Spatial ecology of a secretive Chihuahuan Desert colubrid, Lampropeltis alterna (Brown, 1901), in West Texas

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-8-2024

Publication Title

Herpetology Notes

Abstract

We used radiotelemetry to conduct an exploratory study on the spatial ecology and natural history of Gray-banded Kingsnakes (Lampropeltis alterna) in the northern Chihuahuan Desert of Texas. We radio-tracked two adult L. alterna (one female, one male) between October 2017 and August 2019. The female snake displayed a mean daily movement rate of 22.4 ± 6.0 m per day (MPD), a mean distance per movement (DPM) of 128.2 ± 26.6 m, a minimum movement frequency (MMF) of 0.55, and a motion variance (MV) estimate of 4.14. The male snake’s mean MPD, DPM, MMF, and MV were 43.2 ± 31.2 m, 202.4 ± 71.6 m, 0.67, and 0.69, respectively. The female’s estimated home range size was 37.3 ha based on 100% minimum convex polygon (100% MCP), and 48.2 ha and 5.3 ha based on 95% and 50% utilization distribution (UD), respectively, while the male’s estimates were 50.6 ha (100% MCP), 9.8 ha (95% UD), and 0.2 ha (50% UD). Rocky slopes represented the most frequently used habitat, and both snakes were observed more frequently using underground shelter sites composed primarily of rock substrates compared to all other microhabitat categories. Despite being highly secretive, we documented numerous long-distance movements > 200 m. When compared to other species studied at this site, we found that L. alterna exhibited a larger mean home range than Crotalus ornatus, C. atrox, and C. lepidus and a larger daily movement rate than Bogertophis subocularis, C. ornatus, and C. lepidus. In this study, we also report on overwintering behaviour and notable natural history characteristics of L. alterna.

Volume Number

17

First Page

693

Last Page

702

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