[Herpetology • 2021] Discovery of the first Mascarene Giant Tortoise (Testudinidae: Cylindraspis) Nesting Site on Rodrigues Island, Indian Ocean

 Rodrigues giant tortoises on the Plaine Corail, 
based on a unique stuffed Saddleback Tortoise Cylindraspis vosmaeri male (MNHN 1883.558; centre left) and a complete carapace of Domed Tortoise C. peltastes (MNHN 7831; front). The Rodrigues rail Erythromachus leguati, a predator of tortoise eggs and young, forages amongst the tortoises. 

in Hume, Griffiths, ... et Bour, 2021. 

  biotaxa.org/HN

Illustration: Julian Pender Hume

Abstract

Five species of giant tortoise (genus Cylindraspis) once occurred in huge abundance on the Mascarene Islands of Mauritius, Réunion, and Rodrigues. They disappeared after colonisation of the island by humans in the 17th and 18th centuries, primarily due to over-hunting and predation of eggs and young by introduced pigs and cats. So rapid was their extinction that virtually nothing is known about their life history, especially nesting and egg-laying behaviour. Here we report the discovery on Rodrigues of the first Mascarene tortoise-nesting site, which contained intact nesting chambers, complete egg clutches and fossil remains of a known native predator of tortoise eggs. We further compare the nesting behaviour with the giant tortoises of Aldabra Atoll in the Seychelles and the Galapagos Archipelago in Ecuador and provide details of the decline and extinction of Mascarene tortoises, most notably those of Rodrigues, for which good historical records exist. 

Keywords: Mauritius, Réunion, Aldabrachelys gigantea, Chelonoidis, egg chamber, clutches, extinction 

A complete clutch of Cylindraspis vosmaeri eggs removed intact from PB4 on Rodrigues Island. The clutch contains 13 eggs. 

Scale bar = 100 mm.

A reconstruction of Rodrigues giant tortoises on the Plaine Corail, based on a unique stuffed Saddleback Tortoise Cylindraspis vosmaeri male (MNHN 1883.558; centre left) and a complete carapace of Domed Tortoise C. peltastes (MNHN 7831; front) (see Bour et al. 2014a). The Rodrigues rail Erythromachus leguati, a predator of tortoise eggs and young, forages amongst the tortoises. 

Illustration by Julian Pender Hume.

Two species of extinct giant tortoises, Cylindraspis vosmaeri (larger, saddlebacked) and C. peltastes (smaller, domed) in their native habitat on Rodrigues Island in the late 1600s when accounts indicate the herds of tortoises were so large and dense that it was possible to walk for long distances on their backs without touching the ground (Leguat 1707). 

Painting by Julian Pender Hume (from Griffiths et al. 2013).

Julian Pender Hume, Owen Griffiths, Aurèle Anquetil Andre, Arnaud Meunier and Roger Bour. 2021. Discovery of the first Mascarene Giant Tortoise Nesting Site on Rodrigues Island, Indian Ocean (Testudinidae: Cylindraspis). Herpetology Notes. 14; 103-116. biotaxa.org/HN/article/view/62722/64867

Researchgate.net/publication/348371293_Discovery_of_the_first_Cylindraspis_nesting_site_on_Rodrigues_Island

    

    

[Herpetology • 2020] Back from Extinction: Rediscovery of the Harlequin Toad Atelopus mindoensis Peters, 1973 in Ecuador

Atelopus mindoensis Peters, 1973

in Barrio Amorós, Costales, Vieira, et al., 2020.

Herpetology Notes. 13

 TropicalHerping.com 
facebook.com/MelissaCostalesG

Harlequin toads (genus Atelopus Duméril & Bibron, 1841; Bufonidae) are the vertebrate genus that appears to have suffered the most dramatic population declines throughout their range in the Neotropics over the past several decades (La Marca, 2005; Scheele et al., 2019). As a focal point for harlequin toad diversity, Ecuador possesses the second-highest number of species (25), and of these, 18 (72%) are endemic to Ecuador (Centro Jambatu, 2011–2017). Thirteen of these 25 species (52%) have not been seen since the late 1980s or early 1990s (La Marca et al., 2005; Coloma et al., 2010). As a consequence, all 25 species are currently categorized as threatened in Ecuador according to IUCN Red List criteria (IUCN, 2012): ten are classified as Critically Endangered (Possibly Extinct), 14 as Critically Endangered, and one as Endangered (Centro Jambatu, 2011–2020). 

One of the species in the CR (Possibly Extinct) category is Atelopus mindoensis Peters, 1973 (IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group, 2018), which was described from Mindo, Pichincha Province, Ecuador by Peters (1973), and which has been recorded from the provinces of Cotopaxi, Pichincha, Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas, and Esmeraldas, with all locations situated on the western slopes of the Andes between 500 and 2200 m in elevation (Lötters, 1996; IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group, 2018). Arteaga et al. (2013) mentioned that the species was absent from suitable habitats in Mindo, its type locality. Individuals of A. mindoensis were last seen alive on 7 May 1989 between Mindo and Nanegalito, Pichincha Province, as reported by Coloma et al. (2016a). The species was considered as possibly extinct by Coloma et al. (2016a).

...

Figure 1. (A) The first individual of Atelopus mindoensis seen in the wild since 1989, a juvenile (SVL ca. 12 mm) photographed in situ. (B) Young A. mindoensis observed in mossy habitat by day. (C) Adult male A. mindoensis in frontal view, showing the ventral colouration. (D) Cryptic dorsal patterning seen in A. mindoensis, here displayed by the individual as in (C).

Photos by Eric Osterman (A), Melissa Costales (B), and Jose Vieira (C, D).

     

      

     

César L. Barrio Amorós, Melissa Costales, Jose Vieira, Eric Osterman, Hinrich Kaiser and Alejandro Arteaga. 2020. Back from Extinction: Rediscovery of the Harlequin Toad Atelopus mindoensis Peters, 1973 in Ecuador. Herpetology Notes. 13; 325-328. 

TropicalHerping.com/articles/atelopus_mindoensis_rediscovery.html

 facebook.com/TropicalHerping/posts/3111010632254545

facebook.com/MelissaCostalesG/posts/3117182978345376

[Herpetology • 2003] A Revision of the Scaphiophryne marmorata Complex of Marbled Toads from Madagascar, including the Description of A New Species; Scaphiophryne boribory

female Scaphiophryne boribory 

photo: Olaf Pronk | https://flic.kr/p/dM2LPR

Scaphiophryne boribory 

Vences, Raxworthy, Nussbaum & Glaw, 2003

A revision of the available material hitherto assigned to the endemic Malagasy microhylid toad Scaphiophryne marmorata finds this taxon to be a complex of three species. In this study we resurrect Scaphiophryne spinosa Steindachner, 1882 from the synonymy of S. marmorata and describe a new species from central eastern Madagascar. These three Scaphiophryne species are characterized by their distinctly expanded terminal finger discs, a character only shared with S. gottlebei. S. spinosa is characterized by a highly granular back, with large spiny tubercles above the forelimb insertion and in the tympanic region, while S. marmorata is dorsally covered by less prominent and more regular tubercles. The new species is distinguished from both S. marmorata and S. spinosa by its large body size (SVL 47-60 mm), a smoother dorsal skin, and reddish terminal finger discs in life. S. spinosa is distributed in low- and mid-altitude rainforests along the east coast, whereas the new species is only known from mid-altitude rainforest in the

Fierenana region. In contrast, records of S. marmorata include eastern mid-altitude rainforests

and several more arid western sites.

Key words: Amphibia, Anura, Madagascar, Microhylidae, frog taxonomy.

Etymology. The specific name is an unlatinized epithet derived from the Malagasy adjective boribory (=rounded), and refers to the stout and rounded body shape of this species.

Distribution. Only known from two specific sites in the Fierenana region, central eastern Madagascar (Fig.3): (1) Ampahanana, and (2) Sahanomanana.

Venesci, M; Raxworthy, C. J.; Nussbaum, R. A.; Glaw, F. 2003. A Revision of the Scaphiophryne marmorata Complex of Marbled Toads from Madagascar, including the description of a new species. Herpetological Journal 13: 69–79.

Jeanneney Rabearivony, Achille P. Raselimanana, Manajary A. Andriamazava, Russell Thorstrom and Lily-Arison Rene de Roland. 2010. A new locality for the endangered microhylid frog Scaphiophryne boribory from northern Madagascar and a rapid survey of other amphibians of the Bemanevika region. Herpetology Notes. 3: 105-109

http://www.peregrinefund.org/docs/pdf/research-library/2010/2010-Rabearivony-microhylid.pdf

[Herpetology • 2012] A Significant Range Extension for the Kinabalu Parachute Gecko, Ptychozoon rhacophorus (Boulenger, 1899) (Squamata: Gekkonidae) and A New State Record from Sarawak, northwestern Borneo

Ptychozoon rhacophorus
collected from Gunung Penrissen, Sarawak state, Borneo

During a field expedition on May 16, 2011 to Gunung Penrissen, Padawan (northwestern Borneo; 01.12°N, 110.21°E; 1,230 masl; Fig. 1), Sarawak state, East Malaysia, two gecko eggs was collected from the forest floor. The eggs were deposited as a near spherical pair, the hard shelled eggs fused to each other, and attached to the surface of a dry leaf. 

. Identification is based on the presence of the following combination of characters: sharp tapering tail; terminal tail-flap absent; spinose tubercles on dorsum; dorsum lacking dark bands; supranasals not in contact; absence of cutaneous expansion on sides of head (Fig. 2). 

...................

Pui Yong Min and Indraneil Das. 2012. A Significant Range Extension for the Kinabalu Parachute Gecko, Ptychozoon rhacophorus (Boulenger, 1899) (Squamata: Gekkonidae) and A New State Record from Sarawak, northwestern Borneo. Herpetology Notes. 5: 177-179

http://herpetologynotes.seh-herpetology.org/Volume5_PDFs/Min_Herpetology_Notes_Volume5_pages177-179.pdf

[Herpetology / Behaviour • 2013] Climbing Behaviour in Extant Crocodilians

Fig. 2. A juvenile (+/- 0.7 m total length) Central African slender-snouted crocodile (Mecistops cataphractus) on a tree branch. Loango National Park, Gabon.

Abstract

 Although arboreality in extinct crocodilians is frequently suggested, the climbing abilities of extant crocodilians have never been discussed in any detail in scientific literature. We present an overview of published and anecdotal information on climbing in extant crocodilians, as well as original observations on four species representing two crocodile genera. These data suggest that climbing behaviour is common among crocodilians and might have multiple functions. The fact that at least some extant crocodilians are capable of climbing arboreal vegetation despite lacking any obvious morphological adaptations for arboreality must be taken into account by paleontologists trying to elucidate behavioural clues from the morphology of fossil taxa.

Keywords: arboreality, Crocodylus, Mecistops, Australian freshwater crocodile, Nile crocodile, American crocodile, slender-snouted crocodile, American alligator

Fig. 1. A sub-adult American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) perching on a tree branch in Pearl River Delta, Mississippi.

Photo by Kristine Gingras

Fig. 2. A juvenile (+/- 0.7 m total length) Central African slender-snouted crocodile (Mecistops cataphractus) on a tree branch. Loango National Park, Gabon.

Vladimir Dinets, Adam Britton and Matthew Shirley. 2013. Climbing Behaviour in Extant Crocodilians. Herpetology Notes. 7: 3-7 

http://www.herpetologynotes.seh-herpetology.org/Volume7_PDFs/Dinets_HerpetologyNotes_volume7_pages3-7.pdf

[Herpetology • 2013] Cnemaspis selamatkanmerapoh • A New Species of Karst-adapted Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887 (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from A Threatened Karst Region in Pahang, Peninsular Malaysia

Cnemaspis selamatkanmerapoh

Grismer, Wood, Jr., Mohamed, Chan, Heinz, Sumarli, Chan & Loredo, 2013

Abstract
A new species of karst-adapted gekkonid lizard of the genus Cnemaspis Strauch is described from Gua Gunting and Gua Goyang in a karst region of Merapoh, Pahang, Peninsular Malaysia whose unique limestone formations are in immediate danger of being quarried. The new species differs from all other species of Cnemaspis based on its unique suite of morphological and color pattern characters. Its discovery underscores the unique biodiversity endemic to karst regions and adds to a growing list of karst-adapted reptiles from Peninsular Malaysia. We posit that new karst-adapted species endemic to limestone forests will continue to be discovered and these regions will harbor a significant percentage of Peninsular Malaysia’s biodiversity and thusly should be conserved rather than quarried.

Key words: new species, Cnemaspis, karst, limestone, conservation, biodiversity, Merapoh, Peninsular Malaysia

Fresh off the shelf! Merapoh Rock Gecko Cnemaspis selamatkanmerapoh. The description of this endemic, karst specialist helped save the limestone caves in Kampung, Merapoh, Pahang from being quarried.

by Gastrophrynoides http://flic.kr/p/ipZVbK

Grismer, L. L., JR. Perry L. wood, Maketab Mohamed, Kin O. Chan, Heather M. Heinz, Alex S.-I. Sumarli, Jacob A. Chan & Ariel I. Loredo. 2013. A New Species of Karst-adapted Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887 (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from A Threatened Karst Region in Pahang, Peninsular Malaysia. Zootaxa. 3746(3): 463–472.

 http://mapress.com/zootaxa/2013/f/z03746p472f.pdf

'Save Merapoh Caves' Rock Gecko | Cicak Batu Selamatkan Merapoh