Invasive Species Distributions Notes


Aim

To provide information on the dispersal, establishment, and impacts of introduced amphibians and reptiles throughout the world. These contributions provide critical information on patterns of dispersal and levels of risk, permitting managers and scientists to identify and address invasive species problems.

Format

With the following exceptions, contributions should follow instructions for regular notes in Applied Herpetology. Each note should have a short, descriptive title that includes the scientific name and the name of the country or region from which it is being reported. For each author provide the name and postal or institutional address. When students are co-authors, we recommend that established personnel be designated the corresponding author in order to better provide stability. Corresponding author information should also include e-mail address. We encourage inclusion of local authors, especially when reporting records from the developing world, whenever appropriate.
Key data. This brief section follows the title, author(s), and author address(es), and comprises key words or short phrases in a standard order, separated by semi-colons, including: scientific name; family; common name; type of record; location; collection; and deposition information. One of four types of record should be identified: individual arrival; population; range expansion; or impact. Please check a recent issue or the specimen notes below for examples.
Common name. In countries where a standardized common name list exists, follow that convention. When such a list is not available, indicate the regional name, which should also be given where local usage differs from the official name or is in a different language, e.g. "(articulated torrent iguana, garrobo)". Common names should be in lower case except for included personal or geographic names. Where no common name exists in any language, state "NCN".
Locality. Please provide as much information as possible, using metric units for distance and precise coordinates whenever available, e.g. "50 m south of the container yard at the Lubbock Municipal Sea Port, 33034'53.84"N 101052'39.81"W".
Date. Use museum notation providing day-month-year, e.g. "35 May 2006."
Collector and verification. Provide the full name of the collector and a recognized authority, preferably associated with the museum where the specimen is deposited, who verified the identification, e.g. "Collected by John Quentin Public, verified by Linda M. Curator".
Deposition location. "Observation" records are not acceptable. Deposition of a specimen with a recognized scientific museum is highly recommended. A photograph may substitute for a specimen in unusual circumstances only - some museums will accession such evidence. Report the standard museum abbreviation and tag number. Collection designations are available in Leviton et al. (Copeia 1985: 802-832), e.g. "MCZ 23456".
Length and content. Manuscripts should be as concise as possible. Published notes will not normally exceed 1000 words. Longer submissions, up to 2500 words, on invasive species will be treated as regular short notes (i.e. reviewed by two referees, and with Key words rather than Key data) but published within the section. Articles on invasive species exceeding this length will be processed as regular papers. The text should describe the location, arrival method where known, and other relevant information. E.g., "The lizard was found in a forested area near an active port which recently received a large containerized shipment of rocks from San Cristobal. It was dying, presumably from dehydration. This is the second case of iguanas arriving in five years (Roe and Wade, 2006)". There may be value in reporting repeated arrivals of a single species at a location, but we are eager to avoid duplication whenever possible. Authors are responsible for checking the literature for previously documented cases. For citations, use the same reference format indicated for other sections of Applied Herpetology - check the specimen notes below. Use Acknowledgments only where appropriate.
Extensive data sets. Large sets of observations should be reported in a condensed form, either in a table or in a figure legend.

Specimen Notes (pdf)

Note 1 (individual arrival)

Note 2 (population)

Note 3 (range expansion)

How to Submit

Send your manuscript as a Word attachment to the Section Editor, Dr. Gad Perry, via e-mail at Gad.Perry@ttu.edu. Embed graphics within the Word file in low resolution. A high resolution version will be requested in the unusual cases where a picture is deemed necessary for publication. If e-mail submission is not possible, send correspondence to: Dr. Gad Perry, Invasive Distribution Section Editor, Applied Herpetology, Department of Natural Resource Management, Box 42125, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409-2125, USA; and include the manuscript in electronic form.

Publication Process

Manuscripts for Invasive Species Distributions Notes will be reviewed by a single anonymous reviewer and undergo final editing by the Section Editor before approval by the Editor-in-Chief. Revised manuscripts will be returned to authors for approval or additional changes, and formally accepted upon receipt of a satisfactory final version. These notes will normally be published twice per year, in the order they were accepted.

Updated: 9 November 2007