Kansas Herpetofaunal Atlas

An adult Prairie Skink from Clark County. Image by Lisa Wehrly.
An adult Prairie Skink from Barber County, Kansas. Image © Suzanne L. Collins, CNAH.
An adult Prairie Skink from Douglas County, Kansas. Image © Suzanne L. Collins, CNAH.
An adult Southern Prairie Skink from Clark County. © Nick Edge.
An adult Prairie Skink from Barber County, Kansas. Image © Suzanne L. Collins.
REPTILIA (Reptiles) SQUAMATA (PART) (Other Lizards) SCINCIDAE (Skinks)

Prairie Skink
Plestiodon septentrionalis (Baird 1858)
plĕs-tē-ō-dŏn — sĕp-'tĕn-trē-än-ā-lŭs

Conservation Status:
State: None
Federal: None
NatureServe State: S4 - Apparently Secure
NatureServe National: N5 - Secure
NatureServe Global: G5 - Secure
CITES: None
Diagnosis:
 There are two distinct pattern forms that occur in Kansas, the Northern Prairie Skink (north of the Arkansas River) and the Southern Prairie Skink (Arkansas River and south [and possibly the Cross Timbers]). Current evidence suggests that they are likely two species and that they are not even each other's closest relative. More thorough systematic analyses are needed.
In general the Prairie Skinks are characterized by four limbs, an ear opening on each side of the head, flat, smooth, shiny scales on their bodies, seven light stripes alternating with six or eight dark stripes on the back and sides (northern form only) or a uniform brown dorsum with stripes restricted to the sides of the body (southern form only), and the widest dark stripe on each side of the body always bordered above and below by distinct light stripes. The head, body, limbs, and tail are olive and tan. The widest dark stripe on each side of the body extends onto the tail. The belly is uniform gray. Young have blue tails. Males develop reddish orange chins and lips during the breeding season.
The northern form has a whitish, tan, or light gray ground color with a prominent well-defined dark stripe that starts just behind the eye, and extends along the upper sides to the tip of the tail. The lateral stripe may become broken up toward the end of the tail in some specimens. On the back are four stripes that run from the back of the head to the tip of the tail. The median two of these strips are often broken up or not as well-defined.The ground color of the southern form is a darker tan to coppery colored and lighter tan along the sides. They have a prominent dark brown stripe that runs from the eye and onto the tail (stopping just past the hind legs and seldom reaching the tip of the tail), which is bordered by thinner whitish stripes above and below. Dorsal stripes (when present) are poorly defined and usually situated on each side of the mid-line.
In both forms, the belly is white, cream, or yellowish and without markings. During the breeding season, males have a reddish-orange cast on the head, especially around the lower jaws and throat. The juveniles of both forms start out much darker (even black) and with blue tails. As they grow the adult pattern gradually becomes more prominent. The post-mental scale (anterior-most non-labial scale under the jaw) is often divided, but this character is unreliable in some Kansas populations.
The tail is deciduous and will grow back, however, the regenerated portion will be off-color, shorter than the original, and typically devoid of pattern.
Southern form: "obtusirostris" (Bocourt 1879). Adults normally 124-178 mm (5-7 inches) in total length. The largest specimen from Kansas is a male (KU 221779) from Sumner County with an SLV of 74 mm and TL of 201 mm (7­15⁄25 inches) collected by Larry L. Miller on 16 April 1994. This is the maximum length throughout the range (Powell et al., 2016).
Northern form: "septentrionalis" (Baird 1858). Adults normally 124-178 mm (5-7 inches) in total length. The largest specimen from Kansas is a female (KU 206280) from Jackson County with snout-vent length of 87 mm and a total length of 224 mm (8¼ inches) collected by Al Kamb and Steve Kamb on 26 May 1986. This is the maximum length throughout the range (Powell et al., 2016).
Distribution:
 Known from the Flint Hills, Cross Timbers, northern Osage Plains, and Drift Hills. It follows the Smoky-Hill, Saline, lower Soloman, and lower Republican river drainages west out of the Flint Hills. Locally common in the Permian Prairie and Arkansas River Sand Prairie, although probably more widespread than currently known.
Burt and Hoyle (1935) commented that the Prairie Skink is found in the open prairie ledges of Kansas, where there are no trees, but where rocks and prairie grass offer much protection. They further elaborated, that colonies of the Prairie Skink are rather hard to find, but that it is often abundant where it occurs.
(,   Museum Voucher) (,   Observation) (,   Literature Record) (,   iNat Record), (  Fossil)
Open icons are questionable records; Click on a marker to view details.
Full range depicted by light shaded red area. Export Google Earth (.kml)
  • Occurrence Summary:  
  • 462
    Records 
  • 433
    Museum Vouchers 
  • 29
    Other Observations 
Some county occurrences indicated below may be too imprecise to map above.
 County Breakdown: County Name (# occurrences):
 Anderson (3); Atchison (3); Barber (9); Barton (3); Brown (3); Butler (1); Chase (17); Chautauqua (2); Clark (9); Clay (1); Coffey (1); Comanche (11); Dickinson (2); Doniphan (1); Douglas (13); Edwards (1); Elk (1); Ellis (34); Ellsworth (3); Franklin (19); Greenwood (3); Jackson (4); Jefferson (3); Kingman (2); Kiowa (4); Lyon (13); Marion (1); McPherson (1); Meade (1); Morris (3); Nemaha (6); Osage (9); Osborne (1); Ottawa (5); Pawnee (1); Pottawatomie (115); Riley (2); Rush (1); Russell (34); Saline (7); Sedgwick (14); Shawnee (29); Sumner (33); Trego (2); Unknown (2); Wabaunsee (21); Wilson (1); Woodson (7);

Fossil History:
 Fossils from the Sandahl Local Fauna of McPherson County (Pleistocene: Illinoian) (Holman 1971; Preston 1979; Holman 1995) are assignable to this genus.
Natural History:
 These lizards frequent open, grass-covered, rocky hillsides near streams, but occasionally have been found in forests or at forest edges. They will enter water to escape enemies. Prairie Skinks are active from April to early October. Like most skinks, they are highly secretive, spending much of the day beneath flat rocks. Clarke (1955) reported a winter retreat within the city limits of Emporia in Lyon County containing seven northern Prairie Skinks and 21 Lined Snakes. The reptiles were dug from a patch of rocky ground approximately 48 feet square during March and April.
Clarke (1955) and Fitch (1970, 1985) presented the only breeding observations on these species in Kansas. northern Prairie Skinks mate during May and June, several weeks later than the Five-lined Skink; nothing is known of courtship. Evidently, the female digs a shallow nest in loose, moist soil beneath objects such as logs, boards, or rocks. Each female deposits a clutch of five to eighteen eggs during late June. The eggs hatch in one to two months, and the young attain sexual maturity in two years.
Prairie Skinks are carnivorous, feeding on insects, snails, spiders, and smaller lizards. During August in Riley County, Collins (1982) found a single juvenile example of a Northern Prairie Skink which disgorged a grasshopper. Burt and Hoyle (1935) reported on an adult Great Plains Skink (Plestiodon obsoletus) collected by Charles E. Burt, on 14 May 1933 in Morris County, that had consumed an adult Prairie Skink (Plestiodon septentrionalis).
Predators of the Prairie Skinks include larger lizards, snakes, large birds, and small mammals (Collins, 19930.
Occurrence Activity:
 Number of Unique Obervations (=days): 93; Range: 02 Jan to 27 Oct
Remarks:
 First reported from Kansas by Coues and Yarrow (1878), stating "... also known to occur in Nebraska and Kansas." The earliest existing specimen (United States National Museum [USNM 44969]) from Kansas was collected at Onaga (Pottawatomie County) sometime during 1891. Further genetic studies are necessary to determine the relationships within Plestiodon septentrionalis. Collins (1991) elevated P. obtusirostris from the synonymy of P. septentrionalis based on its presumed allopatry and diagnosability.
Fuerst et al. (2004) provided evidence that the southern form 'obtusirostris' should be elevated to specific status but declined to do, citing the the paucity of obtusirostris specimens in their analyses. Schmitz et al. (2004) demonstrated that P. septentrionalis is more closely related to P. fasciatus (Common Five-lined Skink) than either is to P. obtusirostris, further corroborating the elevation obtusirostris.
The following is an English translation (from French) of Bocourt's (1879) original description, pp 441-3:
9. EUMECES OBTUSIROSTRIS, N. Sp.
(PI. XXII Z), fig. i, i a, 1 b.)
Characters. Short and obtuse muzzle. Opening of the nostril located in the middle of the nasal skullcap. No naso-frenal (see pl. XXII D, fig. 1 b). Post-mental plate divided transversely. A single pair of nuchal scutes dilated across. Twenty-eight longitudinal series of scales surround the trunk. Relatively short limbs. Strong tail, fairly long and furnished below with small scutes. Two preanal scales more developed than those preceding them. On each side of the body, we see a black band, delimited above and below by a yellow line.
Description. The head is poorly enlarged behind; its length, taken from the tip of the muzzle to the posterior edge of the inter-varietal, equals nine dorsal scales and is found, as in Eumeces brevirostris, six times to six and a half times in the space between the chin and the anus. The rostral is quite high and subtriangular in shape. The superonasals each offer four sides and are in contact by their internal angle. The inter-nasofrontal, a little larger and of the same shape, is in relation to the right and to the left with the first ash grove. The frontonasals, also quadrilateral, are weakly separated from each other. The frontal is elongated and presents an acute angle in front, the slightly truncated end of which is in contact with the inter-nasofrontal. The frontoparietals are largely united by their internal side. The interparietal offers a subacute forward angle and ends posteriorly at the level of the parietals. These, longer than they are wide, are followed by a single pair of nuchal scutes, dilated across. There are four suroculars, bordered on the outside by six superciliary lamellae, the first of which is weakly inverted on the upper region, the fourth and the fifth are of small dimensions. Each side of the muzzle is furnished with five plates: a nasal, widely pierced in the middle; two ash groves, the first of which is tall and narrow, while the second, more developed lengthwise, has five sides; finally, two frenooculars, the second of which, smaller than its congener, is tilted back. The lower eyelid is provided in the middle of small quadrilateral scutes, a little higher than wide. There are eight supralabial lamellae; the fifth, more elongated than those preceding it, forms the inferior contour of the orbit; the sixth and seventh, larger and pentagonal in shape, along with the four temporals line the entire convexity of the cheek; the eighth is very small. The atrial opening is oval and lined at its anterior border with three or four small scaly lobules. The postmental is divided transversely and followed by three pairs of submandibular plates, wider than long and related to the lower labials (see pl. XXIII), fig. 1 a). The body is elongated, sub-rounded and covered with hexagonal scales; those of the spinal series are fifty-eight, from the nape to the level of the posterior border of the thighs. The limbs are short; the forelegs are no more than a third of the distance between their joint and the anus. The fingers are unequal and each terminate in a small hooked nail. The tail is strong and rather long, although reproduced at its end; nineteen scales surround the base, at a short distance from the anus, and those which occupy the lower region are small, as in Eumeces callocephalus (see pl. XXII E, fig. 2). The anterior edge of the cloaca is furnished with two scales larger than those which precede them.
Length of the type copy. 0m, 156
Length from chin to anus. 0 066
Lacquer length. 0 090
Length of the head, to the posterior edge of the interparietal. 0 010
Length of the head, to the anterior edge of the ear 0 011
Width beyond the head at the temples. 0 008
Arm length, to the end of the middle finger. 0 013
Length of the leg, to the end of the longest finger. 0 019
Coloring. The upper parts of the body show a yellow ocher tint, a little darker on the limbs than on the back. The cephalic plates and scales of the two mid-dorsal series are speckled with gray. On each side of the body there is a fairly narrow black band, extending from the anterior part of the orbit to the first quarter of the tail. This band is perfectly delimited above and below by a yellow stripe; the upper ray, bordered in black, is separated from its congener by six longitudinal series of dorsal scales; the lower line begins below the eye, passes over the ear and limbs, and ends on the lateral side of the tail, a short distance from the anus. The tip of the muzzle, lips, throat and lower part of the legs are yellowish-white. The abdominal region and the underside of the tail are a very light bluish-gray tint.
Observations. Our new species appears to be very close to Eumeces Sumichrasti, Cope. In both, the nasofrenal scutum is missing and the trunk is surrounded by twenty-eight, longitudinal series of scales. From Mr. Cope's description of the latter species, the livery would be less vivid and the sideband would only originate at ear level. As for the other characters indicated by this author, they are peculiar to all species of this genus, and there is no mention of the post-mental plate, nor of the shape of the scales which line the lower region of the tail. Eumeces obtusirostris also closely resembles Eumeces obsoletus, Baird and Girard; it differs, however, not only by its mode of coloring, but also by the following characteristic features: relatively smaller head, compared to the length of the trunk; narrow subcaudal scales, as in Eumeces callocephalus, and not differing from those surrounding them (see pl. XXII E, fig. 2).
The typical individual of Eumeces obtusirostris is native to Texas; it was communicated to us by Professor W. Peters.
Bibliography:
1878 Coues, Elliot and Henry C. Yarrow. Notes on the herpetology of Dakota and Montana. Bulletin of the United States Geological and Geographical Survey 4():259-291
1879 Bocourt, Marie F. Etudes sur les reptiles. [Studies on reptiles.] Pages 361–440 in Duméril, Mocquard, and Bocourt, 1870-1909. Recherches Zoologiques pour servir a l'Histoire de Ia Faune de l'Amérique Centrale et du Mexique. Mission Scientifique au Mexique et dans l'Amér. Livraison 6. [ Zoological Research to be used in the History of the Fauna of Central America and Mexico. Scientific Mission to Mexico and America. Delivery 6]. Imprimerie Impériale [Imperial Printing Office], Paris, France. pp.
In French. The original description of Plestiodon septentrionalis obtusirostris, (based on a specimen from Texas).
1880 Cope, Edward D. On the zoological position of Texas. Bulletin of the United States National Museum (17):151
1880 Cragin, Francis W. A preliminary catalogue of Kansas reptiles and batrachians Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 7():112-123
Also listed the Scarlet Snake (Cemophora coccinea) [=Ophibolus doliatus var. coccineus] and Red Salamander (Pseudotriton ruber) [=Spelerpes ruber] from Kansas.
1882 Yarrow, Henry C. Check list of North American Reptilia and Batrachia with catalogue of specimens in U. S. National Museum. Bulletin of the United States National Museum (24):1-249
A summary of all herpetological species known at the time, with reference to specimens in the United States National Museum. Including one three Acris blanchardi from Fort Riley; Agkistrodon contortrix from Fort Riley; three Ambystoma mavortium from "Kansas" and another from Fort Riley; one Anaxyrus woodhousii from "Kansas"; one Anaxyrus cognatus from "Kansas" and another from Fort Riley; one Carphophis vermis from Fort Scott; three Coluber constrictor from "Kansas" and two from Fort Riley; one Crotalus horridus from 1858; one Diadophis punctatus from Hyatt [Hyette sic], Kansas (Anderson County); one Graptemys pseudogeographica from the Republican River in Kansas;   two Heterodon nasicus from Fort Riley; one Lampropeltis calligaster from Neosho Falls; one Lampropeltis holbrooki from Fort Riley, one from "Natchez", Kansas, and one other from Shawnee Mission, Kansas;one Lampropeltis gentilis from Fort Riley and one other from the Republican River, Kansas; one Pantherophis obsoletus from Fort Riley;fourteen Phrynosoma douglassi from "Kansas" and four from Fort Riley; three Phrynosoma cornutum from Fort Riley (Riley County);  three Pituophis catenifer from "Platte Valley", Kansas [likely from eastern Colorado prior to 1861] and two specimens from Fort Riley; one Plestiodon septentrionalis from Neosho Falls (Woodson County); one Plestiodon obsoletus from Fort Riley; one Thamnophis sirtalis from "Kansas"; one Nerodia sipedon from Fort Riley and another from Neosho Falls; one Scincella lateralis from Fort Scott (Bourbon County); one Thamnophis proximus from Fort Riley; four Sceloporus consobrinus from Fort Riley; one Tantilla nigriceps from Fort Riley; four Thamnophis sirtalis from "Kansas" and two from Little Blue River, Kansas; 
1900 Cope, Edward D. The crocodilians, lizards and snakes of North America. Pages 153-1270 in Report of the U. S. National Museum for the Year Ending June 30, 1898 , Washington, D. C. pp.
1907 Ditmars, Raymond L. The Reptile Book; A comprehensive, Popularised Work on the Structure and Habits of the Turtles, Tortoises, Crocodilians, Lizards and Snakes which Inhabit the United States and Northern Mexico. Doubleday, Pae, and Company, New York. 472pp.
Several references to Kansas in the distribution of specific species accounts.
1916 Householder, Victor H. The Lizards and Turtles of Kansas with Notes on Their Distribution and Habitat. Thesis. University of Kansas, Lawrence. 100pp.
1920 Taylor, Edward H. The Lizards of Kansas with Notes on Habits. Thesis. University of Kansas, Lawrence. 117pp.
Though Dr. Taylor's thesis lists 1916 as the publication date (as does version that the KHS published in 1993). His degree was not awarded until 1920, which is the official publication date.
1928 Burt, Charles E. A key to the species of lizards definitely reported from Kansas. Privately printed, Enterprise Press, Bristow, Nebraska. pp.
Essentially a separate from the writer's "Lizards of. Kansas" which was in-press in the Transactions of the Academy of Science of St. Louis (Burt 1928. 26(1):1-81). Includes a glossary and a note on the variation in Sceloporus undulatus thayerii (= Sceloporus consobrinus).
1928 Burt, Charles E. Insect food of Kansas lizards with notes on feeding habits. Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 1(3):50-68
1928 Burt, Charles E. The lizards of Kansas. Transactions of the Academy of Science St. Louis 26(1):1-81
1932 Kingman, R. H. A comparative study of the skull in the genus Eumeces of the family Scincidae. University of Kansas Science Bulletin 20(15):273-295
1933 Stejneger, Leonhard H. and Thomas Barbour. A Checklist of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. 3rd Edition. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts. pp.
Reference to Kansas is the listed range of several species.
1933 Burt, Charles E. Some distributional and ecological records of Kansas reptiles. Transactions of the Academy of Science St. Louis 26():186-208
1934 Burt, Charles E. and W. L. Hoyle. Additional records of the reptiles of the central prairie region of the United States. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 37():193-216
1936 Brumwell, Malcolm J. Distributional records of the reptilia and amphibians of Kansas. Privately printed, . 22pp.
County dot maps of the Kansas herpetofauna. This work has been attributed to have been written around 1933, but that may be in error. 
Hypsiglena jani was not known from Kansas until Claude W. Hibbard collected three specimens on the Stevenson Ranch in north-central Clark County (above Clark State Lake) during June 1936 (Hibbard, 1937). Brumwell plotted this locality, which leads me to believe that the 1936 would have been the earliest date this manuscript could have been written.
1936 Taylor, Edward H. A taxonomic study of the cosmopolitan scincoid lizards of the genus Eumeces, with an account of the distribution and relationships of its species. University of Kansas Science Bulletin 23(1):1-643
1942 Hudson, G. E. The amphibians and reptiles of Nebraska. Nebraska Conservation Bulletin 24():1-146
1950 Smith, Hobart M. Handbook of Amphibians and Reptiles of Kansas. University of Kansas, Museum of Natural History, Miscellaneous Publication (2):336
The first modern herpetology of Kansas. Includes locality dot maps within individual species accounts. Reports 96 species from Kansas (table and text say 97 on p. 10) and 13 "probable but unverified" species and subspecies.
1953 Schmidt, Karl P. A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. 6th Edition. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois. 280pp.
Schmidt's first edition of his standardized checklist to North American amphibians and reptiles. Includes several specific references to Kansas in the range descriptions.
1955 Clarke, Robert F. Observations on Eumeces s. septentrionalis in Kansas. Herpetologica 11(3):161-164
1956 Smith, Hobart M. Handbook of Amphibians and Reptiles of Kansas. Second edition. University of Kansas Museum of Natural History Miscellaneous Publication (9):1-356
Hobart M. Smith's updated second edition of his first (1950) modern herpetology of Kansas. Includes locality dot maps within individual species accounts. Reports 96 species from Kansas (table says 97 on p. 10; text says 98 on p. 10) and 11 "probable but unverified" species and subspecies. The second edition has updated taxonomy, added Plestiodon laticeps, and removed Eurycea tynerensis.
1956 Loomis, Richard B. The chigger mites of Kansas (Acarina, Trombiculidae). University of Kansas Science Bulletin 37():1195-1443
Examined 2,628 Kansas reptiles of 48 species consisting of 27 turtles of 4 species, 1,736 lizards of 12 species and 892 snakes of 32 speciesfor chiggers. Eleven species of chiggers were recovered from reptiles.
For amphibians, 1188 individuals of 21 species were examined. Five species of chigger mite were recovered from amphibians.
1962 Gish, Charles D. The Herpetofauna of Ellis County, Kansas. Thesis. Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. 34pp.
1965 Clarke, Robert F. Lizards in Kansas. Kansas School Naturalist 11(4):1-16
1967 Choate, Jerry R. Wildlife in the Wakarusa Watershed of Northeastern Kansas. Kansas Biological Survey, Lawrence. 46pp.
1967 Gier, Herschel T. Vertebrates of the Flint Hills. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 70(1):51-59
1970 Fitch, Henry S. Reproductive cycles in lizards and snakes. University of Kansas Museum of Natural History Miscellaneous Publication (52):1-247
1974 Collins, Joseph T. Amphibians and Reptiles in Kansas University of Kansas Museum of Natural History Public Education Series (1):283 pp
Joseph T. Collins first Kansas herpetology. <Need to get species total and principal differences with previous 'version' (= Smith 1956)>
1975 Rundquist, Eric M. Amphibians and Reptiles of Kingman County, Kansas. Privately Printed, Lawrence, Kansas. 3pp.
Short accounts for twenty-nine recognized amphibians and reptiles from Kingman County, Kansas. With habitat descriptions and for some species, estimates of population density.
1975 Rundquist, Eric M. First KHS field trip yields three county records. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (7):1-3
Narration of the activities and species found during the KHS field trip to Kingman County, Kansas. From the title of the article, there were three county records were obtained, however, only Plestiodon septentrionalis is indicated as being 'new'.
1976 Rundquist, Eric M. Field checklist (of) amphibians and reptiles of Kansas. Kansas Herpetological Society, Lawrence. pp.
1977 Perry, Janice. Kansas herps needed. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (18):2-3
List of Kansas amphibians and reptiles desired for the SSAR/HL meeting to be held 7-13 August 1977.
1977 Grow, David. Clark County visited by the Society. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (19):1-2
1978 Curl, Richard L. Final Environmental Statement: Milford Lake Kansas operation and maintenance. US Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City District. 158pp.
Notable mentions: Spotted Salamander, Smooth Green Snake
1978 Rundquist, Eric M., Eddie Stegall, David Grow, and Peter Gray. New herpetological records from Kansas. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science (81):73-77
Reports on new population discoveries of five species for which information was lacking at the time.
1978 Collins, Joseph T. and Janalee P. Caldwell. New records of fishes, amphibians, and reptiles in Kansas for 1977. Technical Publication of the State Biological Survery of Kansas 6():70-88
1979 Collins, Joseph T. New records of fishes, amphibians, and reptiles in Kansas for 1978. Technical Publication of the State Biological Survery of Kansas 8():56-66
1979 Holman, J. Alan. Herpetofauna of the Nash local fauna (Pleistocene: Aftonian) of Kansas. Copeia 1979(4):747-749
1980 Spencer, Dwight. Spencer, D. 1980. Ross Natural History Reservation: the first twenty years, 1959 to 1979. Emporia State University, Emporia, Kansas.. 64pp.
1981 Collins, Joseph T. New records of fishes, amphibians, and reptiles in Kansas for 1980. Technical Publication of the State Biological Survery of Kansas 10():7-19
1981 Eshelman, Ralph E. and Claude W. Hibbard. Nash Local Fauna (Pleistocene: Aftonian) of Meade County, Kansas. Contributions from the Museum of Paleontology, The University of Michigan 25(16):317-326
1982 Collins, Joseph T. Amphibians and Reptiles in Kansas. 2nd edition. University of Kansas Museum of Natural History Public Education Series (8):
Joseph T. Collins second Kansas herpetology. <Need to get species total and principal differences with previous 'version' (= Collins 1974)>
1983 Trott, Gene. Chikaskia River wildlife study. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (52):3-4
1983 Crampton, L. Herpetological collecting in Sumner County, Kansas. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (54):8-9
1983 Collins, Joseph T. New records of fishes, amphibians, and reptiles in Kansas for 1982 . Technical Publication of the State Biological Survey of Kansas 13():9-21
1984 Brown, Kenneth L. Pomona: A plains village variant in eastern Kansas and western Missouri. Dissertation. University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas. 519pp.
1984 Heinrich, Mark L. Herpetofauna of the Konza Prairie Research Natural Area in the Flint Hills region of Kansas with respect to habitat selection. Thesis. Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas. 57pp.
1984 Secor, Stephen M. and Charles C. Carpenter. Distribution maps of Oklahoma reptiles. Oklahoma Herpetological Society Special Publication (3):1-57
1985 Somma, Louis A. Brooding behavior of the Northern Prairie Skink, Eumeces septentrionalis septentrionalis (Baird), and its relationship to the hydric environment of the nest substrate. Thesis. University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska. 113pp.
1985 Lynch, John D. Annotated checklist of the amphibians and reptiles of Nebraska. Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Science 13():33-57
1986 Collins, Joseph T. New records of amphibians and reptiles in Kansas for 1986. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (66):9-16
1989 Collins, Joseph T. First Kansas herp counts held in 1989. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (77):11-
1990 Collins, Joseph T. Results of second Kansas herp count held during April-May 1990. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (81):10-12
1990 Collins, Joseph T. Maximum size records for Kansas amphibians and reptiles. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (81):13-17
1990 Somma, Louis A. Observations on the nesting ecology of the Prairie Skink (Eumeces septentrionalis) in Nebraska. Bulletin of the Chicago Herpetological Society 25(5):77-80
1991 Conant, Roger and Joseph T. Collins. Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America. 3rd ed. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts. pp.
1991 Collins, Joseph T. Results of third Kansas herp count held during April-May 1991. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (85):9-13
1991 Collins, Joseph T. Viewpoint: A new taxonomic arrangement for some North American amphibins and reptiles Herpetological Review 22(2):42-43
1992 Collins, Joseph T. New records of amphibians and reptiles in Kansas for 1991. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (87):12-17
1992 Collins, Joseph T. Results of the fourth Kansas herp count held during April-May 1992. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (89):10-
1992 Taggart, Travis W. KHS field trips. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (91):3
1993 Collins, Joseph T. and Suzanne L. Collins. Amphibians and Reptiles in Kansas. Third Edition. University Press of Kansas, Lawrence, Lawrence. 397pp.
Joseph T. Collins third Kansas herpetology. <Need to get species total and principal differences with previous 'version' (= Collins 1982)>
1993 Collins, Joseph T. and Rundquist, Eric M. Results of the fifth Kansas herp count held during April-June 1993 . Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (94):7-11
1993 Viets, Brian E. An annotated list of the herpetofauna of the F. B., and Rena G. Ross Natural History Reservation. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 96(1/2):103-113
1994 Rundquist, Eric M. 1994 Field Trip Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (95):3-4
1994 Collins, Joseph T. New records of amphibians and reptiles in Kansas for 1993. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (97):15-19
1994 Rundquist, Eric M. Results of the sixth annual KHS herp counts held 1 April-31 May 1994. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (97):5-14
See, 1994 Rundquist, Eric M. Additions and corrections [to the results of the sixth annual KHS herp counts held 1 April-31 May 1994]. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (98):4.
1995 Collins, Joseph T. New records of amphibians and reptiles in Kansas for 1994. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (100):24-47
1995 Rundquist, Eric M. Results of the seventh annual KHS herp counts held 1 April-31 May 1995. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (101):11-17
1995 Rundquist, Eric M. Additional KHS herp counts for 1995. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (102):11-
1996 Rundquist, Eric M. Results of the eighth annual KHS herp counts Held 1 April-31 May 1996. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (104):6-17
1996 Rakestraw, J. Spring herp counts: A Kansas tradition. Reptile & Amphibian Magazine (March-April):75-80
1997 Collins, Joseph T. New records of amphibians and reptiles in Kansas for 1996. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (107):14-16
1997 Rundquist, Eric M. Results of the ninth annual KHS herp counts held 1 April-31 May 1997. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (108):12-17
1997 Rundquist, Eric M. Addendum to 1997 KHS herp counts. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (109):14-15
1998 Conant, Roger and Joseph T. Collins. Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America. 3rd ed, expanded. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts. pp.
1998 Powell, Robert, Joseph T Collins, and Errol D Hooper Jr. A Key to Amphibians & Reptiles of the Continental United States and Canada. Univ Press of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas. 131pp.
1998 Rundquist, Eric M. Results of the tenth annual KHS herp counts for 1998, held 1 April-31 May. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (112):11-18
1999 Rundquist, Eric M. Kansas Herpetological Society herp counts: A 10 year summary and evaluation. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (115):42962
2000 Taggart, Travis W. KHS spring field trip sets record for attendance. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (120):5-5
2000 Taggart, Travis W. Biogeographic analysis of the reptiles (Squamata) in Ellis County, Kansas. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (121):7-16
2000 Rundquist, Eric M. Results of the eleventh and twelfth annual KHS herpetofaunal counts for 1999-2000, held 1 April-31 May. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (122):11-16
2000 Griffith, Hugh, Andre Ngo and Robert W. Murphy. A cladistic evaluation of the cosmopolitan genus Eumeces Weigmann (Reptilia, Squamata, Scincidae) Russian Journal of Herpetology 7(1):1-16
2001 Hooper, Errol D., JR. Female brooding in a Northern Prairie Skink from Kansas. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (124):15
2001 Collins, Joseph T. New records of amphibians and reptiles in Kansas for 2000. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (124):6-8
2002 Kingsbury, Bruce and Joanna Gibson. Habitat Management Guidelines for Amphibians and Reptiles of the Midwest. Publication of Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, Address not given. 152pp.
2002 Fogell, Daniel D. Occurrence and relative abundance of amphibians and reptiles at Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Homestead National Monument of America, and Pipestone National Monument within the Heartland Inventory and Monitoring Network. Interim Report. National Park Service, Washington, D.C.. 6pp.
2002 Miller, Larry L. Sumner County herp count. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (4):15
2002 Reeder, Tod W., Charles J. Cole, and Herbert C. Dessauer. Phylogenetic relationships of Whiptail lizards of the genus Cnemidophorus (Squamata: Teiidae): A test of monophyly, reevaluation of karyotypic evolution, and review of hybrid origins. American Museum Novitates (3365):1-61
2003 Fogell, Daniel D. A herpetofaunal inventory of Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Homestead National Monument of America, and Pipestone National Monument within the Heartland Inventory and Monitoring Network. National Park Service, Washington, D.C.. 59pp.
This is the version the author submitted to the NPS. Their final publication was modified.
2003 Suleiman, G. Fort Riley herpetofaunal count. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (5):11-12
2003 Taggart, Travis W. Kansas Herpetological Society 2003 spring field trip. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (5):3-4
2003 Taggart, Travis W. KHS conducts first systematic road survey. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (6):11-12
2003 Taggart, Travis W. Results of the 2003 KHS spring field trip to Wilson County. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (6):2-5
2003 Gravenstein, Tanner and A. Gravenstein. Geographic distribution: Eumeces septentrionalis. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (6):8
2003 Washburne, Michael. Geographic distribution: Eumeces septentrionalis. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (6):8
2003 Miller, Larry L. Sumner County herp count. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (7):10
2003 Burr, Andrew. Coffey County herp count 2. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (7):7
2003 Suleiman, Gibran. Fort Riley herp count. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (7):9
2003 Schmidt, Curtis J. Geographic distribution: Eumeces septentrionalis. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (8):19
2003 Somma, Louis A. Parental behavior in Lepidosaurs and Turtles: Source Addendum. Bulletin of the Chicago Herpetological Society 38(4):65-76
2004 Collins, Joseph T. New records of amphibians, turtles, and reptiles in Kansas for 2003. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (9):8-11
2004 Miller, Larry L. Sumner County herp count. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (11):11-12
2004 Schmitz, Andreas, Patrick Mausfeld, and Dirk Embert. Molecular studies on the genus Eumeces Weigmann, 1834: Phylogenetic relationships and taxonomic implications Hamadryad 28(1-2):73-89
2004 Fuerst, Gregory S. and Christopher C. Austin. Population genetic structure of the Prairie Skink (Eumeces septentrionalis): Nested clade analysis of post Pleistocene populations. Journal of Herpetology 38(2):257-268
2005 Smith, Hobart M. Plestiodon: A replacement name for most members of the genus Eumeces in North America. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (14):15-16
2005 Brandley, Matthew C., Andreas Schmitz, and Todd W. Reeder. Partitioned Bayesian analyses, partition choice, and the phylogenetic relationships of Scincid Lizards. Systematic Biology 54(3):373–390
2006 Taggart, Travis W. Distribution and status of Kansas herpetofauna in need of information. State Wildlife Grant T7. Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, Pratt. vii + 106pp.
2008 Taggart, Travis W. KHS 2008 spring field trip. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (25):2-3
2009 Murrow, Daniel G. KHS 2009 spring field trip. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (29):42769
2010 Collins, Joseph T., Suzanne L. Collins, and Travis W. Taggart. Amphibians, Reptiles, and Turtles of Kansas Eagle Mountain Publishing., Provo, Utah. 400pp.
Joseph T. Collins fourth Kansas herpetology. <Need to get species total and principal differences with previous 'version' (= Collins 1993)>
2010 Murrow, Daniel G. Kansas Herpetological Society spring field trip. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (33):2-3
2011 Taggart, Travis W. Kansas Herpetological Society 2011 spring field trip to be held in Chautauqua County. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (37):5-7
2011 Taggart, Travis W. Results of the KHS Spring Field Trip to Chautauqua County. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (38):2-4
2011 Shofner, Ryan M. and Sara Unruh. Geographic Distribution: Plestiodon septentrionalis. Kansas: McPherson County. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (40):8
2012 Rohweder, Megan R. Spatial conservation prioritization of Kansas for terrestrial vertebrates. Thesis. Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. 151pp.
2012 Powell, Robert, Joseph T Collins, and Errol D Hooper Jr. Key to the Herpetofauna of the Continental United States and Canada: Second Edition, Revised and Updated. Univ Press of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas. 152pp.
2013 Taggart, Travis W. KHS 2013 Summer Field Trip to Coldwater Lake, Comanche County. Collinsorum 2(3/4):5
2014 Taggart, Travis W. Results of the 2014 KHS Spring Field Trip to Barber County Collinsorum 3(2-4):11
2014 Taggart, Travis W. Recent scientific and standard English name changes effecting the Kansas herpetofauna. Collinsorum 3(2-4):9-10
2015 Taggart, Travis W. Spring Field Trip to the Greenhorn Limestone of Russell County. Collinsorum 4(3):2
2016 Pittman, Galen L., Henry S. Fitch, and W. Dean Kettle. Vertebrate animals on the Fitch Natural History Reservation (1948-2002) Kansas Biological Survey Report Number 188, Lawrence. 48pp.
2016 Powell, Robert, Roger Conant, and Joseph T. Collins. Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Boston. 494pp.
2016 Taggart, Travis W. Spring 2016 KHS field trip to Clark County was a soggy success. Collinsorum 5(2-3):2-3
2017 Taggart, Travis W. and J. Daren Riedle. A Pocket Guide to Kansas Amphibians, Turtles and Lizards. Great Plains Nature Center, Wichita, Kansas. 69pp.
2017 Crother, Brian I. (editor) Scientific and Standard English Names of Amphibians and Reptiles of North America North of Mexico, with Comments Regarding Confidence in Our Understanding. Eighth edition. Herpetological Circulars (43):1-102
2019 Powell, Robert, Joseph T Collins, and Errol D Hooper Jr. Key to the Herpetofauna of the Continental United States and Canada. Third Edition. Univ Press of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas. 192pp.
2020 Daniel, Richard E. and Brian S. Edmond. Atlas of Missouri Amphibians and Reptiles for 2019. Privately printed, Columbia, Missouri. 86pp.
2020 Riedle, J. Daren. Revisiting Kansas Herpetological Society field trip and Herp Count data: Distributional patterns and trend data of Kansas amphibians and reptiles. Collinsorum 9(1):7-16
2021 Schmidt, Curtis J. Herp Count: Russell County: KHS-2020-19. Collinsorum 9(3):14
2021 Taggart, Travis W., Dan Fogell, and Christopher Visser. Herp Count: Russell County: KHS-2020-25. Collinsorum 9(3):15
2023 Russell, Elisabeth Habitat associations and fine-scale movements of the Red-spotted Toad (Anaxyrus punctatus) in Kansas and the efficacy of remote telemetry for monitoring small-scale movements. Thesis. Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. 81pp.
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Travis W. Taggart © 1999-2025 — w/ Sternberg Museum of Natural History, Fort Hays State University