Hemidactylusgrenadensis) and Humans on Grenada: Parvimaculatus a Hypothetical Excursion
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WWW.IRCF.ORG/REPTILESANDAMPHIBIANSJOURNALTABLE OF CONTENTS IRCF REPTILES & IRCF AMPHIBIANS REPTILES • VOL &15, AMPHIBIANS NO 4 • DEC 2008 • 189 20(4):192–196 • DEC 2013 IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS CONSERVATION AND NATURAL HISTORY TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCED SPECIES FEATURE ARTICLES . Chasing Bullsnakes (Pituophis catenifer sayi) in Wisconsin: On the Road to Understanding the Ecology and Conservation of the Midwest’s Giant Serpent ...................... Joshua M. Kapfer 190 First . RecordThe Shared History of Treeboas of (Corallus Hemidactylusgrenadensis) and Humans on Grenada: parvimaculatus A Hypothetical Excursion ............................................................................................................................Robert W. Henderson 198 Deraniyagala,RESEARCH ARTICLES 1953 from the United States . The Texas Horned Lizard in Central and Western Texas ....................... Emily Henry, Jason Brewer, Krista Mougey, and Gad Perry 204 1 2 2* . The Knight Anole (AnolisDavid equestris Heckard) in Florida , Andrew Kathriner , and Aaron M. Bauer .............................................Brian J. Camposano, Kenneth L. Krysko, Kevin M. Enge, Ellen M. Donlan, and Michael Granatosky 212 1Audubon Zoo, New Orleans, Louisiana 70118, USA ([email protected]) 2 DepartmentCONSERVATION of Biology, Villanova University,ALERT Villanova, Pennsylvania 19085-1699, USA ([email protected]; [email protected]) *Corresponding author . World’s Mammals in Crisis ............................................................................................................................................................. 220 . More Than Mammals ...................................................................................................................................................................... 223 . The “Dow Jones Index” of Biodiversity ...........................................................................................................................................Photographs by the senior author. 225 HUSBANDRY ouse Geckos in. theCaptive genus Care of theHemidactylus Central Netted Dragon include ....................................................................................................... a large cies, the Gulf Coast is second Shannon Plummer only to226 subtropical regions of number of species that have successfully colonized Florida in its suitability for the support of Hemidactylus and H PROFILE areas extralimital to their natural ranges and in some cases other exotic reptiles and amphibians. Indeed, Louisiana is . Kraig Adler: A Lifetime Promoting Herpetology ................................................................................................ Michael L. Treglia 234 these species have become naturalized (Lever 2003, Kraus known to support at least four such introduced species: The 2009). The spreadCOMMENTARY of Hemidactylus spp. has been primarily Greenhouse Frog (Eleutherodactylus planirostris), first recorded . the result of accidentalThe introduction Turtles Have Been throughWatching Me goods ........................................................................................................................ transport in 1975 (Plotkin and Atkinson Eric Gangloff 1979, 238 Dundee and Rossman or “hitchhiking,” BOOKalthough REVIEW in some cases reptile importers 1989); the Cuban Brown Anole (Anolis sagrei), first recorded or breeders have been. Threatenedresponsible Amphibians (Meshaka of the World et edited al. 2004).by S.N. Stuart, In M. Hoffmann,in 1988 J.S. (Thomas Chanson, N.A. et Cox, al. 1990); the Brahminy Blind Snake R. Berridge, P. Ramani, and B.E. Young .............................................................................................................. Robert Powell 243 the United States, at least five species of Hemidactylus have (Ramphotyphlops braminus), first reported in 1993 (Thomas become established: CONSERVATION The Mediterranean RESEARCH Gecko REPORTS: (H. Summaries turci- of Published1994); Conservation and the Research previously Reports ................................. mentioned 245 Mediterranean Gecko, cus), the Woodslave orNATURAL Tropical HISTORY House RESEARCH Gecko (REPORTSH. mabouia: Summaries), of Publishedwhich Reports has beenon Natural present History ................................. in the state 247since at least the 1940s NEWBRIEFS ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 248 the Indo-Pacific House EDITORIAL Gecko INFORMATION (H. garnotii .....................................................................................................................................................), the Common (Etheridge 1952, Viosca 1957, Dundee 251 and Rossman 1989, or Cosmopolitan House FOCUS Gecko ON CONSERVATION (H. frenatus: ), A andProject the You AsianCan Support ...............................................................................................Meshaka et al. 2006). All four species 252 have been recorded in Flat-tailed House Gecko (H. [formerly Cosymbotus] platy- New Orleans, which, along with other portions of extreme urus). Another species, the Oriental Leaf-toed House Gecko southern Louisiana, has a climate similar to that of north- (H. bowringii) has been intercepted at the Canadian border ern peninsular Florida — with milder winter temperatures of the United States, but is not knownFront to Cover. have Shannon become Plummer. estab- than Backthe Cover.Florida Michael panhandle Kern and the Alabama and Mississippi Totat et velleseque audant mo Totat et velleseque audant mo lished (Bauer and Baker 2012). Hemidactylusestibus inveliquo velique turcicus rerchil has coastalestibus inveliquo regions velique (Meshaka rerchil et al. 2009). Although freezes occur established isolated populations in areaserspienimus, of the quos United accullabo. IlibusStates erspienimus,and snow quos falls accullabo. on Ilibusvery rare occasions, the near subtropical aut dolor apicto invere pe dolum aut dolor apicto invere pe dolum that experience quite severe wintersfugiatis (Norden maionsequat and eumque Norden conditionsfugiatis maionsequat of New eumque Orleans have made it suitable for inva- [1989] 1991, Knight 1993, Bauer moditia2000) erere and nonsedis is widely ma sectiatur dis - moditia erere nonsedis ma sectia- ma derrovitae voluptam, as quos tur ma derrovitae voluptam, as tributed across the southern states accullabo.(Kraus 2009). However, except for isolated populations of H. frenatus and H. garnotii in Texas (Dixon 2013), the other species that have become naturalized are limited to southern Florida (Meshaka et al. 1994, 2004; Punzo 2005; Krysko and Daniels 2005; Krysko et al. 2011; Meshaka 2011), where more benign temperatures facilitate their spread. This pattern is not surprising given that H. turcicus is a representative of a more temperate clade within the genus, whereas all others belong to a tropical Asian clade (Carranza and Arnold 2006, Bauer et al. 2010), natu- rally occurring in warm areas, typically with high humidity. Aside from southern Florida, the Gulf Coast region has the warmest mean winter temperatures in the continental Fig. 1. Reptile building, Audubon Zoo, New Orleans, Louisiana. The exte- United States. As minimum temperatures can be a limit- rior walls of the building support populations of both Mediterranean Geckos ing factor for the survival and reproduction of tropical spe- (Hemidactylus turcicus) and Sri Lankan House Geckos (H. parvimaculatus). Copyright © 2013. David Heckard. All rights reserved. 192 INTRODUCED SPECIES IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS • 20(4):192–196 • DEC 2013 Fig. 2. Juvenile Sri Lankan House Gecko (Hemidactylus parvimaculatus) from the grounds of the Audubon Zoo showing cryptic coloration and a lack of bold caudal banding. sive tropical species and other exotics have been predicted All age classes of the unknown gecko were observed to spread from Florida to Louisiana (Meshaka et al. 2009). during searches made during June–November 2012 (Figs. We here report the discovery of another exotic gecko in New 2–3). Geckos were observed using brick, mortar, wood fram- Orleans, the Sri Lankan House Gecko (Hemidactylus parvi- ing, painted metal, plastic, glass, and concrete substrates as maculatus). This constitutes not only the first record of this perch sites. Retreats were typically gaps or crevices in the species for Louisiana, but also the first record for the United structure adjacent to where the geckos were first observed. States, and the first confirmed record outside tropical Asia. Although many large Live Oak Trees (Quercus virginiana) In June 2012, a hatchling gecko was captured inside the and palms (Sabal sp. and Washingtonia sp.) in the vicinity reptile building at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans, Orleans were examined, no geckos were found. Hemidactylus turcicus Parish, Louisiana (Fig. 1). Close inspection of the specimen was observed, albeit infrequently, on palm trees. Although the revealed that it was not an escaped hatchling of one of the unknown gecko was found in association with H. turcicus, gecko species maintained in the zoo’s collection in the build- no interactions were observed between the two, and the for- ing. Naturalized Mediterranean Geckos inhabit the building, mer species was more frequently observed using perches and but this hatchling, although possessing Hemidactylus-type foot refuges close to ground level.