Robert N. Reed
Hayley J. Shaw
Scott M. Boback
James M. Walker
Chad E. Montgomery
2007
<p><span>Cayo Cochino Pequeño is a 0.64-km</span><sup>2</sup><span> Caribbean island in the Cayos Cochinos archipelago, Department of Islas de la Bahía, Honduras. One published report noted the presence of the rainbow whiptail (</span><i>Cnemidophorus lemniscatus</i><span>) on Cayo Cochino Pequeño, but nothing is known about the biology of this insular population. During a part of the dry season in July and August 2004, we used drift fences, pitfall traps, and separate observational transects to elucidate the distribution and habitat use of </span><i>C. lemniscatus</i><span> on the island. The only population of this species was located in a narrow coastal zone (width to 60 m and length to 450 m) on the southern half of the eastern windward side of the island. We analyzed the percentage of the canopy cover and the percentage of 4 ground coverage types along 2 transects 200 m long in this area to understand the basis of the suitability of the habitat for </span><i>C. lemniscatus</i><span>. Descriptively, the area harboring this species on Cayo Cochino Pequeño consisted of the remnants of a coconut palm grove with low-lying herbaceous vegetation and grasses, in which a mosaic of small, open areas of sandy soil and coral fragments, with or without accumulations of debris, were the foci of lizard activities. Also observed in this habitat were 2 individuals of the brown racer (</span><i>Dryadophis melanolomus</i><span>), an actively foraging snake and likely predator on </span><i>C. lemniscatus</i><span>. Data obtained on rainbow whiptails captured in pitfall traps and subsequently released were used to determine the size and color patterns of hatchlings and adult males and females.</span></p>
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10.1894/0038-4909(2007)52[38:DHSACP]2.0.CO;2
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Southwestern Association of Naturalists
Distribution, habitat, size, and color pattern of Cnemidophorus lemniscatus (Sauria: Teiidae) on Cayo Cochino Pequeño, Honduras
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