NEWSLETTER Volume 12-13 • Winter 2013 The mission of the IUCN SSC Iguana Specialist Group is to prioritize and facilitate conservation, science, and awareness programs that help ensure the survival of wild iguanas and their habitats. IN THIS ISSUE ISG Updates...............................1 ISG Updates Iguana News..............................5 2011 Taxon Reports..................7 A Message from the Co-chairs C. cychlura cychlura..........7 and Program Officer C. cychlura inornata..........9 fter a protracted hiatus, the International Union for Conserva- Ation of Nature Species Survival Commission Iguana Specialist C. nubila nubila...............14 Group (IUCN SSC ISG) Newsletter has been resurrected in an effort to provide annual “hard copy” documentation of our group’s I. delicatissima.................16 activities, project updates, and to further promote communica- tion within the group and externally. We have seen significant 2013 Taxon Report..................19 changes since the last newsletter was published in 2008. Stesha C. cychlura inornata.........19 Pasachnik (San Diego Zoo Global) and Chuck Knapp (Shedd Aquar- ium) have assumed co-chair responsibilities for the ISG, while Recent Literature.....................25 Tandora Grant has received institutional support from San Diego Zoo Global to serve as program officer. A new steering commit- ISG Contact Information..........30 tee was also formed and consists of members Allison Alberts, Daniel Ariano-Sánchez, Glenn Gerber, Peter Harlow, Rick Hud- son, John B. Iverson, and Catherine L. Stephen (http://www.iucn- isg.org/about/isg-committees). We are indebted to our previous co-chairs, Glenn Gerber (San Diego Zoo Global) and Miguel Garcia (Puerto Rico Department of Natural Resources and Environment) for their dedicated service and efforts to advance and improve the ISG. Thank you! The ISG has expanded in recent years and now includes 85 mem- bers from 24 countries, plus Puerto Rico for the 2013–2016 term. We are particularly excited about the increased membership from people working in range countries where iguana species occur. The efficacy of the group is more potent with in-country stake- holder commitment and advocacy. We hope that the newsletter facilitates partnerships and idea sharing from those who are unable to attend the annual meetings. The newsletter will also serve as an archive of activities and a reference for citing data and anecdotes. In order to maximize the effectiveness of the conservation, research, education, or act as a 2 newsletter, we need membership participation. valuable resource for information on iguanas, We rely on you to draft taxonomic updates and contributing to the overall visibility of the ISG submit reports. Updates, reports, and current during their 4-year term. Examples of mem- events will be posted initially on the website. At ber involvement include: active participation at the end of the year, all information received will annual meetings, contribution to Red List assess- be compiled into one volume and published by ments, group organization and administration, the ISG during the first quarter of the following in-kind contributions to programs (artwork, year. Because of our hiatus, we included historic, translation services, photography, desktop pub- non-published information from 2011–2013 in lishing), participation in conservation research this current volume (12–13) and will resume vol- efforts, and publication of research and conser- ume 14 (to cover year 2014) in the first quarter vation activities in scientific, government, and of 2015. public outlets. Please let us know if you have any comments or suggestions. We look forward to serving you and increasing the usefulness of the ISG. Reformatted ISG Website All our best, n mid-2013, version 3 of the ISG website was Ilaunched with a completely redesigned look, Chuck, Stesha, and Tandora and added new features and content. Tandora Grant (ISG, San Diego Zoo) created the site with the (nearly volunteer) expertise of a web devel- oper and designer friend Taylor Tay. Special ISG Membership Definition thanks go to George Waters for his help with the previous site built by Capstone, John Binns for mong the first duties for the new officers and inspiration from the original version 1, and John ASteering Committee was to create a “defini- Iverson for editorial help and framework ideas. tion” of the group and its members. The follow- ing statement expresses what Iguana Specialist Group members are, how and why they are cho- sen, and what is expected of them during their term. As a volunteer network, the group succeeds by active participation from all of its members who contribute to our overall goal in a variety of ways. A full list of the membership can be found on our website (http://www.iucn-isg.org/about/ isg-members). The Iguana Specialist Group is comprised of volunteer experts with an interest in conser- vation of the world’s iguana species. We serve as the collective authority on iguanas and their status in the wild. Invitation is by suggestion of a current member, confirmation by another, and approval from the Steering Committee. Removal from the group is determined by a majority decision of the Steering Committee or request of the member. We seek to include representa- tives throughout the range countries of iguanas, as well as individuals with conservation and/or research expertise with each taxon. ISG members encompass a diverse group The new site is built on an easily editable of skills – scientific, education and outreach, con- platform so that information can be updated fre- servation management, husbandry, fundraising, quently with member contributions. The site con- information technology, and policy. Members tains archives of our meetings and publications, ISG Newsletter 12 - 13 • Winter 2013 represent universities, zoological organizations, as well as recent taxon reports from the field, the private sector, NGOs, and government agen- volunteer opportunity postings, and taxonomic cies. Members must play an active role in information on iguana species. A template has been created to populate the site with species All visitors to the Library have access to accounts, which will serve as a valuable source search functions and the ability to export search 3 of information from “the authoritative group on results as text files, pdfs, rtfs, etc. If the arti- knowledge of iguanas”. Currently, the species cle was published in a newspaper, open-access account for the Jamaican Iguana and Common journal, or before 1923, a pdf copy is download- Green Iguana are posted. Additional content, able for everyone (if the Library has a copy!). help, and ideas from the membership are needed ISG members have a specific login that allows and appreciated! access to download all the available pdfs in the A Virtual Library was added to the site Library. This eliminates the step of members under the Publications Tab at the end of 2013 individually asking Tandora to share a copy of (http://library.iucn-isg.org). The Library con- articles, but still conforms to copyright laws by tains ~1700 references for all species of igua- keeping the login within a private group. Mem- nas, in the form of Journal Articles, Books, Book bers are asked that they do NOT share their login Chapters, Reports, Theses, Conference Proceed- information freely with others, as this violates ings, Magazine/Website/Newspaper Articles, and copyright laws. Temporary logins for someone, even a few videos. New articles continue to be such as a student, can be created by emailing a added regularly, plus an additional collection of request to Tandora. Otherwise, anyone can send ~80 website articles and our ISG meeting presen- an exported list of the references for which they tations are scheduled to be included. would like copies to Tandora, and pdfs will be This Library has its origins many years returned. ago, as a Cyclura-only bibliography, started by Allison Alberts (San Diego Zoo) and transferred to Tandora. When the West Indian Iguana Special- ist Group expanded its mandate to include the The Iguana Taxonomic entire family, references were collected on the other iguana genera. The bibliography was origi- Working Group nally intended to be published through the Smith- sonian Herpetological Information Service, or as n 2011, the ISG created a special advisory a pdf made available on our website. However, Igroup to address taxonomic issues in iguanas - in 2012, we began to develop a far better orga- The Iguana Taxonomic Working Group (ITWG) - a nization and outlet for this collection with the necessary prerequisite for revision of our IUCN database programming help of Mathias Tobler Red List of Threatened Species assessments. (San Diego Zoo and Tapir Specialist Group) and John B. Iverson leads this group, which is com- the ISG website developer Taylor Tay. The col- prised of six additional people: Larry J. Buckley, lection is fairly complete for Cyclura, but has Kevin de Queiroz, Richard E. Etheridge, Bradford only scratched the surface for the other species – D. Hollingsworth, Stesha A. Pasachnik, and Cath- erine L. Stephen. Tandora Grant serves with the members are encouraged to help the Library con- ISG Newsletter 12 - 13 • Winter 2013 tinue to expand! Please contact Tandora if you group as consistency editor. The group mem- have publications to contribute to the Library. bers were invited to serve on this committee All references have complete citation based on their expertise in iguana systematics. information and an abstract when available. Spe- The first objective of the group was to compile cies names were also added to every reference to a working checklist for iguanas with the most direct the search engine when the title is vague up-to-date taxonomy (available at: http://www. or has no abstract. The species keyword does not iucn-isg.org/publications/general-publications). firmly indicate the subject of the article however, As additional research on the systematics and but is intended to draw a searcher’s attention to taxonomy of iguanas is published, the ITWG peri- some bit of data or information included on a odically updates the checklist.