Figure 6. Variation seen in Anolis cristatellus from the
Mata de Plátano Field Station. A. Grey/tan patterning with
heavily mottling. B. Brown morph with mid-dorsal yellow stripe
and light dorsal and lateral flecks. C. Brown morph with no
mottling or mid-dorsal spots, light flecks present. D. Lateral
shot of the head of the individual from Panel C. E. Brown morph
with light mottling and striping, and dark spots running down the spine.
Note the slightly raised dorsal crest (more prominent at the tail).F. Lateral shot of the head of the individual from Panel F. All
photographs taken by Justin M. Bernstein.
To our knowledge, this is the first faunal checklist on the bat and
herpetofauna of Puerto Rico. Our findings expand the current knowledge
of biodiversity and species richness in this protected region. Although
more standardized methods over greater periods of time will provide more
insight on species abundances, our results show that A.
cristatellus and S. grandisquamis guarionex likely contribute
large portions to the vertebrate biomass here, as has been found in
other studies (Rodda et al. 2001). There are likely more species in Mata
de Plátano. For example, there have been several accounts of A.
occultus from the field station (pers. comm. Abel Vale, 2022). Although
we did not see these species during our time at the reserve, future
surveys will be needed to better understand the density of A.
occultus and N. leporinus in this area. The Puerto Rican fauna
has been studied well, yet new species have recently described (e.g.,
Díaz-Lameiro et al. 2022), thus it is critical to perform local,
intensive surveys and document faunal inventories. These local intensive
surveys and faunal checklists can provide a steady supply of data to
understand the current status of Caribbean species. The main threats to
Caribbean bats and herpetofauna stem from habitat loss and fragmentation
related to human development, and climatic events that can drastically
re-shape the local population connectivity of bats species
(Calderón-Acevedo et al., 2021; Soto-Centeno & Calderón-Acevedo, 2023).
Therefore, having updated local lists can provide a year-to-year
comparison of local faunal abundance that can inform conservation
strategies, and eventually strengthen the predictive power when
modelling the effect climate change of species richness and abundance.
We encourage more researchers to publish faunal and floral lists, even
for common taxa, to better understand species diversity, abundance, and
interactions for downstream research and conservation.
Data Availability
Statement
All research here was observational and no data beyond what is presented
in this manuscript is available.