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An adult Puerto Rican Tody, Todus mexicanus, with freshly caught juvenile Anolis cristatellus. Photo by I. Rivera. Mammal-Lizard saurophagy. Different events revealed an adult Small Indian Mongoose (Carnivora: Herpestidae: Herpestes auropunctatus Hodgson, 1836) foraging nests, ingesting eggs, and capturing juvenile Iguana iguana. The first event took place during March 2009, on the western side of the lighthouse of Las Cabezas de San Juan Nature Reserve at 1400 h, in Las Croabas, Fajardo municipality, Puerto Rico (18.382N, 65.618W). CARG observed an adult mongoose exiting the opening of an iguana nest while holding an egg in its mouth (not shown). The mongoose went to the adjacent vegetation for cover, presumably to ingest the egg content. A second event took place on June 25, 2015, along Seven Seas Beach of Las Cabezas de San Juan Nature Reserve at 1341 h, in Las Croabas, Fajardo municipality, Puerto Rico (18.382N, 65.627W). CARG observed an adult mongoose that captured a juvenile iguana, which was foraging under the cover of shrubs along the beach line. The mongoose captured the juvenile by the right hind limb and carried it off in its mandibles to the denser adjacent vegetation inland, presumably for ingestion (Figure 10).
Source publication
We document the first accounts of lizard predation from Puerto Rico by native and naturalized species of lizards, snakes, birds, and mammals (domestic and feral). Specifically, we document saurophagy by the lizards Anolis cristatellus and Ameiva exsul; the colubrid Borikenophis portoricensis; several species of non-raptor birds; and feral and domes...
Context in source publication
Context 1
... March 17, 2010, coauthor IR observed an adult Puerto Rican Tody (Coraciiformes: Todidae: Todus mexicanus Lesson, 1838) that had just captured and killed a juvenile Anolis cristatellus to feed its recently hatched chick in a nearby nest dug at approximately 60 cm height on a bare slope land adjacent to a trail. The Tody was found perching on a nearby branch of a shrub (Figure 9) in a cattle ranching farm located north of road PR-183, Sector Los Gómez, Valenciano Abajo, Juncos municipality, Puerto Rico (18.183°N, 65.938°W). The ranch was characterized by low woody vegetation cover, is it adjacent to a semi-permanent creek, and has several artificial ponds and dirt roads. ...
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Citations
... There are no comparable data on the relative contribution of amphibians to the diet of species of birds introduced into the PRA. The region lacks large predatory species that characterize food webs in continental areas; consequently, amphibians and reptiles (rather than birds) represent the most abundant, conspicuous, and ecologically important group of vertebrates that regulate the flow of nutrients, carbon, and energy by way of predator-prey interactions in the insular ecosystem (Ríos-López et al. 2015b;Smith et al. 2018). However, the topic of the diet and feeding ecology of birds should be pursued in the PRA, as such studies will put into perspective the relative influence of amphibians (and reptiles) in structuring species assemblages in insular ecosystems such as occur here in particular, and in the Caribbean region in general. ...
In this chapter, the reader will notice that in the Puerto Rico Archipelago (PRA) – and probably elsewhere – we still lack information that would be valuable for the conservation and management of the vast majority of amphibians. For instance, we still have much to learn about the natural history, reproductive phenology, population biology, and dynamics of assemblages of species in a variety of environ- mental situations. We also lack information on the physiological responses of amphibians from the perspective of expected changes in climate, examples being shifts in elevational distribution and migration in response to sea-level rise and intrusion of salt water into coastal areas. Bridging the gap between herpetology and other disciplines (e.g. successional ecology, social sciences, and geographic information systems) is fundamental if we are to prioritize efforts towards the con- servation of amphibians and their ecosystems. Accordingly, we provide a brief description of land-use and changes in land-cover in PR and the VI through history, and summarize the anurans in the PRA. Note that whenever we use ‘VI’ as a stand-alone name in the text, we mean the USVI and BVI combined as a subset of islands in a geographical context. Finally, it is exciting that the earliest known fossil of an Eleutherodactylus (and the earliest fossil of any anuran in the Caribbean) – a humerus approximately 29 million years old – comes from PR. Even more exciting is our hope that this work will inspire current and future generations of herpetologists to conduct fruitful research on amphibians in the PRA and throughout the Caribbean.
... Also, I found that species of herpetofauna (only Anura) represented 3.7% of stomachs of O. septentrionalis (n = 27 stomachs; one E. coqui in one stomach), but this represents 0.18% of its Number of Frequently-Used Prey Item (Table 1), which, compared with the minimum cuto of 3.3%, is negligible. Notably, the percentage of occurrence of anurans in stomachs of O. septentrionalis seems very low, bearing in mind that: 1) E. coqui is the most abundant frog on the island, and 2) considering that the diversity of the Puertorican herpetofauna (as is of islands in general; see Rodda and Dean-Bradley 2002) also is characterized by density-compensation: relatively few species, but of high density, compared to continental areas (e.g., Ríos-López et al. 2015). For instance, Stewart and Woolbright (1996: 284) estimated the population density of E. coqui to be 20,570 individuals at El Verde, Luquillo Experimental Forest, northeastern Puerto Rico, which, according to Rodda et al. (2001: 334) is "…the highest published density of non-aggregated frogs". ...
The Cuban Treefrog, Osteopilus septentrionalis, has been introduced throughout the Caribbean and southern continental areas in the U.S.A. Scientists frequently refer to it as an invasive that preys upon native anurans voraciously, thus threatening their populations elsewhere. I document the diet of the Cuban Treefrog and compare it with that of two anurans, Eleutherodactylus coqui (Common Coqui, endemic) and Leptodactylus albilabris (Caribbean White-lipped Frog, native) in an urban area in Puerto Rico and review and reanalyze the available data on its predator-prey dynamics by use of two measures: Number of Frequently-Used Prey Items and frequency of anurans among stomachs. I use these measures to examine published results from the island and continental contexts relative to the Cuban Treefrog's anurophagous reputation. I found that native anurans (and vertebrates at large) represent a negligible fraction of this species' diet in all but one continental location. I suggest that generalized claims about the species' influence on native anurans, specifically those about predation, are equivocal and most likely based on fortuitous accounts available in the scientific literature and non-scientific outlets. Consequently, these findings have profound implications for prioritizing and justifying conservation needs throughout the species' non-native distribution, particularly when ecological, evolutionary, biogeographical, and anthropogenic considerations, other than predator-prey interaction, are frequently overlooked.
... Bird predation on West Indian reptiles has been reviewed by Powell and Henderson (2008) and documented the Loggerhead Kingbird preying upon the Caymans Blue-fanned Anole, Anolis conspersus Garman 1887, and the Jamaican Giant Anole, A. oculatus Cope 1879. Ríos-López et al. (2015) reviewed saurophagy (lizard predation) by Puerto Rican vertebrates, including avian predators of Puerto Rican anoles, and found no accounts for the Dwarf Anole. Consequently, the account described herein expands the list of reptile preys for the Loggerhead Kingbird in the West Indies (all anoles) and represents the first predation account on A. occultus. ...
... Terrestrial reptiles and amphibians are important organisms of many ecosystems due to their total numbers, biomass and how they affect ecosystem functions through complex trophic interactions (Dodd 2010, Ríos-López et al. 2015. However, these taxa are sensitive to the changes in terrestrial ecosystems occurring worldwide. ...
Culebra, which is an archipelago that forms part of the Puerto Rican Bank, has had a limited scope of biological studies, provided the basis for this work. Culebra's terrestrial resources were disturbed since the early 1900's until the 1970's. Since the 1970's, a natural reserve, called the Culebra National Wildlife Refuge, has been managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The purpose of this research is to update the species list of reptiles and amphibians on the Island as well as to examine how spatial and temporal changes affect the diversity and abundance of its herpetofauna. Twenty species of reptiles and amphibians placed in thirteen families were identified. Two new records for Mount Resaca are Eleutherodactylus coqui Thomas, 1966 and Eleutherodactylus cochranae Grant, 1932. Meanwhile, Anolis pulchellus Duméril and Bibron, 1837 is a new record for the Luis Peña Cay. Mount Resaca has greater species richness, ten more species than the Luis Peña Cay, three species of amphibians and seven species of reptiles. The differences in herpetofaunal biodiversity (e.g. Shannon Wiener, Simpson's Index and Margalef's Index) between Mount Resaca and the Luis Peña Cay were statistically significant. Abiotic factors, such as temperature and humidity, and biotic factors, such as vegetation and the presence of other animal species, possibly influence the relative abundances within these communities.
This datasheet on Anolis cristatellus covers Identity, Overview, Distribution, Dispersal, Diagnosis, Biology & Ecology, Environmental Requirements, Natural Enemies, Impacts, Uses, Prevention/Control, Further Information.
Understanding high biodiverse areas and interactions among organisms requires reciprocal action between scientists and community through citizen science. This paper results from the joint efforts of an amateur nature photographer and scientists to describe the predation behaviour of the heron Ardea cocoi upon the lizard Ameiva ameiva. We also discuss the importance of citizen science and digital photography for natural history studies. Understanding interactions among organisms requires reciprocal action between scientists and community. This paper results from the joint efforts of an amateur nature photographer and scientists to describe the predation behaviour of the heron Ardea cocoi upon the lizard Ameiva ameiva. We discuss the importance of citizen science and digital photography for natural history studies.
