Ansel Fong

• Doctor of Philosophy
• Investigador Titular at Centro Oriental de Ecosistemas y Biodiversidad (BIOECO)

Systematic assessments of species extinction risk at regular intervals are necessary for informing conservation action1,2. Ongoing developments in taxonomy, threatening processes and research further underscore the need for reassessment3,4. Here we report the findings of the second Global Amphibian Assessment, evaluating 8,011 species for the Inter...

Systematic assessments of species extinction risk at regular intervals are necessary for informing conservation action1,2. Ongoing developments in taxonomy, threatening processes and research further underscore the need for reassessment3,4. Here we report the findings of the second Global Amphibian Assessment, evaluating 8,011 species for the Inter...

Substantial biodiversity declines, alterations in ecosystem functioning, and high monetary expenditures associated with the management, are among the main negative effects of biological invasions (Diagne et al. 2021). Invasive alien species, i.e. species that have successfully been introduced, established and spread beyond their native range, are e...

This chapter provides an integrative review of the diversity of Cuba's amphibians, main historical contributions, red lists, taxonomic comments considered relevant, threats, distribution patterns, reproductive patterns, ecological aspects, conservation and representation in the National System of Protected Areas. This chapter aims to serve as a bas...

An expansive and detailed review of the biology of Caribbean amphibians, considering their threats, conservation and outlook in a changing world. Amphibians are the group of vertebrates undergoing the fastest rate of extinction; it is urgent that we understand the causes of this and find means of protecting them. This landmark illustrated volume br...

Comprehensive assessments of species’ extinction risks have documented the extinction crisis and underpinned strategies for reducing those risks. Global assessments reveal that, among tetrapods, 40.7% of amphibians, 25.4% of mammals and 13.6% of birds are threatened with extinction. Because global assessments have been lacking, reptiles have been o...

Comprehensive assessments of species’ extinction risks have documented the extinction crisis and underpinned strategies for reducing those risks. Global assessments reveal that, among tetrapods, 40.7% of amphibians, 25.4% of mammals and 13.6% of birds are threatened with extinction. Because global assessments have been lacking, reptiles have been o...

The genus Arrhyton is endemic to Cuba, with eight currently known species. A new species, Arrhyton albicollum sp. nov., is described from the karst areas of Gibara, Holguín Province. The new species is closely related to A. redimitum, another eastern species, according to morphology and molecular phylogeny. It differs from all other species of the...

We studied the reproductive phenology of five endemic Eleutherodactylus species that coexist in a mountain rainforest in Cuba and estimated their sex ratios at immature and mature stages. We tested the hypothesis that in Neotropical humid sites, reproductive activity in sympatric species will vary in the time of occurrence so that there is no compl...

Herein we provide the first dietary records for the Gracile Banded Trope (T. wrighti) and the Yellow Banded Trope (T. semicinctus), and the second dietary record for the Broad-banded Trope (T. feicki). We also provide a review of the prey of West Indian species and comment on possible niche partitioning in Cuban species.

Acoustic segregation is a way to reduce competition and allows for species coexistence within anuran communities. Thus, separation in at least one acoustic niche dimension is expected, which also contributes to achieving effective communication among frogs. Here we studied an assemblage of five terrestrial egg-laying anuran species, all in the genu...

The high rate of amphibian endemism and the severe habitat modification in the Caribbean islands make them an ideal place to test if the current protected areas network might protect this group. In this study, we model distribution and map species richness of the 40 amphibian species from eastern Cuba with the objectives of identify hotspots, detec...

Typhlops leptolepis sp. nov. is a new blind snake from Holguín Province, northeastern region of Cuba. The new species is characterized by its small and thin body size, as well as a narrow rostral in dorsal view, longer than broad, with parallel to curved sides, tapering toward anterior tip. The preocular is in contact with third supralabial only. I...

The Cuban racer Cubophis cantherigerus Bibron, 1840 is an alsophiine snake endemic to Cuba and Little Swan Island in the West Indies. Five subspecies are currently recognized (Hedges, Couloux and Vidal, 2009). The species inhabits a wide range of habitats, from human altered sites to pristine forests, where it can be found at ground level, or even...

Los ofidios constituyen el segundo grupo en importancia dentro de los reptiles en las Antillas, pero la ecología de sus especies no ha sido muy estudiada. El propósito de este trabajo es dar a conocer algunos aspectos de la historia natural de cuatro especies de ofidios de Cuba (familias Dipsadidae y Tropidophiidae), acumulados durante ocho años de...

A population of the poorly known riparian frog Eleutherodactylus cuneatus was studied for 1 yr along a mountain stream in eastern Cuba. We examined population structure, seasonal and daily activity, growth, and habitat use using mark-recapture and call-point counts. Juveniles were observed during all survey periods with a spike in March. Higher num...

Two new species of Sphaerodactylus are described from the Southeastern coast of Cuba (Santiago de Cuba province). Both are members of the S. nigropunctatus group. The two new species inhabit coastal vegetation and they are distinguished from the other members of that group by lacking a cross banded pattern in females and juveniles, by coloration, a...

A new Anolis species of the Alpha section from the north region of eastern Cuba (Holguín province) is described. It differs from all Cuban species of Anolis in its green coloration with greenish gray bands on body, legs and tail, in having subtriangular mental scales as well as in other details of color and scutellation. This new species is most cl...

A new Anolis species of the Alpha section from the north region of eastern Cuba (Holguín province) is described. It differs from all Cuban species of Anolis in its green coloration with greenish gray bands on body, legs and tail, in having subtriangular mental scales as well as in other details of color and scutellation. This new species is most cl...

The feeding of the fish Gambusia puncticulata Poey is analized, with the information obtained through the digestive tract content analysis in 24 specimens collected in sea water in Punta de Piedra, Pilón, Granma. Terrestrial arthropods, specially insects, are predominant in the feeding of this species in marine environment. By means of the applicat...

A new species of Eleutherodactylus (Anura: Leptodactylidae) is described from Eastern Cuba. It is closely related to Eleutherodactylus planirostris and E. ricordi, but differs from those species in several morphological and acoustical characters.