Steve W. Gotte

USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
Biological Survey Unit
National Museum of Natural History, MRC 111
Box 37012
Washington, DC 20013-7012

Telephone: 202-633-0728

Fax: 202-357-1932

Email: sgotte@usgs.gov

Museum Specialist

Primary Responsibilities: 
Care, management, and curation of the National Museum of Natural History North American Amphibian and Reptile Collections and associated data.  Interact with colleagues and researchers regarding information requests and loans of specimens pertaining to these collections.  Identify  specimens from incoming collections.   Participate in field surveys of amphibian and reptile biodiversity.

Education/Training: 

BS-Biology, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, 1982.

MS-Biology, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, 1988. 

U.S. Geological Survey STAR Awards: 1999, 2002, 2003, 2005.

National Biological Service Special Achievement Award: 1995, 1996.

National Museum of Natural History Collection Improvement Grant, 2005

Smithsonian Research Opportunity Fund Grant, 1996.

Washington Biologists' Field Club Research Grant, 1989.

Active Projects: 

Curation of the North American Vertebrate Collections, Smithsonian Institution

Observations on the Effects of Alcohol vs. Formalin Storage of Amphibian Larvae: http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/resshow/reynld1rs/amphlarv.htm  

Publications/Products: 

Reynolds, R. P., S. W. Gotte, and C. H. Ernst. 2007. Catalog of Type Specimens of Recent Crocodilia and Testudines in the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution. Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology No. 626, Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press, Washington, DC. 56pp. (Link to PDF)

Gotte, Steve W. and Larry David Wilson. 2005. Commentary on the type material of Tantilla gracilis Baird and Girard, 1853, and Tantilla nigriceps Kennicott, 1860 (Reptilia Squamata), with a neotype designation for T. nigriceps. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 118(3):596-604.

Wilson, Larry David, James R. McCranie, Steve Gotte, and Josiah H. Townsend. 2003. Distributional comments on some members of the herpetofauna of the Mosquitia, Honduras. Herpetological Bulletin 84:15-19.

McCranie, James R., Larry David Wilson and Steve W. Gotte. 2001.  Three new country records for Honduran snakes. Herpetological Review. 32(1):62-3. 

Rodda, Gordon H., Thomas H. Fritts, Craig S. Clark, Steve W. Gotte, and David Chiszar. 1999.  A State-of-the-Art Trap for the Brown Treesnake. Pp. 268-284. IN Rodda, G., Y. Sawai, D. Chiszar, and H. Tanaka (Eds.), Problem Snake Management: The Habu and the Brown Treesnake.  Comstock Publishing Associates, Ithaca, N. Y. 534 pp. 

Reynolds, Robert, Thomas Fritts, Steve Gotte, Javier Icochea, and Guillermo Tello. 1997. Amphibians and Reptiles I: Biodiversity assessment in the Lower Urubamba Region. Pp. 213-221 IN F. Dallmeier and A. Alonso (Eds.), Biodiversity Assessment and Long-term Monitoring, Lower Urubamba Region, San Martin-3 and Cashiriari-2 Well Sites. SI/MAB Series # 1. Smithsonian Institution/MAB Biodiversity Program, Washington, D. C. 368 pp. 

Lovich, Jeffery E., Steve W. Gotte, Carl H. Ernst, John Harshbarger, Arndt F. Laemmerzahl and J. Whitfield Gibbons. 1996. Prevalence and histopatholgy of shell disease in turtles from Lake Blackshear, Georgia. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 32(2):259-265. 

Seifert, William E., Jr., Steve W. Gotte, Thomas L. Leto, and Paul J. Weldon. 1994.  Lipids and proteins in the Rathke's gland secretions of the North American Mud Turtle (Kinosternon subrubrum). Comp. Biochem. Physiol. 109B(2/3):459-463. 

Congdon, Justin D., Steve W. Gotte, and Roy W. McDiarmid. 1993. Ontogenetic changes in habitat use by juvenile turtles, Chelydra serpentina and Chrysemys picta. Canadian Field Naturalist 106(2):241-248.

Gotte, Steve W. 1992. Podocnemis vogli. Catalog of American Amphibians and Reptiles 537.1-537.2

Gotte, Steve W. 1992. Chrysemys picta picta (Eastern Painted Turtle): Predation. Herpetological Review 23(3):80.