| the fate of hepatozoon species naturally infecting florida black racers and watersnakes in potential mosquito and soft tick vectors, and histological evidence of pathogenicity in unnatural host species. | haemogregarine parasites, derived from the florida snakes coluber constrictor and nerodia fasciata and ingested by aedes aegypti, completed sporogony within the hemocoeles of nearly all fed mosquitoes in 14-18 days, and produced oocysts typical of hepatozoon. however, mortalities and morbidity were high in the culex which had fed on the coluber. oocysts were not found in any ornithodoros turicata (argasidae) which fed upon either snake host, but many sections of fed ticks had gametocyte-like cel ... | 1991 | 1683862 |
| hepatozoon sauritus: a polytopic hemogregarine of three genera and four species of snakes in north florida, with specific identity verified from genome analysis. | hemogregarines from thamnophis s. sirtalis, coluber constrictor priapus, elaphe obsoleta quadrivittata, and e. g. guttara in northern florida appeared to be conspecific on the basis of similar gamonts from all the hosts and sporogonic stages obtained from 3 hosts. the resemblance of gamonts to those of hepatozoon sauritus, described from t. sauritus sackenii in southern florida, justified comparison of dna isolates from the type infection of h. sauritus with samples from each of the northern flo ... | 2004 | 15165059 |
| two additional hepatozoon species (apicomplexa: hepatozoidae) from the southern black racer, coluber constrictor priapus (serpentes: colubridae), in northern florida. | hepatozoon priapus n. sp. from coluber constrictor priapus has robust gamonts with broadly rounded ends, 18.0 x 4.2 microm (17.0-20.0 x 3.5-6.0), with lw 76.4 microm2 (59-105) and l/w 4.31 (2.9-5.4). the nucleus is always present in second quarter of gamont, seldom extend into first quarter but often into third quarter, 6.0 x 3.0 (5.0-7.0 x 2.5-4.0), with lw 17.9 (13.7-21.0). erythrocyte cytoplasm is always thin, appearing dehemoglobinized, with infected cells always distorted. infected erythroc ... | 2005 | 15856888 |
| hepatozoon polytopis n. sp. parasitic in two genera and species of colubrid snakes in southern florida. | hepatozoon polytopis, described from coluber constrictor priapus from palm beach county, florida, has short, usually broad gamonts 12.8 x 4.6 microm (10.0-15.0 x 3.5-6.0), with lw 58.5 microm2 (42-84) and l/w 2.84 (1.8-3.7). nuclei commonly extend into first quarter of gamont (45%), are always present in second quarter, and seldom in third quarter (11%), with dimensions 4.5 x 3.4 (3.0-6.0 x 2.5-4.5) and lw 15.1 (10.0-24.0). spherical to ovoid oocysts, 122.1 x 104.9 (62-240 x 57-190), with l/w 1. ... | 2005 | 15856889 |
| tick paralysis of a snake caused by amblyomma rotundatum (acari: ixodidae). | a lethargic southern black racer, coluber constrictor priapus dunn and wood, wild-caught in the florida keys, monroe county, fl, was found to be paralyzed by the bite of a female ixodid tick, amblyomma rotundatum koch (acari: ixodidae). removal of the tick restored the snake to normalcy within 18 h. other, earlier reported cases of tick toxicosis in reptiles are reviewed and clarified. evidently, the present incident is the only reported case of tick paralysis in a poikilotherm found in a natura ... | 2007 | 17294934 |
| linking snake behavior to nest predation in a midwestern bird community. | nest predators can adversely affect the viability of songbird populations, and their impact is exacerbated in fragmented habitats. despite substantial research on this predator-prey interaction, however, almost all of the focus has been on the birds rather than their nest predators, thereby limiting our understanding of the factors that bring predators and nests into contact. we used radiotelemetry to document the activity of two snake species (rat snakes, elaphe obsoleta; racers, coluber constr ... | 2010 | 20349843 |
| permanent genetic resources added to molecular ecology resources database 1 may 2009-31 july 2009. | this article documents the addition of 512 microsatellite marker loci and nine pairs of single nucleotide polymorphism (snp) sequencing primers to the molecular ecology resources database. loci were developed for the following species: alcippe morrisonia morrisonia, bashania fangiana, bashania fargesii, chaetodon vagabundus, colletes floralis, coluber constrictor flaviventris, coptotermes gestroi, crotophaga major, cyprinella lutrensis, danaus plexippus, fagus grandifolia, falco tinnunculus, fle ... | 2009 | 21564933 |
| correlation of enzymatic activity, muscle myoglobin concentration and lung morphology with activity metabolism in snakes. | in vitro activity of the anaerobic enzymes phosphofructokinase and lactic dehydrogenase from axial muscle tissue of coluber constrictor, crotalus viridis and lichanura roseofusca was shown to correlate with levels of lactate production during activity by these snakes. additionally, gross and histological lung structure and axial muscle myoglobin concentration were investigated in these species. coluber was shown to have the most complex lung structure and highest muscle myoglobin content. these ... | 2002 | 135039 |
| cardiovascular and metabolic responses to temperature in coluber constrictor. | the cardiovascular adjustments associated with elevated metabolic demand caused by rising body temperature were investigated in coluber constrictor. from 16 to 35 degrees c, o2 consumption increased roughly ninefold. systemic blood flow, determined by the fick method, increased approximately 4.5-fold and arteriovenous o2 difference increased approximately 2-fold. heart rate steadily increased over the temperature range examined. at the cooler temperatures stroke volume also increased but, above ... | 2013 | 3618822 |
| do seasonal patterns of rat snake (pantherophis obsoletus) and black racer (coluber constrictor) activity predict avian nest predation? | avian nest success often varies seasonally and because predation is the primary cause of nest failure, seasonal variation in predator activity has been hypothesized to explain seasonal variation in nest success. despite the fact that nest predator communities are often diverse, recent evidence from studies of snakes that are nest predators has lent some support to the link between snake activity and nest predation. however, the strength of the relationship has varied among studies. explaining th ... | 2016 | 27099708 |
| snake co-occurrence patterns are best explained by habitat and hypothesized effects of interspecific interactions. | snakes often occur in species-rich assemblages, and sympatry is thought to be facilitated primarily by low diet overlap, not interspecific interactions. we selected, a priori, three species pairs consisting of species that are morphologically and taxonomically similar and may therefore be likely to engage in interspecific, consumptive competition. we then examined a large-scale database of snake detection/nondetection data and used occupancy modelling to determine whether these species occur tog ... | 2014 | 23998642 |
| power lines, roads, and avian nest survival: effects on predator identity and predation intensity. | 1 anthropogenic alteration of landscapes can affect avian nest success by influencing the abundance, distribution, and behavior of predators. understanding avian nest predation risk necessitates understanding how landscapes affect predator distribution and behavior. 2 from a sample of 463 nests of 17 songbird species, we evaluated how landscape features (distance to forest edge, unpaved roads, and power lines) influenced daily nest survival. we also used video cameras to identify nest predators ... | 2014 | 24967077 |
| capillaria colubra sp. n. from the oviducts of coluber constrictor priapus. | | 1970 | 5445822 |
| effect of temperature on ph and electrolyte concentration in air-breathing ectotherms. | the aim of this study was to determine the effects of temperature upon ph, protein charge and acid-base-relevant ion exchange in air-breathing ectotherms. plasma and skeletal muscles in cane toads (bufo marinus) and bullfrogs (rana catesbeiana) were examined at 30, 20 and 10 degrees c. in addition, skeletal muscle ion concentrations were examined in black racer snakes (coluber constrictor) at 30 and 10 degrees c. cooling the amphibians produced a reduction in most of the plasma ion concentration ... | 2000 | 10851123 |
| a protein titration hypothesis for the temperature-dependence of tissue co2 content in reptiles and amphibians. | whole-body co2 stores are known to increase with cooling in reptiles and amphibians (-[co2]/t ). the aim of this study was to determine the mechanism(s) producing this inverse relationship. the [co2]/t coefficients were determined for eight reptilian and one amphibian species and were found to differ by a factor of approximately 10, from -0.21 mmol kg-1 °c-1 in the mediterranean spur-thighed tortoise testudo graeca to -0.02 mmol kg-1 °c-1 in the bullfrog rana catesbeiana. the [co2]/t coe ... | 1998 | 9427674 |
| ventilatory and blood acid-base adjustments to a decrease in body temperature from 30 to 10yc in black racer snakes coluber constrictor | there is increasing evidence that many amphibian and reptilian species use relatively slow ion-exchange mechanisms in addition to ventilation to adjust ph as body temperature changes. large changes in blood bicarbonate concentration with changes in temperature have previously been reported for the snake coluber constrictor. the purpose of the present study was to determine the ventilatory and ph adjustments associated with the increase in co2 stores when the snakes are cooled. body temperature w ... | 1996 | 9318589 |
| blood pressure during routine activity, stress, and feeding in black racer snakes (coluber constrictor). | the pressor response to normal daily behaviors and acute stress was studied in black racer snakes (coluber constrictor) at 30 degrees c. in addition, hematological changes during the stress response were assessed. mean nighttime systemic arterial blood pressure (sabp) in undisturbed snakes was lower than daytime pressure (26 +/- 3 vs. 32 +/- 9 mmhg, p < 0.001). when snakes were fed mice, sabp increased 3.5- to 4-fold and heart rate increased approximately 3-fold above resting values within appro ... | 1993 | 8430890 |
| effect of temperature upon carbon dioxide stores in the snake coluber constrictor and the turtle chrysemys scripta. | the effect of temperature upon respiratory exchange ratio (r) was measured in snakes (coluber constrictor) and turtles (chrysemys scripta). increasing body temperature produced a transient elevation of r, and lowering body temperature transiently depressed r. these thermal effects resulted from an 'excess' and a 'deficit' co2 elimination, respectively. steady-state blood co2 content (cco2) in c. constrictor decreased linearly with rising temperature. plasma bicarbonate concentration, calculated ... | 1988 | 2850333 |
| calcium metabolism in embryos of the oviparous snake coluber constrictor. | total calcium in embryos of an oviparous, colubrid snake (coluber constrictor l.) rises rapidly during the last half of incubation as the embryos increase in size. although most of this calcium is drawn from stores in the yolk, hatchlings contain more calcium than was present in yolk of eggs at oviposition. because shells from eggs incubated to hatching contain less calcium than do shells from freshly-laid eggs, the extra calcium appears to be drawn from the eggshell. indeed, approximately 20% o ... | 1984 | 6540291 |
| common cutaneous bacteria isolated from snakes inhibit growth of ophidiomyces ophiodiicola. | there is increasing concern regarding potential impacts of snake fungal disease (sfd), caused by ophidiomyces ophiodiicola (oo), on free-ranging snake populations in the eastern usa. the snake cutaneous microbiome likely serves as the first line of defense against oo and other pathogens; however, little is known about microbial associations in snakes. the objective of this study was to better define the composition and immune function of the snake cutaneous microbiome. eight timber rattlesnakes ... | 2017 | 29134436 |
| linking snake habitat use to nest predation risk in grassland birds: the dangers of shrub cover. | extremes in rangeland management, varying from too-frequent fire and intensive grazing to the suppression of both, threaten rangeland ecosystems worldwide. intensive fire and grazing denude and homogenize vegetation whereas their suppression increases woody cover. although habitat loss is implicated in grassland bird declines, degradation through intensive management or neglect also decreases breeding habitat and may reduce nesting success through increased rates of nest predation. snakes are im ... | 2010 | 20052494 |
| energetics and space use: intraspecific and interspecific comparisons of movements and home ranges of two colubrid snakes. | 1. energy requirements explain substantial variation in movement and home range size among birds and mammals. this study assesses whether the same is true of snakes by comparing ratsnakes (elaphe obsoleta) and racers (coluber constrictor), ecologically similar species whose energy requirements appear to differ substantially (racers > ratsnakes). 2. over 4 years 22 elaphe and 16 coluber were radio-tracked at the same site in illinois to examine how movement and home ranges varied by sex and seaso ... | 2008 | 18254921 |
| conservation genetics of the eastern yellow-bellied racer (coluber constrictor flaviventris) and bullsnake (pituophis catenifer sayi): river valleys are critical features for snakes at northern range limits. | on the north american great plains, several snake species reach their northern range limit where they rely on sparsely distributed hibernacula located in major river valleys. independent colonization histories for the river valleys and barriers to gene flow caused by the lack of suitable habitat between them may have produced genetically differentiated snake populations. to test this hypothesis, we used 10 microsatellite loci to examine the population structure of two species of conservation con ... | 2017 | 29095863 |
| ophidiomyces ophiodiicola on a captive black racer (coluber constrictor) and a garter snake (thamnophis sirtalis) in pennsylvania. | two snakes were presented to the pennsylvania state university animal diagnostic laboratory with one suffering from external lesions where the scales were raised and discolored, and the other with oral lesions and swelling extending to the left eye, which was opaque. histopathological analysis revealed multifocal granulomas containing fungal hyphae. morphological and dna sequence analyses revealed both suffered from infection by ophidiomyces ophiodiicola, an emerging pathogen of snakes. this is ... | 2016 | 27010299 |
| predator responses to fire: a global systematic review and meta-analysis. | knowledge of how disturbances such as fire shape habitat structure and composition, and affect animal interactions, is fundamental to ecology and ecosystem management. predators also exert strong effects on ecological communities, through top-down regulation of prey and competitors, which can result in trophic cascades. despite their ubiquity, ecological importance and potential to interact with fire, our general understanding of how predators respond to fire remains poor, hampering ecosystem ma ... | 2020 | 31774550 |
| host factors and testing modality agreement associated with ophidiomyces infection in a free-ranging snake population in southeast ohio, usa. | snake fungal disease (sfd) is an emerging mycotic disease caused by ophidiomyces ophiodiicola, and has been demonstrated to impact snake populations of conservation concern in the united states negatively. although ophidiomyces has been shown to affect diverse taxa and to have a broad distribution, host factors associated with infected individuals and optimal testing protocols are not yet well characterized. the purpose of this study was to evaluate host factors and agreement across testing moda ... | 2019 | 31260207 |
| convergence in reduced body size, head size, and blood glucose in three island reptiles. | many oceanic islands harbor diverse species that differ markedly from their mainland relatives with respect to morphology, behavior, and physiology. a particularly common morphological change exhibited by a wide range of species on islands worldwide involves either a reduction in body size, termed island dwarfism, or an increase in body size, termed island gigantism. while numerous instances of dwarfism and gigantism have been well documented, documentation of other morphological changes on isla ... | 2018 | 29988440 |
| a new coccidian parasite (apicomplexa: eimeriidae: eimeria) from the southern black racer, coluber constrictor priapus (reptilia: ophidia: colubridae) from arkansas, usa. | between april 2012 and october 2017, 18 southern black racers, coluber constrictor priapus, were collected from nine counties of arkansas (n = 13) and mccurtain county, oklahoma (n = 5) and their faeces examined for coccidian parasites. one of 18 (6%) c. c. priapus harboured an eimerian that we describe here as new. oocysts of eimeria dunni sp. nov. were subspheroidal with a lightly pitted bi-layered wall measuring l × w 24.0 × 21.1 and l/w ratio of 1.2. a micropyle was absent but an oocyst resi ... | 2018 | 29975639 |
| phylogeography across a continent: the evolutionary and demographic history of the north american racer (serpentes: colubridae: coluber constrictor). | most phylogeographic studies examine organisms that do not have transcontinental distributions and therefore the genetic and temporal effects of barriers across an entire continent cannot be assessed with respect to a single species. we examined the phylogeographic structure, lineage age, and historical demography using sequences from the mtdna cytochrome b gene of the widespread north american racer (coluber constrictor), one of the few abundant transcontinental snakes that occurs throughout ma ... | 2008 | 18093846 |
| diagnosis and clinical management of multiple chromatophoromas in an eastern yellowbelly racer (coluber constrictor flaviventris). | a wild-caught subadult eastern yellowbelly racer (coluber constrictor flaviventris) presented with three raised, circumscribed, freely moveable subcutaneous masses over the dorsal and right epaxial musculature. microscopic examination and special staining of surgically excised masses were diagnostic for chromatophoroma. no metastases were apparent on whole-body plain film radiographs and computed tomography. additional excisional biopsies of previously affected sites performed 13 wk later demons ... | 2007 | 17469288 |
| the energetic cost of limbless locomotion. | the net energetic cost of terrestrial locomotion by the snake coluber constrictor, moving by lateral undulation, is equivalent to the net energetic cost of running by limbed animals (arthropods, lizards, birds, and mammals) of similar size. in contrast to lateral undulation and limbed locomotion, concertina locomotion by coluber is more energetically expensive. the findings do not support the widely held notion that the energetic cost of terrestrial locomotion by limbless animals is less than th ... | 1990 | 17735283 |