WWW.IRCF.ORG/REPTILESANDAMPHIBIANSJOURNALTABLE OF CONTENTS IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANSIRCF REPTILES • VOL15, N &O 4AMPHIBIANS • DEC 2008 189 • 22(3):95–97 • SEP 2015
IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS CONSERVATION AND NATURAL HISTORY
TABLE OF CONTENTS
FEATURE ARTICLES Predation. Chasing Bullsnakes ( Pituophison catenifer the sayi) in Wisconsin: Rosario Red-legged Frog, 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: EleutherodactylusA Hypothetical Excursion ...... zugi (Eleutherodactylidae),Robert W. Henderson 198 by theRESEARCH Cuban ARTICLES Mosquitofish, Gambusia punctata . 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 ...... (Poeciliidae)Brian J. Camposano, Kenneth in L. Krysko, westernKevin M. Enge, Ellen M. Donlan, Cubaand Michael Granatosky 212
CONSERVATIONTomás ALERT M. Rodríguez-Cabrera1 and Rodet Rodríguez Silva2 . World’s Mammals in Crisis ...... 220 . 1MoreJardín Than Botánico Mammals de ...... Cienfuegos, Pepito Tey, Cienfuegos, CP 59290, Cuba ([email protected]) 223 2División de Zoología .deThe Vertebrados, “Dow Jones Index”Instituto of Biodiversity de Ecología ...... y Sistemática, La Habana, CP 10800, Cuba ([email protected] and [email protected]) 225
HUSBANDRY Photographs by the senior author. . Captive Care of the Central Netted Dragon ...... Shannon Plummer 226
PROFILE . Kraig Adler: A Lifetime Promoting Herpetology ...... Michael L. Treglia 234 he Cuban Archipelago harbors among the greatest diver- tively common endemic distributed in the Guaniguanico COMMENTARY sity and endemism in the frog genus Eleutherodactylus Mountain Range, Artemisa and Pinar del Río Provinces in T . The Turtles Have Been Watching Me ...... Eric Gangloff 238 (Eleutherodactylidae) in the West Indies, with 59 spe- western Cuba (Díaz and Cádiz 2009; Rivalta et al. 2014). It cies, 98.3% of whichBOOK are REVIEWendemic (Estrada 2012; Rivalta et is always associated with forested areas, where it inhabits leaf . Threatened Amphibians of the World edited by S.N. Stuart, M. Hoffmann, J.S. Chanson, N.A. Cox, al. 2014; Díaz and HedgesR. Berridge, 2015). P. Ramani, This and isB.E. exceeded Young ...... only by litter, occurs under rocks and Robert fallen Powell 243logs, and occupies lime- Hispaniola, with 65 native species, all of which are endemic stone holes (Díaz and Cádiz 2009). This species is considered (Henderson and Powell CONSERVATION 2009; Powell RESEARCH 2012; REPORTS: Incháustegui Summaries of PublishedEndangered Conservation Research on the Reports IUCN ...... Red List (Hedges245 and Díaz 2004, NATURAL HISTORY RESEARCH REPORTS: Summaries of Published Reports on Natural History ...... 247 et al. 2015). Several NEWBRIEFSpredators ...... have been reported for adults 2011). Consequently, an awareness 248 of all potential threats, and eggs of these frogsEDITORIAL in the INFORMATION insular Caribbean, ...... including both natural and anthropogenic, is of251 major importance for insects (Megaselia, ParatrechinaFOCUS ON CONSERVATION, Linepithema: ,A AmphiacustaProject You Can Support), ...... the development and implementation 252 of effective manage- arachnids (Avicularia, Ctenus, Mastigoproctus, Ohvida, Olios, ment plans. The only predators known for this frog are the Phrynus, Stasina, Tityus, and ctenizid and corinnid spiders), ctenid spider Ohvida vernalis (formerly referred as Ctenus centipedes (Scolopendra), millipedes (Liomus), snails (Caracolus, vernalis; Novo et al. 1985) and a whip spider in the genus Front Cover. Shannon Plummer. Back Cover. Michael Kern Polydontes, Subulina), frogs (EleutherodactylusTotat et velleseque, Osteopilus audant mo ), liz- PhrynusTotat et velleseque (Alonso audant and mo Rodríguez 2003). Herein we report ards (Ameiva, Anolis, Sphaerodactylusestibus, Thecadactylus inveliquo velique rerchil), snakes theestibus first inveliquo instance velique ofrerchil predation by the Cuban Mosquitofish, erspienimus, quos accullabo. Ilibus erspienimus, quos accullabo. Ilibus (Alsophis, Arrhyton, Borikenophis,aut Caraiba dolor apicto, invereChilabothrus pe dolum , Gambusiaaut dolor apicto punctata invere pe dolum (Poeciliidae), on E. zugi. This constitutes Chironius, Corallus, Cubophis, Erythrolamprusfugiatis maionsequat, Hypsirhynchus eumque , bothfugiatis the maionsequat first record eumque of fishes preying on Eleutherodactylus moditia erere nonsedis ma sectiatur moditia erere nonsedis ma sectia- Ialtris, Magliophis, Mastigodryas, Tropidophisma derrovitae), voluptam,birds ( Bubulcusas quos , tur ma derrovitae voluptam, as Buteo, Margarops, Melanerpes, Megascopsaccullabo., Coccyzus, Turdus), and mammals (Felis, Rattus, Urva; see Henderson and Powell 2009 for a review). Nonetheless, these predators have been reported for only 23 species of Eleutherodactylus (for a review see Henderson and Powell 2009; Alfonso et al. 2013; Díaz et al. 2015), which represent a low proportion (14%) with respect to the approximately 165 species occurring in the West Indies. However, native fishes have not been reported preying either on Eleutherodactylus or any other frogs in the West Indies. In Cuba, predators have been confirmed only for six species of Eleutherodactylus (10%): E. atkinsi, E. cuneatus, E. dimidiatus, E. iberia, E. cf. thomasi, and E. zugi (for a review see Henderson and Powell 2009, but also Alfonso et Fig. 1. Live Rosario Red-legged Frog (Eleutherodatylus zugi) from the same locality and exhibiting the same color pattern as the individual observed al. 2013; Díaz et al. 2015). The Rosario Red-legged Frog, being predated by Cuban Mosquitofish (Gambusia punctata) on the Eleutherodactylus zugi (Fig. 1), is a small (20 mm), rela- Cajálbana Plateau, Pinar del Río Province. Copyright © 2015. Tomás M. Rodríguez-Cabrera. All rights reserved. 95 RODRÍGUEZ-CABRERA1 AND RODRÍGUEZ SILVA IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS • 22(3):95–97 • SEP 2015
Fig. 2. Stream pool on the Cajálbana Plateau, Pinar del Río Province, Fig. 3. Close-up view of the pool showing smaller Cuban Mosquitofish where we observed predation by the Cuban Mosquitofish (Gambusia punc- (Gambusia punctata) attacking a Rosario Red-legged Frog (Eleutherodatylus tata) on a Rosario Red-legged Frog (Eleutherodatylus zugi). zugi) (arrow) after the largest female (white circle) had released it. frogs and the first record of frogs as prey of the mosquitofish swimmer that feeds on insects and their larvae, arachnids, genus Gambusia in the West Indies. myriapods, mollusks, crustaceans, protozoans, and vegetable At 1124 h on 26 April 2015, we observed an matter (Vergara 1992; Fong et al. 1996; Ponce de León and Eleutherodactylus zugi (18 mm snout-vent length) being pre- Rodríguez 2013). However, until now, no vertebrates had dated by Cuban Mosquitofish (G. punctata) in a shallow pool been reported as prey of this species. (approximately 4 m long, 2 m wide, and 35 cm maximum The stream where we observed the predation event is one depth) of a stream on the southern slope of the Cajálbana of the nearly 40 stream basins around the Cajálbana Plateau Plateau (22°46’50”N, -83°26’21”W; 150 m asl; datum: WGS that fragment into pools or even dry up completely during 84), 450 m NE of the biological station at the Cajálbana the dry season. The area is characterized by red fossil ferritic Floristic Reserve, Pinar del Río Province, Cuba (Figs. 2 and soils and covered mostly by pinewoods and xeromorphic 3). When found, an adult female mosquitofish (64 mm total evergreen scrubwoods (Borhidi 1991). Frogs in the genus length, 55 mm standard length) (Figs. 4 and 5) had grabbed Eleutherodactylus develop in the egg and do not require water and entirely swallowed the left hindlimb of the frog, which to reproduce. Probably due to the harsh conditions imposed was alive and trying to escape. A few minutes later, the fish by the dry season, enhanced by the characteristics of the soil released the frog and other smaller Gambusia commenced to and vegetation, non-riparian frogs of several species, including attack it in a feeding-frenzy (Fig. 3). When collected, the frog E. zugi, concentrate around the humid microhabitats associ- had died and lost some flesh from the left hindlimb and the ated with remaining pools in streambeds in remnant patches right forelimb (Fig. 5). In order to identify the frog, we col- of gallery forest (TMRC, pers. obs.). We presume that this lected it, presuming that the mosquitofish would otherwise case of predation occurred when the frog accidentally jumped consume it entirely. Both the frog and the largest female mos- into the water while mosquitofish were actively foraging. quitofish are deposited in the Ichthyological Collection of the Zoological Collections, Instituto de Ecología y Sistemática, La Habana, Cuba (voucher: CZACC-9.63). In Cuba, the mosquitofish genus Gambusia comprises three currently recognized species (Ponce de León and Rodríguez 2010). Gambusia punctata (Fig. 4) is an endemic freshwater species widely distributed on the main island and on Isla de la Juventud, where it inhabits both lotic and lentic ecosystems in lowland and montane zones (Ponce de León and Rodríguez 2010). It is a relatively large species in the fam- ily Poeciliidae, with females attaining total lengths approach- Fig. 4. Live Cuban Mosquitofish (Gambusia punctata) (largest female) ing 100 mm (Poey 1854; Ponce de León and Rodríguez observed predating a Rosario Red-legged Frog (Eleutherodatylus zugi) on 2010). It is a highly voracious and opportunistic surface- the Cajálbana Plateau, Pinar del Río Province.
96 RODRÍGUEZ-CABRERA1 AND RODRÍGUEZ SILVA IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS • 22(3):95–97 • SEP 2015
Fig. 5. Collected specimens of the Cuban Mosquitofish (Gambusia punctata) (largest female) and the Rosario Red-legged Frog (Eleutherodatylus zugi) from the Cajálbana Plateau, Pinar del Río Province.
Acknowledgements R.W. Henderson (eds.), Island lists of West Indian amphibians and reptiles. We thank Sheila Rodríguez, Ansel Fong, Javier Torres, and Bulletin of the Florida Museum of Natural History 51:85–166. Fong, A.G., G.G. Garcés, and E.F. Portuondo. 1996. Invertebrados en la alimen- Ruben Marrero for providing literature and/or useful com- tación de Gambusia punctata (Cyprinodontiformes: Poeciliidae) en aguas ments on the manuscript. We also thank Sheyla Yong for marinas. Cocuyo 5:13–14. helping us update the names of insect predators reported for Hedges, S.B. and L.M. Díaz. 2004. Eleutherodactylus zugi. In: The IUCN Red List Eleutherodactylus. We also thank the administration of the of Threatened Species Version 2014.3.
97