New County Records for Two Reptiles in Kansas

Abstract

Two new county records for reptiles are reported herein, based on maps in Collins (1993). Voucher specimens are deposited in the Southwestern College Museum of Natural History (SC). The records are as follows: Mississippi Map Turtle (Graptemys kohnii). There are two examples from Grouse Creek, Cowley County. The first specimen, SC 169 (length = 118 mm), was collected ca. 8 km (5 mi.) N and 2 km (1.25 mi.) E of Cambridge (sec. 34, T30S, R7E) on 26 April 1983 by D. Low. This specimen was taken from a marshy area at the head waters of Grouse Creek. The turtle was crawling through a mud substrate. The second specimen, SC 170 (116 mm), was collected 6 km (3.75 mi.) S, 2.8 km (1.75 mi.) W of Cambridge (SW 1/4 sec. 17, T32S, R7E) on 12 October 1989 by E. A. Young. This specimen was captured in a hoop net along with two others. This specimen was taken from a pool approximately 1 m in depth and 7 m wide. The substrate was mostly mud with some woody debris scattered throughout the pool. The Mississippi Map Turtle also was observed by us on several occasions during the spring of 1990 along the Walnut River and Island Park in Winfield, Cowley County. Searches along the lower stretches of Silver Creek and Grouse Creek, from the Arkansas River north to U.S. 160 in spring 1990, failed to find this species. The occurrence of the Mississippi Map Turtle in the tributaries of the Arkansas River may allow for continuous westerly movements. The range has expanded westward since 1982 (Collins, 1982, 1993). Many of the streams in Cowley and Sumner counties are similar to Grouse Creek. The species should be looked for in these areas. It seems the western range of this species in Kansas is Marion and Butler counties and east of the Arkansas River in Cowley County. Collared Lizard (Crotaphytus collaris). The single specimen of this lizard, SC 171 (total length = 259 mm, snout-vent length = 90 mm), was collected 1.6 km (1 mi.) S, 0.8 km (0.5 mi.) E. of Ulysses, Grant County (sec. 34, T28S, R37W), on 14 April 1969 (unknown collector). Collared Lizards have been reported from Meade, Seward, Stanton, and Hamilton counties in southwestern Kansas with the Stanton County record being the only addition from the area since 1982 (Collins, 1982, 1993). This Grant County record provides a connection between most counties in the extreme southwest part of the state, except for Stevens and Morton. This