Dear SARCA Supporters,

A HUDDLE OF HERPETOLOGISTS

View from the Sentinel	Pseudocordylus melanotus and P. langi, dorsal	Pseudocordylus melanotus and P. langi, ventral

SARCA ROCKS AT KIRSTENBOSCH

SPECIAL ON FROG ATLASES

ONLY ONE YEAR??

Check out the New York Times story of reptile smuggling in Madagascar.

SARCA VIRTUAL MUSEUM

SARCA VM contributors, you have outdone yourselves this year! Since December last year, we have received 1878 submissions; the VM now stands at an impressive total of 5900 records. In newsletters 11 and 12 , we featured 15 of the top 20 contributors to the VM. The remaining five of the Top Twenty were too shy / modest / busy? to send short sketches of themselves, but we would like to acknowledge their efforts on behalf of reptiles of the country: Gerhardt Diedericks; the team of Andrew Hodgson & Heather McBurnie; Andrew Deacon; Felicity Grundlingh; and JerryTheron.

Christy Hipsley and potential VM record

The distribution maps for the Atlas and Red Data Book have been finalised, so unfortunately VM records that we receive from now on will not be shown in that publication. However, we are keen to continue to "grow" the reptile database through your observations, so we`ll continue to accept VM submissions until at least March 2009. We are exploring ways in which the VM can be made more automated and extended beyond that date, so watch this space...

Also, remember that there are other animal groups in need of your support, so keep your cameras clicking. SABCA has a great and rapidly growing VM, and SANSA (the South African Survey of Arachnida) will be happy to receive your photos of spiders and scorpions via their VM on the ARC website.

Marius's Top Ten, SARCA VM records 4001-5000

Newsletters 7, 10, 11 and 12 reported on my selections of the Top Ten special SARCA Virtual Museum submissions, per batch of 1000 records. With nearly 6000 records currently in the VM, it's time to nominate the next Top Ten. Judging the novelty rating of a particular record will differ between various evaluators – thus the following ranking is my opinion only.

Bloubergstrand Dwarf Burrowing Skink, by A. Pretorius	Monica's Gecko, by J. Harvey

#1 is SARCA 4089: Scelotes montispectus - Bloubergstrand Dwarf Burrowing Skink, submitted by A. Pretorius. Well, I don't quite know what to say. This is the third time that this small near-legless lizard has made it onto the SARCA Top Ten charts, and each time it has shot straight to #1. It's just so astounding that a lizard that was only discovered a few years ago is now suddenly popping up 'all over the place'. Adel photographed the fifth known specimen of this secretive species at Mamre.

#2 is SARCA 4596: Pachydactylus monicae - Monica's Gecko, submitted by J. Harvey. This gecko was described as a new species in 2006. It has a restricted distribution range in southern Africa, and is known only from the northern margin of the western Northern Cape Province and in the Luderitz and Karasburg districts of Namibia.

Desert Mountain Adder, by E.R. le Roux and B.A. le Roux	Southwestern Shovel-snout, by E.R. le Roux and B.A. le Roux

#3 is SARCA 4979: Bitis xeropaga - Desert Mountain Adder, submitted by E.R. le Roux and B.A. le Roux. A lot of reptile records from Augrabies National Park have been submitted to the SARCA Virtual Museum, owing to Elton le Roux and his team of eager field rangers, and his wife Beverley. However, it is not every day that a Desert Mountain Adder crosses your path, and this particular specimen is an exceptionally splendid beast. I am shamelessly jealous.

#4 is SARCA 4187: Prosymna frontalis - Southwestern Shovel-snout, submitted by the renowned husband and wife reptile squad from Augrabies - yes they be Elton and Beverley le Roux. Augrabies and Keimoes are the easternmost distribution localities for this seldom-seen snake. Elsewhere it occurs from Karkams northwards into Namibia and southern Angola.

Maputuland Dwarf Worm Lizard, by J.P. Brouard	East African Egg-eater, by W.R. Schmidt and L. Otto

#5 is SARCA 4268 and 4580: Zygaspis vandami arenicola - Maputuland Dwarf Worm Lizard, submitted by J.P. Brouard and J. Harvey respectively. Wow, two worm lizards within a batch of 1000 virtual records - believe me, that is a big deal. Worm lizards, or amphisbaenians, may in fact be quite common, but they seldom surface above-ground and are thus rarely encountered.

#6 is SARCA 4569: Dasypeltis m. medici - East African Egg-eater, submitted by W.R. Schmidt and L. Otto. A wide-ranging snake that occurs from Kenya southwards through several countries. It reaches its southern limit in St. Lucia village, northern Zululand. I have never seen this snake, and I don't think many other herpetologists in South Africa have either.

Variable Hinged Terrapin, by J. Harvey	Striped Harlequin Snake, by D. Koen

#7 is SARCA 4583: Pelusios rhodesianus - Variable Hinged Terrapin, submitted by J. Harvey. A tropical central and southern African species, just entering South Africa in KwaZulu-Natal. Here it is known from three disjunct populations, i.e. Durban, Umlalazi and St Lucia, but the southern population in the Bluff Nature Reserve is now considered to be extinct. It is certainly the rarest of all the terrapin species that occur in South Africa.

#8 is SARCA 4069: Homoroselaps dorsalis - Striped Harlequin Snake, submitted by D. Koen. This snake has something like a cult status amongst professional and amateur herpetologists, and you'll be the Catcher of the Day if you manage to procure it.

Southern Rock Lizard, by A. Rebelo	Large-scaled Girdled Lizard, by C. Dorse and S. van Rooyen

#9 is SARCA 4966: Australolacerta australis - Southern Rock Lizard, submitted by A. Rebelo. A truly beautiful lizard that occurs in the mountains from the northern Cederberg, southwards to the Hex River Mountains, and eastward to Kwadouwsberg. Alex – you lucky dog!

#10 is SARCA 4294: Cordylus macropholis - Large-scaled Girdled Lizard, submitted by C. Dorse and S. van Rooyen. This unusual girdled lizard is endemic to the West Coast of South Africa, occurring in scattered populations from Port Nolloth in the north to Yzerfontein in the south. Coastal housing developments and mining are major threats, and it will probably be listed as Vulnerable in the forthcoming S.A. Red Data Book and Atlas.

HAPPY HERPING OVER THE CHRISTMAS PERIOD!

SARCA is a joint project of the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), the Herpetological Association of Africa (HAA), and the Avian Demography Unit (ADU), Department of Statistical Sciences, University of Cape Town.