First report of the Southern Gulf Coast Toad (Incilius valliceps Wiegmann), Common House Gecko (Hemidactylus frenatus Duméril and Bibron), Schmidt’s Black-Striped Snake (Coniophanes schmidti Bailey), and Cozumel Whiptail (Aspidoscelis cozumela Gadow), on Turneffe Atoll, Belize

Each year from 2012 to 2019, during a 12-day period in November or December, we photographed common herpetofauna on Calabash Caye, a small mangrove-dominated island on the eastern edge of Turneffe Atoll, Belize. Turneffe Atoll is home to the newest, largest, and most biodiverse marine protected area in Belize. Calabash Caye exemplifies the islands on Turneffe’s eastern edge whose elevated beach ridges enable the development of coastal strand plain and littoral forest habitats, which are among the most threatened habitats in the world. As no herpetofaunal survey has been published for Turneffe in over twenty years, and as the herpetofauna is a conspicuous indicator of the health of terrestrial ecological communities on islands, we leveraged our annual field excursions to Calabash Caye to compile a photographic record of the island’s reptiles and amphibians. In multiple years, we documented the presence of five lizards (Anolis sagrei mayensis, Aspidoscelis cozumela, Ctenosaura similis, Phyllodactylus tuberculosus, and the invasive species Hemidactylus frenatus), three snakes (Boa imperator, Leptophis mexicanus hoeversi, and Coniophanes schmidti), and one amphibian (Incilius valliceps). This represents the first report of A. cozumela, H. frenatus, C. schmidti, and I. valliceps on Calabash Caye or on any island in Turneffe Atoll; H. frenatus, C. schmidti, and I. valliceps have never been reported on any of the Belizean cayes. We did not observe four species that have previously been reported on Calabash Caye: Brown Basilisk (Basiliscus vittatus), Mesoamerican Cane Toad (Rhinella horribilis), Mayan Skink (Marisora lineola; formerly Mabuya unimarginata), or a blindsnake, provisionally identified as Indotyphlops braminus. We also include photos of Anolis allisoni, Ctenosaura similis, and Anolis sagrei mayensis obtained during four single-day excursions to Half Moon Caye on Lighthouse Atoll; this represents three of four species reported from that location during the 1990s.

Origin and establishment of the introduced Cuban Blue Anole, Anolis allisoni, in Florida

In the state of Florida, USA, lizards of the genus Anolis are well represented with at least nine established non-native species and a single native species, A. carolinensis. The most recently introduced species is A. allisoni, a close relative to both the native A. carolinensis and one of the introduced species (A. porcatus). Anolis allisoni is thought to have been present in two locations in Florida since at least 2013 based on photographic evidence. Here, we analyzed mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences from these three closely related Anolis species to infer the most likely region of origin in the native range and confirm the establishment of the recent invader in Tampa, Florida. We found a single haplotype belonging to A. allisoni, which was closely related to native sequences from east-central Cuba. The most likely geographic origin is a tourist destination in the province of Sancti Spiritus, suggesting the potential for human-mediated introduction of A. allisoni to Florida. Given the evidence of hybridization within the carolinensis subgroup, the presence and establishment of the phylogenetically related and ecomorphologically similar A. allisoni may create novel opportunities for interspecific genetic exchange.

Origin and establishment of the introduced Cuban Blue Anole, Anolis allisoni, in Florida

In the state of Florida, USA, lizards of the genus Anolis are well represented with at least nine established non-native species and a single native species, A. carolinensis. The most recently introduced species is A. allisoni, a close relative to both the native A. carolinensis and one of the introduced species (A. porcatus). Anolis allisoni is thought to have been present in two locations in Florida since at least 2013 based on photographic evidence. Here, we analyzed mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences from these three closely related Anolis species to infer the most likely region of origin in the native range and confirm the establishment of the recent invader in Tampa, Florida. We found a single haplotype belonging to A. allisoni, which was closely related to native sequences from east-central Cuba. The most likely geographic origin is a tourist destination in the province of Sancti Spiritus, suggesting the potential for human-mediated introduction of A. allisoni to Florida. Given the evidence of hybridization within the carolinensis subgroup, the presence and establishment of the phylogenetically related and ecomorphologically similar A. allisoni may create novel opportunities for interspecific genetic exchange.

Diet of a community of frogs in an agroecosystem in western Cuba

The study of frog diets in agricultural areas enables us to recognize their role in terrestrial food webs as predators of invertebrates, which can become crop pests or disease transmission vectors for humans. The present study examines the diet composition of three syntopic frog species occurring in one agroecosystem in Cuba, and their interspecific trophic interactions. The fieldwork was in Zea mays and Colocasia esculenta crops in Pinar del Río province, Cuba, in August, 2020. The frogs were measured and stomach-flushed in situ, and released at the site of capture. Niche overlap between species was calculated. Fifty-two frogs were captured and 43 (82.7%) had prey in their stomachs. Eleutherodactylus goini had the highest rate of prey/stomach and the broadest diet diversity while Osteopilus septentrionalis had the lowest rate and the narrowest diet diversity. High diet overlap was detected between Eleutherodactylus species. The most consumed prey were Lepidoptera, Hymenoptera, and Blattodea. The diet data suggests that these species could be important biological controls of the invertebrate community in the studied agroecosystems. This indicates a positive impact of these native frogs to the crops by controlling noxious and damaging invertebrates.

New dietary records for the Cuban Spotted Red Trope, Tropidophis maculatus (Squamata: Tropidophiidae)

Tropidophis maculatus (Bibron, 1840) is a mesophilic snake inhabiting forest patches and open secondary scrub savannas in western and central Cuba (Schwartz & Henderson 1991; Rodríguez et al. 2013). The only dietary records for this species are the lizards Anolis angusticeps and A. alutaceus, for individuals from Havana city (Collette 1961). Herein we provide new data on the diet of wild T. maculatus. On 17 April 2010, we found a juvenile female Tropidophis maculatus (140 mm SVL) at Soroa (22.7960, -83.0060; 200 m a.s.l.), Candelaria Municipality, Artemisa Province. We found the snake at 1317 hours under a rock with a big stomach bulge (Fig. 1). It later regurgitated a partially digested male Anolis homolechis that had been swallowed head first (ca. 40 mm SVL; Fig. 2). The predominant vegetation in the area is semi-deciduous forest.