South Africa, Field herping it's been a long Winter.

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mariquensis
Posts: 93
Joined: April 8th, 2012, 12:54 pm

South Africa, Field herping it's been a long Winter.

Post by mariquensis »

Over the last few weeks/months there’s been a serious decline in the kind of posts I really loved viewing and reading on this forum.
Granted it’s been winter and things are heating up, but that’s really not an excuse, or is it?
In any case here are a collection of photographs from the last couple of weeks.

Some of these I travelled a few hundred km’s for to obtain a single photograph of a single specimen to simply then turn it back into it’s bush/ off the road/ under its rock/ out its favourite tree or back into the puddle which I temporarily plucked it from. Travelled with some nice people and met bunch of new friends along the way.

Photographs from Kwa Zulu Natal and Gauteng, South Africa.

Hope you enjoy!

Amietia angolensis – Common River Frog
Amietophrynus gutturalis – Guttural Toad
Cacosternum boettgeri – Boetger’s Dainty Frog.
Hyperolius marmoratus marmoratus – Painted Reed Frog

Cordylus vittifer - Transvaal girdled lizard
Pachydactylus affnis – Transvaal Tick Toed Gecko
Pseudocordylus melanotus subviridis – Drakensberg Crag Lizard

Bitis gabonica – Gaboon Viper
Duberria lutrix – Common slug eater
Lycodonomorphus laevissimus – Dusky Bellied Water Snake.
Lycodonomorphus inornatus – Olive House Snake .
Philothamnus natalensis occidentalis – Western Natal Green Snake
Philothamnus hoplogaster – Common Green Snake
Philothamnus semivariegatus – Spotted Bush Snake
Psammophylax rhombeatus – Rhombic Skaapsteker

Bradypodion caeruleogula – uMlalazi dwarf chameleon
Bradypodion setaroi – Setaro’s Dwarf Chameleon
Bradypodion thamnobates – Natal Midlands Dwarf Chameleon
Chamaeleo dilepis – Flap Neck Chameleon

Amietophrynus gutturalis – Guttural Toad
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Amietia angolensis – Common River Frog
Below individuals were found in the same locality not that far from one another.
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Hyperolius marmoratus marmoratus – Painted Reed Frog
Juvenile
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Cacosternum boettgeri – Boetger’s Dainty Frog.
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Chamaeleo dilepis – Flap Neck Chameleon
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Bradypodion thamnobates – Natal Midlands Dwarf Chameleon
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Bradypodion setaroi – Setaro’s Dwarf Chameleon
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Bradypodion caeruleogula – uMlalazi dwarf chameleon
One of the lesser known Braydpodion from Northern Kwa Zulu Natal, this species occurs in two or three very isolated patches of forest. I've been looking for this species close on two years.
Forgive the photo but for size reference, and yes that’s what your face will
look like after searching for one chameleon for two days.
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Size reference.
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Pseudocordylus melanotus subviridis – Drakensberg Crag Lizard
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Cordylus vittifer - Transvaal girdled lizard
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Pachydactylus affnis – Transvaal Tick Toed Gecko
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Philothamnus natalensis occidentalis – Western Natal Green Snake

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Philothamnus hoplogaster – Common Green Snake.
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Philothamnus semivariegatus – Spotted Bush Snake
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Lycodonomorphus laevissimus – Dusky Bellied Water Snake
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Psammophylax rhombeatus – Rhombic Skaapsteker, Natal Midlands
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Lycodonomorphus inornatus – Olive Snake.
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Duberria lutrix – Common slug eater
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Philothamnus hoplogaster – Common Green Snake
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Psammophylax rhombeatus – Rhombic Skaapsteker Gauteng.
Female covering her eggs below come concrete.
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Rather unimpressed.
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The sad truth...
Bitis gabonica - Gaboon Viper
Well it was once, St Lucia.
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Kfen
Posts: 413
Joined: June 17th, 2010, 5:51 am
Location: CT

Re: South Africa, Field herping it's been a long Winter.

Post by Kfen »

Awesome post.
The Pseudocordylus was a real treat, but the dwarf chameleons were amazing! I only saw one species of Bradypodion on my trip to SA despite hours and hours of searching for 2 other species.
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shredsteban
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Re: South Africa, Field herping it's been a long Winter.

Post by shredsteban »

Very cool post! Are there any good informative books that are available to purchase online for the Herps of South Africa or Mozambique? I'll be out that way next summer and eons love to read up on the naturally occurring species for both countries. Also, I'd like to know what could potentially kill me and which species are safe for viewing a little closer up.
Kfen
Posts: 413
Joined: June 17th, 2010, 5:51 am
Location: CT

Re: South Africa, Field herping it's been a long Winter.

Post by Kfen »

This book was very useful. It had good range maps, decent photos, good descriptions, and even a little natural history which helps to try to find one's targets. It is getting a little old and I am not sure if much taxonomy has changed in that region or not, nor do I know if there is a newer better one out there.

http://www.amazon.com/Field-Snakes-Rept ... 0883590425

THe only bad thing is that it does not cover amphibians so you will need this as well:

http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Guide-Fr ... QGN3V4TNZH
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Rothdigga
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Re: South Africa, Field herping it's been a long Winter.

Post by Rothdigga »

Kfen, that's the same book I suggested. It is a bummer that it doesn't cover amphibs, but it covers a ton of area geographically and is pretty comprehensive.

Sick post Tyrone! I can't believe you didn't come up to the lodge with us. Although the herping wasn't the best for us while I was there. I need to find some of those dwarf chameleons someday.
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snakemastermyke
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Joined: July 15th, 2012, 11:07 pm
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Re: South Africa, Field herping it's been a long Winter.

Post by snakemastermyke »

Embarrassingly those darn Skaaps have evaded me.
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