First report on the herpetofauna of Ataúro Island, Timor Leste

Abstract

We describe for the first time the terrestrial herpetofauna of Ataúro Island, Timor-Leste, a small mountainous island in the Inner Banda Arc of the Lesser Sunda Archipelago. The island supports a fauna of ten lizard species in three families (Gekkonidae, n = 5; Scincidae, n = 4; Varanidae, n = 1) and four snake species in three families (Colubridae, n = 3; Typhlopidae, n = 1; Viperidae, n = 1). In addition to a set of lizards (e.g., Cryptoblepharus, Eutropis, Gehyra, Gekko, Hemidactylus, Lamprolepis) and snakes (e.g., Lycodon, Ramphotyphlops, Trimeresurus) typical for the Lesser Sunda Islands, there appear to be undescribed endemic species of Cyrtodactylus, Eremiascincus, and Varanus on Ataúro. Our surveys to date have not revealed the presence of any amphibians, turtles, or crocodiles.

Integrative taxonomy and phylogeny-based species delimitation of Philippine water monitor lizards (Varanus salvator Complex) with descriptions of two new cryptic species

“…The faunal affinities of these islands with the West Visayan region make the presence of V. nuchalis a reasonable assumption. Similarly, many of the major islands throughout the Greater and Lesser Sundas have yet to be thoroughly surveyed for Varanus (but see Kaiser et al 2013), and thus represent ideal and necessary targets for furture study. Clearly large, deep water islands, separate PAICS (Brown & Diesmos 2009), isolated geological components of large islands, and small isolated islands deserve further scrutiny of water monitor species diversity, especially througout western Wallacea and the Lesser Sunda islands of Indonesia.…”

Hiding in plain sight: a new species of bent-toed gecko (Squamata: Gekkonidae: Cyrtodactylus) from West Timor, collected by Malcolm Smith in 1924

“…The discovery of Cyrtodactylus in Timor, the southeasternmost island record in Asia, provides an opportunity to take a closer look at the diversity of bent-toed geckos in the Lesser Sunda Islands, of which Timor is the largest (30,777 km 2 ). Recent survey work (Kaiser et al 2011(Kaiser et al , 2013O'Shea et al 2012;Sanchez et al 2012) has shown that the eastern half of Timor, within the borders of the sovereign nation of Timor-Leste, harbors at least four new species of Cyrtodactylus. Together with the recent description of C. kimberleyensis from northern Australia (Bauer & Doughty 2012), it therefore appears that, with five presumably endemic species, Timor may represent a regional center of Cyrtodactylus diversity, as well as a potential stepping-stone for the colonization of the northwestern regions of Australia.…”

“…A careful study of the systematics of these faunal elements may permit the tracing of dispersal routes and the timing of colonizations in this complex archipelago. Recent survey work (e.g., Kaiser et al 2011Kaiser et al , 2013O'Shea et al 2012;Sanchez et al 2012) has revealed the existence of at least four new species of Cyrtodactylus in Timor-Leste, the eastern part of Timor. The only earlier literature record for the genus on the island was a short notation by Smith (1927), who listed "Gymnodactylus (?)…”

Saving collections: taxonomic revision of the herpetological collection of the Instituto de Investigação Científica Tropical, Lisbon (Portugal) with a protocol to rescue abandoned collections

“…The most recent account of the herpetofauna of mainland East Timor was provided by O'Shea et al (2015) and reports at least 60 species of amphibians and reptiles, including more than 20 undescribed species. A first record of the herpetofauna of Antaúro Island was provided by Kaiser et al (2013), listing 14 species of reptiles, of which at least five are likely undescribed endemic species. The exclave of Oecusse District, in the western part of Timor Island, was also surveyed in recent years (Sanchez et al 2012).…”

“…Following Portuguese decolonisation in 1975, Indonesia invaded the country, instituting a period of political instability that halted biological research. This period lasted until 2002, when East Timor regained independence, and was followed by a series of surveys that greatly improved previous knowledge of the country's herpetofauna and are expected to continue increasing the number of known species (Kaiser et al 2011(Kaiser et al , 2013O'Shea et al 2012O'Shea et al , 2015Sanchez et al 2012). Most specimens vouchered during these recent surveys have been deposited in the collections of the USNM.…”