1996 Board of Governors Agenda & Report | ASIH - American Society of Ichthyology and Herpetology

This report on the finances of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists is based on audited financial statements for 1995 received from Clifton, Gunderson & Co., Certified Public Accountants & Consultants, Champaign, Illinois. The auditor’s reports are included in Appendix 1.

As the auditor’s report indicates, ASIH remains in good financial condition. Total assets of the society stood at $544,020 on 31 December 1995, compared to $538,074 on 31 December 1994 and $442,144 at the end of 1993. Thesteady increase in assets over the last several years is attributable primarily to the dues increase initiated in 1991, revenue from the 1993 and 1995 Annual Meetings, donations to the Endowment Fund, returns on investments, and the lower cost of printing Copeia.

The Business Office was moved in 1995 from the Office of the Secretary in Austin, Texas, to Allen Press in Lawrence, Kansas. The complexity of the move resulted in a delay in deposits from memberships and subscriptions. Although revenues recorded for memberships and subscriptions are lower for 1995 than for previous years, memberships and subscriptions have not declined. Revenue in 1996 is expected to be high because of the delay in deposits for 1995.

The Endowment Fund and the Life Membership Fund were established constitutionally in 1993. On 31 December 1995, the Life Membership Fund contained $9,856, invested in Scudder Short Term Bond Fund and The Berger 101 Fund. On 31 December 1995, the Endowment Fund contained $25,350* (up from $15,059 at the end of 1994), invested in three funds of Fidelity Investments. The separate "Special Publication Fund" contains $24,040, of which $15,977 has been raised specifically for publication of Collection Building in Ichthyology and Herpetology, to be edited by T. W. Pietsch and W. D. Anderson, Jr.

*As of 22 April 1996, the Endowment Fund contained $26,623.

SECRETARY - Hendrickson, Dean A.

As reported last year, the Secretary’s office moved to the Texas Natural History Collections on January 4, 1995. Society business was conducted from this office until October when Allen Press Business Management took over all ASIH Business Office functions under a contract approved by the Executive Committee at the 1995 meeting. All financial transactions of memberships, subscriptions, page charges, back issue and mailing list sales, are now handled by Allen Press, as are all inquiries about membership status, dues payments, address changes, Copeia delivery inquiries, etc. Members should therefore now direct all such communications to the ASIH liaison at Allen Press, Ms. Karen Hickey (PO Box 1897, Lawrence, Kansas 66044-8897; tel. 1-800-627-0629; FAX (913) 843-1274; e-mail: khickey@allenpress.com). Karen is professional, helpful, and quick to respond to inquiries.

Functions of the ASIH Secretary’s Office (Texas Natural History Collections / R4000, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712-1100; tel. (512) 471-0998; FAX (512) 471-9775; e-mail: asih@uts.cc.utexas.edu) are thus reduced to coordination with Allen Press Business Management, management of correspondence, maintenance of Society files and archives, coordination of communications among officers, Board of Governors, committees, and representatives to other societies, maintenance and growth of the ASIH World Wide Web pages (http://www.utexas.edu/depts/asih/), keeping meeting minutes and reporting on meetings, and other routine secretarial tasks of the Society. Allen Press provides electronic copies of the membership database to the Secretary on a quarterly basis. These will be used for general communications with the membership and for updates of the membership directory on WWW.

On 31 December 1995 the number of members in the respective categories of the Society's mailing list included 1,285 regular, 547 student, 282 foreign, 200 life, 23 associate, 18 sustaining, and 32 honorary foreign members, for an overall total of 2,387 members. Overall totals for recent years are: 1985 - 2,199; 1986 - 2,241; 1987 - 2,151; 1988 - 2,215; 1989 - 2,325; 1990 - 2,407; 1991 - 2,442; 1992 - 2,389; 1993 - 2,410; 1994 - 2,449. As of December 1995 there were 705 domestic and 332 foreign institutional subscriptions, compared to 697 and 391, respectively in the previous year.

The total number of Copeia 1995(4) mailed was 3,429, compared with 3,527, 3,460, 3,491 and 3,542 for the last (i.e., no. 4) issues of 1994, 1993, 1992 and 1991, respectively. Permission was granted on 9 requests to reprint 10 figures published in Copeia, on five requests to make a total of 81 copies of each of five articles for use in formal courses on five campuses. One request was granted for use of two Copeia articles in the annual Contributions volume published by the University of Puerto Rico’s Mayaguez Campus. Another granted permission for private distribution of 100 copies of a 1993 Copeia article, and another granted permission for copying and distribution of selected papers from ASIH Special Publication 1, “The Ontogeny and Systematics of Fishes” as part of a class. One request was granted for non-profit reproduction and distribution on CD-ROM of one article.

Two requests for Copeia mailing list rentals were received for both the ichthyology and herpetology lists. One request was received for ichthyology mailing labels. Income from mailing list rentals for 1995 totaled $680

The Society realized $209.44 during 1995 in royalty payments from University Microfilms International from sales of microfilm and microfiche of Copeia (compared to $294.71 during 1994). Herpetological and Ichthyological career pamphlets sent during 1995 numbered 270 and 267, respectively (compared to 284 and 259 in 1994).

The Secretary again solicits contributions and suggestions for improvement of the World Wide Web pages of the society, as well as offers to assist with management of portions of the system. Long range plans include posting of much of the society history recorded in files in the Secretary’s office on the Web, as well as addition of careers pamphlets, some special publications (e.g. Utilization and Care of herps and fish in research, etc.) to the system. Improved search and data retrieval capabilities for the membership database are currently being worked on.

PUBLICATIONS SECRETARY - Rosado, José

TOTAL REVENUE (period 1 January - 31 December 1995)

Copeia Back Issues $1,377.50

Phylogeny of Percomorpha Bulletin $1,045.00

EXPENSES

Postage $87.19

NET INCOME $2,335.31

Expenses do not include cost pertaining to ASIH publications that were disbursements of the Treasurer's Office (e.g., postage, handling, insurance and storage costs charged by Allen Press.

1. Sales Volume (COPEIA back issues)
YEAR	# ORDERS	# COPIES	REVENUE	REVENUE/COPY
1982	47	729	2558.00	3.51
1983	84	4953	8981.39	1.81
1984	53	1730	4376.81	2.53
1985	59	562	3395.32	6.04
1986	35	329	1609.60	4.89
1987	53	615	2685.35	4.37
1988	55	294	1556.05	5.29
1989	42	470	2333.92	4.97
1990	110	14558	10440.59	0.72
1991	65	7090	5019.03	0.71
1992	12	83	895.00	10.78
1993	12	131	1639.60	12.52
1994	6	37	815.00	22.20
1995	6	92	1377.50	14.97

2. Sale of Percomorph Phylogeny Bulletin
YEAR	#ORDERS	#COPIES	REVENUE	REV/COPY
1993	11	13	$435.00	$33.46
1994	5	6	192.00	32.00
1995	31	34	1045.00	30.74

COPEIA MANAGING EDITOR - Douglas, Michael E.

The Managing Editor, Michael E. Douglas, reported that, during 1995, 1076 pages of COPEIA were published over four issues: 15 February (270 pages), 3 May (254 pages), 18 August (248 pages), and 21 December (304 pages). These four issues comprised 77 major articles (783 pages or 73%) and 39 shorter conributions (129 pages or 12%). The remaining 15% was distributed as follows: 36 Book Reviews (54 pages), summary of the 1994 annual meeting (36 pages), 1995 index (27 pages), six obituaries (18 pages), four notes and news (13 pages), a list of reviewers (four pages), three award notices (three pages), a perspective (three pages), and instructions to authors (two pages).

Of the major articles published in COPEIA, 53% were in ichthyology (n = 41), while the remaining 47% were in herpetology (n = 36). Of the shorter contributions, 58% were in herpetology (n = 22), while 42% (n = 16) were in ichthyology. When major articles and shorter contributions were combined, both herpetological and ichthyological articles accounted for 50% (n = 58 and 57, respectively.

During 1995, 303 manuscripts were submitted to COPEIA, which represents a 21% increase over 1994. Of these, 90% (n = 273) were processed (a 23% increase over 1994). Some 68% (same percentage in 1994) (n = 186) were submitted from 42 different states of the Union: California (20), Michigan (15), Illinois (13), Florida (12), Arizona (10), South Carolina (9), New York (8), Washington (7), five states with five, eight with four, four with three, seven with two, and seven with one each. The remaining 32% (n = 68) of submissions were received from 24 different countries, distributed as follows: Japan (15), Australia (10), Canada (10), Brasil (nine), Spain (seven), Republic of China (four), South Africa (three), Germany (three), Mexico (three), Israel (three), Argentina (two), New Zealand (two), France (two), Sweden (two), Belgium (two), Austria (two), and United Kingdom, Bermuda, Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, Italy, Indonesia, and India with one submittal each.

Of the 273 articles processed, 21% (n = 57) were allocated to genetics, development, and morphology; 20% (n = 55) to general herpetology; 20% (n = 54) to general ichthyology; 20% (n = 54) to ecology and ethology, and 19% (n = 53) to physiology and physiological ecology; Rejection rates by section were as follows: Ecology and ethology, 74% (29/39); physiology/ physiological ecology, 72% (23/32); genetics, development, and morphology, 71% (27/38); general herpetology, 66% (21/32); and general ichthyology, 40% (17/43). The overall 1995 rejection rate for COPEIA was 64% (117/184).

The COPEIA backlog, discussed at previous annual meetings, is a non- issue. In fact, the 25% and 15% drops in submittals for 1993 and 1994, respectively (as compared to 1992) have pushed the envelope a bit with regard to the normal COPEIA "safety cushion" maintained for unforseen editorial problems. As discussed in the 1994 managing editor's report, Allen Press requires a mandatory six- month, "in- train" period for processing of manuscripts (whether electronic or hard- copy format). This cannot be reduced by COPEIA staff for it reflects Allen Press production time. The COPEIA office also requires a three- month period to edit/compile an issue, and to correct copyediting problems (these usually stem from the fact that authors fail to read and/or implement "instructions to authors" (published in the first issue of each volume)]. An additional two- month period is designated as the "safety cushion," to deal with unforseen editorial problems (this period is required because authors either fail to respond to editorial queries, or only respond differentially). Thus, the managing editor concluded in 1995 that time "in- train" should not be reduced below 11- months. The maximum time an accepted manuscript has been "in- train" for the last several issues of COPEIA is as follows: 1995(4) 9.94 months; 1996(1) 9.04 months. The safety margin is thus minimal. However, the 23% increase in 1995 submittals over that recorded for 1994 (stated above) will hopefully allow both normal security measures to be reinstated and the full allotment of 1200 pages per year to be published.

With regard to electronic publishing, the positive note provided at the 1995 annual meeting is again reemphasized. The society saved $8,086.50 in publishing costs during 1995. Savings were recorded as follows: 1995(1) $2,040.00; 1995(2) $1,920.00; 1995(3) $1,860.00; 1995(4) $2266.50. The savings per issue will climb even higher for 1996 in that our savings- per- published- page elevates from $7.50 to $8.50. It is anticipated that the society will accrue over $10,000. in savings for 1996. These savings result from the COPEIA copy editor imbedding all Allen Press printing commands into each manuscript. Given that the society is realizing considerable savings from electronic publishing, and given that this boon is the direct result of dedicated effort by the COPEIA copy editor (Ms. Jean Bann), the managing editor thus petitions the executive committee and the BOG to grant a $2,000. salary increase to Ms. Bann as a token of the society's appreciation of her efforts on our behalf.

SOCIETY HISTORIAN - Jennings, Mark R.

During the past year, the President of ASIH (Meg Stewart) and I discussed the possibility of having regional support groups of ASIH members who would be willing to interview older members of Society with whom they had a working relationship (and who lived near by) in order to preserve important historic information about the Society. We felt it was especially important to conduct oral history interviews of older members who are now on the "Endangered List". A call for volunteers received some favorable replies and I put together a list of the names, addresses, and ages of over a 150 former and current ASIH members who were "Endangered" [80+ years old], "Threatened" [70- 79 years old], or of "Special Concern" [60- 69 years old]. I also put together a list of potential questions to ask during interviews, as well as some pointers on how to conduct interviews. This project will be an ongoing process for a number of years and will depend on how many members volunteer to conduct interviews.

I also compiled a computer data base of ASIH members from 1916- present (it is in R- base). The data base is still undergoing modifications and data entry but it will eventually provide information on every known member's vital records (e.g., sex, age, affiliation, years of membership, education, etc.). Information from this data base was used to generate the presentation I gave at Edmonton on the demographics of ASIH over the past 75 years.

Finally, I provided a written suggestion and example to the ASIH Endowment Committee for producing a guide on how a member (or former member) could make donation to ASIH via their will. This appeared to be an overlooked avenue of providing significant donations to the Endowment Fund in the future.

SOUTHEASTERN DIVISION - Johnston, Carol (Secretary/Treasurer)

The Southeastern Division of ASIH will hold its 1996 meeting in conjunction with the ASIH meeting in New Orleans, LA June 13 - 19 1996. The business meeting will be held 14 June from 4:00 - 5:00. We plan to fund six student travel awards of $50 each this year. As discussed at the 1995 meeting, we will not be giving best student paper awards on years we meet with the parent society.

To date, the SEASIH has 150 members on roll, including 31 student members; this includes 71 active members (those that responded to the 1996 membership notice), 14 of which are nonpaying student members. The treasury had $161.58 carryover from 1995 and $64.00 in expenditures (postage, checks). The current balance is 575.84, and we anticipate an expenditure of $300 for student travel awards.

REPORTS OF COMMITTEES

COMMITTEE ON BOOK-LENGTH PUBLICATIONS - Mayden, Richard L., Chair

The Committee on Book- Length Publications consists of myself (Chair) and Drs. Ted Pietsch and Linda Trueb. We have essentially nothing to report for this year. We have not received any submissions or accepted manuscripts for evaluation and consideration over the last year.

COMMITTEE ON GRADUATE STUDENT PARTICIPATION - Wilson, Dawn S., Chair

The goals of the ASIH Committee for Graduate Student Participation (CGSP) are to represent the student membership of the Society and to consider how Society activities may best serve and attract graduate students. A number of continuing responsibilities exist with which the Committee is charged: 1) fundraising for student travel support; 2) distributing student travel awards; 3) planning and executing student activities at the annual meeting; 4) distributing completed evaluation forms for student award presentations; and 5) enhancing recruitment of new students and promoting the effective and efficient communication among existing student members. Additional tasks pertinent to student concerns may be handled as necessary by the CGSP membership.

Fundraising at the 1995 - 1996 meeting in New Orleans - Once again Phillip Harris took charge of the raffle and once again he did an excellent job of obtaining many great books from various publishing compaines. The CGSP local committee representatives, Jeff Stewart and Chris Schieble, at the University of New Orleans also contributed considerable time and effort to the raffle. Money raised at the raffle provides travel funds for students giving oral and poster presentations at the annual meeting. The student committee would like to acknowledge the following publishers/individuals for their generous donations to this years raffle: TFH Publications, SSAR, Univ. of Idaho Press, Saunders College Publishing, Univ. of Chicago Press, Princeton Univ. Press, Johns Hopkins Univ. Press, Univ. Press of Florida, Univ. Press of Kansas, Chapman Hall, Amer. Fisheries Soc., Acad. of Nat. Sci. of Philadelphia, Academic Press, Sinauer Associates, Univ. of Texas Press, W. H. Freeman & Co., Univ. of North Carolina Press, Elsevier Scientific Publishing, Louisiana State Univ. Press, and Dr. David Etnier.

Student Travel Awards - Ten $200.00 travel awards were offered for the 1996 meeting in New Orleans: 5 in ichthyology and 5 in herpetology. This year, students could submit their applications/abstracts via email. There were 82 qualified applicants that submitted materials by the deadline: 65 ichthyology and 17 herpetology abstracts. Adam Summers was responsible for handling award applications and their distribution. A notice was published in the ASIH Meeting Announcement and Call for Papers soliciting applications, outlining how winners will be chosen, and highlighting the important linkage between these awards and the CGSP raffle by inviting members to buy raffle tickets in New Orleans. A list of awardees and alternatives was mailed to Dr. Larry Page, Treasurer ASIH. The five herpetology awards went to James O'Reilly, Robert Reed, David Orange, Denise Plunk, and Chris Tracy. The five ichthyology awards went to David Martich- Hernandez, Jane Cleveland, Jave Hove, Kyle Piller, and Keith Bosley. In the event that one of the awardees cannot accept an award, the alternate for the Herpetology category is Tiffany Doan and the alternate for the Ichthyology category is Chris Braun.

The Annual Meeting:

Student Social - Logistics for the Graduate Student Social have been arranged with the local committee by Carol Britson, Jeff Stewart, Chris Schieble and other student volunteers from the local committee at the University of New Orleans. The social is scheduled to take place at 5:30 pm on Saturday, 15 June. Cheerful greetings, free beer and snacks are reliable features of this event.

CGSP Workshop - As part of an ongoing effort to offer useful services to and promotepositive interaction among ASIH student members, the CGSP will beconducting it's annual workshop, as advertised in the ASIH Meeting Announcements and Call for Papers, on Monday 17 June, from 12:00 to 1:30 PM. The theme for this years workshop is entitled "How to be a graduate student today for the job you want tomorrow." Robert Espinoza and Cheryl Wilga have coordinated this event. Bobby and Cheryl have organized a panel of speakers with various vocational backgrounds to speak with graduate students and answer questions concerning job possibilities after graduation.

Time, Place and Program Committee - Chris Tracy is the student representative on the TPP committee and will be attending this years TPP meeting in New Orleans.

Student Oral Presentation Feedback - Evaluation forms will be distributed to the judges of the Stoye Award competition by Jackie Webb. These forms are filled out by the judges as a means of positive feedback to those students presenting a paper for the Stoye Award competition. Forms are then redistributed to the students following the meeting.

CGSP Recruitment and Communication - As with every meeting it is the local committee members of the CGSP that greatly facilitate the organization of student events. I would like to thank the student local committee representatives, Chris Schieble and Jeff Stewart for their help with all CGSP activities scheduled for the 1996 meeting in New Orleans and Robert Cashner, 1996 annual meeting host, for his continued support of the CGSP while organizing this year’s ASIH meeting. I would like to thank Jackie Webb for her role as faculty representative to the CGSP for 1996.

COMMITTEE ON SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS - Douglas, Michael E., Chair NOT RECEIVED AS OF MAY 1, 1996

COMMITTEE TO NOMINATE A NEW HONORARY FOREIGN MEMBER - Voris, Harold K., Chair

The Committee was charged with the task of providing confidential nominations to allow the membership to select two new honorary foreign herpetologists. For each of the two vacancies the Committee was asked to provide at least two nominations, and for each nominee, a curriculum vitae (if possible), a short biographical statement, and career highlights. Lastly, the Committee was asked to prepare a ballot for use at the general meeting.

All committee members, after discussions with numerous colleagues, suggested possible nominees. From these suggestions a slate of the following four nominees was agreed upon:

Harold G. Cogger (Australia)

Neville Ian Passmore (South Africa)

Eugenia del Pino (Ecuador)

Er-mi Zhao(China)

Appendix 2 contains CV's of each of the nominees.

COMMITTEE TO REVISE THE CAREERS IN HERPETOLOGY PAMPHLET - Simmons, John E., Chair

A draft of the revised “Careers in Herpetology” pamphlet is provided. Comments should be addressed to the author / one-man committee, John Simmons <jsimmons@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu>.

CAREERS IN HERPETOLOGY

Herpetology is the study of amphibians and reptiles. There are many exciting and rewarding career choices for people interested in herpetology. All herpetologists are first biologists, with a good knowledge of general biology, who have a specialized knowledge of amphibians and reptiles.

Herpetologists include people with advanced academic degrees, non-scientists who work with amphibians and reptiles for a living, and people who pursue herpetology as an avocation. All herpetologist share two traits: (a) a strong interest in one or more kinds of amphibians and reptiles, and (b) the persistence and determination necessary to be successful at doing what they want to do. Unfortunately, there are not many jobs directly related to herpetology, and even a well-trained individual may find it necessary to accept a position removed from his or her prime area of interest. The following sections outline some of the major career directions and the training necessary to pursue them.

WHAT DO HERPETOLOGISTS DO?

Most herpetologists do research on amphibians and reptiles. The research may be ecological (how animals live), systematic (how animals are related), morphological (animal structure), behavioral (what animals do), physiological (how the body functions), or biochemical. The results of their research are published in scientific journals and books.

Herpetologists may work in zoos or for wildlife agencies, do environmental assessments, teach, or care for museum collections. Some herpetologists work as writers, photographers, or animal breeders. The major categories of jobs for herpetologists are described below.

POTENTIAL CAREERS

Colleges and Universities

The majority of herpetologists work as professors or researchers in colleges and universities. With few exceptions, a person must have a Ph.D. in biology to teach in these places. The herpetologist is expected to teach a variety of biology courses, such as introductory biology, systematics, anatomy, physiology, or ecology, as well as herpetology. College or university professors have a salary range of $30,000 to $80,000, depending on experience.

A few positions such as research assistant or laboratory assistant are available in universities to individuals without a Ph.D. degree. These positions may offer the opportunity to pursue herpetological studies as a sideline in an academic setting, with access to good libraries and research equipment. Full-time research or laboratory assistants have a salary range of $17,000 to $35,000.

Museums

Museums offer other jobs for herpetologists. Curators or scientists are usually able to devote most of their time to doing research on amphibians and reptiles. These positions require a Ph.D. degree in biology. In museums that are associated with universities, the jobs of professor and curator are combined, so that one individual both teaches and does museum research. Museum curators and scientists have a salary range of $30,000 to $80,000, depending on experience.

Collection managers take care of preserved amphibians and reptiles. They catalog specimens, keep records, and make specimens available for research. Collection manager positions require a master’s degree in biology or museum studies, and have a salary range of $18,000 to $45,000.

Other museum jobs are available as museum assistants. Often, these are part-time positions for students. As full-time positions, museum assistants are usually required to have a bachelor’s degree. Full-time museum assistant positions have a salary range of $12,000 to $18,000.

Zoological Parks

There are several herpetological jobs available in zoological parks. Zoo curators and supervisors are manager positions that usually require a master’s degree in biology. Curators and supervisors have a salary range of $30,000 to $50,000.

Most zoo keeper jobs require a bachelor’s degree (and sometimes a graduate degree) in biology. Zoo keepers are primary care givers for the animals in their charge. They feed, clean, and maintain the animals in captivity. Zoo keeper positions have a salary range of $15,000 to $25,000.

Some zoos have positions available as educators (usually requiring a master’s degree) or researcher at the Ph.D. level.

Wildlife Management

There are a few positions in the state and federal government for herpetologists in wildlife management, usually in non-game programs. Some of these are field positions, others involve work researching and writing regulations. All of these jobs require at least a bachelor’s degree, usually in wildlife management, and often a master’s degree or Ph.D. in biology.

Commercial Enterprises

Some individuals with an entrepreneurial spirit go into business for themselves breeding and selling amphibians and reptiles, or herpetological related merchandise and publications. There is a very limited number of people who make money selling frog legs (for food) or extracting snake venom for medical and research use.

It is possible to make a living writing books and magazine articles about herpetology, photographing of amphibians and reptiles, or making nature films.

Other Careers

Many people do not have jobs directly related to herpetology but are still able to keep herpetology as part of their career focus. Careers which can have a herpetological emphasis include high school science teachers, veterinarians, environmental technicians, and biomedical researchers. These career choices all require specialized post-graduate training.

EDUCATIONAL PREPARATION

Most careers in herpetology require at least a bachelor’s degree in biology. The competition for jobs in herpetology is very intense, so post-graduate studies can be critical to your career. To be successful in competing for a job, individuals need to establish both informal and formal educational goals.

Informal Education

Informal education in herpetology begins as soon as an individual develops an interest in reptiles and amphibians. Read all of the books and magazine articles you can about these animals. Becoming an active member of a regional herpetological society is a good way to meet others with common interests. Going out to search for amphibians and reptiles is an excellent way to sharpen observation and note taking skills. Record your field observations of amphibians and reptiles carefully in permanent field books. Learn how to take good photographs of animals and their habitats.

Formal Education

A college education with an emphasis in the sciences is recommended. There is no college or university that offers a major in herpetology at the undergraduate or even the graduate level. Instead, persons interested in herpetology select a major in the biological sciences. The knowledge learned about all aspects of the biology of animals is then applied to an individual study of herpetology. It is important not to neglect other studies as well—herpetologists need courses in statistics, chemistry, computer science, writing, and foreign languages. Acceptance into graduate school is especially competitive. Good grades and a well-balanced undergraduate education are necessary for acceptance.

It does not matter whether the college selected for study is small or large. What is important is that the school have a good academic record, be strong in the sciences, and particularly strong in organismal biology.

Graduate programs at many universities allow you to do advanced studies on some aspects of herpetology, and sometimes a comparatively obscure university may have an outstanding herpetologist on its faculty. One good way to select a university for graduate study is to read the current issues of the major herpetological journals (Copeia, Herpetologica, and Journal of Herpetology). When you find articles on the kind of research that interests you, check and see where the researchers are based, and apply to those institutions. A few universities have had a long tradition of producing herpetologists. These include Harvard University, University of Florida, Cornell University, University of Michigan, University of Kansas, and University of California at Berkeley. Other centers for herpetological study include Duke University, University of Chicago, University of Texas at Austin, and University of Texas at Arlington.

RECOMMENDED READING

Duellman, William E. and Linda Trueb. 1985. Biology of the Amphibians. McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York

Halliday, Tim and Kraig Adler. 1986. Encyclopedia of Reptiles and Amphibians. Facts on File, New York

Porter, Kenneth. 1972. Herpetology. W.B. Saunders Company, Philadelphia

Stebbins, Robert C. and Nathan W. Cohen. 1995. A Natural History of Amphibians. Princeton University Press, Princeton

Zug, G.R. 1993. Herpetology: An Introductory Biology of Amphibians and Reptiles. Academic Press, NY

PROFESSIONAL HERPETOLOGICAL SOCIETIES AND PUBLICATIONS

American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (ASIH)

Publications: Copeia (scientific journal, quarterly)

Membership: ASIH Business Office, The Texas Natural History Collection, R4000, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712-1100

Internet: asih@mail.utexas.edu

http://www.utexas.edu/depts/asih

Herpetologists’ League (HL)

Publications: Herpetologica (scientific journal, quarterly)

Membership: Dr. Rebecca A. Pyles, Herpetologists’ League Treasure, Department of Biological Sciences, Box 70726, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37614-0726

Internet: http://www.ecs.Earlham.edu/htmldocs/documents/biology/HL/HLmainpage.html

Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles (SSAR)

Publications: Journal of Herpetology (scientific journal, quarterly); Herpetological Review (newsletter, quarterly); Herpetological Circulars; Contributions to Herpetology

Membership: Karen Toepfer, SSAR Treasurer, 303 W. 39th Street, Hayes, KS 67601

Internet: WWW:http://falcon.cc.ukans.edu/~gpisani/SSAR.html

COMMITTEE TO REVISE THE HERPETOLOGICAL ANIMAL CARE LEAFLET - Pyles, Rebecca A., Chair

Unfortunately, only planning by myself (Committee Chair) has been accomplished this year. As I forewarned when asked to serve on this committee, this year has been especially busy for me. This short report will outline the procedures I plan to initiate this year for revision of the current document and production of a new pamphlet on recommended procedures for the care and use of amphibians and reptiles in teaching and research. I do anticipate that the bulk of the business of this committee can be conducted via email, which should greatly reduce costs and time. In addition, postage, student help, and internet access and World Wide Web homepage maintenance is available from my institution. I apologize for the delay in proceeding with this project; however, it was unavoidable. If the Society would prefer to request a different Chair for this undertaking, I will most certainly understand.

GOALS/PLAN 1. Review of Existing Document - The document is, of course, extremely out of date. Each committee member will provide a separate review of the existing document. I am designing a review guideline that will assist each member in this review. These reviews will then be used to provide a proposed new format for the pamphlet. On the basis of the recommended format, each committee member will be assigned a portion of the document as an area of primary responsibility. For each area/committee member, I will request (a) submission of pertinent article citations; (b) submission of appropriate questions to be used in the survey of herpetologists; and (c) rewrite of the pertinent sections for the new document. It is expected that certain aspects of animal use (e.g., marking techniques) will be controversial. An additional concern of the Committee will be how to incorporate these concerns within the pamphlet.

A major question is whether to publish this information as a separate pamphlet or simply to have it available electronically (via World Wide Web; 'WWW'). Obviously, the information also needs to be accessible electronically. However, because a considerable number of people do not have access to the WWW, there is still a need for some printed copies of this pamphlet. An additional task of the Committee will be to recommend a print order.

2. Compilation of Published Procedures - I would hope that we can compile a considerable literature citation section. The feasibility of publishing this section in entirety will be determined on the basis of its length. However, I will provide electronic copy that can be incorporated into a WorldWideWeb (WWW) homepage that can be accessed from each societies homepage. This format also would allow new citations to be submitted and added to the list, as appropriate. If necessary, I have permission to maintain such a homepage from my institution (East Tennessee State University).

3. Survey of Herpetologists: Concerns & Questions - In my own experience, there are many concerns and/or specific questions that arise in individual cases. I would like to design a survey questionnaire that will enable us to identify common problems , specific concerns, and potential sources of information within the herpetological community. Two examples from personal experience to illustrate this point. First, as a member of my institution's animal care and use committee, we recently have addressed concerns about the length of time it is appropriate to maintain amphibians under low- temperature "hibernation" conditions. Secondly, as a result of my own research, I have amassed specific dose- dependent data for salamanders on the use of MS222 as an anesthetic. I would like to distribute this survey both electronically (WWW) and in printed version (available by request). The survey can be advertised, with an ending date, in HL Communications and Herpetological Review.

4. Revision of Document - I view my job as Chair as including editorship of this document. Individual submissions by members of the committee (and myself) will be reviewed by at least one other committee member (by preference) and myself. I also will be responsible for final editing to ensure readability and consistency within the document. A proposed final edited version then will be submitted both to the committee and to the officers/boards of all three societies for review and comment. These reviews will then be discussed by the committee at a meeting held during the joint annual meetings in 1997.

TIMETABLE

With acceptance of participation by members sometime in May, 1996, acceptance of this plan, initial review of the existing document, and statement of preference for area by committee members should be accomplished by September, 1996. My task as Chair will then be to compile these reviews and develop a proposal for recommended format for approval by the committee. I also plan to write short articles of the planned survey (with dates of availability) for submission to HL Communications and Herpetological Review. In October, I hope to finalize a new format proposal, request submission of questions for survey from individual committee members, and develop electronic & printed versions of the survey, to be available December 1, 1996, after review by the committee members. December also will bring submission of initial lists of literature citations by individual committee to the Chair for compilation. I would like to receive initial rewrites of the various sections from committee members by February, 1997; these initial rewrites will be reviewed by other committee members and myself. In addition, I will compile the survey results and report them to committee members. Review comments and survey results will be used in rewrites requested by April, 1997. As Chair, I will then compile these sections and produce an initial final copy, which will be distributed to committee members and officers of the three societies for review and comment. I would like to plan a meeting of the committee at the June joint society meetings to consider the reviews of the proposed final copy. If all goes as planned, a final new version would be available in August, 1997 for posting to the WWW; copy and submission for printing.

ENDOWMENT FUND COMMITTEE - Savage, Jay M., Chair

(Submitted by Marvalee H. Wake, Chair, 1995)

The Endowment Committee, chaired by Marvalee Wake in 1995 and Jay Savage in 1996, continued to explore ways of generating a suitable endowment for the Society and its activities. The committee met during the annual meeting in Edmonton to discuss the current status of fund recruitment and management, and ways that we might increase our donation base. Several suggestions were made, and actions taken on these are described below.

Treasurer Larry Page reported on 19 January 1996 that $16,243 was contributed to the Endowment Fund in 1994, $5,075 in 1995, and $1550 in the first 18 days of 1996. A total of $17,793 has been contributed by 110 members. Clearly, the first request for donations drew a response from not quite 5% of the membership; subsequent donations have been few, but welcome. The funds are invested in a Fidelity Growth Plan, under the watchful eyes of committee member David Heins and Treasurer Page.

Several avenues have been persued to diversify our approach to soliciting donations during the few months since our last meeting. The committee remains convinced that we must increase our donor base within the Society in order to show strong support for the Endowment before we can approach concerns outside the Society. To that end, we have:

1. Started negotiations with Allen Press to include a solicitation letter to all members in a Copeia mailing. This will cost approximately $100 for printing, and $0.03 per copy to insert. This year’s committee will prepare the text of the letter.

2. An ad about the Endowment Fund and requesting donations will appear in each number of Copeia. Copy was submitted in October, 1995, and the ad should appear in the upcoming number.

3. A check-off box for donations to the Fund on the dues notice will start with the 1997 notice.

4. Several efforts will be made at the annual meeting in New Orleans. A paragraph about the Fund and a request for donations will appear in the program. A table at which donations can be made will be set up and maintained in the Registration area for the meeting. Announcement of the opportunity to donate will be made in the Plenary session that opens the meeting (all thanks to the kind cooperation of Bob Cashner).

5. Dawn Wilson, Chair of the Graduate Student Committee, has written to each graduate student member, explaining the purpose of the Endowment fund and requesting contributions. She made clear the point that support by good numbers of members is essential, and that no donation is too small. The Endowment Committee is very grateful to her for her efforts and support.

Additional suggestions were made, and will be implemented this year. These include: notice on the ASIH Web page; a letter requesting donations from former and current members of the Board of Governors, and a letter to former winners of Gaige and Raney funds.

The Endowment Committee welcomes suggestions for additional ways to support the fund, as well as your donations.

ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY COMMITTEE - Warren, Jr., M.L., Chair

Melvin L. Warren, Jr., Chair of the Environmental Quality Committee, reported several committee activities. In response to an approved society resolution (Copeia 1994:1106), the committee on behalf of ASIH and in conjunction with the Desert Fishes Council petitioned the U.S. Department of Interior to add the robust blind salamander (Typhlomolge robusta), widemouth blindcat (Satan eurystomus), and toothless blindcat (Trogloglanis pattersoni) to the list of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to date has been unable to pursue or issue a finding on the petition because the congressionally imposed moratorium on listing of endangered species eliminated funding for such actions. The committee sent letters of endorsement for the American Elasmobranch Society's resolution regarding reauthorization of the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act to the Chairs and members of both the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works and the House Committee on Resources. The House approved reauthorization of the Act with critical strengthening amendments; Senate action is pending. The committee provided comments to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on the proposed rule to list the copperbelly water snake (Nerodia erythrogaster neglecta) and the Lake Erie water snake (Nerodia sipedon insularum). The Service was encouraged to take action and list both taxa as soon as possible.

The editor of Environmental Biology of Fishes was informed of the ASIH resolution on the Alabama sturgeon (Scaphirynchus suttkusi)(Copeia 1995:1043) and the potential importance and impact that EBF may have for the conservation of this species in its pending publication of the International Symposium on Conservation and Biodiversity of Sturgeons and Paddlefishes. The committee also completed a survey for the Biodiversity Working Group of the Wildlife Society; a summary of survey results from responding societies and organizations is available from Mel Warren.

EQUAL PARTICIPATION COMMITTEE - Didier, Dominique, Chair

The Equal Participation Committee was officially formed at the 1995 ASIH meetings in Edmonton. Dominique Didier was elected Chair. This year we are planning two activities to promote eqality among scientists. At the meetings in New Orleans we will sponsor the Women's Lunch which will be held the second day of the meeting. At the 1996 meetings we are also initiating a mentoring program in which newcomers to ASIH and AES are matched with a mentor in their field. This program is open to anyone (not just women).

GAIGE FUND AWARD COMMITTEE - Donnelly, Maureen A., Chair

The Gaige Award Committee (Donnelly, Nishikawa, and Reilly) received 26 proposals. Meg Stewart informed me that the committee had $3000 available for 1996 and we decided to make six awards of $500. The awards went to:

Melissa D. Dills, Dept. Zoology & Wildlife Science, Auburn University, Auburn AL. Colonality in the gopher tortoise, Gopherus polyphemus.

Robert E. Espinosa, Dept. Biology, University of Nevada Reno, Reno NV. The evolution of viviparity in Liolaemus alticolor: testing the cold- climate hypothesis.

Matthew F. Meyer, Univerisity of California Los Angeles, Dept. Biology, Los Angeles, CA. The role of parasites in the maintenance of sexual reproduction.

Steve Phelps, Dept. Zoology, University of Texas, Austin, TX. Androgens and aggression in the green anole.

R. Mark Waters, Dept Psychology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN. The evolution of behavioral ontogeny in crayfish eating snakes.

Tim Watkins, Dept. Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA. The genetic architecture of predator avoidance and escape traits in tadpoles of the Pacific tree frog, Pseudacris regilla.

Steve Reilly will chair the committee next year. I am rotating off the committee and will be replaced by another person appointed by the president of ASIH.

HERPETOLOGICAL INFORMATION COORDINATOR - Simmons, John E.

A total of 55 inquiries were received, 34 by regular mail and 21 by email. Of these, 8 requested general information on reptiles or amphibians; 2 information on frogs; 18 information on lizards (6 of these concerned pet green iguanas); 19 requested information on snakes; and 8 information on turtles.

The geographic breakdown of the inquiries was as follows: USA 41 (Alabama 1, California 2, Connecticut 1, Florida 1, Georgia 2, Hawaii 1, Illinois 1, Massachusetts 5, Michigan 2, Missouri 3, Montana 3, New York 7, Ohio 1, Oregon 1, Pennsylvania 4, Rhode Island 1, Tennessee 1, Virginia 3, Wisconsin 1); Hong Kong 1; Italy 1; origin unknown (all email) 12.

ICHTHYOLOGICAL AND HERPETOLOGICAL COLLECTIONS COMMITTEE - Burr, Brooks M., Chair

The Ichthyological and Herpetological Collections Committee (Brooks M. Burr, Chair) is made up of four subcommittees: Policies and Practices (Douglas W. Nelson, Subcommittee Chair); Supplies and Resources (Alexandra M. Snyder, Subcommittee Chair); Newsletter (H. J. Walker, Subcommittee Chair); Data Standards (Stuart G. Poss, Subcommittee Chair).

The Policy & Practices Subcommittee submitted a lengthy report last year (see Copeia 1995:1019- 1020) and have very little to report this year. Some discussion has been carried on regarding the make- up and domain of the various subcommittees and we plan to resolve some of these matters at the upcoming meeting in New Orleans.

The Supplies & Resources Subcommittee currently has 35 survey forms distributed to 29 museums or stand- alone collections of fishes or herps. In the Fall of 1995, 13 surveys were sent to various Canadian collections. The average return time on most surveys has been within 1.5 years and to date, 10 surveys have been returned.

With the assistance of Stuart Poss and Julian Humphries, the supplies list and vendors will be put on the ASIH Website and Cornell Biodiversity gophersite by late Summer 1996. We hope to submit the list for inclusion in the SPNHC supplies list in the near future.

The Subcommittee has been active in responding to various E- mail and telephone queries regarding wet collections supplies and practices. These queries come to us either personally or through the two listservs TAXACOM or NHCOLL. Although most of the questions have centered on wet label production techniques and materials, other questions we have responded to have been on the availability of good quality prenumbered tags, "Liqui- pak" shipping containers, formalin neutralizers, sources of daisy- wheel printers, museum database programs, and so forth.

This year the Subcommittee also conducted an informal survey over TAXACOM and NHCOLL to determine the needs of the wet collections community for Byron Weston Resistal paper. The response to this survey was very good (about 40 responses within a working week). As a result, Byron Weston will have the paper produced at another mill that meets OSHA regulations; production begins June 1996.

In summary, the survey project (started in 1994) to determine supplies used by fish and herp collections has met with a slow response and lack of enthusiasm by the collections surveyed. However, the small database will "go online" this Summer and the Subcommittee will continue its service to the wet collections community by disseminating information on supplies and products through the NHCOLL and TAXACOM.

Since the last report was submitted, the Newsletter Subcommittee has successfully published and distributed Curation Newsletter #11. It can be accessed through the ASIH homepage on the internet (or gopher://muse.bio.cornell.edu:/70/11/curation/ichs_herps) in three different formats thanks to Julian Humphries, and hard copies are still available from Susan Jewett. (Hard copies also were made available at the Edmonton meeting.) The Subcommittee has received numerous positive comments concerning this publication.

The major goal of the Subcommittee for 1996- 97 is to publish Curation Newsletter (CN) #12. This issue may focus on inks, papers and printers, but will be open for contributions in all areas of curation. Preliminary ideas are to include results of a Supplies and Resources Subcommittee survey and editorial policy guidelines for CN production.

The Data Standards Subcommittee has been preparing a standard model which provides the basis for implementation, without forcing anyone into changing current practices too much. The model incorporates elements in common between the ASC and MVZ models and adds elements necessary to treat marine collections, which are not well incorporated into either model, since both are based on collections that essentially lack this component. The Subcommittee is hopeful of having an internet implementation that individuals can use as they see fit before the meetings.

In New Orleans the entire Committee will hold an open meeting to discuss the Data Standards model, where agreement may exist to extend the model, particularly transaction processing, and to prepare for a common internet mediated implementation that all can use at their discretion. Should collections prefer not to use a standard model, that would be up to them. However, where there is agreement collections personnel could move ahead to share data accessible under a single format (regardless of the language their particular program was written in). A standard internet implementation would permit collections personnel who do not already have programs to manage their data to share immediately or upload into a common format as they see fit. It would also have the advantage of permitting us to create links to collections databases directly from the ASIH homepage and the Collections Summary database, and Institutional Codes database which are already on line. A working program will be made available soon (perhaps summer 1996).

ICHTHYOLOGICAL INFORMATION COORDINATOR - Walsh, Stephen J.

The following is my summary of activities as ASIH Ichthyological Information Coordinator for inclusion in your BOG report. Please acknowledge receipt, feel free to edit, and let me know if you need any further details.

Stephen J. Walsh, Ichthyological Information Coordinator, reported receipt of eleven letters in the last year from individuals in six U.S. states and three unknown geographic points of origin. Among the letters were requests for information pertaining to diseases and spawning of aquarium fishes, systematics,behavior, biology of select species, fisheries issues, and careers in ichthyology. Most requests were received by the business office via internet correspondence.

JOINT ASIH- AFS COMMITTEE ON NAMES OF FISHES - Nelson, Joseph S., Chair

The Joint American Fisheries Society (AFS)- ASIH Committee on Names of Fishes, Joseph S. Nelson, Chair, reported that

1) No Committee meeting was held for the 1995 conference in Edmonton.

2) Numerous queries and requests were received, and files are being kept on the new North American species described in the last year and on name changes of other species.

3) Agenda items for the 17 June committee meeting at the New Orleans conference include: (1) Confirmation of committee member's ability to serve in producing the 6th edition (J. Nelson, E. Crossman, C. Gilbert, R. Hunziker, B. Lea, D. Stewart, and J. Williams), (2) format to use, (3) Committee members duties, and (4) discussion of names "jewfish" and "squawfish".

LONG RANGE PLANNING AND FINANCE COMMITTEE - Johnson, Robert K., Chair

This document constitutes an interim report of the Long Range Planning and Finance Committee and will be supplemented by materials to be distributed at the Board of Governors meeting at New Orleans on June 13, 1996.

The principal charge addressed by Past- President Greenfield to the LRPFC this year is the production of an ASIH Procedures Manual that will clearly outline the responsibilities of each officer and committee in the Society and provide detailed information on term of appointments and operating procedures. Although the Constitution and By- laws define the officers, Board of Governors, and standing committee structure of the Society, the specifics relating to duties, timing of transitions of office and function exists largely as oral tradition. Whereas this has worked fairly well in the past, the Society and its volunteer bureaucracy have grown sufficiently large that it is now appropriate to establish a written procedure statement.

Dr. Greenfield charged the Committee to address these specific issues:

To request past committee chairs to develop a statement that clearly outlines the purpose of their committee, operating procedures and specific time lines.

To request past and present officers to develop a statement that clearly outlines operating procedures and specific time lines for their office.

To develop a synoptic history of constitutional and bylaws changes in the last 20 years related to duties and timing of actions of officers and committees.

To develop a detailed recommendation on terms of officers and committee members and the timing of transitions functions relevant to the calendar year, the Society fiscal year, and the annual meeting.

To review the committee structure of ASIH and as appropriate make recommendations for change, including the consideration of "sunset" rules for ad hoc committees.

To develop a detailed recommendation to the Executive Committee on matters that should be handled as they occur vs. matters that should await BOG consideration.

This charge has been confirmed by the past and present ASIH Executive Committee and by ASIH President Margaret Stewart.

This project involves a detailed examination of 19 currently held officerships and (at least) 34 committees and/or representatives of varying purview. Thus far our approach to dealing with this task was to develop a preliminary response covering the composition, purview and schedule for one committee. We chose to develop a draft statement for the Raney Fund Committee, which is probably representative in scope and purview of many of our committees. We are developing a similar model for the officerships. This is intended to accomplish at least two purposes:

(1) It provides a feeling for the size of the task at hand and the probable magnitude of the finished manual. Based on the model developed (copy to be distributed at the BOG meeting), we estimate that the final Procedures Manual may well approach 150 pages in length.

(2) The example is intended to serve as an initial format model with which we have appealed to our colleagues, past or present officers, past or present committee chairs and/or members, past or present representatives, and so forth, for their help in developing similar draft statements describing the functions and timings of their offices and/or committees.

We estimate that a draft of the completed manual will be distributed to the Executive Committee by early in 1997 and will be ready for BOG examination by the Seattle meetings. We welcome and urge input from any and all members on how to make this project most useful.

NOMINATING COMMITTEE - Gregory, Patrick T., Chair

Following is the list of candidates for ASIH offices. More detailed information sheets are attached. Copies of these information sheets will be included with registration materials so that they can be available before the election at the Business Meeting. Election of the new members of the Gibbs Award Committee takes place at the Board of Governors meeting. We have eleven nominees for Board of Governors (Ichthyology) rather than 10 because delays in responses to some of our queries resulted in us seeking additional nominees.

Candidates for 1996:

President-elect: J. Whitfield Gibbons, Savannah River Ecology Laboratory; Alan H. Savitzky, Old Dominion University.

Physiology and Physiological Ecology Editor, Copeia: Richard G. Bowker, Alma College.

Robert H. Gibbs Award Committee: Carter R. Gilbert, University of Florida; Robert E. Jenkins, Roanoke College; Joseph S. Nelson, University of Alberta.

Board of Governors

Herpetology: James W. Archie, Robert L. Bezy, James P. Collins, William E. Cooper, Martha L. Crump, Thomas H. Frazzetta, David M. Green, Robert G. Jaeger, Alicia Mathis, Joseph C. Mitchell.

Ichthyology: Larry Allen, Henry L. Bart Jr., Jonathan N. Baskin, Thomas Dowling, Alice F. Echelle, Philip J. Motta, Ruth B. Phillips, Stuart G. Poss, Robin Waples, Kirk Winemiller, Robert M. Wood.

Information on Candidates for 1996

President Elect

Alan H. Savitzky, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences, Department of Biological Sciences, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA. Research: Morphology, development, and evolution of snakes; ecology and conservation biology of pitvipers. ASIH Service: Board of Governors (1982-1986, 1990-1994, 1995-present); ASIH Representative to SSAR and HL (1987-present); Editorial Board of Copeia (1983-1988); Long Range Planning and Finance Committee (1993-1986, 1992-1995); Nominating Committee (1984-1985, 1991-1992; Chair, 1992); Planning Committee for 75th Anniversary of Copeia (1984-1988); Public Affairs Committee (1990-1991); Time, Place and Program Committee (1990-1992); Stoye Award Judge in General Herpetology (1984, 1986, 1987; Chair, 1993).

Whitfield Gibbons, Professor of Ecology, University of Georgia, Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, Aiken, S.C. Research: Population dynamics and ecology of aquatic and semiaquatic vertebrates; research has involved detailed population studies of fish, amphibians, and reptiles. ASIH Service: Officer in the Southeastern Division of ASIH (Secretary-Treasurer, 1972; Vice-President, 1973; President, 1974, 1975) and as Herpetological Book Review Editor for COPEIA (1993-96).

Physiology and Physiological Ecology Editor, Copeia

Richard G. Bowker, Charles A. Dana Professor of Biology, Alma College, Alma, MI. Research: lizard thermoregulation and the evolution of body temperature and regulation; applications of chaos theory to various physiological and ecological processes; biophysical properties of the integument; behavioral ecology of old and new world lizards. ASIH Service: member since 1977.

Board of Governors, Herpetology

James W. Archie, Professor of Biological Sciences, California State University, Long Beach, CA. Research: Phylogenetic ystematics, biogeography, and behavioral/evolutionary ecology of the lizard genus Sceloporus and other related genera of phrynosomatid lizards; phylogenetic methodologies and analysis of different classes of phylogenetic data.

Robert L. Bezy, Curator, Amphibians and Reptiles, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. Research: systematics of lizards. ASIH Service: member, 1962-present; Long Range Planning Committee; Local Committee for meetings, 1971, 1994.

James P. Collins, Professor and Chair, Department of Zoology, Arizona State University. Research: geographic variation in life history characters, influence of biotic and abiotic factors on morphology, influence of genetics and environment on morphology, population dynamics of sympatric vertebrates and invertebrates. ASIH Service: member since 1969.

William E. Cooper, Professor of Biology, Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne. Research: behavioral ecology and evolution of squamates, with special emphasis on roles of chemical senses and coloration in predatory and social behavior. ASIH Service: member since 1969.

Martha L. Crump, Adjunct Professor, Northern Arizona University; Advisor on conservation projects and teaching in Ecuador, through the Wildlife Conservation Society. Research: ecology and behavior of Neotropical frogs; parental care, cannibalism, reproductive ecology and behavior; conservation of amphibians and reptiles; declining amphibian populations. ASIH Service: Member, Board of Governors, 1979-1982, 1986-1991; Member, Gaige Award Committee, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987; Chair, Gaige Award Committee, 1988; Member, Editorial Board, Copeia, 1985-1987, 1992-present.

Thomas H. Frazzetta, Professor, Department of Ecology, Ethology and Evolution, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL. Research: evolution of major adaptive features characterizing higher taxonomic categories; jaw mechanics and evolution of sharks, lizards, snakes, and some other vertebrates. ASIH Service: Editorial Board, Copeia (1991-1993).

David M. Green, Associate Professor, Redpath Museum and Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal; Curator of Herpetology, Redpath Museum, McGill University. Research: systematics and evolution of anuran amphibians, including molecular genetics, cytogenetics, interpopulational divergence, and hybridization. ASIH Service: Stoye Award judge 1988; co-organizer of two symposia.

Robert G. Jaeger, J. Chance Professor of Biology, University of Southwestern Louisiana, Lafayette, LA. Research: phototactic behavior of anurans and behavioral ecology of salamanders; territorial behavior of terrestrial salamanders and interspecific competition among terrestrial salamanders. ASIH Service: presented lecture to graduate students at the ASIH CGSP Workshop, on “Writing for Scientific Publication” (co-presented with Dr. Catherine Toft, Edmonton 1995); as editor of Herpetologica for the Herpetologists’ League, has worked closely with Al Savitzky (of ASIH) to work toward continued joint meetings between ASIH and HL.

Alicia Mathis, Assistant Professor, Southwest Missouri State University. Research: behavioral ecology of salamanders and fishes, including predator/prey behavior and alarm signals, aggressive behavior and territoriality, and chemical communication. ASIH Service: reviewer for Copeia (1989-present).

Joseph C. Mitchell, Adjunct Professor, School of Continuing Studies and Visiting Research Biologist in Biology, University of Richmond. Research: conservation biology, population community ecology, and life histories of amphibians and reptiles. ASIH Service: Time, Place, and Program Committee 1992-1996; ASIH Environmental Quality Committee 1993-1996.

Board of Governors - Ichthyology

Larry Allen, Professor of Biology, California State University Northridge. Research: (1) the life history, population genetics, and general ecology of nearshore marine fishes, particularly those of recreational and commercial importance; (2) the systematics of Gobiesociform fishes. ASIH Service: member since 1975; served as session chair at the 1983, 1989 and 1994 meetings; served on the local committee as the social committee chair at the 1994 meetings in Los Angeles; Stoye Award Committee Chair in Ethology and Ecology at this year’s meetings in New Orleans.

Henry L. Bart, Jr., Associate Professor of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Tulane University, and Director and Curator of Fishes, Tulane University Museum of Natural History. Research: stream fish community ecology, taxonomy and systematics of percid fishes, ecology and systematics of necturid salamanders. ASIH Service: active participant in annual meetings since 1983 (attended 11 of 13 meetings since that time and presented at 8 of those meeting); Local Arrangements Committee (graduate student member), 64th annual meeting, Norman 1984; Session Moderator, Stoye Award paper session, Urbana 1992; Member Supplies and Resources Subcommittee of ASIH Collections Committee since 1993; Local Arrangements Committee, 76th Annual Meeting, New Orleans 1996.

Jonathan N. Baskin, Professor of Biological Sciences, California State Polytechnic University Pomona; Research Associate, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. Research: systematics and biology of catfishes, neotropical freshwater fishes and southern California freshwater fishes, including endangered species concerns. ASIH Service: member of Board of Governors (1992-94); local Committee (1994 meeting); organizer of workshops and symposia on Neotropical Freshwater Fishes at annual meetings (1989, 1994).

Thomas Dowling, Associate Professor of Zoology, Arizona State University. Research: speciation, hybridization, systematics, evolutionary and conservation genetics of fishes. ASIH Service: Editorial Board, Copeia.

Alice F. Echelle, Research Associate in Zoology, Oklahoma State University. Research: variation and conservation in southwestern fishes, systematics of pupfish, biology of unisexual silversides, and breeding behavior of pygmy sunfish.

Philip J. Motta, Associate Professor of Biology, University of South Florida. Research: ecomorphology, functional morphology, and behavioral ecology of feeding in fishes. ASIH Service: chaired or co-chaired 2 ASIH symposia.Ruth B. Phillips, Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Senior Scientist, Center for Great Lakes Studies, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Research: application of cytogenetic and molecular techniques to problems in evolutionary biology and conservation biology of fishes. ASIH Service: member since 1986.

Stuart G. Poss, Senior Ichthyologist and Curator, Gulf Coast Research Laboratory. Research: systematics and taxonomy, particularly Scorpaeniformes and Cephalochordata; multivariate analysis; application of machine vision to ichthyology. ASIH Service: member since 1975; 1995-1996, Chair, ASIH Student Awards Committee; 1995-1996, Chair, ASIH Data Standards Subcommittee of Collections Committee; 1992-1994, Chair, ASIH Collections Committee; 1990-1995, ASIH Board of Governors; 1987-1996, ASIH Collections Committee; ASIH Editorial Board 1989-1994, Copeia Editorial Board; 1988, ASIH Public Relations Committee; 1987, Convener - Workshop on Museum Computerization; 1984-1997, ASIH Committee on Curatorial Supplies and Practices.Robin Waples, Head of Conservation Biology Program, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, Seattle. Research: population genetics and evolution of marine and anadromous fishes, systematics of lizardfishes; population differentiation in marine shorefishes; estimation of effective population size from genetic data; temporal changes in gene frequencies. ASIH Service: member since 1982.

Kirk Winemiller, Associate Professor, Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, Texas A&M University. Research: fish ecology, evolution, and conservation; life history theory; food webs; aquatic biodiversity; tropical ecology. ASIH Service: Local Committee Member 1993; symposium organizer “Fish Ecology in Latin America” 1993; Copeia Editorial Board, 1994-present.

Robert M. Wood, Assistant Professor, Saint Louis University. Research: systematics and biogeography of perciform and cypriniform fishes; evolution of the North American ichthyofauna. ASIH Service: member since 1989.

The Robert Gibbs Memorial Award Committee

Carter R. Gilbert, Curator of Fishes (Florida Museum of Natural History) and Professor of Zoology (Department of Zoology), University of Florida. Research: systematics and biogeography of freshwater and marine fishes, particularly those of North America and the Western Atlantic region. ASIH Service: member since 1954; Member of Board of Governors most years since 1970, either through direct election or as an officer; Stoye award judge for ichthyology, 1973 meetings in San Jose, Costa Rica; Local Chair, 1977 national meetings in Gainesville, Florida; Copeia Index Editor 1971-1981; Secretary 1982-1989; President-elect 1992; President, 1993; Member of Executive Committee 1982-1989 and 1992-1994; presently member of joint AFS-ASIH Common and Scientific Names of Fishes Committee.

Robert E. Jenkins, Professor of Biology, Roanoke College, Salem, Virginia. Research: systematics of North American freshwater fishes. ASIH Service: Member, ASIH Board of Governors, ca 1972-79, 1988-92; Member, ASIH Committee on Environmental Quality, 1977-80; reviewer of numerous manuscripts for Copeia

Joseph S. Nelson, Professor of Biological Sciences and Associate Dean, Faculty of Science, University of Alberta. Research: fish classification; systematic studies of Gasterosteidae (especially Culaea and Pungitius), Trachionoidei, and Psychrolutidae. ASIH Service: Governor, American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, 1986-1991; Member, Time and Place Committee, 1990-present; Chair, AFS/ASIH Names of Fishes Committee, 1991-present; Co-chair, local committee, for annual meeting (1995, Edmonton) of ASIH, AES and HL; member, Environmental Quality Committee,1995-present.

PUBLICATIONS POLICY COMMITTEE - Douglas, Michael E., Chair

The Editorial Policy Committee (EPC) convened at the Society's annual meeting in Edmonton (Canada) and, after reviewing old and/or unresolved business, initiated a discussion on the merits of acknowledging reviewers by sending them copies of all reviews (unsigned) and a copy of the letter to the corresponding author in which the disposition of the manuscript was discussed. This policy was first initiated after the 1994 EPC meeting (USC, Los Angeles) but some confusion resulted during its implementation, and questions emerged as to exactly what policy was in place. After reviewing pros and cons, the general consensus of the committee was that the policy was indeed beneficial and that COPEIA should continue with its implementation. Sectional editors were asked to solicit from a given referee four copies of the review to minimize xeroxing.

There was also much discussion involving manuscripts "appropriate" for COPEIA. Both managing and sectional editors have been rejecting as "inappropriate" those manuscripts deficient in subject matter and/ or methodology. A consensus regarding "appropriateness" was thus sought. For example, review papers are inappropriate for COPEIA unless they are either of general interest to all readers, or augmented with substantive new data. After discussion, it was decided not to formalize what is "appropriate" for the journal, but instead to continue as before with an undefined policy.

It was also decided that a manuscript should not remain "in review" longer than six months. By this, it is meant that an author has six months to complete revisions on a manuscript and return it to the sectional editor. If revision extends beyond this time then the manuscript must be submitted anew. To facilitate this policy, sectional editors were asked to simply reject manuscripts that require considerable revision in order to be acceptable, even though these may be based on solid data. In this way, authors may revise/resubmit according to their own schedule, rather than be confronted with a deadline.

The committee was also unanimous in its feeling that corresponding authors should be notified when the review process lingers beyond three months from date the sectional editor receives the manuscript. Each sectional editor will thus devise a form letter to notify authors when delays occur in the review process.

The issue of "grey literature" was also discussed again, and sectional editors were adamant that current policy (i.e., not allowing such material to be referenced in "Literature Cited") should not be tampered with.

Concern was voiced at the 1995 Executive Committee meeting regarding those authors who use an incorrect institutional address on their manuscript. This often occurs when younger members submit dissertation research under the by- line of a post- doctoral (or other) institution. This topic was then discussed in the EPC meeting. As a result, sectional editors were asked to carefully read Acknowledgments to ascertain if a manuscript has been submitted under the wrong by- line. By the same token, Acknowledgments should also be scrutinized for evidence of (a) deposition of voucher specimens into museums, and (b) demonstration of state and federal collecting permit numbers.

RANEY FUND AWARD COMMITTEE - Johnson, Robert K., Chair

The Raney Award is presented annually in honor of Edward C. Raney (1909- 1984). Raney was a leader among ichthyologists. He possessed a broad knowledge of the fishes of the world, and his particular area of expertise was the fishes of the eastern United States. A member of the faculty of Cornell University, Dr. Raney authored over 75 papers dealing with the systematics, behavior and ecology of fishes. He was an expert on aquatic environmental problems and served on numerous environmental advisory committees. He was a member of over 30 professional societies, and he served as secretary (1948- 1951) and president (1955- 1956) of ASIH. The students of Ed Raney were and are among the leaders in modern ichthyology in no small part because of his mentorship and enthusiasm in the study of fishes.

Funds derived from the Raney Fund for Ichthyology are used to provide support for young ichthyologists for museum or laboratory study, travel, fieldwork, or any other activity that will enhance their professional careers and their contributions to the science of ichthyology.

Applications for fund support are submitted for consideration to a committee of three ichthyologists appointed annually by the ASIH president . The committee this year included: Dr. Dannie A. Hensley (University of Puerto Rico), Dr. Robert Karl Johnson (University of Charleston, SC; Chair) and Dr. George Sedberry, SC Marine Resources Research Institute. The call for applications was published in Copeia 1995(4): 1012, with a cutoff date for receipt of applications of March 1, 1996.

Twenty- five completed applications were received. With $4,000.00 in funds to disburse this year, the committee was able to fund eight proposals:

Marcelo R. de Carvalho. Department of Ichthyology, American Museum of Natural History($600). Systematic revision of the electric rays, order Torpediniformes (Chondrichthyes).

Vicente P. F. Cassano. Department of Biology, University of California (UCLA). ($258) Morphospecies and genetic divergence in the shiner perch, Cymatogaster aggregata in the California Bight.

David J. Eisenhour. Department of Zoology, Southern Illinois University (Carbondale) ($527). Revision of the western species of the Macrhybopsis aestivalis complex (Pisces: Cyprinidae).

Tomas Hrbek. Department of Biology, Washington University (St. Louis). ($559). Rise of the Andes, and its implication for the phylogenetic relationships within the annual fish genus Austrofundulus.

Richard W. Julian. Department of Biology, San Francisco State University. ($336). Genetic analysis of year- class formation in shortbelly rockfish: Sebastes jordani.

Thomas M. Orrell. School of Marine Science, Virginia Institute of Marine Science. ($500).Phylogeny of the sparid fishes of the superfamily Sparoidea (Perciformes: Percoidei) and relationships to other superfamilies.

Jean C. Porterfield. Illinois Natural History Survey. ($520). Phylogenetic relationships of snubnose darters (Percidae, Etheostoma), female mate choice, and the evolution of male breeding color.

Jeffrey S. Shima. Department of Biological Sciences, University of California (UCSB). ($700). Assessing the relative importance of larval supply and post- settlement processes on regulation of reef fish populations.

ROBERT H. GIBBS, JR. MEMORIAL AWARD COMMITTEE - Burr, Brooks M., Chair

In March and April 1996, the Robert H. Gibbs Jr. Memorial Award Committee (Brooks M. Burr, Chair) evaluated four nominees for the 1996 award and arrived at a decision with the use of regular mail, e- mail, FAX, and telephone. The awardee, as is customary, will be announced at the ASIH annual banquet on Tuesday evening, 18 June, in New Orleans. The committee intends to continue to announce and promote the award through publication of notices in scientific journals, including Copeia. Following the annual ASIH meeting, the Chair will forward the announcement of the winner for 1996 to these journals along with a request for future nominations. Following the tradition of previous years, a full page in Copeia, 1996(4), will be devoted to a plaque bearing the name of the 1996 awardee as well as a list of all former recipients of the award. This year's awardee and the former recipients of the award will be encouraged to submit a paper in systematic ichthyology to Copeia to appear (following the normal editorial review process) in the second year following the award as the lead ichthyological article in the journal. So far, none of the previous awardees have submitted papers to Copeia in response to the committee's request.

STUDENT AWARDS COMMITTEE - Poss, Stuart G., Chair

Preliminary preparations for student awards at the annual meeting in New Orleans have been completed, with a total of student 179 papers being received by the 1 April deadline for entry into the 11 separate student competitions. Six of these papers were entered into more than one competition. These competitions include the ASIH Stoye Awards for best oral presentation granted in five separate categories, the ASIH Storer Awards for best student paper granted in two categories, the AFS- ELHS Richardson Award, the AES Gruber Award, the Herp League Best Student Paper Award, and the Neotropical Ichthyological Association Best Student Paper Award.

A total of 123 student titles and abstracts were entered in the ASIH Stoye Award competition. Of these, 18 submissions did not meet the requirement that the presentation must be based on work done solely by the student, and were disqualified on this basis. Within the five award categories for the Stoye competition, eight applicants qualify for presentation in General Herpetology (one disqualification), 16 in General Ichthyology (two disqualifications), 32 in Ecology and Ethology (11 disqualifications), 10 in Genetics, Development, and Morphology (no disqualifications), and eight in Physiology and Physiological Ecology (four disqualifications).

We received 31 titles and abstracts for the ASIH Storer Awards. Of these, six are in herpetology and 17 in Ichthyology, with an additional eight ruled ineligible (four herpetology and four ichthyology) because of multiple authorship.

At this time, we are still checking to determine if all student competitors are members in good standing. All students not meeting this second qualification will be offered the opportunity to join, and if their dues are received by the Society prior to their presentation, they will be ruled eligible to compete.

The Committee recommends that the rules for the Stoye and Storer Award competitions be printed in upper- case letters and bold face type in all subsequent calls for papers to insure that potential future competitors are made more fully aware of the rules regarding the requirements of single authorship and membership in ASIH. This simple change may reduce the number of multi- authored submissions that must be disqualified, without otherwise discouraging student participation.

President- elect Pietsch, with the assistance of President Stewart and others, provided nominations of the student award judges. The following scientists will be evaluating the Stoye Award competitions in each category: general herpetology, David Good, Rebecca Pyles, and Mark Paulissen; general ichthyology, Mark Pyron (Chairperson), Christopher Taylor, Mel Warren; ecology and ethology, Larry Allen (Chairperson), Deanna Stouder, Susan Sogard, Mo Donnelly, Craig Guyer, and Carol Johnson; genetics, development, and morphology, Christopher Phillips (Chairperson), Robert Wood, and Susan Walls. In physiology and physiological ecology, Catherine R. Bevier (Chairperson), Steve Beaupre, and Steve Walsh.

The Storer Awards will be judged by the following individuals in each category: herpetology, Brian Crother and Carlos Navas; ichthyology, Doug Markle, (Chairperson), Jan Hoover, and Tim Berra.

Additionally, 22 (21 oral presentations and 1 poster) papers were received for competition for the Richardson Prize offered by the American Fisheries Society - Early Life History Section. Of these, one was disqualified because of inappropriate subject material and the poster presentation was ruled ineligible because all competitors must orally present their results. Judging for these papers is being coordinated by Dr. Richard F. Shaw.

A total of 20 papers were submitted by members of the American Elasmobranch Society for competition in for the Samuel Gruber Award and this competition is being conducted in coordination with AES representatives. All submitted papers were deemed eligible by AES.

Five student papers were submitted in the competition for best paper of the Neotropical Ichthyological Association. We have additional information to report concerning this competition.

Eight oral and one poster contribution were submitted for competition in the Herpetology League Student Awards. Judging for these papers were scheduled as requested by the Herp League and judging in accordance with Herp League rules.

Instructions for judges, including schedules and standardized judging forms are being prepared. Also being prepared is a draft summary characterizing issues relevant to conducting these awards at future meetings. This draft will be presented to Dr. Robert Johnson, who is preparing similar guides for other committees at the New Orleans meetings. Efforts are in progress to facilitate liaison between the judges and the Committee on Graduate Student Participation, so that all student competitors will receive feedback on their presentations. Scheduling of rooms and times for deliberations by judges is underway at this time. Preparations for presentation of the awards at the ASIH banquet are also ongoing.

The committee would like to express its thanks to Dr. Maureen Donnelly, previous Chair of the Student Awards Committee, for her assistance in providing continuity and guidance, as well as to the members of the Local Arrangements Committee for their substantial help.

TIME, PLACE, AND PROGRAM COMMITTEE - Gregory, Patrick T., Chair

Although we had brief, informal discussions about one possible future meeting site this year, they did not progress to any meaningful level. Thus, we established no further meeting venues this past year. However, the immediate schedule of future meetings is well in hand, with meeting sites previously approved as follows:

1997 - University of Washington

1998 - University of Guelph (Ontario, Canada)

1999 - Pennsylvania State University

We solicit invitations to host a meeting in 2000 (or beyond); if you are interested in doing so, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us.

REPRESENTATIVES TO OTHER GROUPS

REPRESENTATIVE TO AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCES - Leviton, Alan E.

REPORT NOT RECEIVED AS OF MAY 1, 1996

REPRESENTATIVE TO AMERICAN ELASMOBRANCH SOCIETY - Burgess, George H.

The American Elasmobranch Society (AES) held its 11th Annual Meeting on 16- 19 June 1995 at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, with 75 members meeting concurrently with ASIH. AES program chairman Joe Nelson organized the meeting with expert assistance from fellow members of the ASIH local committee. The meeting consisted of five sessions consisting of 40 contributed papers, seven posters, and the traditional open slide/video finale. The contributed sessions included papers devoted to physiology, age and growth, morphology, ecology, systematics and evolution, population structure, demography, reproductive biology, behavior; and feeding. Five presentations were made at the open slide/video session. William G. Raschi gave the Presidential Address, "The Chondrichthyes of the 90's: what's been lost and what's been gained,"during the ASIH plenary session. The AES sessions were well attended by AES and ASIH members. Two student workshops, "How to Give Good Presentations" and "The Finer Art of Grantwriting," also were conducted.

The society's Executive Board and Board of Directors met on 15 June, and the Business Meeting was convened on 17 June. Constitutional changes included a shift to mail ballot elections starting in 1996. Elections held at the Business Meeting produced the following results:

President- elect: John F. Morrissey

Secretary: Sanford Moss

Treasurer: Franklin Snelson

Board of Directors: George H. Burgess and Gregor M. Cailliet (5- year terms), Tim Tricas (3- year term)

Grant Fund Committee: Tim Tricas and Brad Wetherbee (3- year terms), Sonja Fordham and Phil Motta (2- year terms), Jim Gelsleichter and Alan Henningsen (1- year terms)

Nominating Committee: Ken Goldman (chair), Ramon Bonfil, George Burgess, Gerald Crow, Ken Goldman, Lisa Natanson

The AES Banquet was held on 19 June. At the banquet a selection committee composed of John Morrissey, Eileen Grogan, Dave Koester, and Sandy Moss awarded the Gruber Award for best student paper to Lara Ferry for her contribution, “How does the heterocercal tail function in leopard shark locomotion." The second place award went to Marcelo Carvalho for his paper, “Phylogenetic relationships of the Upper Jurassic shark Protospinax Woodward, 1919 (Chondrichthyes, Elasmobranchii)." Third place awards were given to Jennifer Wyffels and Kimby Barton. The evening was highlighted by the Third Annual Elasmo Auction which raised over $2000 for the Student Travel Fund. An additional $975 for the Fund was garnered in t- shirt sales.

As always, AES is appreciative of ASIH for its continued support of joint meetings and will next meet in New Orleans, Louisiana on 14- 18 June 1996 in association with the 1996 ASIH annual meetings.

REPRESENTATIVE TO AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY - Warren, Jr., M. L.

Melvin L. Warren, Jr., ASIH representative to the American Fisheries Society (AFS), reported several activities within AFS of direct relevance to ASIH, particularly those concerning conservation of aquatic organisms. The AFS committee on North American Fisheries Policy (Lynn Starnes, Chair) published an AFS position statement on that topic (1996. Fisheries 21:26- 29), providing a holistic approach to fisheries within the context of biodiversity and sustainability of ecosystems. The AFS Fisheries Action Network "Stocks at Risk" focus group and the AFS Endangered Species Committee (AFS- ESC) (Kevin Richards, Chair) showed significant progress in several areas. The Crayfish Subcommittee (Chris Taylor and Mel Warren, Co- chairs) of AFS- ESC published "Conservation Status of Crayfishes of the United States and Canada" (1996. Fisheries 21:25- 38); the Marine Fishes Subcommittee (Jack Musick and Gene Huntsman, Co- chairs) of AFS- ESC is progressing toward a status assessment of coastal marine U.S. fishes; manuscripts on salmonid stocks at risk, projects of the Alaska and North Pacific AFS Chapters, are near completion; and proceedings of the Fisheries Action Network conference "Evolution and the Aquatic Ecosystem: Defining Unique Units in Population Conservation" (Jennifer Nielsen, editor) is now available. The AFS- ESC Reauthorization Subcommittee sent members to Washington D.C. in July 1995 where they visited with members of Congress and their staffs to advance the AFS position on reauthorization of the Endangered Species Act, a position fully endorsed by ASIH (Copeia 1995:1043). The AFS- ESC sent letters to the House Resources Committee and all House members strongly opposing the Young- Pombo Bill (HR 2275) stating that this bill would "destroy many of the safeguards provided by the ESA." The ASIH membership is urged to participate in the reauthorization process by writing legislators; critically reviewing and providing comments on proposed principles and changes to be incorporated in the reauthorized Act; contacting Kevin Richards to express your willingness to contribute to the efforts of the Reauthorization Subcommittee; and supporting AFS efforts to see the Act come through the debates intact. An excellent package on letter writing tips for the reauthorization of the Act was developed by the Western Division of AFS and is available upon request from Mel Warren (601\234- 2744 or e- mail: fswarren@vm.cc.olemiss.edu). Kevin Richards can be contacted at 314\346- 2210 (e- mail:esox99@aol.com).

REPRESENTATIVE TO ASSOCIATION OF SYSTEMATICS COLLECTIONS - Page, Larry M.

ASC is developing a World Wide Web site with hot links to all ASC member institution and affiliate societies. A workshop on the WWW, databases and networking was the highlight of the 1995 Annual Meeting of ASC, held at the University of California at Berkeley. ASC also has a contract with the National Biological Service to develop databases on taxonomic experts and collection resources. The two databases will be available over the Internet.

ASC had a major impact in 1995 on improving the FWS regulations regarding the importation and exportation of specimens and continues to work with FWS to develop reasonable regulations. An agreement is being negotiated between ASC and FWS that would allow the transfers of donated collections to not- for- profit research and educational institutions with reasonable requirements regarding permit records.

ASC recently published guidelines on policies and planning in natural history museums and is helping several institutions to implement the guidelines. It is organizing, as a prelude to the 1996 meeting, a workshop to help members interact with policy makers and the press. The meeting will deal with the difficult issue of intellectual property and national patrimony as related to international research collections and the sharing of specimens around the world.

REPRESENTATIVE TO EARLY LIFE HISTORY SECTION OF AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY - Fahay, Michael P.

The Early Life History Section of the AFS recently held their highly successful 19th Annual Larval Fish Conference in Sydney. 217 registrants from 21 countries participated (70+ from the U.S.). The high scientific standards exhibited in recent meetings were continued this time in eight symposia devoted to topical and interesting subjects including one taking a world- wide look at bluefish life history strategies. The Section's newsletter "Stages" has gotten a recent facelift. It includes chatty news items (who's doing what?), features on various facilities involved in early life history work, and erudite essays by respected fish ecologists. The Section accepts non- voting memberships sans membership in AFS. Affiliate membership includes subscription to "Stages". Send $10.00 to their Treasurer, Stanley Warlen, NOAA, NMFS, SEFSC, Beaufort Laboratory, Beaufort, NC 28516.

REPRESENTATIVE TO THE INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR THE CONSERVATION OF NATURE - Rabb, George

Throughout IUCN, the need for the various programs and offices to work together is apparent, and significant progress in this direction is being made. In October 1995, IUCN held a regional members meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and for the first time ever, three Commissions held meetings in conjunction with this regional members meeting. The Riyadh Conservation Forum, as it was formally called, was a critical step in improving regional cooperation and developing an IUCN presence in North Africa, West and Central Asia. The SSC component of this meeting was organized and run by Dr. Abuzinada, both an SSC Steering Committee member and the Chair of the Arabian Plants Specialist Group, and the timing of it with the CNPPA and CEM meetings encouraged integration of the work of these three Commissions at a regional level.

As exemplified by the regional meeting in Riyadh, more of SSC’s work is being focused at a regional level. SSC is now lucky to have program officers based in IUCN regional offices in the following regions: South America, Southeast Asia, Eastern Africa, and Southern Africa. These officers are supporting the SSC Specialist Groups in the regions as well as promoting implementation of various Action Plan recommendations.

The National Biodiversity Conservation Groups, a cooperative initiative between SSC and CNPPA, continue to grow in South America. There are now groups up and running in Ecuador, Bolivia and Venezuela. Additionally, Peru, Brazil and Paraguay have taken initial steps to organize groups. Using the SSC’s guidelines for the National Biodiversity Conservation Groups, although not officially part of the SSC, both the Phillippines and the United Arab Emirates have formed groups in response to the Convention on Biological Diversity. It is hoped that the SSC can establish a recognized partnership with these two groups.

Also operating at a local level, the regional networks of the Sustainable Use Specialist Group are expanding to cover most of the globe. Three regions, Central America, Southern Africa, and Western Africa are advanced in their work and will present case studies at the World Conservation Congress in Montreal in October of this year. This month there will be workshops for representatives of the eleven established regions to come together and discuss issues. The aim of this workshop is to synthesize principles emerging from the various regions.

In addition to the restructuring occurring at IUCN Headquarters, at the last SSC Steering Committee meeting there was a strong call for a restructuring of SSC governance in a way that would devolve major management responsibilities to a number of Steering Committee members. The SSC network has grown and expanded to the extent where traditional means of operating are no longer effective enough. It is hoped that through restructuring, the Steering Committee members will be more directly involved in the daily activities of SSC at a variety of levels, including programmatic decisions, fund raising, and staff support, and therefore the SSC will be better able to fulfill its strategic plan.

Possibly ahead of the game, several SSC Steering Committee members have been working to establish a Marine Group that would oversee SSC’s marine conservation activities, provide support to the marine based Specialist Groups and coordinate cross-cutting programs. This group would also serve as a contact point for CNPPA’s Marine Protected Areas Program, and IUCN Headquarter’s Marine Program. Both of these programs have been involved in setting up this marine group, and together the three programs hope to build a comprehensive marine conservation network.

At the last Steering Committee meeting, the marine working group recommended a number of initiatives. Possibly the most exciting and challenging initiative was the call to develop a Red Data Book for fisheries. It is hoped that this Red Data Book, as other Red Data Books have done for a number of threatened species, will draw the world’s attention to unsustainable and thus threatened fisheries. Criteria will need to be developed before such a book can be assembled, but the initial concept received support from the whole Steering Committee.

Another initiative pertaining to fisheries has been the development of workshops to examine the application of the new Categories of Threat to a number of fish species, including those targeted by commercial fisheries. This has been a joint project between SSC and the Institute of Zoology in London. There has been some skepticism voiced as to the general applicability of these Red List categories to marine species, and thus the push to examine the issues in detail. The various Specialist Groups focusing on marine species will be asked to evaluate the usefulness of the criteria.

The other Specialist Groups have responded with great enthusiasm to the new Categories of Threat. For example, the Mollusc Specialist Group has undertaken the assessment of 1300 species with the new criteria. The assessments by the various Specialist Groups will be included in the 1996 Red List of Threatened Animals, which will be launched at the World Conservation Congress in Montreal this October. In preparation for this Red List, all of the mammal species have been evaluated, which is a first time event.

The initiative to develop the Biodiversity Conservation Information System (BCIS) continues to develop at two levels, the Consortium level and the SSC component. At the Consortium level, a formal agreement of principles between the partner institutions has been negotiated, and will likely be signed within the month. Botanic Gardens Conservation International has joined the consortium, bringing with it a wealth of plant data. Additionally, an external case statement describing each of the partner institutions, the goals and the products of BCIS has been drafted, and it is being used to make initial approaches to donors.

At the SSC level, members of a BCIS working group have been talking with a sample of Specialist Groups to ascertain an idea of the various Specialist Groups’ needs and desires from such an information management system. This group will meet at the end of April to begin to design the basic system. The plan is to have a prototype up and running in time for the SSC Commission meeting in Montreal, which will be held immediately prior to the World Conservation Congress.

The Trade Program has also seen some interesting developments over the last year. To begin with, SSC welcomed a new head of the trade program, Alison Rosser. Over the past year, she organized a strategic planning workshop. The resulting Trade Program strategic plan is still being finalized, and will go before the SSC Steering Committee at its next meeting for adoption. While recognizing the importance of SSC’s work with CITES, the meeting participants additionally call for the trade program to focus on species in trade that are not covered by CITES. The strategic plan will prioritize the various objectives of the Trade Program.

Amie Brautigam, the former head of the Trade Program, has become one of two Animals Program Officers, and is responsible for Reptile, Amphibian, Fish and Invertebrate Specialist Groups. As the SSC expands its work in the marine realm, Amie will serve as a liaison to the Marine Working Group. She is operating from the Washington, D.C. office of IUCN.

The Declining Amphibian Populations Task Force continues to examine the possible effects of global factors on species. The Task Force now has 108 regional groups working in 90 countries, and 5 issues-based working groups. A number of the working groups contributed information to the traveling exhibit on declining amphibian populations, which has been developed by the Smithsonian Institution. On the fund raising front, SSC has continued to work with Flora and Fauna International to develop a global amphibian conservation marketing campaign which will benefit DAPTF as well as the Reptile and Amphibian Specialist Groups.

A number of SSC publications were released in the last year, including Pheasants: A Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan 1995-1999; Partridges, Quails and Francolins: An Action Plan for their Conservation; The Conservation Biology of Molluscs: Proceedings of a Symposium held at the 9th International Malacological Congress, Edinburgh, Scotland, 1986; Polar Bears: Proceedings of the Eleventh Working Meeting of the IUCN/SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group, January 25-28 1993, Copenhagen, Denmark; and the last three educational booklets in the set of six on fur-bearing mammals (The Seals, Wild Cats and their Relatives, and The Red Panda, Olingos, Coatis, Raccoons and their Relatives). Additionally, an SSC Occasional Paper Assessing the Sustainability of Uses of Wild Species: Case studies and initial assessment procedure; the Cat Action Plan; and the Eurasian Insectivores and Tree Shrew Action Plan are all currently at the printers. Finally, the IUCN Re-introduction Guidelines, developed by the Re-introduction Specialist Group, have been adopted by IUCN Council. These guidelines are being printed, but the full text is currently available on the Internet at rocket.iprolink.ch/pub/iucn/ssc.

Under IUCN statutes, Commission Chairs may serve no more than two elected terms of three years. Thus at the Montreal Congress this October I will step down as Chair of SSC although I expect to continue to be involved in some capacity with both SSC and IUCN.

REPRESENTATIVE TO THE NATIONAL BIOLOGICAL SURVEY - Warren, Jr., M. L.

As was reported by the previous representative, Walter Courtenay, for the 1994 calendar year, there was no activity during 1995. The charge given to this representative is vague. The current representative comments that the Society might review the mission of this representative and investigate the possibility of having NBS designate a contact person in the agency if an effective liaison is desired.

REPRESENTATIVE TO FISH BEHAVIOR GROUP OF ANIMAL BEHAVIOR SOCIETY - Myrberg, Arthur A.

The Animal Behavior Society had its 32nd annual meeting at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, July 9- 13, 1995. 348 papers were presented, a decrease of approximately 19% in the number presented at the ABS meeting in 1994. Thirty- three papers dealt with subjects of direct interest to members of our Society: 19 (5.4%) dealt with fishes, 8 (2.2%) dealt with reptiles, and 6 (1.7%) dealt with amphibians. Papers, dealing with these three groups decreased their representation by 34%, when compared to the number contributed in 1994 and the % of total contributions slipped again: 9.4% (1995), 11.5% (1994), 12% (1993).

Relatively few families of fishes were represented at the '95 meeting, and their % of total representation continued to slip, as noted last year (5.5% [1995], 6.5% [1994], 8.1% [1993], 12.4% [1992]. The most popular families included the gasterosteids (8) and the poeciliids (4). The salmonids were the subjects of two papers and several families were the subjects of one paper each (cichlid, acanthurid, escosid, mormyrid, serranid).

Herpetological groups markedly dropped their representation at the meeting compared to that seen in 1994 and previous years: salamanders (4 papers), lizards and turtles (3 papers each), followed by frogs (2) and snakes (2).

Reports were divided among the following subjects (loosely defined)

Subject	Fishes	Reptiles	Amphibians
Mating and courtship	4		1
Pred.-prey		3
Social	2
Endocrine	2
Motivation	3
Locomotion	1	1
Feeding	2	1
Communication			2
Sensory	2	1	2
Recognition-patterns			1
Learning	1
Behav. thermoregulation		1
Endocrine function	1
Ontogeny	1
Orientation		1
TOTALS	19	8	6

The 33rd annual meeting of the Animal Behavior Society will be held at Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, 3 - 8 August, 1996. For additional information, contact Con Slobodchikoff: e-mail: con.slobodchikoff@nau.edu.

REPRESENTATIVE TO SOCIETY FOR THE PRESERVATION OF NATURAL HISTORY COLLECTIONS - Simmons, John E.

The 10th anniversary meeting of the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC) was held at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, Canada, from 2- 6 June 1995. The keynote speaker for the meeting was Dr. Stephen J. Gould, whose topic was "The Glory and Importance of Natural History Collections." Of particular interest to ASIH members were presentations on the evolution of natural history museums, preserving and cataloging fish illustrations as unique natural history records, the control of acidity in formaldehyde solutions, categories of collections as a collection management tool, studies of disaster recovery and disaster planning in natural history collections, and a review of the holdings of Canadian natural history collections. The Ichthyology and Herpetology Discussion Group toured the Royal Ontario Museum fish, amphibian, and reptile collections and enjoyed a spirited, wide- ranging discussion with the ROM collection care staff. Following the regular meeting, SPNHC offered a two- day workshop on "Managing the Modern Herbarium." SPNHC will meet in 1996 at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia; and in 1997 at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

REPRESENTATIVE TO SOCIETY FOR STUDY OF AMPHIBIANS AND REPTILES AND HERPETOLOGISTS' LEAGUE - Savitzky, Alan H.

This year's major development was the agreement by all three herpetological societies to two successive joint meetings, in Seattle (1997) and in Guelph (1998). Following its meeting with SSAR in Athens, GA in 1994, HL has returned to regular meetings with ASIH into the foreseeable future. Some members of SSAR, however, continue to be wary of frequent joint meetings of all three societies, despite considerable support from many other members who have affiliations with all of the organizations. It now seems likely that HL will continue to meet regularly, and SSAR irregularly, with ASIH.

Among the other areas of mutual concern for the three societies is the proposed joint membership directory. SSAR has taken an increased role in the project, but the task remains of reconciling differing addresses for many individuals in the three societal databases. Although the availability of the online ASIH directory has rendered the project less urgent, there is still a need for a merged directory and for a printed edition, especially for many overseas members. Under the leadership of ASIH President Meg Stewart the three societies are again seeking funds from NSF to support travel by graduate students to the Third World Congress of Herpetology in Prague, Czech Republic, in 1997. Finally, conservation issues continue to be discussed jointly by the appropriate representatives of the three societies.

APPENDIX 1. ATTACHMENTS TO THE REPORT OF THE TREASURER

APPENDIX 2. CV’S OF NOMINEES FOR HONORARY FOREIGN MEMBER (HERPETOLOGY)

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