This biographical article is written like a résumé. (February 2015) |
Walter E. Meshaka Jr. is an American herpetologist and natural historian. He was the supervisory curator for the four National Parks in southern Florida from 1995 to 2000.[1] In 2000 he became the Senior Curator of Zoology and Botany at the State Museum of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.[2] His research has been covered by Lawrence Journal-World,[3] among other news outlets.
Walter E. Meshaka Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Biology |
| Institutions | State Museum of Pennsylvania |
Early life and education
editMeshaka was born in Worcester to Lebanese-American parents of Melkite Catholic Christian heritage.[citation needed] He earned a B.S. in biology in 1985 from the University of South Florida. Then, he earned a M.S. in Biology in 1988 from Arkansas State University,[4] and completed his Ph.D. in 1994 at the Florida International University[5]
Research
editHis primary focus is on North American and exotic amphibians and reptiles with a strong connection to the herpetofauna of southern Florida.[2][6]
J. Whitfield Gibbons noted, "Meshaka’s thoughtful afterword on exotic species introductions to Florida offers some achievable solutions for controlling the influx of more herpetofauna.".[7] He published four pocket field guides with Joseph T. Collins largely "intended to raise public awareness".[8] Their "Pocket Guide to Lizards and Turtles" is said to be "useful for all naturalists to carry with them in eastern Canada. It is especially ideal for junior naturalists as a “starter” guide."[9]
Meshaka has collaborated with the Carnegie Museum of Natural History's Powdermill Nature Reserve on field herpetology research.[10] A long-term mark-recapture study of the ten species of snakes occurring at the preserve has ensued since 2002.[10] He has resurrected and continued a long-term study on Eastern Box Turtles and Wood Turtles that was established by Graham Netting in 1958 and continued until Netting's death in 1996.[10]
Selected bibliography
editBooks
- 2001. The Cuban Treefrog in Florida: Life History of a Successful Colonizing Species. University Press of Florida. Gainesville, FL. (W.E. Meshaka Jr.). 191 pp.
- 2004. The Exotic Amphibians and Reptiles of Florida. Krieger Publishing Company. Melbourne, FL. (W.E. Meshaka Jr., B.P. Butterfield, and J.B. Hauge). 155 pp.
- 2005. Amphibians and Reptiles: Status and Conservation in Florida. Krieger Publishing Company. Melbourne, FL. (W.E. Meshaka Jr. and K.J. Babbitt, editors). 317 pp.
- 2009. A Pocket Guide to Pennsylvania Snakes. Mennonite Press. Newton, KS. (W.E. Meshaka Jr. and J.T. Collins). 51 pp.
- 2010. A Pocket Guide to Pennsylvania Frogs and Toads. Mennonite Press. Newton, KS. (W.E. Meshaka Jr. and J.T. Collins). 40 pp.
- 2012. A Pocket Guide to Pennsylvania Salamanders. Mennonite Press. Newton, KS. (W.E. Meshaka Jr. and J.T. Collins). 51 pp.
- 2012. A Pocket Guide to Pennsylvania Turtles and Lizards. Mennonite Press. Newton, KS. (W.E. Meshaka Jr. and J.T. Collins). 39 pp.
Monographs
- 2011. A Runaway Train in the Making: The Exotic Amphibians, Reptiles, Turtles, and Crocodilians of Florida. Herpetological Conservation and Biology, Monograph I, Vol. 6:1-101. (W.E. Meshaka Jr.).
- 2015. The Herpetology of Southern Florida. (W.E. Meshaka Jr. and J.N. Layne). Herpetological Conservation and Biology 10(Monograph 5):1-353.
References
edit- ^ "CNAH: The Center for North American Herpetology". cnah.org.
- ^ a b Meshaka, W.E., Jr. et al. 2006. STATUS AND GEOGRAPHIC EXPANSION OF THE MEDITERRANEAN GECKO, HEMIDACTYLUS TURCICUS, IN LOUISIANA: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES. Herpetological Conservation and Biology 1:45-50, Pp. 50
- ^ "Gecko migrates north to Kansas". LJWorld.com.
- ^ Meshaka, W.E. 1988. Reproductive cycles of the Ozark Zigzag Salamander (Plethodon angusticlavius) from northcentral Arkansas. Arkansas State University Masters Thesis. Jonesboro, Arkansas. (Cover page lists advisor and committee members)
- ^ Adler, Kraig, ed. (2012). Contributions to the History of Herpetology. Volume 3. Vancouver, British Columbia: Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles. ISBN 9780916984823.
- ^ W.E., Jr. et al. 2006. STATUS AND GEOGRAPHIC EXPANSION OF THE MEDITERRANEAN GECKO, HEMIDACTYLUS TURCICUS, IN LOUISIANA: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES. Herpetological Conservation and Biology 1:45-50, Pp. 50
- ^ Gibbons, J.W. 2004. Book Review: The Exotic Amphibias and Reptiles of Florida. The Quarterly Review of Biology 79:436-437
- ^ "New booklet aims at public 'awareness' about snakes in Pennsylvania". PennLive.com. 21 March 2010.
- ^ Cook, F.R. 2013. A Pocket Guide to Lizards and Turtles of Pennsylvania. by Walter E. Meshaka, Jr., and Joseph T. Collins. 2012. [book review]. Canadian Field-Naturalist 126:345-346.
- ^ a b c "Herpetology : Carnegie Museum of Natural History". carnegiemnh.org.