{"title":"Arboreality in the California Whipsnake (Masticophis lateralis): Implications for Survey Techniques","authors":"J. Alvarez, A. Murphy","doi":"10.3160/0038-3872-121.1.34","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Historically, new species were defined by mensural characters and descriptive analyses of external features (i.e., coloration, patterning, behavior) that attempted to delineate new species from those previously described. Ecological associations (e.g., habitat, microhabitat, geographic extent or location, etc.) further defined the differences between one species and those closely related (Van Denburgh 1897). Over time, the species’ niche becomes better defined as various researchers use different foci or perspectives to investigate natural history traits (Storer 1925). Occasionally, natural history traits that were once considered putative, particularly in older references, are lost to the cognizance of modern researchers and become rarely referenced. The California whipsnake [Masticophis (=Coluber) lateralis], first described by Hallowell in 1853, provides an example of this phenomenon. This species is a relatively long, narrow-bodied snake that is found throughout the foothills or lowto mid-elevations of portions of the Coast, Cascade, Sierra Nevada, Transverse and Peninsular Ranges in California, as well as northwestern Baja California (Stebbins 1954; Brown 1997; Grismer 2002; Flaxington 2021). Early investigators described the California whipsnake as arboreal (Grinnell and Grinnell 1907; Grinnell and Storer 1924; Ortenburger 1928; Pickwell 1947; Stebbins 1954; Appendix I), but when an extended gap in published work on snake habitat occurred, awareness of the snake’s arboreal traits did not span that gap. Here, we draw upon our own recent investigations to describe arboreal traits of the California whipsnake and use those observations to suggest that it be considered semiarboreal, and that survey and management techniques should reflect this snake’s behavior. Further, we describe survey techniques designed to examine habitat features that best support the arboreal nature of this snake. Following Stebbins (1954) general natural history account, nearly 40 yrs elapsed before new information on California whipsnake habitat and microhabitat was published. Subsequent to subspeciation of M. lateralis, with one subspecies becoming listed as threatened in the San Francisco Bay region by state and federal wildlife agencies, a new focus on the natural history of the species was initiated (Reimer 1954; CDFW 1987; USFWS 1997, 2002). Interest in the listed Alameda whipsnake subspecies (M. l. euryxanthus) sparked a flurry of new observations and research beginning with Swaim and McGinnis (1992) who reported habitat associations for the Alameda whipsnake, including preferred habitat features. However, they made no mention of the arboreal behavior in the species or subspecies, nor the potential effects of this behavior on their methodology for study. Lind (1992) picked up the thread carried by early researchers when she reported that a California whipsnake was “found 2 m above ground in a canyon live oak (Quercus chrysolepis)...” supporting the arboreal nature of the species described in historical accounts. In 1994, Swaim prepared a detailed report on the ecology of M. l. euryxanthus, but arboreality and climbing ability, and its potential impact on the ground-level trapping surveys used to","PeriodicalId":90803,"journal":{"name":"Bulletin (Southern California Academy of Sciences)","volume":"60 1","pages":"34 - 40"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0000,"publicationDate":"2022-06-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Bulletin (Southern California Academy of Sciences)","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.3160/0038-3872-121.1.34","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"","JCRName":"","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Historically, new species were defined by mensural characters and descriptive analyses of external features (i.e., coloration, patterning, behavior) that attempted to delineate new species from those previously described. Ecological associations (e.g., habitat, microhabitat, geographic extent or location, etc.) further defined the differences between one species and those closely related (Van Denburgh 1897). Over time, the species’ niche becomes better defined as various researchers use different foci or perspectives to investigate natural history traits (Storer 1925). Occasionally, natural history traits that were once considered putative, particularly in older references, are lost to the cognizance of modern researchers and become rarely referenced. The California whipsnake [Masticophis (=Coluber) lateralis], first described by Hallowell in 1853, provides an example of this phenomenon. This species is a relatively long, narrow-bodied snake that is found throughout the foothills or lowto mid-elevations of portions of the Coast, Cascade, Sierra Nevada, Transverse and Peninsular Ranges in California, as well as northwestern Baja California (Stebbins 1954; Brown 1997; Grismer 2002; Flaxington 2021). Early investigators described the California whipsnake as arboreal (Grinnell and Grinnell 1907; Grinnell and Storer 1924; Ortenburger 1928; Pickwell 1947; Stebbins 1954; Appendix I), but when an extended gap in published work on snake habitat occurred, awareness of the snake’s arboreal traits did not span that gap. Here, we draw upon our own recent investigations to describe arboreal traits of the California whipsnake and use those observations to suggest that it be considered semiarboreal, and that survey and management techniques should reflect this snake’s behavior. Further, we describe survey techniques designed to examine habitat features that best support the arboreal nature of this snake. Following Stebbins (1954) general natural history account, nearly 40 yrs elapsed before new information on California whipsnake habitat and microhabitat was published. Subsequent to subspeciation of M. lateralis, with one subspecies becoming listed as threatened in the San Francisco Bay region by state and federal wildlife agencies, a new focus on the natural history of the species was initiated (Reimer 1954; CDFW 1987; USFWS 1997, 2002). Interest in the listed Alameda whipsnake subspecies (M. l. euryxanthus) sparked a flurry of new observations and research beginning with Swaim and McGinnis (1992) who reported habitat associations for the Alameda whipsnake, including preferred habitat features. However, they made no mention of the arboreal behavior in the species or subspecies, nor the potential effects of this behavior on their methodology for study. Lind (1992) picked up the thread carried by early researchers when she reported that a California whipsnake was “found 2 m above ground in a canyon live oak (Quercus chrysolepis)...” supporting the arboreal nature of the species described in historical accounts. In 1994, Swaim prepared a detailed report on the ecology of M. l. euryxanthus, but arboreality and climbing ability, and its potential impact on the ground-level trapping surveys used to