Wednesday, April 16th
April's meeting will focus on how to safely handle and present your reptile to the public. Please feel free to bring your own animal to show off.
Meetings start promptly at 8pm in the Alumni Room of Medaille College.
Annual Banquet
PLEASE NOTE: The annual banquet and recognition dinner will be rescheduled due to conflicts. The new date will likely be a Saturday in May, please contact a board member for more information.
Jefferson Salamander Complex
(Ambystoma jeffersonianum x laterale)
Photo Courtesy of Christopher Schierer
Click for larger image
The Jefferson Salamander Complex include the Jefferson Salamander (Ambystoma jeffersonianum) and the Blue Spotted Salamander (Ambystoma laterale). The Complex also includes a population of hybrids that have resulted from interbreeding of the two species. These hybrids have multiple sets of chromosomes instead of the normal two sets and are known as polyploids. This population of polyploids is all female.
The Jefferson and Blue Spotted salamanders differ and are fairly easy to identify, but the polyploids are extremely difficult to identify as they can resemble either species or share characteristics of both. Most observers in the field will usually note any observations Jefferson or Blue Spotted Salamanders as members of the Jefferson Salamander Complex instead of running the risk of misidentifying the specimen.
Remember that in many places it is illegal to take wildlife out of the wild without the proper permits from local, state, or federal authorities. Please do not release any captive reptiles or amphibians into the wild as this will disrupt the natural order of our environment. See our amphibian and reptile adoptions page for more information on what to do with unwanted herps.
Every purchase from Wormman.com helps support the WNY Herp Society!
Help further herpetology research and education by donating to the Marvin R. Aures Herpetological Grant