Tomás Michel Rodríguez Cabrera

• Wildlife researcher and conservationist
• Independent

The Dwarf Green Anole, Anolis isolepis, has been regarded as one of the rarest anoles in Cuba. Nonetheless, it has a relatively wide distribution and, although most records are restricted to eastern Cuba, some additional records for the central region of the island exist and, interestingly, only a few records of this species exist between the easte...

Boas of the West Indies is a comprehensive survey of boid snakes, commonly known as boas, found on the islands of the Lucayan Archipelago, the Greater Antilles, and the Lesser Antilles. Bringing together the expertise of leading herpetologists R. Graham Reynolds, Robert W. Henderson, Luis M. Díaz, Tomás Michel Rodríguez, and Alberto R. Puente-Rolón...

A body entirely covered with long and sharp-pointed spines makes Acanthoniscus spiniger Gosse, 1851, one of the rarest and most ornamented terrestrial isopods in the world. The original description of this species was based on a single specimen collected by the British naturalist Philip Henry Gosse in Jamaica in 1845 and deposited in the British Mu...

The natural history and conservation status of the West Indian endemic freshwater crabs of the genus Epilobocera are poorly known. Several species have restricted distributions and apparently specific ecological requirements, which make them particularly vulnerable to anthropogenic threats. Epilobocera capolongoi is known to occur exclusively in mo...

The Cuban endemic Escambray Twig Anole, Anolis garridoi (Squamata: Dactyloidae), was known only from a limited geographic range of less than 10 km2 in the vicinity of the type locality at Topes de Collantes, Guamuhaya Massif, central Cuba. The ecology and behavior of this species is poorly known and the number of photographs in life very limited. H...

Autohemorrhaging behavior in Cuban dwarf boas, genus Tropidophis (Serpentes: Tropidophiidae) Autohemorragia en majasitos cubanos del género Tropidophis (Serpentes: Tropidophiidae) Many anti-predation strategies have been described among reptiles. Autohemorrhaging is a less common mechanism that consists of the voluntary expulsion of blood through t...

Account of the AICOM "Jardín Botánico de Cienfuegos"

The occurrence of identical (monozygotic) or non-identical (dizygotic) twins in snakes is a rare phenomenon, reported in less than 1% of more than 3,970 currently recognised species. Even rarer are twins in viviparous snakes, being recorded in only seven species belonging to seven families: Boa constrictor (Boidae), Coronella austriaca (Colubridae)...

Herein we report the first instance of a predation attempt by the Tropical House Gecko (Hemidactylus mabouia) on a Cuban native lizard, the Cuban Blue Anole (Anolis allisoni). We also added an erratum after publication because we overlooking some literature references.

Se describe aquí un nuevo género de esquizómidos Hubbardiidae, de la vertiente sur de Cuba central y oriental. Está estrechamente relacionado con Dumitrescoella Teruel, 2017, de la vertiente norte de Cuba occidental. El nuevo género contiene una especie nueva aquí descrita (de la costa sur de las provincias de Granma y Santiago de Cuba, su especie...

Introducción: Se reconoce la importancia ecológica de los anfibios y reptiles, vitales en el funcionamiento de los ecosistemas y con patrones de reproducción diversos. No existen muchos estudios en biología de la reproducción en especies cubanas. El objetivo es mostrar el impacto de los estudios histológicos y ultraestructurales de las gónadas de a...

The Giant Trope (Tropidophis melanurus) is by far the largest and stoutest species in the family, it can reach almost double the size of most other relatively large congeners. Individuals around one meter SVL have been reported. Herein we report several very large individuals of both sexes, including new size records.

First record of Tropidophis maculatus (semi-arboreal ecotype) for the Guanahacabibes Peninsula, in the westernmost tip of Cuba. Comments on the Tropidophis species assemblage on this region.

A review on mammal predation by snakes of the genus Tropidophis, with new records of predation on murid rodents by T. melanurus

New prey records for Tropidophis pardalis and T. maculatus inhabiting urban environments in La Habana city.

The Giant Trope (Tropidophis melanurus) is by far the largest and stoutest species in the family, it can reach almost double the size of most other relatively large congeners. Individuals around one meter SVL have been reported. Herein we report several very large individuals of both sexes, including new size records.

Fisheries of juvenile and larval fishes (i.e., fish-fry fisheries) often exploit the migratory behavior of diadromous species on their return to rivers. Although these fisheries are common worldwide, fish-fry fisheries are subject to insufficient management and the identity of the target species is frequently unknown. The artisanal fish-fry fishery...

Generic redefinition, adult male description, morphological variability and geographical distribution of Cryptoiclus rodriguezi.

The adult male of Cryptoiclus rodriguezi Teruel & Kovařík, 2012, is herein described and illustrated in detail. It represents both the single species of its genus and on of the most seldom-collected, endemic scorpiones from Cuba. Its generic diagnosis is emended and new data on its morphological, morphometric and meristic variability are contribute...

Herein we document several new instances of predation on frogs of the genus Eleutherodactylus in western and central Cuba and provide a review of all predators reported for these frogs in Cuba.

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.

The Cuban Boa (Chilabothrus angulifer) is a top terrestrial predator in Cuba. References to prey species consumed by this boa date to when the first Europeans arrived in the region more than 500 years ago. However, long-term studies on its trophic ecology do not exist. The scarce and scattered records on its feeding habits indicate that this boa pr...

Esta guía, sin fines de lucro, fue confeccionada por investigadores de la Sociedad Cubana de Zoología, el Instituto de Ecología y Sistemática y el Museo Nacional de Historia Natural de Cuba. Su objetivo es proporcionar una útil para las autoridades ambientales, regulatorias y de control, tales como guardabosques, trabajadores de áreas protegidas, i...

The Caribbean Watersnake, Tretanorhinus variabilis (Dipsadidae) is one of two aquatic West Indian snakes. Despite being a relatively common species in Cuba and the Cayman Islands, its feeding habits have been poorly stud­ied. Herein we report several new instances of predation by this species on fishes, frogs, and a freshwater crab. The latter repr...

New localities and distribution models inform the conservation status of the endangered lizard Anolis guamuhaya (Squamata: Dactyloidae) from central Cuba. Anolis guamuhaya is known from seven localities restricted to the Guamuhaya Massif in central Cuba and is always associated with mountane ecosystems above 300 m a.s.l. Previous evaluations of the...

Snakes of the genus Tropidophis Bibron, 1840 have undergone an adaptive radiation in Cuba, where 16 out of the 27 Antillean species occur (Hedges 2002). With this high diversity, coexistence of four species is somewhat common (Rodríguez et al. 2013). Coexistence has been hypothesized to be possible due to differences in habitat use based on body sh...

Tropidophis feicki Schwartz, 1957 is restricted to densely forested limestone mesic areas in western Cuba (Schwartz & Henderson 1991; Henderson & Powell 2009). This species has been reported from about 20 localities distributed from near Guane, in Pinar del Río Province, to Ciénaga de Zapata, in Matanzas Province Rivalta et al., 2013; GBIF 2020; Fi...

Tropidophis maculatus (Bibron, 1840) is a mesophilic snake inhabiting forest patches and open secondary scrub savannas in western and central Cuba (Schwartz & Henderson 1991; Rodríguez et al. 2013). The only dietary records for this species are the lizards Anolis angusticeps and A. alutaceus, for individuals from Havana city (Collette 1961). Herein...

Amphisbaena barbouri Gans and Alexander, 1962 is a Cuban endemic distributed in the western half of the main island (Rodríguez et al. 2013). This species has been reported at about 15 sites from Pinar del Río to Cienfuegos provinces (Rodríguez et al. 2013; iNaturalist 2020; Fig. 1). On 10 August 2017 we found an adult A. barbouri (173 mm SVL, 14 mm...

The ecology of Cuban scorpions is very insufficiently studied and the scarce existing information on their natural enemies is dispersed in the literature. However, scorpions in general are well known to play an important role both as predators and prey in natural ecosystems. Herein we present new instances of predation on different species of scorp...

The buthid scorpion genus Tityopsis Armas, 1974, endemic to western Cuba, is herein revised. In total, 428 specimens were examined from 127 localities, including the primary types of the two species currently recognized as valid; this led to realize that several populations actually represent taxa new to science. Four of them are described in the p...

The land planarian Bipalium kewense Moseley, 1878 (Tricladida: Geoplanidae) is thought to be native from Southeast Asia, but it has been introduced into about 50 countries, including most part of the Insular Caribbean. It was reported from Cuba in 2016, based on some specimens collected in the Guamuhaya Massif, in the central region of the country....

Two new, remarkable species of schizomids are described in the present paper, both from eastern Cuba. One of them is the second known member of Troglocubazomus Teruel, 2003, which allows the redefinition of the generic diagnosis and expands the known range of this genus more than 200 km to the west, but still in the same orographic system (the Sier...

The tropical tent-web spider, Cyrtophora citricola (Forskål, 1775) (Araneidae), is an invasive alien species in the New World. It was first reported from the West Indies (on Hispaniola) in 2001 and from eastern Cuba in 2003. In 15 years it has colonized most of the Cuban archipelago, but the westernmost part has remained so far free of this species...

Se presenta el resultado de inventarios de murciélagos realizado en la última década por miembros del Programa para la Conservación de los Murciélagos de Cuba (PCMCu). El objetivo de éstos fue la identificación de sitios de una elevada riqueza y llenar vacíos de información, sobre todo en aquellas localidades cubiertas por el Sistema Nacional de Ár...

The freshwater crab genus Epilobocera (Decapoda: Brachyura: Pseudothelphusidae) is endemic to the Greater Antilles, and the Cuban archipelago is the center of adaptive radiation of this group, with five species and several subspecies described so far. Despite these crabs seem quite common in freshwater ecosystems of these islands, little is known a...

The Neotropical genus Leptodactylus is currently represented by three species in the West Indies (Leptodactylus albilabris, Leptodactylus fallax and Leptodactylus validus). Based on morphological, acoustic and molecular evidence, we document the presence of a fourth species in the Caribbean region, Leptodactylus fragilis (Brocchi, 1877). The specie...

The Neotropical genus Leptodactylus is currently represented by three species in the West Indies (Leptodactylus albilabris, Leptodactylus fallax and Leptodactylus validus). Based on morphological, acoustic and molecular evidence, we document the presence of a fourth species in the Caribbean region, Leptodactylus fragilis (Brocchi, 1877). The specie...

The herpetofauna inhabiting the keys in Cienfuegos Bay in south-central Cuba is virtually unknown. Herein we provide the results of the first rapid inventory performed on Cayo Carenas during the summer of 2016. We found 12 reptilian species in seven families on the key. We also discuss the ecology and the most plausible biogeo-graphic origins for s...

The Mediterranean Brown Spider, Cyrtophora citricola (Forskål, 1775), is an invasive species in the Caribbean. It was reported for the first time in Cuba in 2003, in the eastern region. Since then the species has spread to the western extreme of the main island. However, its occurrence within protected areas has been poorly documented, as well as i...

La presente obra ofrece un compendio de métodos para el inventario y el monitoreo de diferentes grupos de la biota terrestre en Cuba. Realizada con la colaboración de 71 especialistas, fue escrita fundamentalmente para estudiantes, biólogos de campo, profesionales y técnicos de la conservación, que desarrollen trabajos relacionados con las ciencias...

The Cuban Lesser Racer (Caraiba andreae) belongs to a monotypic genus endemic to the Cuban Archipelago. The species comprises six subspecies, some of which have restricted distributions. The natural history, particularly the reproductive biology, of some subspecies is virtually unknown. Herein we provide the first data on reproduction and growth of...

A new species of the woodlice genus Pseudarmadillo Saussure, 1857 is described from the Guanahacabibes Peninsula, near the westernmost point of mainland Cuba. It can be readily distinguished from its congeners by its weakly developed ornamentation on pereionite VII, body coloration and differences in external male reproductive organs. This populati...

Both sexes of a new species of the genus Cuzcodinella Armas & Juarrero de Varona, 1999 are described from karst areas in Mayari municipality, south-eastern Holguin province, Cuba. Now, this genus contains two members, both found in the easternmost region of Cuba.

The whip-spider Charinus tomasmicheli Armas, 2006 (Amblypygi: Charinidae) was described, and was still known only from a single cave in the Guamuhaya Massif, south-central Cuba; it was originally classified as a troglobite on the basis of the remarkable appendage attenuation of the type-specimens. Herein we report eight additional localities for C....

The Cuban Boa (C. angulifer) is the only boid snake in Cuba. It is the largest member of the genus, as well as the largest snake in the West Indies (> 400 cm in snout-vent length); as such, it is an iconic species of the Cuban herpetofauna. Although the snake’s natural history is poorly known, several studies describe aspects of its reproductive bi...

On oceanic islands, where carnivorous mammals are frequently absent, the niches of large predators are often filled by raptors and reptiles. Cuban Boas (Chilabothrus angulifer), along with Cuban Crocodiles (Crocodylus rhombifer) and large birds of prey, were the top predators in the Cenozoic terrestrial ecosystems of Cuba until the arrival of Homo...

DISTRIBUTION AND ECOLOGY OF Pseudarmadillo spinosus (ISOPODA: DELATORREIDAE), AN ENDEMIC SPECIES FROM NORTH-CENTRAL CUBA. Pseudarmadillo spinosus is one of the nearly 20 Cuban endemic species of the woodlouse family Delatorreidae (Isopoda: Oniscidea). Members in this family have restricted distribution and their natural history is poorly known. The...

The Canasí Trope (Tropidophis celiae) is endemic to Cuba. Thirteen years after its description it was known only from the type locality and only by a single individual. For these reasons and the fact that the type locality was very disturbed, Rodríguez (2012) listed it as Critically Endangered. Despite the description by Torres et al. (2013) of two...

Resumen: Se actualiza la distribución geográfica conocida del amblipigio Charinus acosta (Quintero, 1983) en el archipiélago cubano. Se registran siete nuevas localidades que incluyen sus primeras citas para las provincias de Pinar del Río, Matanzas y Granma, así como ampliaciones considerables para las de Artemisa y Guantánamo. Se presenta además...

Male-male competition may interfere with the ability of females to choose mates by interrupting courtship or by favoring highly aggressive males who may damage females during mating attempts. Alternatively, females may benefit by mating with dominant males, and female choice and male-male competition may therefore act in unison. The same traits, in...

A second case of predation on centipedes (Chilopoda) by the Cuban endemic scorpion Rhopalurus junceus (Herbst, 1800) (Buthidae) is recorded here, in this case on Scolopocryptops ferrugineus (Linnaeus, 1767) (Scolopocryptopidae), in north Matanzas province, western Cuba. Depredación por el escorpión Rhopalurus junceus (Scorpiones: Buthidae) sobre el...

The occurrence of iteroparity following a single insemination is recorded herein for first time in both the Buthidae genus Rhopalurus Thorell, 1876, and R. junceus (Herbst, 1800). Also, we document the largest litter observed in this species, composed of 72 pulli.

Bat predation by snakes has been repeatedly documented in the literature, particularly for boids and colu-broids. In the West Indies, species of the genus Chilabothrus (Boidae) are the most frequently reported bat predators. However, bats are difficult to capture, and reports of bat-predating snakes smaller than 1 m in total length are very scarce....

The reproductive biology of the Cuban Lesser Racer (Caraiba andreae) is very poorly known, despite the species being among the most common and widely distributed snakes in Cuba. Herein we provide data obtained mostly in captivity on eggs and hatchlings, incubation time, hatching behavior, and courtship behavior.