An Updated Checklist of the Amphibians and Reptiles of the Aripo Savannas
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An Updated Checklist of the Amphibians and Reptiles of the Aripo Savannas Renoir J. Auguste, Stevland P. Charles and John C. Murphy Auguste, R. J., Charles, S. P., Murphy, J. C. 2015. An Updated Checklist of the Amphibians and Reptiles of the Aripo Savannas. Living World, Journal of The Trinidad and Tobago Field Naturalists’ Club , 2015, 37-43. An Updated Checklist of the Amphibians and Reptiles of the Aripo Savannas 6FLHQWLÀF5HVHUYH7ULQLGDG:HVW,QGLHV Renoir J. Auguste16WHYODQG3&KDUOHV2 and John C. Murphy3 Department of Life Sciences, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago. [email protected] 'HSDUWPHQWRI%LRORJ\+RZDUG8QLYHUVLW\&ROOHJH6WUHHW1::DVKLQJWRQ'&86$ Science & Education, Field Museum,1400 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60605 USA. ABSTRACT Amphibians and reptiles are among the most threatened vertebrate taxa. Protected areas represent a conservation PDQDJHPHQWWRROWRSUHVHUYHVSHFLHVDQGWKH$ULSR6DYDQQDV6FLHQWL¿F5HVHUYHLQ7ULQLGDGLVRQHH[DPSOH7KHDLP RIRXUVWXG\ZDVWRXSGDWHWKHVSHFLHVULFKQHVVRIDPSKLELDQVDQGUHSWLOHVRIWKH$ULSR6DYDQQDV6FLHQWL¿F5HVHUYH Nine amphibian species and twenty-eight reptile species have previously been reported at Aripo Savannas. Our surveys detected 19 amphibian species (10 previously unrecorded) and 40 reptile species (12 previously unrecorded) in the re- serve. The amended checklist of 19 amphibians and 40 reptiles may provide opportunities for more effective conservation management measures for these species within the reserve. Key words: Aripo Savannas, conservation, herpetofauna, Trinidad. INTRODUCTION ERUGHURIWKH$665DQGEULHÀ\GHVFULEHWKHFRQVHUYDWLRQ Amphibians and reptiles (herpetofauna) are important implications. components of ecosystems (Gibbons et al. 2000; Crump +HUSHWRIDXQDSOD\DNH\UROHLQHQHUJ\ÀRZDQG METHOD nutrient cycling acting as herbivores, prey, and predators Study Area in ecosystems (Crump 2010). However, herpetofauna are 7KH$665FRPSULVHVKDLQWKHHDVWFHQWUDOUH- among the most threatened vertebrate groups on Earth and gion of the northern basin of Trinidad, just south of the especially in the Neotropics, even within protected areas 4XDUH9DOOH\RIWKH1RUWKHUQ5DQJHDQGÀDQNHGE\WKH (Stuart et al. 2004; Böhm et al 4XDUH5LYHULQWKHHDVWDQGWKH$ULSR5LYHULQWKHZHVW Trinidad and Tobago’s herpetofauna are incompletely (100¶¶¶1012’0’’ W). Mean monthly rainfall ranges documented (Hailey and Cazabon-Mannette 2011; Murphy IURPPPWRPPDQGPHDQPRQWKO\WHPSHUDWXUH DQG'RZQLH 0XUSK\ OLVWHGVSHFLHVRI UDQJHVIURP0& 5LFKDUGVRQ 7KHWRSRJUDSK\ amphibians and reptiles for Trinidad and Tobago. This UDQJHVIURPWRPLQHOHYDWLRQ 5LFKDUGVRQ 7KH QXPEHUKDVVLQFHULVHQGXHWRVFLHQWL¿FUHVHDUFKLQFOXGLQJ UHJLRQLVW\SL¿HGE\VDQG\WRSVRLOVRYHUOD\LQJLPSHUYLRXV new discoveries (Murphy and Downie 2012). Trinidad and VXEVRLOKRUL]RQV 3DQWRQ WKDWVXSSRUWDSDWFKZRUN Tobago have a variety of habitats and most, if not all, are of savannas, interspersed with marsh forests and palm used by the herpetofauna. Some species are habitat special- PDUVKHV %HDUG 7RZQVERUGHULQJWKH$665LQFOXGH ists, such as )OHFWRQRWXV¿W]JHUDOGL whereas others may 9DOHQFLDWRWKHQRUWK:DOOHU¿HOGWRWKHZHVW&XPXWRWR be considered habitat generalists, for example Rhinella the south and Sangre Grande to the east (Figure 1). marina 0XUSK\ 2QHSURWHFWHGDUHDZKLFKLVDOVR In addition to observations within the ASSR, we in- designated an Environmentally Sensitive Area in Trinidad cluded observations made along the transect referred to LVWKH$ULSR6DYDQQDV6FLHQWL¿F5HVHUYH KHUHDIWHU$665 as the Old Train Line (a wide open grass-lined, mainly (Hailey and Cazabon-Mannette 2011). Areas such as this IRUHVWÀDQNHGGLUWURDGWKDWIRUPVWKHHQWLUHVRXWKHUQ are designed to protect all of the species found within them. border of the ASSR; start point of the transect was at the $IDXQDOFKHFNOLVWFRPSLOHGE\6FKZDE IRU Cumuto Forestry Station: 100¶¶¶10¶´:DQG the ASSR reported nine amphibian species and 26 rep- the end point of the transect was 2.5km east of this), as WLOHVSHFLHV0XUSK\ QRWHGWZRDGGLWLRQDOUHSWLOH ZHOODVDWWKH&XPXWR)RUHVWU\6WDWLRQ DVPDOO¿HOGVWD- species (Gonatodes humeralis and Amerotyphlops cf. tion comprised of a few buildings and open garden areas brongersmianus) for ASSR based on museum materials. which serves as the administrative centre for the ASSR Since then, there have been no published reports on the and is located at the western end of the southern border herpetofauna within the ASSR. We provide a revised list of the reserve) (Figure 1). of the known herpetofauna located within and on the 37 38 Living World, J. Trinidad and Tobago Field Naturalists’ Club, 2015 Fig. 1. ASSR map, selected herpetofauna and habitat. A. Oxybelis aeneus %URZQ9LQH6QDNH B. Dendropsophus goughi (formerly D. minuta) (Minute Tree Frog), C. Anolis planiceps (Leaf Anole), D. Rhinoclemmys punctularia (Galap), E. Pseudis paradoxa (Paradoxical Frog). /LVWRI$PSKLELDQVDQG5HSWLOHVRIWKH$ULSR6DYDQQDV6FLHQWL¿F5HVHUYH7ULQLGDG 39 Sampling Method given that most of the species that we recorded have This study was divided into three sampling periods, been cited as occurring in locales proximate to the ASSR one in 2011, one in 2014 and one in 2015. Data in 2011 0XUSK\ 2QHVSHFLHVHydrops triangularis, had were gathered by SPC and JCM, and data in 2014 and not been previously recorded in proximity to the ASSR. ZHUHJDWKHUHGE\5-$7KH¿UVWVDPSOLQJSHULRG The distributions of most snakes are poorly assessed ZDVEULHI -XQH EXWLQWHQVHDQGLQYROYHG both globally (IUCN 2014) and in Trinidad. This record WRKRXUVHDUFKHVFRQGXFWHGE\WRLQGLYLGXDOVDW may thus be considered as likely to have been expected, mid-morning, midday, mid-afternoon and just after night considering that the specimen was observed in habitat fall along trails that bisected and skirted savanna habitat and microhabitat that is generally typical for the species 6DYDQQDV,,,DQG9 DQGWKDWWUDQVHFWHGWKHLQWHUYHQLQJ 0XUSK\ marsh forest habitat, as well as along the Old Train Line. (OHYHQUHSWLOHVUHSRUWHGE\6FKZDE DQGRQH In addition, chance observations were made around the E\0XUSK\ ZHUHQRWREVHUYHGGXULQJRXUVXUYH\V buildings and garden areas at the Cumuto Forestry Station. These included ten snakes (Amerotyphlops cf. bronger- The second sampling period involved chance obser- smianus, Boa constrictor, Corallus ruschenbergerii, vations of amphibians and reptiles while participating in Eunectes murinus, Leptophis coeruleodorsus, Mastigo- other faunal surveys taking place at daily time intervals dryas boddaerti, Phrynonax poecilonotus, Cleia cleia, similar to those of the 2011 sampling period. Sampling ran Pseudoboa neuwiedii and Lachesis muta), one freshwater from April to December 2014 and was typically once per turtle (Mesoclemmys gibba) and one tortoise (Chelonoidis month. The third sampling period took place during the denticulata). Given the relatively brief nature of our sur- months of June and July 2015 and also involved chance veys, we can make no conclusions regarding the current observations. status of these species in the ASSR. Many reptiles, in For each survey period, we visually searched for particular some turtles and many snakes, as a consequence herpetofauna by searching tree trunks, logs, bark, rocks, RIWKHLUVSHFL¿FPLFURKDELWDWXVHDQGFU\SWLFEHKDYLRXUDUH leaf litter, vegetation, and the margin of any water bodies IDLUO\GLI¿FXOWWRVXUYH\ *LEERQVet al. 2000; Böhm et al. encountered, as well as listened for frog calls. Each rep- 2011). As such, it is possible that these undetected species WLOHRUDPSKLELDQWKDWZDVSRVLWLYHO\LGHQWL¿HGDWOHDVWWR are still present in the ASSR and that they, and others not genus level was recorded. Efforts were made to capture recorded in this study or previously in the literature, are LQGLYLGXDODQLPDOVVDIHO\ZKHQVSHFLHVOHYHOLGHQWL¿FD- likely to be observed in future surveys. WLRQDWDGLVWDQFHZDVQRWSRVVLEOH8SRQFRQ¿UPDWLRQRI species identity, most animals were released at the site of Habitat variation among species capture. In 2011, a number of voucher specimens were Approximately forty-three percent of herpetofauna taken, humanely euthanized using sodium pentobarbitone observed during our study were recorded solely within DWPJPO ¿[HGDQGVWRUHGLQHWKDQROFDWDORJXHG the marsh forests of the reserve. No species were recorded DQGORGJHGDWWKH=RRORJ\0XVHXPRIWKH6W$XJXVWLQH solely in the savannas. Generally, the diversity of herpe- Campus of the University of the West Indies. We record- tofauna in savannas is low compared to tropical forests ed the habitat type (marsh forest, savanna, palm marsh, (Stuart et al. 2004; Böhm et al 7KHUHPDLQLQJ ecotone, trail line, forestry station) and the microhabitat of herpetofauna were observed in ecotone areas as well as of each species encountered. on the border of the reserve, along the train line and the Forestry Station. Thus, it should be expected that more RESULTS than half of our new records for the reserve (approximately Based on our survey within and along the border of the FRPSULVHWKHVHVSHFLHVZKLFKPD\EHFRQVLGHUHG $665ZHUHFRUGHGDPSKLELDQVSHFLHVLQJHQHUDDQG habitat generalists. IDPLOLHVDQGUHSWLOHVSHFLHVLQFOXGLQJRQHFURFRGLOLDQ Conservation implications species, two freshwater turtle species from two families, Two frogs recorded in our study, Pristimantis urichi VDXULDQVLQJHQHUDDQGIDPLOLHVDQGVHUSHQWV and Flectonotus fitzgeraldi, are currently considered in 11 genera and 4 families for the ASSR which represents endangered by the IUCN Red List (IUCN 2014). Their DSSUR[LPDWHO\RIWKHKHUSHWRIDXQDIRU7ULQLGDGDQG detection in the ASSR increases our knowledge of their 7REDJRDVOLVWHGE\0XUSK\ VHH7DEOH distribution and further