Indotyphlops Braminus) , Is 1 The Brahminy Blindsnake Also Is Known As the “Flowerpot Blindsnake” for Its Tunisexual and Reproduces

Home , Indotyphlops braminus

WWW.IRCF.ORG/REPTILESANDAMPHIBIANSJOURNALTABLE OF CONTENTS IRCF REPTILES & IRCF AMPHIBIANS REPTILES • VOL &15, AMPHIBIANS NO 4 • DEC 2008 • 189 21(4):140–141 • DEC 2014

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. The Record Shared History of Treeboas (Corallusof grenadensis the) and HumansBrahminy on Grenada: Blindsnake, A Hypothetical Excursion ...... Robert W. Henderson 198

IndotyphlopsRESEARCH ARTICLES braminus (Squamata: Typhlopidae), . 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 in Cuba ...... Brian J. Camposano, Kenneth L. Krysko, Kevin M. Enge, Ellen M. Donlan, and Michael Granatosky 212 1 2 CONSERVATION ALERT Luis M. Díaz and Antonio Cádiz . World’s Mammals1Museo in Nacional Crisis ...... de Historia Natural de Cuba, Habana Vieja, Cuba ([email protected]) 220 . More Than2Facultad Mammals de ...... Biología, Universidad de La Habana, Ciudad de La Habana, Cuba ([email protected]) 223 . The “Dow Jones Index” of Biodiversity ...... 225 Photographs by the senior author. HUSBANDRY . Captive Care of the Central Netted Dragon ...... Shannon Plummer 226 1 he BrahminyPROFILE Blindsnake (Indotyphlops braminus) , is 1 The Brahminy Blindsnake also is known as the “Flowerpot Blindsnake” for its Tunisexual and reproduces. Kraig Adler: A Lifetime by Promotingparthenogenesis. Herpetology ...... This propensity to be transported in theMichael root L. systems Treglia of234 potted plants, a frequent means breeding strategy and its capacity to survive in pots and small of introduction to areas where the species is not native. Indotyphlops braminus was containers used forCOMMENTARY plant cultivation and sometimes interna- formerly included in the genus Ramphotyphlops until the recent revision of the . The Turtles Have Been Watching Me ...... Typhlopidae by Hedges et al. (2014). Eric The Gangloff genus as238 currently defined comprises 22 tional transportation are characteristics of a very successful species, most of them distributed in southern Asia, especially India and Sri Lanka. BOOK REVIEW . Threatened Amphibians of the World edited by S.N. Stuart, M. Hoffmann, J.S. Chanson, N.A. Cox, R. Berridge, P. Ramani, and B.E. Young ...... Robert Powell 243

 CONSERVATION RESEARCH REPORTS: Summaries of Published Conservation Research Reports ...... 245  NATURAL HISTORY RESEARCH REPORTS: Summaries of Published Reports on Natural History ...... 247  NEWBRIEFS ...... 248  EDITORIAL INFORMATION ...... 251  FOCUS ON CONSERVATION: A Project You Can Support ...... 252

Front Cover. Shannon Plummer. Back Cover. Michael Kern Totat et velleseque audant mo Totat et velleseque audant mo estibus inveliquo velique rerchil estibus inveliquo velique rerchil erspienimus, quos accullabo. Ilibus erspienimus, quos accullabo. Ilibus aut dolor apicto invere pe dolum aut dolor apicto invere pe dolum fugiatis maionsequat eumque fugiatis maionsequat eumque moditia erere nonsedis ma sectiatur moditia erere nonsedis ma sectia- ma derrovitae voluptam, as quos tur ma derrovitae voluptam, as accullabo.

Fig. 1. Brahminy Blindsnake (Indotyphlops braminus; MNHNCu 5071), from Lawton, Havana City, Cuba with details of the head in dorsal and lateral views. The dark dorsal and ventral surfaces readily distinguish this foreign species from native typhlopids.

Copyright © 2014. Luis M. Díaz. All rights reserved. 140 INTRODUCED SPECIES IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS • 21(4):140–141 • DEC 2014 colonizer (McKeown 1996, Bomford et al. 2009, Powell et The snakes were found active at night (2000–2030 h) on al. 2011). The species is the most widely distributed snake rainy days as they crossed paved walking trails or were col- on Earth. From its presumed original distribution in south- lected directly on the surface of the ground. In addition, a eastern Asia (Storr 1981, Wallach 2008), it has invaded crushed and desiccated individual was seen but not collected tropical and subtropical regions throughout the world and is on 22 August 2014 on a street close to a public park only a now known from Africa, Australia, Japan, the United States few meters from the first locality. (including the Hawaiian Islands), Central America, and the The species most likely was introduced in Cuba as a conse- Lesser Antilles (Wallach 2008, Kraus 2009). In the Caribbean quence of importing ornamental plants, as has been suggested islands, these snakes have been reported from Anguilla, Aruba, for other Caribbean islands (Powell et al. 2011). Although the St. Christopher, Barbados, Guadeloupe, Mustique, the Turks origin(s) of Cuban populations remain(s) obscure, national & Caicos, Curaçao, and St. Eustatius (Powell et al. 2011). garden and agricultural suppliers might be contributing to the apparently rapid increase in distribution within the country. West Indian populations might have been introduced from Florida (Powell et al. 2011), but Sanchez and López-Forment Literature Cited (1988) suggested that at least some Mexican populations can Bomford, M., F. Kraus, S.C. Barry, and E. Lawrence. 2009. Predicting establish- be traced to the Philippines. ment success for alien reptiles and amphibians: A role for climate matching. Here we report on five individuals of Indotyphlops brami- Biological Invasions 11:713–724. Hedges, S.B., A.B. Marion, K.M. Lipp, J. Marin, and N. Vidal. 2014. A taxo- nus recorded in two localities in the City of Havana. Four nomic framework for typhlopid snakes from the Caribbean and other regions of them were deposited in the herpetological collection of (Reptilia, Squamata). Caribbean Herpetology 49:1–61. Museo Nacional de Historia Natural de Cuba (MNHNCu Kraus, F. 2009. Alien Reptiles and Amphibians, a Scientific Compendium, and Analysis. Invading Nature: Springer Series in Invasion Biology 4. Springer, 5071–4). Three specimens (MNHNCu 5071–3; Fig. 1) were Dordrecht, The Netherlands. collected by the senior author in Loma del Burro, Lawton, McKeown, S. 1996. A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians in the Hawaiian Municipality of 10 de Octubre, Havana City (23°06’00’’N; Islands. Diamond Head Publishing, Inc., Los Osos, California. Powell, R., R.W. Henderson, M.C. Farmer, M. Breuil, A.C. Echternacht, G. van 82°21’24’’W; 38m above sea level) on 23 and 30 July 2014. Buurt, C.M. Romagosa, and G. Perry. 2011. Introduced amphibians and Another specimen (MNHNCu 5074) was found by the junior reptiles in the Greater Caribbean: Patterns and conservation implications, pp. 63–143. In: A. Hailey, B.S. Wilson, and J.A. Horrocks (eds.), Conservation of author in Playa, Havana City (23°06’25’’N; 82°25’18’’W) on Caribbean Island Herpetofaunas. Volume 1: Conservation Biology and the Wider 26 July 2014. The two localities are about 7 km apart, sug- Caribbean. Brill, Leiden, The Netherlands. gesting that this species is broadly established and might still Sánchez, O. and W. López-Forment C. 1988. Anfibios y reptiles de la región de Acapulco, Guerrero, México. Anales del Instituto de Biología, UNAM, serie be spreading. Adult specimens had total lengths of 125 mm Zoología 58:735–750. (MNHNCu 5072), 139 mm (MNHNCu 5071), and 144 Storr, G.M. 1981. The genus Ramphotyphlops (Serpentes: Typhlopidae) in western mm (MNHNCu 5174). One juvenile (MNHNCu 5073) Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum 9:235–271. had a total length of 67 mm. Robert Powell confirmed the Wallach, V. 2008. Range extensions and new island records for Ramphotyphlops B braminus (Serpentes: Typhlopidae). Bulletin of the Chicago Herpetological identity of the specimens from photographs. Society 43:80–82.

141