CNEMIDOPHORUS LEMNISCATUS (SQUAMATA: TEIIDAE) ON CAYO
COCHINO PEQUEÑO, HONDURAS: EXTENT OF ISLAND OCCUPANCY,
NATURAL HISTORY, AND CONSERVATION STATUS
CHAD E.MONTGOMERY1, SCOTT M. BOBACK2, STEPHEN E. W. GREEN3,MARK A. PAULISSEN4,
AND JAMES M.WALKER5

1Biology Department, Truman State University, Kirksville, Missouri 63501, USA
2Department of Biology, Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania 17013, USA
3Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE), Marlowe Building, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent,
United Kingdom CT2 7NR
4Department of Natural Science, Northeastern State University, Tahlequah, Oklahoma 74464, USA
5Department of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701, USA
Corresponding author e-mail: jmwalker@uark.edu

Abstract.—Cayo Cochino Pequeño (CCP) is a western Caribbean island with a surface area of only 0.64 km2 in the
Cayos Cochinos Archipelago, Department of Islas de la Bahía, Honduras. It is relatively ecologically complex, with high
herpetofaunal diversity (one turtle, six snake, eight lizard, and one amphibian species), considering the size and location.
Although not the largest island in the archipelago, it alone is inhabited by the widely distributed neotropical lizard
Cnemidophorus lemniscatus (Rainbow Whiptail: Teiidae). Herein, we describe occupancy of C. lemniscatus on CCP,
which uses a fraction of the ca. 7% of flat sandy terrain where the species would be expected. Over 90% of individuals
of C. lemniscatus observed were on the southern part of the island in the East Beach windward zone. The remaining
observations on C. lemniscatus were made at two newly discovered leeward beach sites, a leeward beach site from which
it was reported in 1993, and the first inland forest site reported for this lizard. Most of the habitat used by C.
lemniscatus on CCP is within 10 m of the high tide line, which exposes it to being over-washed by periodic storm surges
(e.g., Hurricane Mitch in 1998). Use of open beach and fringing beach strand vegetation by the species is primarily
associated with reproductive and foraging activities. We used 25 of these lizards collected from CCP in 2005 and 2006
for preliminary analyses of diet and reproductive characteristics. Adult males averaged 67.7 ± 1.69 mm SVL and 7.6 ±
0.50 g mass; adult females averaged 63.6 ± 1.60 mm SVL and 6.0 ± 0.50 g mass. The SVL and clutch ranges of seven
gravid females of C. lemniscatus from CCP were 57–67 mm and 1–2 eggs, respectively. Reproductive potential in this
insular Caribbean population of C. lemniscatus is likely increased by an extended activity period, which allows for rapid
maturation and multiple clutches per year, as reported for the species in other parts of its range. The diet of C.
lemniscatus on CCP includes amphipods, arachnids, insects, and plant parts. The density of the species in parts of the
island indicates that the population is successful under present conditions; however, the small areas of suitable habitat
obviously make it susceptible to extirpation by both human and natural perturbations.
Key Words: Cayo Cochino Pequeño; Cnemidophorus lemniscatus; Honduras; natural history; Rainbow Whiptail