Although rare, hypopigmentary disorders have been observed in many vertebrate species. These disorders include albinism, leucism, and piebaldism, and can be differentiated based on the pattern and degree of lack of pigmentation. For many species, these disorders persist in nature, suggesting that affected animals can survive and potentially reproduce. Here we report a case of albinism in a Jamaican fruit bat (Artibeus jamaicensis) captured from a cave dwelling in Cuba. In addition to describing this albino individual's morphological characteristics, we recorded acoustical parameters of echolocation calls during foraging in a flight chamber. We found that the albino individual emits high-frequency multi-harmonic calls with short durations, which are characteristic of this species and other phyllostomid bats. We discuss potential acoustical adaptations in albino bats that could facilitate their survival and suggest future approaches to studying these unique animals.

We describe the records of two adult males of Chiroderma trinitatum captured in the Caribbean lowlands of Ciudad Blanca, Gracias a Dios in eastern Honduras. These records extend more than 527 km from what was known as the northernmost record of this uncommon species in Costa Rica. Further research is needed for the conservation of the biodiversity in the core of the Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve, which includes the historical site Ciudad Blanca. This record represents a new record for the fauna of Honduras, which now comprises 111 bat species.

The Pale-face bat (Phylloderma stenops) is a species found from southern Mexico to South America and there has been no record of this species in Honduras since 1971. We rediscovered this species 46 years later based on an adult male captured in eastern Honduras (Ciudad Blanca, Gracias a Dios) at 204 m asl on February 20, 2017, in a Tropical Moist Forest. We now deposit the specimen in the museum Biodiversidad y Ciencia of the National Autonomous University of Honduras in the Sula Valley and accurately represents the first record of Phylloderma stenops in the Caribbean lowlands of Gracias a Dios in eastern Honduras.

The Caribbean is a biodiversity hotspot due to its rich biodiversity and wholesale loss of primary vegetation. Yet, there is a paucity of studies on the status and trends of terrestrial avifauna populations in the region. We combined survey data from six habitats (Quill and Gilboa Hill, Town, Botanical Garden, Garden Road, and Venus Bay) on a small Lesser Antillean island over a seven-year period. Species abundance and richness varied among habitats, with Town having the highest species richness. Logistic regressions revealed significant differences among habitat and year (P = 0.008), but not foraging guild, season, rainfall or elevation (P > 0.05). The Quill (P = 0.0003) and Town (P = 0.001) differed significantly from the other habitats surveyed. Granivorous + frugivorous and omnivorous species were most commonly detected in the Quill, whereas nectarivores and granivores were most commonly detected in Town. The influence of total annual precipitation on bird detection rates was unsubstantial. However, site-specific climate data for the different habitats are not available. Though resident landbird populations on St. Eustatius were stable over the survey period, we recommend that annual monitoring continue in the same habitats, especially following extensive vegetation damage caused by hurricanes Irma and Maria in September 2017 and in light of predicted global climate change. The results of our monitoring proved useful in evaluating protected areas and Important Bird Areas compared with non-protected areas. We encourage island researchers and conservation stewards to initiate similar long-term monitoring in order to determine the status of their resident landbird populations.

Norops cupreus inhabits lowland dry forests and gallery forests along the Pacific Coast of Central America. We used operative temperature models (OTM) to examine the thermoregulation of this species in Parque Nacional Palo Verde (Costa Rica) by conducting a field study in February 2003. Norops cupreus in Palo Verde appeared to thermoregulate during early morning hours, late evening, and during the afternoon to maintain their body temperature (T_b) < 33°C. Lower capture rates during the midday suggest decreased activity of N. cupreus during this period, perhaps because they actively searched for the coolest environmental temperature (T_e). During the rest of the day, N. cupreus appeared to thermoconform, with mean body temperatures tracking minimum available T_e. These results are similar to other observations reported for N. cupreus in Central America.

The coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari), has at least two generalist predators that are well-known for their biological control potential, the little fire ant, Wasmannia auropunctata and various species of lizards in the genus Anolis. While it is frequently suggested that multiple control elements make biological control more efficacious, particular situations may not reveal such an effect. We investigated the relationship between these two potential biological control elements by surveying coffee bushes on 11 sites within six farms in the central coffee-producing area of Puerto Rico. At both the site level and the level of individual coffee trees, W. auropunctata had a significant negative effect on the presence of Anolis spp., suggesting that in this particular case the benefits of multiple generalist predators may be elusive.

The male of the endemic species Alpaida elegantula is described. Ten species are recorded for the first time from Martinique, Lesser Antilles: Wulfila sp. (Anyphaenidae), Eilica sp. (Gnaphosidae), Schizocosa sp. (Lycosidae), Microdipoena guttata (Mysmenidae), Nesticus sp (Nesticidae), Nesticella sp. (Nesticidae), Theotima minutissima (Ochyroceratidae), Stenoonops sp. (Oonopidae), Thwaitesia sp. (Theridiidae), and Tmarus sp. (Thomisidae). These species also represent new records of spider genera to this island, and most of them represent new records to the Lesser Antilles and the Caribbean.

Just over 200 species of marine tardigrades have been described, and most of these have been collected in sand and other sediments. However, several species are known to associate with other invertebrates such as barnacles, bryozoans, and holothurians. It is possible that many epizoic tardigrade species remain to be discovered, since surveys of tardigrades on other potential animal hosts are very rare. Sponges, with extensive cavities, constant water flow, and protective secondary compounds, are known to harbour a highly diverse epizoic community, but there are no published studies indicating that marine tardigrades are among this community, and there is only one published record of tardigrades from freshwater sponges. We collected 30 samples of marine sponges, consisting of 12 species, from the central Bahamas. We processed these for tardigrades and other meiofauna using the freshwater shock technique. One unusual non-tardigrade in our samples was Loxosomella sp., an entoproct which is a known commensal on sponges. Here we also provide the first record of marine tardigrades associated with marine sponges. However, we found only one species, Archechiniscus bahamensis, which is the most common species occurring free-living in Bahamian subtidal sand. Therefore, we conclude that marine sponges, at least in the Bahamas, do host epizoic marine tardigrades, but they may not be a unique or important host for marine tardigrades.

Microalgae are promising sources of biofuels due to the high lipid content of some species. However, growing microalgae at large scales involves high production costs, mainly associated with nutrient inputs and harvesting processes. Therefore, to be cost competitive, species to be used as a source of fuels should be capable of accumulating lipids and biomass at lower fertilizer inputs. In the present study, we isolated and identified a native microalgal strain of Botryococcus sp. which was cultured under varying nitrogen, phosphorus and carbon dioxide regimes. The effects of nutrient availability on biomass, lipid production and fatty acid profiles were examined. We observed an increase in the relative lipid content from 25.5% under nitrogen non-limiting conditions to 41.8% under nitrogen deprivation. The lipid profile induced by nitrogen limitation was found to be dominated by saturated and monounsaturated lipid classes, meeting the European Standards for biodiesel and oil suitable for biofuel production. Thus, this Botryococcus sp. has the potential to be used at large scale cultures with the purpose of producing biofuels with lower fertilizer costs.

A phylogenetic analysis of representatives of the red algal genus Hypnea in the Cuban archipelago was carried out utilizing two genetic markers: plastid rbcL and the mitochondrial cox1. Percent of base pair differences and Bayesian analyses indicate the presence of three species of Hypnea in Cuba: H. musciformis, H. spinella, and H. cryptica. The species H. cryptica, first described from Brazil, is confirmed here for the island of Cuba. This first record for the island of Cuba expands the distribution of this species into the Caribbean Sea.

The Roatan Coral Snake (Micrurus ruatanus) is the only coral snake known to be endemic to an island. The ex situ management of a Roatan Coral Snake individual maintained at the Serpentarium of the Instituto Clodomiro Picado (ICP) is presented. This individual was fed with a diet based on colubrid snakes of the genus Geophis, presenting a curve of variation in body weight during 15 years in captivity.

Based on four years of butterfly monitoring in four contrasting natural habitats on St. Eustatius, we document large and consistent differences in the butterfly species assemblages in the different habitats and compare the butterfly assemblages of the three windward Dutch islands to those of other islands of the Lesser Antilles. Seven new species records were established for St. Eustatius, thereby updating the butterfly list to a total of 32 species. Pieridae were the most numerically abundant group of butterflies (48%), followed by Lycaenidae (26%), Hesperiidae (12%), and smaller numbers of both Heliconiinae (6%) and Charaxinae (5%). Heliconiinae and Charaxinae both showed a significant dependence on the moister, wind-sheltered habitats of the volcanic slopes and crater of the Quill, but this dependence was particularly strong for Heliconiinae. The butterfly faunas of the windward Dutch islands numbered a total of 44 species. The presence of larval host plants needed for local reproduction was confirmed for all but two species. Cluster analysis separated the butterfly faunas of these and the surrounding islands into two groups. The more speciose butterfly assemblages of Saba, St. Eustatius, and St. Martin clustered together with the those of the surrounding higher islands of Antigua, Montserrat, Nevis, and St. Kitts, while the poorer faunas of the low-lying islands of Anguilla, St. Bartholomew, and Barbuda formed a separate cluster and had a lower species richness particularly in the Heliconiinae and Charaxinae. Based on consistent effects of elevation on butterfly faunas, at both geographic scales (between areas on St. Eustatius and between islands), our results suggest that island maximum elevation is the overriding factor explaining the distribution of butterfly faunal richness in the northern Lesser Antillean islands studied.

Most climate models for the Caribbean predict drying trends, increased temperature, and precipitation variability. We used regression analyses to evaluate how global predictions translated into local temporal patterns of climatic variation within the Luquillo Mountains in Puerto Rico, and which variables were more useful for expressing precipitation and temperature variability trends there. We used cross-correlation analyses to evaluate how local precipitation and temperature data related to regional atmosphere-ocean teleconnections indices (ENSO, NAO, TNA, and AMO). Contrary to regional climate predictions, we found an increase in mean annual precipitation during the dry season, and no trends in annual and wet season precipitation data sets were observed. Precipitation variance increased after 1995, but only when considering dry season data, which showed a decrease in the total number and consecutive days without rain after 1995. In agreement with regional predictions, maximum and minimum annual mean temperatures increased between 1975 and 2015. We found strong positive associations between maximum and minimum temperatures and rainfall distribution (i.e. more wet days, less dry intervals). Precipitation and temperature were more strongly associated to changes in the Tropical Atlantic than to changes in the North Atlantic or the Eastern Pacific. Our downscaling analysis (one station data) shows the relevance of evaluating global climate predictions in specific areas where landscape features can modify the patterns observed at bigger scales. The combination of downscaling analysis and the inclusion of long-term climate trends can facilitate the development of better future scenarios of climate variability and evaluate their importance to local forest ecosystems.

This study is based on the behavioral responses of Leptodactylus albilabris tadpoles, a widely abundant frog native to Puerto Rico. We evaluated changes in habitat preference and activity levels in the presence of a predator (fish). Tadpoles were collected and allocated to one of three treatments: no fish predator, one fish (Astronotus ocellatus), and two fish. Results showed a significant decrease in activity levels of tadpoles and change in microhabitat use in the presence of a predator. However, there was no significant difference in tadpole activity when the second predator was added. The preferred habitat in the presence of a predator was leaf litter, even though L. albilabris tadpoles are benthic and usually favor hiding in the sediment. The larval stage of the anuran life cycle is the most vulnerable, and these changes in behavior increase the probability of escaping predators to reach metamorphosis and finally reproduce.

Butterflies have proven to be excellent indicators of the disturbance and biodiversity of habitats. Cuban butterflies are well known taxonomically, but the state of knowledge of their ecology is still insufficient and no studies have been carried out in some ecosystems. Here we characterize and compare the richness and diversity of butterfly assemblages associated with secondary forest and secondary thicket habitats in Jardines de Hershey, Mayabeque, Cuba. 86 butterfly species belonging to five different families were found. The forest assemblage was found to be the richest and with more evenness, which could be related to the presence of forest-exclusive butterflies in these patches. There is a high similarity in species composition due to the proximity of the sampling sites, and we detected no differences in abundance in the dry season, but there were differences in the humid season related to different abundance peaks of common species in both habitats. Abundance patterns of regularly observed species were similar in both habitats, except for the genus Calisto, and differences in these patterns could be related to habitat preferences of these species. The forest assemblage was more stable in time than the thicket assemblage, presumably due to a more stable environment. The locality could represent a shelter for butterfly fauna in a highly modified urban landscape. Further work should focus on the influence of environment in the diversity and replacement of the assemblages, and in the fauna of adjacent, more conserved forest patches.

Aerobiological studies focus on studying biological particulates such as pollen and fungal spores in the lower atmosphere. Dispersion of these bio particulates is widespread, and their capture can be difficult, requiring the development and use of different methods to achieve their capture. For this research, a modified unmanned aerial vehicle, commonly known as drone, fitted with remote-controlled spore traps was used to collect spores and pollen from the lower atmosphere. Samplings of five minutes of flight with the samplers open and Petri dishes exposed to collect viable particulate were made above two areas with different anthropogenic activity. Adhesive slides were exposed simultaneously to collect non-viable particulate. From viable samples, common fungi such as Cladosporium, Curvularia, Fusarium, Penicillium, Aspergillus, and Nigrospora were identified. From non-viable samples, 54 genera of fungal spores and 17 pollen genera were observed directly under the microscope. Spores of Delitschia, Solheimia, Venturia, Fusariella, Endophragmiella, and Polythrincium are reported here as new records for Puerto Rico.

Estimates of the survival of juvenile sharks within their critical habitats are important in defining the dynamic of the species and designing management strategies. The objective of this study was to evaluate the survival of juvenile lemon sharks, Negaprion brevirostris, at Los Roques Archipelago. During the period 2005–2014, 29 field surveys were conducted in the Sebastopol Lagoon, an area previously identified as a nursery area for this species, capturing 223 juveniles. Survival was evaluated by use of two modeling approaches (POPAN and Multistate) based on tag-recapture data. The annual probabilities of survival obtained were low (0.40–0.52), but were comparable with those estimates reported for other populations of juvenile lemon sharks. The probabilities of survival did not vary with age group. The low levels of survival and the absence of increased estimates with age suggest the influence of illegal fishing within Sebastopol Lagoon, which may be more selectively catching the larger juveniles. More effective control and surveillance is needed in the Los Roques Archipelago by the local institutions with responsibility for the conservation of marine resources.

Animals are particularly vulnerable during sleep, yet studies addressing sleeping behavior are rare among reptiles. Although the behavior of Anolis lizards has been widely documented, only a handful of studies have described sleeping behavior in this group. Very few of those studies focus on the cryptic twig anoles, an ecomorph characterized by extreme morphology and unique behavior among Anolis. Here we report data on the ethoecology of sleep in the Puerto Rican twig anole, Anolis occultus, including sleeping position and the selection of sleeping sites. We found that A. occultus uses narrow perches with an average diameter of 0.24 cm at an average height of 3.7 m. We observed A. occultus sleeping most often on twigs horizontally with its snout at the distal end of the perch with its tail curled around the perch. We also found no evidence of sleeping site fidelity in A. occultus. Our observations are congruent with previous reports, and provide further evidence for the possibility of convergence in sleeping behavior among anoles belonging to the twig ecomorph. We discuss our findings in the context of sleeping behavior across lizards and suggest that the ethoecology of sleep in A. occultus and lizards in general has been shaped by selection to reduce the likelihood of predation.

Phytoplankton samples were taken at mesophothic depths (30–150 m) over the Frijol Bank seamount inside the Corales de Profundidad National Natural Park during the dry and rainy seasons. Sixty-four forms (genera and morpho-species) of phytoplankton were found. Seasonal influence on phytoplankton assemblage structure was detected, with a number of genera preferentially associating with the dry season. Although not statistically significant, mean cell density was higher in the rainy than in the dry season whereas mean richness was the same for practical effects. Contrasting seasonal signals on phytoplankton assemblages in other Colombian Caribbean localities in comparison with the present work are discussed.