Archives for January 2023

Update: the application deadline now February 20, 2023

In 2022, the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles (SSAR) was endowed with a large gift from the Gans Collections and Charitable Fund to provide funding for travel to herpetological meetings for graduate students, post-doctoral researchers, and undergraduates.  The Gans Fund continues its exceptional work promoting meeting attendance and is particularly interested in supporting international student researchers from across the globe.  To that end, the SSAR is soliciting applications to attend the Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (JMIH) in Norfolk, Virginia in July 2023 as Carl Gans Fellows.  Students and post-docs should be members of any JMIH society working on any type of herpetological research.  Twenty awards will be granted in this cycle ($800 per fellow for U.S./Canadian researchers and $1500 for researchers from other countries).  Priority will be given to those in greatest need (for whom the award makes the difference between attendance or lack of attendance) and those from historically underrepresented groups based on gender, race, or country of origin.

Eligibility Criteria:

1. Current student or post-doc engaging in herpetological research
2. Member of SSAR, American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (ASIH), or Herpetologists’ League (HL)
3. Presenter at the JMIH in Norfolk, Virginia, USA, in July 2023

Application Instructions:

Students and post-docs should fill out the Google Form (https://forms.gle/6Bkm8bsT2dDXEZnv7) with all information completed by 20 February 2023.  Required information includes:

1. Name
2. Academic rank (undergraduate, graduate, post-doc)
3. Institution and city/state/country of institution
4. Membership of which JMIH society/societies
5. Signed statement of advisor (template provided)
6. Abstract of the research you plan to present. In the spirit of the herpetological research of Carl Gans, which was both diverse and synthetic, and which he disseminated to a wide range of audiences, from the general public to professional academics, the abstract should include a brief statement that places the research in the broader context of the discipline. (500 word maximum)
7. Statement of need of funds to attend the meeting
8. *Optional* Statement of whether the applicant is a member of a historically underrepresented group based on gender, race, country of origin, or other factor

Questions?  Contact Tiffany Doan, committee chair, tiffperu@yahoo.com

Herpetological Review Volume 53, Number 4 (December 2022), is now available! The cover features a stunning image of an adult Mixtecan Arboreal Alligator Lizard (Abronia mixteca) that was photographed by C. Mayoral Halla in Oaxaca, Mexico. Abronia mixteca is an almost exclusively arboreal lizard and spends large amounts of time foraging and sheltering among epiphytic plants in the canopy. As a habitat specialist, A. mixteca is threatened with the loss of oak forest habitat; however, other factors, such as illegal collection and exportation for commercial trade, also threaten this unique species.

The issue has been posted online, is being printed, and will mail soon. Full contents are now available online to SSAR members at https://ssarherps.org/herpetological-review-pdfs/. Natural History Notes, Geographic Distribution Notes, and Book Reviews are Open Access and are available for download at the same link. If you are not a member of SSAR, please consider joining the leading international herpetological society. Student and online-only rates are available. Follow the “Join SSAR” link on the home page. Congratulations to C. Mayoral Halla for a great cover image!