From Sea Level to High in the Mountains: Predation on Reptiles by the Opportunistic Cuban Racer, Cubophis cantherigerus (Squamata: Dipsadidae)

Full text

IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS • 25(3):170–175 • DEC 2018
From Sea Level to High in the Mountains:
Predation on Reptiles by the Opportunistic
Cuban Racer, Cubophis cantherigerus
(Squamata: Dipsadidae)
Tomás M. Rodríguez-Cabrera1, Alejandro Abella Quintana2, Alexander A. Matienzo Martínez3, and Ernesto Morell Savall4
1Sociedad Cubana de Zoología, 10 de Octubre, La Habana 10700, Cuba (tomasmichel.rodriguez@gmail.com)
2Calle 13 # 4419, e/ 44 y 46, Playa, La Habana 11600, Cuba (alejandro860501@gmail.com)
3Paisaje Natural Protegido “Topes de Collantes”, Sancti Spíritus 64310, Cuba (lepetitprince@nauta.cu)
4Área Protegida “Sabanas de Santa Clara,” Empresa Nacional para la Protección de la Flora y la Fauna, Villa Clara, CP 50100, Cuba (ernestomorell68@nauta.cu)
170
IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS • VOL15, NO 4 • DEC 2008 189TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
FEATURE ARTICLES
Chasing Bullsnakes (Pituophis catenifer sayi) in Wisconsin:
On the Road to Understanding the Ecology and Conservation of the Midwest’s Giant Serpent ...................... Joshua M. Kapfer 190
The Shared History of Treeboas (Corallus grenadensis) and Humans on Grenada:
A Hypothetical Excursion ............................................................................................................................Robert W. Henderson 198
RESEARCH ARTICLES
The Texas Horned Lizard in Central and Western Texas ....................... Emily Henry, Jason Brewer, Krista Mougey, and Gad Perry 204
The Knight Anole (Anolis equestris) in Florida
............................................. Brian J. Camposano, Kenneth L. Krysko, Kevin M. Enge, Ellen M. Donlan, and Michael Granatosky 212
CONSERVATION ALERT
World’s Mammals in Crisis ............................................................................................................................................................. 220
More Than Mammals ...................................................................................................................................................................... 223
The “Dow Jones Index” of Biodiversity ........................................................................................................................................... 225
HUSBANDRY
Captive Care of the Central Netted Dragon ....................................................................................................... Shannon Plummer 226
PROFILE
Kraig Adler: A Lifetime Promoting Herpetology ................................................................................................ Michael L. Treglia 234
COMMENTARY
The Turtles Have Been Watching Me ........................................................................................................................ Eric Gangloff 238
BOOK REVIEW
Threatened Amphibians of the World edited by S.N. Stuart, M. Hoffmann, J.S. Chanson, N.A. Cox,
R. Berridge, P. Ramani, and B.E. Young .............................................................................................................. Robert Powell 243
CONSERVATION RESEARCH REPORTS: Summaries of Published Conservation Research Reports ................................. 245
NATURAL HISTORY RESEARCH REPORTS: Summaries of Published Reports on Natural History ................................. 247
NEWBRIEFS ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 248
EDITORIAL INFORMATION ..................................................................................................................................................... 251
FOCUS ON CONSERVATION: A Project You Can Support ............................................................................................... 252
Front Cover. Shannon Plummer.
Totat et velleseque audant mo
estibus inveliquo velique rerchil
erspienimus, quos accullabo. Ilibus
aut dolor apicto invere pe dolum
fugiatis maionsequat eumque
moditia erere nonsedis ma sectiatur
ma derrovitae voluptam, as quos
accullabo.
Back Cover. Michael Kern
Totat et velleseque audant mo
estibus inveliquo velique rerchil
erspienimus, quos accullabo. Ilibus
aut dolor apicto invere pe dolum
fugiatis maionsequat eumque
moditia erere nonsedis ma sectia-
tur ma derrovitae voluptam, as
IRCF
REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS
CONSERVATION AND NATURAL HISTORY
Copyright © 2018. Tomás M. Rodríguez-Cabrera. All rights reserved.
WWW.IRCF.ORG/REPTILESANDAMPHIBIANSJOURNAL
The Cuban Racer (Cubophis cantherigerus) (Squamata:
Dipsadidae; Fig. 1) is an active forager known to feed on
a variety of prey, including crabs, frogs, lizards, other snakes,
hatchling sea turtles, birds, introduced rodents, and bats
(Henderson and Sajdak 1996; Henderson and Powell 2009;
Reyes et al. 2013; Rodríguez-Cabrera et al. 2016; Rodríguez-
Cabrera 2017). This species is distributed throughout the
Cuban Archipelago, where it occupies a wide range of habi-
tats at elevations from sea level to 1,800 m (Henderson and
Powell 2009; Rodríguez et al. 2010, 2013; Estrada 2012).
Herein we report predation on reptiles by the Cuban Racer in
both lowland and highland ecosystems of central and western
Cuba (Fig. 2) and present a summary of reptiles predated by
this species (Table 1).
At 1558 h on 21 August 2017, we observed a Cuban
Racer (ca. 700 mm SVL) swallowing head-first a hatch-
ing Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas; ca. 50 mm cara-
pace length; Fig. 3) at the Caleta de los Piojos beach
(21º49’34”N, 84º53’55”W; below 1 m asl; WGS 84) on
the Guanahacabibes Peninsula, Sandino Municipality, Pinar
del Río Province, Cuba (Fig. 2). They were in the shadow
of some bushes (Suriana maritima, Surianaceae) in a sandy
beach vegetation complex about 5 m from the shore (Fig. 4).
Hatchling see turtles emerge en masse and represent a
concentrated food source that is exploited by a variety of
predators, including crabs, fishes, lizards, snakes, birds, and
mammals (see Ernst and Lovich 2009 for reviews), although
relatively few reptiles have been observed exploiting this
resource. In the West Indies, only two records document pre-
dation by reptiles on sea turtles. Crother (1986) reported a
Cuban Racer and Knapp and Prince (2008) documented the
Dominica Whiptail (Pholidoscelis fuscatus) preying on hatch-
Fig. 1. Adult Cuban Racers (Cubophis cantherigerus) from (A) the Guanahacabibes Peninsula, Pinar del Río Province, western Cuba and (B) “Lomas de
Banao” Ecological Reserve, eastern Guamuhaya Massif, Sancti Spíritus Province, central Cuba. Photographs © Raimundo López-Silvero Martínez (A) and
Sandy León de Armas (B).
IRCF Reptiles & Amphibians ISSN 1098-6324

171
ling Hawksbill Sea Turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata). Although
few reports document predation on hatchling sea turtles, the
sandy beaches frequently used as nesting sites by turtles in
Cuba also are inhabited by the opportunistic Cuban Racer;
consequently, the predation rate might be higher than previ-
ously thought. Azanza (2008) reported two instances of pre-
dation on turtle nests by a snake she referred to as “jubo negro
(Tropidophis melanurus)” (= “black racer”), but the photo-
graph on p. 44 clearly depicts a Cuban Racer. The predation
event reported herein not only represents the second official
case of this snake preying on hatchling sea turtles, but also the
first instance of reptilian predation on a Green Sea Turtle in
the West Indies and the third instance of predation on any
hatchling sea turtles by reptiles in the region.
Sea turtles are seriously threatened worldwide, and the
Green Sea Turtle (Fig. 5) is listed as Endangered in both the
IUCN Red List and the Red Book of Cuban Vertebrates (Lutz
and Musick 1997; Seminoff 2004; Moncada and Nodarse
2012). Some sandy beaches are critical for the reproduction of
sea turtles and that is the case of those on the Guanahacabibes
Peninsula, where more than 400 Green Sea Turtle nests
are recorded each year (e.g., Ibarra et al. 2002; Moncada et
al. 2006). Fortunately, the entire peninsula is considered
a Biosphere Reserve and, to guarantee sea turtle reproduc-
tion, its sandy beaches are managed by the administration of
the Guanahacabibes National Park with assistance from the
Center of Marine Investigations, University of Havana (e.g.,
Ibarra et al. 2002, 2004; Azanza 2008). However, several
IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS • 25(3):170–175 • DEC 2018RODRÍGUEZ-CABRERA ET AL.
Fig. 2. Map of western (above) and central Cuba (below) depicting
the locations (red dots) where we observed predation events by Cuban
Racers (Cubophis cantherigerus): (1) Caleta de los Piojos beach on the
Guanahacabibes Peninsula, (2) the Arroyo Grande River near Santa Clara,
(3) Cayo Santa María, and (4) Guanayara Park in the Guamuhaya Massif.
Table 1. Reptilian prey of the Cuban Racer (Cubophis cantherigerus).
Prey Sources
Squamata: Dactyloidae
Anolis angusticeps Henderson and Sajdak (1996)
Anolis equestris buidei Rodríguez-Cabrera et al. (2016)
Anolis ophiolepis Henderson and Sajdak (1996)
Anolis porcatus Henderson and Sajdak (1996)
Anolis quadriocellifer Henderson and Sajdak (1996)
Anolis sagrei Henderson and Sajdak (1996)
Anolis sp. Novo and Arazoza (1986),
Henderson and Sajdak (1996)
Pholidoscelis auberi abducta Buide (1966)
Cyclura nubila nubila Buide (1966), Schwartz and
Henderson (1991), Henderson
and Sajdak (1996)
Squamata: Leiocephalidae
Leiocephalus cubensis Henderson and Sajdak (1996)
Leiocephalus sp. Vogel (1965), Novo and
Arazoza (1986)
Squamata: Diploglossidae
Diploglossus delasagra Henderson and Sajdak (1996)
Squamata: Sphaerodactylidae
Sphaerodactylus sp. Henderson and Sajdak (1996)
Lizard (indeterminate) Henderson and Sajdak (1996)
Squamata: Dipsadidae
Caraiba andreae Novo and Arazoza (1986),
Henderson and Sajdak (1996)
Cubophis cantherigerus This paper
Squamata: Tropidophiidae
Tropidophis m. melanurus This paper
Tropidophis sp. Novo and Arazoza (1986)
Testudines: Cheloniidae
Eretmochelys imbricata Crother (1986)
Chelonia mydas This paper
Testudines: Emydidae
Trachemys d. decussata This paper

172
IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS • 25(3):170–175 • DEC 2018RODRÍGUEZ-CABRERA ET AL.
threats (beside humans) to the turtle nests have been reported
(Azanza 2008; Azanza et al. 2006, 2008). These include ants
(several species), dipteran larvae (Megaselia), crabs (Ocypode
quadrata), feral dogs (Canis lupus familiaris), and feral pigs
(Sus scrofa), the last of which is considered one of the 100
“World’s Worst Invasive Alien Species” (Lowe et al. 2000)
and is particularly harmful in the Guanahacabibes Peninsula,
sometimes causing turtle nest losses exceeding 5% (Azanza
2008). The presence of the Cuban Racer on sandy beaches
used by sea turtles must be considered an additional threat
for emerging hatchlings. Because of the critical conservation
status of sea turtles, what has been natural predation for mil-
lions of years might now have harmful effects as turtle num-
bers decline. Consequently, even a minimal threat must be
considered during nest monitoring in order to guarantee the
highest reproductive success possible.
However, turtle predation by Cuban Racers is not limited
to hatchlings of marine species. In the summer of 1984 near
the Arroyo Grande River, a tributary of the Sagua la Grande
River, about 5 km northwest of Santa Clara and 600 m north
of “Planta Mecánica,” Santa Clara Municipality, Villa Clara
Province, Cuba (22º26’04”N, 80º00’42”W; 80 m asl; WGS
84; Fig. 2), a large adult Cuban Racer (SVL ca. 900 mm) had
a hatchling Cuban Slider (Trachemys decussata decussata; ca.
30 mm carapace length) in its stomach (obtained by forced
regurgitation). The snake was in secondary grassland about 4
m from the Arroyo Grande River bank. The turtle may have
Fig. 3. Sequence of photographs of predation by a Cuban Racer (Cubophis
cantherigerus ssp.) on a hatchling Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas) at the
Caleta de los Piojos beach on the Guanahacabibes Peninsula in western
Cuba. Photographs © Alejandro Abella Quintana.
Fig. 4. Sandy beach vegetation complex with bushes of Suriana mari-
tima (Surianaceae) on the Guanahacabibes Peninsula in western Cuba.
Photograph © Aslam I. Castellón Maure.
Fig. 5. The Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas) is an endangered spe-
cies that frequently uses the sandy beaches of the Cuban Archipelago for
reproduction and shows high fidelity for the same nesting sites each year.
Photograph © Tomás M. Rodríguez-Cabrera.

173
RODRÍGUEZ-CABRERA ET AL. IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS • 25(3):170–175 • DEC 2018
been captured while basking on the banks of the river, which
was the closest body of water.
The Cuban Slider (Fig. 6) is the only freshwater turtle
in Cuba. Two subspecies (T. d. decussata from central and
eastern Cuba and northwestern Jamaica, and T. d. angusta,
from western Cuba, Isla de la Juventud, and the Cayman
Islands) are currently recognized (Schwartz and Henderson
1991; Parham et al. 2013), although a recent molecular
study (Parham et al. 2013) suggested that they might rep-
resent separate species. Adult turtles are threatened only by
humans and crocodiles (Crocodylus acutus and C. rhombifer),
but nests and hatchlings have several natural enemies, includ-
ing ants, the invasive African Catfish (Clarias gariepinus), feral
dogs, feral pigs, the Small Indian Mongoose (Urva auropunc-
tata), and the Cuban Boa (Chilabothrus angulifer, Boidae)
(Sampedro and Montañez 1989; Ramos et al. 1994; Nieto
1997; Sampedro 1998; see Henderson and Powell 2009 for
a review; Alonso et al. 2014; Hurtado et al. 2016). Gundlach
(1876) mentioned finding remains of a Cuban Slider in the
nest of a Crested Caracara (Caracara cheriway), but did not
indicate whether it was prey or taken as carrion.
Few snakes have been reported in the diet of the Cuban
Racer. Novo and Arazoza (1986) found remains of Cuban
Lesser Racers (Caraiba andreae) and tropes (Tropidophis;
Tropidophiidae) in stomach contents of wild-caught Cuban
Racers, but they specified neither the number of prey items
nor the species of trope. Henderson and Sajdak (1996)
reported two Cuban Lesser Racers in stomach contents of
museum specimens.
In the summer of 1998, EMS captured a very large adult
Cuban Racer (SVL ca. 1,000 mm) that contained a smaller
conspecific (presumably immature, SVL ca. 400 mm) in its
stomach (obtained by forced regurgitation) at Playa Perla
Blanca (22º39’55”N, 78º58’24”W; < 3 m asl; WGS 84),
Remedios Municipality, Villa Clara Province, Cuba (Fig. 2).
The snake was on a dune in a sandy beach vegetation com-
plex. This is the first case of cannibalism reported for the
Cuban Racer.
At 1037 h on 5 September 2016, we observed an adult
Cuban Racer (SVL ca. 800 mm) preying on a medium-
sized Giant Trope (SVL ca. 500 mm; Fig. 7) between the
Salto del Rocío waterfall and Poza del Venado (22º57’48”N,
80º03’19”W; 410 m asl; WGS 84) along the Charco Azul
River in Guanayara Park, Topes de Collantes Protected
Natural Landscape, Cumanayagua Municipality, Cienfuegos
Province (Fig. 2). The snakes were in leaf litter adjacent to a
path surrounded by gallery forest (Fig. 7). Although we could
not confirm complete swallowing, the trope seemed already
dead (it was relaxed despite being a constricting snake), prob-
ably attributable to envenomation by the Cuban Racer (e.g.,
Neill 1954; Jaume and Garrido 1980; Rodríguez-Cabrera et
al. 2016).
The family Tropidophiiidae includes 27 West Indian spe-
cies (Hedges 2018) and others in South America (e.g., Curcio
et al. 2012; Uetz et al. 2018), with Cuba as the center of an
adaptive radiation with 16 endemic species (e.g., Hedges 2002;
Domínguez et al. 2006). Despite this diversity, few predators
have been reported for tropes, probably because of their array
Fig. 6. The Cuban Slider (Trachemys decussata), the only freshwater
turtle in Cuba, is widely distributed in most bodies of water across the
Archipelago. Photograph © Tomás M. Rodríguez-Cabrera.
Fig. 7. Sequence of photographs of predation by a Cuban Racer (Cubophis cantherigerus cantherigerus) on a Giant Trope (Tropidophis melanurus) and the
habitat near the place where we observed the predation event, in the Guanayara Park in the Guamuhaya Massif of central Cuba. Photographs © Alexander
A. Matienzo Martínez (left and center) and Tomás M. Rodríguez-Cabrera (right).

174
RODRÍGUEZ-CABRERA ET AL. IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS • 25(3):170–175 • DEC 2018
of apparently effective anti-predator mechanisms (e.g., Greene
1994; Henderson and Powell 2009; Torres et al. 2013;
Iturriaga 2014). The only reptilian predators so far reported for
any trope are the Cuban Boa (on the Giant Trope; Viña and
Armas 1989) and the Cuban Racer (on an indeterminate trope
species; Novo and Arazoza 1986). The case reported herein
represents the first confirmed species of Tropidophis as prey of
the Cuban Racer. The other two predators reported for snakes
in the family Tropidophiidae are the Great Lizard Cuckoo
(Coccyzus merlini; Cuculiformes: Cuculidae) and Ridgway’s
Hawk (Buteo ridgwayi; Accipitriformes: Accipitridae) preying
on the Spotted Brown Trope (T. pardalis) and the Haitian
Trope (T. haetianus), respectively (Garrido 1976; Wiley and
Wiley 1981). The Giant Trope (Fig. 8) is a Cuban endemic
and the largest species in the family Tropidopiidae, capable of
exceeding one meter in total length (Alayo 1951; Tolson and
Henderson 1993; Henderson and Powell 2009; Alayo 1951).
It is widespread in the Cuban Archipelago, where it occupies
a variety of habitats at elevations from sea level to 1,293 m
(Rodríguez et al. 2010; see Henderson and Powell 2009 for
a review). Its range fully overlaps that of the Cuban Racer,
but the Cuban Racer is an active diurnal forager whereas the
Giant Trope is mostly a sit-and-wait nocturnal forager (see
Henderson and Powell 2009 for a review), although the latter
may occasionally be active by day (Rodríguez-Cabrera et al.
2017).
Acknowledgements
We thank the staff from ECOVIDA (Centro de
Investigaciones y Servicios Ambientales de Pinar del Río)
and the “University Project on the Study and Conservation
of Cuban Sea Turtles” for providing logistical and technical
support during the expedition of the second author to the
Guanahacabibes Peninsula in August 2017. We also thank
Raimundo López-Silvero Martínez, Aslam I. Castellón
Maure, and Sandy León de Armas for permission to use their
photographs.
Literature Cited
Alayo D., P. 1951. Especies hepetológicas halladas en Santiago de Cuba. Boletin de
Historia Natural de la Sociedad “Felipe Poey” 2: 106–110.
Alonso Tabet, M., R. Ramos, R. Rodríguez Soberón, J.B. Thorbjarnarson, J.
Belliure, and V. Berovides (eds.). 2014. Los Crocodylia de Cuba. Publicaciones
Universidad de Alicante, San Vicente del Raspeig, España.
Azanza Ricardo, J. 2008. Dinámica poblacional de Chelonia mydas en áreas de ani-
dación del occidente del Archipiélago Cubano. Unpublished Ph.D. Thesis,
Centro de Investigaciones Marinas, Universidad de La Habana, Cuba.
Azanza Ricardo, J., Y. Ruisanchez Carrasco, M.E. Ibarra, A. Ruiz Urquiola, C.Y.
Luis Castellanos, and D. Ríos Tamayo. 2006. Indicadores del éxito repro-
ductivo de la tortuga verde (Chelonia mydas) en tres playas de la Península
de Guanahacabibes, Pinar del Río, Cuba. Revista de Investigaciones Marinas
27: 69–78.
Azanza [Ricardo], J., M.E. Ibarra, J. Hernández, R. Díaz, and N. Hernández. 2008.
Análisis de nidos de tortuga verde (Chelonia mydas) durante la temporada
2006 en la Península de Guanahacabibes, Cuba. Revista de Investigaciones
Marinas 29: 161–169.
Buide, M.S. 1966. Reptiles de la Península Hicacos. Poeyana 21: 1–12.
Crother, B.I. 1986. Alsophis cantherigerus (Cuban Racer). Diet. Herpetological
Review 17: 47.
Curcio, F.F., P.M. Sales Nunes, A.J. Suzart Argolo, G. Skuk, and M. Trefaut
Rodriguez. 2012. Taxonomy of the South American dwarf boas of the genus
Tropidophis Bibron, 1840, with the description of two new species from the
Altlantic Forest (Serpentes: Tropidophiidae). Herpetological Monographs 26:
80–121.
Domínguez, M., L.V. Moreno, and S.B. Hedges. 2006. A new snake of the genus
Tropidophis (Tropidophiidae) from the Guanahacabibes Peninsula of western
Cuba. Amphibia-Reptilia 27: 427–432.
Ernst, C.H. and J.E. Lovich. 2009. Turtles of the United States and Canada. Second
Edition, Revised and Updated with New Species Names. Johns Hopkins
University Press, Baltimore, Maryland.
Estrada, A.R. 2012. The Cuban Archipelago, pp. 113–125. In: R. Powell and R.W.
Henderson (eds.), Island lists of West Indian amphibians and reptiles. Bulletin
of the Florida Museum of Natural History 51: 85–166.
Garrido, O.H. 1976. Aves y reptiles de Cayo Coco, Cuba. Miscelánea Zoológica
3: 3–4.
Greene, H.W. 1994. Antipredator mechanisms in reptiles, pp. 1–152. In: C. Gans
and R.B. Huey (eds.), Biology of the Reptilia. Volume 16, Ecology B. Alan R.
Liss, Inc., New York.
Gundlach, J. 1876. Contribución a la Ornitología Cubana. Imprenta La Antilla, La
Habana, Cuba.
Hedges, S.B. 2002. Morphological variation and the definition of species in the
snake genus Tropidophis (Serpentes: Tropidophiidae). Bulletin of the Natural
History Museum, London (Zoology) 68: 83–90.
Hedges, S.B. 2018. Caribherp: West Indian Amphibians and Reptiles. Temple
University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (www.caribherp.org).
Henderson, R.W. and R.A. Sajdak. 1996. Diets of West Indian racers (Colubridae:
Alsophis): Composition and biogeographic implications, pp. 227–338. In: R.
Powell and R.W. Henderson (eds.), Contributions to West Indian Herpetology:
A Tribute to Albert Schwartz. Society for the Study of Amphibians and
Reptiles. Contributions to Herpetology, volume 12. Ithaca, New York.
Henderson, R.W. and R. Powell. 2009. Natural History of West Indian Amphibians
and Reptiles. University Press of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.
Hurtado Consuegra, A., Y. González Delgado, J. González Méndez, R. Santana
Aguilar, R. Ramos Targarona, J.L. Jiménez Hernández, O. Senarega Sardiñas,
J.C. Cedeño, and S. Kubota. 2016. Biología, ecología y aprovechamiento de la
especie Claria gariepinus en la Reserva de la Biosfera Ciénaga de Zapata. Proyecto
PNUD/GEF “Mejorando la prevención, control y manejo de Especies Exóticas
Invasoras en ecosistemas vulnerables en Cuba.” Centro Nacional de Áreas
Protegidas, La Habana, Cuba.
Ibarra, M.E., R. Díaz-Fernández, A.N. Konnorov, J. Azanza [Ricardo], J.A. Valdés,
G. Espinosa, and J.P. Roberto. 2002. Project update: University project
for the study and conservation of Cuban sea turtles – completion of year 3.
Marine Turtle Newsletter 95: 18–20.
Fig. 8. The Giant Trope (Tropidophis melanurus) is a frequently encoun-
tered Cuban endemic distributed throughout the Archipelago. Photograph
© Raimundo López-Silvero Martínez.

175
RODRÍGUEZ-CABRERA ET AL. IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS • 25(3):170–175 • DEC 2018
Ibarra, M.E., J. Azanza [Ricardo], R. Díaz-Fernández, G. Espinosa, F. Hernández,
F. Moncada [Gavilán], and G. Nodarse [Andreu]. 2004. The conservation
of marine turtles in nesting areas of Guanahacabibes Peninsula: Six years
of work, p. 26. In: R.B. Mast, B.J. Hutchinson, and A.H. Hutchinson
(eds.), Proceedings of the Twenty-fourth Annual Sea Turtle Symposium.
NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-SEFSC-567. U.S. Department of
Commerce, Miami, Florida, USA.
Iturriaga, M. 2014. Autohemorrhaging behavior in the Cuban Dwarf Boa
Tropidophis melanurus Schlegel, 1837 (Serpentes: Tropidophiidae).
Herpetology Notes 7: 339–341.
Jaume, M.L. and O.H. Garrido. 1980. Notas sobre mordidas de jubo Alsophis
(Serpentes: Colubridae). Miscelánea Zoológica 11: 2–3.
Knapp, C.R. and L. Prince. 2008. Eretmochelys imbricata (Hawkbill Sea Turtle).
Predation. Herpetological Review 39: 213–214.
Lowe, S., M. Browne, S. Boudjelas, and M. de Poorter. 2000. 100 of the World’s
Worst Invasive Alien Species. A selection from the Global Invasive Species. The
Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG), Species Survival Commission
(SSC), World Conservation Union (IUCN), Gland, Switzerland (first pub-
lished as special lift-out in Aliens 12, December 2000; updated and reprinted
version. November 2004).
Lutz, P.L. and J.A. Musick (eds.). 1997. The Biology of Sea Turtles. CRC Press, Boca
Raton, Florida.
Moncada Gavilán, F. and G. Nodarse Andreu. 2012. Chelonia mydas, pp. 190–
192. In: H. González Alonso, L. Rodríguez Schettino, A. Rodríguez, C.A.
Mancina and I. Ramos (eds.), Libro Rojo de los Vertebrados de Cuba. Editorial
Academia, La Habana.
Moncada [Gavilán], F., F.A. Abreu-Grobois, A. Muhlia-Melo, C. Bell, S. Tröeng,
K.A. Bjorndal, A.B. Bolten, A.B. Meylan, J. Zurita, G. Espinosa, G. Nodarse
[Andreu], R. Márquez-Millán, A. Foley, and L. Ehrhart. 2006. Movement
patterns of Green Turtles (Chelonia mydas) in Cuba and adjacent Caribbean
waters inferred from flipper tag recaptures. Journal of Herpetology 40: 22–34.
Neill, W.T. 1954. Evidence of venom in snakes of the genera Alsophis and Rhadinea.
Copeia 1954: 59.
Nieto Dopico, A. 1997. La Fauna Silvestre de la Ciénaga de Zapata. Editorial
Científico-Técnica, La Habana, Cuba.
Novo Rodríguez, J. and F. de Arazoza Rodríguez. 1986. Cría en cautiverio de
Alsophis cantherigerus (Ophidia: Colubridae). Reporte de Investigación del
Instituto de Zoología, Academia de Ciencias de Cuba 30: 1–15.
Parham, J.F., T.J. Papenfuss, P.P. van Dijk, B.S. Wilson, C. Marte, L. Rodr[í]guez
Schettino, and W.B. Simison. 2013. Genetic introgression and hybridiza-
tion in Antillean freshwater turtles (Trachemys) revealed by coalescent analy-
ses of mitochondrial and cloned nuclear markers. Molecular Phylogenetics and
Evolution 67: 176–187.
Ramos Targarona, R., V. de Buffrenil, and J.P. Ross. 1994. Current status of
the Cuban Crocodile, Crocodylus rhombifer, in the wild, pp. 113–139. In:
Proceedings of the 12th Working Meeting of the IUCN/SSC Crocodilian Specialist
Group. Vol. 1. International Union for the Conservation of Nature and
Natural Resources.
Reyes Vázquez, A.E., Y. Segovia Vega, and A. Fong G. 2013. Predation on birds
by the Cuban Racer Cubophis cantherigerus (Squamata: Dipsadidae) in Cuba.
Herpetology Notes 6: 165–166.
Rodríguez-Cabrera, T.M. 2017. Predation by a Cuban Racer, Cubophis can-
therigerus (Squamata: Dipsadidae) on an endemic Cuban Green Woodpecker,
Xiphidiopicus percussus percussus (Piciformes: Picidae). Reptiles & Amphibians
24: 120–123.
Rodríguez-Cabrera, T.M., J. Torres López, R. Marrero, and J.A. Podio Martínez.
2016. Predation attempt by the Cuban Racer, Cubophis cantherigerus
(Squamata: Dipsadidae) on the Cuban Giant Anole, Anolis equestris bui-
dei (Squamata: Dactyloidae), a threatened endemic subspecies. Reptiles &
Amphibians 23: 46–50.
Rodríguez-Cabrera, T.M., J. Rosado, R. Marrero, and J. Torres [López]. 2017.
Birds in the diet of snakes in the genus Tropidophis (Tropidophiidae): Do
prey items in museum specimens always reflect reliable data? Reptiles &
Amphibians 24: 61–64.
Rodríguez Schettino, L., V. Rivalta González, and E. Pérez Rodríguez. 2010.
Distribución regional y altitudinal de los reptiles de Cuba. Poeyana 498:
11–20.
Rodríguez Schettino, L., C.A. Mancina, and V. Rivalta González. 2013. Reptiles
of Cuba: Checklist and geographic distribution. Smithsonian Herpetological
Information Service 144: 1–96.
Sampedro Marín, A. 1998. Adaptaciones morfométricas y conductuales de
Trachemys decussata decussata (Chelonia: Emydidae). Unpublished Ph.D.
Thesis, Universidad de La Habana, Cuba.
Sampedro Marín, A. and L. Montañez Huguez. 1989. Estrategia Reproductiva de
la Jicotea Cubana (Pseudemys decussata) en la Ciénaga de Zapata. Editorial
Academia, La Habana, Cuba.
Seminoff, J.A. 2004. Chelonia mydas. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
2004: e.T4615A11037468 (http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2004.
RLTS.T4615A11037468.en.
Schwartz, A. and R.W. Henderson. 1991. Amphibians and Reptiles of the West
Indies. Descriptions, Distributions, and Natural History. University of Florida
Press, Gainesville.
Tolson, P.J. and R.W. Henderson. 1993. The Natural History of West Indian Boas.
R&A Publishing Limited, Somerset, UK.
Torres [López], J., O.J. Torres, and R. Marrero. 2013. Autohemorrage in
Tropidophis xanthogaster (Serpentes: Tropidophiidae) from Guanahacabibes,
Cuba. Herpetology Notes 6: 579–581.
Uetz, P., P. Freed, and J. Hošek (eds.). 2018. The Reptile Database (http://www.
reptile-database.org).
Viña Dávila, N. and L.F. de Armas. 1989. Depredación de Tropidophis melanu-
rus (Serpentes: Tropidophi[i]dae) por Epicrates angulifer (Serpentes: Boidae).
Miscelánea Zoológica 41: 2–3.
Wiley, J.W. and B.N. Wiley. 1981. Breeding season ecology and behavior of
Ridgway’s Hawk (Buteo ridgwayi). Condor 83: 132–151.