Five new, short notes were recently published in Herpetological Review, most of which were written by student authors or have students as coauthors. Two of these notes were Natural History Notes documenting a new prey item and scavenging behavior in the Ornate Box Turtle (Terrapene ornata) (Davis and Davis 2024) and a new predator of the Plains Black-headed Snake (Tantilla nigriceps) (Summo Elias and Davis 2024). The other three notes were geographic distribution notes documenting the occurrence of three lizard species in three separate states. The first was a new county where Rough-tailed Geckos (Cyrtopodion scabrum) were found in Texas (Davis and Genter 2024), which only represents the second known county where this species occurs in the state (Davis and Genter 2024). Another note documented new distributional records of Common Wall Lizards (Podarcis muralis) in Indiana, which is also the first time they have been recorded in the state back after they were believed to have been eradicated (Mirtl et al. 2024). The final note was a formal documentation of the widely distributed (and rapidly spreading) Wood Slave (Hemidactylus mabouia) in Orange County, Florida (Summo Elias et al. 2024).
Summo Elias SD, Davis DR. 2024. Tantilla nigriceps (plains black-headed snake). Predation. Herpetological Review 55:290–291. [PDF]
Mirtl JJ, Genter BW, Truelock Z, Sargent BA, Davis DR, Engbrecht NJ. 2024. Geographic distribution: Podarcis muralis (common wall lizard). Herpetological Review 55:219. [PDF]
Summo Elias SD, Cuevas-Hernandez J, Davis DR. 2024. Geographic distribution: Hemidactylus mabouia (wood slave). Herpetological Review 55:218–219. [PDF]
Davis DR, Genter BW. 2024. Geographic distribution: Cyrtopodion scabrum (rough-tailed gecko). Herpetological Review 55:218. [PDF]
Davis RL, Davis DR. 2024. Terrapene ornata (ornate box turtle). Diet. Herpetological Review 55:88–89. [PDF]
DHL undergraduate student researcher Kevin Green was recently awarded funding from the Texas Academy of Science Annual Student Research Award program. His proposed research, titled “Understanding the distribution and negative effects of recently established invasive Hemidactylus from south Texas,” involves examining the diet and parasites of three non-native species of geckos established in the Rio Grande Valley. He will make trips to the region in spring and fall 2025 to collect samples and continue to better describe the distribution, diet, and parasite load of these species.
Shell studies of the Sonora Mud Turtle, Kinosternon sonoriense, have been limited except for a description of organisms living on the shell (Hulse 1976a) and a study on individual growth and morphometrics (Hulse 1976b), both involving individuals from Arizona, USA. Shell abnormalities in K. sonoriense were reported by Hulse (1976b) and included round pits up to 3-mm diameter in 26% of the specimens examined and a “corrugated carapace”, apparently due to “uneven deposition of additional bony material in the dermal skeleton” in 9% of the specimens examined. In his earlier paper, Hulse (1976a) reported epizoic algae, including Basicladia (now Arnoldiella) chelonum, on K. sonoriense in Arizona. While Hulse (1976b) noted that this alga could have been responsible for the pits, he rejected that conclusion because he observed many turtles with the algae present that lacked these pits.
M.S. student Sebastian Summo Elias presented at the annual Joint Annual Meeting (JAM) of the NM/AZ The Wildlife Society Chapters in Albuquerque, NM last week. Sebastian presenting on some of his preliminary results from his field surveys for Western Ribbonsnakes (Thamnophis proximus). While in Albuquerque, the lab also stopped by to visit the ABQBioPark to discuss future collaborations with Stacey Sekscienski (Curator of Herpetology) and visited the Museum of Southwestern Biology at the University of New Mexico to examine specimens related to several on-going projects in the lab on Aspidoscelis, Nerodia, and Thamnophis. 
Undergraduate student researcher Kevin Green was recently awarded funding from the Texas Herpetological Society’s Grants-in-Herpetology program. His proposed research, titled “Understanding the distribution and negative effects of recently established invasive Hemidactylus from south Texas,” involves examining the diet and parasites of three non-native species of geckos established in the Rio Grande Valley. He will make trips to the region in spring and fall 2025 to collect samples and continue to better describe the distribution of these species.
Jake Kuschel graduated in December 2024 with a degree in Experimental Biology (Zoology) from Michigan State University. As an undergraduate, he worked in a research lab conducting behavioral and physiological experiments involving snakes (
Zoe Hutcherson has previously been working in the Davis Herpetology Lab as an undergraduate student and graduated with a double major in both Biology and Forensic Science from ENMU in December 2024. Recently, Zoe has been working on summarizing the distribution of the non-native Mediterranean Gecko (Hemidactylus turcicus) across New Mexico.
Zoe Hutcherson recently won 3rd place in the student poster competition at the New Mexico Research Symposium (hosted by the New Mexico Academy of Science and NM EPSCoR) held in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on 19 October! Her poster was titled “Range expansion of the non-native Mediterranean Gecko (Hemidactylus turcicus) across New Mexico and West Texas.” This follows a recent award at the NM Alliance for Minority Participation. Congratulations on another success Zoe!
Additionally, Sebastian Summo Elias was just awarded an ENMU Graduate Student Research Award funds to support research projects. These funds will be used to screen additional snake samples for Snake Fungal Disease.
The Davis Herpetology Lab has been awarded funding from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish and Wildlife to conduct surveys for four imperiled species of turtles in Indiana: River Cooter (Pseudemys concinna), False Map Turtle (Graptemys pseudogeographica), Smooth Softshell (Apalone mutica), and Eastern Mud Turtle (Kinosternon subrubrum). There has been little focused research on these species in the state, limiting the ability to make informed management decisions. These surveys will occur from 2025–2027 across southwestern Indiana and support graduate thesis research. Recent data suggests that some of these species occur across a greater range than previously expected, and visual surveys and hoop-net trapping will help to better understand the current range of these species in the region.
Drew R. Davis, Ph.D. 