Reptiles and Amphibians of the Pacific Islands : A Comprehensive Guide

388 Pages·2013·18.19 MB·English

by  Zug

Reptiles and Amphibians
of the Pacific Islands
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Reptiles and Amphibians
of the Pacific Islands
A Comprehensive Guide
George R. Zug
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS
Berkeley • Los Angeles • London
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University of California Press, one of the most dis­
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University of California Press
Berkeley and Los Angeles, California
University of California Press, Ltd.
London, England
© 2013 by The Regents of the University of California
Library of Congress Cataloging­in­Publication Data
Zug, George R., 1938­
Reptiles and amphibians of the Pacific Islands :
a comprehensive guide / George R. Zug.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978­0­520­27495­2 (cloth : alk. paper) —
ISBN 978­0­520­27496­9 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Reptiles—Islands of the Pacific—Identification.
2. Amphibians—Islands of the Pacific—Identification.
I. Title.
QL664.A1Z84 2013
597.909—dc23 2012037421
Manufactured in China
22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum
requirements of ANSI/NISO Z39.48­1992 (R 2002)
(Permanence of Paper). 8
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In gratitude to the many Pacific Islanders who
aided my research and to past and present
colleagues who have contributed to our
knowledge of Pacific island herpetofaunas.
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Contents
Preface ix
INTRODUCTION 1
Pacific Geography and Geology 1
The Contemporary Pacific 3
Human History in the Pacific 4
ISLAND AND ISLAND GROUP HERPETOFAUNAS 9
North Pacific 11
West- and North-Central Pacific: Micronesia 17
Equatorial Pacific 24
Southwest Pacific 30
South-Central Pacific: Polynesia 39
Eastern Pacific 44
Selected References 48
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RECOGNIZING SPECIES 51
Identifying Amphibians and Reptiles 51
Frogs 55
Lizards 79
Snakes 213
Turtles 239
Crocodiles 267
Acknowledgments 271
Checklist of Pacific Island Amphibians and Reptiles 277
Appendix: Sources for Illustrations 287
Index of Common English Names 299
Index of Scientific Names 303
IDENTIFICATION PLATES: BETWEEN PAGES 54 AND 55.
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Preface
Amid the vastness of the Pacific Ocean, tiny specks of land have served
as evolutionary cauldrons, generating enormous variety in the species
that inhabit them. This species diversity is generally unrecognized by
Pacific island residents and visitors. Only since the late 1970s have
systematic biologists begun to focus on this diversity, breaking with
the earlier assumption that the faunas and floras of the widely distant
islands consisted predominantly of shared species. This assumption
of shared faunas was especially prominent among herpetologists until
Pacific biologists such as Dick Watling and John Gibbons began to look
more closely at their local herpetofaunas. They and their colleagues
discovered substantial local and regional differentiation. The use of
new molecular tools, in concert with traditional morphological tech-
niques, allows us to recognize that populations of similar morphologies
are genetically distinct; often with the genetic data, we discover that
the morphology of different populations is not as similar as originally
supposed. The pace of new species recognition has quickened with the
use of these molecular tools, and, excitingly, we have discovered that
relationships among congeners show complex dispersal histories.
My participation in some of these discoveries, coinciding with the
arrival of an increasing number of alien species, along with the absence
of a Pacific-wide guide to reptiles and amphibians, persuades me to
offer this summary of the tropical Pacific islands’ herpetofaunas in the
form of an identification guide. Although I hope that professional her-
ix
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