New Herpetological Records from Kansas

Abstract

The second known breeding site in Kansas of Notophthalmus viridescens louisianensis (Wolterstorff) is recorded from Cherokee County; Pseudacris s. streckeri Wright and Wright, captured in Harper County is a new state record for this chorus frog; an adult male Eumeces septentrionalis obtusirostris Bocourt, taken in Clark County represents the eighth known occurrence of this skink in Kansas, and is an extension of range; an unusual aggregation of the New Mexican blind snake, Leptotyphlops dulcis dissecta Cope, os reported from Clark Countyp and the third authenicated record of the western cottonmouth, Agkistrodon piscivorus leucostoma Troost is represented by an adult male taken in Montgomery County. Trans. Kansas Acad. Sci., Vol. 81:1. Extensive field work by various researchers in Kansas in 1977 resulted in several new herpetological discoveries for the state. Some of the more notable records are reported with comments as follows: Notophthalmus viridescens louisianensis (Wolterstorff) On 21 July 1977 four larval central newts (KU 174691) and one eft-stage subadult were collected at a small farm pond 7.2 km S and 1.4 km E of Galena, Cherokee County, Kansas by Jan P. Caldwell (formerly of the State Biological Survey of Kansas). A more detailed habitat description of the collection site is found in another paper by one of us (Rundquist, 1977). These records establish the second known breeding site for N. v. louisianensis in the state, and the second locality in Cherokee County (Ashton, 1974). Pseudacris s. streckeri Wright and Wright Two specimens of Strecker's chorus frog (KU 174370-371) (Fig. 1) were taken at 2 km W and 0.9 km S of Anthony, Harper County, Kansas, on 30 April 1977 by three of us (ES, DG, and PG) and Ed Byrne. The specimens were taken from a breeding chorus at a small pond near Bluff Creek. Additional information on the collection is offered by Stegall (1977). Additional field work by EMR, Kelly Irwin, and Richard Plumlee