List of amphibians and reptiles of Anguilla

This is a list of amphibians and reptiles found in the British overseas territory of Anguilla, located in the Lesser Antilles chain in the Caribbean. It comprises the main island of Anguilla, and many much smaller islands and cays that have no permanent human population.

Location of Anguilla in the Caribbean

Amphibians

There are two species of amphibian on Anguilla, both of which were introduced.

Frogs (Anura)

Tree frogs (Hylidae)
SpeciesCommon name(s)NotesImage
Osteopilus septentrionalisCuban tree frogLeast Concern.[1] Recently introduced, mostly through shipping containers; now "firmly established" on Anguilla.[2]
Tropical frogs (Leptodactylidae)
SpeciesCommon name(s)NotesImage
Eleutherodactylus johnstoneiLesser Antillean whistling frog, coqui Antillano, Johnstone's whistling frogLeast Concern. Recently introduced.

Reptiles

Including marine turtles and introduced species, there are 19 reptile species reported on Anguilla. Two are endemic and are restricted to small, uninhabited satellite islands: Censky's Ameiva (Pholidoscelis corax) and the Sombrero Ameiva (Pholidoscelis corvina).

Turtles (Testudines)

Tortoises (Testudinidae)
SpeciesCommon name(s)NotesImage
Geochelone carbonariaRed-footed tortoise
Scaly sea turtles (Cheloniidae)
SpeciesCommon name(s)NotesImage
Caretta carettaLoggerhead turtleEndangered. No reliable reports of nesting in Anguilla.[3]
Chelonia mydasGreen turtleEndangered. Recorded nesting in Anguilla, principally on Dog Island and the Prickly Pear Cays.
Eretmochelys imbricataHawksbill turtleCritically Endangered. The principal nesting turtle species in Anguilla, with important sites on the main island, Dog Island, and the Prickly Pear Cays. A year-round forager.
Leathery sea turtles (Dermochelyidae)
SpeciesCommon name(s)NotesImage
Dermochelys coriaceaLeatherback turtleCritically Endangered. Rare in Anguilla. Recorded nesting on the main island and Scrub Island.

Lizards and snakes (Squamata)

Geckos (Gekkonidae)
SpeciesCommon name(s)NotesImage
Hemidactylus mabouiaHouse geckoIntroduced.
Sphaerodactylus parvusRegionally endemic. Highly abundant. Formerly described as subspecies of Sphaerodactylus macrolepis chiefly found in the Greater Antilles until elevated to species level in 2001.[4]
Sphaerodactylus sputatorIsland least geckoRegional endemic. Highly abundant.
Thecadactylus rapicaudaTurnip-tailed gecko
Iguanas and anolids (Iguanidae)
SpeciesCommon name(s)NotesImage
Anolis carolinensisGreen anole, Carolina anole, red-throated anole, American anole, American chameleonRecent introduction; native mainly to southeastern United States.[5]
Anolis gingivinusAnguilla anole, Anguilla Bank anoleRegional endemic. Widespread and common on the main island and its satellites.
Iguana delicatissimaLesser Antillean iguana, West Indian iguanaVulnerable. Regional endemic. Restricted to the Little Bay area. Only about 50 individuals were believed to remain on Anguilla in 1999.[6]
Iguana iguanaGreen iguana, common iguanaColonized Anguilla due to either Hurricane Luis or Marilyn in 1995, by floating on natural rafts from Guadeloupe; has apparently since sustained a breeding population on Anguilla, possibly threatening the native I. delicatissima.[7]
Whiptails (Teiidae)
SpeciesCommon name(s)NotesImage
Pholidoscelis coraxCensky's ameivaEndemic. Restricted to the tiny islet of Little Scrub, off the coast of Scrub Island.
Pholidoscelis corvinaSombrero ameivaEndemic. Restricted to Sombrero Island.
Pholidoscelis pleiAnguilla Bank ameivaRegional endemic. Common; found on the main island of Anguilla and most of its satellites.
Skinks (Scincidae)
SpeciesCommon name(s)NotesImage
Mabuya mabouya[8]Regional endemic.
Worm snakes (Typhlopidae)
SpeciesCommon name(s)NotesImage
Ramphotyphlops braminusBrahminy blind snake, flowerpot blind snakePresence on Anguilla recently discovered. Widely distributed in the tropics, but limited in the Lesser Antilles.
Colubrids (Colubridae)
SpeciesCommon name(s)NotesImage
Alsophis rijgersmaeiLeeward Island racerEndangered. Regional endemic. Found on main island and Scrub Island.

Notes

  1. Conservation status, where available, is from the IUCN Red List and is indicative of the status of the species as a whole, not just populations on Anguilla.
  2. Townsend et al. 2000 describes sporadic sightings as early as the 1980s, but states that it was not entrenched until after 1999. Not recorded on Anguilla (or anywhere else in the Lesser Antilles) in Malhotra & Thorpe 1999.
  3. See Procter & Fleming 1999, p. 14 for a description of known sea turtle occurrence in Anguilla and its waters.
  4. Powell & Henderson 2005, p. 72.
  5. Powell & Henderson 2005, p. 70 (citing to Eaton, et al. (2001). Geographic distribution: Anolis carolinensis. Herpetol. Rev. 32:118). A. carolinensis is not reported in Malhotra & Thorpe 1999.
  6. Procter & Fleming 1999, p. 14.
  7. See Censky, Ellen J.; Hodge, Karim; Dudley, Judy (1998), "Over-water dispersal of lizards due to hurricanes", Nature, 395: 556, doi:10.1038/26886. Also reported in Yoon, Carol Kaesuk (October 8, 1998), Hapless Iguanas Float Away And Voyage Grips Biologists, The New York Times, retrieved March 10, 2010. This colonization is mentioned in Procter & Fleming 1999, p. 14, and in Malhotra & Thorpe 1999, p. 56, though I. iguana is not included in the species checklist for Anguilla.
  8. Though reported in Malhotra & Thorpe 1999 as M. bistriata, the Anguilla population has been reassigned.

References

Note: All species listed above are supported by Malhotra & Thorpe 1999, unless otherwise cited.

  • Malhotra, Anita; Thorpe, Roger S. (1999), Reptiles & Amphibians of the Eastern Caribbean, Macmillan Education Ltd., pp. 52–56, ISBN 0-333-69141-5.
  • Powell, Robert; Henderson, Robert W. (2005), "Conservation Status of Lesser Antillean Reptiles" (PDF), Iguana, 12 (2): 63–77
  • Procter, D.; Fleming, L. V., eds. (1999), Biodiversity: The UK Overseas Territories (PDF), Joint Nature Conservation Committee, pp. 11–17, ISBN 1-86107-502-2
  • Townsend, Josiah H.; Eaton, James M.; Powell, Robert; Parmerlee, Jr., John S.; Henderson, Robert W. (2000), "Cuban treefrogs (Osteopilus septentrionalis) in Anguilla, Lesser Antilles.", Caribbean Journal of Science, 36 (3–4): 326–328
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