, Los Angeles County (Bury and Luckenbach 1976). No other specimens have been recorded. The discovery of this highly venomous snake in a heavily populated residential area points out the problem of the public illegally keeping dangerous exotic reptiles in private collections. '* Although the substitution of Nerodia for Natrix has not been utilized by many workers, its acceptance by the Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles predestines its use in this check list. 168 CALIFORNIA FISH AND CAME ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am indebted to the following individuals for their assistance and cooperation: J. St. Amant, J. Berrian, L. Bottroff, B. Brattstrom, W. Dejesus, N. Dollahite, H. Fisher, E. Cleason, W. Houck, R. Jillson, W. Loudernnilk, C. Matthews, C. Pregill, M. Ruggles, P. Sullivan, and J. Wright. L Swantz of the Orange County Chapter of the California Turtle and Tortoise Club kindly provided information about exotic turtles from Los Angeles County and C. Cole of the American Museum of Natural History graciously provided the latest information about his upcoming publication on Tantilla systematics in western North America. I would also like to thank j. Brode for his helpful comments on an early draft of this paper and to H. Greene, R. Stebbins, G. Stewart, and D. Wake who took time out of their busy schedules to review the final manuscript. I appreciate their comments and criticisms and incorporated many of their views in this paper. However, I have not been able to reconcile all of our differences, so one should not assume that they are in complete agreement with all the names listed here. LITERATURE CITED Ashton, R. E. 1976. Endangered and threatened amphibians and reptiles in the United States. Edited by S. R. Edwards and G. R. Pisani. Soc. for the Study of Amphib. and Rep., Misc. Publ., Herp. Circ. No. 5, 65 p. Axtell, R. W. 1972. Hybridization between western collared lizards with a proposed taxonomic rearrangement. Copeia, 1972(4); 707-727. Banta, B. H. and D. Morafka. 1966. An annotated check list of the recent amphibians and reptiles inhabiting the city and county of San Francisco, California. Wasmann Jour. Biol., 24(2): 223-238. Behler, J. L., and F. W. King. 1979. 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Ataxonomic reappraisal of the yellow mud turtle, Kinosternon flavescens (Testudines: Kinoster- nidae). Copeia, 1979(3): 212-225. 1 981 . Biosystematics of the Kinosternon hirtipes species group (Testudines, Kinosternidae) . Tulane Stud. Zool. Bot. 23(1): 1-74. Jennings, M. R. 1982. The nomenclatural enigma of single versus double —/endings for scientific patronyms emended to represent a man's name: a comment and some considerations. Fisheries 7(5): 9-10. Klauber, L. K. 1 931 . A statistical survey of the snakes of the soujhern border of California. Bull. Zool. Soc. San Diego 8: 1-93. Kropach, C. 1975. The yellow-bellied sea snake, Pelamis, in the eastern Pacific. Pages 185-213 in W. A. Dunson (ed). The biology of sea snakes. Univ. Park Press, Baltimore, x-|-530 p. Leviton, A. 1972. Reptiles and amphibians of North America. Doubleday and Co., Inc., N.Y., 252 p. Lynch, J. F. 1981 . Patterns of ontogenetic and geographic variation in the black salamander, Aneides flavipunctatus (Caudata: Plethodontidae). Smithsonian Contrib. Zool. No. 324, iv-|-53 p. Mallette, R. D., and S. J. Nicola (eds). 1980. At the crossroads; a report on the status of California's endangered and rare fish and wildlife. State of California Resources Agency, Fish and Game Commission and the Depart- 170 CALIFORNIA FISH AND CAME ment of Fish and Came, Sacramento. 147 p. Marlow, R. W., J. M. Brode, and D. B. Wake. 1979. A new salamander, genus Batrachoseps, from the Inyo Mountains of California, with a discussion of relationships in the genus. Los Angeles Co. Nat. Hist. Mus. Contrib. Sci. No. 308, 17 p. McCoid, M. ). 1976. Preliminary remarks on introduced populations of clawed frogs (Xenopus laevis) in southern California. Herp. Review, 7(2): 92. McCoid, M.)., andT. H. Fritts. 1980. Observations of feral populations of /fe/jopus /aewi (Pipidae) in southern California. Bull, Southern Calif. Acad. Sci., 79(2): 82-66. McKeown, S., and R. C. Webb. 1982, Softshell turtles in Hawaii. J. Herpetology 16(2): 107-111. Miller, R. R. 1946. The probable origin of the soft-shelled turtle in the Colorado River basin. Copeia, 1946(1 ): 46. Montanucci, R. R., R. W. Axtell, and H. C. Dessauer. 1975. Evolutionary divergence among collared lizards (Crotaphytus) with comments on the status of Gambelia. Herpetologica, 31 (3): 336-347. Moyle, P. B. 1973. Effects of introduced bullfrogs, Rana catesbeiana, on the native frogs of the San Joaquin Valley, California. Copeia, 1973(1): 18-22. Mullen, D.A., and R. C. Stebbins. 1978. An addition to the amphibian fauna of California. Great Basin Nat., 38(4): 429^37. Murphey, R. W. 1969. An alligator snapping turtle, Macrochelys temminckii, from California's inland waters. Calif. Fish and Game, 55(1): 85-86. Murphy, R. W. 1974. A new genus and species of eublepharine gecko (Sauria: Gekkonidae) from Baja Califor- nia, Mexico. Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., fourth Ser., 40(4): 87-92. Myers, G. S. 1951. Asiatic giant salamander caught in the Sacramento River, and an exotic skink near San Francisco. Copeia, 1951 (2): 179-180. Pace, A. E. 1974. Systematics and biological studies of the leopard frogs (Rana pipiens complex) of the United States. Univ. Mich. Mus. Zool, Misc. Publ. No. 148, 140 p. Pickwell, G. V., and W. A. Culotta. 1980. Pelamis, P. platurus. CAT. AMER. AMPHIB. REPT.: 255.1-255.4. Pope, C. H. 1935. The reptiles of China. Natural History of central Asia. Vol. X, Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., N.Y., 604 p. Pough, F. H. 1973. Uma inomata. CAT. AMER. AMPHIB. REPT.: 126.1-126.2. 1974. Uma scoparia. CAT. AMER. AMPHIB. REPT.: 155.1-155.2. Pritchard, P. C. H. 1967. Living turtles of the world. T.F.H. Publications, Inc., Jersey City, N.J., 288 p. , 1979. Encyclopedia of turtles. T.F.H. Publications, Inc., Neptune City, N.J., 895 p. Rivers, J.J. 1 889. Description of a new turtle from the Sacramento River, belonging to the family Trionychidae. Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., Second Ser., 2: 233-236. Robins, C. R., R. M. Bailey, C. E„ Bond, J. R. Brooker, E. A. Lachner, R. N. Lea, and W. B. Scon. 1980. A list of common and scientific names of fishes from the United States and Canada (Fourth edition). Amer. Fish. Soc., Spec. Publ. No. 12, 174 p. Rossman, D. A. 1 979. Morphological evidence for taxonomic partitioning of the Thamnophis elegans complex (Serpentes, Colubridae). Occ. Papers Mus. Zool., Louisiana State Univ., 55: 1-12. St. Amant, J. A. 1975. Exotic visitor becomes permanent resident. Terra, 13(4): 22-23. , F. G. Hoover, and G. R. Stewart. 1973. African clawed frog Xenopus laevis (Daudin), established in California. Calif. Fish Game 59(2): 151-153. Sandborn, S. R., and R. B. Loomis. 1979. Systematics and behavior of collared lizards [Crotaphytus, Iguanidae) in southern California. Herpetologica, 35(2): 101-106. Schmidt, K. P. 1953. A check list of North American amphibians and reptiles (Sixth edition). American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, Chicago, viii -1-290 p. Seidel, M. E. 1978. Kinostemon flavescens. CAT. AMER. AMPHIB. REPT.: 216.1-216.4. Shaw, C. E. 1946. The stump-toed gecko, Peropus mutilatus introduced into the San Diego California area. Herpetologica 3(4): 125. Slevin, J. R. 1928. The amphibians of western North America. Calif. Acad. Sci., Occ. Papers No. 16, 152 p. , 1934. A handbook of reptiles and amphibians of the Pacific States. Calif. Acad. Sci., Spec. Publ., 173 P Shapovalov, L., A. J. Cordone, and W. A. Dill. 1 981 . A list of the freshwater and anadromous fishes of California. Calif. Fish Game 67(1): 4-38. Smith, H. M. 1946. Handbook of lizards of the United States and of Canada. Cornell Univ. Press, Ithaca, N.Y., xxi 4-557 p. 1972. The Sonoran subspecies of the lizard Ctenosaura hemilopha. Great Basin Naturalist 32(2): 104-111. , 1978. A guide to field identification: amphibians of North America. Golden Press, N.Y., 160 p. AMPHIBIAN AND REPTILE CHECK LIST 171 _, and A. J. Kohler. 1977. A survey of herpetological introductions in the United States and Canada. Trans. Kansas Acad. Sci. 80(1-2): 1-24. Smith, N. M., and W. W. Tanner. 1972. Two new subspecies of Crotaphytus (Sauria: Iguanidae). Great Basin Naturalist, 32(1): 25-34. , and 1974. A taxonomic study of the western collared lizards, Crotaphytus collaris and Crotaphytus insularis. Brigham Young Univ. Sci. Bull., Biol. Ser., 19(4): 1-29. Stebbins, R. C. 1951. Amphibians of western North America. Univ. Calif. Pres, Berkeley, ix + 539 p. , 1954. Amphibians and reptiles of western North America. McCraw Hill, N.Y., xxiv + 536 p. , 1966. A field guide to western reptiles and amphibians. Hughton Mifflin Co., Boston, xiv + 279 p. , 1972. Amphibians and reptiles of California. Univ. Calif. Press, Berkeley, 152 p. Stewart, G. R. 1971. Rare, endangered and depeleted amphibians and reptiles in California. Herpetology, 5(2): 29-35. 1977. Charina, C bottae. CAT. AMER. AMPHIB. REPT.: 205.1-205.2. Storer, T. I. 1922. The eastern bullfrog in California. Calif. Fish Came, 8(4): 219-224. , 1925. A synopsis of the amphibia of California. Univ. Calif. Publ. Zool., 27: 1-343. Storm, R. M., and E. D. Brodie, Jr. 1970. Plethodon dunni. CAT. AMER. AMPHIB. REPT.: 82.1-82.2. Taft, A. C. 1944. Diamond-back terrapin introduced into California. Calif. Fish Game, 30(2): 101-102. Taylor, E. H. 1937. Notes and comments on certain American and Mexican snakes of the genus Tantilla with descriptions of a new species. Kansas Acad. Sci., Trans., 39(1936): 335-348. Treanor, R. R. 1975. Management of the bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) resource in California. Calif. Fish Game, Inland Fish. Admin. Rep. No. 75-1, 30 p. Treanor, R. R., and S. J. Nicola. 1972. A preliminary study of the commercial and sporting utilization of the bullfrog, Rana catesbeiana Shaw, in California. Calif. Fish Game, Inland Fish. Admin. Rep. No. 72-4, 23 p. Turner, F. B., and P. C. Dumas. 1972. Rana pretiosa. CAT. AMER. AMPHIB. REPT.: 119.1-119.4. U.S. Public Health Service. 1972. Dept. of Health, Education and Welfare. Title 42, Subchapter F, Part 72, Federal Register 37(224): 24670-24674. Van Denburgh, J. 1897. The reptiles of the Pacific Coast and Great Basin; an account of the species known to inhabit California, and Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Nevada. Calif. Acad. Sci., Occ. Papers No. 5: 1-236. , 1917. Concerning the origin of the soft-shelled turtle, Aspidonectes californiana Rivers. Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., Fourth Ser., 7(2): 33-35. 1922. The reptiles of western North America. An account of the species known to inhabit California and Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, British Columbia, Sonora, and Lower California. Calif. Acad. Sci., Occ. Papers No. 10, 1028 p. Vogelsang, A. F., and C. B. Gould. 1900. Fifteenth biennial report of the state board of fish commissioners of the state of California, for the years 1897-1898. A. J. Johnston, State Printing Office, Sacramento, 75 p. Webb, R. G. 1975. Taxonomic status of Aspidonectes californiana Rivers, 1889 (Testudines, Trionychidae). Copeia, 1975(4): 771-773. Wright, A. H., and A. A. Wright. 1952. List of the snakes of the United States and Canada by states and provinces. Amer. Midi. Naturalist, 48: 574-603. , and 1957. Handbook of snakes of the United States and Canada. Comstock Publ. Assoc., Cornell Univ. Press, Ithaca, N.Y., 1105 p. Yanev, K. P. 1980. Biogeography and distribution of three parapatric salamander species in coastal and border- land California. Pages 531-550 in D. M. Power (ed). The California islands: proceedings of a multidisciplinary symposium. Santa Barbara Mus. Nat. Hist., Santa Barbara, California, vii 4-787 p. Zacuto, B. 1975. The status of the African clawed frog, Xenopus laevis, in Agua Dulce and Soledad Canyons. Unpub. rep. Calif. Dept. Fish and Game, 36 p. 172 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME Calif. Fish and Came 69 { 3 ); 1 72-1 77 1 983 NORTHERN OCCURRENCES OF THE SEA SNAKE, PELAMiS PLATURUS, IN THE EASTERN PACIFIC, WITH A RECORD OF PREDATION ON THE SPECIES ' GEORGE V. PICKWELL Marine Sciences Division Naval Ocean Systems Center San Diego, C A 92152 ROBERT L. BEZY Section of Herpetology Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County Los Ar-^eles, CA 90007 AND JOHN E. fitch' Operations Research Branch California Department of Fish and Game Long Beach, CA 90802 Four specimens of the yellow-bellied sea snake, Pelamis platurus, from southern California and the outer coast of Baja California represent the northernmost records of this species in the eastern Pacific. Three of the snakes were probably carried northward by a warm countercurrent (Davidson Current) along the coast of Baja California and southern California during the warm periods of 1972-73 and 1976-77. One of the individuals had been ingested by a puffer Sphoeroides cf. annulatus; this represents the second reported instance of predation on the species in nature. INTRODUCTION The yellow-bellied sea snake, Pelamis platurus (Linnaeus), is the most widely distributed species of snake (Pickwell 1972, Pickwell and Culotta 1980). Al- though breeding populations seem restriced to tropical latitudes (Dunson and Ehlert 1971; Graham, Rubinoff, and Hecht 1971; Hecht, Kropach, and Hecht 1974), the species occurs widely in both the Pacific and Indian oceans, and is the most pelagic of the sea snakes. Individuals have been found as far north as Possiet Bay (lat 42°39'N; Strauch 1873; = Zaiiv Pos'yeta, U.S.S.R.) in the west- ern Pacific, but northern records in the eastern Pacific remain poorly known. We here document the occurrence of a live individual of P. platurus on the coast of southern California and three specimens from the outer coast of Baja California, Mexico, one of which appears to represent the second record of predation on the species in nature. LOCATIONS San Clennente On 23 November 1972, a live adult P. platurus was discovered stranded on the beach at San Clemente, Orange Co., California (lat 33°25'N). Andrew J. Reich, a lifeguard, took custody of the snake and placed it in a salt water aquarium where it survived for 12 hours. The specimen was frozen shortly after death and borrowed 6 days later by Pickwell for examination and preservation. It was returned to the collector, who ultimately deposited it in the herpetological ' Accepted for publication April 1982. * Mr. Fitch passed away on 30 September 1982. SEA SNAKE OCCURRENCES 173 collections of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (LACM 109657). This is the first sea snake collected in the continental United States. The specimen is a female with a snout-vent length of 660 mm, tail length of 79 mm, tricolor pattern, dark venter, narrow lateral yellow stripe, eggs present in oviduct, substantial fat deposits, and no ectoparasites. Mean sea surface temperature at San Clemente for 23 November 1972 was 16.rC, and for the month of November 16.5°C, with a range of daily means of 15.6 to 17.8°C. Bahia Blanca Ivan Goyette, a commercial fisherman from the boat Margot, presented a dead P. platurus to the California Department of Fish and Game at Long Beach on 21 November 1977. The snake was reported to have been regurgitated by a puffer, Sphoeroidessp., that was gill-netted in the vicinity of Bahia Blanca, Baja California Norte, Mexico (lat 29°02'N). The 11.5 cm stretch gill net was set at a depth of 46-64 m at 5-8 km offshore, where the fisherman was attempting to catch white seabass, Atractoscion nobilis. Unfortunately, the fish was not re- tained, but from the fisherman's careful description it was either 5. annulatus, the bullseye puffer or 5. lobatus, the longnose puffer (Fitch 1973), probably the former. When the snake was brought in it appeared to be quite fresh, but to have been chewed, and the head and neck were missing. The specimen (LACM 127(X)2) is a male with a body length (minus head and neck) of 470 mm, a tail length of 73 mm and a bicolor pattern. We estimate the total length of the specimen to have been 650-700 mm. Bahia Magdalena A specimen of P. p/aturus was collected by Paul Bartsch at Isia Santa Margarita on 1 9 March 1911. This island, centered at lat 24°26'N forms the southern barrier of Bahia Magdalena, Baja California Sur, Mexico. The snake was collected on the 1911 Albatross Expedition to Baja California and the Gulf of California and appears to have been overlooked in the published results of the expedition (Townsend 1916, Schmidt 1922) and most of the herpetological literature for Baja California. The specimen was cited by Smith (1943), but was incorrectly listed as being from the Tres Marias Islands (Nayarit). However, the Bahia Magdalena location was shown on a distribution map of Pelamis by Graham et al. (1971 ). The specimen is in the collection of the National Museum of Natural History (USNM 51078). Another P. platurus was collected in the area of Bahia Magdalena on 17 January 1977 by John Kipping. The snake was dead when found on Isia Mag- dalena, 3 miles south of Boca de Soledad ( lat 25°1 5'N ) , but appeared to be fresh with no obvious signs of decay (j. Kipping, pers. Commun.). This specimen is deposited at the California Academy of Saiences (CAS 143253). DISCUSSION Distribution The pelagic adaptations of P. platurus (such as the ability to feed at the sea surface) permit individuals to survive ocean current transport over great dis- tances ( Pickwell 1 972 ) , but the thermal tolerances of the species appear to limit 174 CALIFORNIA FISH AND CAME breeding populations to between the 18-20°C isotherms (Dunson and Ehlert 1971; Graham et al. 1971; Hecht et al. 1974). Along the Pacific coast of North America, the northernmost locality at which a breeding population of P. platurus has been found is Bahia Banderas, Jalisco, Mexico (lat 20°38'N; Pickwell pers. observ.). Occasionally the species may be abundant farther north. Zweifel (1960) reported 13 individuals collected on 7 February 1920, about 24 km offshore between San Bias, Nayarit, and Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico. In the Gulf of California, individuals of P. platurus were reported before the turn of the century from Isia Espiritu Santo (Baja Calif. Sur; lat 24°30'N) by Mocquard (1899) and as far north as Guaymas (Sonora; lat 27°54'N) by Cope (1887). Shaw (1961 ) reported the species from Bahia de los Angeles (Baja Calif. Norte; 29°N), and individuals at least periodically range to near the head of the Gulf at San Felipe (Baja Calif. Norte; 3rN; LACM 104332) where one of us (Fitch) has seen live P. platurus on the beach on two separate occasions. While these records do not seem indicative of a resident reproducing popula- tion of Pelamis in the Gulf of California, they do suggest that it may be a regular visitor there. Northward-moving surface currents prevail near the mouth of the Gulf from June through November and in some years may be greatly accentuat- ed during the August-September period of strong chubasco winds. In summer and fall the surface temperatures (approximately 30°C) throughout the Gulf approximate those of the eastern tropical Pacific and in winter remain above 18-20°C to a latitude of about 25°N (Hubbs and Roden 1964, Robinson 1973). Most of the outer coast of Baja California, on the other hand, is generally dominated by the cool southward-moving California Current system and by areas of cold-water upwelling. As the California Current moves southward it veers progressively westward and below about 25°N the outer coast of Baja California receives warm northward-moving equatorial water for at least part of the year. Thus, while tropical marine faunas dominate the Gulf of California, they usually extend to only Bahia Magdalena on the outer coast ( Hubbs 1 960; Walker 1960; Thomson et al. 1979). North of 25°N latitude, the northward-moving current generally submerges to a depth greater than 200m. In certain years, however, it surfaces on the inshore side of the California Current during late fall and winter, particularly if north winds are weak. At times this warm counter-current, called the Davidson Cur- rent, may extend at the surface from Cabo San Lucas to Point Conception or beyond (Reid, Roden, and Wyllie 1958). It seems reasonable that individuals of P. platurus wou\d be recruited occasionally into this northward-moving current system. The movement into southern California waters of tropical marine species during the 1957-59 warm period was well documented by Radovich (1961). Similar northward incursions occurred in 1972-73 and 1976-77, the years when the sea snakes were found. A longnose puffer, Sphoeroides lobatus, was taken off California for the first time in December 1 972 ( Fitch 1 973 ) . At least five other southern species of fishes not normally found in California waters were taken in 1972-73 and six others in 1977 (Fitch and Schultz 1978, Fitch unpublished data). Unusually large numbers of the pelagic red crab, Pleuroncodes planipes, were observed off southern California in early February 1973 (Mais 1973) and great numbers washed ashore onto the beaches. Pelagic red crabs also were SEA SNAKE OCCURRENCES 175 seen in southern California waters in large numbers in the 1957-59 warm period (Radovich 1961) but quantities seen in 1973 appeared greater (Mais 1973). Normally P/euroncodes occurs in waters south of central Baja California. These occurrences further suggest an association between the northward incursion of warm southern water and the yellow-bellied sea snake records reported here. Data from La Jolla (Scripps Pier; lat 32°52'N ) indicate that ocean temperatures off southern California were above average during the years and months in which the two specimens of P. platurus were recently taken along the outer coast of Baja California. The mean annual surface temperature at La Jolla for 1917- 1978 is 16.85°C ( ±0.07), with a range of annual means of 1 5.53-1 8.50°C. For 1 976, 1 977 and 1 978 the means were 1 7.76, 1 7.25 and 1 7.42°C, respectively, each higher than any year since the 1957-59 warm period (Radovich 1961). The recent Bahia Magdalena specimen was taken in January 1977, for which the mean La Jolla temperature was 1 6.22°C, 2.1 8°C above the 62 year January mean. The Bahia Blanca specimen was taken in November 1977, with a La Jolla mean of 17.38°C, 1.1 2°C above average. Although these temperature data are from hundreds of kilometres north of the two Baja California localities, they suggest that stronger than usual Davidson Current conditions prevailed along the outer coast at the time. The San Clemente specimen (23 November 1972) also was taken in a slightly warmer than average year. At La Jolla (70 km south of San Clemente) the November 1972 average temperature was 0.1 2°C above the 62-year average while the preceding 2 months were 0.1 9°C and 0.4rc above their respective means. It is possible that one or more of these sea snakes could have been transported northward accidentally or intentionally by man (e.g., aboard fishing vessels). However, the timing of the three occurrences and their congruence with avail- able information on temperature and the incursion of tropical species of fishes and invertebrates into southern California waters suggest natural oceanic disper- sal. Predation Other sea snakes (family Hydrophiidae) are commonly fed upon by large fishes, particuarly sharks, and by sea eagles, but predation on P. p/aturus appears to be extremely rare ( Heatwole 1 975, Kropach 1 975 ) . Examination of the stom- ach contents of 457 fishes representing 25 species of potential predators from the Gulf of Panama, where Pelamis is seasonally abundant, yielded no remains of the sea snake; and birds frequenting slicks with Pelamis were not observed to attack or pick up the snakes (Kropach 1975). Two attacks on Pelamis by sailfish or small marlins were described by Paulson (1967) but ingestion of the snakes was not observed, Wetmore (1965) reported seeing a frigate bird, Frigata magnificens, pick up a Pelamis, carry it for a short distance, and then drop it. An adult male leopard seal, Hydrunga leptonyx, collected in poor condition on a beach in New South Wales, Australia, was reported to have regurgitated a partly digested Pelamis (Heatwole and Finnie 1980). While the seal was almost certainly a naive or opportunistic predator on the sea snake, this represents the first verified account of predation on Pelamis in the wild and the first known instance of predation on any sea snake by a mammal. In the laboratory, Rubinioff and Kropach (1970) demonstrated that Pelamis 176 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME (alive, dead, skinned or in pieces) was strictly avoided by 10 species of eastern Pacific predatory fishes (even when the fishes were starved). Fishes of nine closely related Atlantic species attacked and occasionally ingested the snakes; three fishes died from resultant snake bites. Van Bruggen (1961 ) reported that an octopus in an aquarium attacked and ingested a 30-cm Pelamis. The regurgitation of the specimen of P. platurus (LACM 127002) by a puffer Sphoeroides cf. annulatus from Bahia Blanca represents the second reported occurrence to date of predation on this snake in nature. It is possible that the snake was scavenged, but the food habits of puffers and the freshness of the Pelamis at the time it was brought in suggest that the snake probably was alive when attacked and eaten. The exceptionally strong crushing plates in the mouths of puffers allow them to feed on a variety of armored organisms that are unavail- able to most other fishes (e.g., certain crustaceans, mollusks, sea urchins, brittle stars, polychaete worms, etc.; Hiatt and Strasburg 1960; Hobson, 1974; Shipp 1974). With this crushing mechanism and feeding strategy, it seems reasonable that large puffers might occasionally attack, crush, and swallow sea snakes. Nevertheless, predation on P. platurus by Sphoeroides is probably a rare occur- rence in spite of the widespread distribution of both species in the tropical eastern Pacific. This is due to the largely epipelagic habits of Pelamis as opposed to the primarily epibenthic habits of puffers. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS For information on museum records we thank J. Collins, M. Dodero, R. Drewes, H. Greene, F. McCullough, R. McDiarmid, M. Nickerson, J. Simmons, H. Voris and R. Zweifel. We thank I. Goyette, J. Kipping, and A. Reich for information and details on individual specimens and K. Mais, M. Stinson, and F. Wilkes for information on northern occurrence of certain species and temperature data. For helpful information and references or critical review of the manuscript we thank W. Culotta, W. Friedl, J. Graham, H. Heatwole, L. Hubbs, C. Swift, H. Voris, and J. Wright. LITERATURE CITED Cope, E. D. 1887. Catalogue of batrachians and reptiles of Central America and Mexico. Bull. U.S. Natl. Mus., 32:1-98. Dunson, W. A. and G. W. Ehlert. 1971. Effects of temperature, salinity and surface water flow on distribution of the sea snake Pelamis. Limnol. Oceanog., 16{6):845-853. Fitch, |. E. 1973. The longnose puffer, Sphoeroides lobatus (Steindachner) added to the marine fauna of Califor- nia. Bull. So. Calif. Acad. Sci., 72:163. Fitch, J. E. and S. A. Schultz. 1978. Some rare and unusual occurrences of fishes off California and Baja California. Calif. Fish Came, 64 (2): 74-92. Graham, ). B., I. Rubinoff and M. K. Hecht. 1971. Temperature physiology of the sea snake Pelamis platurus: An index of its colonization potential in the Atlantic Ocean. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., 68(6): 1360-1363. Heatwole, H. 1975. Predation on sea snakes, pages 223-249. In W. A. Dunson ed. The Biology of Sea Snakes. University Park Press, Baltimore. Heatwole, H., and E. P. Finnie. 1980. Seal predation on a sea snake. Herpetofauna, 11:24. Hecht, M. K., C. Kropach, and B. M. Hecht. 1974. Distribution of the yellow-bellied sea snake, Pelamis platurus, and its significance in relation to the fossil record. Herpetologica, 30(4): 387-396. Hiatt, R. W., and D. W. Strasburg. 1960. Ecological relationships of the fish fauna on coral reefs of the Marshall Islands. Ecol. Monogr,, 30:65-127. Hobson, E. S. 1974. Feeding relationships of teleostean fishes on coral reefs in Kona, Hawaii. Fishery Bull., 72(4):915-1031. Hubbs, C. L. 1960. The marine vertebrates of the outer coast Syst. Zool., 9: (3-4) 134-147. SEA SNAKE OCCURRENCES 177 Hubbs, C. L., and C. I. Roden. 1964. Oceanography and marine life along the Pacific coast of middle America, pages 43-186. In R. C. West ed. Handbook of Middle American Indians, Vol. 1, Natural environment and early cultures. Univ. of Texas Press, Austin. Kropach, C. 1975. The yellow-bellied sea snake, Pelamis, in the eastern Pacific, pages 185-213. //» W. A. Dunson ed. The Biology of sea snakes. University Park Press, Baltimore. Mais, K. 1973. Cruise report 73-A-1 . Fisheries resources sea survey. Calif. Resources Agency, Dept. Fish & Game, Marine Resources Region, Long Beach. 2 pp. Mimeographed report Mocquard, M. F. 1899. Contribution a la faune herpetologique de la Basse-California. Nouv. Arch. Mus. Hist. Nat, Paris. (Ser. 4) 1:297-344. Paulson, D. R. 1%7. Searching for sea serpents. Sea Frontiers, 13:244-250. Pickwell, G. V. 1972. The venomous sea snakes. Fauna, 4:17-32. Pickwell, G. V., and W. A. Culotta. 1980. Pelamis, P. platurvs. Cat Amer. Amphib. Rept: 255.1-255.4. Radovich, J. 1%1. Relationships of some marine organisms of the northeast Pacific to water temperatures particularly during 1957 through 1959. SUte of Calif. Dept. Fish and Game, Fish Bull., 112:1-62. Reid, J. L. Jr., G. I. Roden, and J. G. Wyllie. 1958. Studies of the California Current system. Calif. Coop. Oceanic Fisher. Investig., Prog. Rep., 1 July 1956 to 1 Jan. 1958: 27-56. Robinson, M.K.I 973. Atlas of monthly sea surface and subsurface temperatures in the Gulf of California, Mexico. San Diego Soc. Nat Hist Mem., 5:1-97. Rubinoff, I., and C. Kropach. 1970. Differential reactions of Atlantic and Pacific predators to sea snakes. Nature, 228 (5278): 1288-1290. Schmidt K. P. 1922. The amphibians and reptiles of Lower California and the neighboring islands. Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat Hist, 46(11):607-707. Shaw, C. E. 1%1. Snakes of the sea. Zoonooz (San Diego), 34(7) :3-5. Shipp, R. L. 1974. The pufferfishes (Tetradontidae) of the Atlantic Ocean. Publ. Gulf Coast Res. Lab. Mus., 4:1-163. Smith. H. M. 1943. Summary of the collections of snakes and crocodilians made in Mexico under the Walter Rathbone Bacon traveling scholarship. Proc. U.S. Natl. Mus., 93(3169):393-504. Strauch, A. 1873. Die Schlangen des Russischen Reichs in systematischer und zoogeographischer Beziehung. Mem. Acad. Imp. Sci. St-Peterbourg, Ser. 7, 21 (4):1-287. Thomson, D. A., L. T. Findley, and A. N. Kerstitch. 1979. Reef fishes of the Sea of Cortez. John Wiley, New York: 302 p. Townsend, C. H. 1916. Voyage of the 'Albatross' to the Gulf of California in 191 1. Bull. Anner. Mus. Nat Hist, 35(24) :399-476. Van Bruggen, A. C. 1%1. Pelamis platurus, an unusual item of food of Octopus spec. Basteria, 25:73-74. Walker, B. W. 1960. The distribution and affinities of the marine fish fauna of the Gulf of California. Syst Zool., 9(3-4):123-133. Wetmore, A. 1%5. The birds of the Republic of Panama, Part 1: Tinamidae (Tinamous) to Rynchopidae (Skimmers). Smithsonian Misc. Coll., 150:1-483. Zweifel, R. G. 1960. Results of the Puritan-American Museum of Natural History expedition to western Mexico. 9. Herpetology of the Tres Marias Islands. Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat Hist, 119(2):77-128(-(- 4 plates). 178 CALIFORNIA FISH AND CAME THELOHANIA COSITEJEASII PARASITISM OF THE CRAY- FISH, PACIFASTACUS LENIUSCULUS, IN CALIFORNIA ^ DARLENE MCCRIFF California Department of Fish and Canne Inland Fisheries Branch 1701 Nimbus Road Rancho Cordova, California 95670 and JOHN MODIN California Department of Fish and Game Fish Disease Laboratory 2111 Nimbus Road Rancho Cordova, California 95670 This is the first record of the occurrence of microsporidian parasite, Thelohania contejeani, from western North America, and the first report of infection in Pacifas- tacus leniusculus. Clinical symptoms observed in the crayfish are described, and the parasite is described microscopically from slides of the pansporoblasts and spores. The possible impacts of this new sighting of Thelohania contejeani ue discussed and recommendations for further research are given. INTRODUCTION Thelohania contejeani Henneguy is a microsporidian parasite of decapod crustaceans. First described in Europe in 1892, it is known to parasitize Astacus astacus\u Finland (Sumari and Westman 1969), Lithuania (Mazylis 1978), and the U.S.S.R. (Voronin 1971 ); Austropotamobius pallipes in Great Britain (Cos- sins and Bowler 1974, Brown and Bowler 1977); France (Vey and Vago 1973), Germany (Schaperclaus 1954), and Ireland (O'Keeffe and Reynolds, In press); Astacus leptodactylus \u Lithuania (Mazylis 1978) and Poland (Krucinska and Simon 1968); and Cambarus affinis \v\ Poland (Krucinska and Simon 1968). In addition, Thelohania sp. parasitism has been reported in Paranephrops zealand- /■ct/5 and P. planifronsUom New Zealand (Quilter 1976, Jones 1980) and Cherax destructor irony Victoria and New South Wales, Australia (Carstairs 1978). Records of microsporidiosis in North American crayfish are sparse. In the United States, Sprague (1950) described a new species of Thelohania, T cam- bari, in Cambarus bartoni, from streams along the Georgia/ North Carolina bor- der; in Louisiana, Sogandares-Bernal (1962) found Cambarellus puer '\niecied with Plistophora sp. and C. shufeldti \niected with Thelohania sp.; and Norton H. Hobbs Jr. (Senior Zoologist, Dept. of Invert. Zoo., Natl. Mus. Nat. Hist., Washington D.C., pers. commun.) found individuals of Orconectes virginiensis and Cambarus acuminatus from southeastern Virginia with opaque white ab- dominal muscles that he assumed were parasitized by Thelohania sp. In Canada, Orconectes virilis from Ontario are reported to be infected with Thelohania sp. (France, In press). This paper documents, for the first time, T. contejeani \r\ Pacifastacus lenius- culus leniusculus from the Stanislaus River in California. MATERIALS AND METHODS Crayfish were collected in the Stanislaus River at Parrots Ferry (Figure 1 ) on Accepted for publication August 1982. PARASITISM OF CRAYFISH 179 24 July 1979 as part of a study on the statewide distribution of crayfish in California. At the time the specimens were collected, this section of the Stanis- laus River was about 15 m wide, clear, and fast flowing with many riffles and pools. The bottom composition was about 50% sand and 50% rubble. The surface temperature was 18°C. / ^ ( LOCATION MAP T V F>< fOPjA 'Porrotts Ferry • STOCKTON .To the Delta CommerciOl fishing grounds • SONORA old Melones Res .Tulloch Reservoir STA NlS^ aus /?/'?. <> 0 10 Kilometers SCALE FIGURE 1. Map of the Stanislaus River showing collection locality for infected crayfish. Four crayfish were collected by hand while snorkeling among the rocks in about 1-2 m of water. They were sealed in a plastic bag and stored in an ice chest with ice and water until taken back to the laboratory and frozen. On 31 July 1979 the specimens were taken to the Department of Fish and Game's Fish Disease Laboratory for analysis. Wet mount preparations (coverslip scrapings of thawed abdominal muscle) examined under lOx, 40x, and 90x objectives on a Leitz Dialux phase contrast microscope revealed an apparent microsporidian infection. The specimens were then preserved in 50% isopropanol, and on 2 180 CALIFORNIA FISH AND CAME October 1980 similar preparations of the preserved abdominal muscle were made to obtain biometric data on spore and pansporoblast shape and size. All data were obtained at 900x using preserved material, a calibrated ocular mi- crometer, and phase contrast equipment. RESULTS The four crayfish were identified as P. I. leniusculus, following the nomencla- ture proposed by Hobbs (1972, 1974). When collected, three of the four crayfish had semisoft carapaces, indicating a fairly recent molt. They also appeared stressed and were weak and sluggish. Their abdominal muscles, visible through the sternum, were an opaque, milky white (Figure 2). FIGURE 2. Thelohania contejeani \niecled crayfish on the left showing the characteristic white, opaque abdominal muscles. Noninfected crayfish on the right. Photograph by Junior author. Microscopic examination of slides of the abdominal muscle revealed a heavy infection with spores and pansporoblasts of a microsporidian parasite. Each pansporoblast contained eight spores. As the number of spores per sporoblast is a generic characteristic (Cossins and Bowler 1974), the parasite was identified as Thelohania sp. The pansporoblasts are generally spherical with a mean diameter of 7.5 }x (range = 6.5 to 8.0 \x) (Figure 3). The oval spores, possessing a vacoule at one end, have a mean length of 3.4 jll (range = 3.0 to 3.8 \x) and a mean width of 2.2 jx (range = 2.0 to 2.4 /x) (Figure 3). The measurements given in the literature for T. contejeani pansporoblasts range from 5 to 9 ja; the length of the spore ranges from 2 to 4 jli, and the width ranges from 1 .5 to 2.3 jli ( Kudo 1 924, Cossins 1973, Cossins and Bowler 1974, Quilter 1976, Bulla and Cheng 1977). Because of the close clinical and biometrical similarities between this microsporidian and co/7^e/'e<3^/ infecting other crayfish, we identified this microsporidian as T. con- tejeani. PARASITISM OF CRAYFISH 181 FIGURE 3. Photograph (900x) of" phase contrast slide of preserved crayfish abdominal muscle showing the pansporoblasts and spores of a microsporidian parasite identified as Thelohania contejeani. Photograph by junior author. DISCUSSION Cossins (1973) states that such factors as waterflow, crayfish density, and the extent of cannibalism may affect the spread of T. contejeani. With the comple- tion of New Melones Dam, the lotic habitat of the Stanislaus River supporting the Thelohania infected population has been transformed into a lentic habitat. The level of the old Melones Reservoir at maximum storage (Figure 1 ) was 224 m above sea level and the capture site is 247 m above sea level. The maximum storage expected behind the New Melones Dam during 1982 will raise the reservoir level to 283 m, and the minimum expected storage will drop the reservoir level to 257 m (U.S. Dept. of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, unpubl. data). Not enough is known about the environmental parameters that affect Thelohania to predict how this habitat change will effect the level of infection in the crayfish population or the possible spread of Thelohania to other crayfish populations. This is the first record of the occurrence of T. contejeani hom western North America and the first report of infection in a member of the genus Pacifastacus. If past trends are repeated, T. contejeani ca^u be expected to spread downstream to the Delta population of P. leniusculus where it may have an adverse impact on the commercial fishery. The capture site is separated from the commercial fishing grounds of the Delta by two dams and about 200 km of river. The disease is apparently not now present in the Delta. Over 30,000 P. leniusculus from the commercial catch in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta were measured and sexed at processing plants between 1975 and 1980, with no sign of Thelohania parasitism. Locality records of Thelohania sp. indicate clustering. Quilter (1976) found Paranephrops zealandicus on the South Island of New Zealand infected with T contejeani in 1974 and concluded that the distribution of the parasite was 182 CALIFORNIA FISH AND CAME restricted. However, by 1977 P. planifronsirorr\ the North Island of New Zealand was found to be infected with Thelohania sp. (Jones 1980). T. contejeani was not known in Finland until 1 965, but between 1 965 and 1 969 it was reported from four different waterways (Sumari and Westman 1969). This clustering of new sightings may simply be an artifact of increased crayfish research and exploita- tion rather than new introductions of the parasite. The levels of infection reported in the literature range from 0.3 to 30% (Scha- perclaus 1954, Vey and Vago 1973, Cossins and Bowler 1974, Quilter 1976, Carstairs 1978, Mazylis 1978, Jones 1980, France, In press, O'Keeffe and Rey- nolds, In press). However, O'Keeffe and Reynolds (In press), using microscopic examination, found that 40% of Austropotamobius pallipes infected with Thelo- hania in Ireland eluded detection by macroscopic examination. Therefore, the figures given may be underestimates. All individuals infected with Thelohania apparently die. However, the time required for the disease to run its course is unknown, but it may be lengthy. In Lithuania, experimentally infected individuals took 5 to 6 months to exhibit clinical symptoms, and they could feed, molt, and remain vigorous for up to a year in captivity before dying (Mazylis 1978). Detailed and controlled experi- ments are needed to establish the exact environmental and biological factors that affect the parasite and the susceptibility of crayfish to it. LITERATURE CITED Brown, D. )., and K. Bowler. 1977. A population study of the British freshwater crayfish Austropotamobius pallipes (Lereboullet). Pages 33—49 inO. V. Lindqvist, ed. Freshwater Crayfish 3. Univ. of Kuopio, Kuopio, Finland. 504 p. Bulla, L. A. Jr., and T. C. Cheng (eds. ) . 1 977. Comparative pathiobiology. Vol. 2. Systematics of the microsporidia. Plenum Press, New York. 510 p. Carstairs, I. L. 1978. Report of microsporidia! infestation of the freshwater crayfish, Cherax destructor. Pages 343-348 in P. J. Laurent, ed. Freshwater Crayfish 4. Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Thonon- les-Balns, France. 473 p. Cossins, A. R. 1973. Thelohania contejeani Henneguy, microspyoridian parasite of Austropotamobius pallipes Lereboullet — an histological and ultrastructure study. Pages 151-164 in S.A.A. Abrahamsson, ed. Freshwater Crayfish. Studentlitteratur, Lund, Sweden. 252 p. Cossins, A. R., and K. Bowler. 1974. A histological and ultrastructural study of Thelohania conte/eani Heone^uy, 1892 (Nosematidae). Microsporidian parasite of the crayfish Austropotamobius pallipes Lereboullet. Parasitology, 68:81-91. France, R. L. In press. Response of the crayfish Orconectes virilisio experimental whole-lake acidification in the ExF)erimental Lakes Area, northwestern Ontario, in C. R. Goldman, ed. Freshwater Crayfish 5. Hobbs, H. H. Jr. 1972. Crayfishes (Astacidae of north and middle America. Biota of Freshwater Ecosystems. Identification Manual No. 9. Environ. Protection Agency, Washington, D.C. 1973 p. 1974. A checklist of the north and middle American crayfishes (Decapoda: Astacidae and Cambaridae) . Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology No. 166. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C. 161 p. Jones, J. B. 1980. Freshwater crayfish Paranephrops planifrons infected with the microsporidian Thelohania. New Zealand J. of Mar. and Freshw. Res., 14(1):45-46. Krucinska, J., and E. Simon. 1968. On the parasites and epibionts of the branchial cavity in crayfish at Wroclaw and vicinity. Przeglad Zoologiczny, 12:288-290. (In Polish; English summary.) Kudo, R. R. 1924. A biologic and taxonomic study of the microsporidia. III. Biol. Monogr., 9(2 and 3):1-268. Mazylis, A. 1978. On Astacus astacus L. infected with Thelohania contejeani Henneguy. Pages 471—473 in P. J. Laurent, ed. Freshwater Crayfish 4. Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique. Thonon-les-Bains, France. 473 p. O'Keeffe, C, and J. D. Reynolds. In press. The occurrence of crayfish diseases and their significance in Ireland, in C. R. Goldman, ed. Freshwater Crayfish 5. Quilter, C. G. 1976. Microsporidian parasite Thelohania contejeani Henneguy from New Zealand freshwater crayfish. New Zealand J. Mar. Freshw. Res., 10(1 );225-231. Schaperclaus, W. 1954. "Fischkrankheiten". 3 Auflage. Akademie-Verlog, Berlin. 708 p. PARASITISM OF CRAYFISH 183 Sogandares-Bernal, F. 1962. Presumable microsporidiosis in the dwarf crayfishes Cambarellus puer Hobbs and C. shufeldti (Faxon) in Louisiana. J. Parasitology, 48(3) :493. Sprague, V. 1950. Thelohania cambarin. sp., a microsporidian parasite of North American crayfish. J. Parasitolo- gy, 35(6):46. Sumari, O., and K. Westman. 1%9. The crayfish parasite Thelohania contejeani Henne%uy (Sporozoa, Microspo- ridia) found in Finland. Ann. Zool. Fennici, 7:193-194. Vey, A., and C. Vago. 1973. Protozoan and fungal diseases of Austropotamobius pallipes Lereboullet in France. Pages 165-179 in S.A.A. Abrahamsson, ed. Freshwater Crayfish. Studentlitteratur, Lund, Sweden. 252 p. Voronin, V. N. 1971. New data on microsporidiosis of the crawfish, Astacus astacus (L. 1758). Parazitologya, 5(2):186-191. (In Russian; English summary.) 184 CALIFORNIA FISH AND CAME Calif. Fish and Game 69 ( 3 ): 1 84-1 92 1 983 NOTES FOOD HABITS OF COYOTES, CANIS LATRANS, IN EAST- ERN TEHAMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA An investigation of the food habits of a relatively dense (0.5/km^ Barrett unpubl. data) coyote population was carried out on a 13,000-ha study area apprpximately 20 km southeast of Red Bluff. The area is a Sierra Nevada foothill woodland dominated by blue oak, Quercus douglasi (Barrett 1978). The pur- pose of the study was to determine the degree to which coyotes on the Dye Creek Ranch might be relying on feral pigs, Sus scrofa, as prey items. From June 1967 through September 1969, 1,042 fresh coyote scats were collected primarily along dirt roads and trails. Each scat was dated by season (spring — March through May, summer — ^June through August, fall — September through November, winter — December through February) and dried for stor- age. Dried scats were broken apart and the predominant food items recorded (Korschgen 1969) The majority of scats contained a single food item. The major patterns re- vealed are: (i) coyote foods in the dry summer and fall seasons were primarily fruits from relatively uncommon shrubs; (ii) carrion of ungulates (including livestock, mule deer, Odocoileus hem/onus, and pigs) composed roughly half the winter and spring diets, and (iii) rodents composed a relatively constant proportion of the diet throughout the year ( Figure 1 and Table 1 ) . Livestock and deer were not available during the dry season, while pig carrion, particularly that of very young piglets, was relatively common at that time. However, pig remains were slightly more common in wet-season than dry-season scats. Most of the ungulate material was probably eaten as carrion, as was evidenced by the presence of mummified hide or maggot remains in the scats. Rabbits are a dominant food item throughout most of the coyote's range (Beckoff 1978), but thev are rare at Dye Creek, accounting for their scarcity in this study. Spring Summer Fall FIGURE 1. Food nabits of coyotes in eastern Tehama County, California. Winter NOTES 185 TABLE 1. Seasonal Food Habits of Coyotes in Eastern Tehama County Indicated by the Percent Relative Frequency of Occurrence of Food Items in 1042 Scats. Percent relative frequency or occurrence Food items Spring (76) ' Summer (487) ' Fall (476) ' Winter (12) Annual average Rodents 45.5 19.0 13.0 33.3 27.7 Thomomys bottae' Dipodomys heermani Peromyscus maniculatus Neotoma fuscipes Spermophilus beecheyi Erethizon dorsatum Rabbits 5.5 4.0 2,0 0.0 2.9 Lepus califomicus Carnivores 3.0 0.8 0.6 0.0 1.1 Canis latrans Canis familiaris Urocyon cinereoargenteus Lynx rufus Procyon lotor Mephitis mephitis Ungulates Susscrofa 14.5 5.7 S.4 25.0 12.7 Odocoileus hemionus 18.5 0.0 0.2 25.0 10.9 Bostaurus 1.5 0.0 0.0 16.7 4.5 Ovis aires 1.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.4 Birds 5.5 2.5 1.7 0.0 2.4 Reptiles 3.0 1.0 0.6 0.0 1.2 Fish 0.0 0.8 0.4 0.0 0.3 Invertebrates 1.5 5.2 0.8 0.0 1.9 Grasshoppers Beetles Snails ANIMAL TOTAL 100.0 39.0 24.7 100.0 66.0 Fruits Arctostaphylos manzanita 0.0 37.0 40.6 0.0 19.4 Rhamnus californica 0.0 6.0 18.0 0.0 6.0 Juniperus californica 0.0 17.0 2.0 0.0 4.7 Vitis californica 0.0 0.0 10.5 0.0 2.6 Ceanothus cuneatus 0.0 0.0 1.7 0.0 0.4 Cercis occidentalis 0.0 0.0 0.4 0.0 0.1 Green grass 0.0 1.0 2.1 0.0 0.8 VEGETABLE TOTAL 0.0 61.0 75.3 0.0 34.0 ' Sample size ' Within categories, species are listed in order of decreasing relative frequency of occurrence Preferred coyote foods were most limited in the summer and fall. This was corroborated by observations of very thirt coyotes with a high incidence of mange in these seasons. Although they sampled no coyotes in Tehama County, Ferrel, Leach, and Tillotson (1953) studied coyote food habits in the "Inland-Sierra Region" and had results similar to mine, but they found a much less pronounced shift to vegetable foods in the dry season. In the Lava Beds National Monument, Bond (1939) also found a high utilization of fruits during the summer. Wild pigs have increased dramatically in California since the 1953 study 186 CALIFORNIA FISH AND CAME ( Barrett 1977) . It is likely that they are now utilized by coyotes throughout many parts of the state, although wild pigs were not listed as coyote food by Ferrel etal. (1953). LITERATURE CITED Barrett, R. H. 1977. Wild pigs in California. Pages 111-113 in C. E. Wood, ed. Research and management of wild hog populations, proceedings of a symposium. Belle W. Baruch Forest Science Institute, Clemson University, Georgetown, South Carolina. 113 p. 1978. The feral hog on the Dye Creek Ranch, California. Hilgardia, 46(9);283-355. Beckoff, M., ed. 1978. Coyotes: biology, behavior and management. Academic Press, N. Y. 384 p. Bond, R. M. 1939. Coyote food habits on the Lava Beds National Monument. J. Wildl. Manage., 3(3):180-198. Ferrel, C. M., H. R. Leach, and D. F. Tillotson. 1953. Food habits of the coyote in California. Calif. Fish Came, 39(3): 301-343. Korschgen, L. j. 1%9. Procedures for food-habits analyses. Pages 233-250 in R. H. Giles, Jr., ed. Wildlife manage- ment techniques. The Wildlife Society, Washington, D. C. 623 p. — Reginald H. Barrett, Department of Forestry and Resource Management, Uni- versity of California, Berkeley, California, 94720. Accepted for publication February 1982. A STUDY OF THE EFFECTS OF BOLERO 10G ® ON THE MOUNTAIN GARTER SNAKE, THAMNOPHIS ELEGANS ELEGANS The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency granted California an emergency exemption (Section 18 of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act) in April 1981. The exemption allowed Bolero lOG ® to be used to control sprangletop and barnyard grass in rice cultivation. The supplemental label in- cluded the statement, "Before permits are granted, the Pesticide Investigations Unit of the Department of Fish and Game must be consulted at (916) 445-0154 to determine if any rare or endangered species will be adversely affected." The giant garter snake, Thamnophis couchi gigas, is the one rare species which occurs in the rice growing region. No data were available to ascertain whether this animal would be adversely affected by use of the herbicide. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of Bolero IOC ® on garter snakes in order to fulfill the intent of the label restriction. MATERIALS AND METHODS Bolero IOC ® is a granular herbicide. The formulated product contains 10% thiobencarb. Aerial applications occur in spring when rice is in the two-leaf stage and target weeds are susceptible. Carter snakes may be exposed to thiobencarb either directly or through the food chain. The mountain garter snake, which occurs within the range of the giant garter snake, was chosen as the test animal to examine the two possible modes of exposure. It was considered inappropriate to utilize the giant garter snake for the tests because of its scarcity. The metabo- lism of thiobencarb in the mountain and giant garter snakes is assumed to be similar. Mountain garter snakes were collected on 28 April 1981 from Rancho Seco Lake, Sacramento County. Snakes were held in terraria at the Department of Fish and Came Field Station. They were fed, ad libitum, live golden shiners weighing about 1g each. They were hand-fed thawed frozen squawfish and live golden shiners in preparation for feeding and exposure trials. Bolero IOC ® was adminis- tered orally in gelatin capsules implanted in fish to establish an approximate acute toxicity level. NOTES 187 Data indicate accumulations of approximately 100 ppm (100 mg/kg) of thi- obencarb are possible in fish (Chevron Chemical Company, unpub data). The exposure to a typical 200-g garter snake would be about 1 .5 mg/kg if it ate three small fish containing this level. LABORATORY STUDIES Five feeding studies v^ere conducted. One was a control, testing the proce- dure with an inert ingredient. Snakes were held for 10 to 16 days after feeding trials for observation of short-term effects. Individual snakes were identified by marking with nail polish. FIELD STUDIES Snakes were taken to a field treated with Bolero lOG ®. An aerial application of approximately 45 kg/ ha occurred 2 hours before placement of the snakes. The theoretical maximum dissolved water concentration would be in the range of 4.5 to 3 mg/1 thiobencarb when water is 10 to 15 cm in depth. Two live-cars containing one snake each were placed at the edge of a treated field. Two others, also containing a snake each were placed in the field's untreated water supply ditch as a control. The locations of the traps were adjusted as necessary for fluctuating water levels. The snakes were removed after 5 days exposure and held in the laboratory for an additional 8 days for observation of short-term delayed effects. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION No mortalities were observed in either laboratory or field tests. In a field situation, for example, a snake could be exposed to fish which have accumulat- ed up to 100 ppm in their tissue. Since a small fish weights about one gram, and a snake might consume three of these in a day, an exposure would be to 0.3 mg thiobencarb. We conclude the possibility of a direct acute effect is minimal (Table 1 ) since no mortalities were observed in dosage levels approximately 160 times this expected dose. TABLE 1. Results of Single-Dose Oral Exposure of Mountain Garter Snakes to Bolero 10G ® (thiobencarb). Test No. 1 2 3 4 5 Weight of snake Thiobencarb Rate (kg) dose (mg) (mg/kg) Results .202 0' 0 Negative .202 32 158 Negative .055 -20 -364 Negative .108 30 277 Negative .077 48 623 Negative 'inert ingredients only as a control. ACKNOWLEDGMENT The use of rice fields for field trials was permitted by the Demeter Corporation of Woodland, California. — £ £ Littrell, California Department of Fish and Came, Pesticide Investigations Unit, 1701 Nimbus Road, Suite F, Rancho Cordova, CA 95670. Accepted for publication, March 1982. 188 CALIFORNIA FISH AND CAME SMOKED ALUMINUM TRACK PLOTS FOR DETERMINING FURBEARER DISTRIBUTION AND RELATIVE ABUNDANCE As part of a long-term effort to develop a wildlife survey system for California, a cooperative project between the University of California, the U. S. Forest Service, the California Department of Fish and Game, and the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service was carried out during 1979 and 1980 to develop and test techniques for assessing the distribution and relative abundance of furbearers in the Sierra Nevada. The techniques must be applicable to all types of terrain at all seasons of the year. They must be efficient in terms of time and labor and be suitable for sampling a wide range of furbearers, inducing mustelids, canids, felids, and procyonids. The most widely used technique for this purpose has involved attracting animals to bait or scent and recording visits by detecting tracks in fine soil or snow surrounding the bait station (Cook 1949; Richards and Hine 1953; Stains 1956; Wood 1959; Pimlott, Shannon, and Kolenosky 1969; Bamford 1970; Linhart and Knowlton 1975; Lindzey, Thompson, and Hodges 1977). Live-trapping methods are relatively expensive, and methods by which observers count tracks while walking transects in snow (Ruff 1939, Priklonski 1970) produce extremely variable results. During the summer of 1979 the dirt track plot method (Linhart and Knowlton 1975) was tried on a 71 -km ^ portion of the Inyo National Forest extending from Owens Valley west to the Sierra Crest. One plot was located within 100 m of the center of each 1000-m cell of the UTM grid (Myers and Shelton 1980:160). Powdered rotten egg capsules, provided by the Fish and Wildlife Service, were randomly allocated to half the plots, and a bait consisting of decomposed fish and cod-liver oil was allocated to the remainder. The latter bait was smeared on a stick placed in the track plot. Coyotes visited only plots with egg scent. No other animals displayed a significant preference for one attractant. The plots were checked five times at 2-day intervals. Despite the generally inaccessible location, two technicians were able to run 16 plots in 14 days, including 2 days for travel to and from the study area. After 21 plots were established it was clear that the use of fine sand or soil was inappropriate. The local soils were too rocky and transporting in soil was not feasible. Consequently, the technique of smoking a hard, smooth surface with a kero- sene-benzene flame, as used in small mammal studies ( Mayer 1 957, Justice 1 961 , Sheppe 1965, Marten 1972, M'Closkey 1975), was adapted by using two 814 X 407 X 0.6 mm aluminum panels for the tracking surface. Normally the aluminum was packed to the plot and smoked on site using an 80-cm aluminum wand with a cotton wick on one end-to hold the kerosene-benzene mixture. The mixutre was transported in an aluminum bottle. After a 1-m radius plot was cleared to mineral soil and leveled, the aluminum panels were smoked by placing each on a 200 X 2000 mm strip of aluminum lawn border material which had been bent in a semicircle. The burning wand was passed back and forth under the panel until a solid layer of soot was deposited on it. The panels could be smoked elsewhere and transported to the plots in a box with slots to keep the panels from NOTES 189 rubbing against each other. One person can pack materials for up to 10 plots, although normally only 4 to 5 plots were visted per day. Other potential tracking mediums include ink (Lord et al. 1970) and liquid talc (Brown 1969). These would eliminate the fire hazard but are more difficult to remove than soot, which can be simply polished off with fine steel wool. The smoked aluminum plots worked well except in rain. Tracks of even the smallest mammals were readily observed. Most tracks were extremely clear and easily identified. Fifteen species of mammals were recorded, including fisher, Martes pennant/) marten, Maries amencana; striped skunk. Mephitis mephitis; long-tailed weasel, Muste/a frenata; coyote, Canis iatrans; and bobcat. Lynx rufus. Although suitable for the relatively dry summer season, the large ground plots are inappropriate for winter surveys. A smaller version of the smoked aluminum panel (458 X 165 X 0.6 mm) was used inside a plywood box mounted on the trunk of a tree. This design was intended specifically for a winter survey of marten in a 2500-ha portion of the Sagehen Creek basin within the Tahoe National Forest. The boxes were intended to hold live traps as well as tracking panels. Each of the 53 boxes was located at the center of a 200-m cell of the UTM grid. Sample cells were chosen in a random start, systematic fashion ( Myers and Shelton 1 980) . One technician ran all the plots semimonthly ( 1 5 ± 3 days) from January through June 1980. Nine full days were required when deep snow necessitated using snowshoes or skis, while later in the season, when a vehicle could be used, the same work could be accomplished in 4 to 5 days. Occasionally, heavy snowfall damaged the boxes; however, in general they were very effective for detecting martens in winter when baited with raw fish. A test without bait for two periods resulted in a reduction in estimated relative density (Bamford 1970) of 15% relative to two previous baited periods. Other species detected included flying squirrels, Glaucomys sabrinus; Douglas squir- rels, Tamiasciurus dougiasii; deer mice, Peromyscus manicuiatus; and porcu- pine, Erethizon dorsatum. Coyotes, raccoons, Procyon lotor, and bobcats, Lynx rufus, were the only other furbearers in the area but they could not be sampled by these relatively small boxes located on tree trunks. To assess pine marten sampling methods, a comparison was made between the tracking boxes and a hair snare (Department of Fish and Game, Sacra- mento). The hair snares consisted of 610 X 254 mm cylinders of welded mesh wire containing coils of barbed wire and a bait box of hardware cloth. Snares were attached vertically to tree trunks. Animals reaching for the bait would catch tufts of hair in the barbed wire. The hair was collected and identified microscopi- cally by comparison with a reference collection. Thirty-nine hair snares were interspersed with 42 tracking boxes, all using the same fish bait and checked at the same intervals. The tracking boxes were considerably more efficient than the hair snares (Table 1 ) . The cumulative percentage of pfots visited by martens was 64 for the boxes and 38 for the snares. No doubt many of these visitation records represent repeated visits by the same individual; nevertheless, since the tracking box visitation rate stablized after only four tracking periods at a level nearly twice as great as that for the hair snares, the boxes provide more data per unit of effort. Hair snares might be more appropriate for sampling larger species where plots cannot be checked at intervals of less than a month. For winter surveys of pine 190 CALIFORNIA FISH AND CAME marten and similar sized furbearers, the tracking boxes are recommended if the plots can be run at least semimonthly. TABLE 1. Relative Efficiency of Hair Snares and Tracking Boxes for Assessment of Pine Marten Distribution and Relative Abundance. Hair snare Tracking box Number of plots 39 42 Semimonthly periods sampled 11 11 Cumulative percentage of plots visited by martens 7 34 Relative density estimate (see Bamford 1970) 0.49 1.03 LITERATURE CITED Bamford, ). 1970. Evaluating opossum poisoning operations by interference with non-toxic baits. Proc. New Zealand Ecol. Soc., 17:118-125. Brown, L. E. 1969. Field experiments on the movements of Apodemus sylvaticus using trapping and tracking techniques. Oecologia, 2:198-222. Cook, A. H. 1949. Furbearer investigations. New York State Conservation Dept. PR Proj. 1-R, Suppl. G. Final Rep. 57 p. Justice, K. E. 1961. A new method of measuring home ranges of small mammals. ). Mammal., 42:462-470. Lindzey, F. C, S. K. Thompson, and J. I. Hodges. 1977. Scent station index of black bear abundance. J. Wildl. Manage., 41:151-153. Linhart, S. B., and F. F. Knowlton. 1975. Determining the relative abundance of coyotes by scent station lines. Wildl. Soc. Bull., 3:119-124. Lord, R. D., A. M. Vilches, J. I. Maiztegui, and C. A. Soldini. 1 970. The tracking board: A relative census technique for studying rodents. ). Mammal., 51:828-829. Marten, C. C. 1972. Censusing mouse populations by means of tracking. Ecology, 53:860:867. Mayer, M. V. 1957. A method for determining the activity of burrowing mammals. |. Mammal., 38:531. M'Closkey, R. T. 1 975. Habitat dimensions of white-footed mice, Peromyscus leucopus. Am. Midi. Nat., 93:1 59- 167. Myers, W. L., and R. L. Shelton, 1980. Survey methods for ecosystem management. John Wiley and Sons, N. Y. 403 p. Pimlott, D. H., J. A. Shannon, and C. B. Kolenosky. 1969. The ecology of the timber wolf in Algonquin Provincial Park. Ontario Dep. Lands and Forests. 92 p. Priklonski, S. G. 1970. Winter transect count of game animals. Trans. Int. Congr. Game Biol., 9:273-275. Richards, S. H., and R. L. Hine. 1953. Wisconsin fox populations. Wisconsin Conserv. Dep., Game Manage, Div., Tech. Wildl. Bull. 6 78 p. Ruff, F. J. 1939. Region 8 techniques of wildlife inventory. Trans. N. Am. Wildl. Conf., 4:542-545. Sheppe, W. 1965. Characteristics and uses of Peromyscus tracking data. Ecology, 46:630-634. Stains, H. J. 1956. The raccoon in Kansas; natural history, management and economic importance. Univ. Kansas Mus. Natur. Hist, and State Biol. Survey of Kansas, Misc. Publ. 10 76 p. Wood, J. E. 1959. Relative estimates of fox population levels. |. Wildl. Manage., 23:53-63. — Reginald H. Barrett, Department of Forestry and Resource Management, Uni- versity of California, Berkeley, California 94720. Accepted for publication February 1982. AVIAN CHOLERA IN AN AMERICAN FLAMINGO, PHOENICOPTERUS RUBER: A NEW HOST RECORD During January-March 1979, an avian cholera epizootic at the south end of the Salton Sea in southern California killed an estimated 3,800 waterfowl, shore- birds, and wading birds. On 12 February, an American Flamingo carcass was found during disease surveillance and control activities by personnel of Salton NOTES 191 Sea National Wildlife Refuge (SSNWR). The bird was probably one of two flanningos periodically observed in the area during the previous year and was suspected to have escaped from a captive flock (L. Dean, SSNWR, pers. com- mun.). The carcass was submitted to the National Wildlife Health Laboratory (NWHL), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Madison, Wisconsin, for determination of cause of death. The bird had abundant deposits of subcutaneous, mesenteric, and coronary fat. Petechial hemorrhages were evident on the coronary fat, pancreas, and mucosal surface of the proventriculus and intestine. Intestinal contents were gray and mucoid. The liver appeared swollen and fatty; focal necrosis was not evident. Pasteurella multocida, the causative organism of avian cholera, was cultured from the liver and spleen. The isolate was identified as serotype I (Heddleston's scheme) by standard agar gel diffusion test at the National Veterinary Services Laboratory, Ames, Iowa. This serotype is found commonly in waterfowl epizoot- ics in the Pacific Flyway (NWHL, unpubl. records). Tissues stained with hematoxylin and eosin disclosed a mild periportal inflam- matory cell infiltration in the liver. Pale basophilic particulate material in tissues surrounding vessels of the liver and spleen was believed to represent bacteria; there was no evidence of an inflammatory reaction to this material. Acute vacuolar degeneration of endothelial cells of blood vessels and surrounding reticuloendothelial cells of the spleen was observed. We speculate that the vascular changes observed represent a peracute toxic response to P. multocida. The absence of an inflammatory response to the bacteria within the liver and spleen supports this contention. This case is the first reported occurrence of avian cholera in a flamingo, and adds to the large number of avian species known to be susceptible to this disease (Rosen 1971, Wilson 1979). In this instance, the specimen was of presumed captive origin and outside the natural range of the species. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We thank L. Dean, Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge, for field collections and observations; and L. Siegfried, NWHL, for histopathology observations. LITERATURE CITED Rosen, M. N. 1971. Avian cholera. Pages 59-74 in). W. Davis, R. C. Anderson, L. Karstad, and D. O. Trainer (eds.) Infectious and Parasitic Diseases of Wild Birds. Iowa State Univ. Press, Ames, Iowa. 344 p. Wilson, S. S. 1979. A bibliography of references to avian cholera. U.S. Dept. Interior, Fish Wildl. Serv., Spec. Sci. Rep. 217:1-18. — Christopher J. Brand and Ruth M. Duncan, National Wildlife Health Labora- tory, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 6006 Schroeder Road, Madison, Wl 53711. Accepted for publication April 1982. REPRODUCTION OF ARCTIC GRAYLING, THYMALLUS ARCTICUS, IN THE LOBDELL LAKE SYSTEM, CALIFORNIA Arctic grayling were first brought to California and held at Sisson Hatchery (now Mt. Shasta Hatchery) in 1904 (Emig 1969). Several attempts to establish this species in California waters from 1905 to 1933 resulted in success only at Grayling Lake in Yosemite National Park (Emig 1969). The resultant population 192 CALIFORNIA FISH AND CAME apparently remained viable until 1934 (Shapovalov, Cordone, and Dill 1981). From 1969 to '•'^75, the California Department of Fish and Game stocked 58 high mountain lakes and one stream in an effort to reestablish Arctic grayling (A. Cordone, Senior Fishery Biologist, Calif. Dept. Fish and Game, pers. commun.). Good survival ard growth were documented at many of these waters but reproduction had not oecn confirmed (Shapovalov, Cordone, and Dill 1981). Included among these waters was Lobdell Lake, Mono County, a 19-ha reservoir with a mean depth of 7.5 m (at maximum pool) situated at the 2800 m elevation in the eastern Sierra Nevada. It was stocked with 500 catchable-sized Arctic gra/ling from Arizona in 1970; no subsequent plants have been made (A. Cor- done, pers. commun.). In May 1980, I collected a total of 12 Arctic grayling by angling from Lobdell Lake and its outlet stream, Desert Creek. This prompted more intensive sampling efforts in September 1980. A seine of 3-mm mesh size was used for sampling in Lobdell Lake, while a Smith-Root Type Seven electrofisher was utilized to sample two 45-m long sections of Desert Creek, beginning at 2 km and 3 km downstream from the Lake, respectively. Standard length was recorded and scales were obtained from each fish prior to release. Thirty-one fish collected from Desert Creek ranged in length from 76 to 107 mm, with a mean length of 88 mm. The 27 fish from Lobdell Lake ranged from 62 to 310 mm, with a mean of 120 mm. Based on scale analysis, all 31 fish from Desert Creek were age 0-I-. Seventeen of the Lobdell Lake fish were age 0+, nine were age 1 -I-, and one was age 2 + . Age 0+ Lobdell Lake fish ranged from 62 to 94 mm (x=80 mm), age 1 -|- fish ranged from 161 to 181 mm (x = 176 mm), and the age 2+ fish was 310 mm long. D. Wong, Fishery Biologist, Calif. Dept. Fish and Game (pers. commun.) also found evidence of natural reproduction by Arctic grayling in the Lobdell Lake system. In July 1980 at Lobdell Lake he collected seven age 1 + fish ranging from 155 to 170 mm fork length (fl) (x"= 162 mm), four age 2+ fish of 290 to 301 mm PL (X = 297 mm), and a 3-1- fish of 373 mm fl Consistent with these findings, Arctic grayling were observed spawning in the inlet stream, a channel routing water from Deep Creek to Lobdell Lake (E. Gerstung, Assoc. Fishery Biologist, Calif. Dept. Fish and Game, pers. commun.). Thus, it is apparent that the Lobdell Lake system contains a reproducing Arctic grayling population, the only such population known to exist in California. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish to thank K. Benecke, R. Burhans, J. Cech, B. Hilton, P. Moyle, B. Vondracek, and the AMAX Foundation for their help in this study. LITERATURE CITED Emig, J. W. 1%9. The Arctic grayling. Calif. Fish Came, Inland Fish. Admin. Rep. No. 69-5, 31 p. Shapovalov, L, A. J. Cordone, and W. A. Dill. 1981 . A list of the freshwater and anadromous fishes of California. Calif. Fish Came, 67 (1): 4-38. —Richard W. Rieber, Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Biology, University of California, Davis, California, 95616. Accepted for publication June 1982. PbotoelectTonic composition by CAUFOWOA OmCX or VTATK nUNTINC 77211-aK> 4-83 4M LDA 800007 ^ H m M a ^1 ex -A o Z Z 9 f 2 > ■• rn I r» 3D o ^v in ri r- X H ■« » ^1 m * s ^ — < 01 -« 33 c > o Z z » X 3» X > •4 -n o z O 2 X 3» -1 m 0 n > X Z O c C7 z s e> m -< » m * Z m D