This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles via https://www.zenscientist.com/index.php/pdflibrary2/func-finishdown/129/This research was sponsored by the Gates Cambridge Trust

Logan, Corina J

Montero, Christopher

Apollo (Cambridge)

Herpetological Review 40(3), 2009352infection site: stomach, small intestine (prevalence = 9%, 5.0) and Seuratoidea gen. sp. (larvae in cysts), infection site: stomach wall (prevalence = 36%, mean intensity = 12.8 ± 12.6, range = 2–26). Voucher nematodes were deposited in the United States National Parasite Collection, (USNPC), Beltsville, Maryland as: Spauligodon xenosauri (USNPC 101562); Physaloptera sp. as 3rd stage larvae (USNPC 101563), and Seuratoidea gen. sp. (USNPC 101564).  Spauligodon xenosauri was described from Xenosaurus platy-ceps from Tamaulipas, Mexico by Bursey et al. (2007. Zootaxa 1501:65–68). Xenosaurus grandis is the second host known to harbor it. Spauligodon xenosauri is a member of the Oxyuroidea, which infect hosts directly (Anderson 2000. Nematode Parasites of Vertebrates. Their Development and Transmission. CABI Pub-lishing, Oxfordshire, UK, 650 pp.). Infection likely occurs when lizards lick substrate on which eggs are present (see Goldberg and Bursey 1992. J. Parasitol. 78:539–541). Physaloptera retusa is a common parasite in lizards of Mexico and North America and requires an insect intermediate host (Bursey et al. 2007. Comp. Parasitol. 74:108–140). Bursey and Goldberg (1991. J. Wildlife Dis. 27:710–715), in a study of P. retusa in the lizard Sceloporus jarrovii, suggested that approximately 10% of 3rd stage larvae ingested by a host survive to maturity and that those found in the small intestine were dead at time of host capture. Goldberg et al. (1993. Bull. South. California Acad. Sci. 92:43–51) reported hosts for physalopteran larvae; teiid and xenosaurid lizards were absent from that list which suggests that some lizards may not be suitable hosts for this nematode. In this case, these physalopteran larvae should be considered to be artifacts of diet. The life cycles of the Seuratoidea are largely unknown (Anderson 2000, op. cit.) but it is thought that insects serve as intermediate hosts. In this study, the cysts were in early granuloma formation perhaps indicating re-encystment of larvae in an inappropriate host. Xenosaurus grandis represents a new host record for Spauligodon xenosauri, Physaloptera sp. (3rd stage) and larvae of Seuratoidea gen. sp.  We thank Christine Thacker (LACM) for permission to examine specimens and Cecilia Nava (Whittier College) for assistance with dissections.   Submitted by STEPHEN R. GOLDBERG, Department of Biology, Whittier College, Whittier, California 90608, USA (e-mail: sgoldberg@whittier.edu); and CHARLES R. BURSEY, Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, Shenango Campus, Sharon, Pennsylvania, USA (e-mail: cxb13@psu.edu).SQUAMATA — SNAKESBOTHROPS ASPER (Terciopelo). SCAVENGING BEHAV-IOR. We ecountered a Bothrops asper as it scavenged a frog at La Selva Biological Station in Costa Rica (10.4333333ºN, 83.9833333ºW) on 20 April 2008 at dusk (1747 h local time). The B. asper (ca. 60 cm long and missing part of its tail) slid onto the cement trail to a dead, rotting frog. The snake grasped the frog in its mouth, dragged it to the leaf litter adjacent to the trail, let go of the frog, then re-approached and consumed it. The frog was decayed beyond identiﬁcation and attracting ﬂies (Fig. 1).  Scavenging behavior has been documented in 12 species of Crotalinae under ﬁeld conditions (DeVault and Krochmal 2002, Herpetologica 58:429-436). Sazima and Strüssman (1990. Rev. Brasil. Biol. 50:463–468) suggest that habitat and diet can inﬂu-ence carrion encounter rates. They expect terrestrial snakes with diverse diets to be “occasional” scavengers. As a dietary general-ist, the terrestrial B. asper meets their prediction (Martins et al. 2002. In Schuett et al. [eds.], Biology of the Vipers, pp. 307–328. Eagle Mountain Publishing, Eagle Mountain, Utah).  We specu-late that scavenging is a prevalent opportunistic foraging strategy for many snakes (A. Solórzano, pers. comm.) that has gone un-noticed due to the difﬁculty of observing such behaviors under ﬁeld conditions. This research was  sponsored by the Gates Cambridge Trust. Submitted by CORINA J. LOGAN, University of Cambridge, Department of Experimental Psychology, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK (e-mail: itsme@CorinaLogan.com); and CHRISTOPHER MONTERO, Ecosystem Services Section, Washington State Department of Natural Resources, Olympia, Washington 98504-7016, USA.CLELIA SCYTALINA (Mexican Snake Eater). DIET. Clelia scy-talina is a large terrestrial snake whose distribution is apparently unclear and disjunct, occurring at low elevations from southern Mexico to Costa Rica (Savage 2002. The Amphibians and Rep-tiles of Costa Rica: A Herpetofauna Between Two Continents, Between Two Seas. Univ. Chicago Press. Chicago, Illinois. 934 pp.). Natural history of this species is poorly known. In the Los Tuxtlas region of Veracruz, Mexico diet records include frogs and lizards (Pérez-Higareda et al. 2007. Serpientes de la Región de Los Tuxtlas, Veracruz, México. Guía de Identiﬁcación Ilustrada. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. 189 pp.), but there are no previous records of snakes as prey in this area. On 17 May 2006 at 1700 h we observed a C. scytalina (ca. 120 cm total length) preying on a Parrot Snake (Leptophis ahaetulla) of similar length. The event occurred in a dry creek in the tropical rainforest reserve at Los Tuxtlas Field Station (Lote 67, Vigia Hill, 18.5851°N, 95.08055°W, 178 m elev., WGS84). The C. scytalina surprised the L. ahaetulla at rest, biting its head and starting to  FIG. 1. Bothrops asper consuming a scavenged frog at La Selva Bio-logical Station, Costa Rica.

Bothrops asper (Terciopelo) scavenging behavior

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