Conservation of the herpetofauna on the Dutch Windward Islands: St. Eustatius, Saba, and St. Maarten

Abstract

The Dutch Windward Islands (St. Eustatius, Saba, St. Maarten) support a collective herpetofauna consisting of two frogs (both introduced), six turtles (one introduced, one of uncertain origin, and four sea turtles, of which three are known to nest in the islands), 15 or 16 lizards (depending on whether the iguanas of Saba are a species distinct from Iguana iguana), and three snakes (one introduced). Although politically united, the islands are distinct biogeographic entities and binary similarity indices for the herpetofauna are 0.38 for St. Eustatius/Saba, 0.35 for St. Eustatius/St. Maarten, and 0.20 for Saba/St. Maarten (with values varying only little when the introduced species are included). Only three species, Eleutherodactylus johnstonei, Hemidactylus mabouia, and Thecadactylus rapicauda, are found on all three islands. Species given formal recognition as being in need of protection include the sea turtles (listed in CITES appendices and the IUCN Redlist), Geochelone carbonaria (CITES), Iguana delicatissima (CITES and IUCN), Iguana iguana (CITES), and two species of Alsophis (IUCN). Other species of conservation concern include two species of Ameiva, both of which are restricted to areas of considerable human activity on islands where mongooses (Herpestes javanicus) are established, and Mabuya sp., which may be extirpated on St. Maarten. Three factors largely responsible for the status of these species are: (1) large size and economic value (turtles and iguanas), (2) persecution by people who fear them (snakes), and (3) diurnally active, terrestrial, and vulnerable to predation by mongooses (snakes, Ameiva, Mabuya). Non-governmental organizations on each island are largely responsible for conservation and related educational efforts. Specific recommendations for each island are listed.

Painted black: Iguana melanoderma (Reptilia, Squamata, Iguanidae) a new melanistic endemic species from Saba and Montserrat islands (Lesser Antilles)

“…With 1.47 % (12/818) difference between the two haplotypes (JQ340913, JQ340914) from Brazil and the two haplotypes from Saba-Montserrat (HM352505) and Venezuela (HM352501), the differences are greater than in these Cyclura subspecies. , , Powell (2006), and Henderson and Powell (2009) suggested that the Saba and Montserrat populations (and possibly the historical population on St. Croix) may warrant designation as a separate species from the Common Green Iguana found elsewhere. We follow their recommendations here.…”

Genetic Evidence of Hybridization between the Endangered Native Species Iguana delicatissima and the Invasive Iguana iguana (Reptilia, Iguanidae) in the Lesser Antilles: Management Implications

“…delicatissima as “vulnerable” [ 11 ].Ten years later, this species was upgraded to “in danger” because of the situation in FWI where I . delicatissima disappeared from Les Saintes (Terre-de-Haut, Terre-de Bas), St. Maarten-Martin [ 26 , 27 ], Grande-Terre, and satellites of St. Barthélemy [ 14 , 28 ]. Some I .…”

High spatial resolution mapping identifies habitat characteristics of the invasive vine Antigonon leptopus on St. Eustatius (Lesser Antilles)

“…It is home to two endemic plant species, the Statia morning glory ( Ipomoea sphenophylla ) and the Statia milkweed ( Gonolobus aloiensis ) (Axelrod, 2017), and the critically endangered Lesser Antillean Iguana ( Iguana delicatissima ). The invasion by Coralita and subsequent habitat alteration may impact organisms at higher trophic levels (Jesse et al 2020), including negative impacts on the iguana population (Debrot et al 2014; Powell et al 2005). More generally, due to Coralita's capacity to overgrow and out‐compete other vegetation, including shrubs and trees, it has been characterized as the most problematic invasive plant for several Caribbean islands (van der Burg et al 2012).…”