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dvegadvol wrote:When in doubt, go with the specifics on the Official National List; be aware that there are many outdated Family and Genera on the list...

Eurycea rathbuniis a member of the Typhlomolge clade of central Texas Eurycea (Hillis et al. 2001).

Hillis, D.M., Chamberlain, D.A., Wilcox, T.P. and Chippindale, P.T. 2001. A new species of subterranean blind salamander (Plethodontidae: Hemidactyliini: Eurycea: Typhlomolge) from Austin, Texas, and a systematic revision of central Texas paedomorphic salamanders. Herpetologica: 266-280

Yea that was my plan but it was such a big difference I just wanted to check. Makes me wish they had gone with specific species rather then these massive families

Question. Again, I'm very new to Herpetology and I'm wondering if we need to get information about like the class in general and the order, and genus? Or mainly those things will be how we divide our binder?

Kyanite wrote:Anyone else have a dilemma between Eurycea and Typhlomolge? I am finding a lot of sources list them as the same....

Yeah, same with me... I'm having hard time identifying Typhlomolge...

MathLover628 wrote:Question. Again, I'm very new to Herpetology and I'm wondering if we need to get information about like the class in general and the order, and genus? Or mainly those things will be how we divide our binder?

I think many of us are starting Herpetology for the first time... In general, finding the class, order, and genus would be useful. However, you have to look for other information such as sizes of the animal, distribution around the world, what the animal does in general and more. The manual also said that that less than 50% will be tested about class, order, and genus. It would actually be nice if you could organize your binders into each species that will be tested in the list. Like I said, I'm also new Herpetology so I don't much.. I hope I helped you with your question.

JionPark wrote:

MathLover628 wrote:Question. Again, I'm very new to Herpetology and I'm wondering if we need to get information about like the class in general and the order, and genus? Or mainly those things will be how we divide our binder?

I think many of us are starting Herpetology for the first time... In general, finding the class, order, and genus would be useful. However, you have to look for other information such as sizes of the animal, distribution around the world, what the animal does in general and more. The manual also said that that less than 50% will be tested about class, order, and genus. It would actually be nice if you could organize your binders into each species that will be tested in the list. Like I said, I'm also new Herpetology so I don't much.. I hope I helped you with your question.

I have my binder divided into family or genus, depending on the list. I have the species if the animal on the list is the only species.

Thanks! Yeah. It's been a weird transition. It's a little bit different from Invasive where we just needed to get information about one species. But the thing is do we need to get information on each of the class, genus, order, family,etc? For example do we need to find the life cycle for Alligators, crocodiles, and the whole order of
Crocodilia? Cause I'm pretty sure each of them have subtle differences in their life cycles.

This might help some of you guys? Here's what I've been doing.

Each genus gets a page or two of course. They have info including taxonomy, a description of their appearance, behaviors, defenses, what it eats, if it's a state reptile/amphibian, etc. Then, each family and class has a fact sheet. These are mostly general fact sheets! A description of the family/class, its history (such as what time period it first appeared in the fossil record), how many species are in it, etc. This just a small part of the Colubridae fact sheet I have, but it's a good example of how I start.



And re:genus/species confusion, I go about it this way. I usually only mention exact species if there's VERY FEW in the genus, usually less than 3. Otherwise, I'll look at info from multiple prominent species in the genus to use on my sheet. When I include photos I try to use many species as well, with either the common or scientific name. Here's an example of how I handle that, using the king snake.



To me at least, more info is better! But, don't sacrifice good info for more. Will you need the entire contents of a care sheet on hognose snakes in captivity? Nah. Also, if you use a template like I do, don't get hung up on not having every section filled! It's okay.

ONE FINAL THING TO END THIS RAMBLE, even if you don't have a state list for competition (I do not, yayyy Idaho), I would highly advise making a note of any species that are present in your state/states you are attending for competition! I'd expect them to be more prominent in tests.

Hope some of this can help someone!

MissAmargasaurus wrote:This might help some of you guys? Here's what I've been doing.

Each genus gets a page or two of course. They have info including taxonomy, a description of their appearance, behaviors, defenses, what it eats, if it's a state reptile/amphibian, etc. Then, each family and class has a fact sheet. These are mostly general fact sheets! A description of the family/class, its history (such as what time period it first appeared in the fossil record), how many species are in it, etc. This just a small part of the Colubridae fact sheet I have, but it's a good example of how I start.



And re:genus/species confusion, I go about it this way. I usually only mention exact species if there's VERY FEW in the genus, usually less than 3. Otherwise, I'll look at info from multiple prominent species in the genus to use on my sheet. When I include photos I try to use many species as well, with either the common or scientific name. Here's an example of how I handle that, using the king snake.



To me at least, more info is better! But, don't sacrifice good info for more. Will you need the entire contents of a care sheet on hognose snakes in captivity? Nah. Also, if you use a template like I do, don't get hung up on not having every section filled! It's okay.

ONE FINAL THING TO END THIS RAMBLE, even if you don't have a state list for competition (I do not, yayyy Idaho), I would highly advise making a note of any species that are present in your state/states you are attending for competition! I'd expect them to be more prominent in tests.

Hope some of this can help someone!

How many pages does this become?

Froggie wrote:

MissAmargasaurus wrote:This might help some of you guys? Here's what I've been doing.

Each genus gets a page or two of course. They have info including taxonomy, a description of their appearance, behaviors, defenses, what it eats, if it's a state reptile/amphibian, etc. Then, each family and class has a fact sheet. These are mostly general fact sheets! A description of the family/class, its history (such as what time period it first appeared in the fossil record), how many species are in it, etc. This just a small part of the Colubridae fact sheet I have, but it's a good example of how I start.



And re:genus/species confusion, I go about it this way. I usually only mention exact species if there's VERY FEW in the genus, usually less than 3. Otherwise, I'll look at info from multiple prominent species in the genus to use on my sheet. When I include photos I try to use many species as well, with either the common or scientific name. Here's an example of how I handle that, using the king snake.



To me at least, more info is better! But, don't sacrifice good info for more. Will you need the entire contents of a care sheet on hognose snakes in captivity? Nah. Also, if you use a template like I do, don't get hung up on not having every section filled! It's okay.

ONE FINAL THING TO END THIS RAMBLE, even if you don't have a state list for competition (I do not, yayyy Idaho), I would highly advise making a note of any species that are present in your state/states you are attending for competition! I'd expect them to be more prominent in tests.

Hope some of this can help someone!

How many pages does this become?

These were both 2 pages long, and will be printed double sided. I think you could go longer for say, the info sheets on Reptilia and Amphibia, but you shouldn't need more than 2 pages for anything. With editing font size and pictures, you can get a lot of info in with just the 2 pages!

So this is my understanding of the test -
1. you need to identify the class, genus, family, etc. of a species (<= 50% of the test)
2. you need to basically identify a species from a specimen sample/picture.
3. you need to have an understanding of anatomy, bleh, bleh, bleh, etc. But how much is "an understanding of anatomy"? Below is what one of my fact files (half of it) for crocodiles. Is it enough? (My image does not have an URL, so....) Of course I am not done yet, but,

Name: Crocodylidae
Origin:
External Anatomy:
Sharp teeth not to strip off but to detain and hold prey
Internal Anatomy:
Four-chambered heart
Nocturnal vision
Behavior:
May have homing instinct
Vocalization - chirp, distress call, threat call, bellowing, hatching call
Biodiversity:
On every continent except Europe and Antarctica
Diet:
Fish, amphibians, crustaceans, molluscs, birds, reptiles, and mammals
Occasionally eat other crocodiles
Most acidic stomach of any vertebrate
Larger crocodiles, e.g. Nile and saltwater, prey on wild boar, buffalo, and deer.
Habitat:
Freshwater habitats
Distribution:
Most in Africa
On every continent except Europe and Antarctica
Life History:


Reproduction Strategies:
Lay eggs (7 to 95 eggs laid at once)
Takes about 65 to 95 days to hatch
Mother/father will protect babies for about a year
Mating may take a long time
Nesting up to 6 months
Conservation:

Impact to Man:
Saltwater, Nile, mugger, and American crocodile very dangerous - can strike before humans can react
Crocodile leather for products
Crocodile tears - fake tears of emotion (saying)
Ecological Role:
Other Info:
...with a picture of a Nile Crocodile to the side.