On the taxonomic recognition of skinks from the Guadeloupe Archipelago (Squamata, Mabuyidae, Mabuya)

Abstract

The six species of mabuyid lizards (skinks) of the Guadeloupe Archipelago are Capitellum mariagalantae, Mabuya cochonae, M. desiradae, M. grandisterrae, M. guadeloupae, and M. parviterrae. All are critically endangered and four may be extinct, primarily from predation by introduced mammals. These six species were described in recent years from molecular and morphological analyses. Miralles et al. (2017, Bulletin de la Société Herpétologique de France , 163, 67-84) has challenged the taxonomy, claiming that the six species cannot be diagnosed from each other, and recognized only a single species, Mabuya desiradae. We find that their study contains errors that led them to that incorrect conclusion, including a probable data handling error in the molecular analysis and the use of non-diagnostic morphological characters.

Large-scale reptile extinctions following European colonization of the Guadeloupe Islands

“…For this reason, we suggest the past occurrence of these small geckos on all Guadeloupe islands even when they are, so far, absent from the fossil record. We also hypothesize the past occurrence of Mabuyidae on Les Saintes as this taxon was present on every other main Guadeloupe island, with at least six species endemic to the archipelago ( 53 ). By analogy with the archaeological record of other Guadeloupe islands, as well as its current presence on the island, we also postulate the past occurrence of T. rapicauda on Les Saintes.…”