– PRESENTATION TALKS –
(32 of 30 slots taken)
last updated 1 October 2025 1638
Award Eligibility: (T: Toland Award); (C: Collins Award [2026]); (F: Ferraro).
These designations are tentative, as it can be difficult to determine eligibility from the title alone.
1. Reassessing population viability of an isolated Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake population in light of inbreeding concerns. – (T) (F)
1Matthew J Klein*, 2Lisa J Faust, 1Eric T Hileman (email)
1West Virginia University, Morgantown; 2Alexander Center for Applied Population Biology at Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, Illinois
2. Research-based herping: “How to be ethical & find more herps”. – (F)
Jordan Schmitt (email)
United States Air Force, Whiteman Air Force Base, Knob Noster, Missouri
3. Herps in the spotlight: Reptile month, hikes, and a capitol showcase. – (F)
Monica Macoubrie* (email)
Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Lincoln, Nebraska
4. Fashionably late to the party: Effects of varied precipitation timing on amphibian fitness and ecosystem recovery. – (T) (F)
1Parker L. Binns* (email), 1Molly G. Russell, 1Shania E.M. Burkhead-Harris, 2Clay Prater, and 1Thomas M. Luhring
1Wichita State University, Kansas; 2University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
5. Elements of growth: The influence of thermal regimes on tadpole development, size, and ionome across ontogeny. – (T) (F)
1Molly G. Russell* (email), 1Parker L. Binns, 1Shania E.M. Burkhead-Harris, 2Clay Prater, and 1Thomas M. Luhring
1Wichita State University, Wichita, Kansas; 2University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
6. The fungi among us: Swabbing for chytrid in true frogs (Family Ranidae). – (T) (F)
1Kerri Beers* (email), 1Jennifer Y. Lamb, 2Megan Winzeler, 2Dan Grear, and 3Amy Kinsley
1St. Cloud State University, Minnesota; 2United States Geological Survey (USGS), Madison, Wisconsin; 3University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Minneapolis
7. A surfeit of Siren. – (F)
1,2Thomas Luhring* (email), 3David Stewart, and Christopher Schalk, 2,4
1Wichita State University, Kansas; 2 Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Aiken, South Carolina; 3US Fish and Wildlife Service, Albuquerque, New Mexico; 4US Forest Service, Nacogdoches, Texas
8. Ecotourism and long-term monitoring of amphibians and reptiles on the Drakensberg Plateau, South Africa.
1J. Daren Riedle* (email) and 2Willem Koch
1 Stafford Middle School/High School, Stafford, Kansas; 2Potberg Conservation Area, Memel, South Africa
9. Are you board yet?: How land management affects snake populations in a restored prairie. – (T) (F)
Brett Riffel* (email), Jerod B. Thomas, Dr. Tom Luhring
Wichita State University, Wichita, Kansas
10. Examining genetic diversity and potential cryptic diversity within the Georgia Blind Salamander (Eurycea wallacei) and the Dougherty Plain Cave Crayfish (Cambarus cryptodytes) of the Upper Floridan Aquifer. – (T) (F)
1Jacob Schaefer* (email), 1Eric Maxwell, 2Teddy Garlock, 3Dante B. Fenolio, and 1Matthew L. Niemiller
1University of Alabama in Huntsville; 2Karst Underwater Research, Gainsville, Florida; 3San Antonio Zoo, Texas
11. Distributions of the true cobras in Vietnam: New evidence from morphology and mitochondrial sequences.
Neil R. Balchan* (email)
Department of Biology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater
12. Pygging out: What does the world’s smallest rattlesnake eat? – (T) (F)
Jesse Whitlock* (email)
Rose State College, Midwest City, Oklahoma
13. Ghosts of the Arkansas – The history of Necturus louisianensis in Oklahoma and their future. – (T) (F)
Landen Shockley* (email)
Tulsa Community College, Oklahoma
14. Body composition of free-ranging wild and head-started juvenile Alligator Snapping Turtles (Macrochelys temminckii). – (T) (F)
Derek L. Bateman* (email), Kevin B. Babbitt, Riley L. Austin, and Day B. Ligon
Missouri State University, Springfield
15. Weathering the waters: The effect of long- and short-term weather variables on Western Painted Turtle captures in Marshall County, South Dakota). – (T) (F)
1Amy Dolan* (email), 2Heather Waye, 2Peter Dolan, and 1Michael Grebner
1Northern State University, Aberdeen, South Dakota; 2University of Minnesota, Morris
16. Mark-recapture of Western Painted Turtles in eastern South Dakota – techniques and goals. – (T) (F)
1Heather Waye* (email), 2Amy Dolan, and 1Peter Dolan
1University of Minnesota, Morris; 2Northern State University, Aberdeen, South Dakota
17. The snap that smiles back: A study of Chelydra serpentina bite performance. – (T) (F)
Gavin Payne* (email), Donnie Flowers, Kobi Pearson, and David Penning
Missouri Southern State University, Joplin
18. Genetic structure of an introduced Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake population. – (C) (F)
Jackson Roberts* (email)
Sternberg Museum of Natural History, Fort Hays State University, Kansas
19. Landscape usage of Yellow Mud turtles in southwestern Nebraska. – (T) (F)
Megan Soldatke* (email)
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
20. Do I stink? Testing defensive posture and musking on predation rates in Diadophis punctatus (T) (F)
Kobi Pearson* (email), Grace Shriever, Addison Wallace, and Brenna Jones
Missouri Southern State University, Joplin
21. The killer or killers: The insane diet and feeding behaviors of the Drymarchon genus. – (F)
David Penning* (email)
Missouri Southern State University, Joplin
22. An Overview of Herpetofauna Surveys at Fort Leavenworth Military Reserve. – (T) (C) (F)
Zane Smith* (email), Sandra Guzman, and Bill Stark
Fort Hays State University, Hays
23. Visual acuity of Terrapene ornata across populations. – (T) (C) (F)
August Weishaar-Wilson* (email) and Ben Reed
Washburn University, Topeka, Kansas
24. Behavioral divergence during the range expansion of the green treefrog (Hyla cinerea). – (F)
1Owen M. Edwards* (email), 2Kaleb M. Banks, 2Bo Zhang, and 2Michael S. Reichert
1University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma Biological Survey, Norman, Oklahoma: 2Oklahoma State University, Department of Biology, Stillwater, Oklahoma
25. National PARC – 2025 and Beyond.
Melissa Youngquist* (email)
Shedd Aquarium, Chicago, Illinois
26. The effects of supplemental feeding on the movement ecology of Ornate Box Turtles (Terrapene ornata) – (T) (C) (F)
Peyton Samek* (email), Erin Carter, Sage Dennis, Jadyn Falley, Caroline LeJuerrrne, Bella Limback, Fritz Menninger, Grace Peterson, Brookelynn Powell, Ash Van Dalsem, August Weishaar-Wilson, and Benjamin Reed
Washburn University, Topeka, Kansas
27. Snake collecting across the islands of South Korea – observations and adventures.
Yucheol Shin* (email)
Richard Gilder Graduate School and the Department of Herpetology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York
28. Lizard mouth maggots
Richard E. Glor* (email)
University of Kansas, Lawrence
29. Heart rate, respiration rate, and developmental time: Trends along the latitudinal thermal gradient reveal differential reliance on physiological plasticity. – (T) (F)
1Travis R. Robbins* (email) and Benjamin D. Haussmann
1University of Nebraska Omaha; 2Auburn University, Alabama
30. Do physiographic regions predict amphibian and reptile communities in Kansas? – (T) (C) (F)
1Hayden W. Cannon* (email) 1Faben Tesfazion, 1Kier Mitchel E. Pitogo, and 2Ana Motta
1Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology & Biodiversity Institute, University of Kansas; 2Biodiversity Institute & Natural History Museum, University of Kansas
31. If you give a tadpole a chemosensory stimulus: Detection of invasive predator cues and signs of conspecific communication in Pseudacris sierra tadpoles.
Faben Tesfazion* (email)
University of Kansas, Lawrence
32. A novel method for measuring stabilized heart rates in ectotherms. – (T) (F)
Owen Conroy* (email), Garret Peterson, Brandon Wolfsohn, Tiffany Hegdahl, and Travis Robbins
University of Nebraska, Omaha
– PRESENTATION POSTERS-
(27 of 30 slots taken)
last updated 5 October 2025 1314
1. Implications of climatic changes: Effects of temperature variability and prey on Ambystoma mavortium metamorphosis initiation.
Hendy Ginting* (email)
University of Nebraska, Herpetology Lab, Lincoln
2. Spotting salamanders with traditional versus eDNA surveys.
1Sam Skinner*(email), 2Spencer Rettler, 2Andrew Herberg, and 1Jennifer Y. Lamb
1Department of Biology and Chemistry, St. Cloud State University, Minnesota; 2Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Saint Paul
3. Where the snakes settle: Testing microhabitat preferences in coverboard designs.
Jonnie Mahrt* (email) and Kendall Stemper
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Cabella’s Apprenticeship, UNL Herpetology Lab
4. Assessing urban encroachment and land cover effects on Ambystoma annulatum distribution in eastern Missouri.
Tayci Sullivan* (email) and Tom Anderson
Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville
5. Lunge and launch: Kinematics of the Snapping Turtle’s (Chelydra serpentina) lunge.
Donnie Flowers* (email), Gavin Payne, and David Penning
Missouri Southern State University, Joplin
6. Towards better reptile husbandry: Using Afoxolaner (NexGuard®) for mite management in a large snake colony.
Lily Rand* (email) and David Penning
Missouri Southern State University, Joplin
7. Up to the neck: Ecology of the Ring-necked Snake (Diadophis punctatus) in SW Missouri.
Joe Stapp* (email), David Penning, Jessica Pazin, Nathaniel Laughlin, and Johnathan Evenson
Missouri Southern State University, Joplin
8. The scaling of morphology in the Western Cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus).
Natalie Rodriguez* (email) and David Penning
Missouri Southern State University, Joplin
9. The power of the Indigo: Bite performance in Drymarchon).
Johnathan Evenson* (email) and David Penning
Missouri Southern State University, Joplin
10. Non-destructive liver extraction technique for museum turtle specimens.
Dawson Kosmicki* (email) and Jackson Roberts
Sternberg Museum of Natural History, Fort Hays State University, Kansas
11. Allopatric variation of Short-horned Lizards (Phrynosoma hernandesi) in the North Platte River Valley, NE, USA.
Nicholas G. Kowal* (email) and Dennis M. Ferraro
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
12. Turtles in Arkansas: Preliminary findings from year 1 of a 4-year Alligator Snapping Turtle survey.
Kevin Babbitt* (email) and Day Ligon
Missouri State University, Springfield
13. Smile, you’re on camera: The use of trail cameras in clay model predation studies.
Kobi Pearson, Grace Schriever* (email), Brenna Jones, Addison Wallace, and David Penning
Missouri Southern State University, Joplin
14. Introducing MSSU’s Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (A.R.C.) Program.
David Penning* (email), Lily Rand, Natalie Rodriguez, and Ashlyn Kanakis
Missouri Southern State University, Joplin
15. Mass mystery is history: Comparing methods of measuring body mass of larval Anurans across ontogeny.
Jamie Joiner* (email), Shania E. M. Burkhead-Harris, and Thomas M. Luhring
Wichita State University, Kansas
16. Relationship between personality traits, brumation emergence time, and physical trauma.
Ash Van Dalsem* (email), Augst Weishaar-Wilson, Erin Carter, Fritz Menninger, Serena Schmitz, Kyra Jantzen, Colin Nelson, and Benjamin Reed
Washburn University, Topeka, Kansas
17. A highly effective method for documenting occurrences of turtles in rivers: Digiscoping.
Alexis F. L. A. Powell* (email) and Greg Sievert
Emporia State University, Kansas
18. A long-term study of an urban turtle population: 17 years of trapping turtles on a college campus.
Mark S. Mills* (email), Claudia Cartaya, Angel Justus, Jared Kelly, Tadyn Shaffer, and Emily Sweet
Department of Biology – Missouri Western State University, St. Joseph
19. Population ecology of the Massasauga Rattlesnake at Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge, Missouri.
1Darrin Welchert and 2Mark S. Mills* (email)
1US Fish & Wildlife Service, St. Joseph, Missouri; 2Department of Biology, Missouri Western State University, St. Joseph
20. Case study investigating potential mortality factors of Ornate Box Turtles (Terrapene ornata) in northeastern Kansas.
Serena Schmitz*, Kyra Jantzen* (email), Emily Valenzuela, Kaitlyn Avila, Madeline Holter, Alexis Dalton, Bowie Stockdale, Michael Avila, Kaylyn Hobelman, August Weishaar-Wilson, Ash Van Dalsem, Erin Carter, Fritz Menninger, and Benjamin Reed
Washburn University, Topeka, Kansas
21. A drift fence/pitfall trap survey of herps, mammals, and invertebrates on a restored prairie.
Carissa Ganong* (email), Emily Sweet, and Mark Mills
Department of Biology, Missouri Western State University, St. Joseph
22. Alligator Snapping Turtle distribution surveys in the Arkansas and Red River Basins.
Derek L. Bateman* (email), Tessa N. Irvine, Kevin Babbitt, Alexander Edmond, and Day B. Ligon
Missouri State University, Springfield
23. Growth rates of Ornate Box Turtles (Terrapene ornata) across different populations.
Alexis Dalton* (email), Bowie Stockdale*, and Benjamin Reed
Washburn University, Topeka, Kansas
24. Novel observations of Ornate Box Turtle (Terrapene ornata) diet in northeastern Kansas.
Madeline Holter* (email) and Benjamin Reed
Washburn University, Topeka, Kansas
25. Bunker Resurvey Project: Herpetofaunal diversity & composition.
Lauren McKinley* (email), Ava Viscek, Camila Meneses, Christian Supsup, and Ana Motta
University of Kansas, Lawrence
26. Evolutionary divergence in complex island systems: How do different geographic barriers influence genetic differentiation among amphibian populations?
Faben Tesfazion* (email), Kier Mitchel E. Pitogo, and Ana Motta
University of Kansas, Lawrence
27. Characterizing herpetofaunal communities across physiographic regions of Kansas.
Ava G. Viscek* (email), Camila G. Meneses, Christian E. Supsup, Faben Tesfazion, Hayden Cannon, Kier Mitchel E. Pitogo, Lauren McKinely, Syrus Cesar P. Decena, and Ana Motta
Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology & Biodiversity Institute, University of Kansas, Lawrence
28. Hunger PANG: Microhabitat associations of Plethodon angusticlavius in McDonald County, Missouri.
Logan Wilson, Emma Cooper, and Jazmynn Brewer* (email)
McDonald County High School, Joplin, Missouri
29. Tadpoles: A tad picky? Microhabitat association for mass capacity reproduction and growth in Lithobates catesbeianus.
Jayden Mustain* (email), Ally Welch, and Kaberlyn Burchett
McDonald County High School, Joplin, Missouri
30. Basking site selection by turtles along Indian Creek in Anderson, Missouri.
Dominick Trimble, Roland Wardlaw, and Zoey Clower* (email)
McDonald County High School, Joplin, Missouri
31. Occurrence of Anuran calls in relation to precipitation and temperature in Big Sugar Creek State Park.
Lilly Reeves, Ellie Allgood, and Abby Richards* (email)
McDonald County High School, Joplin, Missouri