Taxonomic studies of the rattlesnakes of mainland Mexico

Klauber, Laurence M

doi:10.5962/bhl.title.130475

Cited by 21 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Two misses were due to an error on the part of the rattlesnake, where the snake initiated the strike too late and the kangaroo rat had passed by the time the jaws of the snake reached the location (Supplementary Video S1). This is not surprising given that past studies on rattlesnakes have also noted the difficulty involved in successfully striking moving prey303839. One successful strike occurred with the kangaroo rat only 4.8 cm from the snake.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 75%

Rattlesnakes are extremely fast and variable when striking at kangaroo rats in nature: Three-dimensional high-speed kinematics at night

Higham

Clark

Collins

et al. 2017

Sci Rep

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Predation plays a central role in the lives of most organisms. Predators must find and subdue prey to survive and reproduce, whereas prey must avoid predators to do the same. The resultant antagonistic coevolution often leads to extreme adaptations in both parties. Few examples capture the imagination like a rapid strike from a venomous snake. However, almost nothing is known about strike performance of viperid snakes under natural conditions. We obtained high-speed (500 fps) three-dimensional video in the field (at night using infrared lights) of Mohave rattlesnakes (Crotalus scutulatus) attempting to capture Merriam’s kangaroo rats (Dipodomys merriami). Strikes occurred from a range of distances (4.6 to 20.6 cm), and rattlesnake performance was highly variable. Missed capture attempts resulted from both rapid escape maneuvers and poor strike accuracy. Maximum velocity and acceleration of some rattlesnake strikes fell within the range of reported laboratory values, but some far exceeded most observations. Thus, quantifying rapid predator-prey interactions in the wild will propel our understanding of animal performance.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 75%

Rattlesnakes are extremely fast and variable when striking at kangaroo rats in nature: Three-dimensional high-speed kinematics at night

Higham

Clark

Collins

et al. 2017

Sci Rep

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Crotalus simus simus ( C. d. durissus, sensu Campbell & Lamar 1989) is polyphyletic: the specimens from northeastern Mexico (Veracruz) constitute the sister taxon of C. culminatus , whereas the remaining Central American populations are the sister group of the South American representatives of the complex. Klauber (1952) noted subtle differences between specimens from Veracruz and elsewhere in Central America, but in the absence of additional data, we prefer not to propose any formal reclassification based on mtDNA alone (see Puorto et al . 2001).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Crotalus simus ( sensu Campbell & Lamar 2004) is both paraphyletic and highly heterogeneous. The taxa culminatus (southwestern Mexico) and tzabcan (Yucatán Peninsula) form highly distinct clades dating from the earliest Pliocene, and are morphologically distinct (Klauber 1952, 1972). We therefore consider them separate evolutionary species, Crotalus culminatus and Crotalus tzabcan , although we recognize the need for additional work on their status.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tracing an invasion: landbridges, refugia, and the phylogeography of the Neotropical rattlesnake (Serpentes: Viperidae: Crotalus durissus)

et al. 2005

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Pleistocene fragmentation of the Amazonian rainforest has been hypothesized to be a major cause of Neotropical speciation and diversity. However, the role and even the reality of Pleistocene forest refugia have attracted much scepticism. In Amazonia, previous phylogeographical studies have focused mostly on organisms found in the forests themselves, and generally found speciation events to have predated the Pleistocene. However, molecular studies of open-formation taxa found both north and south of the Amazonian forests, probably because of vicariance resulting from expansion of the rainforests, may provide novel insights into the age of continuous forest cover across the Amazon basin. Here, we analyse three mitochondrial genes to infer the phylogeography of one such trans-Amazonian vicariant, the Neotropical rattlesnake (Crotalus durissus), which occupies primarily seasonal formations from Mexico to Argentina, but avoids the rainforests of Central and tropical South America. The phylogeographical pattern is consistent with gradual dispersal along the Central American Isthmus, followed by more rapid dispersal into and across South America after the uplift of the Isthmus of Panama. Low sequence divergence between populations from north and south of the Amazon rainforest is consistent with mid-Pleistocene divergence, approximately 1.1 million years ago (Ma). This suggests that the Amazonian rainforests must have become fragmented or at least shrunk considerably during that period, lending support to the Pleistocene refugia theory as an important cause of distribution patterns, if not necessarily speciation, in Amazonian forest organisms. These results highlight the potential of nonforest species to contribute to an understanding of the history of the Amazonian rainforests themselves.

show abstract

“…Specific locality records of amphibians and reptiles for Queretaro are given by Altig (1964); Chrapliwy (1964); Dixon and Ketchersid (1969); Duellman (1960bDuellman ( , 1970; Klauber (1952); Lynch (1970); Martin del Campo (1936); Rabb (1965); Smith (1942); Smith and Brandon (1968); Smith and Taylor (1945, 1948; Webb (1968); and Zweifel (1956). One of us (Ketchersid) has been conducting a herpetofaunal study of an ecological transect through the eastern front range of the Sierra Madre Oriental in the Mexican states of San Luis Potosi and Querdtaro, for the past three summers .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Herpetofauna of Queretaro, Mexico, with Remarks on Taxonomic Problems

Dixon¹,

Ketchersid²,

Lieb³

1972

The Southwestern Naturalist

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Taxonomic studies of the rattlesnakes of mainland Mexico

Abstract: Crotalns triseriatus triseriatus (part) Klauber, Trans. San Diego Soc.

Cited by 21 publications

References 0 publications

Rattlesnakes are extremely fast and variable when striking at kangaroo rats in nature: Three-dimensional high-speed kinematics at night

Rattlesnakes are extremely fast and variable when striking at kangaroo rats in nature: Three-dimensional high-speed kinematics at night

Tracing an invasion: landbridges, refugia, and the phylogeography of the Neotropical rattlesnake (Serpentes: Viperidae: Crotalus durissus)

The Herpetofauna of Queretaro, Mexico, with Remarks on Taxonomic Problems

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About