Escambray Bearded Anole (Anolis guamuhaya)

Mohamed bin Zayed Species project number 220529486

Ecology and conservation of the Escambray Bearded Anole, Anolis Guamuhaya, in central Cuba

Cuba is the largest Neotropical island and it is located in the core of the Caribbean Islands Biodiversity Hotspot. This island has a long history of forest depletion as consequence of the extensive development of the sugar industry, agriculture, and stockbreeding between the 16th century and the mid-20th century, which resulted in a reduction of forest coverage of more than 80% (e.g., Domínguez-González and Acosta-Rodríguez 2012, Mancina et al. 2017). Natural forests in Cuba have persisted in hard-to-access areas such as mountain ranges, which is the case of the Guamuhaya Massif or Escambray, located in central Cuba. Nevertheless, even mountain ranges are under a high human pressure mainly because of forest fires and the intensive felling for coffee plantations and stockbreeding. Many protected areas across the Guamuhaya Massif serves as the last sanctuaries for many threatened species such as the Escambray bearded Anole.  The Escambray Barded Anole is one of six species of bizarre, giant (to ca. 18 cm snout-vent length), slow-moving, chameleon-like anoles with prehensile tail in the Chamaeleolis clade, which are exclusive to Cuba (Rodríguez et al. 2013, Poe et al. 2017). They have massive heads with a bonny casque-like extension at the back and posterior molariform teeth that allow them to crack the snails and other hard-bodied prey they feed on (Garrido and Schwartz 1968, Díaz et al. 1998, Herrel and Holanova 2008). This species is a mountain-dwelling species endemic to the Guamuhaya Massif and immediate vicinity (e.g., Garrido et al. 1991, Rodríguez et al. 2013). It has a strictly arboreal lifestyle and strong dependence on forested areas with high canopy connectivity (Garrido and Schwartz 1968). Given its specific habitat requirements and low dispersal ability, its current distribution is fragmented and restricted to remaining patches of primary forest. It was first listed as Endangered in the Red Book of Cuban Vertebrates (2012) and later the IUCN Red List (2021) evaluated it under the same category. Forest fires and deforestation to make room for agriculture and tourism development seem to be the most important threats affecting this species (Mancina et al. 2017). This and other threatened endemic lizards in the Guamuhaya Massif might function as umbrella species to protect the remaining natural forests in this mountain range.

 

Objectives

1)   -To collect data in order to make all the information obtained available to local wildlife conservation authorities.

2)     -To make a distribution update in order to produce updated distribution maps.

3)  -To make an awareness raising to involve community people in direct actions related to its conservation.

Activities

1.   -Collection of ecological data providing baseline data important for an effective management of the target species and its habitat.

2.     -Work with geographic information systems updating the distribution of the target species.

3.    -Educational activities sensitizing local community people and capacity building of local wildlife conservation authorities.

4.    -Production of educational material sending conservation message that can persist in schools, ranger stations and homes for a long time.

References  

Domínguez-González, A. Z. and E. Acosta-Rodríguez. 2012. Características ambientales de la provincia de Sancti Spíritus. Chapter I. Pp. 1–43 in A. Z. Domínguez González, M. Torres Martínez, and Y. G. Puerta de Armas (eds.), Experiencias en la Protección de la Biodiversidad y el Desarrollo Sostenible en la Provincia de Sancti Spíritus. La Habana. Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología y Medio Ambiente.

Garrido, O. H. and A. Schwartz. 1968. Cuban lizards of the genus Chamaeleolis. Quarterly Journal of the Florida Academy of Sciences 30: 197–220.

Domínguez-González, A. Z. and E. Acosta-Rodríguez. 2012. Características ambientales de la provincia de Sancti Spíritus. Chapter I. Pp. 1–43 in A. Z. Domínguez González, M. Torres Martínez, and Y. G. Puerta de Armas (eds.), Experiencias en la Protección de la Biodiversidad y el Desarrollo Sostenible en la Provincia de Sancti Spíritus. La Habana. Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología y Medio Ambiente.

Garrido, O. H., O. Pérez Beato, and L. V. Moreno. 1991. Nueva especie de Chamaeleolis (Lacertilia: Iguanidae) para Cuba. Caribbean Journal of Science 17: 162–168.

Herrel, A. and V. Holanova [Holáňová Zahradníčková]. 2008. Cranial morphology and bite force in Chamaeleolis lizards. Adaptations to molluscivory? Zoology 111: 467–475.

Mancina, C. A. and D. D. Cruz Flores (eds.). 2017. Diversidad Biológica de Cuba: Métodos de Inventario, Monitoreo y Colecciones Biológicas. La Habana. Editorial AMA. 502 pp.

Mancina, C. A., R. Fernández de Arcila Fernández, D. D. Cruz Flores, M. A. Castañeira Colomé, and A. González-Rosell. 2017. Diversidad biológica terrestre de Cuba. Pp. 8–25 in C. A. Mancina and D. D. Cruz (eds.), Diversidad Biológica de Cuba: Métodos de Inventario, Monitoreo y Colecciones Biológicas. La Habana. Editorial AMA.

Poe, S., A. Nieto-Montes de Oca, O. Torres-Carvajal, K. De Queiroz, J. A. Velasco, B. Truett, L. N. Gray, M. J. Ryan, G. Köhler, F. Ayala-Varela, and I. Latella. 2017. A phylogenetic, biogeographic, and taxonomic study of all extant species of Anolis (Squamata; Iguanidae). Systematic Biology 66: 663–697.

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.