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Cfreptiles & Amphibians WWW.IRCF.ORG/REPTILESANDAMPHIBIANSJOURNALTABLE OF CONTENTS IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANSIRCF REPTILES • VOL15, &NO AMPHIBIANS 4 • DEC 2008 189 • 25(1):13–19 • APR 2018 IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS CONSERVATION AND NATURAL HISTORY TABLE OF CONTENTS FEATURE ARTICLES . ChasingHerpetofauna Bullsnakes (Pituophis catenifer sayi) in Wisconsin: of Cayo Carenas, On the Road to Understanding the Ecology and Conservation of the Midwest’s Giant Serpent ...................... Joshua M. Kapfer 190 Cienfuegos. The Shared History of Treeboas (Corallus Bay, grenadensis) and Humans South-central on Grenada: Cuba A Hypothetical Excursion ............................................................................................................................Robert W. Henderson 198 1 2 3 RESEARCHTomás M. ARTICLES Rodríguez-Cabrera , Alejandro M. Rodríguez González , and Javier Torres . The Texas Horned1Sociedad Lizard inCubana Central andde Zoología, Western Texas La .......................Habana, Cuba Emily ([email protected]) Henry, Jason Brewer, Krista Mougey, and Gad Perry 204 . The Knight Anole2Heriberto (Anolis equestrisDuquesne,) in Florida Remedios, Villa Clara 54310, Cuba ([email protected]) 3Department ............................................. of Ecology and EvolutionaryBrian J. Camposano, Biology, KennethUniversity L. Krysko, of Kansas, Kevin M. Lawrence, Enge, Ellen KansasM. Donlan, 66045, and Michael USA ([email protected])Granatosky 212 CONSERVATION ALERT . World’s Mammals in Crisis ............................................................................................................................................................. 220 . More Than Mammals ...................................................................................................................................................................... 223 Abstract.—The .herpetofaunaThe “Dow Jones Index” inhabiting of Biodiversity ...............................................................................................................................the keys in Cienfuegos Bay in south-central Cuba............ is 225virtually unknown. Herein we provide the results of the first rapid inventory performed on Cayo Carenas during the summer of 2016. We found 12 reptilianHUSBANDRY species in seven families on the key. We also discuss the ecology and the most plausible biogeo- . graphic origins forCaptive some Care of of the the Central species. Netted Dragon ....................................................................................................... Shannon Plummer 226 PROFILE he Cuban Archipelago. Kraig Adler: Aharbors Lifetime Promoting the Herpetologyrichest reptilian................................................................................................ island of Cuba is surrounded Michael L. Tregliaby keys 234 and islets, often with fauna of the insular Caribbean, with over 160 species, reptilian populations that have been isolated for sufficiently T COMMENTARY 83% of which are endemic. The Turtles Have(e.g., Been Powell Watching Me and ........................................................................................................................ Henderson long periods to evolve into Eric different Gangloff 238 subspecies and species 2012; Rodríguez et al. 2013; Uetz et al. 2018). The main (Estrada 2012). Because of the small population sizes and BOOK REVIEW . Threatened Amphibians of the World edited by S.N. Stuart, M. Hoffmann,restricted J.S. Chanson,ranges N.A.of manyCox, of those taxa, they are highly vul- R. Berridge, P. Ramani, and B.E. Young ..............................................................................................................nerable to human disturbance, Robert introductionPowell 243 of exotic species, and stochastic events. Consequently, an understanding of CONSERVATION RESEARCH REPORTS: Summaries of Publishedthe Conservationdiversity Research on those Reports islands, ................................. especially 245 those that have been NATURAL HISTORY RESEARCH REPORTS: Summaries of Published Reports on Natural History ................................. 247 NEWBRIEFS ...............................................................................................................................inadequately surveyed,....................................................... is critical for developing248 conservation EDITORIAL INFORMATION ...............................................................................................................................strategies. ...................... 251 FOCUS ON CONSERVATION: A Project You Can Support ............................................................................................... 252 Only a few Cuban provinces (La Habana, Mayabeque, Cienfuegos, and Guantánamo) lack offshore keys. However, Cienfuegos has one of the largest bays in the country, with Front Cover. Shannon Plummer. a maximumBack Cover. depth Michael Kernof 40 m and widths ranging from 18 km Totat et velleseque audant mo to Totatabout et velleseque 3.5 km. audant This mo bay contains some small keys, most estibus inveliquo velique rerchil ofestibus them inveliquo around velique thererchil delta of the Caunao River (Fig. 1). erspienimus, quos accullabo. Ilibus erspienimus, quos accullabo. Ilibus aut dolor apicto invere pe dolum Cayoaut dolor Carenas apicto invere is pe the dolum largest of the two limestone keys within fugiatis maionsequat eumque Cienfuegosfugiatis maionsequat Bay and eumque the only one with remnant primary veg- moditia erere nonsedis ma sectiatur moditia erere nonsedis ma sectia- ma derrovitae voluptam, as quos etation.tur ma derrovitae The other voluptam, limestone as key is Cayo Alcatraz, with a very accullabo. small area (3.7 ha) densely inhabited by humans; indeed, it is disturbed to such an extent that virtually no native vegeta- tion remains. The other keys are formed by marsh deposits with mangroves, an unsuitable habitat for most reptiles. The herpetofauna of these keys has never been studied. Herein we present the results of a rapid inventory carried out on Cayo Carenas during the summer of 2016. Materials and Methods Cayo Carenas (Fig. 1) is composed of biogenic limestone from the Early–Middle Miocene, which suggests that it Fig. 1. Maps depicting the location of Cayo Carenas (red square) in became detached from the western side of the Cienfuegos Bay, Cienfuegos Bay (top); notice the four rivers that flow into the bay and the shallow (< 2 m depth) connection to the mainland on the eastern side about 0.5 km away (Pushcharovsky 1988). It is a small (22.3 (yellow strip); and a satellite image showing details of the key (bottom). ha), sub-rhomboidal, low (maximum elevation 2.7 m) key Copyright © 2018. Tomás M. Rodríguez-Cabrera. All rights reserved. 13 IRCF Reptiles & Amphibians ISSN 1098-6324 RODRÍGUEZ ET AL. IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS • 25(1):13–19 • APR 2018 located near the entrance of Cienfuegos Bay (22°05'03.7"– 0.42 km, and has a perimeter of 2 km. With the exception of 22°05'23.7"N, 80°27'25.9"–80°27'48.5"W; WGS 84), on the westernmost extreme (Punta Arenas), composed of sandy the shipping lane between the city of Cienfuegos and the beach, the remaining shoreline is comprised of rocky cliffs Jagua Fortress. The key ranges in width from 0.66 km to (Figs. 2 & 3). The predominant vegetation is semideciduous A B C D Fig. 2. Different views of Cayo Carenas, Cienfuegos Bay, from the sea: (A) View of the key from the south, (B) Punta Arenas, (C) Punta Pescadores, and (D) the main wharf and some buildings. Photographs © T.M. Rodríguez-Cabrera. A B C D Fig. 3. Different habitats on Cayo Carenas, Cienfuegos Bay: (A) Ecotone between semideciduous forest and rocky-beach vegetation complex, (B) sandy- beach vegetation complex at Punta Arenas, (C) secondary vegetation in the interior, and (D) a pier along the southwestern coast. Photographs © T.M. Rodríguez-Cabrera. 14 RODRÍGUEZ ET AL. IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS • 25(1):13–19 • APR 2018 forest, which covers about 70% of the key (Fig. 3A), although Results a sandy-beach vegetation complex occurs at Punta Arenas We found a total of 12 reptilian species belonging to seven fami- (Fig. 3B) and a rocky-beach vegetation complex at Punta lies (Table 1: Figs. 4 & 5). Five species are Cuban endemics and Piedras and along the southeastern coast (Fig. 3A). Secondary one of them (the Escambray Spotted Sphaero, Sphaerodactylus vegetation has increased in many areas, particularly around oliveri) is restricted to the southern coast of central Cuba (Fig. human buildings (Fig. 3C, D). Small, isolated elements of 4A, B; Table 1). Snakes in general were rarely observed, as was S. mangrove (Rhizophora, Avicennia) and Sea Grape (Coccoloba oliveri. We found one incomplete shed skin of an indeterminate uvifera) can be found throughout the perimeter of the key. species of Amphisbaena under a rock in semideciduous forest. All Only a few of the approximately 20 human buildings (Fig. species were in both semideciduous forest and secondary vegeta- 2D) are permanently inhabited by local residents, the others tion, except S. oliveri and Amphisbaena, which were observed are used sporadically by fishermen and vacationers. only in semideciduous forest. Terrestrial lizards in the genera We conducted three surveys on 3 June, 7 July, and 9 Leiocephalus and Pholidoscelis were particularly abundant in August 2016, actively searching across all vegetation types more open areas near to the shoreline. Human buildings
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