Staff Spotlight
Dr. Kenneth L. Krysko
Collection Manager, Division of Herpetology
257 Dickinson Hall
Museum Road & Newell Drive
Gainesville, FL 32611
(352) 273-1945
Email: kenneyk@flmnh.ufl.edu
Ph.D. Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, 2001
Full C.V. (PDF)
Research Interests
I mainly study the ecology and systematics of herpetological species. I use both DNA and morphology to hypothesize phylogenetic relationships. Because kingsnakes have declined severely throughout Florida, I plan on conducting radiotelemetry studies in the few remaining areas kingsnakes still exist, including areas around Lake Okeechobee and Everglades National Park. I have been studying biological invasions in Florida since 1992. In 2001, biologists with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and students from UF have joined my team to document extirpated and newly introduced exotic species along with their geographic distributions and ecological effects on native species.
Courses Taught
- Herpetology, Spring 2003, 2005
- BSC 2011 Integrated Principles of Biology II, 1999-2002
- WIS 4545 Ecology and Management of Wildlife Invasions, Summer 2005
Representative Publications
Krysko, K. L., K. M. Enge, and F. W. King. 2004. The veiled chameleon, Chamaeleo calyptratus: a new exotic species in Florida. Florida Scientist 67(4):249-253.
Auffenberg, K., K. L. Krysko, and W. Auffenberg. 2004. Studies on Pakistan lizards: Cyrtopodion stoliczkai (Steindachner, 1867) (Gekkonidae: Gekkoninae). Asiatic Herpetological Research 10:151-160.
Nickerson, M. A., K. L. Krysko, and R. D. Owen. 2003. Habitat differences affecting age class distributions of the hellbender salamander (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis). Southeastern Naturalist 2(4):619-629.
Krysko, K. L. 2003. Reproduction in the Madagascar leaf-nosed snake, Langaha madagascariensis (Serpentes: Colubridae: Pseudoxyrhophiinae). African Journal of Herpetology 52(1):61-68.
Nickerson, M. A., and K. L. Krysko. 2003. Surveying for hellbender salamanders, Cryptobranchus alleganiensis (Daudin): A review and critique. Applied Herpetology 1(1):37-44.
Townsend, J. H., K. L. Krysko, and K. M. Enge. 2003. The identity of introduced spiny-tailed iguanas, Ctenosaura (Sauria: Iguanidae), in Florida, USA. Herpetozoa 16(1/2):67-72.
Krysko, K. L., C. M. Sheehy III, and A. N. Hooper. 2003. Interspecific communal oviposition and reproduction of four species of lizards (Sauria: Gekkonidae) in the lower Florida Keys. Amphibia-Reptilia 24(3):390-396.
Krysko, K. L., A. N. Hooper, and C. M. Sheehy III. 2003. The Madagascar giant day gecko, Phelsuma madagascariensis grandis Gray 1870 (Sauria: Gekkonidae): A new established species in Florida. Florida Scientist 66(3):222-225.
Krysko, K. L. 2002. Seasonal activity of the Florida kingsnake, Lampropeltis getula floridana (Serpentes: Colubridae), in southern Florida. American Midland Naturalist 148:102-114.
Means, D. B., and K. L. Krysko. 2001. Biogeography and pattern variation of kingsnakes (Lampropeltis getula) in the Apalachicola region of Florida. Contemporary Herpetology No. 5. Available: http://www.calacademy.org/research/herpetology/ch/ch/2001/5/index.htm
Mulvaney, A., T. A. Castoe, K. G. Ashton, K. L. Krysko, and C. L. Parkinson. Evidence of population genetic structure within the Florida worm lizard, Rhineura floridana (Amphisbaenia: Rhineuridae). Journal of Herpetology In Press.