Japalura swinhonis is an endemic agamid lizard in Taiwan, and although its diet has been examined in northern Taiwan and Orchid Island, it has not been investigated in other parts of its range. Investigating the diet of a species from different parts of its range is crucial due to temporal and spatial variations in it. This study examined the dietary items of 47 J. swinhonis from Santzepu and Yunlin, southwestern Taiwan. We also reviewed the diet of J. swinhonis and compared it with that of Anolis sagrei from Santzepu, where these species are sympatric in anthropogenically created habitats such as Areca catechu plantations and fruit orchards. The diet of J. swinhonis from Santzepu was dominated by hymenopterans, followed by coleopterans, lepidopterans and trichopterans, while that of the J. swinhonis from Yunlin was dominated by isopterans, followed by hymenopterans, lepidopterans and coleopterans. The diet of A. sagrei from Santzepu was mainly dominated by hymenopterans, lepidopterans, araneids, hemipterans, coleopterans, dipterans, isopterans and orthopterans, in that order of frequency. From the results of this study it is evident that in areas where J. swinhonis and A. sagrei are sympatric there is a substantial dietary niche overlap, and competition for prey is very likely.

The brown anole ( Anolis sagrei ) occurs naturally in various localities in Central America, and an exotic invasive population was first reported in Sheishan District, Chiayi County, Taiwan, in 2000. Previous studies showed that following the invasion of A. sagrei , the diversity and abundance of local terrestrial arthropods, such as orb spiders and arboreal insects, were severely affected. In this study, we assessed the impact of A. sagrei on arthropod diversity in Taiwan by comparing spider and insect diversities among betelnut palm plantations, in which this lizard species was either present or absent, and a secondary forest. In addition, enclosures were established in which the density of A. sagrei was manipulated to investigate the effect of this predator on spiders. The results of a lizard stomach content analysis showed that spiders comprised 7% and insects 90% of the prey consumed. Among the insects consumed by A. sagrei , more than 50% were ants. The abundances of the major arthropod prey of A. sagrei , such as jumping spiders and hymenopterans, in the lizard-present sites were much lower than in the lizard-removed sites. The enclosure experiments also showed that predation by the lizards significantly reduced the abundance of jumping spiders. All these results indicated that the introduced lizard greatly affected the diversity and abundance of terrestrial arthropods in agricultural areas in southern Taiwan.

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In an effort to better understand the dynamics of the parapatric boundary in South Australia of the ticks Amblyomma limbatum and Bothriocroton hydrosauri the late Professor C. Michael Bull initiated studies into the ecology of sleepy lizards (Tiliqua rugosa), a common host of these parasites. These studies spanned a period of about 40 years and examined aspects such as monogamy, long-term mate fidelity, social networks, personality, resource use and the transmission of parasites and other pathogens. This review incorporates the results of these studies with other information about this species to provide a comprehensive overview of its natural history, highlighting not only what is known, but also indicates areas that require further study.

Predation by an exotic lizard, Anolis sagrei , alters the ant community structure in betelnut palm plantations in southern TaiwanAbstract . 1. Predators can affect prey directly by reducing prey abundance and indirectly by altering behavioural patterns of prey. From previous studies, there is little evidence that ant community structure is affected by vertebrate predation.2. Researchers tend to consider the interactions between vertebrate predators and ants to be weak. The present study examined the impact of the exotic invasive lizard, Anolis sagrei , on the ant community structure by manipulating the density of lizards within enclosures. The natural density of A. sagrei in the field was surveyed and used as the stocking density rate in the lizard-present sub-enclosures.3. Before the lizard density was manipulated, there was no difference in the ant diversity between sub-enclosures. After the lizard density manipulation, the ant diversity in sub-enclosures with A. sagrei present was significantly different from that of enclosures where the lizards were absent, although the overall ant abundance did not differ significantly.4. The ant diversity difference was generated by a significant reduction of the ant species Pheidole fervens in sub-enclosures with A. sagrei present. Such an abundance change might be the result of direct predation by the lizards, or it might be generated by a foraging site shift by this ant.5. The results of this study thus demonstrated that the invasion of an exotic vertebrate can significantly alter the community structure of ants, perhaps through the combined direct and indirect effects of lizards on ants.

The Brown Anole (Anolis sagrei) has become an invasive species in some parts of the Americas and in some localities in the Pacific region. In Taiwan A. sagrei was recorded for the first time in 2000 in Santzepu, southwestern Taiwan, and was subsequently recorded in Chisintang, eastern Taiwan, during 2006. For future monitoring and research, we describe the known distribution of A. sagrei in Taiwan by plotting GPS coordinates of localities where A. sagrei was observed during surveys (conducted on an ad hoc basis since this species was first discovered in Taiwan) or where specimens have been collected on GIS User Community aerial photographs that were divided into 100 x 100-m grids. We recorded this invasive lizard in southwestern Taiwan in an area spanning approximately 237 ha and in an approximately 8-ha area in eastern Taiwan. Since A. sagrei is easily spread by human activities, and because not all areas could be thoroughly surveyed, we conclude that the current actual distribution of A. sagrei in Taiwan is probably more extensive than shown. We believe that the eradication of A. sagrei in Taiwan through removal is unrealistic, and propose that ongoing efforts should focus on managing this species.

The snake mite, Ophionyssus natricis (Acari: Macronyssidae), occurs in many parts of the world and is of animal and human health significance. In Australia Op. natricis is considered an introduced species in parts of coastal eastern and southern Australia and is thought to be absent in the wild. Herein we report on the occurrence of Op. natricis in Adelaide and a rural locality in South Australia on lizards from the genus Tiliqua. We also review previous records of this mite species based on published reports and the examination of museum specimens. The results show that the snake mite has been collected on wild hosts at several localities in at least two states and is therefore not restricted to reptiles in captivity.

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