Multiple records of the introduced parthenogenetic Smooth-scaled Tegulet, Gymnophthalmus underwoodi Grant 1958, in Puerto Rico

Authors

  • Danielle Rivera North Carolina Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, North Carolina, 27695, USA https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9100-9945
  • Jan P. Zegarra Caribbean Ecological Services Field Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Boquerón, 00622, Puerto Rico.
  • Alberto R. Puente-Rolón Ecology and Wildlife Conservation Laboratory, University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, PO Box 9000, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, 00681, USA https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3045-2561
  • Nahíra Arocho-Hernandez North Carolina Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, North Carolina, 27695, USA
  • Nathan J. Hostetter U.S. Geological Survey, North Carolina Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, North Carolina, 27695, USA https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6075-2157
  • Jaime A. Collazo U.S. Geological Survey, North Carolina Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, North Carolina, 27695, USA
  • Rayna C. Bell Herpetology Department, Institute for Biodiversity and Science and Sustainability, California Academy of Sciences, California, 94118, USA https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0123-8833

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17161/randa.v31i1.21466

Keywords:

Gymnophthalmus underwoodi, invasive species, Puerto Rico

Abstract

The introduction of invasive species to islands can be devastating to local biota. While many invasive species’
successful colonization of new habitats can be attributed to features like high fecundity or low mate selectivity,
parthenogenetic species pose a unique threat in their ability to reproduce asexually at high rates. The Smooth-scaled
Tegulet (Gymnophthalmus underwoodi), first described from Barbados in the 1950s, has since been documented as an
introduced species across additional Lesser and Greater Antillean islands as well as northwestern Brazil and Venezuela.
Herein we report multiple individuals from Puerto Rico, including the first genetic records, which indicate that the
individuals on this island are most closely related to populations recorded from Brazil and Montserrat. Additional
genetic information is necessary to determine the timing and migration of this species across the Caribbean. Regardless,
the continued geographic expansion of this parthenogen across the Caribbean could present a threat to local fauna.

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Published

2024-03-08

Issue

Vol. 31 No. 1 (2024): Reptiles & Amphibians

Section

Introduced Species

License

Copyright (c) 2009 Danielle Rivera, Jan P. Zegarra, Alberto R. Puente-Rolon, Nahíra Arocho-Hernandez, Nathan J. Hostetter, Jaime A. Collazo, Rayna C. Bell

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Copyright is held by the authors. Articles in R&A are made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International license.

How to Cite

Rivera, D., Zegarra, J., Puente-Rolon, A., Arocho-Hernandez, N., Hostetter, N., Collazo, J., & Bell, R. (2024). Multiple records of the introduced parthenogenetic Smooth-scaled Tegulet, Gymnophthalmus underwoodi Grant 1958, in Puerto Rico. Reptiles & Amphibians, 31(1), e21466. https://doi.org/10.17161/randa.v31i1.21466