Guadeloupe (2014), Lesser Antilles

For your reports/images, made outside Europe and the "Mediterranean" countries. Not to be too narrow minded and limited to our European/Mediterranean herps.

Guadeloupe (2014), Lesser Antilles

Postby Robin Duborget » Sat Oct 08, 2016 10:57 pm

Hello,

The Seychelles post of Bobby and Laura made me want to share with you another island trip, in Guadeloupe. That was our honeymoon, in august 2014, and as we are also two fanatic naturalists, we spend all the time hiking, looking for animals, mainly frogs and insects.

Guadeloupe is a lesser Antilles french island in the carribean sea, with two part, Basse-Terre, the volcanic one, and Grande-Terre. There is a national natural park on Basse-Terre, so this part of the island is quite preserved, with a rich endemic biodiversity.

There is not so much "reptiles" and amphibians but the species are endemic ones, with some of them very common and others rare and endangered.

Frogs :
Eleutherodactylus johnstonei : introduced
Eleutherodactylus marticensis
Eleutherodactylus pinchoni
Eleutherodactylus barlagnei
Rhinella marina : introduced
Osteopilus septentrionalis : introduced

We saw two of the endemic frogs, marticensis and pinchoni (just one). Eleutherodactylus barlagnei is a very rare and elusive frog, leaving only in rocky streams of the rain forest and in the summit of "The Soufrière", a volcano. So rare and endangered that we did not manage to find it.

Eleutherodactylus johnstonei is everywhere, in jungle, city, gardens etc etc ... but only in disturbed places :
IMG_0372(forum).jpg


Eleutherodactylus marticensis is bigger, with a large head and a different calling :
IMG_1191(forum).jpg
IMG_1281(forum).jpg
IMG_1184(forum).jpg


Eleutherodactylus pinchoni is a rare species, found only in undisturbed area, where there isn't johnstonei. We found this young individual, after a loooong walk in the island mountains :
Eleutherodactylus 1b, Etang As-de-Pique, Trois-rivières, 09.08.2014(forum).jpg

It has a "pug nose", it's one of the characteristic of this species.

Rhinella marina is, like johnstonei, everywhere, even in pools :
image.jpeg


Guadeloupe is home to the most beautiful of Anolis species (now in the genus Ctenotus), Anolis marmoratus (http://www.anoleannals.org/2012/04/07/t ... uadeloupe/). But, as always, there were so common that we forget to make much pictures of them, especially one we saw all morning in our garden, with a blue head (Anolis marmoratus speciosus).
Here is Anolis marmoratus marmoratus :
IMG_0035(forum).jpg



Our favorite place were a small island, at the east of the Guadeloupe : La Désirade :
image.jpeg


La Désirade is quite different from Guadeloupe, with barren lands. It is also home to one of most endangered Iguana species on earth : Iguana delicatissima, the lesser antilles Iguana :
image.jpeg


image.jpeg


They love banana (our breakfast ...) :
image.jpeg


We also found the beautiful Anolis desiradei, an endemic species of this small place :
image.jpeg


But my favorite species of the trip is not a reptile, or an amphibian, but this katytid, Karukerana aguilari (Karukera is the name of the island) :
image.jpeg

image.jpeg

The male make a 110 dB sound !

This katytid, endemic also, Nesonotus reticulatus, is a nasty biter :
IMG_2736(forum).jpg


So, Guadeloupe is a great place, not much visited by "herpers", like the rest of the lesser Antilles, but with amazing endemic species and ... the best food in the world ;)

And for other species and landscape : https://www.flickr.com/gp/141135600@N04/D4j445

Robin
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Re: Guadeloupe (2014), Lesser Antilles

Postby Bobby Bok » Sun Oct 09, 2016 6:53 pm

Fantastic series of a little visited destination! I am always a great fan of these kind of posts and I ccan see why you had to think of this when seeing the Seychelles pictures from Laura and me. Idyllic islands with both endemic and introduced species, tiny frogs, colourfull lizards and a high degree of endemism. Thanks for sharing!
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Re: Guadeloupe (2014), Lesser Antilles

Postby Matthijs Hollanders » Wed Oct 12, 2016 1:26 pm

Great!
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Re: Guadeloupe (2014), Lesser Antilles

Postby Paul Lambourne » Wed Oct 12, 2016 4:20 pm

Great report, stunning pictures. Fabulous to see so many endemic frogs.. and always good to see my old favourite the marine toad.
Certainly on my list to visit when I've finished he damn euro list :D
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Re: Guadeloupe (2014), Lesser Antilles

Postby Laura Bok » Thu Oct 13, 2016 7:37 am

Very interesting report from a less frequently visited herping-destination - might have been the first report of a herptrip to Guadeloupe I ever read (- although admittedly I also did not actively look for it). I am glad our Seychelles-report kind of inspired you to post it here :D .
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