Reviews for the Trinidad and Tobago Herpetofauna Field Guide

In 1997, John Murphy's book covered an account of the amphibians and reptiles of Trinidad and Tobago; the only one at the time covering both amphibians and reptiles of the country. Two decades later, this first field guide edition to the herpetofauna of the country was published which provides an update on its predecessor. It features updated information on species, along with name changes and some new species. The book was published by the Trinidad and Tobago Field Naturalists' Club (Founded 1891) and can be bought locally in most leading bookstores as well as internationally from the club's website, see link here.  To date, international orders for the field guide have come from the US, UK, Germany, France, Israel, Sweden, and Guadeloupe.

Two international reviews have come out for the book this year. One in The Herpetological Bulletin, and one in Herpetological Review. The following are some direct comments from the reviews:

Suzanne Simpson, Hadlow College, Hadlow, Tonbridge, Kent, TN11 0AL, UK.

Herpetological Bulletin 144, 2018: 34-35.

"This field guide is a user-friendly, detailed, step-by-step guide to the herpetofauna of Trinidad and Tobago. It breaks down into multiple sections with an easy to use index at the back for readers who want to just look at a few species. Anyone interested in amphibians and reptiles could pick up this book and enjoy the pictures and information. At the price it is excellent value for money."

Robert Powell, Department of Biology, Avila University, Kansas City, Missouri 64145, USA

Herpetological Review 2018, 49(3) 561-563.

"This is an outstanding, educational, and entertaining overview of a complex insular herpetofauna. Sufficiently detailed and documented to meet the needs of professionals but adequately straight-forward and not too technical to serve readers using it solely as a means to identify species they encounter during a visit to the islands. This excellent guide is a must for the libraries of herpetologists with an interest in insular herpetofauna and for the backpacks of any naturalist fortunate enough to experience Trinidad and Tobago."

Cost to order online is $42. USD ($290. TTD) which includes the cost of postage. For further information on how you can order a copy, please email admin@ttfnc.org. For local purchases, contact the club for additional information.

Citation for the Field guide:

Murphy, J.C., Downie, J.R., Smith, J.M., Livingstone, S.R., Mohammed, R.S., Auguste, R.J., Lehtinen, R.M., Eyre, M., Sewlal, J.N., Noriega, N., Casper, G.S., Anton, T., Thomas, R.A., Rutherford, M.G., Braswell, A.L., and Jowers, M.J. 2018. A field guide to the amphibians and reptiles of Trinidad and Tobago.  Trinidad and Tobago Field Naturalists’ Club. 336 pp.

Herpetofauna results from the Toco Bioblitz

Bioblitz results. Photo by Renoir Auguste

The seventh annual Bioblitz of Trinidad and Tobago came and went. The amphibian and reptile group which consisted of two main groups; one from the Trinidad and Tobago Field Naturalists' Club and the other by Serpentarium observed 37 species over the weekend. These 37 species consisted of 13 species of amphibians, 11 lizards, 11 snakes, one crocodilian and one sea turtle.

Although we wished that all 37 observations were of herpetofauna living in the wild, this was not the case. The one sea turtle observed was a green sea turtle carcass with shell on nearby beach. With some parts of the turtle still in the shell, it was uncertain as to what may have caused its demise. It would be a shame if this was an act of poaching by people in the area. Sea turtles are still poached in Trinidad and Tobago despite year-long legal protection. The Serpentarium also observed a roadkill snake (Leptophis  coeruleodorsus).

Perhaps the most notable amphibian sighting was that of the narrow-mouth frog Elachistocleis sp. These explosive breeders are difficult to spot unless they are out calling in abundance, but we managed to spot one not too far from the coastline in secondary forest type vegetation.

Elachistocleis sp. Photo by Rainer Deo

Although we did not spot any rare or elusive reptiles, seeing four Bothrops along a single trail at Cumana on the same night was very notable. One local in the area did mention to us that there are many "Mapepire Balsains" (the local common name for Bothrops) along the trail, and he did not exaggerate. The four individuals were all observed along the side of the trail and were all estimated to be about two to four feet (60 to 120 cm) long. Considering we saw four, there is a great likelihood that there are more individuals in the area nearby.

Special thanks to all the volunteers that came out and especially Rainer Deo for the photos. The full list of species observed at the Bioblitz will be made available in the final report and will be shared here when it is compiled and completed.

Bothrops sp. Photo by Rainer Deo

Trinidad and Tobago's 7th annual Bioblitz goes to Toco in 2018

Bioblitz is a 24 hour event where scientists, naturalists and members of the public all come together to collect, identify and record as many species of fungi, plant and animal in a certain area. It is an opportunity for the public to see scientists at work and allows scientists to share their knowledge with others. It can also promote an area and showcase the biodiversity to be found there. 

This year will be the seventh edition and the chosen location is Toco to take place on 17-18 November. Toco is located in north east Trinidad and represents a portion of the island that has not been covered yet for the 24 hour event. It represents an area that covers a portion of the Northern Range forest as well as coastal ecosystems. The base camp will be the Toco Regional Complex. The main organizers for the Bioblitz are once again the Trinidad and Tobago Field Naturalists' Club in collaboration with The University of the West Indies Zoology Museum (UWIZM). This year as in past editions, it is sponsored by First Citizens. 

Given that there are proposed works to build a port in the area, these surveys offer a baseline of the biodiversity that are likely to be impacted by the work. What species of reptiles and amphibians are likely to be found in the area and how many? Perhaps something rare or new? Stay tuned to find out next week!

Simla's Reptiles and Amphibians

Photo by Renoir Auguste

The William Beebe Research Station, also known as Simla is known by many scientists that have visited Trinidad. It is located in the Arima Valley and surrounded by tropical forests: ideal for researchers wanting to get a feel of the environment. However, over recent years the nearby quarry has altered the habitat. One wonders what kind of effect this may have on the wildlife, including the local herpetofauna?

Tantilla melanocephala. Photo by Rainer Deo

In October 2018 the Trinidad and Tobago Field Naturalists' Club's Herpetology Group, lead by current president undertook a trip to see what amphibian and reptile species they can find. Searches took place in the afternoon from 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm and then again at night from 6 pm to 9 pm. Within those 4 hours, the group collectively observed 17 herpetofauna species, including 3 snake species (Bothrops sp, Tantilla melanocephala, and Corallus ruschenbergerii), 6 lizard species (Hemidactylus mabouia, Thecadactylus rapicauda, Gonatodes vittatus, G. ceciliae, Anolis planiceps, and Plica caribeana), and 8 amphibian species (Mannophryne trinitatis, Rhinella marina, Pristimantis urichi, Flectonotus fitzgeraldi, Boana xerophylla, Leptodactylus validus, Engystomops pustulosus, Phyllomedusa trinitatis).

Thecadactylus rapicauda. Photo by Rainer Deo

It was a bit surprising given the warm afternoon and relatively dry conditions at night to see that many species. Although most of these may be considered generalist type species, the habitat specialists (Pristimantis urichi and Flectonotus fitzgeraldi) were visually and audibly observed. This may suggest that the forest at and around Simla does offer suitable habitat for these species, for now. It would be interesting to regularly keep track of the diversity of herpetofauna at Simla.

Rhinella marina (background) and Pristimantis urichi (foreground) at Simla. Photo by Rainer Deo

Lack of chytrid disease in Tobago's frogs

Chytridiomycosis has caused declines in multiple amphibian species across the world. The fungal infection has been detected in frogs in Tobago, specifically the endemic Aromobatidae stream frog Mannophryne olmonae (Alemu et al. 2008). However, there were no signs of clinical mortality.

A follow up study was conducted on six species of frogs (Leptodactylus validus, Engystomops pustulosus, Boana xerophylla, Pristimantis charlottevillensis, Hyalinobatrachium orientale tobagoense, and Mannophryne olmonae) from northeast Tobago in 2016 by Thomson et al. 2018 to assess the presence of the chytrid fungus. Based on their data of 176 samples, no chytrid was detected. According to the authors, their findings appear to indicate that the infection may have died out or is at very low levels. At least, for the species sampled and those in the northeast of the island.

Boana xerophylla from Tobago (Photo by: Renoir Auguste)

Alemu,J.B., Cazabon, M.N.E, Dempewolf, L., Hailey, A., Lehtinen, R.M., Mannette, R.P., Naranjit, K.T. and Roach, A.C.J. 2008. Presence of the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in populations of the Critically Endangered frog Mannophryne olmonae in Tobago, West Indies. Ecohealth, 5:34-39.

Thomson, R., Hoskisson, P.A., Brozio, S., Downie, J.R. 2018. Apparent lack of chytrid infection in northeast Tobago's frogs. Living World, Journal of the Trinidad and Tobago Field Naturalists' Club, 2018: 82-86.

Another Anolis lizard introduced to Trinidad

Anolis cristatellus (Photo by Kester Dass)

As of 2018, there have been eight species of Anolis lizards reported for Trinidad and Tobago (Murphy et al. 2018). Most of these (6/8) have been introduced from other Caribbean islands. It is uncertain as to exactly how these non-native Anolis lizards came into the country. A recent report by Auguste et al. 2018 now adds a ninth Anolis lizard to the country: Anolis cristatellus, the Puerto Rican Crested Anole. Given the recent spread of other introduced Anolis lizards across Trinidad and Tobago, it will be important to keep track of the distribution of the Puerto Rican Crested Anole as it has the potential to compete with and displace native Anolis species.

Auguste, RJ, Dass K, Baldeo, D. 2018. Discovery of the Puerto Rican Crested Anole, Anolis cristatellus Dumeril and Bibron, on Trinidad. Caribbean Herpetology 63: 1-2. DOI: 10.311611/ch63

Murphy, J.C., Downie, J.R., Smith, J.M., Livingstone, S.R., Mohammed, R.S., Auguste, R.J., Lehtinen, R.M., Eyre, M., Sewlal, J.N., Noriega, N., Casper, G.S., Anton, T., Thomas, R.A., Rutherford, M.G., Braswell, A.L., and Jowers, M.J. 2018. A field guide to the amphibians and reptiles of Trinidad and Tobago.  Trinidad and Tobago Field Naturalists’ Club. 336 pp.