Mourning Geckos (Lepidodactylus
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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. -
Draft Animal Keepers Species List
Revised NSW Native Animal Keepers’ Species List Draft © 2017 State of NSW and Office of Environment and Heritage With the exception of photographs, the State of NSW and Office of Environment and Heritage are pleased to allow this material to be reproduced in whole or in part for educational and non-commercial use, provided the meaning is unchanged and its source, publisher and authorship are acknowledged. Specific permission is required for the reproduction of photographs. The Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH) has compiled this report in good faith, exercising all due care and attention. No representation is made about the accuracy, completeness or suitability of the information in this publication for any particular purpose. OEH shall not be liable for any damage which may occur to any person or organisation taking action or not on the basis of this publication. Readers should seek appropriate advice when applying the information to their specific needs. All content in this publication is owned by OEH and is protected by Crown Copyright, unless credited otherwise. It is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0), subject to the exemptions contained in the licence. The legal code for the licence is available at Creative Commons. OEH asserts the right to be attributed as author of the original material in the following manner: © State of New South Wales and Office of Environment and Heritage 2017. Published by: Office of Environment and Heritage 59 Goulburn Street, Sydney NSW 2000 PO Box A290, -
Gekkonidae: Hemidactylus Frenatus)
A peer-reviewed open-access journal NeoBiota 27: 69–79On (2015) the origin of South American populations of the common house gecko 69 doi: 10.3897/neobiota.27.5437 RESEARCH ARTICLE NeoBiota http://neobiota.pensoft.net Advancing research on alien species and biological invasions On the origin of South American populations of the common house gecko (Gekkonidae: Hemidactylus frenatus) Omar Torres-Carvajal1 1 Museo de Zoología, Escuela de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Avenida 12 de Octubre 1076 y Roca, Apartado 17-01-2184, Quito, Ecuador Corresponding author: Omar Torres-Carvajal ([email protected]) Academic editor: Sven Bacher | Received 11 June 2015 | Accepted 27 August 2015 | Published 15 September 2015 Citation: Torres-Carvajal O (2015) On the origin of South American populations of the common house gecko (Gekkonidae: Hemidactylus frenatus). NeoBiota 27: 69–79. doi: 10.3897/neobiota.27.5437 Abstract Hemidactylus frenatus is an Asian gecko species that has invaded many tropical regions to become one of the most widespread lizards worldwide. This species has dispersed across the Pacific Ocean to reach Ha- waii and subsequently Mexico and other Central American countries. More recently, it has been reported from northwestern South America. Using 12S and cytb mitochondrial DNA sequences I found that South American and Galápagos haplotypes are identical to those from Hawaii and Papua New Guinea, suggest- ing a common Melanesian origin for both Hawaii and South America. Literature records suggest that H. frenatus arrived in Colombia around the mid-‘90s, dispersed south into Ecuador in less than five years, and arrived in the Galápagos about one decade later. -
A New Species of the Genus Lepidodactylus Fitzinger (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from the Mortlock Islands, Chuuk State, Federated States of Micronesia1
A New Species of the Genus Lepidodactylus Fitzinger (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from the Mortlock Islands, Chuuk State, Federated States of Micronesia1 Donald W. Buden2 Abstract: A new species in the Group II complex of the gekkonid lizard genus Lepidodactylus Fitzinger is described based on recently collected material from Namoluk Atoll, Mortlock Islands, Chuuk State, Federated States of Micronesia. Lepidodactylus oligoporus Buden, n. sp., is distinguished from other members of Group II by differences in the numbers of midbody scale rows (130–134), fourth-toe scansors (15–19), interorbital scales (34–35), and precloacal/femoral pore-bearing scales (12–15) and by the lack of cloacal spurs and the presence of a moderate amount of webbing between the toes. In body size and scutellation, it most resembles L. novaeguineae Brown & Parker from New Guinea and L. pulcher Boulenger from the Admiralty Islands. The gekkonid genus Lepidodactylus Fit- species (lugubris group) have the terminal as zinger includes 31 species (Uetz et al. 2005) well as several subterminal scansors divided that for the most part are distributed from or notched. Among the 10 species in Group Southeast Asia southward and eastward to II (see Zug et al. 2003), L. paurolepis Ota, the Indo-Australian Archipelago and Oceania Fischer, Ineich & Case from Palau is the (Bauer and Henle 1994, Ota et al. 2000, Zug only one recorded from the Caroline Islands, et al. 2003). With the exception of the par- a chain of high volcanic islands and many thenogenetic L. lugubris (Dumeril & Bibron) more low coralline atolls spanning approxi- and its two parental species (Radtkey et al. -
Literature Cited in Lizards Natural History Database
Literature Cited in Lizards Natural History database Abdala, C. S., A. S. Quinteros, and R. E. Espinoza. 2008. Two new species of Liolaemus (Iguania: Liolaemidae) from the puna of northwestern Argentina. Herpetologica 64:458-471. Abdala, C. S., D. Baldo, R. A. Juárez, and R. E. Espinoza. 2016. The first parthenogenetic pleurodont Iguanian: a new all-female Liolaemus (Squamata: Liolaemidae) from western Argentina. Copeia 104:487-497. Abdala, C. S., J. C. Acosta, M. R. Cabrera, H. J. Villaviciencio, and J. Marinero. 2009. A new Andean Liolaemus of the L. montanus series (Squamata: Iguania: Liolaemidae) from western Argentina. South American Journal of Herpetology 4:91-102. Abdala, C. S., J. L. Acosta, J. C. Acosta, B. B. Alvarez, F. Arias, L. J. Avila, . S. M. Zalba. 2012. Categorización del estado de conservación de las lagartijas y anfisbenas de la República Argentina. Cuadernos de Herpetologia 26 (Suppl. 1):215-248. Abell, A. J. 1999. Male-female spacing patterns in the lizard, Sceloporus virgatus. Amphibia-Reptilia 20:185-194. Abts, M. L. 1987. Environment and variation in life history traits of the Chuckwalla, Sauromalus obesus. Ecological Monographs 57:215-232. Achaval, F., and A. Olmos. 2003. Anfibios y reptiles del Uruguay. Montevideo, Uruguay: Facultad de Ciencias. Achaval, F., and A. Olmos. 2007. Anfibio y reptiles del Uruguay, 3rd edn. Montevideo, Uruguay: Serie Fauna 1. Ackermann, T. 2006. Schreibers Glatkopfleguan Leiocephalus schreibersii. Munich, Germany: Natur und Tier. Ackley, J. W., P. J. Muelleman, R. E. Carter, R. W. Henderson, and R. Powell. 2009. A rapid assessment of herpetofaunal diversity in variously altered habitats on Dominica. -
48835985.Pdf
Bridgewater State University Virtual Commons - Bridgewater State University Biological Sciences Faculty Publications Biological Sciences Department 2015 Distribution, Natural History and the Conservation Status of Hemiphyllodactylus typus and Lepidodactylus lugubris (Reptilia: Gekkonidae) in Sri Lanka D.M.S.S. Karunarathna Thulina Dilan Surasinghe Bridgewater State University, [email protected] M.B. Madawala S.M. Wellappulli-Arachchi H.K.D. Kandambi See next page for additional authors Virtual Commons Citation Karunarathna, D.M.S.S.; Surasinghe, Thulina Dilan; Madawala, M.B.; Wellappulli-Arachchi, S.M.; Kandambi, H.K.D.; Kusuminda, T.G.T.; Priyadarshana, T.M.T.S.; and Perera, B.N.H. (2015). Distribution, Natural History and the Conservation Status of Hemiphyllodactylus typus and Lepidodactylus lugubris (Reptilia: Gekkonidae) in Sri Lanka. In Biological Sciences Faculty Publications. Paper 54. Available at: http://vc.bridgew.edu/biol_fac/54 This item is available as part of Virtual Commons, the open-access institutional repository of Bridgewater State University, Bridgewater, Massachusetts. Authors D.M.S.S. Karunarathna, Thulina Dilan Surasinghe, M.B. Madawala, S.M. Wellappulli-Arachchi, H.K.D. Kandambi, T.G.T. Kusuminda, T.M.T.S. Priyadarshana, and B.N.H. Perera This article is available at Virtual Commons - Bridgewater State University: http://vc.bridgew.edu/biol_fac/54 Sri Lanka NATURALIST Vol : viii, No : 1-2, January - December 2015 Euploea klugii Brown King Crow LC Distribution, natural history and the conservation status of Hemiphyllodactylus typus Junonia almana Peacock Pansy LC and Lepidodactylus lugubris (Reptilia: Gekkonidae) in Sri Lanka Junonia atlites Grey Pansy LC D.M.S.S. Karunarathna1,3, T.D. Surasinghe2, M.B. -
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. -
Reptiles of Ngulu Atoll, Yap State, Federated States of Micronesia1
CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by ScholarSpace at University of Hawai'i at Manoa Reptiles of Ngulu Atoll, Yap State, Federated States of Micronesia1 Donald W. Buden2 Abstract: Fourteen species of reptiles (two sea turtles, six geckos, six skinks) are recorded from Ngulu Atoll, Yap, Micronesia, all but the turtles for the first time. None is endemic and most occur widely in Oceania; the phylogenetic status of an undescribed species of Lepidodactylus is undetermined, and a phenotypically male Nactus cf. pelagicus is recorded from Micronesia for the first time. Lepido- dactylus moestus is the most common gecko on Ngulu Island, and Emoia caeruleo- cauda, E. impar, and E. jakati are the most abundant skinks. The islands are an important nesting site for green turtles, Chelonia mydas. Isolation, a small resi- dent human population, and traditional conservation practices contribute to sustaining turtle populations, although occasional poaching by outside visitors persists. The report of a small snake on Ylangchel Island, possibly a species of Ramphotyphlops, requires confirmation. Many of the west-central Pacific islands distribution and relative abundance of the composing Micronesia are poorly known bio- reptiles of Ngulu, and it is based largely on logically, especially the numerous, small, low- my personal observations and specimens that lying, and faunistically impoverished coralline I collected during approximately a month- atolls. These islands are difficult to reach. long field study, mainly on Ngulu Island, Those that have been studied appear to be in- and with brief visits to adjacent Ylangchel habited largely by widespread, weedy species and Wachlug islands. -
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, -
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. -
The Discovery of XY Sex Chromosomes in a Boa and Python
Current Biology, Volume 27 Supplemental Information The Discovery of XY Sex Chromosomes in a Boa and Python Tony Gamble, Todd A. Castoe, Stuart V. Nielsen, Jaison L. Banks, Daren C. Card, Drew R. Schield, Gordon W. Schuett, and Warren Booth Figure S1. PCR validation of male-specific RAD markers in boa and python. Related to Figure 1. A. Male-biased amplification of RAD marker TCBoa_2918 in eleven male and eleven female Boa imperator. Individual specimen ID numbers are listed below the gel image. B. Male-biased amplification of RAD marker TCBoa_2918 in an additional eight male and eleven female Boa imperator. Individual specimen ID numbers are listed below the gel image. C. Photograph of South American Boa (Boa constrictor) from Goiás, Brazil. D. Male-biased amplification of RAD marker TCBoa_2918 in three male and three female Boa constrictor. Individual specimen ID numbers are listed below the gel image. E. Male-biased amplification of RAD marker M3 in twelve male and twelve female Python bivittatus. Individual specimen ID numbers are listed below the gel image in panel F. F. Male-specific restriction digest of PCR amplicon (PCR-RFLP) from RAD marker M10 in twelve male and twelve female Python bivittatus. Individual specimen ID numbers are listed below the gel image. G. Cartoon illustrating PCR amplicons from the python RAD marker M10. The X and Y alleles are illustrated including the approximate position of the Y chromosome-specific SpeI restriction site. H. Gel image of python RAD marker M10 showing difference between digested and undigested PCR amplicons from a male Python bivittatus. -
Describing Species
DESCRIBING SPECIES Practical Taxonomic Procedure for Biologists Judith E. Winston COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESS NEW YORK Columbia University Press Publishers Since 1893 New York Chichester, West Sussex Copyright © 1999 Columbia University Press All rights reserved Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data © Winston, Judith E. Describing species : practical taxonomic procedure for biologists / Judith E. Winston, p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-231-06824-7 (alk. paper)—0-231-06825-5 (pbk.: alk. paper) 1. Biology—Classification. 2. Species. I. Title. QH83.W57 1999 570'.1'2—dc21 99-14019 Casebound editions of Columbia University Press books are printed on permanent and durable acid-free paper. Printed in the United States of America c 10 98765432 p 10 98765432 The Far Side by Gary Larson "I'm one of those species they describe as 'awkward on land." Gary Larson cartoon celebrates species description, an important and still unfinished aspect of taxonomy. THE FAR SIDE © 1988 FARWORKS, INC. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Universal Press Syndicate DESCRIBING SPECIES For my daughter, Eliza, who has grown up (andput up) with this book Contents List of Illustrations xiii List of Tables xvii Preface xix Part One: Introduction 1 CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION 3 Describing the Living World 3 Why Is Species Description Necessary? 4 How New Species Are Described 8 Scope and Organization of This Book 12 The Pleasures of Systematics 14 Sources CHAPTER 2. BIOLOGICAL NOMENCLATURE 19 Humans as Taxonomists 19 Biological Nomenclature 21 Folk Taxonomy 23 Binomial Nomenclature 25 Development of Codes of Nomenclature 26 The Current Codes of Nomenclature 50 Future of the Codes 36 Sources 39 Part Two: Recognizing Species 41 CHAPTER 3.