A check list and population trends of invasive amphibians and reptiles in Taiwan

Abstract

Invasive species have impacted biodiversity all around the world. Among various ecosystems, islands are most vulnerable to these impacts due to their high ratio of endemism, highly specialized adaptation, and isolated and unique fauna. As with other subtropical islands, Taiwan faces constant risk of biological invasions and is currently ranked as one of the countries most affected by invasive amphibians and reptiles. In this paper, a comprehensive checklist of all known exotic amphibians and reptiles is provided, including twelve species which have successfully colonized Taiwan and six species with a controversial status. We provide an update on the knowledge of all these species including their distribution, colonization history, threats to native animals, and population trends based on literature records, fauna surveys, and data collected during invasive species eradication and control programs. A list of species with high invasive potentials is also provided. This study reports, for the first time, a comprehensive survey of invasive herpetofauna in Taiwan, which should provide a valuable reference to other regions which might suffer from similar invasion risk.

Infection with Nannizziopsis guarroi and Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola in reptiles in Taiwan

“…Because an adult green iguana can grow up to 2 m long and live for up to 10 years, some have been abandoned and released into the wild because of the burden of keeping them. Owing to the lack of predators in Taiwan, they have developed large populations in the wild in six counties and cities in southern western Taiwan (Lee et al., 2019). This has caused enormous damage to agricultural products and has become a major threat to native species and local ecology.…”

“…Because an adult green iguana can grow up to 2 m long and live for up to 10 years, some have been abandoned and released into the wild because of the burden of keeping them. Owing to the lack of predators in Taiwan, they have developed large populations in the wild in six counties and cities in TA B L E 2 Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of nine antifungals to Nannizziopsis guarroi and Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola isolates used in this study (μg/ml)Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola strains CGMHD2605-2 and CGMHD2605-3 did not grow at 35°C, thus no MIC data could be obtained.southern western Taiwan(Lee et al, 2019). This has caused enormous damage to agricultural products and has become a major threat to native species and local ecology.…”

A case report of reptile-associated nidovirus (serpentovirus) in a ball python (<i>Python regius</i>) in Taiwan

“…Most importantly, some of the imported reptiles may escape or be intentionally released from captivity (due to prayer animal release) and become invasive species in Taiwan [6]. Invasive species are considered one of the most important threats to global biodiversity, and the endemic species may be negatively affected by the invasive species due to competition on habitat and food, hybridization, and introduction of exotic infectious pathogens [6]. In Taiwan, more than 50 different snake species have been documented.…”

Using citizen-science reports to document range expansion of the introduced Chinese Water Dragon (Physignathus cocincinus) in Hong Kong

“…The establishment of the Chinese Water Dragon in Hong Kong clearly illustrates the consequences of the exotic pet trade on local faunal assemblages (e,g., Reaser and Meyers 2007;Mo 2019). This species has also been introduced to Taiwan ( Lee et al 2019), Penang, Malaysia (Grismer and Quah 2019), and Florida, USA (Ferriter et al 2009). Both in these locations and Hong Kong, the effects of Chinese Water Dragons on local ecosystems have yet to be quantified.…”