While Anolis gingivinus is considerably more common than Anolis pogus in the lowland areas of St. Martin, it is also present in smaller numbers even at the summit of Pic Paradis, the island’s highest point. Unlike Anolis pogus there is not much difference in the markings and coloration of these lizards, although they do seem to be more likely to stay on the ground than their lowland brothers.
Yesterday I took a trip to the summit of Pic Paradis, the highest point on the island at approximately 1400 feet. Near the summit, Anolis pogus was very common and I found a wide array of color and pattern variations while I was there. Previously, the specimens I had encountered conformed entirely to the published descriptions I have read: light tan with few visible markings and a turquoise patch around each eye. This time, I saw many color variations, some clearly linked to behavior.
While some individuals sported the “typical” Anolis pogus coloration, others varied wildly. The trademark blue around the eye was often not present at all. In some individuals, there was a clearly defined, white dorsal stripe. In others, there were dark bands across the back. The overall color varied from the typical tan to dark gray. Often, this was combined with a dark red on the top of the head. Yellow patches on the sides of the chest were also common. In males preparing to fight over territory, two dark spots appeared behind the eye.
These wide variations were seen in a myriad of combinations, and individuals could be found at varying points in between. From watching a pair of males fighting, it seemed that these color variations were likely to be temporary, related to the emotional states of the lizards and potentially as camouflage as well.
Pic Paradis is the tallest point on St. Martin, and both varieties of anole lizard are present there. Anolis pogus, which prefers higher-altitude woodlands seems very common in the forested areas, and Anolis gingivinus is common on the fences and trees surrounding Loterie Farm.
I noticed a couple variations in the coloration of these lizards from others I have seen. Gingivinus seemed to have a greener tail than in most areas, while pogus specimens often had more light orange markings. One pogus even had a clearly defined ridge from its head all the way down its back. As a special treat, we also found a gingivinus with two tails, the result of regeneration gone wild.
When I returned to the little wooded spot on Pinel Island where I found dwarf geckos previously, I was able to find a number that correspond to a couple images of Sphaerodactylus macrolepis that I found online. In fact, all the geckos that I was able to photograph well seem to share the same characteristic double white dot patch on the back of the neck. These very small lizards will need further study, and I may need to have less Rosé before exploring my little forest next time. Bonus fact: apparently the common name for this species is the cotton ginner.
Back in January we had the pleasure of watching checkered swallowtail (Papilio demoleus) caterpillars devour every leaf and twig that was sprouting from a poor tree stump in our yard. These interesting caterpillars start off looking like bird poo for the first few instars (i.e., the first few times they shed their skin). Later, they develop a lovely green color.
It all started with adult butterflies laying eggs on the stump. Butterflies visited daily, even when there was almost no foliage left. Soon the stump was crawling with caterpillars, and within a few more days every leaf had been eaten. Once this happened, the caterpillars resorted to a variety of strategies: eating green twigs that remained, leaving the stump in search of edible plant life, and pupating. When we left the apartment, the stump was home to a few caterpillars wandering over the barren stump and a chrysalis that was half-eaten by lizards.
Subsequently I read that it is not uncommon for caterpillars to strip trees entirely bare, particularly before the dry season, when many trees lose all their leaves anyway to conserve water. Just ask the frangipani, which loses all its leaves to tetrio sphinx caterpillars.
While walking near an artificial pond at Happy Bay, I found this bird doing a curious song and dance. Of course, my Birds of the Caribbean book is still on the dive boat where I left it, so I’ll have to identify it later. Below are some photos of the male’s display, the female he was putting the moves on and a short video where you can hear his song.
When I collected my first monarch chrysalis parasitic wasps emerged instead of a butterfly. Our second chrysalis was from a checkered swallowtail that had been damaged by a six-year-old throwing it on the ground. Third time was indeed the charm, however, and a lovely monarch emerged from my latest chrysalis. We let him or her hang out in the apartment for the evening and then released it the next day.
After a leisurely lunch at Yellow Beach, I set out to explore Pinel Islet to determine what species of iguana lives there. Although I did not find any iguanas, I did find at least two varieties of dwarf gecko in the leaf litter of a small wooded patch on the eastern side of the island.
The lighter-colored gecko seems to clearly be Sphaerodactylus sputator, a known resident of the island and is seen in four of the photos below. It was the largest of the geckos I encountered, although you can see from the photo in the plastic cup, it is quite small indeed.
There was at least one variety of darker gecko, although it is not clear to me that it is the other species known to reside on St. Martin (Sphaerodactylus macrolepis). Additionally, closer scrutiny of my photos has lead me to believe that the darker geckos may be of multiple varieties. The blurred shot of the gecko running most resembles the photos I have seen of S. macrolepis, but the body markings and general coloring are not very similar to the dark gecko in the last photo. Likewise, the photo where only the back of the head is visible may be the same species as the blurry photo, but looks clearly different from the lizard in the last photo.
At this point I might venture to guess that the blurry photo and the head photo are a local version of S. macrolepis, while the dark gecko with the broken light bands must be a different species or local race that may not be previously known to the island. Very exciting!
I obtained some mosquito larvae and a selection of photos are below. The aquatic larvae don’t particularly resemble the adults, particularly in the earlier stage when they have round heads, but they do have little hairs that the adults also possess. As you can see below, as the larvae get closer to adulthood, the head and thorax become more distinct, and the larvae as a whole resemble shorter-legged, wingless versions of the adult. All specimens were fatally, and I think somewhat justifiably, harmed in the making of this post. For some scale, the honeycomb of the background is the quilting of a paper towel.
I was hoping to get some photos of the local giant centipedes ever since I saw part of one that had been squished on the road. Last night I saw one, but didn’t have my camera. Luckily, today I got some help from a bird, which was attempting to eat one in the yard next door to the dive shop. As you may be able to make out from the photos, the bird was thrashing the centipede, then gingerly leaping away for a moment to check its progress. When the bird noticed me, I got some pretty nasty glares before it flew off.
The centipede seems to be of genus Scolopendra, which are large, venomous centipedes that capture anything they can hold onto, including lizards and even bats. This particular specimen was approximately 6-7 inches long. It survived the bird attack, and mostly stayed still during the photo session, perhaps trying to avoid drawing attention to itself. I wouldn’t say this technique worked, but then again, I didn’t eat it.
