table of contents ircf reptiles & amphibians • 19(4):271

IRCFREPTILES&AMPHIBIANS•19(4):271–279•DEC2012

St.Martin,anislandofapproximately87km2nearthenorthernendoftheLesserAntilles,isperhapsoneofthe

moreinterestingislandsinanarcofveryinterestingislands.However,itsuniquecharacteristicsarelargelyderivedfrompolitical,economic,anddemographicqualitiesthatdistin-guishitfromtherestoftheLesserAntilles.TheislandofSt.Martinisthesmallestbodyoflandintheworldthatisdividedintotwocountries.Thenorthisanoverseasdepart-mentofFrance,whereasthesouth,SintMaarten,isaninde-pendentnationwithin theKingdomof theNetherlands.Whilethisinandofitselfhasnobiologicalramifications,it

doesrelatetheislandspolitically,economically,andculturallytootherislandsinboththeFrenchandDutchAntilles.St.Martinisamongthemostintenselydevelopedislandsintheregions,itisthemostdenselypopulatedislandintheLesserAntilles,withjustunder900peopleperkm2(the2009popu-lationofFrenchSt.Martinin2009was37,461accordingtoINSEE,InstitutNationaldelaStatistiqueetdesÉtudesÉconomiquesandthepopulationofDutchSintMaartenin2009was40,917accordingtotheSintMaartenDepartmentofStatistics),anditisamajorcenterofcommerce,muchofwhichisfocusedontourism.

I N T R O D U C E D S P E C I E S

IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS • VOL15, NO 4 • DEC 2008 189TABLE OF CONTENTS

T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S

F E A T U R E A R T I C L E S

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 190

The Shared History of Treeboas (Corallus grenadensis) and Humans on Grenada: A Hypothetical Excursion ............................................................................................................................Robert W. Henderson 198

R E S E A R C H A R T I C L E S

The Texas Horned Lizard in Central and Western Texas ....................... Emily Henry, Jason Brewer, Krista Mougey, and Gad Perry 204 The Knight Anole (Anolis equestris) in Florida

.............................................Brian J. Camposano, Kenneth L. Krysko, Kevin M. Enge, Ellen M. Donlan, and Michael Granatosky 212

C O N S E R V A T I O N A L E R T

World’s Mammals in Crisis ............................................................................................................................................................. 220 More Than Mammals ...................................................................................................................................................................... 223 The “Dow Jones Index” of Biodiversity ........................................................................................................................................... 225

H U S B A N D R Y

Captive Care of the Central Netted Dragon ....................................................................................................... Shannon Plummer 226

P R O F I L E

Kraig Adler: A Lifetime Promoting Herpetology ................................................................................................ Michael L. Treglia 234

C O M M E N T A R Y

The Turtles Have Been Watching Me ........................................................................................................................ Eric Gangloff 238

B O O K R E V I E W

Threatened Amphibians of the World edited by S.N. Stuart, M. Hoffmann, J.S. Chanson, N.A. Cox, R. Berridge, P. Ramani, and B.E. Young .............................................................................................................. Robert Powell 243

CONSERVATION RESEARCH REPORTS: Summaries of Published Conservation Research Reports ................................. 245 NATURAL HISTORY RESEARCH REPORTS: Summaries of Published Reports on Natural History ................................. 247 NEWBRIEFS ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 248 EDITORIAL INFORMATION ..................................................................................................................................................... 251 FOCUS ON CONSERVATION: A Project You Can Support ............................................................................................... 252

Front Cover. Shannon Plummer.Totat et velleseque audant mo estibus inveliquo velique rerchil erspienimus, quos accullabo. Ilibus aut dolor apicto invere pe dolum fugiatis maionsequat eumque moditia erere nonsedis ma sectiatur ma derrovitae voluptam, as quos accullabo.

Back Cover. Michael KernTotat et velleseque audant mo

estibus inveliquo velique rerchil erspienimus, quos accullabo. Ilibus

aut dolor apicto invere pe dolum fugiatis maionsequat eumque

moditia erere nonsedis ma sectia-tur ma derrovitae voluptam, as

IRC

F

REPTILES & AMPHIBIANSC 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

WWW.IRCF.ORG/REPTILESANDAMPHIBIANSJOURNAL

Reptiles and Amphibians Introduced on St. Martin, Lesser Antilles

MarkYokoyama

GrandCase,SaintMartin([email protected])

Photographsbytheauthorexceptwhereindicated.

271

AnadultmaleGreenIguana(Iguana iguana)besideÉtangdeCimetière,GrandCase,St.Martin.Sincebeingintroducedinthemid-tolate-1990snearPrincessJulianaInternationalAirport,GreenIguanashaveexpandedtheirrangeandtodayarefoundessentiallyislandwideonSt.Martin.

Copyright©2012.MarkYokoyama.Allrightsreserved.

INTRODUCEDSPECIES

272


PrincessJulianaAirportisoneofthelargestairportsintheCaribbean,servingover1.5millionpassengersannually.Servicesincludeinter-islandflightsaswellasdirectflightsfromtheU.S.,CentralAmerica,andEurope.ThePortofSintMaartenalsoservesapproximately1.5millioncruise-shipvisitorsannually.TheSimpsonBayLagoonisoneofthelargestlagoonsintheCaribbean,hostingalargevolumeofpleasurecraftfromsmallboatstothelargestmega-yachts.PopulardestinationsforthesecraftincludeotherislandsoftheLesserAntilles,aswellasthoseonthePuertoRicoBank,especiallytheU.S.andBritishVirginIslands. Thesefactorscontributetoextremeenvironmentaldeg-radationduetopopulationpressureandtheattendantinfra-structuralrequirements.Theyalsoincreasethepotentialfortheintroductionofnon-nativespeciesbyvirtueofthehighvolumeoftradeandtourismontheisland.Althoughotherislandsintheregionmaysufferevengreaterpopulationpres-sures(e.g.,NewProvidenceintheBahamasandBermuda),noislandintheCaribbeansharesthesamevarietyandvolumeofinterconnectionstolocalesinsideandoutsidetheregion. Studyingislandswithrelativelypristineenvironments(e.g.,GuanaIslandintheBritishVirginIslands,Dominica)isimportantandattractivetobiologists;understandingthebiologyofislandsthataremostatrisk,likeSt.Martin,wouldseemequallyvaluable.WhileSt.Martinmaybeoflessinter-esttothosewishingtounderstandthenativeecologyoftheAntilles,tounderstandSt.MartinistogainsomeinsightintotheenvironmentaldestructionthatincreasinglyplaguestheCaribbean.Tothepessimist,orperhaps,realist,St.Martinisindicativeofthepossible(orprobable)futureofmanyWestIndianecosystems. Withregardtointroductionsofnon-nativespeciesandtheirpossibleimpact,St.Martincouldhelpusaddressavarietyofquestions.Itmightserveasoneextremeinastudyattempt-ingtorelatethevolumeoftradeandtourismtotherateofintroductionsortheextentofhabitatdisruptiononthesuc-cessfulcolonizationofnewspeciesandthesurvivalofnativespecies.Italsoisanexcellentexampleofhowpoliticalandsocialtiesmightimpacttheoriginsofintroducedspecies(i.e.,comparingthearrivalofspeciesfromrelativelydistantislandsthatarestronglyconnected,likeGuadeloupeandMartinique,tocloserislandswithfewerpoliticalandsocialties). St. Martin has ten known native species of reptiles(excludingmarineturtles),threeofwhich(Iguana delicatis-sima,Spondylurus martinae[untilrecentlyconsideredoneofmanyLesserAntilleanpopulationsofaspeciesinthegenusMabuya;HedgesandConn2012],andAlsophis rijgersmaei)appeartobeextirpated.Elevenestablishedintroductionshavebeendocumented(Powelletal.2011),notincludingwaifs(i.e.,oneorfewindividualsofspeciesthathavenotestab-lishedanyknownbreedingpopulation).Oneofthose(Anolis bimaculatus)seemstohavebeenextirpated.Twoadditionalspecies(Chelonoidis carbonariaandHemidactylus mabouia)are

ofuncertainoriginsandmightormightnothavereachedtheislandbynaturalmeans.Excludingthespeciesofuncertainorigin,morenon-nativespeciesinhabittheislandthannativespecies.Followingisadiscussionofthehistoryandcurrentstatusofnon-nativeherpetofaunaonSt.Martin.

Puerto Rican Crested Anole (Anolis cristatellus)Anolis cristatellus,endemictothePuertoRicoBank,wasfirstobservedonSt.MartinbyKarlQuestelinNovember2008atPortdePlaisanceResortandCasino(Questel2011).Thesightingincludedfourmales,afemale,andonejuvenile,alllocatedinapatchofornamentalfoliage.InJanuary2011,Questel(pers.commun.)observedsevenmalesandthirteenfemalesatthesamelocation,anisletintheSimpsonBayLagoonconnectedtotherestof theresortcomplexbyabridge. InJanuary2012,IhappeneduponapopulationofA. cristatellusatthesameresort.ThepopulationIfoundwaslocatedinastandofFicussp.alongafence(~100mlongand1.5mhigh)aswellasinthescrubintheadjacentvacantlot.

AdultmalePuertoRicanCrestedAnole(Anolis cristatellus)atthePortdePlaisanceresortinColeBay,SintMaarten(10August2012).

PuertoRicanCrestedAnoles(Anolis cristatellus)matingonSeaGrape(Coccoloba uvifera) at thePort dePlaisance resort inColeBay, SintMaarten(10August2012).

INTRODUCEDSPECIES

273


Ialsofoundthetwonativespecies,A. gingivinusandA. pogus,atthissite. On10August2012,IconductedamorecarefulsurveyoftheareainanattempttobetterunderstandtherangeofA. cristatellusontheisland.Intheinterveningmonths,thescrubinthelothadbeencleared.IfoundnoA. cristatellusintheoriginalFicusstandandonlyasinglefemaleoppositethenow-clearedvacantlot.Anolis gingivinusandA. poguswerestillpresentinbothareas.However,IfoundallthreespeciesintwostandsofSeaGrape(Coccoloba uvifera)nearthelagoonwaterfront,inoneofwhichA. cristatelluswasthemostabun-dant(15A. cristatellus,5A. gingivinus,andnoA. pogus).Ialsoobservedamatingpair. Anolis cristatellusalsowaspresentinthehotelareaonasmallisletinthelagoonconnectedtotherestofthecomplexbyabridge.OneindividualwasonanornamentalplantnearthecenterofthecomplexandanotherneartheentrancetothecomplexonUnionRoad.On18October2012,Iobservedamatingpairandtwojuvenilesatthesamelocation,whichisaconsiderabledistancefromtheobservedpopulationcenterattheheartoftheresortneartheSimpsonBayLagoon. A color photographic voucher was deposited in theMilwaukee Public Museum (MPM P769) with the fol-lowing data: Sint Maarten, Port de Plaisance, Cole Bay(18.03964108080661,-63.088240921497345).10August2012,1408h.JonathanB.LososandManuelS.Lealcon-firmedtheidentityofthelizardfromthephotograph. Observationsseemtoindicatethatabreedingpopulationhasbeenpresentontheislandforatleastfouryears.FoundersprobablyarrivedwithshipmentsofornamentalplantsfromPuertoRicoorFlorida,wherethespeciesisestablished(e.g.,Kryskoetal.2011,Meshaka2011).Currently,thepopula-tionisconcentratedaroundaverysmallgeographicareaoftheresortneartheedgeofthelagoon,whichmighthavebeenthesiteoftheoriginalintroduction.Withinthisarea,sev-eralsmallpopulationislandsoccupystandsoftreesseparatedbyinhospitablehabitat(sidewalks,parkinglots,lawns,andbuildings).Thefactthatsuitablehabitatishighlyfragmentedandisolatedinthisareamayhavelimitedthespreadofthislizardontheisland. Recent sightings near the entrance to the complex,approximately500mfromtheotherpopulations,mightbeofinterestfortworeasons.Firstisthepossibilitythatthespreadtothisareawasfacilitatedbytheremovalofbrushandsmalltreesfromthewaterfrontarea.Theseweredepositedinanareanearthenewpopulation,andperhapsmoreimportantly,connectedtoitbyaborderofthickvegetation.Thisissugges-tiveofdirect(albeitinadvertent)humaninvolvementintheexpansionofthespecies’range.Second,thenewpopulationisnowseparatedbylessthan100mfromsuitablehabitatcom-prisingessentiallytheentireinterioroftheisland.Giventhespecies’currentlyrestricteddistribution,eradicationmightstillbefeasibleandshouldcertainlybeattempted.

Cuban Brown Anole (Anolis sagrei)Fläschendräger(2010)firstreportedthepresenceofAnolis sagreionSt.Martinbasedononesightingofthreefemalesandtwomaleswithina30-minuteperiodintheharborareaofPhilipsburg,thecapitaloftheDutchside(SintMaarten).Considering the location, these lizards almost certainlyarrivedwithshipmentsofornamentalplantsorsomeothercargo,probablyoriginatingfromthesiteofanintroduction(mostlikelyFlorida;seePowelletal.2011).BeginninginJanuary2012,Iconductedseveralsearcheswithoutfindinganylizards.However,on4January2013,Ifoundtwofemalesjustoutsidethecruiseshipterminal(Dr.A.C.WatheyCruiseandCargoFacilities).Giventhelocation,theylikelyweremembersofthesamepopulationoriginallyobservedin2010.Restrictedaccess to the terminalgrounds renders furtherassessmentsdifficult.

Statia Bank Tree Anole (Anolis bimaculatus)Powelletal.(1992)notedthepresenceofAnolis bimaculatusatSimpsonBayinMay1992.Theapparentbreedingpopula-tionincludedadultmalesandfemalesaswellasjuveniles.TheresortgroundswheretheselizardswereoriginallyencounteredareadjacenttothelandingforferriesthatsailtoSt.Eustatius,theprobable sourceof the founding individuals.Surveysoftheareainsubsequentyearsfailedtorecordthespecies(Powelletal.2005)

AnadultfemaleCubanBrownAnole(Anolis sagrei)neartheA.C.WatheyCruiseandCargoFacilitiesinPhilipsburg,SintMaarten.

AnadultmaleStatiaBankTreeAnole(Anolis bimaculatus)nearSimpsonBay,SintMaarten.Thispopulationwasdiscoveredin1992,butsubsequentvisitstothesitefailedtofindmoreanimals.PhotographbyRobertPowell.

INTRODUCEDSPECIES

274


Guadeloupe Anole (Anolis marmoratus)Asingle individualAnolis marmoratus alliaceusappearstohavebeencollectedinPhilipsburg,SintMaartenon7June1963byDr.JamesLazell.Accordingtothecollectiondata,itwastheonlyspecimencollectedinPhilipsburgthatday(hecollectednumerousA. pogus inColombier)andtheonlyA. marmoratuscollectedonSt.Martin.ThenextspecimenscollectedbyDr.Lazellwereon9JuneinGuadeloupe,whereA. marmoratusisnative,suggestiveofthepossibilitythatthespecimenwasmislabeled. Dr.Lazell(pers.commun.)didnotmakeanyreferencetothisspecimeninhisfieldjournals,andhasnorecollectionofittoday.Thatamislabeledspecimenwouldhaveadif-ferentlocalethantheotherspecimenscollectedonthatdayseemsunlikely.Also,Philipsburgwouldhavebeenalikelypointofcolonization;eveninthe1960s,itwasabustlingportfortouristsandgoods.Withnoevidencethatthecollectiondataareincorrect,themostprudentapproachwouldbetoassumethatthisspecimenwasawaiforpartofanintroduc-tionthatwassubsequentlyextirpated.

Green Iguana (Iguana iguana)Iguana iguana has become increasingly common on St.Martin,particularlyduringthelastdecade.Bymostaccounts,thecatalyzingeventwasthedestructionofFlamingoPondin1998aspartofanexpansionofPrincessJulianaAirport,afterwhichiguanasspreadtootherpartsoftheisland.Previously,therangeofI. iguanawaslargelyrestrictedtotheareassur-roundingtheairport.DuringthefirstseasonoffieldresearchonSt.Martin in2000,EnvironmentalProtection in theCaribbean(EPIC)recordedI. iguanaatovertenlocations(PrincessJulianaAirport,MulletBay,LittleBayPond,FreshPond,GreatSaltPond,andDawnBeachontheDutchsideandGrandCase,Marigot,Friar’sBay,BaieRouge,andBaieOrientaleontheFrenchside)indicatinganear-islandwidedis-tributionatthattime(A.Brown,pers.commun.).InadditiontoSt.MartinandthesatelliteisletswhereI. iguanahasprevi-

ouslybeendocumented,IalsoconfirmedthatitisestablishedonPetiteClef,asmallisletbetweenSt.MartinandPinel,whereIobservedfiveindividualsofvaryingsizesaswellascopiousamountsofdroppingswhilevisitingon27July2012. Thestoryoftheintroductionisapocryphal,andtypicallyinvolvestwocratesofiguanasflowntotheisland,presumablyforthepettrade,butleftuncollected.Asympatheticworkerreleasedthemintothewildsotheywouldnotdieinthecrates.Insomeversions,theseeventscoincidedwithHurricaneLuis,whichdevastatedtheislandin1995.Althoughthisaccountisplausibleinsomeways(e.g.,amid-1990sintroductionthatwasstillrelativelylocalizedatthetimeofthe1998destructionofFlamingoPond),Ihavebeenunabletoconfirmit. NostudieshaveaddressedtheimpactofI. iguanaonthenativefloraorfaunaofSt.Martin.TheLesserAntilleanIguana(Iguana delicatissima),oncenativetoSt.Martin,wasmostlikelyextirpatedbeforetheintroductionofI. iguana,eliminatingthepossibilityofcompetitionorinterbreeding,suchas reportedonotherLesserAntillean islandshavingextantpopulationsofI. delicatissimaorgeneticallyuniquenativepopulationsofI. iguana(e.g.,Powell2004,MortonandKrauss2011).However,thelargeandapparentlygrowingpopulationofI. iguanaonSt.Martincouldindirectlyimpactneighboringislandswithnativeiguanapopulations(e.g.,I. delicatissimaonAnguillaandSt.BarthélemyandI. iguanaonSaba)byintentionalorevenaccidentalintroductions(ashasapparentlyoccurredforCubanTreefrogs;seebelow).

Tropical House Gecko or Woodslave (Hemidactylus mabouia)

Hemidactylus mabouiaiswidespreadontheislandandoccursinavarietyofhabitatsfromurbantoscrubandforest.Itsori-ginonSt.MartinandintheCaribbeaningeneralisuncertain(e.g.,Powelletal.2011),butinadvertenthuman-mediatedintroductionsareconsideredtobethemostlikelysource.Itsimpactonnativespeciesisunknown,butitdoessharehabi-

AnadultmaleGreenIguana(Iguana iguana)atSalinesde l’aéroport,GrandCase,St.Martin.

AjuvenileGreenIguana(Iguana iguana)lapswaterdropletsfromgrassafterarainstormnearGrandCase,St.Martin.

INTRODUCEDSPECIES

275


tatwiththetwolargenativegeckos,Thecadactylus rapicaudaandtherecentlydescribedT. oskrobapreinorum(KöhlerandVesely2011).AlthoughH. mabouiaistheonlyoneofthethreetypicallyfoundinurbanenvironments,allcanbefoundunderthebarkoftrees(non-nativeTamarindus indicainpar-ticular)andunderrocksorlogs. ThequestionofwhetherWoodslavesadverselyaffectnativepopulationsofgeckosinthegenusThecadactylushasgainedsomeurgencysinceT. oskrobapreinorumwasdescribedin2011,ifonlybecausethelatterisknowntooccuronlyonSt.Martin.

Smooth-scaled Worm Lizard (Gymnophthalmus underwoodi)

Gymnophthalmus underwoodiiswellestablishedandwidelydistributedonSt.Martin.ThefirstrecordofthespeciesontheislandwasanindividualfoundinSeaAlmond(Terminalia catappa)leaflitteronsandatPointBlanche,BackBay,SintMaartenon22March2003(vanBuelandPowell2006).In2007,EPICcapturedonespecimenandsawapproximatelyadozenothersinthornscrubbelowLoterieFarmonthelower

slopeofPicParadis(A.Brown,pers.commun.).Sincethen,IhaveseentheminavarietyoflocationsontheFrenchsideoftheisland(GrandCase,Friar’sBay,HopeEstate),typicallyinsunnyareassuchasfields,roadsides,openscrub,androckybeaches. NativetonorthernSouthAmericaandpresumablytothesouthernLesserAntilles(WilliamsonandPowell2004),theselizardsareappearingregularlyonnorthernLesserAntilleanislands,St.Thomas(U.S.VirginIslands;Coleetal.1990),andtheDominicanRepublic(Scantleburyetal.2010).Thefoundersofmostintroducedpopulationsprobablyarriveasstowawaysincargo.Theirsuccessatcolonization(e.g.,Powelletal.2011)isgreatlyenhancedbecausetheselizardsarepar-thenogenetic,andonlyoneindividualisnecessarytoestablishapopulation.

Flowerpot Blindsnake (Ramphotyphlops braminus)

Ramphotyphlops braminusiswidespreadonSt.Martin.IhaveobserveditinGrandCase,ColeBay,Cupecoy,andotherlocationsonboththeFrenchandDutchsidesoftheisland.

TropicalHouseGecko(Hemidactylus mabouia)foundbeneathTamarind(Tamarindus indica)barkduringthedaynearBellevue,St.Martin.

Smooth-scaledWormLizard(Gymnophthalmus underwoodi) foundinshortgrassonaroadsidenearGrandCase,St.Martin.

FlowerpotBlindsnake(Ramphotyphlops braminus)onarockwallatnight,GrandCase,St.Martin.

FlowerpotBlindsnake(Ramphotyphlops braminus)foundunderarockatEmilioWilsonParknearSt.Peters,SintMaarten.

INTRODUCEDSPECIES

276


Also,althoughitissmall,nocturnal,andmaybemistakenforaworm,manyresidentsoftheislandarefamiliarwithit.ItwasanaccidentalintroductiontoSt.MartinandSt.Barthélemyduringthe1990s(Breuil2002),presumablywithshipmentsofornamentalplants(itscommonnameistesta-menttoitsfrequentassociationwithplantroots),anditwasfirstreportedonnearbyAnguillain1997(CenskyandHodge1997).LikeGymnophthalmus underwoodi,thisspeciesispar-thenogenetic,whichhasundoubtedlyassisteditscoloniza-tionofagreatnumberoflocationsworldwide.Theimpactofthisspeciesonnativeherpetofaunaisunknown,butnonativeblindsnakesoccurontheisland.Anypotentialeffectsonnativeantsortermitesareunknown.

Red-footed Tortoise (Chelonoidis carbonaria)

Chelonoidis carbonariaisrareinthewildonSt.Martintoday,althoughitiscommonlykeptasapet.Ihaveseenonejuve-nileinthewildonthesatelliteislandofPinel.WhetherthisspeciesisnativetotheLesserAntillesisunclear(e.g.,Censky1988,Hodgeetal.2003).ItmighthavebeenintroducedbyAmerindiansorduringtheearlycolonialperiod.Regardless,extantpopulations,includingthatonSt.Martin,arelikelyofmixedheritage,withnativetortoisesorearlyintroductionsnowmixedwithanimalsintroducedmorerecentlyviatheliveanimaltrade(e.g.,Powelletal.2011).ThefirstaccountofatortoiseonSt.MartinbyCharlesdeRochefortwaspublishedin1658,inwhichhementionstortoisesinthewoods(heseparatelymentionsseaturtlesinhisaccountoftheisland,reducinganypossibleambiguity).

Red-eared Slider (Trachemys scripta elegans)

Trachemys scripta elegansisabundantinFreshPond,andIhaveseenitoccasionallyintheadjacentGreatSaltPond.Ihaveneverseenitelsewhereontheisland.Anyexpansion

ofitscurrentrangeisunlikelywithouthumanassistance,assixteenofthetwentypondsontheDutchsideoftheislandhavebeendestroyed.Pondturtleshavebeenintroducedontosomeislandsforfood(e.g.,Powelletal.2011),butRed-earedSlidersarepopularinthepettrade,whichisthemostlikelysourceofthepopulationonSt.Martin.

Lesser Antillean Frog (Eleutherodactylus johnstonei)Martinique Frog (Eleutherodactylus martinicensis)

Thesetwofrogsareaddressedtogetherbecausetheyareverysimilarinappearanceandarenotalwayseasilydistinguishableexceptwhenmalesarecalling.BotharenativetodifferentLesserAntilleanislands.Eleutherodactylus johnstoneiisoneofthemostsuccessfulamphibiancolonizersintheCaribbean,whereasE. martinicensishasbeenintroducedoutsideofitsnativerangeonlytwice(Powelletal.2011;althoughthespeciesalsomighthavebeenintroducedandsubsequentlyextirpatedonAntigua).TwoofthefourislandswhereE. martinicensis is native are French-governed (MartiniqueandGuadeloupe),andbothCaribbeanintroductionswererecordedonislandsthatarealsoFrench(St.Barthélemy)orhalf-French(St.Martin)(Powelletal.2011).Thehighvol-umeoftradeattributabletopoliticalandsocialtiesbetween

Red-eared Slider (Trachemys scripta elegans) in Fresh Pond, nearPhilipsburg,SintMaarten.

Red-earedSliders(Trachemys scripta elegans)attheSintMaartenZoo.Allanimalsondisplayatthezooin2004whenthisphotographwastakenoriginatedonSintMaarten.Theyeitherweredonated,capturedinthewild,orhatchedatthezoo.PhotographbyJohnS.Parmerlee,Jr.

Red-footedTortoise(Chelonoidis carbonaria)fromPinelIsland,asatelliteisletapproximately200moffshorefromSt.Martin.

INTRODUCEDSPECIES

277


these islands might have increased the likelihood that aFrenchfrogwouldhoptootherFrenchislands.Themostlikelymeansofintroductionforbothspeciesisstowingawayinshipmentsofornamentalplantsorothergoods. Duringtheday,thesefrogsaremostfrequentlyfoundinleaflitterandunderstones,usuallyinforestedareasandintheravinesthatchannelwaterduringrains.Theyalsocanbefoundinwaterreservoirssuchasthoseinbromeliadsandotherplants.Theyarewidelydistributedontheisland,andtheircallsareheardinbothurbanandnaturalenvironments.

Cuban Flathead Frog or Greenhouse Frog (Eleutherodactylus planirostris)

On19July2012,IobservedEleutherodactylus planirostrisinEmilioWilsonParkontheDutchside.IinitiallyfoundthreeindividualsthatIcollectedforphotography.Twodayslater,Ifoundafourthindividual.On20November2012,Iobservedtwoindividuals,eachwithin100moftheoriginalsightings.Thesearethefirstrecordedsightingofthisspe-ciesonSt.Martin,althoughHendersonandBreuil(2012)recordedathirdEleutherodactylus,possiblyextirpated,thatwasnotidentifiedtospecies.Thepresenceofmultipleindi-

vidualsindicatesapossiblebreedingpopulationontheisland.Thisspecies,nativetoCuba,theCaymanIslands,andtheBahamas,hasbeenestablishedelsewhereintheCaribbean(PowellandHenderson2012)aswellasFlorida(DundeeandRossman1989),thelatterthemostprobablesourceoftheintroductioninSt.Martin.FloridaisamajorsourceofornamentalplantsandbuildingmaterialsfortheCaribbean,andhaspreviouslybeenimplicatedasthesourceofCaribbeanherpetofaunalintroductions,includingspeciesthatwerepre-viouslyintroducedfromtheCaribbeantoFlorida(Powelletal.2011). A color photographic voucher was deposited in theMilwaukeePublicMuseum(MPMP768)withthefollow-ingdata:SintMaarten,EmilioWilsonPark,CuldeSac/St.Peters(18.042869804781738,-63.06406617164612).19July2012,1219h.S.BlairHedgesconfirmedtheidentityofthefrogfromthephotograph. Becausethisspeciescoexistswithcongenersinbothitsnativerangeandinotherinvadedareas(e.g.,Florida;Kryskoetal.2011,Meshaka2011), it is likelytobecomefirmlyestablishedonSt.Martinunlesseradicationeffortsareiniti-atedquickly.

MaleLesserAntilleanFrogs(Eleutherodactylus johnstonei)callingatnightinColombier,St.Martin.

CubanFlatheadFrog(Eleutherodactylusplanirostris)capturedatEmilioWilsonParknearSt.Peters,SintMaarten.

INTRODUCEDSPECIES

278


Cuban Treefrog (Osteopilus septentrionalis)

Osteopilus septentrionalisisverycommononSt.Martin.IhaveobservedtheminGrandCase,Cul-de-Sac,PointeBlanche,PicParadis,TerresBasses,andotherlocations.Tadpolesareinpuddles,abandonedswimmingpools,livestocktroughs,andanyotherstandingwater.Theyarerareinrunningwater,whereintroducedGuppies(Poecilia reticulata)arecommonandwilleatthem,althoughIhaveoccasionallyseenlargertadpolescoexistingwithGuppies.Duringtheday,adultsarefoundinthewaterreservoirsofbromeliadsandsimilarplants,thehollowsoftreesinforestedareas,Papaya(Carica papaya)leaves,andothershaded/shelteredareas.Atnighttheyarefoundonvegetationandhumanstructuressuchasstonewallsandbuildings.AsonAnguilla(Townsendetal.2000)andforotherfrogsestablishedonSt.Martin,thefoundersprobablyarrivedasstowawaysinshipmentsofornamentalplantsfromFlorida. NostudieshaveexaminedtheirpossibleimpactonnativewildlifeonSt.Martin.Althoughtheyarevoraciousandmightdecimatenativeinvertebrates,interactionswithotherspecies

offrogswouldseemtobeoflittleinteresttoconservationists,becauseallfrogspeciesontheislandareintroduced.However,St.MartinapparentlywasthesourceofCubanTreefrogsthathavebeenfoundonSaba(Powell2007),suggestingthatwell-establishedpopulationsofsuccessfulcolonizerscantriggerachainreactionofintroductions. NotethatspecimensofthisspeciesfromSt.MartinwereoncemisidentifiedasOlolygon rubra (now Scinax ruber).Although this identification was subsequently corrected (Powelletal.1992),somesourcesmightstilllistS. ruberonSt.Martin.

ConclusionsSt.Martinsupportsalargeandexpandingcollectionofintro-ducedherpetofauna,butitsimpacthasyettobeassessed.ThesheernumbersofGreenIguanasontheislandappearlikelytohavesomeimpactontheecologyoftheislandasa

CubanTreefrog(Osteopilus septentrionalis)restinginthewaterreservoirofanornamentalplantatanurseryinHopeEstate,St.Martin.

CubanTreefrog(Osteopilus septentrionalis)tadpole.Althoughtadpolesarerarelyencounteredinrunningwater,CubanTreefrogslaytheireggsinpuddles,abandonedswimmingpools,livestocktroughs,andessentiallyanyotherstandingwater.

CubanTreefrogs(Osteopilus septentrionalis)onSt.MartinoriginallyweremisidentifiedasOlolygon rubra(now Scinax ruber).Today,thesefrogsoccuralmostislandwide.

INTRODUCEDSPECIES

279


whole,althoughperhapsnotonanynativereptiles.IfAnolis cristatellus and A. sagrei survive andexpand their rangesonSt.Martin,interactionswiththetwonativeanoles(A. gingivinus and A. pogus)wouldbeofconcern.Thesimi-laritybetweenthesefourspeciesisunusualfortheEasternCaribbean.TheratioofbodylengthforA. gingivinus tothatofA. pogusisthesmallestrecordedforanytwo-speciesisland(approximately1.2,comparedto1.6–1.8formostislands;Roughgarden1995).Additionally,analysesofmorphologi-calcharacteristicshaveshownthatA. gingivinusissimilartoGreaterAntilleantrunk-groundecomorphs,whichincludeA. cristatellus and A. sagrei.EvenA. pogus,whichmorecloselyresemblesthegrass-bushecomorph,wasfoundtobesimilartoonetrunk-groundspecies(BeuttellandLosos1999).OfparticularconservationinterestwouldbeanypossiblyimpactonA. pogus,whichisfoundnowhereelse. Asasmallislandwithaproportionatelyhugenumberofintroducedreptilesandamphibians,ongoingmonitoringfornewintroductionsisimportantforpreservinganysem-blanceofthenativeherpetofauna.Inadditiontothespeciesinthisarticle,sixadditionalspeciesofsnakesthoughttobewaifs(speciesthathavenotestablishedbreedingpopulations)havebeendocumentedonSt.Martin(Powelletal.2005,2011;HendersonandBreuil2012).Visitingthemostlikelysitesofintroductionisnotdifficult.Iinspectedthemajorityofthemarinasontheislandduringthesummerof2012tocheckforintroductionsandfoundnone,butregularsurveyscouldgreatlyincreaseourknowledgeofthespecifictimesandlocationsofanyfurtherintroductionsandincreasethelikeli-hoodthatinvasionscouldbeprevented.Importsofplants,vegetables,pets,andconstructionmaterialshaveallbeenimplicatedintheintroductionofnon-nativeherpetofaunaintheCaribbean(Powelletal.2011),suggestingthatadditionalpointsofinterestmayincludegardennurseries,sitesofnewconstruction,andlandscapingandgrocerystores,inadditiontotheisland’sportsandairports.

Literature CitedBeuttell,K.andJ.Losos,1999.EcologicalMorphologyofCaribbeanAnoles.

Herpetological Monographs13:1–28.

Breuil,M.2002.Histoirenaturelledesamphibiensetreptilesterrestresdel’archipelGuadeloupéen.Guadeloupe,Saint-Martin,SaintBarthélemy.Patrimoines Naturels(54):1–339.

Censky,E.J.andK.Hodge.1997.Ramphotyphlops braminus.Geographicdistribu-tion.Herpetological Review28:210.

Censky,E.J.andD.R.Paulson.1992.RevisionoftheAmeiva (Reptilia:Teiidae)oftheAnguillaBank,WestIndies.Annals of the Carnegie Museum61:177–195.

Dundee,H.A.andD.A.Rossman1989.The Amphibians and Reptiles of Louisiana.LouisianaStateUniversityPress,BatonRouge.

Fläschendräger,A.2010.CubanBrownAnoles (Anolis sagrei) inSt.Maarten.Reptiles & Amphibians17:121–122.

Hardy,L.M.,C.J.Cole,andC.R.Townsend.1989.ParthenogeneticreproductionintheNeotropicalunisexuallizard,Gymnophthalmus underwoodi (Reptilia:Teiidae).Journal of Morphology201:215–234.

Hedges,S.B.andC.E.Conn.2012.AnewskinkfaunafromCaribbeanislands(Squamata,Mabuyidae,Mabuyinae).Zootaxa(3288):1–244.

Henderson,R.W.andM.Breuil.2012.LesserAntilles,pp.148–159.In:R.PowellandR.W.Henderson(eds.),IslandListsofWestIndianAmphibiansandReptiles.Bulletin of the Florida Museum of Natural History51:85–166.

Köhler,G.andM.Vesely.2011.AnewspeciesofThecadactylusfromSintMaarten,LesserAntilles(Reptilia,Squamata,Gekkonidae).ZooKeys118:97–107.

Krysko,K.L.,J.P.Burgess,M.R.Rochford,C.R.Gillette,D.Cueva,K.M.Enge,L.A.Somma,J.L.Stabile,D.C.Smith,J.A.Wasilewski,G.N.KieckheferIII,M.C.Granatosky,andS.V.Nielsen.2011.Verifiednon-indigenousamphib-iansandreptilesinFloridafrom1863through2010:Outliningtheinvasionprocessandidentifyinginvasionpathwaysandstages.Zootaxa(3028):1–64.

Meshaka,W.E.,Jr.2011.Arunawaytraininthemaking:Theexoticamphibians,reptiles,turtles,andcrocodiliansofFlorida.Monograph1.Herpetological Conservation and Biology6:1–101.

Morton,M.N.andU.Krauss.2011.NativeandalieniguanasonSt.Lucia,WestIndies.Reptiles & Amphibians18:24–33.

Powell,R.2004.Conservationofiguanas(Iguana delicatissima and I. iguana)intheLesserAntilles.Iguana11:238–246.

Powell,R.2007.Geographicdistribution:Osteopilus septentrionalis.Herpetological Review38:215.

Powell,R.,R.J.Passaro,andR.W.Henderson.1992.NoteworthyherpetologicalrecordsfromSaint[sic]Maarten,NetherlandsAntilles.Caribbean Journal of Science28:234–235.

Powell,R.andR.W.Henderson(eds.).2012.IslandListsofWestIndianAmphibiansandReptiles.Bulletin of the Florida Museum of Natural History51:85–166.

Powell,R.,R.W.Henderson,andJ.S.Parmerlee,Jr.2005.Reptiles and Amphibians of the Dutch Caribbean: St. Eustatius, Saba, and St. Maarten.St.EustatiusNationalParksFoundation,GallowsBay,St.Eustatius,NetherlandsAntilles.

Powell,R.,R.W.Henderson,M.C.Farmer,M.Breuil,A.C.Echternacht,G.vanBuurt,C.M.Romagosa,andG.Perry.2011.IntroducedamphibiansandreptilesintheGreaterCaribbean:Patternsandconservationimplications,pp.63–143.In:A.Hailey,B.S.Wilson,andJ.A.Horrocks(eds.),Conservation of Caribbean Island Herpetofaunas. Volume 1: Conservation Biology and the Wider Caribbean.Brill,Leiden,TheNetherlands.

Questel,K.2011.L’AnolisàcrêtedePuertoRico(Anolis cristatellus)àSint-Maarten(AntillesNéderlandaises).Alsophis Notes brèves(2011122):1–2.

Rochefort,C.de1658.Histoire naturelle et morale des îles Antilles de l’Amérique avec un vocabulaire caraïbe.ChezArnouldLeers.Rotterdam,TheNetherlands.

Roughgarden,J.1995.Anolis Lizards of the Caribbean.OxfordUniversityPress,NewYork,USA.

Scantlebury,D.,J.Ng,M.Landestoy,andR.E.Glor.2010.Hemidactylus frena-tus andGymnophthalmus underwoodi intheDominicanRepublic.Reptiles & Amphibians17:180–181.

Townsend,J.H.,J.M.Eaton,R.Powell,J.S.Parmerlee,Jr.,andR.W.Henderson.2000.CubanTreefrogs(Osteopilus septentrionalis)inAnguilla,LesserAntilles.Caribbean Journal of Science36:326–328.

vanBuel,H.andR.Powell.2006.Gymnophthalmus underwoodi.Geographicdis-tribution.Herpetological Review37:494.

Williamson,K.E.andR.Powell.2004.Gymnophthalmus underwoodi.Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles(793):1–5.

table of contents ircf reptiles & amphibians • 19(4):271

Documents