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Zoologia Caboverdiana 11, 1, 03–09
Available at www.scvz.org
© 2023 Sociedade Caboverdiana de Zoologia
Artigo original | Original article
Herpetological notes from the islands of São Vicente and
Santo Antão, Cabo Verde
Jiří Moravec 1, *
1 Department of Zoology, National Museum, Václavské náměstí 68, 110 00 Praha 1, Czech Republic
* Corresponding author e-mail: jiri.moravec@nm.cz
RESUMO
Este estudo resume a informação faunística e de história natural de um anfíbio e seis espécies de
répteis registadas nas ilhas de São Vicente e Santo Antão entre 3–22 de Outubro de 2022. Foi
observada uma forte predação de ovos e juvenis de Caretta caretta por cães selvagens na costa
nordeste de São Vicente. A osga sinantrópica Hemidactylus mabouia é considerada uma espécie
invasora que pode estar a afectar a distribuição da rara espécie endémica do mesmo género, pois
ocupa agora uma grande variedade de habitats antropogénicos. A omnívoria foi documentada em
Chioninia stangeri.
Palavras-chave: Caretta, Chioninia, Hemidactylus, história natural, Sclerophrys, Tarentola
ABSTRACT
This study summarizes the faunistic and natural history information for one amphibian and six
reptile species recorded on the islands of São Vicente and Santo Antão from 3–22 October 2022.
Strong predation of Caretta caretta nests by feral dogs was observed on the northeastern coast of
São Vicente. The synanthropic gecko Hemidactylus mabouia is considered an invasive species
that may be affecting the distribution of the rare endemic species of the same genus, as it is now
occupying widely different types of anthropogenic habitats. Omnivory was documented in
Chioninia stangeri.
Keywords: Caretta, Chioninia, Hemidactylus, natural history, Sclerophrys, Tarentola,
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Reptiles from São Vicente and Santo Antão
INTRODUCTION
The Cabo Verde Archipelago hosts a unique
herpetofauna, which is characterized by an
unusually high degree of local endemism.
Whereas the species diversity and phylogenetic
relationships of the Cabo Verdean reptile and
amphibian species have been studied in detail
(e. g. Arnold et al. 2008, Miralles et al. 2010,
Marco et al. 2011, Vasconcelos et al. 2010,
2012a, b, 2013, 2020), but our knowledge of
distribution, habitat requirements and biology
of these native and alien species remains
incomplete.
Regarding alien species, Vasconcelos et al.
(2020) pointed out, that taxonomy and
allocation of the Cabo Verdean population of
Hemidactylus mabouia (Moreau de Jonnès,
1818) needed further investigation with respect
to Hemidactylus mercatorius Gray, 1842, and
Pinho et al. (2023) confirmed that Cabo Verde
individuals belong to the Hemidactylus
mabouia sensu stricto lineage. However, little
is known about the intra island distribution in
most islands (Vasconcelos et al. 2013).
With the aim to obtain additional natural
history data on endemic and alien amphibians
and reptiles, short-term herpetological surveys
of the islands of São Vicente and Santo Antão
were carried out.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
The field research was conducted in the north
and northeastern part of São Vicente (3–13 and
19–22 October 2022) and in the eastern part of
Santo Antão (13–19 October 2022). The
observed animals were photographed and
geolocated using a GPS receiver Garmin eTrex
30x. Snout-vent length (distance from the
snout tip to cloaca; SVL) of selected
individuals was taken by a digital calliper to the
nearest 0.1 mm. Photographs were deposited in
the herpetological collection of the National
Museum of Prague (NMP-P6F). Reptile
droppings were collected in 50% alcohol tubes
and analyzed under a dissecting microscope.
Two Hemidactylus mabouia specimens from
São Vicente were barcoded for the 12S rRNA
mitochondrial gene following Šmíd et al.
(2013) and the obtained nucleotide sequences
were compared with sequences available on
GenBank. The terminology of the Cabo
Verdean plant communities was adopted from
Neto et al. (2020).
RESULTS
One amphibian and six reptile species were
recorded on São Vicente and Santo Antão
(Fig. 1). The African common toad (Fig. 1A)
Sclerophrys regularis (Reuss, 1833),
Bufonidae, the alien species of African origin
(Vasconcelos et al. 2010), was observed in the
settlement of Bairro Alto, Santo Antão
(17.11838 N, 24.99856 W; 14–16 October
2022; Fig. 1B). The local S. regularis
population occupied a valley along a
permanent stream, Ribeira de Janela, coming
from the northeastern slopes of Pico da Cruz.
Toads inhabited the surroundings of irrigation
pools, fields of taro Colocasia esculenta
(Araceae) and margins of banana Musa sp.
(Musaceae) plantations up to ca. 150 m a.s.l.
Frequent remains of road killed animals in the
lower part of the valley indicated a relatively
high population density. On cloudy days,
subadults were active also during the morning
hours.
Loggerhead sea turtle Caretta caretta
(Linnaeus, 1758), Cheloniidae, emerging
hatchlings (Fig. 1C) and tracks of nesting
females were observed on the beaches between
Baía das Gatas and Calhau, São Vicente
(16.8900 N, 24.91453 W to 16.86782 N,
24.89838 W; 7–12 October 2022; Fig. 1D).
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Reptiles from São Vicente and Santo Antão
In total, circa 20 nests were detected along that
beach section. Practically all of them
(including fresh ones) were predated by feral
dogs (Fig. 1E). Tracks showed that they visit
the beaches mainly at night or early in the
morning and dig up nests with eggs and
hatching turtles. The open nests were
frequently visited by crabs.
Fig. 1. Selected herp species and their habitats documented on the islands of São Vicente and Santo Antão
(photos by J. Moravec). A) Subadult specimen and B) habitat of Sclerophrys regularis; surroundings of
Bairro Alto, Santo Antão. C) Hatchling, D) nesting beach and E) predated nest of Caretta caretta; east of
Baía das Gatas, São Vicente. F) Adult specimen and G) habitat of Hemidactylus mabouia; Monte Verde,
circa 600 m a.s.l., São Vicente. H) Adult female and I) habitat of Tarentola caboverdiana; surroundings of
Porto Novo, Santo Antão. J) Adult female of Tarentola substituta; vicinity of Lazareto, and K) habitat of
Tarentola substituta; the foothills of Monte Verde, 450 m a.s.l., São Vicente. L) Adult of Chioninia
fogoensis at its shelter in a stony wall, and M) its habitat on northeastern slopes of Pico da Cruz; ca. 900 m
a.s.l, Santo Antão. N) Subadult of Chioninia stangeri searching for food among the stones covered by
Frankenia ericifolia, and O) its habitat east of Baía das Gatas, ca. 50 m a.s.l., São Vicente, with yellow
flowers of Lotus sp., part of its diet.
A
C
B
G
E
F
D
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
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Reptiles from São Vicente and Santo Antão
The African house gecko (Fig. 1F)
Hemidactylus mabouia sensu stricto,
Gekkonidae, is an alien synanthropic gecko of
African origin. Both São Vicente samples had
the same haplotype (GenBank accession
OP895105), identical to samples from across
the species distribution (Brazil, Equatorial
Guinea, Madeira, São Tomé and Príncipe,
Uganda, and USA), which is in good
agreement with the findings published by
Pinho et al. (2023). A very dense population
was observed in Baía das Gatas (16.90626 N,
24.91017 W; 7–12 October 2022). The geckos
occupied both exteriors and interiors of houses,
surrounding gardens and other anthropogenic
habitats (10 adult and subadult individuals
were documented in one house at the NW edge
of the village; largest male SVL= 70.0 mm,
largest female SVL= 58.0 mm). Another dense
population was found in the upper part of the
mountain of Monte Verde. Here, the geckos
frequently occurred in the agricultural land
above 530 m a.s.l. (Fig. 1G). The animals
(including gravid females) were hidden under
individual stones along the roads and stone
walls emarginating fields. The highest
elevation of H. mabouia records was 660 m
a.s.l. (16.86998 N, 24.93296 W).
On Santo Antão the species was very
common in Bairro Alto and on the northeast
slopes of Pico da Cruz above the village
(17.12116 N, 24.99441 W to 17.11303 N,
25.00941 W; circa 10–550 m a.s.l.; 14–16
October 2022). It was associated with
anthropogenic habitats only. Basking adult
specimens were observed on stony walls
during the morning hours.
The single-island endemic Santo Antão
wall gecko (Fig. 1H) Tarentola caboverdiana
Schleich, 1984, Phyllodactylidae, was
observed on the south slopes of Gudo de Morro
de Vento north of Porto Novo (17.02761 N,
25.06011 W to 17.06495 N, 25.06573 W; circa
50–450 m a.s.l.; 17–18 October 2022; Fig. 1I).
It inhabited arid areas with tropophytic
Afrotropical Acacia savannas. Their diurnal
shelters were beneath scattered large stones,
often isolated and exposed to high
temperatures. The largest documented
specimen was a female (SVL= 58.0 mm).
The single-island endemic São Vicente wall
gecko (Fig. 1J) Tarentola substituta Joger,
1984, Phyllodactylidae, was observed around
Lazareto (16.87638 N, 25.02480 W; 4 and 20
October 2022), Baía das Gatas (16.90626 N,
24.91017 W; 7–12 October 2022), and in the
foothills of Monte Verde (16.87304 N,
24.93677 W and 16.87425 N, 24.94395 W to
16.87304 N, 24.93677 W; 9–10 October 2022;
Fig. 1K). In lower elevations, it was very
common in the habitats corresponding to
tropophytic Afrotropical Acacia savannas.
Less frequently, it entered also coastal habitats
covered by halophytic and hydrophytic plant
communities. Tarentola substituta used the
same type of diurnal shelter as T.
caboverdiana. In the foothills of Monte Verde,
T. substituta inhabited scree slopes covered by
low shrub vegetation dominated by invasive
common lantana Lantana camara
(Verbenaceae) at least up to 450 m a.s.l. In the
higher elevation of Monte Verde (above 530 m
a.s.l.), only invasive H. mabouia was observed.
Both these gecko species occurred syntopically
in Baía das Gatas, where T. substituta
sporadically occupied the walls of old houses.
In all, 25 live individuals of T. substituta were
examined; nine juveniles and subadults (SVL=
26.0–41.0 mm) and 16 adults (SVL= 44.0–57.0
mm). Three females (SVL= 44.0–48.0 mm)
were carrying one egg each.
The single-island endemic Santo Antão
skink (Fig. 1L) Chioninia fogoensis
(O’Shaughnessy, 1874), Scincidae, was
observed on the northeastern slopes of Pico da
Cruz above Bairro Alto (17.11145 N, 25.01441
W to 17.11103 N, 25.01553 W; 14–15 October
2022). Chioninia fogoensis inhabited stony
walls terraces at 820–910 m a.s.l. Skinks were
observed only in the walls on the external
slopes of Pico da Cruz, which were facing
northeast. The walls occurred in the humid
zone of persistent clouds prompted by trade
wind inversion, with shrubby vegetation
dominated by Lantana camara. The walls (Fig.
1M) were densely overgrown by chasmophytic
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Reptiles from São Vicente and Santo Antão
communities of lichen, liverwort, moss and
fern species (e.g., Hypodematium crenatum,
Hypodematiaceae), endemic ‘bálsamo’
Umbilicus schmidtii (Crassulaceae), and less
frequently also endemic ‘sailão’ Aeonium
gorgoneum (Crassulaceae). In the foggy
weather, individual skinks peered motionless
from cracks between stones and crawled into
the wall when disturbed.
Stanger’s skink (Fig. 1N) Chioninia
stangeri (Gray, 1845), an endemic species of
São Vicente and Desertas, was observed at the
northeastern coast of Baía das Gatas (16.87033
N, 24.90331 W to 16.86609 N, 24.89752 W;
50–80 m a.s.l.; 11 October 2022). It occurred
in stony areas and scree slopes bordering
coastal sandy dunes covered by plant
communities dominated by Frankenia
Frankenia ericifolia (Frankeniaceae),
heliotrope Heliotropium ramosissimum
(Heliotropiaceae), Lotus sp. (Fabaceae), and
different Poaceae species (Fig. 1O). During the
day, both adults and subadults searched for
prey among the stones or basked on the rocks.
When disturbed, they sought shelter in crevices
between stones. Their agile and fast climbing
of rocky surfaces strikingly resembled the
behaviour of the wall lizards of the genus
Podarcis. Analysis of 10 droppings revealed
that C. stangeri is an omnivorous species. The
droppings contained a high number of bracts
(glumes) from spikelets of an undetermined
Poaceae species, remnants of grass leaves and
yellow Lotus flowers. In eight of them, the
herbaceous rests significantly prevailed over
chitinous remnants of insects (e.g.,
Hymenoptera, Coleoptera, Lepidoptera).
DISCUSSION
The results of the survey of the amphibian and
reptile fauna of the islands of São Vicente and
Santo Antão brought some findings that could
be important for the conservation of the unique
herpetofauna of the islands.
According to Marco et al. (2011, 2012),
predation by dogs and tufted ghost crabs
Ocypode cursor represents one of the main
threats to Caretta caretta nests in Cabo Verde.
These observations indicate that the combined
predation by dogs and crabs dramatically
decreases the emergence success of C. caretta
hatchlings in Baía das Gatas beach on São
Vicente. Therefore, appropriate conservation
measures should be considered to ensure better
turtle nests protection in the area (e.g.,
placement of protective metal cages on nests as
on the island of Zakynthos in Greece;
Kornaraki et al. 2006).
Hemidactylus mabouia was reported from
Cabo Verde (São Vicente) for the first time by
Jesus et al. (2001). Vasconcelos et al. (2013)
confirmed its occurrence in São Vicente and
reported it also in Santo Antão and Brava.
Later, Vasconcelos et al. (2020) considered the
gecko to be widespread on some islands, and
Pinho et al. (2023) determined that the
Caboverdean populations belong to the lineage
H. mabouia sensu stricto. These observations
confirm that H. mabouia has a character of an
invasive species occupying widely different
types of anthropogenic habitats. The record
from the elevation of 660 m a.s.l. shows that its
distribution is not hypsometrically limited on
São Vicente (the highest point of the island
reaches 750 m a.s.l.). The ability to inhabit the
warm and dry coastal areas as well as the
higher moist and colder zones of persistent
clouds prompted by trade wind inversion
proves a high ecological plasticity of H.
mabouia and raises a question of the possible
impact of this alien gecko on the populations of
endemic Hemidactylus species.
Contrary to the observation made by Mateo
et al. (1997) and Köhler et al. (2007) Chioninia
stangeri was not entering sandy dunes and its
xerophilous vegetation but occupied only the
stony habitats. The documented omnivory of
C. stangeri confirms the assumptions that,
similarly as in the case of the extinct giant
skink C. coctei, also in the smaller Chioninia
species the omnivory is a strategy to survive in
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Reptiles from São Vicente and Santo Antão
dry and limited resources islands (Pinho et al.
2022). In this respect, a possible negative effect of the growths of invasive L. camara moving
to the Chioninia’s habitats should be evaluated.
CONCLUDING REMARKS
Herpetological observations from the islands
of São Vicente and Santo Antão indicate, that
(i) more appropriate conservation measures
should be adopted to prevent predation of the
nests of Caretta caretta by feral dogs, (ii) a
possible impact of ecologically plastic invasive
gecko Hemidactylus mabouia on the
populations of endemic Hemidactylus species
should be studied in detail, and (iii) the
possible negative effect of the growths of L.
camara on the habitats of the endemic
Chioninia skinks should be evaluated,
concerning the expected importance of native
plants in their diet.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I thank L. Moravcová for the help with the
identification of the Cabo Verdean plants and
J. Šmíd and L. Pola for the genetic analysis of
the Hemidactylus mabouia samples. I am very
grateful to E. Lopes and R. Vasconcelos for
their critical comments on the text. The
research was supported by the Ministry of
Culture of the Czech Republic (DRKVO 2019–
2023/6.VII.e; National Museum Prague,
00023272).
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Received 04 January 2023
Accepted 11 April 2023 2023
