The Cuban Boa, Chilabothrus Angulifer

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

The Cuban Boa, Chilabothrus Angulifer WWW.IRCF.ORG/REPTILESANDAMPHIBIANSJOURNALTABLE OF CONTENTS IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANSIRCF REPTILES • VOL15, N &O 4AMPHIBIANS • DEC 2008 189 • 22(1):8–15 • MAR 2015 IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS CONSERVATION AND NATURAL HISTORY TABLE OF CONTENTS FEATURE ARTICLES At the. Chasing Lower Bullsnakes (Pituophis catenifer Size sayi) in Wisconsin: Limit of Snakes Preying 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: on BatsA Hypothetical in Excursionthe ............................................................................................................................ West Indies: The RobertCuban W. Henderson 198 Boa, RESEARCHChilabothrus ARTICLES angulifer (Boidae) . 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 1 2 3 .............................................Tomás M. BrianRodríguez-Cabrera J. Camposano, Kenneth L., Krysko,Javier Kevin Torres M. Enge,, andEllen M.Ruben Donlan, Marreroand Michael Granatosky 212 1Jardín Botánico de Cienfuegos, Cienfuegos, CP 59290, Cuba ([email protected]) CONSERVATION ALERT 2Departamento de Biología Animal y Humana, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de la Habana, La Habana, CP 10400, Cuba ([email protected]) . 3 DivisiónWorld’s de Zoología Mammals dein CrisisVertebrados, ............................................................................................................................................................. Instituto de Ecología y Sistemática, La Habana, CP 10800, Cuba ([email protected]) 220 . More Than Mammals ...................................................................................................................................................................... 223 . The “Dow Jones Index” of Biodiversity ........................................................................................................................................... 225 HUSBANDRY . Abstract.—Bat predationCaptive Care ofby the snakes Central Netted has Dragon been ....................................................................................................... repeatedly documented in the literature, Shannon particularly Plummer 226 for boids and colu- broids. In the PROFILEWest Indies, species of the genus Chilabothrus (Boidae) are the most frequently reported bat predators. However, bats are. Kraig difficult Adler: A Lifetime to capture, Promoting Herpetologyand reports ................................................................................................ of bat-predating snakes smaller than Michael 1 L. mTreglia in total234 length are very scarce. Herein COMMENTARYwe report bat predation in very young Cuban Boas (C. angulifer), the smallest of which represents the minimum size record. The Turtles for boidHave Been snakes Watching preying Me ........................................................................................................................ on bats anywhere in the Neotropics. In contrast Eric Gangloff to most238 boids, the large size of neonatalBOOK Cuban REVIEW Boas allows the consumption of endotherms as well as ectotherms soon after birth, including bats captured on .theThreatened wing Amphibians while exiting of the World or editedentering by S.N. caves. Stuart, M. Hoffmann, J.S. Chanson, N.A. Cox, R. Berridge, P. Ramani, and B.E. Young .............................................................................................................. Robert Powell 243 “ or many species CONSERVATION of medium-sized RESEARCH to large REPORTS: snakes, Summaries bat of Published Conservation The endemic Research ReportsCuban ................................. Boa, Chilabothrus 245 angulifer (Bibron Fcolonies represent NATURAL a potential HISTORY concentration RESEARCH REPORTS of food: Summaries to of Published1840), Reports is the on onlyNatural representativeHistory ................................. of the 247 family Boidae in Cuba be exploited” (Esbérard NEWBRIEFS and Vrcibradic ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 2007). This can lead and is the largest snake on the Archipelago 248 (Henderson and EDITORIAL INFORMATION ..................................................................................................................................................... 251 some individuals to FOCUS“specialize” ON CONSERVATION (in this case: A more Project Youproperly Can Support ...............................................................................................Powell 2009). It is widespread across 252 the main island, Isla “habituate”) on bat hunting if large bat populations inhabit de la Juventud, and some adjacent keys, ranging in elevation their home ranges (Kowalski 1995). Two basic modes of pre- from sea level to 1,214 m (e.g., Henderson and Arias 2001; dation on bats are hunting active animals outside or exiting Rodríguez et al. 2010; Estrada 2012; Rodríguez et al. 2013). refuges and preying on animals (activeFront orCover. inactive) Shannon Plummer.inside ref- ThisBack species Cover. occursMichael Kern in a great variety of habitats, but is par- Totat et velleseque audant mo Totat et velleseque audant mo uges (Esbérard and Vrcibradic 2007).estibus When inveliquo flying, velique rerchil bats are ticularlyestibus inveliquo abundant velique rerchil in karstic situations (e.g., Schwartz and fast-moving, and capturing them requireserspienimus, skill, quos accullabo.strength, Ilibus and erspienimus,Henderson quos accullabo.1991; IlibusTolson and Henderson 1993; Henderson possibly a high expenditure of energy,aut dolor probably apicto invere accounting pe dolum andaut dolor Powell apicto invere2009). pe dolum fugiatis maionsequat eumque fugiatis maionsequat eumque for most records of Neotropical snakesmoditia striking erere nonsedis at flyingma sectiatur bats moditia Suggestions erere nonsedis ma of sectia bat- predation by Cuban Boas abound pertaining to species in the family maBoidae derrovitae (see voluptam, Esbérard as quos and sincetur ma thederrovitae beginning voluptam, as of the 20th Century (Miller 1904; accullabo. Vrcibradic 2007 for a review). The prehensile tail and mus- Barbour and Ramsden 1919; Barbour 1945; Schwartz cular strength of boids (constricting snakes) allow them to and Ogren 1956; Silva and Koopman 1964; Silva 1979; wait in ambush for bats while hanging from branches, vines, Berovides and Carbonell 1998), but were confirmed on only roots or limestone outcrops at the entrances or ceilings of a few occasions (Hardy 1957; Sheplan and Schwartz 1974; caves (e.g., Rodríguez-Durán 1996; Puente-Rolón and Bird- Mancina 2011), despite the fact that it is a relatively common Picó 2004; Esbérard and Vrcibradic 2007). Furthermore, phenomenon in caves throughout Cuba (T.M. Rodríguez- this muscular strength must provide an additional advantage Cabrera, pers. obs.). This behavior also has been reported when absorbing the impact and stopping the inertia of fly- in at least three other West Indian boid snakes: The Puerto ing bats. Consistent with this last assumption, despite the Rican Boa, C. inornatus (e.g., Rodríguez and Reagan 1984; fact that colubroids constitute the second most frequently Rodríguez-Durán 1996; Wiley 2003; Puente-Rolón and reported Neotropical snake group preying on bats (Esbérard Bird-Picó 2004; Puente-Rolón 2012), the Jamaican Boa, and Vrcibradic 2007), predation on flying bats by colubroids C. subflavus (Prior and Gibson 1997; Koenig and Schwartz appears to be occasional (e.g., Herreid 1961; Hammer and 2003; Dávalos and Eriksson 2004), and the St. Lucia Boa, Arlettaz 1998). Boa orophias (Arendt and Anthony 1986). However, only C. Copyright © 2015. Tomás M. Rodríguez-Cabrera. All rights reserved. 8 RODRÍGUEZ-CABRERA ET AL. IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS • 22(1):8–15 • MAR 2015 inornatus has been widely documented as commonly exploit- sis) and as a nocturnal refugium by Waterhouse’s Leaf-nosed ing bats as a trophic resource in caves. Additionally, bat pre- Bats (Macrotus waterhousei) (T.M. Rodríguez-Cabrera, pers. dation has been suggested for the Grenada Boa, Corallus gre- obs.). Although large concentrations of bats occur in both nadensis (R.W. Henderson in Henderson and Powell 2009) caves, the geomorphology and climatic parameters do not and the Hispaniolan Boa (Chilabothrus striatus) has been fulfill the criteria for “hot caves” (see Silva 1977, 1979; Cruz observed foraging for bats at cave openings (J.A. Ottenwalder 1992). Both caves are surrounded by semideciduous forest in Henderson and Powell 2009), but feeding events have not interspersed with secondary vegetation. been confirmed. We weighed all captured snakes to the nearest 5 g with Bat predation has not been reported for West Indian a Pesola® spring scale (Medio-Line 600 g), measured snout- boids smaller than 900 mm SVL. Herein, we report very small vent length (SVL), tail length (TL), and mid-body circumfer- Cuban Boas directly preying or foraging for bats inside caves. ence (MBC) to the nearest 1 mm using a cord and a flexible One of them represents the minimum size record for any boid measuring tape, and head length with a Stainless Steel Vernier snake known to prey on bats in the
Recommended publications
  • Epicrates Inornatus)Ina Hurricane Impacted Forest1
    BIOTROPICA 36(4): 555±571 2004 Spatial Ecology of Puerto Rican Boas (Epicrates inornatus)ina Hurricane Impacted Forest1 Joseph M. Wunderle Jr. 2, Javier E. Mercado International Institute of Tropical Forestry, USDA Forest Service, P.O. Box 490, Palmer, Puerto Rico 00721, U.S.A. Bernard Parresol Southern Research Station, USDA Forest Service, 200 Weaver Blvd., P.O. Box 2680, Asheville, North Carolina 28802, U.S.A. and Esteban Terranova International Institute of Tropical Forestry, USDA Forest Service, P.O. Box 490, Palmer, Puerto Rico 00721, U.S.A. ABSTRACT Spatial ecology of Puerto Rican boas (Epicrates inornatus, Boidae) was studied with radiotelemetry in a subtropical wet forest recovering from a major hurricane (7±9 yr previous) when Hurricane Georges struck. Different boas were studied during three periods relative to Hurricane Georges: before only; before and after; and after only. Mean daily movement per month increased throughout the three periods, indicating that the boas moved more after the storm than before. Radio-tagged boas also became more visible to observers after the hurricane. Throughout the three periods, the sexes differed in movements, with males moving greater distances per move and moving more frequently than females. Males showed a bimodal peak of movement during April and June in contrast to the females' July peak. Sexes did not differ in annual home range size, which had a median value of 8.5 ha (range 5 2.0±105.5 ha, N 5 18) for 95 percent adaptive kernal. Females spent more time on or below ground than did males, which were mostly arboreal.
    [Show full text]
  • U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Caribbean Ecological Services Field Office March 2019
    U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE CARIBBEAN ECOLOGICAL SERVICES FIELD OFFICE MARCH 2019 Conservation Measures for the Virgin Islands tree boa (Chilabothrus granti) The endangered Virgin Islands (VI) tree boa (Chilabothrus granti, formerly Epicrates monensis granti) is a small, slender, nocturnal, arboreal non-venomous snake. The VI boa does not pose any life threating danger to human beings. Although considered docile, some individuals might try to bite if disturbed or during capture and handling. Newborn and juveniles are a light grey with brown to black blotches along their bodies, and darken as they mature into adults. Adults may reach between 3 to 4 feet in length. Within U.S. jurisdiction, VI boas are found on the northeast side of Puerto Rico, Culebra Island, east end of St. Thomas, and on a few offshore cays. They are also found in some islands in the British Virgin Islands. They generally live in xeric (dry) habitat, which is characterized by poor rocky soils, in scrub woodland or subtropical dry forest with high density of interdigitating branches and vines connecting adjacent tree canopies. The VI boa is difficult to detect in the wild and can be found moving among branches, vines, and crawling on the ground at night. During the day they are mostly sheltered and out of sight. Some individuals have been found in or close to houses, especially if near their habitat. All projects should avoid affecting the VI boa and its habitat. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) has developed the following conservation measures with the purpose of assisting others to avoid and minimize adverse impacts to the species and its habitat.
    [Show full text]
  • Attacked from Above and Below, New Observations of Cooperative and Solitary Predators on Roosting Cave Bats
    bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/550582; this version posted February 17, 2019. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under aCC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license. Attacked from above and below, new observations of cooperative and solitary predators on roosting cave bats Krizler Cejuela. Tanalgo1, 2, 3, 7*, Dave L. Waldien4, 5, 6, Norma Monfort6, Alice Catherine Hughes1, 3* 1Landscape Ecology Group, Centre for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan Province 666303, People’s Republic of China 2International College, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, People’s Republic of China 3Southeast Asia Biodiversity Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan Province 666303, People’s Republic of China 4Harrison Institute, Bowerwood House, 15 St Botolph’s Road, Sevenoaks, Kent, TN13 3AQ, United Kingdom 5Christopher Newport University, 1 Avenue of the Arts, Newport News, VA 23606, United States of America 6Philippine Bats for Peace Foundation Inc., 5 Ramona Townhomes, Guadalupe Village, Lanang, Davao City 7Department of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, University of Southern Mindanao, Kabacan 9407, North Cotabato, the Republic of the Philippines Corresponding authors: ACH ([email protected]) and KCT ([email protected]) Landscape Ecology Group, Centre for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan Province 666303, People’s Republic of China Abstract Predation of bats in their roosts has previously only been attributed to a limited number of species such as various raptors, owls, and snakes.
    [Show full text]
  • Natural History Notes 857
    NATURAL HISTORY NOTES 857 and sometimes small mammals (Whitaker and Captain 2004. SUBRAT DEBATA, Department of Biodiversity and Conservation of Snakes of India. Macmillan India Ltd., New Delhi. 354 pp.). Natural Resources, Central University of Orissa, Koraput, Odisha, India; e- Cannibalism and scavenging are also known in this species mail: [email protected]. (Smith 1913. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 23:373; Mohapatra 2011 Herpetol. Rev. 42:436–437; Deshmukh et al. 2016. ICRF Reptiles CHILABOTHRUS CHRYSOGASTER CHRYSOGASTER (Turks and Amphibians 23:169–170). On 30 November 2015, at ca. 0052 Island Boa). DIET. Chilabothrus chrysogaster chrysogaster con- h, we observed a B. caeruleus (total length ca. 128 cm) preying sumes a variety of small to medium-sized endothermic and ecto- on an Eryx whitakeri (Whitaker’s Boa; total length ca. 45 cm) at thermic prey (Reynolds and Gerber 2012. J. Herpetol. 46:578–586). Goa University Campus, Goa, India (15.2736°N, 73.5008°E, WGS On small islands, adults and juveniles are largely saurophagous 84; 57 m elev.). Eryx whitakeri is a medium-sized nocturnal (Reynolds and Niemiller 2011. Herpetol. Rev. 42:290), or sea- constrictor in the family Boidae, endemic to Western Ghats of sonally prey on native or migratory songbirds (Schwartz and India (Whitaker and Captain, op. cit.). The B. caeruleus bit and Henderson 1991. Amphibians and Reptiles of the West Indies: held the prey mid body and the snakes struggled for ca. 43 min, Descriptions, Distributions, and Natural History. University of until venom began to subdue the E. whitakeri (Fig. 1). The prey Florida Press, Gainesville, Florida.
    [Show full text]
  • Unexpected Shallow Genetic Divergence in Turks Island Boas (Epicrates C. Chrysogaster) Reveals Single Evolutionarily Significant Unit for Conservation Author(S) :R
    Unexpected Shallow Genetic Divergence in Turks Island Boas (Epicrates c. chrysogaster) Reveals Single Evolutionarily Significant Unit for Conservation Author(s) :R. Graham Reynolds, Glenn P. Gerber, and Benjamin M. Fitzpatrick Source: Herpetologica, 67(4):477-486. 2011. Published By: The Herpetologists' League DOI: URL: http://www.bioone.org/doi/full/10.1655/HERPETOLOGICA- D-11-00014.1 BioOne (www.bioone.org) is a a nonprofit, online aggregation of core research in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences. BioOne provides a sustainable online platform for over 170 journals and books published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses. Your use of this PDF, the BioOne Web site, and all posted and associated content indicates your acceptance of BioOne’s Terms of Use, available at www.bioone.org/page/ terms_of_use. Usage of BioOne content is strictly limited to personal, educational, and non-commercial use. Commercial inquiries or rights and permissions requests should be directed to the individual publisher as copyright holder. BioOne sees sustainable scholarly publishing as an inherently collaborative enterprise connecting authors, nonprofit publishers, academic institutions, research libraries, and research funders in the common goal of maximizing access to critical research. Herpetologica, 67(4), 2011, 477–486 E 2011 by The Herpetologists’ League, Inc. UNEXPECTED SHALLOW GENETIC DIVERGENCE IN TURKS ISLAND BOAS (EPICRATES C. CHRYSOGASTER) REVEALS SINGLE EVOLUTIONARILY SIGNIFICANT UNIT FOR CONSERVATION 1,3 2 1 R. GRAHAM REYNOLDS ,GLENN P. GERBER , AND BENJAMIN M. FITZPATRICK 1Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA 2Institute for Conservation Research, San Diego Zoo Global, Escondido, CA 92027, USA ABSTRACT: The Turks Island Boa (Epicrates c.
    [Show full text]
  • Coordinated Hunting by Cuban Boas
    ABC 2017, 4(1):24-29 Animal Behavior and Cognition DOI: 10.12966/abc.02.02.2017 ©Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0) Coordinated Hunting by Cuban Boas Vladimir Dinets1,* 1University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN *Corresponding author (Email: [email protected]) Citation – Dinets, V. (2017). Coordinated hunting by Cuban boas. Animal Behavior and Cognition, 4(1), 24–29. doi: 10.12966/abc.02.02.2017 Abstract - Coordinated hunting, in which individual predators relate in time and space to each other’s actions, is uncommon in animals, and is often difficult to distinguish from simply hunting in non-coordinated groups, which is much more common. The author tested if Cuban boas (Chilabothrus angulifer) hunting bats in cave passages take into account other boas’ positions when choosing hunting sites, and whether their choices increase hunting efficiency. Snakes arriving to the hunting area were significantly more likely to position themselves in the part of the passage where other snakes were already present, forming a “fence” across the passage and thus more effectively blocking the flight path of the prey, significantly increasing hunting efficiency. This is the first study to test for coordination between hunting reptiles, rather than assume such coordination based on perceived complexity of hunting behavior. Keywords – Boidae, Chilabothrus angulifer, Cooperative hunting, Cuba, Predation, Social behavior Coordinated hunting, in which individual predators relate in time and space to each other’s actions, is uncommon but widespread in animals (Bailey,
    [Show full text]
  • 2019. Gada Darbības Pārskats
    RĪGAS NACIONĀLAIS ZOOLOĢISKAIS DĀRZS 2O19 RĪGAS NACIONĀLAIS ZOOLOĢISKAIS DĀRZS 2019. GADĀ Rīgas zoodārzs atvērts 1912. gada 14. oktobrī. Paš- zā vairojās 15 EEP sugas, t.sk. trīs savvaļā izmirušas glie- reizējā teritorija – 20 ha. mežu partulu sugas. 1992. gadā Rīgas zoodārzs iestājās Eiropas Zoodār- 2019. gada beigās 79 sugas iekļautas Pasaules Sarkana- zu un akvāriju asociācijā – EAZA (European Associa- jā grāmatā kā apdraudētas (kategorijas VU, EN, CR, EW). tion of Zoos and Aquaria). 2019. gadā Rīgas zoodārzā vairojās 18 no tām. 1993. gadā izveidota Rīgas zoodārza filiāle “Cīruļi” Sīkāk par aizsargājamajām sugām zoodārza kolekcijā – Aizputes novada Kalvenes pagastā (pašreizējā terito- 70. lpp. rija – 132 ha). Zoodārzā notiek dzīvnieku uzvedības pētījumi, 2019. gadā sākti ekotoksikoloģiskie pētījumi. Apmeklētāji Sīkāk par pētījumiem zoodārzā – 21. lpp. Apmeklētāju skaits 2019. gadā – 327 403. Sugu saglabāšana un pētījumi dabā Jaunas ekspozīcijas Rīgas zoodārza līdzšinējais svarīgākais ieguldī jums Āfrikas Savannas ekspozīcija. bioloģiskās daudzveidības saglabāšanā ir 1988.– Invazīvo sugu ekspozīcijas – invazīvo bezmugur- 1992. gadā veiktā Eiropas kokvardes populācijas at- kaulnieku un zivju ekspozīcija Akvārijā un šakāļu eks­­­po - jaunošana Kurzemē. zīcija. 2019. gadā Rīgas zoodārzs uzsāka atjaunotās kokvaržu Sīkāk par būvdarbiem un remontdarbiem 2019. gadā – populācijas monitoringu. Zoodārzs aicināja Latvijas iedzī- 5. lpp. votājus ziņot par kokvaržu atradnēm, un zoodārza speciā- listi veica kokvaržu uzskaiti un ekoloģijas pētījumus. Dzīvnieku kolekcija Sīkāk par kokvaržu projektu – rakstā 51. lpp. 2019. gada 31. decembrī dzīvnieku kolekcijā bija 398 sugu 2314 dzīvnieki. Dzīvnieku rehabilitācija 2019. gadā vairojās 129 sugu dzīvnieki, piedzima vai 2019. gadā zoodārza karantīnā tika uzņemti 48 ne- izšķīlās 540 mazuļi. laimē nokļuvuši savvaļas dzīvnieki, kā arī 86 konfiscēti Sīkāk par dzīvnieku kolekciju – 22.
    [Show full text]
  • Výroční Zpráva
    2017 VÝROČNÍ ZPRÁVA Zoologická a botanická zahrada města Plzně / VÝROČNÍ ZPRÁVA 2017 Zoologická a botanická zahrada města Plzně Zoological and Botanical Garden Pilsen/ Annual Report 2017 Provozovatel ZOOLOGICKÁ A BOTANICKÁ ZAHRADA MĚSTA PLZNĚ, příspěvková organizace ZOOLOGICKÁ A BOTANICKÁ ZAHRADA MĚSTA PLZNĚ POD VINICEMI 9, 301 00 PLZEŇ, CZECH REPUBLIC tel.: 00420/378 038 325, fax: 00420/378 038 302 e-mail: [email protected], www.zooplzen.cz Vedení zoo Management Ředitel Ing. Jiří Trávníček Director Ekonom Jiřina Zábranská Economist Provozní náměstek Ing. Radek Martinec Assistent director Vedoucí zoo. oddělení Bc. Tomáš Jirásek Head zoologist Zootechnik Svatopluk Jeřáb Zootechnicist Zoolog Ing. Lenka Václavová Curator of monkeys, carnivores Jan Konáš Curator of reptiles Miroslava Palacká Curator of ungulates Botanický náměstek, zoolog Ing. Tomáš Peš Head botanist, curator of birds, small mammals Botanik Mgr. Václava Pešková Botanist Propagace, PR Mgr. Martin Vobruba Education and PR Sekretariát Alena Voráčková Secretary Privátní veterinář MVDr. Jan Pokorný Veterinary Celkový počet zaměstnanců Total Employees (k 31. 12. 2017) 130 Zřizovatel Plzeň, statutární město, náměstí Republiky 1, Plzeň IČO: 075 370 tel.: 00420/378 031 111 Fotografie: Kateřina Misíková, Jiří Trávníček, Tomáš Peš, Miroslav Volf, Martin Vobruba, Jiřina Pešová, archiv Zoo a BZ, DinoPark, Oživená prehistorie a autoři článků Redakce výroční zprávy: Jiří Trávníček, Martin Vobruba, Tomáš Peš, Alena Voráčková, Kateřina Misíková, Pavel Toman, David Nováček a autoři příspěvků 1 výroční
    [Show full text]
  • Systematics of Quaternary Squamata from Cuba
    UNIVERSIDADE DE SÃO PAULO MUSEU DE ZOOLOGIA Ernesto Aranda Pedroso Systematics of Quaternary Squamata from Cuba Sistemática dos Squamata Quaternários de Cuba Corrected version Dissertation presented to the PostGraduate Program of the Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo to obtain the degree of Master of Science (Systematics, Animal Taxonomy and Biodiversity) Advisor: Hussam El Dine Zaher Co-Advisor: Luis Manuel Díaz Beltrán São Paulo 2019 Resumo Aranda E. (2019). Sistemática dos Squama do Quaternário de Cuba. (Dissertação de Mestrado). Museu de Zoologia, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo. A paleontologia de répteis no Caribe é um tema de grande interesse para entender como a fauna atual da área foi constituída a partir da colonização e extinção dos seus grupos. O maior número de fósseis pertence a Squamata, que vá desde o Eoceno até nossos dias. O registro abrange todas as ilhas das Grandes Antilhas, a maioria das Pequenas Antilhas e as Bahamas. Cuba, a maior ilha das Antilhas, tem um registro fóssil de Squamata relativamente escasso, com 11 espécies conhecidas de 10 localidades, distribuídas no oeste e centro do país. No entanto, existem muitos outros fósseis depositados em coleções biológicas sem identificação que poderiam esclarecer melhor a história de sua fauna de répteis. Um total de 328 fósseis de três coleções paleontológicas foi selecionado para sua análise, a busca de características osteológicas diagnosticas do menor nível taxonômico possível, e compará-los com outros fósseis e espécies recentes. No presente trabalho, o registro fóssil de Squamata é aumentado, tanto em número de espécies quanto em número de localidades. O registro é estendido a praticamente todo o território cubano.
    [Show full text]
  • EC) No 338/97 on the Protection of Species of Wild Fauna and Flora by Regulating Trade Therein
    12.8.2010 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 212/1 II (Non-legislative acts) REGULATIONS COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) No 709/2010 of 22 July 2010 amending Council Regulation (EC) No 338/97 on the protection of species of wild fauna and flora by regulating trade therein THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION, (7) The species Ctenosaura bakeri, C. oedirhina, C. melanosterna, C. palearis, Agalychnis spp., Dynastes satanas, Operculicarya hyphaenoides, O. pachypus, Zygosicyos pubescens, Z. Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European tripartitus, Aniba rosaeodora (with annotation), Adenia Union, olaboensis, Cyphostemma elephantopus, C. montagnacii and Bulnesia sarmientoi (with annotation) have been included in Appendix II. Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 338/97 of 9 December 1996 on the protection of species of wild fauna 1 and flora by regulating trade therein ( ), and in particular (8) The Appendix II listing of Beccariophoenix madagascariensis Article 19(5) thereof, and Neodypsis decaryi was extended to include seeds from Madagascar. Whereas: (9) The following species have been deleted from Appendix III to the Convention at the request of Malaysia: Arbo­ (1) Regulation (EC) No 338/97 lists animal and plant species rophila campbelli, Arborophila charltonii, Caloperdix oculeus, in respect of which trade is restricted or controlled. Lophura erythrophthalma, Lophura ignita, Melanoperdix niger, Those lists incorporate the lists set out in the Appendices Polyplectron inopinatum, Rhizothera dulitensis, Rhizothera to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered longirostris and Rollulus rouloul, and the species Haliotis Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, hereinafter ‘the midae has been deleted from Appendix III to the Convention’.
    [Show full text]
  • Systematic Revision of the Early Miocene Fossil Pseudoepicrates
    Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2018, XX, 1–18. With 10 figures. Systematic revision of the early Miocene fossil Pseudoepicrates (Serpentes: Boidae): implications for the evolution and historical biogeography of the West Indian boid snakes (Chilabothrus) SILVIO ONARY1* AND ANNIE S. HSIOU1 1Departamento de Biologia, Laboratório de Paleontologia de Ribeirão Preto, Faculdade de Filosofia Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil. Received 20 June 2017; revised 28 November 2017; accepted for publication 23 December 2017 The taxonomy of the early Miocene genus Pseudoepicrates is controversial. Originally interpreted as the viperid Neurodromicus, subsequent work deemed the material to represent an extinct boid, Pseudoepicrates stanolseni. However, more recent work considered Pseudoepicrates to be a synonym of the extant Boa constrictor. Due to these conflicting interpretations, we provide a revision of the systematic affinities of P. stanolseni. This redescription was based on the first-hand analysis of all material of Pseudoepicrates, together with the comparison of extant boids. Our findings suggest that, in addition to being an invalid taxon, ‘Pseudoepicrates’ cannot be referred to B. constric- tor. Instead, the extant Chilabothrus is here regarded as the most cogent generic assignment, with Chilabothrus stanolseni comb. nov. proposed for the extinct species. The referral of this material to Chilabothrus suggests that the genus originated as early as ~18.5 Mya. The revised history of this record has interesting implications for our understanding of the early divergence of the group. The presence of Chilabothrus in the early Miocene of Florida supports biogeographical hypotheses, which suggest that the genus reached the West Indian island complex around 22 Mya, dispersing into the North American territory by at least 18.5 Mya.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 ¡Cuba! Opens at the American Museum of Natural History
    Media Inquiries: Kendra Snyder, Department of Communications 212-496-3419, [email protected] www.amnh.org _____________________________________________________________________________________ November 2016 ¡CUBA! OPENS AT THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY NEW EXHIBITION EXPLORES THE ISLAND’S RICH BIODIVERSITY AND CULTURE Cuba is a place of exceptional biodiversity and cultural richness, and now a new bilingual exhibition at the American Museum of Natural History will offer visitors fresh insights into this island nation just 94 miles from Florida’s shores. With a close look at Cuba’s unique natural history, including its native species, highly diverse ecosystems, and geology, ¡Cuba! also explores Cuba’s history, traditions, and contemporary Cuban voices to inspire novel perspectives on this dynamic country. ¡Cuba! opens for a weekend of Member previews on Friday, November 18, and will be on view from Monday, November 21, 2016, to August 13, 2017. “American Museum of Natural History scientists have worked in collaboration with colleagues in Cuba for many decades, studying the extraordinary biological diversity and endemism of this island nation,” said Ellen V. Futter, President of the American Museum of Natural History. “We are delighted now to work in collaboration with the National Natural History Museum in Havana in a groundbreaking partnership to present this major exhibition exploring Cuba’s amazing and unique nature and culture, especially at a time when cultural understanding and education are critically important.” Technically an archipelago of more than 4,000 islands and keys, Cuba is the largest island nation in the Caribbean—and one of the region’s most ecologically diverse countries. About 50 percent of its plants and 32 percent of its vertebrate animals are endemic, meaning they are found only on the island.
    [Show full text]