The Systematic Status of Eumeces pluvialis
Cope, and Noteworthy Records of Other
Amphibians and Reptiles From
Kansas and Oklahoma

BY

HOBART M. SMITH

University of Kansas Publications
Museum of Natural History

Volume 1, No. 2, pp. 85-89
August 15, 1946

University of Kansas
Lawrence

1946

The Systematic Status of Eumeces pluvialis Cope, and Noteworthy Records of Other Amphibians and Reptiles from Kansas and Oklahoma

By

HOBART M. SMITH

A number of noteworthy items have come to attention in the course of a survey of material for a handbook on the herpetology of Kansas. Some of the items, which follow, can be recorded here more appropriately than in the handbook.

Eumeces anthracinus pluvialis Cope

Recent material in addition to information presented in Taylor's monograph of Eumeces (Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull., 23, 1935) reveals that Eumeces anthracinus is composed of three geographically distinct populations: One occurs from western New York to northern Georgia, and west to Kentucky, in the Appalachian uplands or northward of them; a second centers about the Ozark uplands but extends into northwestern Louisiana, eastern Texas, central Oklahoma, eastern Kansas, and nearly as far east as the Mississippi river in northern Arkansas and southern Missouri; the third population occurs in extreme southern Alabama and Mississippi.

These populations differ in at least the color of the young. Specimens from the eastern area are marked at birth like the adults; those from the western area are black at birth and develop stripes as they grow older; unfortunately young specimens from the southern area are not known.

Obviously at least two races are involved, the eastern and the western. Whether the southern population belongs to one of these races or is distinct is unknown. Until this point is settled the name for the western race will remain in doubt. The eastern race is the typical one, Eumeces a. anthracinus (Baird) (Journ. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1 (ser. 2):294, 1850; type locality North Mountain, Carlisle, Pennsylvania). The southern population has been named pluvialis by Cope (Ann. Rept. U. S. Nat. Mus., 74:663-664, 1900; type locality Mobile, Alabama). Unfortunately no name is available for the western population. It may either be called Eumeces anthracinus pluvialis, or be given a new name, according to the ultimate decision on its consubspecificity with the southern population. I suggest retention of the name pluvialis at least until a more careful study indicates the necessity of further change.

Eurycea lucifuga (Rafinesque)

On October 21, 1945, E. W. Jameson, Jr., discovered a specimen of this species in a small cave situated in a park 1¼ miles south of Galena, Cherokee County, Kansas, on the north side of Shoal Creek, NW ¼ of Sec. 35, T. 35 S., R. 25 E. Later the same day Claude W. Hibbard and I