Christopher K' Beachy and David M' Sever

1
On the absence of a plethodontid from the
northern Great Plains of Manitoba with comments
on our description of a new species, Plethodon
prairiensis sp. nov., that is based on no
specimens or data
Christopher K. Beachy and David M. Sever
Department of Biology and Amphibian Growth
Project, Minot State University, Minot, ND 58707
USA and Department of Biology, Southeastern
Louisiana University, Hammond, LA 70402 USA
METHODS AND PROTOCOLS
INTRODUCTION
B
For the past several years and JMIH conferences,
the authors have been inebriated enough to
recognize that a significant and ignored problem
exists in plethodontid biogeography and
systematics the dot on Dunns (1926) map that
must represent a northern Plains plethodontid.
In casually perusing (i.e., barely reading) the
literature (the preferred approach of DMS), we
were not able to find any author that included
this important taxon/locality in any way. Nor
were we able to locate any museum specimens,
locality records, nor any salamander biologist
that knew about this spot. (Although CKB
consulted with a really, really drunk guy in
southern Manitoba who claimed to know exactly
what we talking about.)
What the hell is this???
First we tried standard rock and log flipping.
No plethodontids.
Our sampling efforts usually ended (okay began)
like this
So we went looking for this elusive plethodontid.
After an exhausting and inebriating search, we
are in an excellent condition to describe this
difficult to find plethodontid. Here we describe
the non-existent holotype, the equally
non-existent paratypes, and the equally
non-existent paratopotypes (whatever those are).
A
What the hell is this???
And this
Next, we tried some aquatic sampling. No
plethodontids.
Fig. 1. This is taken from page 2 of E.R.
Dunns 1926 monograph The Salamanders of the
Family Plethodontidae. The locality of
interest is circled in both A and B. The blotch
on this map is not a lake. B is the region of
interest from A.
One this his poster we describe our excellent
search protocols, our data collection methods,
describe a new species of plethodontid that
doesnt exist, and discuss what this exciting
find means for the study of plethodontid biology.
And this
Finally, we tried using drift fence technology.
No plethodontids. Salamanders, but no
plethodontids. So we decided to use the drift
fences in other amphibian biomonitoring programs.
RESULTS Biogeographic implications
The biogeographic importance of this discovery is
huge. It indicates that the ancestral
plethodontid home is the northern Plains of North
America. This makes the discovery of Karsenia
more palatable, and lessons that likelihood that
a gravid Plethodon cinereus got bored of life in
middle Ohio and hopped a flight to Asia in
anticipation of the Beijing Olympics. Because P.
prairiensis is basal to all other plethodontids,
then the first plethondontid was likely to be
terrestrial, very agrarian, very stoic, and
enjoyed listening to Prairie Home Companion. All
in all, a pretty dull existence. No wonder about
the eventual migrations to East Coast, West
Coast, Middle and South America and the
Mediterranean.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Beachy would like to thank his
chair, C.P. Keller, for supporting the pursuit of
this work. Sever would also like to thank his
chair, D.M. Sever, for supporting this work.
This work was initiating during a weekend
seminar/furlough to New Orleans during Mardi Gras
2008. The ideas in this research were heavily
influenced by Turbodog beer, Comeauxs corner
Bloody Marys, and free beads.
Vietes et al., 2008
Special thanks to the Great Jay Savage who helped
us flip rocks and logs in the French Quarter, New
Orleans as an adequate control condition for
species absence.