List of amphibians and reptiles of Saint Martin

Location of Saint Martin in the Caribbean

This is a list of amphibians and reptiles found on the island of Saint Martin, located in the Lesser Antilles chain in the Caribbean. Politically, Saint Martin is divided between the Collectivity of Saint Martin on the northern half of the island, which is an overseas collectivity of France, and Sint Maarten on the southern half, which is part of the Netherlands Antilles.

Amphibians

There are three species of amphibian on Saint Martin, two of which were introduced.

Frogs (Anura)

Tree frogs (Hylidae)
Species Common name(s) Notes Image
Osteopilus septentrionalis[1] Cuban tree frog Least concern.[2] Recently introduced.
Scinax ruber Red-snouted tree frog Recent introduction.
Tropical frogs (Leptodactylidae)
Species Common name(s) Notes Image
Eleutherodactylus johnstonei Lesser Antillean whistling frog, coqui Antillano, Johnstone's whistling frog Least concern.

Reptiles

Including marine turtles and introduced species, there are 17 reptile species reported on Saint Martin. One species, the bearded anole (Anolis pogus), is endemic to Saint Martin. Its local population of one species, the regionally endemic and endangered Lesser Antillean iguana (Iguana delicatissima), was recently extirpated.[3]


Turtles (Testudines)

Tortoises (Testudinidae)
Species Common name(s) Notes Image
Geochelone carbonaria Red-footed tortoise
Box turtles and pond turtles (Emydidae)
Species Common name(s) Notes Image
Trachemys scripta elegans[4] Red-eared slider Introduced; abundant.
Scaly sea turtles (Cheloniidae)
Species Common name(s) Notes Image
Caretta caretta Loggerhead turtle Endangered.
Chelonia mydas Green turtle Endangered.
Eretmochelys imbricata Hawksbill turtle Critically endangered.
Leathery sea turtles (Dermochelyidae)
Species Common name(s) Notes Image
Dermochelys coriacea Leatherback turtle Critically endangered.

Lizards and snakes (Squamata)

Geckos (Gekkonidae)
Species Common name(s) Notes Image
Hemidactylus mabouia House gecko Introduced.
Sphaerodactylus parvus Regionally endemic. Formerly described as subspecies of Sphaerodactylus macrolepis chiefly found in the Greater Antilles until elevated to species level in 2001.
Sphaerodactylus sputator Island least gecko Regional endemic. Highly abundant.
Thecadactylus rapicauda Turnip-tailed gecko
Iguanas and anolids (Iguanidae)
Species Common name(s) Notes Image
Anolis gingivinus Anguilla anole, Anguilla Bank anole Regional endemic. Abundant.
Anolis pogus Anguilla Bank bush anole, bearded anole, Watts' anole Endemic. Abundant. Previously occurred on Anguilla and Saint Barthélemy, but now extirpated from those islands.
Iguana iguana[5] Green iguana, common iguana Recently introduced; very rare on Saint Martin. It out competed the endemic Iguana delicatissima in 20 years to extinction.
Whiptails (Teiidae)
Species Common name(s) Notes Image
Pholidoscelis plei Anguilla Bank ameiva Regional endemic. Localized but abundant. Population on main island of Saint Martin (also present on satellite, Île Tintamarre) described as endemic subspecies, P. p. analifera, in 1992.
Skinks (Scincidae)
Species Common name(s) Notes Image
Mabuya mabouya[6] Regional endemic. Possibly extirpated.
Worm snakes (Typhlopidae)
Species Common name(s) Notes Image
Ramphotyphlops braminus[7] Brahminy blind snake, flowerpot blind snake Introduced; rare.
Colubrids (Colubridae)
Species Common name(s) Notes Image
Alsophis rijgersmaei Leeward island racer Endangered. Regional endemic. Possibly functionally extirpated on Saint Martin; restricted to small, isolated enclaves due to mongoose predation.[8]

Notes

  1. ^ Powell 2006, p. 296. Not recorded on Saint Martin (or anywhere else in the Lesser Antilles) in Malhotra & Thorpe 1999.
  2. ^ 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 Saint Martin.
  3. ^ Powell 2006, pp. 296, 298.
  4. ^ Powell 2006, p. 296. Not recorded on Saint Martin in Malhotra & Thorpe 1999.
  5. ^ Powell 2006, p. 296. Not recorded on Saint Martin in Malhotra & Thorpe 1999.
  6. ^ Though reported in Malhotra & Thorpe 1999 as M. bistriata, the Anguilla Bank population has been reassigned. Local Mabuya species listed as unknown in Powell 2006, p. 296.
  7. ^ Powell 2006, p. 296. Not recorded on Saint Martin in Malhotra & Thorpe 1999.
  8. ^ Powell 2006, pp. 298–299.

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. 56–59, ISBN 0-333-69141-5.
  • Powell, Robert (2006), "Conservation of the herpetofauna on the Dutch Windward Islands: St. Eustatius, Saba, and St. Maarten", Applied Herpetology, 3 (4): 293–306, doi:10.1163/157075406778905090