RE: NANFA-- 2 interesting articles in new Copeia

Edward Venn (e_venn_at_hotmail.com)
Tue, 19 Feb 2002 08:42:10 +0000

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Bob,

That's good news. Would these researchers like to come to Japan and try that
with our poisonous snakes? There is the MamushiĞa distant relative to the
Cottonmouth, the HabuĞa pit viper and the YamagashiraĞa backfanged snake.

>
>Another interesting article in the new issue has nothing to do with fish
>but
>does relate to many of our collecting activities. The article, "Defensive
>Behavior of Cottonmouths (Agkistrodon piscivorus) toward Humans by Gibbons
>and Dorcas, describes field tests with 45 snakes. According to the paper,
>20% escaped immediately, the other 80% (36 snakes) were subjected to three
>tests: being stood beside (with snakeproof boots), being stepped on (again,
>with boots), or being picked up by a set of snake tongs modified to
>resemble
>a human arm. The good news is that encounters with cottonmouths present a
>higher probability of not being bitten than that of being bitten. None of
>those that were stood beside (13 snakes) attempted to bite. Only 2 of 22
>snakes that were stepped on attempted to bite but 13 of 36 of those picked
>up bit the artificial hand did bite. BUT, most of these bites appeared to
>be "dry bites" where very little or no venom is injected.
>
>So, those of us that collect in cottonmouth territory can relax as long as
>we don't try to pick any up!
>
>Rob Denkhaus
>Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Bruce Stallsmith
> > Sent: Sunday, February 17, 2002 3:19 PM
> > To: nanfa_at_aquaria.net
> > Subject: NANFA-- 2 interesting articles in new Copeia
> >
> >
> > I received the new Copeia yesterday, vol. 2002 no. 1. Two
> > articles in it
> > would be of interest to NANFA peoples. The first is "Phylogenetic
> > Relationships of _Percina_ (Percidae: Etheostomatinae)" by
> > Thomas Near, pp.
> > 1-14. He tested the hypothesis that the genus _Percina_ is
> > monophyletic (a
> > good genus) by examining the cytochrome b genes of all member
> > species. His
> > analysis supports the monophyly of _Percina_, and
> > interestingly he also
> > states his opinion that these are not ancestral "primitive"
> > darters contrary
> > to current wisdom.
> >
> > And Kenneth Lazara on pp. 227-228 writes of the saga of the
> > reorganization
> > of _Fundulus cingulatus_ into _F. auroguttatus_ and _F.
> > rubrifrons_ and why,
> > because of a number of mistakes, _auroguttatus_ should revert to
> > _cingulatus_ which he has petitioned the ICZN to approve.
> >
> > There's also a biographic tribute to the late W.L. Minckley.
> >
> > --Bruce Stallsmith
> > Huntsville, AL, US of A

Edward Venn,
SMG Holdings Co., Ltd.,
Deux Chateaux Blanc 2-303,
1356 Kobuchi, Kasukabe,
Saitama, Japan

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