Caribbean Herpetology最新文献

{"title":"Antipredator behavior in the Aruba Whiptail (Cnemidophorus arubensis\u0000Wagler)","authors":"","doi":"10.31611/ch.95","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31611/ch.95","url":null,"abstract":"A common response among lizards to the approach of a predator is to attempt to avoid detection by moving out of the predator’s view. This may involve moving to the opposite side of a twig or tree trunk, moving into a burrow, or moving into vegetation or other structures (McElroy 2019). Here, I report an unusual behavior to avoid detection in the Aruba Whiptail (Cnemidophorus arubensis), a teiid endemic to the island of Aruba. This behavior involves movement into a shadow in the open, with no further concealment.","PeriodicalId":344218,"journal":{"name":"Caribbean Herpetology","volume":"86 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140242347","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Social display in the Curaçao Whiptail (Cnemidophorus murinus Laurenti)","authors":"Philip Senter","doi":"10.31611/ch.94","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31611/ch.94","url":null,"abstract":"Three teiid species (Squamata: Teiidae) are endemic to the ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao) of the former Netherlands Antilles: the Aruba Whiptail (Cnemidophorus arubensis) of Aruba, the Bonaire Whiptail (C. ruthveni) of Bonaire and Klein-Bonaire, and the Curaçao Whiptail (C. murinus) of Curaçao and Klein-Curaçao. Before now, social displays have been described only for one of these three species: C. ruthveni (Baird et al. 2003). All three species engage in an arm-waving display that involves forelimb circumduction (Baird et al. 2003; van Buurt 2005; van Buurt 2011), which conveys social signals to conspecifics in some iguanian and lacertid lizard species (Carpenter et al. 1970; Verbeek 1972; Mitchell 1973). However, this behavior in the ABC island species of Cnemidophorus has not been shown to have a social function (Baird et al. 2003). Instead, experimental evidence demonstrates that in C. ruthveni it functions as a pursuit deterrent display that is performed in response to approaching humans, whom the lizard may view as potential predators (Cooper et al. 2004), although there are not yet any published reports of C. ruthveni performing the display in response to the approach of a non-human predator. My observations and those of others (van Buurt 2011) also confirm that in C. arubensis the display is performed in response to approaching humans.","PeriodicalId":344218,"journal":{"name":"Caribbean Herpetology","volume":"5 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140243283","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Arboreality in blindsnakes (Typhlopidae) and threadsnakes (Leptotyphlopidae) from Hispaniola","authors":"Miguel Landestoy T","doi":"10.31611/ch.89","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31611/ch.89","url":null,"abstract":"Scolecophidian snakes, which include the blind and thread snakes (Miralles et al. 2018), usually have fossorial or ground-dwelling life styles, although some are known to climb rocks or vegetation. Das and Wallach (1998) reviewed cases of arboreality in this group, and additional records have been published since (Bazzano 2007; Murphy et al. 2016; Harrington et al. 2018; Kraus 2017; Repp 2019; de Fraga and de Carvalho 2022). The natural history of these snakes on Caribbean islands is poorly known. Henderson and Powell (2009) compiled natural history information on Caribbean herpetofauna in which definite climbing behavior is mentioned only for three species of Typhlopidae. According to the current zoogeographical definition of the Caribbean region (Hedges et al. 2019), records of arboreality in scolecophidian species can be expanded. The new addition is for the leptotyphlopid Epictia tenella (Klauber), which was recorded 1.5 m high in a tangle of lianas lying against a trunk (Murphy et al. 2016). For Typhlopidae, Antillotyphlops catapontus (Thomas) was found climbing into big carton nests of termites (Lazell 2006), A. richardii (Duméril and Bibron) was found 1.5 m high in a tree (Metopium toxiferum; Tolson and Campbell 1989), and Typhlops lumbricalis Linnaeus was found 1 m above the ground in a rotting petiole base still attached to a fan palm (Schwartz and Henderson 1991). Arboreal or climbing behavior in scolecophidian snakes occurs when the snakes follow chemical cues left by their prey, which consist usually of ants and termites (Gehlbach et al. 1971; Webb and Shine 1992). Here, I report observations of scolecophidian snakes from Hispaniola that were actively exposed on plants or found within epiphytes in trees. Additionally, I include one observation on the diurnal activity of a leptotyphlopid snake. These records appear to be the first for any Hispaniolan scolecophidian. Specimens were collected and deposited in the Museo Nacional de Historia Natural Eugenio de Jesus Marcano (MNHNSD) of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.","PeriodicalId":344218,"journal":{"name":"Caribbean Herpetology","volume":"58 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135127322","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Systematics and biogeography of snakes of the genus (Boa) in the Lesser Antilles","authors":"Roger Thorpe, Anita Malhotra","doi":"10.31611/ch.88","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31611/ch.88","url":null,"abstract":"The genus Boa is represented in the Lesser Antilles by a range of fossil, recently extinct, and extant formsoccupying adjacent island banks in the center of the archipelago. Our multigene molecular phylogeny indicates reciprocal monophyly for these extant forms, and colonization from South America rather than Central America. The timing of the colonization of the Lesser Antilles by this genus indicates a late Miocene or Pliocene event, which is earlier than the Pleistocene event suggested for the Corallus treeboas, which are also represented by two extant nominal species. The compact distribution of Boa on adjacent island banks suggests a single colonization and radiation, but this cannot be tested due to widespread extinction of boas across the island banks.","PeriodicalId":344218,"journal":{"name":"Caribbean Herpetology","volume":"40 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136378589","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Predation on a White-throated Clawed Gecko (Gonatodes albogularis fuscus) by the Tropical House Gecko (Hemidactylus mabouia) in Cuba","authors":"Irelis Bignotte-Giró, Ansel Fong G.","doi":"10.31611/ch.87","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31611/ch.87","url":null,"abstract":"Substantial biodiversity declines, alterations in ecosystem functioning, and high monetary expenditures associated with the management, are among the main negative effects of biological invasions (Diagne et al. 2021). Invasive alien species, i.e. species that have successfully been introduced, established and spread beyond their native range, are expected to increase in number and impact worldwide as a result of international trade and climate change (Fournier et al. 2019; Diagne et al. 2021). Invasive species is the fourth most prevalent threat for world´s reptiles (Cox et al. 2022). Of the 21 reptiles that were brought to Cuba in the last several centuries, nine species have successfully colonized and are now considered invasive (Borroto-Páez et al. 2015), with three of them being house geckos of the genus Hemidactylus. The Tropical House Gecko (H. mabouia) is native to central Africa (Henderson and Powell 2009) and currently can be found in several areas around Cuba with populations appearing to increase rapidly (Díaz 2014), especially in urban areas. These large geckos (adult snout-vent length [SVL] = 61–75 mm) are mainly associated with human habitations, where they hide in cracks and other refuges. They feed mainly on insects, but other arthropods and even small vertebrates can be taken (Albuquerque et al. 2013; Lamb et al. 2021). The White-throated Clawed Gecko, Gonatodes albogularis fuscus is another lizard considered as an invasive species in Cuba by some authors (Borroto-Páez et al. 2015) and possibly native by others (Chaves et al. 2022). This species can be found in several sites around the Cuban archipelago living as a human commensal in houses, gardens, parks, and plantations (Díaz 2008). This diurnal gecko can reach 40 mm SVL (Schwartz and Henderson 1991) and the only known predator in Cuba is the House Sparrow (Passer domesticus; Bello 2000). Although the first introduced reptiles probably arrived to Cuba in the early 16th Century with the beginning of the slave trade (Borroto-Páez et al. 2015), little information has been published about the interactions among invasive reptile species and about the relations with the Cuban native reptiles (e.g. Armas and Iturriaga 2017; Borroto-Páez and Reyes 2019). In this note, we document interactions between two invasive lizard species and comment about possible negative effects of Hemidactylus mabouia on sympatric geckos living in human habitations. On 2 August 2020 at 1201 h, we found an adult individual Hemidactylus mabouia (about 75 mm SVL) swallowing an adult male Gonatodes albogularis fuscus (about 20 mm SVL). The observation was in a house´s courtyard in the residential neighborhood named Los Olmos in Santiago de Cuba city, Cuba. The predation event occurred on a wall, ca. 178 cm above the ground, the predator had captured the prey head-first and only the rear legs and tail were hanging from its mouth (Fig. 1).","PeriodicalId":344218,"journal":{"name":"Caribbean Herpetology","volume":"45 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-04-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136267105","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Establishment of the Smooth-scaled Tegulet (Gymnophthalmus underwoodi) and the Common House Gecko (Hemidactylus frenatus) on St. Eustatius","authors":"Julian Thibaudier, M. P. Burg, Adam M. Mitchell, Tomas O. Cornwell","doi":"10.31611/ch.86","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31611/ch.86","url":null,"abstract":"Within the northern Lesser Antilles, the island of Saint Martin, including the Dutch part (St. Maarten, a constituent country of The Netherlands) and the French part (the Collectivity of Saint Martin), is considered the main hub for established non-native reptiles, currently numbering ten species (Table 1) (Dewynter et al. 2022; Thorpe 2022). The islands of Saba and St. Eustatius are special municipalities of The Netherlands and frequently trade with St. Maarten. During the last five years, several new non-native reptile species have been reported on Saba and St. Eustatius, which originate from the non-native populations already present on Saint Martin: the Green Iguana, Iguana iguana (van den Burg et al. 2018, 2022) on St. Eustatius, and the Brahminy Blindsnake, Indotyphlops braminus (van den Burg et al. 2021) and Smooth-scaled Tegulet, Gymnophthalmus underwoodi on Saba (van den Burg et al. 2021). It is believed that these newly established populations have been facilitated by poor biosecurity between the islands. Here, we describe the establishment of two species, G. underwoodi and the Common House Gecko, Hemidactylus frenatus, on St. Eustatius.","PeriodicalId":344218,"journal":{"name":"Caribbean Herpetology","volume":"26 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"128212552","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Diet of juveniles and adults of the Cuban Giant Frog, Eleutherodactylus zeus\u0000(Anura: Eleutherodactylidae)","authors":"L. García-Padrón","doi":"10.31611/ch.85","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31611/ch.85","url":null,"abstract":"Anurans are gape-limited predators and therefore larger individuals are capable of consuming larger prey. Stomach contents of the Cuban Giant Frog, Eleutherodactylus zeus, from caves in the northeastern-most part of the Sierra de Quemados in Viñales National Park, Pinar del Río Province, Cuba, were indicative of ontogenetic changes in diet. Although niche overlap among size classes was relatively high, larger frogs consumed larger but fewer prey items. Predator and prey sizes were positively correlated in both adults and juveniles, whereas predator size and number of prey items per stomach was negatively correlated.","PeriodicalId":344218,"journal":{"name":"Caribbean Herpetology","volume":"6 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130333181","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A new dwarf green anole (Squamata: Dactyloidae) of the Anolis carolinensis\u0000species group, from western Cuba","authors":"Luis M. Díaz, Antonio Cádiz, Karina Velazco, M. Kawata","doi":"10.31611/ch.84","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31611/ch.84","url":null,"abstract":"Green anoles of the Anolis carolinensis group are divided into the carolinensis and isolepis subgroups according to a consensus of\u0000molecular phylogenies. Species in the Anolis isolepis subgroup (A. altitudinalis, A. isolepis, A. oporinus, and A. toldo) are endemic to Cuba\u0000and the highest diversity is concentrated in forested areas of eastern Cuba. Here, we describe a new species of this subgroup from western\u0000Cuba based on genetic and morphological differences from other species. Our phylogenetic analysis, based on DNA sequences,\u0000includes all of the known species and suggests that the new species is more closely related to A. altitudinalis, A. oporinus, and A. toldo\u0000than to the widespread A. isolepis. In addition, we provide a new hypothesis on the taxonomic status of A. incredulus and recommend\u0000that it no longer be considered as a species in the A. carolinensis group. Due to the lack of a diagnosis, and poor condition, of the only\u0000available specimen, we consider A. incredulus as a species inquirenda. New morphological and genetic data of recently collected specimens\u0000of A. oporinus and A. toldo will provide complementary information about these species known from one or a few specimens.","PeriodicalId":344218,"journal":{"name":"Caribbean Herpetology","volume":"68 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-07-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"117018365","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Establishment of the Common House Gecko, Hemidactylus frenatus Duméril & Bibron, on Saint Lucia","authors":"Aaron H. Griffing, D. Griffing, Stephen Lesmond, T. Gamble","doi":"10.31611/ch.83","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31611/ch.83","url":null,"abstract":"1Department of Biological Sciences, Marquette University, P.O. Box 1881, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201, USA. 2Department of Geology, Hartwick College, 1 Hartwick Drive, Oneonta, New York 13820, USA. 3Department of Forestry, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security, and Rural Development, Union, Castries, St. Lucia. 4Milwaukee Public Museum, 800 W. Wells Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53233, USA. 5Bell Museum of Natural History, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minnesota 55108, USA. *Corresponding author (aaron.griffing@marquette.edu)","PeriodicalId":344218,"journal":{"name":"Caribbean Herpetology","volume":"88 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-02-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124327360","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"First record of the Mourning Gecko, Lepidodactylus lugubris (Duméril & Bibron), from Bonaire","authors":"Gerard van Buurt, Jcgj Smulders","doi":"10.31611/ch.82","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31611/ch.82","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":344218,"journal":{"name":"Caribbean Herpetology","volume":"20 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-02-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"115085879","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}