i n v a s i v e s p e c i e s d e island ... - herpetology.us · (cyclura carinata), (b) turks and...

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116 IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS • VOL 17, NO 2 • JUN 2010 IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS VOL 17, NO 2 • JUN 2010 117 REYNOLDS AND NIEMILLER INVASIVE SPECIES Fig. 2. Native reptiles of the Turks and Caicos: (A) Turks and Caicos Rock Iguana (Cyclura carinata), (B) Turks and Caicos Curly-tailed Lizard (Leiocephalus psam- modromus), (C) Caicos Blind Snake (Typhlops platycephalus), (D) Caicos Dwarf Boa (Tropidophis greenwayi), (E) Antillean Skink (Mabuya sp.), (F) Turks Dwarf Gecko (Sphaerodactylus underwoodi; female, left; male, right), (G) Caicos Dwarf Gecko (Sphaerodactylus caicosensis; male, bottom; female, top), (H) Caicos (Hecht’s) Barking Gecko (Aristelliger hechti), (I) Turks Island Boa (Epicrates chrysogaster chryso- gaster), (J) Southern Bahamas Anole (Anolis scriptus scriptus). R. GRAHAM REYNOLDS AND MATTHEW L. NIEMILLER INVASIVE SPECIES Island Invaders: Introduced Amphibians and Reptiles in the Turks and Caicos Islands R. Graham Reynolds and Matthew L. Niemiller Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, USA ([email protected], [email protected]) T he term “invasive” usually refers to non-native species that are hav- ing at least some negative impact on local floral or faunal communi- ties. Invasive species are among the top three causes of global biodiversity decline (Lockwood et al. 2007), and understanding their distributions and avenues of introduction is important for regional conservation and manage- ment. Moreover, an understanding of the biology and natural history of invaders might help to suggest methods for their control and also predict effects on native wildlife. Recently, much attention has been paid to invasive reptiles and amphibians (Kraus 2009). Reptiles and amphibians may be especially good colonizers, as evidenced by the nearly circumtropical distribution of certain species, such as the Brahminy Blind Snake (Ramphotyphlops braminus) and the Cane Toad (Rhinella marina). Islands seem to be particularly vulnerable to invasive species, as these species often are freed from the pressures of natural enemies (predators and parasites) and competition (Whittaker and Fernández-Palacios 2007). Many tropical and subtropical islands contain unique herpetofaunal assemblages that are vulnerable to disruption by the introduction of non- native predators and competitors. The West Indies is considered one of the world’s most important biodiversity hotspots and the region’s native reptiles and amphibians are of particular conservation concern (Myers et al. 2000, Smith et al. 2005). Centuries of habitat modification and the intro- duction of damaging mammalian predators such as feral cats (Felis catus), Indian Mongoose (Urva auropunctata), and Black Rats (Rattus rattus) have negatively affected many reptilian and amphibian populations (e.g., Iverson 1978, Corke 1992, Smith et al. 2005, Tolson and Henderson 2006). As such, documenting and reporting the spread and impact of introduced her- petofauna remains an important task. Fig. 1. The Turks and Caicos Islands are located at the southern terminus of the Bahamian Archipelago ~130 km from Hispaniola. Major islands and islands men- tioned in the text are labeled. A B C D E F G H I J

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Page 1: I n v a s I v e s P e c I e s D E Island ... - herpetology.us · (Cyclura carinata), (b) turks and Caicos Curly-tailed lizard (Leiocephalus psam-modromus), (C) ... I n v a s I v e

116 IRCFReptIles&AmphIbIAns•Vol17,no2•JUn2010 IRCFReptIles&AmphIbIAns•Vol17,no2•JUn2010 117ReYnolDsAnDnIemIlleR InVAsIVespeCIes

Fig. 2.nativereptilesoftheturksandCaicos:(A)turksandCaicosRockIguana(Cyclura carinata),(b)turksandCaicosCurly-tailedlizard(Leiocephalus psam-modromus),(C)Caicosblindsnake(Typhlops platycephalus),(D)CaicosDwarfboa(Tropidophis greenwayi),(e)Antilleanskink(Mabuyasp.),(F)turksDwarfGecko(Sphaerodactylus underwoodi;female,left;male,right),(G)CaicosDwarfGecko(Sphaerodactylus caicosensis;male,bottom;female,top),(h)Caicos(hecht’s)barkingGecko(Aristelliger hechti),(I)turksIslandboa(Epicrates chrysogaster chryso-gaster),(J)southernbahamasAnole(Anolis scriptus scriptus).

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Island Invaders: Introduced amphibians and Reptiles in the Turks and caicos Islands

R.GrahamReynoldsandmatthewl.niemiller

Departmentofecologyandevolutionarybiology,Universityoftennessee,Knoxville,tennessee37996,UsA([email protected],[email protected])

theterm“invasive”usuallyreferstonon-nativespeciesthatarehav-ingatleastsomenegativeimpactonlocalfloralorfaunalcommuni-

ties.Invasivespeciesareamongthetopthreecausesofglobalbiodiversitydecline(lockwoodetal.2007),andunderstandingtheirdistributionsandavenuesofintroductionisimportantforregionalconservationandmanage-ment.moreover,anunderstandingofthebiologyandnaturalhistoryofinvadersmighthelptosuggestmethodsfortheircontrolandalsopredicteffectsonnativewildlife. Recently,much attentionhasbeenpaid to invasive reptiles andamphibians(Kraus2009).Reptilesandamphibiansmaybeespeciallygoodcolonizers,asevidencedbythenearlycircumtropicaldistributionofcertainspecies,suchasthebrahminyblindsnake(Ramphotyphlops braminus)andtheCanetoad(Rhinella marina). Islandsseemtobeparticularlyvulnerabletoinvasivespecies,asthesespeciesoftenarefreedfromthepressuresofnaturalenemies(predatorsandparasites)andcompetition(WhittakerandFernández-palacios2007).many tropical and subtropical islands contain unique herpetofaunalassemblagesthatarevulnerabletodisruptionbytheintroductionofnon-nativepredatorsandcompetitors.theWestIndiesisconsideredoneoftheworld’smostimportantbiodiversityhotspotsandtheregion’snativereptilesandamphibiansareofparticularconservationconcern(myersetal.2000,smithetal.2005).Centuriesofhabitatmodificationandtheintro-ductionofdamagingmammalianpredatorssuchasferalcats(Felis catus),Indianmongoose(Urva auropunctata),andblackRats(Rattus rattus)havenegativelyaffectedmanyreptilianandamphibianpopulations(e.g.,Iverson1978,Corke1992,smithetal.2005,tolsonandhenderson2006).Assuch,documentingandreportingthespreadandimpactofintroducedher-petofaunaremainsanimportanttask.

Fig. 1.theturksandCaicosIslandsarelocatedatthesouthernterminusofthebahamianArchipelago~130kmfromhispaniola.majorislandsandislandsmen-tionedinthetextarelabeled.

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1988;leeandRoss2001).thisspeciesisbelievedtobeahumanintroduc-tiontotheCaicosCays(seidel1988,1996)fromGreatInagua.Weareunawareofanyspecimensreportedsince1997,althoughpersistenceofthispopulationfrom1973to1997wouldindicatethatreproductionmightbeoccurring,unlessthespeciesisbeingrecurrentlyintroduced,asituationthatseemsunlikelyonthisprivatelyownedresortisland.

Wood slave, Hemidactylus mabouia. Established.Woodslaves(Fig.6)arerapidlyexpandingtheirrangeintheWesternhemisphere,andarefirmlyestablishedintheturksandCaicosIslands.theselizardsareexceptionallygoodcolonizersand,ashumancommensals,areaffordedfrequentopportunitiestostowawayincargo,whichisprob-ablyhowtheyarrivedintheturksandCaicos.theyarewidelydistributedintheturksandCaicosandarecurrentlyknownfromsixlargeislands:providenciales,northandmiddleCaicos,southCaicos,Grandturk,andsaltCay(Reynoldsandniemiller2009),althoughtheylikelyoccuronmanymore.WehavediscoverednestsonsaltCay(Fig.7)andhaverecordedjuvenilesandhatchlingsonallsixislands.thesegeckosprobablydonotrepresentagreatthreattomostofthelocalherpetofauna,exceptontheislandsofnorthCaicos,FrenchCay,andbigAmbergris,wheretheendemichecht’s(orCaicos)barkingGecko(Aristelliger hechti)occurs.thesenativegeckosareecologicallysimilartotheintroducedWoodslave,

occupyingverticalsurfacesoftrees,rockwalls,andbuildingsandfeedingonsmallflyingorclimbinginsects.Colorphotovouchers,ApsU18047,18945,18946,and18949.

Mayaguana dwarf gecko, Sphaerodactylus mariguanae. Established?mayaguanaDwarfGeckosarenativetothebahamianislandsofmayaguanaandboobyCay,locatedabout65kmtothenorthwestoftheturksandCaicos.Althoughsmall(sVlto41mm;schwartzandhenderson1991),theyaremuchlargerthanthenativeS. caicosensis (sVlto32mm)and S. underwoodi(sVlto32mm).Dwarfgeckoslikelymovebetweenislandsquiteeasilybecauseoftheirsmallsize,highfecundity,andproclivityforinhabitingstacksofbuildingsupplies,suchascinderblocksandlumber,aswellaspottedplants,soil,andmulch.moleculardatasuggestthatnativeS. underwoodimovebetweentheislandsofGrandturkandsaltCayoncargo(ReynoldsandKoneczny,inreview). schwartz(1968)andschwartzandhenderson(1991)reportedS. mariguanaefromGrandturk.toourknowledge,thisspecieshasnotbeenseenthereinquitesometime,buttherecordstandsinhendersonandpowell(2009).thisrecordlikelydoesnotrepresentamisidentification,as40individualswerecollected(AlbertschwartzFieldseries[AsFs]10766)andcomparedtootherpopulationsandtoS. underwoodi(schwartz1968);however,whether theseS. mariguanae individuals represent ahumanintroductionoranextensionofthespecies’nativedistributionisunclear.Also,thatthisspecieshasapparentlynotbeenrecordedsinceschwartz(1968)andwasneverfoundonotherislandsontheturksbankisnotable.schwartz(1968)speculatedthattheseGrandturkS. mariguanaerepre-sentedanintroducedpopulation,andevidencecurrentlyavailablecertainlyweighsinfavorofthispostulate,henceweincludethisspecieshereasanintroducedspecies.Grandturkisaheavilydevelopedisland,yetendemicS. underwoodiappearstobefairlycommon,andthusS. mariguanaemayyetpersistthere.

green iguana, Iguana iguana. Established?Aspopularpets,GreenIguanas(Fig.8)havebecomeestablishedinmanyareasoutsideoftheirnativerangeinCentralandsouthAmerica,perhapsmostnotablyinsouthernFlorida,wheretheyoccurinveryhighdensi-tiesnearresidentialareas.IntheturksandCaicos,afewGreenIguanashavebeenfoundonGrandturkandprovidenciales.theylikelyrepresentreleasedorescapedpets.Reproductionhasnotbeendocumented,butthisseemsalikelypossibilityifseveralmatureadultsoccurinthesamearea.Colorphotovoucher,ApsU19019.Fig 6.Woodslave(Hemidactylus mabouia)fromsaltCay,turksandCaicosIslands.

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Fig. 5.Red-earedslider(Trachemys scripta elegans)capturedneartheprovoGolfClubonprovidenciales,turksandCaicosIslandsandbeingheldatthenationalenvironmentalCentre.

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Fig. 7.hatchednestoftheWoodslave(Hemidactylus mabouia)underarockonsaltCay,turksandCaicosIslands.

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WehavespentthelastfouryearsworkingintheturksandCaicosIslands(Fig.1)andhavemadeanefforttodocumentthepresenceanddis-tributionofnon-nativespeciesofthisarchipelago.theturksandCaicosIslands,locatedatthesouthernterminusofthebahamianArchipelago,containtenspeciesofnativereptiles,eightofwhichareendemicatthespeciesorsubspecies level (Fig.2).theremainingtwospecies (Anolis scriptusandMabuyasp.)arewidelydistributedinthesouthernbahamasandthroughouttheWestIndies.noamphibianspeciesisnativetotheturksandCaicos.Asofoctober2009,sevennon-nativereptilianandtwoamphibianspecieshavebeendiscoveredintheturksandCaicos,nearlydoublingthenumberofreptilesandaddingamphibiansinaregionwherepreviouslytheyhadnotbeendocumented.tourismandlargeinternationalinvestmentshaveresultedinexplosivedevelopmentoftheseislandsandasurgeinthenumberofimmigrantsfillingjobsintheconstructionandserviceindustries.Combinedwiththerapidincreaseinimports,thelistofinvadersmightcontinuetogrow.belowwediscussthedistributionandabundanceoftheknowninvasivereptilesandamphibiansintheturksandCaicos,andencourageotherresearcherstodocumentsimilarinvasionsinotherregionsthatsupportauniquenativeherpetofauna.

Cuban treefrog, Osteopilus septentrionalis. Established.Cubantreefrogs(Fig.3)arewidely introducedintheCaribbeanandsoutheasternUnitedstates,withpopulations onpuertoRico, in theVirginIslands,upperlesserAntilles,Florida,andelsewhere(hendersonandpowell2009).thesefrogsappearabletotoleratexericconditionsthatwouldpreventmostotheramphibiancolonistsfrombecomingestablished.Aslongastheyhaveaccesstoephemeralorpermanentsourcesoffresh-water,thesefrogscanbreedprolificallyandbecomeabundant.Cuban

treefrogsareofparticularconcernbecauseoftheirvoraciousappetites,highdensities,andnoxiousskinsecretions.AlthoughthisspeciesisnativetothelittleandGreatbahamabanks,itisgenerallyconsideredarecentarrivaltotheturksandCaicos,whereitisfirmlyestablishedontheislandsofprovidenciales,Grandturk,northCaicos,andmiddleCaicos,andwilllikelybefoundonseveralotherislandswiththeexpansionofirrigationfordevelopment.onnorthandmiddleCaicos,thesefrogsreachexcep-tionaldensities,oftencoveringtheroadafteraheavyautumnrain.endemicCaicosDwarfboas(Tropidophis greenwayi)haveevenshiftedtheirbehaviortofeedonthesefrogs,occupyingtheinteriorwallsofoldstonewaterwellstocapturemetamorphsastheyclimbupthesidesfromthewaterbelow(RGR,C.Deal,andn.manco,unpubl.data).Colorphotovouchers,AustinpeaystateUniversity(ApsU)19024,19027.

greenhouse Frog, Eleutherodactylus planirostris. Established.GreenhouseFrogs(Fig.4)aresmallterrestrialfrogsthatstowawayinsoilandplants,andhavebeenintroducedtoJamaica,Florida,andtheturksandCaicosIslandsfromtheirnativerangeinCuba,theCaymans,andthebahamas(hendersonandpowell2009).thisspeciesisadirect-developer,meaningthatthelarvalstageiscompletedintheegg.eggsarelaidinmoistleaflitter,andhatchlingsemergeasminiatureadults.GreenhouseFrogsoccurintheturksandCaicosontheislandsofprovidenciales,Grandturk,northCaicos,andmiddleCaicos,andwilllikelybediscoveredonotherislands.Colorphotovoucher,ApsU19023.

Red-Eared slider, Trachemys scripta elegans. Not established.Red-earedsliders(Fig.5)arepopularpetswithlonglifespans,andoftenarereleasedwhenownersgrowtiredofthem.nativetotheeasternandmid-westernUnitedstates,thesefreshwateraquaticturtleshavebeenintroducedtomanyislandsintheWestIndies,frompuertoRicoandhispaniolatoGuadeloupeandmartinique(hendersonandpowell2009).theyrequireaconsistentsourceoffreshwaterand,althoughthistypeofhabitatisrareintheturksandCaicos,severalpondsbuiltfortheleewardgolfcourseonprovidencialeslikelyprovidethemainrefugeforthisspecies.onlyafewadultRed-earedslidershavebeencapturedandremoved,althoughafewmoreprobablyoccurinthesemanmadeponds.nohatchlingsorjuvenileshavebeenobserved;hencewedonotconsiderthisspeciestobereproduc-ing.Colorphotovoucher,ApsU19021.

Antillean slider, Trachemys stejnegeri malonei. Established?AsingleAntilleansliderwascollectedin1975frompineCayontheCaicosbank(W.Auffenberg,UF49423),althoughseveralotherindividualswerereportedin1997fromafreshwaterpondonthesameisland(seidel1986,Fig. 3.Cubantreefrog(Osteopilus septentrionalis)fromnorthCaicos.

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Fig. 4.GreenhouseFrog(Eleutherodactylus planirostris)fromnorthCaicos.

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Clout(eds.),Turning the Tide: The Eradication of Invasive Species.IUCnssC Invasivespecies specialistGroup, IUCn,Gland,switzerland andCambridge,UnitedKingdom.

myers,n.,R.A.mittermeier,C.G.mittermeier,G.A.deFonseca,andJ.Ke.2000.biodiversityhotspotsforconservationpriorities.Nature403:853–858.

Reynolds,R.G.andG.p.Gerber.Inprep.ecologyandconservationoftheendemicturksIslandboa(serpentes:boidae)onasmallsatelliteisland.

Reynolds,R.G.andn.Koneczny.Inreview.moleculardivergenceintwospeciesofbahamiandwarfgeckoes.Herpetologica.

Reynolds,R.G.andm.l.niemiller.2009.Hemidactylus mabouia.(Woodslave).Distribution.Herpetological Review40:452.

schwartz,A.1968.thegeckoes(Sphaerodactylus)ofthesouthernbahamaislands.Annals of the Carnegie Museum39:227–271.

schwartz,A.andR.W.henderson.1991.Amphibians and Reptiles of the West Indies: Descriptions, Distributions, and Natural History.UniversityofFloridapress,Gainesville.

seidel,m.e.1988.Revisionof theWest Indianemydid turtles (testudines).American Museum Novitates(2918):1–41.

seidel,m.e.1996.CurrentstatusofbiogeographyoftheWestIndianturtlesinthegenusTrachemys (emydidae),pp.169–174.In:R.powellandR.W.henderson(eds.),Contributions to West Indian Herpetology: A Tribute to Albert Schwartz.societyforthestudyofAmphibiansandReptiles,Ithaca,newYork.

smith,m.l.,s.b.hedges,W.buck,A.hemphill,s.Incháustegui,m.A.Ivie,D.martina,m.maunder,andJ.F.ortega.2005.CaribbeanIslands,pp.112–118. In:R.A.mittermeier,p.R.Gill,m.hoffman, J.pilgrim,t.brooks,C.G.mittermeier,J.lamoreaux,andG.A.b.daFonseca(eds.),Hotspots Revisited: Earth’s Biologically Richest and Most Endangered Terrestrial Ecoregions.CemeX,s.A.deC.V.,mexicoCity.

tolson,p.J.andR.W.henderson.2006.AnoverviewofsnakeconservationintheWestIndies.Applied Herpetology3:345–356.

Whittaker,R.J.andJ.m.Fernández-palacios.2007.Island Biogeography.2nded.oxfordUniversitypress,newYork.

cuban brown anoles (Anolis sagrei) in st. maarten

AxelFläschendrägerhalle,Germany([email protected])

photographsbytheauthor.

CubanbrownAnoles(Anolis sagrei)arenativetothebahamaIslands(Caysal,Conception,Crooked,Acklins,Grandbahama,little

bahama,RumCay,andsansalvadorislandbanks),Cubaandassociatedcays,IsladelaJuventud,andlittleCayman,includingmostsatellitesandcayswithevenrudimentaryvegetation.thespeciesalsohasbecomeestablishedinJamaica,eithernaturallyorthroughhumanmediation.morerecentlyintroducedpopulationsareknowninGrandCayman,swanIsland,Grenada,st.Vincent,theGrenadines(Canouan),barbados,theAtlanticCoastofméxicoasfarasbelize,theIslasdelabahía(offhonduras),Aruba,hawaii(oahuandCoconutIsland,Kauai),taiwan,thesoutheast-ernUnitedstates,andCalifornia(orangeCounty;hendersonandpowell2009andreferencestherein).Atleastsomeintroducedpopulationsorigi-natedinthesoutheasternUnitedstates. Within a30-minuteperiodon2march2010, I observed threemaleandtwofemaleAnolis sagrei inandaroundthephilipsburgharborinst.maarten.st.maartenisamajorcommercialcenterintheeasternCaribbean;anumberofexoticspecieshavebeenrecordedthere,andsev-eral(e.g.,Cubantreefrogs,Osteopilus septentrionalis;GreenIguanas,Iguana iguana)havebecomeestablished(powelletal.2005). AlthoughIdidnotobserveanyjuveniles,theabundanceofobserva-tionsinsuchashortperiodissuggestiveofabreedingpopulation.IdidobservenativeAnguillabankAnoles(Anolis gingivinus)associatedwithornamentalvegetationinandaroundtheharbor.Isawnoevidenceofcompetitiveinteractions,buttheapparentlyrestrictedrangeofA. sagreiissuggestiveofarecentarrival.Whetherthenewlyestablishedpopulationremainslargelyrestrictedtoseverelyalteredhabitats,ashasbeendescribedonGrenada(Greeneetal.2002,Germanoetal.2003)andst.Vincent(hendersonandpowell2005,treglia2006,tregliaetal.2008)remainstobedetermined.theoriginofthepopulationonst.maartenisunknown.

Literature CitedGermano,J.m.,J.m.sander,R.W.henderson,andR.powell.2003.herpetofaunal

communitiesinGrenada:Acomparisonofalteredsites,withanannotatedchecklistofGrenadianamphibiansandreptiles.Caribbean Journal of Science39:68–76.

Cuban Knight Anole, Anolis equestris. Not established.likelyreleasedpets,fourCubanKnightAnoleshavebeencollectedandseveralmoresightedataGracebayresortonprovidencialesIsland.likeGreenIguanas,theselargearboreallizardsappeartothriveinappropriatehabitat,astheyalsoarequitecommonwheretheyhavebeenintroducedinsouthernFlorida(meshakaetal.2004).theyapparentlyarenotreproduc-ingintheturksandCaicos,althoughthatcannotyetberuledout,giventheabundanceoflushandirrigatedvegetationintheGracebayresortcom-plexes.Colorphotovouchers,ApsU19025,19026.

Brahminy Blind snake, Ramphotyphlops braminus. Established.essentiallyacircumtropicalspecies,thebrahminyblindsnake,whichisnativetotheIndiansubcontinent,hasproventobeanexceptionalcolo-nizerbecauseofitshabitofsequesteringitselfinpottedplantsanditspar-thenogeneticmodeofreproduction.thisspecieshasbeenfoundonbothprovidencialesandGrandturkandislikelytofinditswaytomanyoftheotherislandsinthearchipelago.Wecurrentlydonotknowwhetherbrahminyblindsnakescompetewiththeecologicallysimilarnativeblindsnakes(Typhlopssp.,sensus.b.hedges,in litt.),whicharemoreabun-dantonislandsotherthanGrandturkandprovidenciales.Colorphotovoucher,ApsU19022.

Corn snake, Pantherophis [Elaphe] guttatus. Not established.theCornsnake(Fig.9)isnativetothesoutheasternUnitedstatesandhasbeenintroducedelsewhereintheCaribbean,althoughitissuccessfullyestablishedonlyontheislandsofGrandCayman(schwartzandhenderson1991)andst.thomas(U.s.V.I.,hendersonandpowell2009).thesesnakesmighthavearrivedonislandsaseggslaidinthesoiloflargepot-tedtreesfromFlorida;however,escapedpetsalsoareapossiblemeansofconveyance.thusfar,threeadultshavebeenfoundonGrandturk,oneofwhichlaidaclutchofnon-viableeggsaftercapture(b.n.mancoandb.Riggs,pers.comm.).Colorphotovoucher,ApsU19020.

ConclusionstheturksandCaicoscontainauniqueassemblageofnativereptilespe-cies.threatsfromhabitatmodificationanddirectpersecution(i.e.,killingsnakes)aretakingatollonspeciessuchastheturksIslandboa(Epicrates chrysogaster)andtheturksandCaicosRockIguana(Cyclura carinata)(G.Gerber,unpubl.data;ReynoldsandGerber,inreview).threatsfrominva-sivemammalianspecies,suchascats,arewellestablished,andlocalreptilianpopulationshavesufferedtremendouslyfromtheirintroduction(Iverson1978,mitchelletal.2000).thedegreeofthreattolocalwildlifeposed

byintroducedreptilesandamphibiansislargelyunknownatthistime,however,thefirststepistodocumentsuccessfulinvasions.WeencouragefellowbiologistsandamateurherpetologistsintheWestIndiestotakenoteofintroducedspeciesandreportthemtolocalauthorities.

AcknowledgmentsWethankb.n.mancoandC.Dealforassistanceinthefield,andb.n.manco,b.Riggs,G.Gerber,m.hibbert,ande.salamancaforvaluableinformationregardingbothintroducedspeciesandreptilesintheturksandCaicos.thanksaswelltoA.F.scottforaccessioningphotovouch-erstotheAustinpeaystateUniversityCenterforFieldbiologymuseumin Clarksville, tennessee. We are grateful to W. Clerveaux and theDepartmentofenvironmentandCostalResources,turksandCaicosIslands,forscientificresearchpermits(#’s1-4RGReynolds),andtheturksandCaicosnationaltrustforlogisticalsupport.FinancialsupportfortheauthorswasprovidedbytheDepartmentofecologyandevolutionarybiology,Universityoftennessee,KnoxvillesummerResearchGrantprogram (RGR and mln), and the University of tennessee W.K.mcClurescholarshipforthestudyofWorldAffairs(RGR).thankstoR.W.henderson,R.powell,andG.perryforreviewsandhelpfulcom-mentsonthismanuscript.

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oftheWindwardIslands(WestIndies).Biological Conservation62:47–58.

henderson,R.W.andR.powell.2009.Natural History of West Indian Reptiles and Amphibians.theUniversitypressofFlorida,Gainesville.

Iverson,J.b.1978.theimpactofferalcatsanddogsonpopulationsoftheWestIndianrockiguanaCyclura carinata.Biological Conservation14:63–73.

Kraus,F.2009.Alien Reptiles and Amphibians: A Scientific Compendium and Analysis.springer,newYork.

lee,D.s.andJ.p.Ross.2001.theCatIslandturtle,areptileofproblematicorigin,includingabibliographicreviewofthegenusTrachemysintheWestIndianregion,pp.36-47.In:C.Clark-simpsonandG.W.smith(eds.),Proceedings of the 8th Symposium on the Natural History of the Bahamas.GeraceResearchCenter,sansalvador,bahamas

lockwood, J.l., m.F. hoopes, and m.p. marchetti. 2007. Invasion Ecology.blackwellpublishing,malden,massachusetts.

meshaka,W.e.,Jr.,R.D.bartlett,andh.t.smith.2004.ColonizationsuccessbygreeniguanasinFlorida.Iguana11:155-161.

mitchell,n.,R.haeffner,V.Veer,m.Fulford-Gardner,W.Clerveaux,C.R.Veitch,andG.mitchell.2000.Cateradicationandtherestorationofendan-gered iguanas (Cyclura carinata)onlongCay,Caicosbank,turksandCaicosIslands,britishWestIndies,pp.206–212.In:C.R.Veitchandm.n.

Fig. 8.GreenIguana(Iguana iguana)capturednearlongbayonprovidencialesandbeingheldatthenationalenvironmentalCentre.

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Fig. 9.Cornsnake(Pantherophis guttatus)capturedonGrandturk,turksandCaicosIslands,andbeingheldatthenationalenvironmentalCentre.

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male(top)andfemaleCubanbrownAnoles(Anolis sagrei)fromthephilipsburghar-boronst.maarten.photographicvouchershavebeendepositedinthemilwaukeepublicmuseum:mpmp745(male)andmpmp746(female).theidentityoftheselizardswasconfirmedfromphotographsbyRobertW.henderson.