White blotch Ensatina????

Dedicated exclusively to field herping.

Moderator: Scott Waters

Post Reply
hellihooks
Posts: 8025
Joined: June 8th, 2010, 8:12 am
Location: Hesperia, California.
Contact:

White blotch Ensatina????

Post by hellihooks »

So... with a little help from a friend, Jacob and I went up and checked Berdoo Klaubs off our lifelists. this ONE spot is described as a croceator/klaub x spot... making these one of the rarest salamanders in Ca.
Jacob flipped his little sub-adult first... showing the yellow blotches this spot is known for... then I flipped an adult with white blotches... which neither of us know what to make of THAT... :crazyeyes:
Image
Image

whatever they are... lifers for both of us... so we are a couple of campy hampers... :crazyeyes: :D :D :D
User avatar
El Garia
Posts: 722
Joined: October 20th, 2011, 4:39 pm
Location: Santa Clara Co. , CA

Re: White blotch Ensatina????

Post by El Garia »

Those 'manders are stunning! I know you've put some time into searching, so big congrats, Jim :beer:
You're a hood gerper, my friend!

Derek
Richard F. Hoyer
Posts: 639
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 1:14 pm

Re: White blotch Ensatina????

Post by Richard F. Hoyer »

Jim,
Little be known that the fellow that has been painting these Ensatina all these years ran out of yellow paint. So he did the next best thing and used his white paint.

Richard FH
User avatar
Ross Padilla
Posts: 2666
Joined: June 8th, 2010, 6:29 pm
Location: I love L.A.
Contact:

Re: White blotch Ensatina????

Post by Ross Padilla »

Awesome!
hellihooks
Posts: 8025
Joined: June 8th, 2010, 8:12 am
Location: Hesperia, California.
Contact:

Re: White blotch Ensatina????

Post by hellihooks »

El Garia wrote:Those 'manders are stunning! I know you've put some time into searching, so big congrats, Jim :beer:
You're a hood gerper, my friend!

Derek
Hood Gerper might be my new user name... :crazyeyes: me, you... long-toed, tigers soon... :D
hellihooks
Posts: 8025
Joined: June 8th, 2010, 8:12 am
Location: Hesperia, California.
Contact:

Re: White blotch Ensatina????

Post by hellihooks »

Richard F. Hoyer wrote:Jim,
Little be known that the fellow that has been painting these Ensatina all these years ran out of yellow paint. So he did the next best thing and used his white paint.

Richard FH
So.... mottled tail = cleaning his brush??? :crazyeyes: :D
User avatar
Steve Bledsoe
Posts: 1809
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 6:14 am
Location: San Clemente, CA www.swfieldherp.com
Contact:

Re: White blotch Ensatina????

Post by Steve Bledsoe »

Great find Jim. Congratulations!

A couple of weeks ago, a friend sent me this photo asking for an ID. The photo was taken by a friend of hers who lives in the region you're talking about.
Take a close look - there are 4 individuals in the shot. The property owner said he sees them every year inside this water main vault. Crazy! :crazyeyes:

Image[/URL]
User avatar
Porter
Posts: 2418
Joined: March 19th, 2011, 7:43 pm

Re: White blotch Ensatina????

Post by Porter »

Congrats :thumb: morph of a rarity...doesn't get much better than that :beer:
Steve Bledsoe wrote:Great find Jim. Congratulations!

A couple of weeks ago, a friend sent me this photo asking for an ID. The photo was taken by a friend of hers who lives in the region you're talking about.
Take a close look - there are 4 individuals in the shot. The property owner said he sees them every year inside this water main vault. Crazy! :crazyeyes:

Image[/URL]
Cool stuff. Are they able to get out of there or are we looking at a yearly unintentional pitfall trap? I always found trogs in them and gartersnakes which can get back out easily...
hellihooks
Posts: 8025
Joined: June 8th, 2010, 8:12 am
Location: Hesperia, California.
Contact:

Re: White blotch Ensatina????

Post by hellihooks »

Steve Bledsoe wrote:Great find Jim. Congratulations!

A couple of weeks ago, a friend sent me this photo asking for an ID. The photo was taken by a friend of hers who lives in the region you're talking about.
Take a close look - there are 4 individuals in the shot. The property owner said he sees them every year inside this water main vault. Crazy! :crazyeyes:

Image[/URL]
Thx Steve... this could be very significant... only a couple of spots known... and only one called an intergrade (which these appear to be) ... :shock: contact info??? (pm)... I WILL follow up (took me 5 years of trying) to find these... :crazyeyes:
hellihooks
Posts: 8025
Joined: June 8th, 2010, 8:12 am
Location: Hesperia, California.
Contact:

Re: White blotch Ensatina????

Post by hellihooks »

to give credit where credit is due... Will (fieldnotes) documented these sally's first, this year... and pointed me in the right direction. I, and other members, like Josh, Phil and Jacob have been searching other spots for years now... :? Will's one hell of a herper... :D
Jeff Teel
Posts: 116
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 10:40 am
Location: The field or the Bar
Contact:

Re: White blotch Ensatina????

Post by Jeff Teel »

Water Meter Boxes are great for herps. Eve since I was kid, I would walk through my neighborhood and loom in every ones water meter box. I've seen most species of snakes here in the Sb mtns in them-(except helleri) and most all lziards, and frogs and toads-(excluding a certain toad and frog) but that shot of those sallys is pretty rad...
User avatar
Fundad
Posts: 5721
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 7:11 am
Location: Los Angeles County
Contact:

Re: White blotch Ensatina????

Post by Fundad »

Congrats Jim, I know you have been searching for them for awhile. :thumb:

Be careful with those water boxes, as I have discovered bee hives the hard way in them. :shock:

Fundad
hellihooks
Posts: 8025
Joined: June 8th, 2010, 8:12 am
Location: Hesperia, California.
Contact:

Re: White blotch Ensatina????

Post by hellihooks »

Thx to all for the congrats/ kind replies... and especially Teel... who taught me (by example) the meaning of the word 'determined'... :thumb:

and... i keep forgetring to mention... photo credits to Jacob A.... we all know I'm not capable of shots like these ... Thx bro... :thumb:
User avatar
Steve Bledsoe
Posts: 1809
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 6:14 am
Location: San Clemente, CA www.swfieldherp.com
Contact:

Re: White blotch Ensatina????

Post by Steve Bledsoe »

As far as I know, that water shut-off vault is closed with a lid, so I imagine the critters have some sort of subterranean entrance. Don't really know.
Since the land owner says he sees them every year, I would assume that they come and go. Can't imagine these things are so common that several of them fall into a makeshift pit trap year after year, but then again, stranger things happen.

Good point by Fundad regarding bee hives and water valve vaults. I've found a couple of those myself.

Jim - I can try to get some more specific information about the whereabouts of this piece of property. I know what city it's near, but nothing else about it.
Steve
Zach_Lim
Posts: 1607
Joined: June 10th, 2010, 8:37 pm

Re: White blotch Ensatina????

Post by Zach_Lim »

Very interesting looking Ensatina, Jim!

Edit: don't know why the thread posted so fast. Wasn't even done with my post yet!

Very interesting to see such variation in that one population. Color morphs in amphibians are always so interesting, as they are not as common as in reptiles.
hellihooks
Posts: 8025
Joined: June 8th, 2010, 8:12 am
Location: Hesperia, California.
Contact:

Re: White blotch Ensatina????

Post by hellihooks »

Zach_Lim wrote:Very interesting looking Ensatina, Jim!

Edit: don't know why the thread posted so fast. Wasn't even done with my post yet!

Very interesting to see such variation in that one population. Color morphs in amphibians are always so interesting, as they are not as common as in reptiles.
If in fact a Klaub/croceator intergrade... by FAR the weakest link in the whole ensatina ring complex... :shock: :)
Post Reply