RAPID ASSESSMENT OF THE STATUS OF REPTILES ON ALTO VELO ISLAND, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Robert Graham Reynolds; Jorge Brocca; Joseph Burgess; Paula Castaño; José Luis Cabello; José Eduardo Gómez; Brad Keitt

doi:10.22201/fc.25942158e.2026.3.1674

Autores/as

Robert Graham Reynolds https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0056-8304
Jorge Brocca https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3959-3638
Joseph Burgess
Paula Castaño https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8168-8326
José Luis Cabello
José Eduardo Gómez
Brad Keitt

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22201/fc.25942158e.2026.3.1674

Palabras clave:

Anolis, Antillas Mayores, biogeografía, Caribe, conservación, La Española, Leiocephalus, Parque Nacional Jaragua

Resumen

La fauna de reptiles terrestres de la isla Alto Velo ha recibido poca atención científica, con solo dos estudios previos: uno realizado por Noble y Hassler en 1932 documentó cinco especies, al menos tres de ellas aparentemente endémicas, y otro realizado por Island Conservation en 2014 que registró observaciones incidentales de reptiles durante la planificación de la campaña de remoción de especies invasoras. En este trabajo presentamos los resultados de un estudio herpetológico que proporciona las primeras estimaciones cuantitativas de densidad para las especies de reptiles de la isla Alto Velo utilizando métodos de muestreo por transectos lineales. Documentamos asociaciones detalladas de hábitat y aportamos evidencia fotográfica de todas las especies registradas en la isla, excepto la culebra ciega bicolor de la Española (Typhlops sulcatus). Comparamos las densidades poblacionales de dos especies endémicas (Anolis altavelensis y Leiocephalus altavelensis) con estimaciones publicadas para otras islas en el Caribe y sitios continentales. Los perfiles individuales de cada especie sintetizan el conocimiento actualizado sobre su distribución, ecología y estado de conservación. Nuestros hallazgos establecen datos de referencia fundamentales para un programa colaborativo de monitoreo plurianual orientado a evaluar y restaurar de forma integral la singular comunidad de reptiles terrestres de la isla Alto Velo.

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