AlexC's Life List of Life (2 Viewers)

[AlexC]

Alrighty, Mysticete, since you seem to be my most direct line into the herp world, I'll direct my question at you (others, feel free to chime in). I guess I'm lucky that my herp list isn't too long, so there's not much to fix!

In the CNAH list groupings, they seem to list both families and species alphabetically - not phlyogenetically. My experience as a birder has made me very aware of recent efforts to denote phylogenetic order (see new NACC and SACC proposals to resort linear sequences). My 1991 Eastern/Central Peterson, despite its datedness, seems to keep relatedness in mind. Any suggestions here?

 

[Mysticete]

Well...I think CNAH goes alphabetically (SSAR is even worse, since it is alphabetical by genus) because there is so much uncertainty about classification at all all levels. 10 years ago Natricidae and Dipsadidae didn't even exist. Genera have been moved back and forth...within the last decade or so NA ratsnakes have been in Elaphe, Pantherophis, Pituophis, and now finally split into several genera. Plus, as if that still wasn't a problem, people are splitting like crazy (if you want entertainment, read peoples reactions to the suggested Common Kingsnake split) and still discovering brand spanking new species (although MOSTLY salamanders).

There is also the issue that a strict phylogenetic order would subsume snakes within lizards.

At any rate, I will in the next post give you the tentative order I use, based on as current literature as I could find at the time.

 

[Mysticete]

Here is the classification I use for my own checklists, down to family level. I haven't decided on a genera level approach yet...that would be a TIF sized project which I don't have time for, not to mention one that I feel would be defunct in short order. I would just go with genera in alphabetical order until things are better worked out. By the way the numbers at the end are "rough" estimates of # of species. I have also bolded the NA groups, since I recall your life list mostly consisted of NA species.

Family Level Classification of Herptiles

Lepospondyli
Gymnophiona
Rhinotrematidae (Beaked Caecilians) (9)
Ichthyophiidae (Fish Caecilians) (44)
Caeciliidae (Common and Aquatic Caecilians) (121)
Lissamphibia
Caudata
Cryptobranchidae (Giant Salamanders) (3)
Hynobiidae (Asiatic Salamanders) (50)
Sirenidae (Sirens) (4)
Proteidae (Mudpuppies and Olms) (7)
Salamanderidae (Newts) (74)
Ambystomatidae (Mole Salamanders) (36)
Rhyacotritonidae (Torrent Salamanders) (4)
Amphiumidae (Amphiumas) (3)
Plethodontidae (Lungless Salamanders) (384)
Anura
Leiopelmatidae (New Zealand and Tailed Frogs) (6)
Pipidae (Clawed Frogs) (32)
Rhinophyrnidae (Mexican Burrowing Toad) (1)
Alytidae (Midwife and Painted Toads) (11)
Bombinatoridae (Firebelly Toads) (8)
Pelodytidae (Parsley Frogs) (3)
Scaphiopodidae (New World Spadefoot Toads) (7)
Pelobatidae (Old World Spadefoot Toads) (4)
Megophryidae (Asian Toads) (138)
Heleophrynidae (Ghost Frogs) (6)
Sooglossidae (Seychelles and Purple Frogs) (5)
Calyptocephalellidae (Helmeted Water Toad and allies) (4)
Limnodynastidae (Australian Ground Frogs) (44)
Myobatrachidae (Australian Froglets and allies) (83)
Hemiphractidae (Hemiphractid Tree Frogs) (6)
Strabomantidae (Andes Frogs and Allies) (539)
Brachycephalidae (Saddleback Toads and Allies) (41)
Craugastoridae (Northern Rain Frogs) (114)
Eleutherodactylidae (Coqui and Allies) (199)
Cryptobatrachidae (Cryptobatrachid Tree Frogs) (21)
Amphignathodontidae (Marsupial Frogs) (61)
Hylidae (True Tree Frogs) (856)
Centrolenidae (Glass Frogs) (147)
Leptodactylidae (White-lipped Frogs) (95)
Ceratophryidae (Common Horned Frogs) (85)
Cycloramphidae (Darwin’s Frogs) (101)
Hylodidae (Torrent Frogs) (40)
Leiuperidae (Swamp, Four-eyed Frogs, and allies) (78)
Bufonidae (True Toads) (514)
Dendrobatidae (Poison-dart Frogs) (167)
Aromobatidae (Skunk Frogs and Allies) (94)
Micrixalidae (Tropical Frogs) (11)
Ranixalidae (Indian Frogs (11)
Microhylidae (Narrowmouth Frogs and Allies) (431)
Brevicipitidae (Short-headed Frogs) (26)
Hemisotidae (Shovelnose Frogs) (9)
Hyperoliidae (African Reed Frogs) (207)
Arthroleptidae (Screeching Frogs) (133)
Ptychadenidae (Grassland Frogs) (53)
Ceratobatrachidae (Wrinkled Ground Frogs) (80)
Phrynobatrachidae (African River Frogs) (77)
Petropedetidae (African Water Frogs) (16)
Pyxicephalidae (Large-mouthed Frogs and Allies) (64)
Dicroglossidae (Wart Frogs and Allies) (167)
Mantellidae (Mantellas) (174)
Rhacophoridae (Flying Frogs) (174)
Nyctibatrachidae (Night Frogs) (15)
Ranidae (True Frogs) (329)
Reptilia
Sphenodontia
Sphenodontidae (Tuataras) (2)
Squamata
Dibamidae (Blind Skinks) (21)
Eublepharidae (Eye-lash Geckos) (26)
Pygopodidae (Flap-foots and Snake-lizards) (35)
Gekkonidae (Geckos) (1196)
Scincidae (Skinks) (1200)
Cordylidae (Flat, Girdled, and Grass Lizards) (71)
Gerrhosauridae (Plated Lizards) (34)
Xantusiidae (Night Lizards (23)
Teiidae (Whiptails and Tegus) (116)
Gymnophthalmidae (Spectacled Lizards) (178)
Lacertidae (Wall Lizards and allies) (225)
Rhineuridae (Florida Worm Lizard) (1)
Bipedidae (Mole Lizards) (4)
Trogonophidae (Palearctic Worm Lizards) (5)
Amphisbaenidae (True Worm Lizards) (160)
Anomalolepidae (Dawn Blind Snakes) (15)
Leptotyphlopidae (Thread Snakes) (87)
Typhlopidae (True Blind Snakes) (203)
Anomochilidae (Coral Pipe Snake) (1)
Aniliidae (Dwarf Pipe Snakes) (2)
Tropidophilidae (Dwarf Boas) (19)
Xenopeltidae (Sunbeam Snakes) (2)
Loxocemidae (Mexican Burrowing Python) (1)
Pythonidae (Pythons) (26)
Cylindrophiidae (Asian Pipe Snakes) (8)
Uropeltidae (Shield-tailed Snakes) (47)
Erycidae (Old World Boas) (15)
Boidae (True Boas) (28)
Ungaliophiidae (Bromeliad Boas) (3)
Bolyeriidae (Round Island Boas) (2)
Acrochordidae (File Snakes) (3)
Xenodermatidae (Strange-scaled Snakes) (12)
Viperidae (Vipers and Rattlesnakes) (224)
Pareatidae (Asian Slug-eating Snakes) (15)
Homalopsidae (Australasian Mud Snakes) (37)
Atrachaspidae (Mole Vipers)
Lamprophiidae (African nocturnal snakes)
Prosymnidae (African Shovel-snout snakes)
Psammophiidae (Sand Snakes and allies)
Pseudaspididae (African mole snakes)
Pseudoxyrhophiidae (Afro-malagasy snakes)
Elapidae (Cobras, Mambas, and Allies) (315)
Lamprophiidae (Mole Vipers and Allies) (204)
Coluberidae (Ratsnakes and Allies) (1750)
Natricidae (Water Snakes and Allies) (200)
Pseudoxenodontidae (Malagasy Hognose Snakes) (11)
Dipsadidae (Thirst Snakes) (582)
Chamaeleonidae (Chameleons) (177)
Agamidae (Agamas and Dragons) (414)
Phyrnosomatidae (Horned Lizards, Fence Lizards, and Allies) (131)
Hoplocercidae (Wood Lizards) (11)
Opluridae (Malagasy Iguanas) (7)
Leiocephalidae (Curly-tailed Lizards) (29)
Tropiduridae (Lava Lizards and Allies) (112)
Liolaemidae (Tree Iguanas and Allies) (210)
Iguanidae (Iguanas) (37)
Crotaphytidae (Leopard and Collared Lizards) (11)
Corytophanidae (Basilisks) (9)
Leiosauridae (Para-anoles) (32)
Polychrotidae (Anoles) (376)
Helodermatidae (Gila Monster and Beaded Lizard) (2)
Lanthanotidae (Earless Monitor Lizard) (1)
Varanidae (Monitors) (63)
Xenosauridae (Knob-scaled Lizards) (6)
Shinosauridae (Chinese Crocodile Lizard) (1)
Anniellidae (American Legless Lizards) (2)
Anguidae (Slow-worms, Alligator Lizards, and Allies) (114)
Testudines
Chelidae (Austro-American Side-necked Turtles) (40)
Pelomedusidae (African Side-necked Turtles) (13)
Podocnemidae (Malagasy and African Side-necked Turtles) (8)
Chelydridae (Snapping and Big-headed Turtles) (3)
Cheloniidae (Sea Turtles) (7)
Dermochelyidae (Leatherback Sea Turtle) (1)
Dermatemyidae (Mesoamerican River Turtle (1)
Kinosternidae (Mud Turtles) (25)
Carettochelyidae (Pig-nosed Turtles) (1)
Trionychidae (Softshell Turtles) (25)
Emydidae (Pond Turtles) (43)
Geoemydidae (Asian Box Turtles) (70)
Testudinidae (Tortoises) (46)
Crocodilia
Gavialidae (Gharials) (2)
Alligatoridae (Alligators and Caimans) (8)
Crocodylidae (Crocodiles) (14)

 

[Mars4096]

I also have a list of life . I keep it in a spreadsheet with a lot of worksheets. I have designed it to be somewhat easy to keep up to date. I prefer common names but utilize scientific names in brackets if that's all that available or to get the identification to a lower taxonomic level. Oddly enough, I have a section for atmospheric optics. Optical phenomena is obvious isn't life but is readily listable although listed separately. (There are 89+ photographed forms of ice halos the majority of them are uncommon or rarely seen. Also listable non-lifeforms are snowflake varieties.)

The list needs a bit of work, several sections don't have entries or are not integrated in the total. The list will expand as I identify lifeforms in my photo collection this winter. The summary of my list is below. While the bulk of the list is of course birds, I have taken a major interest in dragonflies as well plus butterflies to a lesser extent.

In terms of new stuff seen in the field this has been a very slow winter. Not much species diversity in the winter this far north. However I got a major surprise last Sunday and got myself a Great Horned Owl. It's been a long time since I scored a life bird in the winter.

My webpage shows my obsession. Its an ideal starting place for anybody living in Ontario to find the books and website to assist in making a list of life.

Brent, www.ontariofieldnaturalists.org

Birds 227
Dragonflies 63
Butterflies 50
Bugs 77
Mammals 27
Herps 18
Fish
Trees 27
Shrubs
Plants 19
MISC 36

Total Life 544
Species Only 503

 

[AlexC]

UPDATES/STATUS:

Class Aves
-Added Brown-headed Nuthatch and Tufted Duck from Eastern shore of MD last Spring.
-Added subspecies Caprimulgus vociferus vociferus from late July in Shenandoah National Park. I know the AOU recognized the split with C. (v.) arizonae, but my taxonomy follows from agreement between Clements (now under Cornell control, basically AOU/ABA changes are accepted as truth), and Howard & Moore / Dickinson (still waiting on 4th edition... starting to get impatient). Tie-breaker is old-school Sibley & Monroe. Let's just say that when H&M 4th ed. comes out I will be doing a lot of armchair ticking.

Phylum Arthropoda
-Added Lone Star Tick from late July in Shenandoah National Park. WAY too many ticks on that backpacking trip... Between my brother, my dog, and me, we found a total of 65 Deer/Dog/Lone Star ticks on us. I'm completely desensitized to them now.
-Changed "Black-legged Tick" to more common vernacular Deer Tick.
-Added Fruit Fly sp. from recent kitchen infestation...

Kingdom Fungi
-Added Artist's Conk from last December (2009)'s Christmas Bird Count in Westport, CT. I don't know why they spell it "Conk" and not "Conch." Also, I really need to keep better track of fungi I encounter...

EDIT: Also... starting to study up with my Collins Guide for my 3 week trip in May to Bosnia/Herzegovina and Slovenia... should get some good lifers there.

 

[chris butterworth]

Also... starting to study up with my Collins Guide for my 3 week trip in May to Bosnia/Herzegovina and Slovenia... should get some good lifers there.

Collins also do a companion work covering European Butterflies. The Balkans, particularly Bosnia, are also a "hotspot" for obscure, single river species of fish.

Chris

 

[AlexC]

UPDATES/STATUS:

Class Aves:
-Added Fork-tailed Flycatcher, got the rarity in Stamford, CT over Thanksgiving break!

Kingdom Fungi:
-Added Black Knot plant pathogen fungi which was on a Cherry tree I saw back in Westport, CT on the Christmas Bird Count of 2009.

Kingdom Plantae:
-TOTALLY reorganized CLADE STRUCTURE based off of the APG III System released in 2009. I'd really like to hear some feedback on what you guys think of my organization here - I tried every which way how to denote clades within clades, but all I ended up with was a scatterbrained type layout. Still a work in progress...
-Added Black Cherry, on which the Black Knot fungus was found (Westport CBC 2009).
-Added Milkweed sp. (Westport CBC 2009)

 

[ovenbird43]

What a fun idea... I may have to follow suit. Years ago I started to keep a fish life list, unfortunately I didn't keep up with it. I've been striving over the past few years to become a more well-rounded naturalist, not just a birder/ornithologist, luckily I've had opportunities to take and teach several plant classes and most recently taught mycology. This seems like a great way to keep one's eyes open to the rest of nature.

 

[Matt Prince]

Thats a very noble attempt to formally classify your sightings Alex, makes my informal groupings look very random!

I'd like to adopt something similar, but it all gets complicated - especially with something as innocuous as lichen :eek!:

 

[AlexC]

After a significant lull both in my birding and my activity on this site, I am back to restore the list! I've now transferred it to a GoogleDoc for both ease of use, viewing, commenting, and editing. Be sure to see the different "sheets" at the bottom for full detailed lists:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1OGxXhQ7K7zrcFe8NYLyz-N21KVCry2f8YWBbQQcRjKY/edit?usp=sharing

Updates since last posts:

Galapagos/Ecuador trip, Summer 2012: Unfortunately I got very sick at the end of this trip, so my chronicling of wildlife was delayed / put off... Worst part was that it happened when we were in the Cloud-Forest (Maquipucuna) so my bird numbers aren't very good from there, save a few species I willed myself to see. In Galapagos, I was limited to San Cristobal Island, but had great looks at many species. Still need to I.D. my Darwin's Finches. We had an amazing boat trip for snorkeling that turned into a whale watching tour when we came upon a pod of Orcas! And they were being followed by none other than a WAVED ALBATROSS! The guide didn't believe me when I called it out, but photos proved him otherwise! New birds:
Savanna Hawk (layover at Guayaquil Airport)
Squirrel Cuckoo
Scarlet-bellied Mountain-Tanager
Swallow Tanager
Galapagos Shearwater
Elliot's Storm-Petrel
Red-billed Tropicbird
Nazca Booby
Blue-footed Booby
Brown Pelican urinator subspecies
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron paupera subspecies
Swallow-tailed Gull
Lava Gull
Brown Noddy galapagensis subspecies
Yellow Warbler aureola subspecies


Moved to California, Summer 2012: For work, so my birding the first year here was pretty limited. I had a great resurgence this Christmas Bird Count Season (2013) which has me determined to keep this list going! New birds:
California Towhee
Black Brant (nigricans subspecies of Brant)
Black Turnstone
Heermann's Gull
Western Gull
California Gull
Nuttall's Woodpecker
Oak Titmouse
Bushtit (Pacific group)
Wrentit
Western Bluebird
Red-breasted Sapsucker
Cactus Wren sandiegensis Pacific subspecies
Black-vented Shearwater
Brandt's Cormorant
Pelagic Cormorant
Thayer's Gull

Israel trip, Feb 2013: Trip focus was unfortunately not birding, much to my chagrin. But a did get some nice species I can't imagine having gotten otherwise. New birds:
Griffon Vulture
Long-legged Buzzard
White-throated Kingfisher
Syrian Woodpecker
Fan-tailed Raven
White-spectacled Bulbul
Graceful Prinia
European Stonechat (I believe rubicola taxa)
Tristram's Starling
Palestine Sunbird

Glacier Nat'l Park, Montana, Summer 2013: Went backpacking with my bros - saw a Grizzly! Running away from us, fortunately. And a couple new birds along the way.
Spruce Grouse
Olive-sided Flycatcher

Non-bird updates coming soon.

 

[delia todd]

It's good to see you back Alex.... you seem to have got some great birds added to your list.

 

[AlexC]

Doh! Link here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1OGxXhQ7K7zrcFe8NYLyz-N21KVCry2f8YWBbQQcRjKY/edit?usp=sharing

 

[Lisa W]

Alex, nice to have you back. Sorry you were ill during part of the Galapagos trip.

 

[Larry Lade]

Nice to have you back on the BirdForum. You were missed during your lengthy absence!

 

[AlexC]

Thanks, guys!

To keep the list fresh, I'm adding an update every day - there are plenty of organisms I need to sort out that I just blurt into my "Scrap Paper" sheet. Then I'll do a daily 5-10 minute dig to place it in the right Order/Family/etc.

Past few days:
San Cristobal Mockingbird - I had almost forgotten that I saw this guy, then I was going through my Galapagos photos and found a half-decent shot
Blacktip Shark - Galapagos, swam right by us snorkeling!
White Sage - hike in the San Gabriels, CA
Sally Lightfoot Crab - Galapagos

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1OGxXhQ7K7zrcFe8NYLyz-N21KVCry2f8YWBbQQcRjKY/edit?usp=sharing

 

[AlexC]

A couple reptiles from Galapagos, 2012 added:
Marine Iguana - San Cristobal beaches / all over rocks when taking boats out
Galapagos Tortoise - It's a shame that our trip organizers couldn't get us over to Santa Cruz; we were there just 2 weeks before Lonesome George passed, and it would have been pretty epic to be able to put that subspecies on my list. Wasn't in the cards. I did see many individuals on San Cristobal at a reserve, however I recall that they may not have been the native subspecies, having been brought from another island to protect the population. I'll research more on subspecies specifics at some point.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1OGxXhQ7K7zrcFe8NYLyz-N21KVCry2f8YWBbQQcRjKY/edit?usp=sharing

More comin' on the daily

 

[chowchilla]

G'day and welcome back Alex.

As I understand it, are you documenting as near to the species as you can get, every living thing that you see? Uncanny if true as I had the inclination to start a similar list only the other day.

I wish you well in your endeavour!:t:

 

[AlexC]

G'day and welcome back Alex.

As I understand it, are you documenting as near to the species as you can get, every living thing that you see? Uncanny if true as I had the inclination to start a similar list only the other day.

I wish you well in your endeavour!:t:

Right - in some cases I just don't have enough information yet, but plan to fill in the gaps. For example "Coral sp." - I've seen many types of coral, but I would like to be able to identify it properly to further detail the list.

Happy New Year! I invite you to mirror my format if you feel it could work for you. Transferring to a GoogleDoc made life so much easier.

 

[AlexC]

A few goodies were missing from the bird list - human error.
Western Grebe - numerous spots in SoCal
Rough-legged Hawk - lifer from a few years ago on the Delmarva peninsula (VA)
Location for Black Scoter - in Ocean City Inlet, MD - found my notes from that trip

Spent time today adding state/country/region lists to the GoogleDoc. Certainly not a perfect representation, but I'd rather leave some off without absolute confirmation - all the more to tick later!

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1OGxXhQ7K7zrcFe8NYLyz-N21KVCry2f8YWBbQQcRjKY/edit?usp=sharing

 

[chowchilla]

Right - in some cases I just don't have enough information yet, but plan to fill in the gaps. For example "Coral sp." - I've seen many types of coral, but I would like to be able to identify it properly to further detail the list.

Happy New Year! I invite you to mirror my format if you feel it could work for you. Transferring to a GoogleDoc made life so much easier.

I have similar issues with limits to my ID skills with many groups and field guides which aren't always sufficient. I'd do OK on the local birds, mammals, frogs and butterflies, but there is a dizzying array of reptiles (though I do know some of them), hundreds of tree species and a heap of invertebrates, some so weird looking I can't even place them in an order!

When my life calms down a bit and outdoors is less murderously hot than it is right now, I may take up the challenge! Watch this space...

And happy belated New Year to you too!