Home Page for Rick Lehtinen

Recently, my collaborators and I published a paper that described a new species of parrot snake from Tobago (click here for a preview). This new snake was named Leptophis haileyi in honor of Dr. Adrian Hailey of the University of the West Indies, a long-time friend and collaborator. This snake has a distinctive snout but is currently only known from a single specimen.

In this paper, we also clarified the evolutionary relationships between one of the other species of parrot snakes from Trinidad and Tobago (Leptophis coruleodorsus, photo below) as compared to mainland forms.

One of the co-authors on the manuscript was Krista Koeller (College of Wooster class of 2013). The molecular phylogenetic analysis presented in this paper was based closely on Krista’s Independent Study thesis. This analysis revealed that L. coeruleodorsus is differentiated from the mainland forms that were included in our analysis. We now have reconstructed the evolutionary history of a number of Trinidad and Tobago amphibians and reptiles (6 frogs, 1 lizard, and 1 snake), with more on the way. Hopefully, these projects will help us understand how these island species came to be where they are and when they got there. Stay tuned!

Three rising Wooster seniors got their boots dirty (and wet) doing field work in Trinidad and Tobago this past summer. Zak Bradley (’14) sampled seventeen streams in Tobago and northern Trinidad catching oodles of freshwater fish. He will use DNA samples from these fish in an effort to fully document the biodiversity of freshwater fish on the island of Tobago and compare their similarity to that of the larger island of Trinidad. We had a blast catching fish both large and small in these tropical streams and even managed to catch a piranha (Astyanax bimaculatus) in the Curaguate River in Trinidad, a locality where this species had not previously been reported. Hard to see in the photo but, yes, they do have very sharp teeth!

Sara Green (’14) studied the interesting and photogenic Tobago glass frog (below). Particularly, Sara was interested in seeing what environmental stimuli might induce premature hatching in glass frog embryos. In this species (as in most glass frogs), eggs are laid on leaves over hanging streams where the embryos will eventually drop to become tadpoles and continue their development.  Sara also made numerous observations on male parental care in this species. In the coming months she will be working to understand under what sets of conditions males provide care to their offspring and when they do not.

Grace Clemmens (’14) carried out a study of the Bloody Bay poison frog (a Tobago endemic, below) that involved recording the calls of males at numerous sites to examine the potential influence of anthropogenic noise pollution on their acoustic communication. This involved a lot of driving around Tobago (on the left-hand side, of course!) and listening for and recording males at as many sites as possible. In the process, we also collected data on the presence of this species from thirty-four sites that my students and I had visited previously in 2011 and 2012. Thus, we now have three years of data on the distribution of this species, which is currently classified as critically endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.  No doubt, this information will be useful in the future to monitor the status of this imperiled frog.

As for myself, I kept busy working on a number of other long term projects and helping these excellent students conduct their own. And I did manage to find a little time to enjoy the beautiful sunsets, ripe mangoes, tasty roti, friendly people, and local fermented beverages.

Looking forward to the next trip!

In July of this year, I attended the 2013 Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists in Albuquerque, New Mexico. At this fun and engaging conference on the biology of fish, amphibians and reptiles, I presented a synopsis of my recent research (with co-author Jessica Pringle ’13) on the Tobago glass frog entitled “Impacts of paternal care on offspring survival: An experimental study on a glass frog from Tobago, West Indies”. I was accompanied to Albuquerque by recent Wooster grads Meredith Eyre (’13) and Jess McQuigg (’13), who presented posters describing their I.S. research. Meredith’s poster was entitled “Exploring the microhabitats of marsupial frogs: A study of the forces driving habitat selection for Flectonotus fitzgeraldi on the island of Tobago”. Jess’ poster was “A reassessment of the conservation status of a critically endangered Neotropical frog (Mannophryne olmonae) using occupancy modeling techniques”.

In addition to hearing interesting talks, re-engaging with old friends, and meeting new colleagues, Meredith, Jess and I were able to sneak away from the conference for a half day. Departing Albuquerque at 5 am in a rental car, we drove south to the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge. Arriving at daybreak, we hiked up to the top of the mesa (~ 4 miles round trip) and were treated to a spectacular view of the Rio Grande Valley to our east.

Beneath our feet, desert lizards were scurrying and above our heads desert birds were soaring. We were treated to views of black-chinned hummingbirds, scaled quail, Say’s phoebes, and blue grosbeaks, to name but a few.  A very nice addendum to a day in a conference hall!

Hi all,

Below is some collected advice and information about our upcoming trip.  We depart June 2 (arriving late that night) and return June 13.  Zak and I will go to Trinidad from Tobago on the morning of the 1oth and we’ll all meet back at the Trinidad airport on the morning of the 13th. I’ll send you an email soon with the particular flights I’ll be on, so you can hopefully get on the same ones (once we know about your Copeland funding).

Before departing the US, make sure that you check out the Transportation Security Administration’s website for lists of items you cannot bring on a airplane or an airport and information on how to get through security with a minimum of hassle (http://www.tsa.gov/). When you arrive in Trinidad, you will have to fill out some paperwork to pass customs upon arrival. They usually hand out the forms before landing, so its a good idea to fill it out while you’re still in the air. You’ll need your valid passport, information on your flights, and an address where we’ll be staying. You can give the following: Castara Cottage, Castara, Tobago. Phone: 868-757-1044.

Upon arrival, we’ll probably change some US dollars for T&T dollars, get some cell phones activated, grab some coffee/breakfast and wait for our flight to Tobago.

Health and Vaccinations

On my recent trip to Trinidad and Tobago, I was studying the potential benefits of paternal care in the Tobago glass frog (Hyalinobatrachium orientale). My student Jessica Pringle, was the first to show that fathers who provide parental care to their offspring (in the form of egg attendance) get benefits in the form of increased embryo survival.

Why might this be? In following up on Jessica’s work, I found that eggs without male egg attendance were more likely to be eaten by predators and also more likely to dry out. More on this study soon!