Comparison of a native and a non-native insular reptile species

Abstract

During the study 140 natives and 37 non-natives were captured, weighed, measured and marked uniquely. The number of gravid females and number of eggs were also recorded. Phyllodactylus palmeus was the significantly larger of the two species (60% larger mass, 25% longer SVL) and had higher population abundance at all 12 study sites with some sites yielding no H. frenatus individuals. However, H. frenatus had a larger proportion of gravid females. Observations that the native species is more common despite being sympatric with a known aggressive invader suggest two possibilities: the island is at the start of an invasion, or that the two species co-exist in a more stable fashion.

Confirmation of the Mourning Gecko, Lepidodactylus lugubris (Duméril and Bibron 1836), on Isla de Utila, with remarks on the island’s invasive reptiles

“…Unfortunately, the associated increase in accessibility and need for imported produce from the mainland and neighboring islands has facilitated the introduction of two other notoriously invasive reptiles on Utila; including the Asian House Gecko, Hemidactylus frenatus (Kohler 2001;McCranie and Rovito 2011) and the Brown Anole, Anolis (Norops) sagrei (McCranie et al 2005;McCranie and Nuñez 2014;McCranie and Valdéz-Orellana 2014). While comprehensive research addressing the impacts of invasive species on Utila is still required, observations suggest that these pose a significant threat to numerous island endemics (e.g., McCranie and Hedges 2013;Nicholson et al 2015;T.W. Brown et al 2017aT.W.…”

Climate anomalies and competition reduce establishment success during island colonization

“…Before transplanting lizards to experimental islands, we implanted visual elastomers (VIE codes; Northwest Marine Technology, Inc.) to give each individual a unique and reliable identifier (Daniel et al, 2006; Nicholson et al, 2015). Lizards were then randomly assigned to islands and released in batches (20–40 lizards per batch).…”