| 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 |
| muscular mechanisms of snake locomotion: an electromyographic study of lateral undulation of the florida banded water snake (nerodia fasciata) and the yellow rat snake (elaphe obsoleta). | electromyography and cinematography were used to determine the activity of epaxial muscles of colubrid snakes during terrestrial and aquatic lateral undulatory locomotion. in both types of lateral undulation, at a given longitudinal position, segments of three muscles (mm. semispinalis-spinalis, longissimus dorsi, and iliocostalis) usually show synchronous activity. muscle activity propagates posteriorly and generally is unilateral. with each muscle, large numbers of adjacent segments (30 to 100 ... | 1988 | 3184194 |
| the organization of the motoneurons innervating the axial musculature of vertebrates. ii. florida water snakes (nerodia fasciata pictiventris). | the motor pools of axial muscles in florida water snakes (nerodia fasciata pictiventris) were studied by applying horseradish peroxidase (hrp) to branches of spinal nerves innervating individual muscles or groups of muscles. motor pools of different muscles or muscle groups were located in characteristic positions in both the transverse and the longitudinal extent of the motor column. epaxial pools were located ventromedially in the column, segregated from most hypaxial ones, which were dorsolat ... | 1986 | 3745507 |
| granulomatous hepatitis associated with hepatozoon sp. meronts in a southern water snake (nerodia fasciata pictiventris). | a wild-caught adult female southern water snake (nerodia fasciata pictiventris) did poorly in captivity. a peripheral blood-film examination demonstrated numerous hemogregarines characterized as fusiform nondividing intraerythrocytic gametocytes. xenodiagnostic typing in laboratory-reared mosquitoes demonstrated the parasite to be of the genus hepatozoon. gross and histopathologic examination of the liver demonstrated numerous granulomas centered on groups of one to six hepatozoon sp. meronts, a ... | 1998 | 9638630 |
| haemogregarine specificity in two communities of florida snakes, with descriptions of six new species of hepatozoon (apicomplexa: hepatozoidae) and a possible species of haemogregarina (apicomplexa: haemogregarinidae). | five species of snakes in florida, from palm beach county in the south and alachua county 450 km to the north, occur in similar habitat but have distinctive hepatozoon species characteristic of each host species. in palm beach county, diadophis punctatus is host to hepatozoon punctatus n. sp., thamnophis sauritus sackenii to hepatozoon sauritus n. sp., and nerodia fasciata pictiventris to hepatozoon pictiventris n. sp. in alachua county, n. fasciata pictiventris is parasitized by hepatozoon fasc ... | 2001 | 11534655 |
| melanophoromas and iridophoromas in reptiles. | chromatophoromas are tumours of pigment-producing cells of the skin and are rarely reported in reptiles. these tumours are subclassified on the basis of the type of pigment. the present study characterizes chromatophoromas arising in 26 reptiles, including six snakes, 19 lizards and a tortoise. these include the first reports of melanophoromas in a yellow anaconda (eunectes notaeus), pigmy rattlesnake (sistrurus spp.), southern water snake (nerodia fasciata), veiled chameleon (chamaeleo calyptra ... | 2011 | 21864845 |
| Morphology and putative function of the colon and cloaca of marine and freshwater snakes. | Among tetrapods, evidence for postrenal modification of the urine by the distal digestive tract (including the colon and cloaca) is highly variable. Birds and bladderless reptiles are of interest because the colon and cloaca represent the only sites from which water and ions can be reclaimed from the urine secreted by the kidney. For animals occupying desiccating environments (e.g., deserts and marine environments), postrenal modification of the urine may directly contribute to the maintenance o ... | 2012 | 21935975 |
| description of advanced third-stage larvae of gnathostoma lamothei bertoni-ruiz et al. 2005 (nematoda: gnathostomatidae) from experimental hosts and contributions to its life cycle. | the advanced third-stage larvae (advl(3)) of gnathostoma lamothei was obtained from experimental hosts. frogs lithobates heckscheri and snakes nerodia fasciata pictiventris were compatible hosts allowing optimal larval development. advl(3) are 4,487.94 μm long, have two lateral cervical papillae between rows 10 and 16 and an excretory pore at row 23. the average counts of the cephalic bulb hooklets from the four rows are 39.3, 43.3, 44.2, and 47.3. larvae show an esophagus that represents 40 % o ... | 2013 | 23007726 |
| herpetofaunal community change in multiple habitats after fifteen years in a southwest florida preserve, usa. | herpetofaunal declines have been documented globally, and southern florida, usa, is an especially vulnerable region because of high impacts from hydrological perturbations and nonindigenous species. to assess the extent of recent change in herpetofauna community composition, we established a baseline inventory during 1995-97 at a managed preserve in a habitat rich area of southwest florida, and repeated our sampling methods fifteen years later (2010-11). nine drift fence arrays were placed in fo ... | 2015 | 26016475 |
| projecting invasion risk of non-native watersnakes (nerodia fasciata and nerodia sipedon) in the western united states. | species distribution models (sdms) are increasingly used to project the potential distribution of introduced species outside their native range. such studies rarely explicitly evaluate potential conflicts with native species should the range of introduced species expand. two snake species native to eastern north america, nerodia fasciata and nerodia sipedon, have been introduced to california where they represent a new stressor to declining native amphibians, fish, and reptiles. to project the p ... | 2014 | 24964204 |
| prey morphology constrains the feeding ecology of an aquatic generalist predator. | resource availability and accessibility are primary factors guiding the distribution and abundance of organisms. for generalists, prey availability reflects both prey abundance and differences in quality among prey taxa. although some aspects of prey quality, such as nutritional composition, are well studied, our understanding of how prey morphology contributes to overall prey quality is limited. because snakes cannot reduce prey size by mastication, many aspects of their feeding ecology (e.g., ... | 2011 | 21608482 |
| muscular mechanisms of snake locomotion: an electromyographic study of the sidewinding and concertina modes of crotalus cerastes, nerodia fasciata and elaphe obsoleta. | synchronized electromyography and cinematography were used to determine the muscle activity of colubroid snakes during sidewinding and concertina locomotion. the primary muscles studied were the three largest, most superficial epaxial muscles: the mm. semispinalis-spinalis, longissimus dorsi and iliocostalis. sidewinding locomotion of nerodia fasciata and crotalus cerastes was the result of continuous posterior propagation of contractile blocks consisting of several adjacent muscle segments. dur ... | 1988 | 3204332 |
| renal responses to salinity change in snakes with and without salt glands. | to understand renal responses to salinity change in aquatic reptiles, we examined the structure and function of the kidney in three species of snake: a marine species with a salt gland (laticauda semifasciata), a marine species without a salt gland (nerodia clarkii clarkii) and a freshwater species without a salt gland (nerodia fasciata). both marine species maintained relatively constant plasma ions, even after acclimation to saltwater. by contrast, both plasma cl(-) and mortality increased wit ... | 2011 | 21653808 |
| the influence of thermal biology on road mortality risk in snakes. | road mortality is a significant threat to terrestrial vertebrates in many areas, and the novel thermal environment of black-topped roads may represent ecological traps for some species and demographic groups. we investigated the relationship between ambient temperature and on-road detection in a snake assemblage in southeastern louisiana by comparing observations of live snakes on a black-topped road, across measurements of air temperature and road temperature on survey days. analyses indicated ... | 2016 | 26857975 |
| ontogenetic prey size selection in snakes: predator size and functional limitations to handling minimum prey sizes. | as body size increases, some predators eliminate small prey from their diet exhibiting an ontogenetic shift toward larger prey. in contrast, some predators show a telescoping pattern of prey size in which both large and small prey are consumed with increasing predator size. to explore a functional explanation for the two feeding patterns, i examined feeding effort as both handling time and number of upper jaw movements during ingestion of fish of consistent size. i used a range of body sizes fro ... | 2017 | 29203088 |
| allometry of skull morphology, gape size and ingestion performance in the banded watersnake (nerodia fasciata) feeding on two types of prey. | small body size imposes limitations on the feeding capabilities of juveniles, particularly in species that consume their prey whole. it has been hypothesized that juveniles exhibit exceptional performance measures to compensate for their small size. however, few studies have examined whether juveniles have better feeding performance relative to adults and investigations of snake feeding ontogeny have not shown enhanced performance in smaller snakes. i tested the hypothesis that juvenile snakes h ... | 2014 | 24143025 |
| the function of oscillatory tongue-flicks in snakes: insights from kinematics of tongue-flicking in the banded water snake (nerodia fasciata). | tongue-flicking is an important sensory behavior unique to squamate reptiles in which chemical stimuli gathered by the tongue are delivered the vomeronasal organ situated in the roof of the mouth. because tongue-flick numbers can easily be quantified, this behavior has been widely used as a measure of vomeronasal sampling in snakes using related variables such as tongue-flick rate or tongue-flick/attack score. surprisingly, the behavior itself and especially the function of the oscillatory tongu ... | 2012 | 22942105 |
| good species despite massive hybridization: genetic research on the contact zone between the watersnakes nerodia sipedon and n. fasciata in the carolinas, usa. | genomic markers generated with the amplified fragment length polymorphism method revealed extensive, panmictic-like hybridization along the narrow contact zone between the water snakes nerodia sipedon and nerodia fasciata in the carolinas, usa. however, asymmetric distributions of diagnostic markers between both species and low frequencies of backcrossed hybrids with a high value of interspecific mixture infer selection against certain genotypes. this is consistent with a pronounced genetic and ... | 2008 | 18346128 |
| are ontogenetic shifts in diet linked to shifts in feeding mechanics? scaling of the feeding apparatus in the banded watersnake nerodia fasciata. | the effects of size on animal behaviour, ecology, and physiology are widespread. theoretical models have been developed to predict how animal form, function, and performance should change with increasing size. yet, numerous animals undergo dramatic shifts in ecology (e.g. habitat use, diet) that may directly influence the functioning and presumably the scaling of the musculoskeletal system. for example, previous studies have shown that banded watersnakes (nerodia fasciata) switch from fish prey ... | 2007 | 17562879 |
| element levels in snakes in south carolina: differences between a control site and exposed site on the savannah river site. | levels of 18 elements, including lead, mercury, selenium, and uranium, were examined in three species of snakes from an exposed and reference site on the department of energy's savannah river site in south carolina. we tested the hypotheses that there were no differences as a function of species, and there were no difference between the exposed and control site for blood and muscle (tail) samples for banded water snake (nerodia fasciata), brown water snake (n. taxispilota) and cotton mouth (akis ... | 2006 | 16404533 |
| the functional meaning of "prey size" in water snakes (nerodia fasciata, colubridae). | the evolutionary success of macrostomatan (enlarged-gape) snakes has been attributed to their ability to consume large prey, in turn made possible by their highly kinetic skulls. however, prey can be "large" in several ways, and we have little insight into which aspects of prey size and shape affect skull function during feeding. we used x-ray videos of broad-banded water snakes (nerodia fasciata) feeding on both frogs and fish to quantify movements of the jaw elements during prey transport, and ... | 2006 | 16237539 |
| standard and digestive metabolism in the banded water snake, nerodia fasciata fasciata. | estimating energy costs by respirometry is fundamental to many studies of the ecology, behavior and evolution of reptiles. however, traditional respirometry procedures seldom incorporate objective techniques for removal of outliers from estimates of metabolic parameters. we demonstrate how computer-automated respirometry equipment, which records many respiratory measurements over short intervals, can be coupled with mathematical procedures to produce robust estimates of pre- and post-prandial me ... | 2004 | 14720599 |
| laser ablation-icp-ms analysis of dissected tissue: a conservation-minded approach to assessing contaminant exposure. | minimally invasive sampling techniques are an essential ecotoxicological tool for continuous assessment of contaminant exposure and in instances where it is not desirable or practical to sacrifice the animal. in this paper, we report on the application of laser ablation-icp-ms (la-icp-ms) for sampling of minute (approximately 1 mg, 2-3 mm) tail clips of the banded water snake, nerodia fasciata, as a means to assess contaminant exposure. the snakes were split into three treatments (n = 8) and wer ... | 2003 | 12831037 |
| effects of chronic dietary exposure to trace elements on banded water snakes (nerodia fasciata). | little currently is known about the accumulation or effects of contaminants on reptiles. to date, most studies examining reptile exposure to trace elements report tissue burdens of field-captured animals, but seldom provide insight into the dose, duration, or mode of exposure involved. for two years, we fed juvenile banded water snakes (nerodia fasciata) prey items collected from a coal ash-contaminated site that contained elevated levels of as, cd, cu, se, sr, and v. with the exception of cu, s ... | 2002 | 12013136 |
| nondestructive indices of trace element exposure in squamate reptiles. | compared with birds, mammals, fish, and even amphibians, very little is known about the effects of contaminants on reptiles. recent evidence that many reptile populations may be declining has stimulated demand for toxicological studies of reptiles as well as development of nondestructive sampling techniques useful for assessing and monitoring contaminant exposure. the current study experimentally evaluated the utility of shed skins, tail clips, and blood samples as nondestructive indices of trac ... | 2001 | 11586765 |
| the role of feeding regimens in the growth of neonate broad-banded water snakes, nerodia fasciata confluens, and possible effects on reproduction. | the effect of different feeding regimens on the growth pattern of nerodia fasciata confluens was tested using a litter of 18 captive-born neonates. the snakes were divided among three feeding groups: one group fed once per week, another fed twice per week, and the third fed on alternate days. the once per week and the twice per week groups were offered the same weight of food each week, while the alternate-day group was offered food in excess of ingestion levels during each feeding session. the ... | 1985 | 3987969 |
| morphological and developmental studies of the snake trypanosome trypanosoma hydrae ayala, atkinson, vakalis, 1983 in experimentally infected hosts and in culture. | trypanosoma hydrae from the broad-banded watersnake, nerodia fasciata confluens, underwent development in the freshwater leech, placobdella parasitica. epimastigotes and transitional stages were present only in the crop and gastric caecum. only one metacyclic form was observed. the potential of leeches as vectors is discussed. two broad-banded watersnakes were infected by inoculation with culture forms of t. hydrae maintained on nnn medium. parasitemias varied from 10(5)/ml to 10(6)/ml with divi ... | 1984 | 6470991 |
| traditional trapping methods outperform edna sampling for introduced semi-aquatic snakes. | given limited resources for managing invasive species, traditional survey methods may not be feasible to implement at a regional scale. environmental dna (edna) sampling has proven to be an effective method for detecting some invasive species, but comparisons between the detection probability of edna and traditional survey methods using modern occupancy modeling methods are rare. we developed a qpcr assay to detect two species of watersnake (nerodia fasciata and nerodia sipedon) introduced to ca ... | 2019 | 31265475 |
| case report: invasive pentastomes, raillietiella orientalis (sambon, 1922), in a free-ranging banded water snake (nerodia fasciata) in north central florida, usa. | raillietiella orientalis is an obligate, crustacean parasite that resides in the respiratory tract of definitive snake hosts. common throughout southeastern asia and australia, r. orientalis is believed to have been introduced into southern florida, united states along with burmese pythons (python bivittatus) in the 1990s. while the invasive range of burmese pythons is restricted to southern florida, r. orientalis has advanced north in the state in native snake species. r. orientalis were recove ... | 2020 | 32851040 |