The Black Spiny-tailed Iguana, Ctenosaura similis Gray 1831 (Squamata: Iguanidae), is native to many areas in

North and Central America, from Mexico south to Panama (Traveset 1990). This species has been introduced to vari-ous Caribbean islands, as well as Florida, USA (Krysko et al. 2003, Kraus 2009). Ctenosaura similis illustrates an ontoge-netic diet shift; juveniles are primarily carnivorous and adults are herbivorous (Montanucci 1968, Fitch and Henderson 1978, Lee 2000, Krysko et al. 2009). The diet of this invasive species on Gasparilla Island, Charlotte and Lee counties, and Key Biscayne, Miami-Dade County, Florida, includes mostly vegetation, but two vertebrates (native Gopher Tortoise, Gopherus polyphemus, and nonnative Bark Anole, Anolis disti-chus) have been documented (Avery et al. 2009, Krysko et al. 2009, Stroud and Krysko in press). Herein, we augment our knowledge regarding the diet of C. similis on Key Biscayne to include the native Southeastern Five-lined Skink, Plestiodon inexpectatus Taylor 1932 (Squamata: Scincidae), the only skink documented on Key Biscayne (Krysko et al. 2010). On 5 May 2013 at 1406 h, we observed an adult female Ctenosaura similis (Fig. 1) in leaf litter along a trail at Bill Baggs State Park, Key Biscayne (25.674795oN, 80.161332oW, WGS84). This C. similis was thrashing around and had an adult male Plestiodon inexpectatus in its mouth and quickly swallowed it in ca. 1 min. After consuming the skink, within ca. 20 sec the C. similis picked up and consumed the skink’s tail that must have been broken off in the process of preying upon the main body of the smaller lizard. This is the first documentation of C. similis consuming Plestiodon inexpecta-

tus. Photographs of this event were deposited (photographic vouchers UF 170501) in the Division of Herpetology, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida.

AcknowledgmentsWe thank Robert Powell and an anonymous reviewer for helpful comments on this paper.

Literature CitedAvery, M.L., E.A. Tillman, and K.L. Krysko. 2009. Gopherus polyphemus (Gopher

Tortoise), Ctenosaura similis (Gray’s Spiny-tailed Iguana). Predation. Herpetological Review 40:435.

Fitch, H.S. and R.W. Henderson. 1978. Ecology and exploitation of Ctenosaura similis. University of Kansas Science Bulletin 51:483–500.

Kraus, F. 2009. Alien Reptiles and Amphibians, a Scientific Compendium, and Analysis. Invading Nature: Springer Series in Invasion Biology 4. Springer, Dordrecht, The Netherlands.

Krysko, K.L., K.M. Enge, E.M. Donlan, E.A. Golden, J.P. Burgess, and K.W. Larson. 2010. The non-marine herpetofauna of Key Biscayne, Florida. Herpetological Conservation and Biology 5:132–142.

Krysko, K.L., F.W. King, K.M. Enge, and A.T. Reppas. 2003. Distribution of the Introduced Black Spiny-tailed Iguana (Ctenosaura similis) on the Southwestern Coast of Florida. Florida Scientist 66:74–79.

Krysko, K.L., K.W. Larson, D. Diep, E. Abellana, and E.R. McKercher. 2009. Diet of the nonindigenous Black Spiny-tailed Iguana, Ctenosaura similis (Gray 1831)(Sauria: Iguanidae) in southern Florida. Florida Scientist 72:48–58.

Lee, J.C. 2000. A Field Guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of the Maya World: The Lowlands of Mexico, Northern Guatemala, and Belize. Comstock Publishing Associates, New York.

Montanucci, R.R. 1968. Comparative dentition in four iguanid lizards. Herpetologica 24:305–315.

Stroud, J.T. and K.L. Krysko. Ctenosaura similis (Gray’s Spiny-tailed Iguana). Non-native diet. Herpetological Review 44:322.

Traveset, A. 1990. Ctenosaura similis Gray (Iguanidae) as a seed disperser in a Central American deciduous forest. American Midland Naturalist 123:402–404.

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IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS • VOL15, NO 4 • DEC 2008 189TABLE OF CONTENTS

T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S

F E A T U R E A R T I C L E S

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

R E S E A R C H A R T I C L E S

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

C O N S E R V A T I O N A L E R T

World’s Mammals in Crisis ............................................................................................................................................................. 220 More Than Mammals ...................................................................................................................................................................... 223 The “Dow Jones Index” of Biodiversity ........................................................................................................................................... 225

H U S B A N D R Y

Captive Care of the Central Netted Dragon ....................................................................................................... Shannon Plummer 226

P R O F I L E

Kraig Adler: A Lifetime Promoting Herpetology ................................................................................................ Michael L. Treglia 234

C O M M E N T A R Y

The Turtles Have Been Watching Me ........................................................................................................................ Eric Gangloff 238

B O O K R E V I E W

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 KernTotat 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

IRC

F

REPTILES & AMPHIBIANSC O N S E R V AT I O N A N D N AT U R A L H I S T O R Y

Copyright © 2014. Kenneth L. Krysko. All rights reserved.

WWW.IRCF.ORG/REPTILESANDAMPHIBIANSJOURNAL

The Nonnative Black Spiny-tailed Iguana, Ctenosaura similis Gray 1831 (Squamata:

Iguanidae), Preying upon the Native Southeastern Five-lined Skink,

Plestiodon inexpectatus Taylor 1932 (Squamata: Scincidae), in Southern Florida

Kenneth L. Krysko1 and Smith B. Juan2

1Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611, USA (kenneyk@ufl.edu)216455 NE 32nd Avenue, North Miami Beach, Florida 33160, USA (snookseason@yahoo.com)

Photographs by Smith B. Juan.

70

IRCFREPTILES&AMPHIBIANS•21(2):69–70•JUN2014KRY SKO A ND JUA N

Fig. 1. Adult female nonnative Black Spiny-tailed Iguana (Ctenosaura similis) with captured native Southeastern Five-lined Skink (Plestiodon inexpectatus) at Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, Miami-Dade County, Florida. A. The iguana has captured the skink. B. Consuming the skink. C. Swallowing the skink. D. Noticing tail movement on the ground. E. Picking up the tail. F. Swallowing the tail.