WWW.IRCF.ORG/REPTILESANDAMPHIBIANSJOURNAL TABLE OF CONTENTS
REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS • 23(2):144–146 • AUG IRCF REPTILES &IRCF AMPHIBIANS • VOL15, NO 4 • DEC 2008 189
2016
IRCF
REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS
C O N S E R V AT I O N A N D N AT U R A L H I S T O R Y
T A B L E
O F
C O N T E N T S
INTRODUCED
FEATURE ARTICLES
SPECIES
First Recorded Introduction for the Saba Anole (Anolis sabanus) and an Overview of Introduced Amphibians and Reptiles on St. Eustatius Chasing Bullsnakes (Pituophis catenifer sayi) in Wisconsin: On the Road to Understanding the Ecology and Conservation of the Midwest’s Giant Serpent ...................... Joshua M. Kapfer
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The Shared History of Treeboas (Corallus grenadensis) and Humans on Grenada: A Hypothetical Excursion ............................................................................................................................Robert W. Henderson
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RESEARCH ARTICLES
The Texas Horned Lizard in Central and Western Texas ....................... Emily Henry, Jason Brewer, Krista Mougey, and Gad Perry
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The Knight Anole (Anolis equestris) in Florida ............................................. Brian J. Camposano, Kenneth L. Krysko, Kevin M. Enge, Ellen M. Donlan, and Michael Granatosky
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Wendy A.M.
Jesse1,
Hannah
CONSERVATION ALERT
Madden2,
Jasper
Molleman1,
and Tim van
Wagensveld3
World’sofMammals in Crisis ............................................................................................................................................................. 220 Department Ecological Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands (
[email protected]) 2 More Than Mammals ...................................................................................................................................................................... 223 Ecological Professionals Foundation, Rosemary Lane, St. Eustatius, Dutch Caribbean The “Dow Jones Index” 3 of Biodiversity ........................................................................................................................................... 225
1
Stichting RAVON, Toernooiveld 1, 6525 ED Nijmegen, The Netherlands
T
HUSBANDRY
Captive Care of of the Central Netted Dragon harbors ....................................................................................................... Shannon Plummer 226 Corporation 2016). he Lesser Antillean island St. Eustatius two and St. Eustatius (Crowley Maritime native anole species, the large Panther or Statia Bank Alternatively, the anole might have hitchhiked on a fishing PROFILE Tree Anole (Anolis bimaculatus; maximum SVL 123 mm) boat, as local fishermenMichael travelL. Treglia regularly Kraig Adler: A Lifetime Promoting Herpetology ................................................................................................ 234 between the islands. and the smaller Schwartz’s or Saint Kitts Bank Bush Anole Other modes of introduction, such as natural dispersal or an COMMENTARY (A. schwartzi; max. SVL 53 mm). No exotic anoles had escape or release from captivity, are highly unlikely. These The Turtles Have Been Watching Me ........................................................................................................................ Eric Gangloff 238 been reported for the island until a stray individual of the lizards are rarely kept as pets, and a deep-water channel as well OOK REVIEW Saba Anole (AnolisB sabanus) was discovered in the harbor of as 25 km of Caribbean Sea separate the two islands (Fig. 2). Threatened Amphibians of the World edited by S.N. Stuart, M. Hoffmann, J.S. Chanson, N.A. Cox, Oranjestad, St. Eustatius in April 2016, marking the first No other Saba Anoles haveRobert been R. Berridge, P. Ramani, and B.E. Young .............................................................................................................. Powellfound 243 on St. Eustatius, so recorded introduction of the species. the existence of a reproductively active population is unlikely. Research Reports 245 CONSERVATION RESEARCH The Saba Anole is a solitary anole species,REPORTS: endemicSummaries to theof Published Conservation The individual was................................. euthanized shortly after capture. The NATURAL HISTORY RESEARCH REPORTS: Summaries of Published Reports on Natural History ................................. 247 Lesser Antillean island of Saba, where it is abundant within lizard was an adult male (SVL 58 mm). Its identity was con NEWBRIEFS ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 248 EDITORIAL 251 (Fig. 3) and a photoits native range of just 13 km2.INFORMATION The species is..................................................................................................................................................... of intermediate firmed by R. Powell from photographs FOCUS ON CONSERVATION: A Project You Can Support ............................................................................................... 252 size (max. SVL 69 mm) and males are easily distinguished by graphic voucher has been deposited in the Milwaukee Public their striking spotted pattern (Fig. 1). Museum (MPM VZP 845). The specimen is currently being This individual was discovered next to shipping containkept frozen on the island, although the tip of the tail was sent ers in the St. Eustatius harbor area by a team of local and to Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in the Netherlands for posBack Cover. Michael Kern Front Cover. Shannon Plummer. Dutch researchers. Ships are important vectors for reptile sible future genetic Totat et velleseque audantanalysis. mo Totat et velleseque audant mo estibus inveliquo velique estibus inveliquo velique rerchil introductions (e.g., Powell et al. 2011, 2013; Helmus et al. St. Eustatius isrerchil unusual among inhabited Lesser Antillean erspienimus, quos accullabo. Ilibus accullabo. Ilibus 2014), and, because of its location, the lizard likely was a stow- erspienimus, islands inquos that during the past century, only one exotic herpetoaut dolor apicto invere pe dolum aut dolor apicto invere pe dolum maionsequat eumque Saba fugiatis maionsequat away on one of the regular containerfugiatis shipments between faunal species haseumque established a viable population on the island. moditia erere nonsedis ma sectiamoditia erere nonsedis ma sectiatur The parthenogenetic Flowerpot or Brahminy Blindsnake ma derrovitae voluptam, as quos tur ma derrovitae voluptam, as (Indotyphlops braminus) likely arrived on the island during accullabo. the 1990s via shipments of ornamental plants originating in Florida (e.g., Powell et al. 2011, 2013). However, the time and origin of this introduction remains obscure and could date back further, as this species has a nearly cosmopolitan tropical distribution. Introduced populations of Tropical House Geckos (Hemidactylus mabouia; locally called Woodslaves) and Johnstone’s Whistling Frogs (Eleutherodactylus johnstonei) have been established since at least the 19th Century. However, stray individuals of two exotic species have been recorded in recent years. A few Red-eared Sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans) were kept in a private ornamental pool for several years (Powell et al. 2015). In 2013, a juvenile Green Iguana (Iguana iguana) was discovered in the cargo shipment Fig. 1. Adult male Saba Anole (Anolis sabanus). Photograph © Christian of a vessel that had originated from Saba. That individual was König (SHAPE/DCNA).
Copyright © 2016. Wendy A.M. Jesse. All rights reserved.
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IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS • 23(2):144–146 • AUG 2016
Fig. 2. Map of Saba and St. Eustatius; the probable point of introduction for the Saba Anole (Anolis sabanus) described herein is marked with the red dot. Regional map: © 2016 Google, Map data, sources: SIO, NOAA, U.S. Navy, NGA, GEBCO, Landsat. Zoomed map: ESRI World imagery, sources: Esri, DigitalGlobe, Earthstar Geographics, CNES/Airbus DS, GeoEye, USDA FSA, USGS, Getmapping, Aerogrid, IGN, IGP, and the GIS User Community.
the area in which it was discovered, one likely explanation for its origin is that it was smuggled in from St. Maarten as a juvenile and released as an adult, possibly due to its large size. Green Iguanas are of particular concern because an established population or just a few individuals could compete or even hybridize with the critically endangered endemic population of Lesser Antillean Iguanas (Iguana delicatissima), as has happened elsewhere in the Lesser Antilles (e.g., Breuil 2013). At the very least, the presence of exotic Green Iguanas could confound conservation efforts focused on the superficially similar native iguanas. In sharp contrast, the arrival of a single Saba Anole is unlikely to have any deleterious consequences, although ongoing educational efforts and careful monitoring by resident naturalists, STENAPA staff, and volunteers are required to prevent the successful introduction of additional exotic species on St. Eustatius.
Fig. 3. The adult male Saba Anole (Anolis sabanus) captured on St. Eustatius. Photographs by Hannah Madden.
Acknowledgements We are grateful to the Academy Ecology Fund and The Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research for their financial support, which facilitated travel to the island of St. Eustatius and this successful collaboration between researchers.
immediately captured and euthanized. In February 2016, an adult female I. iguana was discovered in a residential area by a local resident, who alerted the St. Eustatius National Parks Foundation (STENAPA). That iguana was euthanized and preserved. Based on feedback from regional experts, the latter individual probably traced its ancestry to Central America, where Green Iguanas are farmed in large numbers for the pet trade. This is a commonly introduced species that is firmly established on neighboring St. Maarten (Powell et al. 2015) and is widely introduced throughout the Lesser Antilles (e.g., Breuil 2013). Although no one claimed ownership, based on
Literature Cited Breuil, M. 2013. Caractérisation morphologique de l’iguane commun Iguana iguana (Lennaeus, 1758), de l’iguane des Petites Antilles Iguana delicatissima Laurenti, 1768 et leurs hybrides. Bulletin de la Société Herpétologique de France 147: 309–346. Crowley Maritime Corporation. 2016. Our Services > Shipping and Logistics > Route Details and Sailing Schedules > View Schedule of US Virgin Islands and Eastern Caribbean > View the Sailing Schedule on http://www.crowley. com/content/view/VoyageSchedule/14766. 145
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Helmus, M.R., D.L. Mahler, and J.B. Losos. 2014. Island biogeography of the Anthropocene. Nature 513: 543–546.
IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS • 23(2):144–146 • AUG 2016 Introduced amphibians and reptiles in the Lesser Antilles, pp. 74–107. In: J.-L. Vernier and M. Burac (eds.), Biodiversité insulaire: la flore, la faune et l’homme dans les Petites Antilles. Actes du Colloque international, Schoelcher, 8–10 Novembre 2010. Direction de l’Environment, de l’Aménagement et du Logement de Martinique and Université de Antilles et de la Guyana, Schoelcher, Martinique.
Powell, R., R.W. Henderson, M.C. Farmer, M. Breuil, A.C. Echternacht, G. van Buurt, C.M. Romagosa, and G. Perry. 2011. Introduced amphibians and reptiles in the Greater Caribbean: Patterns and conservation implications, pp. 63–143. In: A. Hailey, B.S. Wilson, and J.A. Horrocks (eds.), Conservation of Caribbean Island Herpetofaunas. Volume 1: Conservation Biology and the Wider Caribbean. Brill, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Powell, R., R.W. Henderson, and J.S. Parmerlee, Jr. 2015. The Reptiles and Amphibians of the Dutch Caribbean: Saba, St. Eustatius, and St. Maarten. 2nd ed., revised and expanded. Nature Guide Series No. 004. Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance, Kralendijk, Bonaire.
Powell, R., R.W. Henderson, G. Perry, M. Breuil, and C.M. Romagosa. 2013.
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