Insect (Arthropoda: Insecta) Composition in the Diet of Ornate Box Turtles (Terrapene ornata ornata) in Two Western Illinois Sand Prairies, with a New State Record for Cyclocephala (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)

A study of fecal samples collected over a two-year period from juvenile ornate box turtles (Terrapene ornata ornata Agassiz) revealed diets consisting of six orders of insects representing 19 families. Turtles were reared in captivity from eggs harvested from local, wild populations, and released at two remnant prairies. Identifiable insect fragments were found in 94% of samples in 2013 (n=33) and 96% in 2014 (n=25). Frequency of occurrence of insects in turtle feces is similar to results reported in previous studies of midwestern Terrapene species. A comparison of insect composition presented no significant difference between release sites. There is no significant difference in consumed insect species between turtles released into or outside of a fenced enclosure at the same site. Specimens of Cyclocephala longula LeConte collected during this study represent a new state record for Illinois

Small Litter Sizes and Relative Clutch Mass of Northern Watersnakes (Nerodia sipedon sipedon) in Southwestern Ohio

Author Institution: Dept of Zoology, Miami UniversityRelative clutch mass (RCM), the ratio of total mass of a clutch to the postpartum body mass of the female, is considered by many a life history trait that indirectly quantifies reproductive effort in snakes. e Northern Watersnake (Nerodia sipedon sipedon) is one of the most abundant and widespread species of snake within Ohio. Litter sizes of N. s. sipedon have been reported to range between four and 99 and RCM values typically fall between 0.20 and 0.38. Two gravid N. s. sipedon were hand collected from Collins Creek (Butler County, Ohio) and maintained in the laboratory until parturition. Females gave birth to three and six neonates with RCM values of 0.108 and 0.120, respectively. The extremely small litter sizes and RCM values are, by far, the lowest ever recorded for this species in Ohio and throughout their entire North American range. This local population should be investigated further to determine if and how reproductive output is being depressed at Collins Creek

Heterodon nasicus

Number of Pages: 10Integrative BiologyGeological Science

Feeding behavior of crayfish snakes (Regina) : allometry, ontogeny and adaptations to an extremely specialized diet

Dietary specialists are often predicted to have specialized and stereotyped behaviors that increase the efficiency of foraging on their preferred prey, but which limit their ability to feed on nonpreferred prey. Although there is support for various aspects of this prediction, a number of studies suggest that specialists should not be characterized in such a simplified way. The purpose of this study was to describe the prey selectivity, prey handling behavior, and chemosensory behavior of crayfish snakes (Regina, Colubridae), which are extreme dietary specialists, and determine the effects of prey type, feeding experience and ontogeny. Museum specimens and field captured snakes, together with published data, were used to determine the effect of predator and prey size on prey selectivity in each species of Regina. Snakes were videotaped feeding on different prey to determine the effects of prey type and size on prey handling behavior, its efficiency and stereotypy. Finally, snakes born in captivity were raised on different diets to determine the effect of prey availability and prey type on the ontogeny of chemosensory behavior. This study confirmed the dietary specializations of Regina grahamii, R. septemvittata and R. alleni, and found that R. rigida, like R. alleni, includes odonate larvae in their diet as juveniles. Snake size and prey availability determines prey selection by R. alleni and R. rigida. This study also demonstrated that the relationships between dietary and behavioral specialization can be complex and depend on the characteristics of both the predator and its prey. For example, behavioral specializations in prey handling behavior were correlated with prey type rather than degree of dietary specialization. Hard crayfish required complex prey handling techniques, while soft crayfish did not. In R. alleni and R. rigida, such specialization appears to have permitted dietary expansion rather than restriction. Also, experience improved both prey handling efficiency and stereotypy irrespective of prey type consumed. As predicted the chemosensory response of each Regina species was greatest toward species characteristic prey. However, prey availability and type influenced these responses. In particular, R. septemvittata increased its chemosensory response toward hard crayfish (nonpreferred prey) when not permitted to eat soft crayfish

A STUDY OF THE DEFENSIVE BEHAVIORS OF FREE-RANGING DEKAY’S BROWNSNAKES, STORERIA DEKAYI (HOLBROOK, 1836)

The defensive behaviors of free-ranging Dekay’s Brownsnakes, Storeria dekayi, were studied at a site in Erie County, Pennsylvania, USA. Twenty-nine unique sequences of defensive behavior were documented. A total of 50 individual snakes (26 males and 24 females) provided 88 observations during the initial phase, of which 78% (n = 69) were of snakes that remained in place. Snakes were tapped with the investigator’s hand to elicit defensive behaviors during the contact phase. Snakes were more than twice as likely to attempt to flee during the contact phase (46%) than during the initial phase (22%). During the contact phase, mean surface body temperatures were significantly higher in snakes attempting to flee (22.3 ± 1.3 °C) than those that remained in place (16.1 ± 2.2 °C). The most frequently observed response during the contact phase was dorso-ventral flattening of the head and body (n = 42). During capture, most snakes (94%) smeared their cloacal contents on themselves and the investigator’s hand

Storeria occipitomaculata

Number of Pages: 8Integrative BiologyGeological Science

Hexagon- 1965, v. 2, n. 1

https://neiudc.neiu.edu/hexagon/1004/thumbnail.jp

Regina grahamii

Number of pages=40Geological SciencesIntegrative Biolog

Stars in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field

We identified 46 unresolved source candidates in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field, down to i775 = 29.5. Unresolved objects were identified using a parameter S, which measures the deviation from the curve-of-growth of a point source. Extensive testing of this parameter was carried out, including the effects of decreasing signal-to-noise and of the apparent motions of stars, which demonstrated that stars brighter than i775 = 27.0 could be robustly identified. Low resolution grism spectra of the 28 objects brighter than i775 = 27.0 identify 18 M and later stellar type dwarfs, 2 candidate L-dwarfs, 2 QSOs, and 4 white dwarfs. Using the observed population of dwarfs with spectral type M4 or later, we derive a Galactic disk scale height of 400 \pm 100 pc for M and L stars. The local white dwarf density is computed to be as high as (1.1 \pm 0.3) x10^(-2) stars/pc^3. Based on observations taken 73 days apart, we determined that no object in the field has a proper motion larger than 0.027"/year (3 sigma detection limit). No high velocity white dwarfs were identified in the HUDF, and all four candidates appear more likely to be part of the Galactic thick disk. The lack of detected halo white dwarfs implies that, if the dark matter halo is 12 Gyr old, white dwarfs account for less than 10% of the dark matter halo mass.Comment: 35 pages, 11 figures, accepted by Ap