A biodiversity assessment of the Centre Hills, Montserrat.

Durrell Conservation Monograph No.1 

A biodiversity assessment of the 

Centre Hills, Montserrat. 

Edited by Richard P. Young 

Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust 

Montserrat Ministry of Agriculture, Lands, 

Housing and the Environment 

Montserrat National Trust 

Montana State University 

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew 

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds 

South Dakota State University 

Centre Hills Project

A biodiversity assessment of the Centre Hills, Montserrat. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

A Biodiversity Assessment of the Centre Hills, Montserrat 

R. P. Young, (ed.) 


Montserrat Ministry of Agriculture, Lands, Housing and the Environment 



Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew 



Centre Hills Project 

Durrell Conservation Monographs No.1 

2008

The Durrell Conservation Monograph series is published by, 


Les Augrés Manor 

Trinity 

Jersey, JE3 5BP 

Channel Islands 

Tel: +44 1534 860000 

Fax: +44 1534 860001 

www.durrell.org 

Series Editor: John E. Fa 

Editor: Richard P. Young 

Design: Frameworks 

ISBN: 978‐0‐9559034‐1‐0 

Recommended citation: 

Young, R. P. (ed.) (2008). A biodiversity assessment of the Centre Hills, Montserrat. Durrell Conservation Monograph No. 

1. Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, Jersey, Channel Islands. 

Front cover photo: 

The Centre Hills forest, Richard Young (Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust) 

Eleutherodactylus johnstonei, Matthew Morton (Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust) 

Epidendrum montserratense, Martin Hamilton (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew) 

© 2008 by Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

2 

A Biodiversity Assessment of the Centre Hills, Montserrat

Table of Contents 

Contents 3 

Contributors 4 

Foreword 5 

Acknowledgements 6 

The report in brief 7 

Chapters 

1. Biodiversity of the Centre Hills: importance, key features, conservation priorities and recommended 

actions 

R. P. Young, G. M. Hilton & L. Martin 

2. Background to the Centre Hills biodiversity assessment 30 

R. P. Young & G. M. Hilton 

3. Plants and habitats of the Centre Hills and Montserrat 40 

M. A. Hamilton, C. Clubbe, S. K. Robbins & S. Bárrios 

4. Invertebrates of the Centre Hills and Montserrat, with an emphasis on beetles 56 

M. A. Ivie, K. A. Marske, I. A. Foley, K. A. Guerrero & L. L. Ivie 

5. Amphibians and reptiles of the Centre Hills 90 

R. P. Young & A. Ogrodowczyk 

6. Birds of the Centre Hills 100 

G. M. Hilton 

7. Bats of the Centre Hills and Montserrat 130 

S. C. Pedersen, R. P. Young, M. N. Morton & W. Masefield 

8. Rats in the Centre Hills 139 

R. P. Young 

Appendices 

1. Montserrat plant species checklist 144 

S. K. Robbins, M. A. Hamilton, C. Clubbe, & S. Bárrios 

2. Species lists of the beetles, non‐beetle hexapods and non‐hexapod invertebrates of Montserrat 237 


3. List of known non‐native plant species in Montserrat 312 


4. Information on invertebrate voucher specimens 319 


_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


3 

Page 

9

Contributors 

Sara Bárrios 

Royal Botanic Gardens 

Kew 

Richmond 

Surrey, TW9 3AB 

UK 

s.barrios@kew.org 

Colin Clubbe 


Kew 

Richmond 


UK 

C.Clubbe@kew.org 

Ian A. Foley 


1901 S. 19th Ave. 

Bozeman 

MT, 59717 

USA 

ifoley@montana.edu 

Kelvin A. Guerrero 


1901 S. 19th Ave. 

Bozeman 

MT, 59717 

USA 

kaguerrero@hotmail.com 

Martin A. Hamilton 


Kew 

Richmond 


UK 

M.Hamilton@kew.org 

Geoff M. Hilton 


The Lodge 

Sandy 

Bedfordshire, SG19 2DL 

UK 

geoff.hilton@rspb.org.uk 

LaDonna L. Ivie 


1901 S. 19th Ave. 

Bozeman 

MT, 59717 

USA 

divie@montana.edu 

Michael A. Ivie 


1901 S. 19th Ave. 

Bozeman 

MT, 59717 

USA 

mivie@montana.edu 

Katherine A. Marske 


1901 S. 19th Ave. 

Bozeman 

MT, 59717 

USA 

marskeka@yahoo.com 

Lloyd Martin 

Ministry of Agriculture, Lands, Housing & The Environment 

P.O. Box 272 

Brades 

Montserrat 

West Indies 

martinl@gov.ms 

Will Masefield 



Trinity 



will.masefield@durrell.org 

Matthew N. Morton 


c/o St Lucia Forestry Department 

Castries 

St Lucia 

West Indies 

matthew.morton@durrell.org 

Agnieszka Ogrodowczyk 



Trinity 



agiogr@yahoo.com 

Scott C. Pedersen 


Brookings, SD 57007 

USA 

Scott_Pedersen@sdstate.edu 

Stuart K. Robbins 


Kew 

Richmond 


UK 

s.robbins@kew.org 

Richard P. Young 



Trinity 



richard.young@durrell.org 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

4 


Foreword 

On Montserrat there has long been a commit‐ 

ment to a balanced, integrated approach to forest con‐ 

servation, designed at maintaining a range of func‐ 

tional habitats and assemblages of species. The major 

aims are (i) to promote sustainable use of natural re‐ 

sources and environmental goods and services in an 

equitable manner and (ii) to maintain biodiversity in 

its widest definition, including genes, populations, 

species and ecosystems. 

Over the years, a number of studies have been 

conducted on the biodiversity and natural environ‐ 

ment of Montserrat, and recently, some conservation 

prescriptions have been tested, particularly on forest 

avifauna. While some of these efforts have produced 

useful data and are interesting conceptually, what 

have been largely lacking are mechanisms for translat‐ 

ing sound conservation policies into routine practices 

in the field, based on the ecosystem approach. This 

inadequate application of conservation action is due 

primarily to limited capacity including human and 

financial resources, decision support systems and ac‐ 

cess to information. 

The apparent need for improved conservation 

action was brought into stark focus following the on‐ 

set of volcanic eruptions in 1995 in which two‐thirds 

of the island was rendered inaccessible and a similar 

proportion of its forest was destroyed. As a result set‐ 

tlements and economic activities are expanding in 

areas where fragile ecosystems coexist and where 

competition for space is acute. Of particular concern 

was the plight of the Centre Hills Forest and sur‐ 

rounding habitats, the largest remaining tract of con‐ 

tinuous forest on the island. 

The Centre Hills are of national, regional and 

global conservation importance because they support 

inter alia, assemblages of single‐island and regional 

endemic species of fauna and flora, as well as eight 

globally threatened vertebrate and plant species. The 

Centre Hills also provide many environmental goods 

and services which are important to sustainable liveli‐ 

hoods and quality of life. For example, all potable wa‐ 

ter comes from the Centre Hills; they serve as a buffer 

against the impacts of natural disasters such as hurri‐ 

canes, floods and volcanic eruptions; and they control 

soil erosion thereby protecting agriculture and fisher‐ 

ies based livelihoods and beach, dive and eco‐tourism. 

From the start, it was recognised that conserva‐ 

tion of the Centre Hills required a strategy for inte‐ 

grated management of the natural resources and the 

ecosystem services they provide on a sustainable ba‐ 

sis, for the benefit of key stakeholders. As a result, a 

number of national and international partners, who 

have previously worked together on similar projects, 

presented a successful bid to the UK Darwin Initiative 

for a project to conserve the Centre Hills. Key partners 

in the project included the Ministry of Agriculture, 

Lands, Housing and The Environment; Montserrat Na‐ 

tional Trust; Montserrat Tourist Board; Royal Society for 

the Protection of Birds; Durrell Wildlife Conservation 

Trust and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. The purpose 

of the project was to strengthen the capacity of the peo‐ 

ple of Montserrat to take targeted action to protect biodi‐ 

versity and manage protected areas. 

In developing a management strategy for any 

resource, it is vital to know the resources that are avail‐ 

able and in what quantity, where they are located, how 

they are changing over time and how these changes are 

impacting on the remaining resources. Therefore, before 

a management plan could be developed for the Centre 

Hills, a systematic assessment of biological resources 

was conducted. 

The biological assessment has provided robust 

data on which to base management of the Centre Hills 

and its biodiversity. It represents a first attempt at mak‐ 

ing a comprehensive assessment of the major plant, ver‐ 

tebrate and invertebrate animal taxa and the ecosystems 

of which they are a part. The key results and outputs of 

the biodiversity assessment and the highest priority con‐ 

servation recommendations are summarised under the 

caption ‘The Report in Brief.’ Chapter 1 more fully sum‐ 

marises the findings and recommendations of the whole 

report, and Chapter 2 gives the background on Montser‐ 

rat’s natural history and the Centre Hills Biodiversity 

Assessment Project. Entire chapters have been devoted 

to plants and habitats; invertebrates (with emphasis on 

beetles); amphibians and reptiles; birds; bats; and inva‐ 

sive rats. The appendices should not be overlooked as 

much valuable information is presented on invertebrates 

and native and non‐native plants. 

The report will be particularly useful to scientists, 

researchers, conservation managers, students and enthu‐ 

siasts, as it represents the definitive text on Montserrat 

biodiversity following the onset of volcanic eruptions. 

Gerard A L Gray 

Director of Environment 

Ministry of Agriculture, Lands, Housing and The Environ‐ 

ment – Montserrat 

President 


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5

Acknowledgements 

The biodiversity assessment of the Centre Hills, 

Montserrat, has been a significant effort, made possi‐ 

ble only by an effective and close collaboration be‐ 

tween the team of Montserratian and international 

biologists, forest rangers and taxonomic experts. The 

project team sincerely hopes that the Centre Hill’s 

unique and globally important biodiversity is better 

understood and will be made more secure thanks to 

this assessment. A number of people working for, or 

with, the Montserrat Department of Environment and 

Montserrat National Trust in the past or present made 

this project achievable, through their considerable 

skills, expertise and hard work, despite many chal‐ 

lenging field conditions. These include, in no particu‐ 

lar order, Lloyd Martin, James Daley, Calvin Fenton, 

Philemon Murrain, John Martin, James Boatswain, 

Lloyd Aymer, Jervain Greenaway, Gerard Gray and 

Claude Gerald. Their knowledge of the Centre Hills 

and passion for its wildlife is remarkable, and they are 

effective advocates for its conservation and sustain‐ 

able use of its natural resources. 

The authors of the chapters in this volume de‐ 

serve many thanks for all of their efforts; in the field, 

in the laboratory and at their desks. In terms of fur‐ 

thering our knowledge of the flora and fauna of the 

Centre Hills, Michael Ivie and his team at Montana 

State University, and Colin Clubbe, Martin Hamilton 

and colleagues at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, have 

made major contributions. Information about the in‐ 

vertebrates and plants of Montserrat has been mas‐ 

sively improved through their efforts. The inverte‐ 

brate and plant species checklists reported in an ap‐ 

pendix to this volume are an invaluable resource for 

Montserrat. Geoff Hilton, Richard Allcorn and col‐ 

leagues at the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, 

in collaboration with the Department of Environment, 

have developed a systematic and well‐organised for‐ 

est bird monitoring programme which delivers scien‐ 

tifically robust data on the state of the Centre Hills’ 

bird populations. These data are fundamental to the 

effective conservation of Montserrat’s birds and 

greatly strengthen this biodiversity assessment. Scott 

Pedersen from South Dakota State University and 

colleagues have invested much time, effort and money 

to research and monitor the bats of Montserrat over 

the past 10 years or more, providing vital information 

on this important taxon, which has been utilised in 

this report. Will Masefield of Durrell Wildlife Conser‐ 

vation Trust made a significant contribution to the bat 

survey in 2005, including catching the rare and little 

known white‐lined bat. Agnieszka Ogrodowczyk, 

also of Durrell, was meticulous and tenacious in lead‐ 

ing an excellent survey of the reptiles and amphibians 

of the Centre Hills, which included hugely important 

finds of the Montserrat galliwasp that will advance the 

conservation of this unique but highly threatened and 

unknown species. 

Thanks to the ‘Centre Hills Project’, the find‐ 

ings of the biodiversity assessment are currently in‐ 

forming the design of a Management Plan for the Cen‐ 

tre Hills that seeks to ensure this ecosystem is con‐ 

served over the long term. Carole McCauley, Stephen 

Mendes and Sarah Sanders of the RSPB have all 

worked extremely hard to ensure the Centre Hills will 

soon be designated as a National Park, with a suitable 

management infrastructure and an enabling legislative 

framework in place. The value of having a biodiver‐ 

sity assessment embedded into a management plan‐ 

ning project is worth noting here and it is gratifying 

that these data are being actively used to inform con‐ 

servation and not just sitting on a shelf. 

Throughout the biodiversity assessment, the 

people of Montserrat have shown overwhelming sup‐ 

port for the project, despite having many other over‐ 

riding issues to deal with, none more severe than the 

effects of the volcanic crisis on lives and livelihoods. 

Their friendliness and hospitality has been remark‐ 

able. The landowners in the Centre Hills area kindly 

allowed the project team to carry out the important 

biodiversity assessment fieldwork. The local media 

have shown a keen interest in the project and enabled 

the team to deliver information to people locally, and 

elsewhere, in order to raise awareness of the impor‐ 

tance of Centre Hills biodiversity. Various people in 

the Governor’s Office and Department for Interna‐ 

tional Development have also shown a keen interest 

and provided welcome support for the project. 

John Fa of the Durrell Wildlife Conservation 

Trust deserves much gratitude for conceiving and 

initiating the Centre Hills Biodiversity Assessment 

project. Also from Durrell, Sarah Seymour played a 

key role in supporting the management and delivery 

of the project, and Quentin Bloxam provided useful 

advice and encouragment. Finally, funding was pro‐ 

vided by the Jersey‐based Elizabeth Violet Annie 

Rouse Settlement, the UK Darwin Initiative and all of 

the collaborating institutions. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

6 


The report in brief 

Background 

Through conversion of land to agriculture and 

human settlement, and impacts of natural disasters and 

invasive species, Montserrat has lost much of its natural 

habitats and the Centre Hills now supports the largest 

remaining tract of forest on this island. The Centre Hills 

forest can be regarded as internationally important due 

to an assemblage of island and regionally endemic spe‐ 

cies and highly significant, and in some cases entire, 

populations of eight globally threatened vertebrate and 

plant species. Although the majority of the Centre Hills 

forest is protected as a forest reserve, important habitats 

outside the boundary remain threatened with destruc‐ 

tion and degradation, and the ecosystem as a whole is 

negatively impacted by invasive mammals and plants. 

The delineation of the forest reserve boundary was not 

based on robust data on the distribution of key biodiver‐ 

sity features. As momentum built in Montserrat for an 

effectively managed protected area for the Centre Hills, 

there was a clear need for a systematic biodiversity as‐ 

sessment to guide the design of a management plan for 

the Centre Hills forest. 

Project scope and objectives 

A team of national and international experts was 

assembled to conduct the Centre Hills Biodiversity As‐ 

sessment (CHBA). Among its objectives were to: 

• inventory the biodiversity of the Centre Hills 

forest, by sampling a number of indicator taxa, 

including plants, invertebrates (with emphasis on 

beetles), amphibians, reptiles, birds and bats, 

• evaluate the status of species of biodiversity 

value and conservation concern, 

• map spatial patterns in biodiversity and impor‐ 

tant sites for key species in order to identify key 

biodiversity areas, 

• assess the status of invasive plants and mammals 

and their potential impact on indigenous flora 

and fauna, and 

• make recommendations for conservation man‐ 

agement priorities within the Centre Hills forest. 

A variety of data‐gathering methods were em‐ 

ployed in the assessment, including biodiversity sur‐ 

veys following a stratified (by elevation) random sam‐ 

pling design, ad‐hoc surveys, and analysis of existing 

datasets and specimen collections. 

Key results and outputs of the biodiversity 

assessment 

The Montserrat plant checklist contains 795 

known native species, 78 of which are of restricted‐range 

representing the highest priority plant species for con‐ 

servation. Two of Montserrat’s endemic plants, Epiden‐ 

drum montserratense and Rondeletia buxifolia, were discov‐ 

ered to have extremely limited distributions, the vast 

majority of which are not protected. The third endemic 

plant Xylosma serratum was not found and is feared ex‐ 

tinct. The Centre Hills vegetation map clearly demon‐ 

strates the under‐representation of dry and littoral forest 

in the protected area. 

The number of invertebrate species known to 

occur in Montserrat is quadrupled to 1,241 species, in‐ 

cluding an increase in the number of known beetle spe‐ 

cies from 94 to an incredible 718 species from 63 fami‐ 

lies. The majority of these invertebrate species are 

probably only found in the Centre Hills forest. Roughly 

120 invertebrate species have been identified as being 

possibly unique to Montserrat, and these should be con‐ 

sidered the highest invertebrate conservation priorities. 

The almost unknown endemic Montserrat galli‐ 

wasp Diploglossus montisserrati was observed on three 

occasions, confirming the species’ continuing survival, 

and further suggesting that it has an extremely restricted 

distribution limited to the Woodlands Spring area. In‐ 

teresting spatial patterns in mountain chicken Leptodac‐ 

tylus fallax population trends suggest hunting may be 

having a severe localised impact on their populations. 

An analysis of the bird monitoring data indicates 

highest population growth rates of the endemic Mont‐ 

serrat oriole Icterus oberi on the eastern flanks of Centre 

Hills, and important parts of its distribution falling out‐ 

side of the northern boundary of the protected area. The 

Centre Hills appears to be a global stronghold for the 

endangered forest thrush Cichlherminia lherminieri. 

For the first time, all 10 species of bat known 

from Montserrat were captured in an annual survey. 

This included captures in the Centre Hills forest of sin‐ 

gle lactating females of the two most endangered spe‐ 

cies, yellow‐shouldered bat Sturnira thomasi vulcanensis 

and white‐lined bat Chiroderma improvisum, which had 

been feared extinct. A range of key resources for bats lie 

outside of the protected area boundary, and need pro‐ 

tection to help safeguard Montserrat’s bat assemblage 

and to ensure that it continues to play vital ecological 

roles in the Centre Hills forest. 

The introduced and invasive brown rat Rattus 

norvegicus and black rat R. rattus were found to be com‐ 

mon and widespread in the Centre Hills, with rats even 

reaching the highest elevations of Katy Hill. Both rat 

species are known to cause severe and pervasive dam‐ 

age to native flora and fauna in their introduced range, 

particularly on islands. Good evidence is revealed of a 

positive correlation between numbers of non‐native 

fruiting trees and the occurrence and numbers of rats in 

the Centre Hills forest. This has implications for how 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


7

invasive rats and other omnivores can be managed to 

reduce their impact on native flora and fauna. 

Based on a list of key biodiversity features and an 

assessment of threats, a set of conservation priorities for 

the management plan of the Centre Hills protected area 

is proposed. A number of proposed ‘strict conservation 

zones’ have been delineated to prioritise sites for protec‐ 

tion and zone other management activities. 

Highest priority conservation 

recommendations 

1. Protection of dry and littoral forest lying to the 

east and north‐east of the Centre Hills is vital in 

ensuring the protected area is representative of 

all habitats in the contiguous Centre Hills forest. 

This habitat supports globally threatened plant 

species, important populations of a number of 

endemic reptiles, restricted‐range dry forest spe‐ 

cialist birds and probably an important inverte‐ 

brate assemblage. 

2. Protection of habitat in a hotspot for endemic 

plants that lies in the northern foothills of the 

Centre Hills outside the protected area boundary 

is an urgent priority. Tree protection orders are 

needed to safeguard veteran mango Mangifera 

indica trees in Belham Valley supporting impor‐ 

tant populations of Epidendrum montserratense. 

Ex‐situ conservation activities, including plant 

propagation and seed banking for both endemic 

plant species, are needed as a safety net should 

the worse happen in the wild. Full status assess‐ 

ments for both endemic plants should be con‐ 

ducted to further identify key sites. 

3. Enforce a series of appropriate regulations, and 

implement an improved population monitoring 

scheme, to ensure hunting of mountain chickens 

is sustainable. Improved biosecurity controls are 

needed at Montserrat’s borders and elsewhere to 

minimise the risk of the Chytridiomycosis fungus 

arriving in Montserrat and infecting mountain 

chickens. A co‐ordinated international captive 

breeding programme to hold a safety net popula‐ 

tion of mountain chickens in case of a Chytridio‐ 

mycosis outbreak on Montserrat is also required. 

Protection of habitat in key ghauts lying outside 

of the Centre Hills protected area is a priority for 

this species. 

4. Strict protection of habitat in and around the site 

where galliwasps have been observed in Wood‐ 

lands Spring is urgently required. A population 

assessment and ecological research to improve 

knowledge of the status and habitat requirements 

of the species must be conducted as soon as pos‐ 

sible. Habitat restoration activities and lethal rat 

control is needed to reduce potential pressures on 

the galliwasp population. Captive breeding 

should be considered as a conservation interven‐ 

tion once results of population assessment are 

available. Awareness in the local community of 

the threat posed by domestic animals to the galli‐ 

wasp needs to be raised. 

5. Monitoring of the Montserrat oriole and other 

forest birds should continue to provide early 

warning of population declines. Habitat protec‐ 

tion in key Montserrat oriole sites lying outside 

the northern boundary of the Centre Hills pro‐ 

tected area is important. 

6. Management of a variety of bat resources both 

inside and outside the Centre Hills forest is 

needed, including: maintenance or restoration of 

flow regimes of water courses; protection of ri‐ 

parian habitats; no removal of dead standing 

trees in the Centre Hills forest; and protection of 

bat colonies at Rendezvous Bluff and other key 

roosts. Research to understand habitat require‐ 

ments and the status of the yellow‐shouldered 

bat and white‐lined bat is required as a priority. 

Strict protection of habitat in Bottomless Ghaut 

and tight regulation of public access to this ghaut 

should be considered. 

7. Habitat restoration activities are urgently re‐ 

quired to reduce the impact of invasive mammals 

and plants on native flora and fauna in the Centre 

Hills forest, including: island‐wide pig eradica‐ 

tion; feral cat control; and selective removal of 

non‐native fruit trees and rat control in experi‐ 

mental plots in key biodiversity areas. 

8. Strategic conservation planning should be con‐ 

ducted to engage relevant stakeholders and set 

out plans of conservation action for priority spe‐ 

cies and habitats. 

9. The sampling framework and data collection 

protocols used in this biodiversity assessment 

(and the forest bird and bat monitoring pro‐ 

grammes) and the baseline data it has produced 

should be used to catalyse the implementation of 

a pressure‐state‐response monitoring scheme for 

the Centre Hills forest. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

8 


1. Biodiversity of the Centre Hills: importance, key features, 

conservation priorities and recommended actions 

R. P. Young, G. M. Hilton & L. Martin 

This chapter provides an in‐depth summary of 

the main findings of the Centre Hills Biodiversity As‐ 

sessment (CHBA). The importance of the biodiversity of 

the Centre Hills ecosystem is evaluated in terms of spe‐ 

cies richness (the number of species at a particular site), 

endemicity (the number of species that are unique to a 

particular area, e.g. Montserrat, Lesser Antilles etc) and 

threat status. This evaluation allows us to identify key 

features (species, species assemblages, habitats and eco‐ 

system processes) of Centre Hills’ biodiversity which 

represent priorities for conservation. The threats to 

these key features are then considered to allow recom‐ 

mendations on appropriate management actions. 

1.1. Importance of Centre Hills biodiversity 

at a national, regional, and global scale 

1.1.1. Species richness and endemicity 

The Caribbean region has been identified as one 

of 34 global biodiversity hotspots (Mittermeier et al., 

2005) due to its high levels of plant species richness 

(approximately 14,000 species) and endemism, which, 

due to extensive human‐related impacts, is highly 

threatened. The Caribbean is particularly rich in rep‐ 

tiles, the vast majority (93%) of the 502 described species 

being endemic to the region. It is also noted for exceed‐ 

ingly high levels of amphibian endemism (100% of 170 

described species are endemic to the region). Although 

much of this biodiversity is found in the western Carib‐ 

bean, the Lesser Antilles is also recognised as supporting 

a considerable array of unique but threatened biodiver‐ 

sity of global importance. For example, it is remarkably 

rich in reptiles and has been identified as an Endemic 

Bird Area (Stattersfield et al. 1998), supporting 24 en‐ 

demic bird species and seven endemic genera. 

Considering that the island of Montserrat is only 

just over 100 km2 in area, it is notable in a Lesser Antil‐ 

lean context for supporting a relatively large number of 

reptiles (eight native and one naturalised terrestrial spe‐ 

cies), bats (10 species), and as a result of the CHBA we 

now know that it has a very rich invertebrate assem‐ 

blage. The CHBA invertebrate inventory has vastly in‐ 

creased the number of invertebrate species known to 

occur in Montserrat, from 306 to 1,241, including an in‐ 

credible 718 (up from 94 previously known) beetle spe‐ 

cies. On Montserrat, the majority of these invertebrate 

species are probably found only in the Centre Hills, 

which therefore supports the majority of the island’s 

biodiversity. The CHBA data were used to make a ten‐ 

tative prediction that over 4,000 animal species occur on 

Montserrat, with the large majority still undiscovered by 

science. 

The plant inventory revealed that nearly 800 na‐ 

tive plant species are now recorded from Montserrat, 

and most of these are likely found in the Centre Hills 

forest. This forest comprises a dynamic mosaic of habi‐ 

tats which support a wide range of plants including 

many species of restricted distribution as well as several 

globally threatened species. This would qualify the Cen‐ 

tre Hills as an Important Plant Area (IPA) as defined by 

the Important Plant Area programme co‐ordinated by 

Plantlife International and the World Conservation Un‐ 

ion (Plantlife International 2004). The long‐term protec‐ 

tion of the Centre Hills would be an important contribu‐ 

tion to the implementation of Target 5 of the Global 

Strategy for Plant Conservation – ‘Protection of 50% of 

the most important areas for plant diversity as‐ 

sured’ (CBD, 2003). 

Montserrat is home to a range of single‐island 

endemic plants and vertebrates, i.e. species that are 

unique to Montserrat, nearly all of which occur in the 

Centre Hills and surrounding area (Table 1.1). Three 

species of plant are island‐endemics although one of 

these may now be extinct following the volcanic activity 

of the past decade. Six of the reptiles are unique to 

Montserrat at the species or subspecies level. This in‐ 

cludes the almost unknown and rarely observed Mont‐ 

serrat galliwasp Diploglossus montisserrati, a lizard which 

can be considered a ‘biogeographical enigma’, in that it 

is the only member of its family (Anguidae) to occur in 

the Lesser Antilles. The Montserrat oriole Icterus oberi is 

the island’s only endemic bird and recent research has 

revealed that Montserrat has an endemic subspecies of 

bat, the yellow‐shouldered bat Sturnira thomasi vulcanen‐ 

sis (Genoways, 1998). Around 120 of the described in‐ 

vertebrate species, of which roughly 80 are beetles, are 

currently known only from Montserrat, and therefore 

may be single island endemics. The CHBA confirmed 

the continuing survival of four of the single‐island en‐ 

demic vertebrates and plants (Epidendrum montserratense, 

Rondeletia buxifolia, Montserrat galliwasp and Sturnira 

thomasi vulcanensis), which were previously feared to be 

extinct. 

The Centre Hills support the vast majority of 

Montserrat’s terrestrial plants and animals, including 

most of its endemic species, and therefore in terms of the 

conservation of the island’s biodiversity it is clearly of 

utmost importance. 

1.1.2. Threatened species 

The Centre Hills forest supports significant (in 

some cases entire) populations of eight globally threat‐ 

ened (including two candidate globally threatened 

plants) vertebrate and plant species (Table 1.2). Consid‐ 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


9

Taxonomic group Common name Scientific name Distribution status on Montserrat 

Plants 

Reptiles 

n/a (a species of orchid) 

erable numbers of invertebrate species in the Centre 

Hills are also likely to be threatened, but insufficient 

information is available to make a formal Red List as‐ 

sessment. Three species, the Montserrat galliwasp (Day, 

1996), mountain chicken Leptodactylus fallax (Fa et al., 

2004) and Montserrat oriole (BirdLife International, 

2004) are classified as Critically Endangered (i.e. “at ex‐ 

tremely high risk of extinction in the wild”), the highest 

level of threat as assessed by the World Conservation 

Union (IUCN). Although they have not yet been for‐ 

mally Red Listed, the CHBA has produced evidence that 

the two endemic plants, Epidendrum montserratense and 

Rondeletia buxifolia, will qualify as Critically Endangered. 

Two of the bat species are classified as Endangered, with 

a further three Near Threatened. Four plant species that 

occur in Montserrat are considered globally threatened 

despite being widely distributed in the Caribbean and 

Americas, as they are subject to over‐exploitation 

(mainly for timber) in many parts of their range. 

The Centre Hills qualifies as an ‘Important Bird 

Area’ (Sanders, 2006) because it supports a significant 

assemblage of ‘Restricted‐range [bird] species’ (see Ta‐ 

ble 6.5 for a list), including important numbers of the 

Epidendrum 

montserratense 

n/a (a species of orchid) Rondeletta buxifolia 

n/a (a species of small 

tree) 

Montserrat amelva; 

ground lizard 

Montserrat anole; tree 

lizard 

Montserrat galliwasp 

Southern leeward dwarf 

gecko* 

Leeward racer* 

Blind snake; warm 

snake* 

two globally threatened species, forest thrush Cichlher‐ 

minia lherminieri and Montserrat oriole. In this context, 

restricted‐range species are those that only occur in the 

Lesser Antilles and immediate surrounding area. 

The Centre Hills also supports a number of plant 

and vertebrate species that, whilst not threatened glob‐ 

ally, are considered rare or declining in the Centre Hills 

and are worthy of conservation attention (Table 1.3). 

1.2. Key features of the Centre Hills 

biodiversity: species, assemblages, habitats 

and ecosystem 

1.2.1. Species 

Restricted range; Belham Valley and northern 

foothills of Centre Hills 

Highly restricted range; mostly occurs in northern 

foothills of Centre Hills 

Xylosma serratum Possibly extinct, known only from Soufriere Hills 

Ameiva pluvianotata 

Anolis lividus 

Diploglossus 

montiserratti 

Sphaerodactylus 

fantasticus 

ligniserulus 

Alsophis antillensis 

manselli 

Typhlops monastus 

monastus 

Birds Montserrat oriole Icterus oberi 

Bats 

Yellow-shouldered volcano 

bat* 

Sturnira thomasi 

vulcanensis 

Relatively common in dry habitats; large loss 

of suitable habitat in the south of Montserrat 

as result of volcanic activity 

Abundant in a range of habitats across Montserrat 

Extremely scarce, know only from western 

fringe of Centre Hills 

Abundant in a range of habitats across Montserrat 

Relatively abundant in the Centre Hills and 

surrounding area 

Unknown; may be widespread but remains 

undetected 

Found only in Centre Hills and a very small 

isolated forest patch in the South Soufriere Hills; 

relatively scarce 

Only recorded three times in Montserrat – 

Paradise estate in 1994 and Bottomless Ghaut 

in 2005 and 2006 

* Indicates that Montserrat supports an endemic subspecies of a more widespread species. 

Table 1.1 Montserratian endemic plant and vertebrate species and sub-species occurring in the Centre Hills and surrounding 

area 

1.2.1.a. Montserrat galliwasp 

The Montserrat galliwasp is one of the most im‐ 

portant features of the Centre Hills biodiversity and 

Montserrat’s natural heritage. It is the only member of 

its family (Anguidae) in the Lesser Antilles, and is an 

enigmatic and Critically Endangered species. Four ob‐ 

servations of possibly three individuals were made dur‐ 

ing the CHBA surveys in February and March 2006, con‐ 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

10 


Taxa Common name Scientific name 

Plants 

Amphibians 

Reptiles 

Birds 

Bats* 

n/a 

Epidendrum 


n/a Rondeletia buxifolia 

IUCN Red List 

category 

Candidate Critically 

Endangered 

Candidate Critically 

Endangered 

n/a Xylosma serratum ? 

Red Cedar; 

Stinking Cedar 

Lignum vitae 

West Indian mahogany 

Mountain 

chicken 


galliwasp 

Cedrela odorata Vulnerable 

Guaiacum officinale 

Swietenia mahagoni 

Leptodactylus fallax 

Diploglossus 

montisserrati 

Montserrat oriole Icterus oberi 

Forest thrush 

Yellowshouldered 

bat 

White-lined bat 

Tree bat 

Long-tongued 

bat 

Brazilian freetailed 

bat 

Cichlherminia 

lherminieri 


vulcanensis 

Chiroderma 

improvisum 

Ardops nichollsi 

montserratensis 

Monophyllus 

plethodon 

Tadarida 

brasiliensis 

Endangered 

Endangered 

Critically 

Endangered 

Critically 

Endangered 

Critically 

Endangered 

Vulnerable 

Endangered 

Endangered 

Near Threatened 



Global 

distribution 

Endemic to 


Endemic to 


Endemic to 


Lesser Antilles; 

South & Central 

America 

Colombia; 

Venezuela; Caribbean 

islands 

Colombia; 

Venezuela; 

Caribbean 

islands; USA 

Montserrat, Dominica 

Endemic to 


Endemic to 


Montserrat, rare 

St Lucia, 

uncommon 

Guadeloupe & 

Dominica 

Subspecies endemic 

to Montserrat 

Montserrat, 

Guadeloupe 

Northern Lesser 

Antilles 

Puerto Rico, 

Lesser Antilles 

Widespread in 

C., N. & S. America, 

Caribbean 

Distribution and 

status on 


See Table 1.1 

See Table 1.1 

See Table 1.1 

Locally common in 

dry forest and 

lower elevations of 

mesic forest of 

Centre Hills 

Uncommon in dry 

forest of Centre Hills 


western dry forest 

and lower elevations 

of mesic forest 

of Centre Hills 


eastern & southern 

Centre Hills but 

rarer on western 

flank 

See Table 1.1 

See Table 1.1 


Centre Hills and 

small, isolated forest 

patch in the 

South Soufrière Hills 

See Table 1.1 

Only recorded in 

Corbett Spring 

(2005) and near 

mouth of Belham 

River (1978) 





Widespread 

not habitat limited 

*All 10 of Montserrat's bat species were last assessed by IUCN's Chiroptera Specialist Group in 1996 and all 10 assessments 

are listed as "out of date" (i.e. preceeding the current [2001] revision of IUCN's red list criteria). Work on Montserrat and 

other Eastern Caribbean islands (e.g. Pedersen et al., 1996, 2003, 2005, 2006) suggests that a re-assessment would result 

in the endangerment status of some of these species being revised downwards, with the probable exception of C. 

improvisum and S. thomasi. 

Table 1.2. Globally threatened (i.e. IUCN ‘red-listed’) plant and terrestrial animal species occurring in the Centre Hills and 

immediate surrounding area 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


11

Taxa Common name Scientific name 

Plants 

Reptiles 

Birds 

Resinier Montayne 

South American 

skink 

Antillean Euphonia 

Brown trembler 

Podocarpus 

coriaceus 

IUCN Red List 

category 

Least Concern 

Mabuya bistriata Not listed 

Euphonia musica Least Concern 

Cinclocerthia 

gutturalis 

Least Concern 

Bats Bulldog bat Noctilio leporinus Least Concern 

Global 

distribution 

Dominican Republic;Guadeloupe;Martinique; 

Montserrat; 

Puerto Rico; Saint 

Kitts and Nevis 

South America, 

Jamaica, Lesser 

Antilles 

Hispaniola & 

Puerto Rico; 


between Antigua 

& Grenada 

(except 

Barbados) 

Saba, Guadeloupe, 

Dominica, 

St Christopher, 

Nevis, St Lucia, St 

Vincent, Martinique, 

Grenada. 

Widespread in C. 

& S. America; 

Caribbean 

Distribution and 

status on 


Restricted range; 

on Hope Ridge, 

Katy Hill, and 

Olveston Mountain 

in Centre Hills 

Not recorded in 

Montserrat since 

1980s; observed 

in Woodlands, 

western Centre 

Hills in 1984 

Rare and only 

occasionally recorded 

in Centre 

Hills 

Rare and possibly 

declining; Eastern 

and western 

flanks of Centre 


Rare; caught 

foraging in Sappit 

River and Belham 

Valley 

Table 1.3. Locally rare and declining plant and vertebrate animal species (excluding those also considered globally 

threatened) occurring in the Centre Hills and surrounding area 

Fig. 1.1. Location of galliwasp sightings in Woodlands Spring during the biodiversity assessment (the forest reserve lies to 

the east of black line which represents the current boundary) 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

12 


firming the continued existence of this species, which 

was feared extinct (Ogrodowczyk et al. 2007). Extensive 

nocturnal amphibian and reptile surveys of the Centre 

Hills have been conducted as part of the CHBA and by 

the Department of Environment, but the galliwasp has 

only ever been observed in a highly localised area of 

Woodlands Spring (see Fig. 1.1). This suggests the spe‐ 

cies has an extremely restricted range, indeed one of the 

smallest distributions of any vertebrate animal species in 

the world. We cannot discount the possibility that it is 

more widely distributed in the Centre Hills but very 

difficult to find. Nevertheless, the status of the galli‐ 

wasp is undoubtedly extremely precarious. 

The negative pressures on the Montserrat galli‐ 

wasp are various and potentially disastrous, including 

predation by invasive alien mammals (e.g. rats, cats, 

dogs) and destruction of its forest habitat for urban and 

agricultural development. All known locations of the 

galliwasp fall just outside the forest reserve boundary 

(see Fig. 1.1) and therefore the species’ habitat may be 

completely unprotected. Another major problem is our 

lack of understanding of the ecological and conservation 

requirements of this key species. 

1.2.1.b. Montserrat oriole 

The Montserrat oriole is arguably Montserrat’s 

best known endemic species, and acts as a flagship spe‐ 

Fig. 1.2. Population trend of the Montserrat oriole between 

1997/8 and 2005/6. 

cies for Centre Hills biodiversity and its conservation. 

Despite some evidence of a recovery from a population 

low in 2002/3 (Fig. 1.2), its population is still very small 

(in the range of 400‐700 pairs), with the vast majority of 

birds occurring in the Centre Hills, and it remains ex‐ 

tremely threatened. Analysis of the Centre Hills Forest 

Bird Monitoring data shows that orioles have been in‐ 

creasing in number on the eastern flanks of the Centre 

Hills, whereas they appear to have declined on the west‐ 

ern edge of the forest (see Fig. 1.3) [N.B. This figure and 

all other interpolated maps in this report are based on an In‐ 

verse Distance Weighted interpolation of count data, and do 

*Interpolations were constrained by the locations of the outer sampling points of the biodiversity surveys and then 

clipped by the outer boundary of the contiguous Centre Hills forest (grey polygon delineated from the Montserrat vegetation 

map – see chapter 3), hence the incomplete coverage of Centre Hills area by the interpolated map in this and 

other figures in the report. 

Fig. 1.3. Interpolated map of the change in Montserrat oriole abundance between 1997 and 2004. Blue colours indicate 

decreases in abundance. Green, yellow, orange and red colours indicate increases in abundance of growing size. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


13 

Population ind 

1 

0.8 

0.6 

0.4 

0.2 

0 

1997/8 

1998/9 

1999/2000 

2000/1 

2001/2 

Year 

2002/3 

2003/4 

2004/5 

2005/6

Fig. 1.4. Distribution of known locations of Epidendrum montserratense, Rondeletia buxifolia and Podocarpus coriaceus in 

the Centre Hills and surrounding area 

not take into account other important factors such as eleva‐ 

tion, topography, habitat type etc, and therefore should be 

interpreted with caution]. The 2004 monitoring data show 

that highest counts of Montserrat orioles occur on the 

eastern and southern flanks (Fig. 1.5). 

The bulk of the oriole population is protected 

from major habitat destruction within the Centre Hills 

forest reserve boundary, but a range of anthropogenic 

pressures still pose a severe threat to the Montserrat 

oriole. Perhaps most important is the predation of eggs 

and chicks by ship rats Rattus rattus, and a native bird, 

the pearly‐eyed thrasher Margarops fuscatus. Both of 

these predators occur at artificially high densities in the 

Centre Hills. Catastrophic natural events, while a natu‐ 

ral feature of Caribbean islands, are also a major risk to 

Montserrat orioles. If more than one negative factor (e.g. 

unusual rainfall, hurricanes and eruptions) occurs close 

together in time, then populations with human‐induced 

limited ranges are clearly vulnerable to extinction, 

whether these events are ‘natural’ or not. Population 

modelling indicates that such events acting in combina‐ 

tion greatly increase extinction risk for Montserrat ori‐ 

ole. 

1.2.1.c. Epidendrum montserratense 

Epidendrum montserratense is an epiphytic orchid, 

endemic to Montserrat. It is largely found on veteran 

mango trees Mangifera indica and sugar mill ruins, and 

all of these sites fall outside the current Centre Hills for‐ 

est reserve boundary (Fig. 1.4). Like Rondeletia buxifolia 

(see below) this species must also be considered ex‐ 

tremely vulnerable, as it has a highly restricted range, 

and enjoys no protection at either the habitat or species 

level. Interestingly, virtually all orchids found so far are 

located on anthropogenic features, i.e. non‐native mango 

trees and man‐made structures, which therefore play a 

vital role in the conservation of this species. The veteran 

mango trees found in the Belham Valley area provide 

the major location for Epidendrum montserratense, but are 

threatened by ongoing volcanic activity. 

1.2.1.d. Rondeletia buxifolia 

Rondeletia buxifolia is a small shrub, found only on 

Montserrat. To date, it has only been recorded growing 

outside the current Centre Hills forest reserve and there‐ 

fore it enjoys no legal protection (Fig. 1.4). The majority 

of its population occurs in the northern foothills of the 

Centre Hills. During the CHBA, a significant population 

of this plant was lost due to the clearance of forest habi‐ 

tat for development. This species appears to have good 

dispersal ability, indicative of an early succession spe‐ 

cies, which in a natural forest would likely colonise gaps 

created by fallen trees. If the contemporary range of R. 

buxifolia is restricted to the modified habitats in the 

northern foothills of the Centre Hills, the habitat of this 

species may need to be actively managed rather than 

simply protected otherwise it will succeed to climax dry 

and mesic forest vegetation, unsuitable for R. buxifolia. 

1.2.1.e. Xylosma serratum 

Xylosma serratum is a small tree that is only 

known from one location on Montserrat ‐ Great Alps 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

14 


Fig. 1.5. Known locations of the Montserrat galliwasp, yellow-shouldered bat, white-lined bat and the locations of sample 

points producing the highest counts of two Critically Endangered species in the Centre Hills; the Montserrat oriole (n > 1 

bird per point) and mountain chicken (encounter rate > 1 individual per 100m of transect) 

Falls in the South Soufrière Hills, where it was last re‐ 

corded by Howard in the 1970s. Since this site was de‐ 

stroyed by a major pyroclastic flow during the 1995‐1997 

volcanic eruptions, this species may have disappeared 

from Montserrat and become extinct. However, since 

there are similar habitats to Great Alps Falls in the Cen‐ 

tre Hills it is possible that this species still survives, but 

explorations so far have failed to find it. No ex situ ma‐ 

terial of this species exists so all that currently remains 

are dried herbarium specimens. A campaign to raise 

awareness of this species around Montserrat has been 

started in the hope that populations unknown to botani‐ 

cal experts may be discovered. 

1.2.1.f. Yellow-shouldered bat 

The yellow‐shouldered bat Sturnira thomasi is 

only known from Montserrat and Guadeloupe. The 

form occurring on Montserrat is considered sufficiently 

different to the Guadeloupe population to be classified 

as a separate subspecies. The Montserrat subspecies, 

named Sturnira thomasi vulcanensis, has only been re‐ 

corded with certainty on Montserrat on three occasions. 

It is thought to be mainly frugivorous (fruit‐eating), and 

therefore both native and non‐native fruiting trees are 

likely to be an important resource for this species. Previ‐ 

ously suspected to be extinct following the volcanic ac‐ 

tivity, single individuals were captured in Bottomless 

Ghaut in 2005 and in 2006 (Fig. 1.5). Bottomless Ghaut 

therefore is currently the only known site in the world 

for this subspecies. As a species it is listed as globally 

Endangered (Chiroptera Specialist Group, 1996), but 

very little is known about its distribution and popula‐ 

tion status on Montserrat (and Guadeloupe). Both cap‐ 

tured individuals from Bottomless Ghaut were lactating 

females, providing evidence that the bat is breeding in 

Montserrat. 

1.2.1.g. Mountain chicken 

Along with the Montserrat oriole, the mountain 

chicken is a flagship species for the Centre Hills. It oc‐ 

curs only on Montserrat and Dominica and is prone to a 

wide‐range of threats, including disease, over‐hunting, 

habitat destruction and invasive mammals, and is classi‐ 

fied as Critically Endangered. On Dominica it has suf‐ 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


15 

Mean encounter rate (frogs 100m -1 ) 

4 

3.5 

3 

2.5 

2 

1.5 

1 

0.5 

0 

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 

Year 

Fig. 1.6. Mean encounter rate of mountain chickens in the 

dry season between 1999 and 2005 (data from line 

transects repeated each year only). Error bars are 

standard errors

fered a catastrophic decline as a result of an outbreak of 

Chytridomycosis fungus. On Montserrat it is now re‐ 

stricted to the Centre Hills. All the above factors, com‐ 

bined with its use as a traditional food and its unusual 

breeding ecology, make the mountain chicken a key 

feature of Centre Hills biodiversity. 

Mountain chickens are currently most abundant 

in the east and south of the Centre Hills, particularly in 

the Fairy Walk area (see Fig. 1.5). Data generated by the 

Montserrat Department of Environment mountain 

chicken monitoring programme suggests that overall the 

mountain chicken population has remained fairly un‐ 

changed between 1999 and 2005, albeit with some fluc‐ 

tuations during the period (Fig. 1.6). The overall picture 

of no population change masks some spatial patterns in 

population trend. There is some evidence that popula‐ 

tions in the eastern and north‐eastern ghauts are grow‐ 

ing, whereas in the west and north‐west the mountain 

chicken is either absent or declining (Fig. 1.7). Mountain 

chickens are on average larger and in better body condi‐ 

tion in the east compared to the west (J. Fa, unpubl. data). 

The Centre Hills Project socio‐economic assessment 

(McCauley & Mendes, 2006) revealed that mountain 

chicken hunting tends to happen in the west and north 

of the Centre Hills, which is the most plausible explana‐ 

tion for these spatial patterns. 

1.2.1.h. White-lined bat 

Like the yellow‐shouldered bat, the white‐lined 

bat Chiroderma improvisum was thought to be extirpated 

from Montserrat following the Soufrière Hills volcanic 

activity, but its survival was confirmed when a lactating 

female was captured in a patch of dry forest in Corbett 

Spring in 2005 during a CHBA survey (Fig. 1.5). This 

species has a very restricted global range, occurring only 

in Montserrat and Guadeloupe, and is classified as glob‐ 

ally Endangered (Chiroptera Specialist Group, 1996). It 

has only been caught on Guadeloupe on three occasions 

and in Montserrat this species has previously been 

caught twice. Very little is known about this species, 

including its distribution and abundance in Montserrat. 

It is impossible to ascertain from a single capture how 

important Corbett Spring is for this species, but unfortu‐ 

nately the site has suffered damage from volcanic activ‐ 

ity since the rediscovery. It is thought to be mainly 

frugivorous (fruit‐eating), and therefore both native and 

non‐native fruiting trees are likely to be an important 

resource for this species. 

1.2.1.i. Forest thrush 

The forest thrush appears to have become scarce 

in the other Lesser Antillean islands on which it occurs, 

and is classified as globally Vulnerable (BirdLife Interna‐ 

tional, 2004). The Centre Hills is thus probably a global 

stronghold for this species, and it should be considered a 

key species of conservation concern. Forest thrushes are 

largely concentrated in lower altitude forest around the 

edges of the Centre Hills, with hotspots in particular in 

the south‐west, north‐west and east (Fig 1.8), some of 

which fall outside of the forest reserve boundary and are 

Fig. 1.7. Spatial patterns in population trend of mountain chickens in the Centre Hills (trend in encounter rate for each 

monitoring site is the slope of a regression line fitted to 1999-2005 dry season data). Upward blue arrows indicate a positive 

trend, yellow horizontal arrows indicate no change, and downward red arrows indicate a negative trend. Note the 

tendency of upward trends in the ghauts on the eastern flanks of the Centre Hills. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

16 


Fig. 1.8. Interpolated map of the change in forest thrush abundance between 1997 and 2004 

Fig. 1.9. Interpolated map of brown trembler abundance (1997, 1999 and 2004 data pooled) 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


17

therefore unprotected. The map of change in forest 

thrush abundance (1997‐2004) shows a general increase 

in population density across much of the Centre Hills, 

but particularly in the east. 

1.2.1.j. Podocarpus coriaceus 

Montserrat’s only native gymnosperm plant, Po‐ 

docarpus coriaceus, is listed in the IUCN Red List of 

threatened species as Least Concern (Conifer Specialist 

Group, 1998) using the IUCN 1994 Red List criteria. An 

important stand of large mature trees has been identified 

on the top of Hope Ridge (see Fig. 1.4), which contains 

some of the oldest trees in Montserrat and therefore this 

species is an important feature of Centre Hills biodiver‐ 

sity. To date, only limited data have been collected from 

the high ridges of the Centre Hills between 500‐700m. 

Therefore Fig. 1.4 under‐represents the true extent of 

occurrence for this species. The IUCN SSC Conifer Spe‐ 

cialist Group is currently working to reassess all the 

gymnosperms using the IUCN 2001 Red List criteria. 

Data from the Montserrat biodiversity assessment have 

been made available to the chair of the Conifer Specialist 

Group to aid the reassessment. 

1.2.1.k. Brown trembler 

The brown trembler Cinclocerthia gutturalis is a 

restricted‐range species and is perhaps the only Mont‐ 

serrat bird species to have declined overall since forest 

bird monitoring began in 1997. It appears to be rare in 

Montserrat, almost entirely restricted to mesic forest, 

with a population size of around 400 birds, and there‐ 

fore should be considered a species of local conservation 

concern. Brown tremblers appear to have their strong‐ 

holds across a broad area of the eastern hills, plus some 

more localised hotspots in the western flanks, notably 

the Cassava Ghaut and Hope Ghaut areas (Fig. 1.9). 

1.2.1.l. Heliconia caribaea 

Heliconia caribaea is a relatively widespread 

clump‐forming plant of mid to higher elevation forests 

throughout the Caribbean and is Montserrat’s national 

flower. In Montserrat, the Centre Hills support the ma‐ 

jority of the island’s population. It is an extremely im‐ 

portant plant in the forest ecosystem and may be consid‐ 

ered a keystone species. It produces abundant nectar at 

the base of the bracts. The large upright inflorescences 

can hold large quantities of water which support a wide‐ 

range aquatic animal life and can provide important 

sources of water and food for many bird species. It is 

the major nesting site for Montserrat orioles who weave 

nests from the vascular material of old leaves and attach 

these to the lower side of established mature leaves. 

1.2.2. Species assemblages and habitats 

1.2.2.a. Invertebrates 

The CHBA has vastly increased our knowledge 

of the diversity of Montserrat’s invertebrate fauna, 

quadrupling the number of recognised species to 1,241 

(Table 1.4). The majority of these invertebrate species 

are probably found only in the Centre Hills. Due to the 

enormity of the task of cataloguing all the invertebrate 

species of the Centre Hills, the CHBA concentrated on 

investigating one taxonomic group that is known to be 

mega‐diverse, the beetles (Coleoptera). The known bee‐ 

tle fauna of Montserrat now stands at 718 species in 63 

families, with at least 81 possible single‐island endemics 

and 53 non‐native species. With an average body length 

of just 4.5mm, the vast majority of beetles (and other 

Invertebrate taxon Number of recognised species 

Scientific name Common name 

Previous species list 

(from Stevens & 

Waldman 2001) 

Mollusca Molluscs 5 15 

Crustacea Crustaceans 12 14+ 

Orthoptera Crickets and grasshoppers 7 21 

Hemiptera 

True bugs (cicadas, aphids, 

planthoppers, shield bugs etc) 

Table 1.4. Selected summary of the increase in invertebrate species recorded for Montserrat as a result of the Centre Hills 

Biodiversity Assessment. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

18 


CHBA 

27 98 

Coleoptera Beetles 94 718 

Hymenoptera Sawflies, bees, wasps, ants 15 105+ 

Lepidoptera Butterflies, moths, skippers 50 54 

Diptera True flies 47 130

Fig. 1.10. Vegetation map of Montserrat 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


19

invertebrates) that exist within the Centre Hills go com‐ 

pletely unnoticed except by a few experts. 

In total, around 120 invertebrate species have 

been identified as possible single‐island endemics but in 

reality there may be hundreds. This means that the den‐ 

sity of endemic animal species on Montserrat is drasti‐ 

cally higher than understood hitherto. Another 54 beetle 

species may well be local endemics (i.e. only occur on 

Montserrat and a few neighbouring islands) and a fur‐ 

ther 33 species are endemic to the Northeastern Antilles. 

Thus, 167 beetle species are known to occur either only 

on Montserrat or on this island and just a few 

neighbouring islands. Undoubtedly these numbers are 

underestimates, based on our still limited knowledge. 

These island and regionally endemic species should be 

considered the highest priority for invertebrate conser‐ 

vation. 

Because most invertebrate diversity on Lesser 

Antillean islands remains virtually unknown, it is ex‐ 

tremely difficult to evaluate the importance of the Mont‐ 

serratian invertebrate fauna in a wider context. Drawing 

cautious comparisons of the Montserrat beetle fauna 

with the relatively well‐known faunas of Guadeloupe 

and Dominica suggests that Montserrat is indeed more 

diverse than would be expected for the size of the island 

and is important in a regional context. The invertebrate 

fauna of Montserrat is now one of the best documented 

of all island faunas in the Lesser Antilles. This knowl‐ 

edge should in itself be considered a key feature of the 

Centre Hills biodiversity. 

There are several unique aspects of Montserrat’s 

invertebrate fauna that elevate its importance from both 

a conservation and biogeographical perspective. A 

number of species are the only representatives of their 

taxonomic groups in the Lesser Antilles. For example, 

two very distinct beetle sister‐species of the genus 

Thonalmus are endemic to Montserrat, and represent the 

only known Lesser Antillean members of a small, West 

Indian endemic lineage. Another example is the evolu‐ 

tionary radiation of the anobiid beetle Trichodesma, with 

five undescribed species on Montserrat. No other Lesser 

Antillean island is known to harbour Trichodesma, with 

the closest site being in the Virgin Islands. The very odd 

undescribed weevil Prionarthrus n. sp. belongs to a 

group known otherwise from only a single described 

species from Brazil. The unique Eohomopterus from Katy 

Hill is one of only two extant species of the subfamily 

Paussinae known from the West Indies. Many more 

examples of species of high biodiversity value are docu‐ 

mented in the invertebrate chapter in this report. 

1.2.2.b. Littoral and dry forest 

There has been little anthropogenic destruction of 

moist forest in Montserrat in recent years but, like else‐ 

where in the Lesser Antilles, dry and littoral forest has 

been greatly impacted by agricultural and urban devel‐ 

opment and is extremely vulnerable to further degrada‐ 

tion. Only small patches of dry forest occur in the north‐ 

east and north‐west of the forest reserve, with the major‐ 

ity falling outside the boundary (Fig. 1.10). Most dry 

Fig. 1.11. Interpolated map of herptile (reptiles and amphibians) species richness with the location of the captured Montserrat 

galliwasps marked 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

20 


and littoral forest in Montserrat is heavily impacted by 

grazing animals and and other non‐native mammals, 

but perhaps the least degraded and largest patch lies to 

the east and northeast of the Centre Hills, and is largely 

contiguous with the main forest block within the reserve 

boundary (Fig. 1.10). The dry and littoral forest is a key 

feature of the Centre Hills biodiversity for a number of 

reasons, and its protection is imperative: 

• Firstly, dry and littoral forest harbours high 

species richness of plants, invertebrates, reptiles 

and other biodiversity as mentioned in various 

sections above. 

• Secondly, dry forest is a key habitat for a number 

of locally and globally threatened species. For, 

example, the locally rare Antillean euphonia is 

thought to be a dry forest specialist. Three of 

Montserrat’s native globally threatened plants 

favour the dry forest: Cedrela odorata (stinking 

cedar) (Vulnerable: Americas Regional Workshop 

(Conservation & Sustainable Management of 

Trees, Costa Rica) 1998), West Indian mahogany 

Swietenia mahagoni (Endangered: Americas 

Regional Workshop (Conservation & Sustainable 

Management of Trees, Costa Rica) 1998), and 

lignum vitae Guaiacum officinale (Endangered: 

Conservation & Sustainable Management of 

Trees, Costa Rica) 1998). A fuller evaluation of 

the distribution of these species is needed, and an 

action plan developed, to ensure their 

conservation in Montserrat. 

• Thirdly, incorporating the dry and littoral forest 

that falls to the east and northeast of the Centre 

Hills into the protected area would allow it to 

encompass a full range of connected habitats, 

from the coast to the top of Katy Hill, and give as 

comprehensive coverage of Montserrat’s overall 

biodiversity as possible. 

• Finally, if contiguous with the main Centre Hills 

forest block, protection of this area of dry forest 

would provide an important buffer zone for the 

eastern flanks of the Centre Hills that are so 

important for a number of key species. 

1.2.2.c. Bats 

During 2005, for the first time since an extensive 

programme of bat research, including annual monitor‐ 

ing, started on Montserrat in 1978, all 10 species of bat 

were caught in a single survey. 

The bat fauna of Montserrat is a very important 

component of the Centre Hills ecosystem and is a con‐ 

servation priority for three reasons: 

• Firstly, bats are the only extant native mammals 

in the Lesser Antilles 

• Secondly, they provide a number of ecological 

services that are key to the functioning of the 

Centre Hills ecosystem, particularly seed disper‐ 

sal and pollination. Many fruit bats carry fruit 

and seeds further away from the parent plants 

than bird species and so are of particular impor‐ 

tance in forest regeneration. Seed dispersal plays 

an important role in the regrowth of forests that 

have been damaged or destroyed (by volcanoes, 

hurricanes, clearance for agriculture, etc) and for 

some trees, bats are the main agents by which 

new areas can be reforested. Many economically 

important trees have closely evolved with bats as 

their main or only pollinators e.g. calabash Cres‐ 

centia cujete, mango, banana Musa acuminata, and 

cashew Anacardium occidentale. 

• Bats are sometimes considered ʺkeystone spe‐ 

ciesʺ (after the keystone that symbolically holds 

up an entire building) because the loss of these 

species from an ecosystem may cause pervasive 

negative effects. 

• Finally, of the 10 species that occur in Montserrat, 

two are globally threatened and three are consid‐ 

ered ‘Near Threatened’. Over the past 10 years, 

all of Montserrat’s bat species have been caught 

within or in the immediate vicinity of the Centre 

Hills forest. 

Due to their capacity for ranging over wide areas, 

it is difficult to identify key sites and habitats for bats 

within the Centre Hills. However, from the biodiversity 

assessment and long‐term monitoring data (S. Pedersen 

and team) a number of sites within the Centre Hills 

seem to be particularly important: the northeast region 

around Bottomless Ghaut; the Sappit River and Daly 

watershed system; Hope, Runaway, Cassava and Soldier 

Ghauts as well as Lawyers are other important sites for 

bats in the Centre Hills. The Centre Hills forest as a 

whole should be considered a vital habitat for bats on 

Montserrat, particularly frugivorous species, for forag‐ 

ing, roosts and nursery sites. Water bodies outside the 

Centre Hills boundary are also important sites for bats, 

for example, the Belham River is a key site for the bull‐ 

dog bat Noctilio leporinus and funnel‐eared bat Natalus 

stramineus. 

However, given that some species of bat (e.g. 

Brachyphylla cavernarum) will regularly travel long dis‐ 

tances between various resources, it is vital that conser‐ 

vation planning for the Centre Hills takes into account 

important bat resources that fall outside of the forest 

reserve boundary. For example, caves are important 

roost sites, at which large numbers of bats may congre‐ 

gate. Most importantly, a cave at Rendezvous Bluff next 

to Little Bay houses a large colony of 5,000‐6,000 indi‐ 

viduals of Lesser Antillean fruit bats Brachyphylla caver‐ 

narum, and is probably vital for this species on Montser‐ 

rat, their other main roost at Mosquito Ghaut having 

been lost to the volcano. The tarrish pits south of Bel‐ 

ham Valley house the only known roosts for funnel‐ 

eared bats on Montserrat and therefore warrant protec‐ 

tion. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


21

1.2.2.d. Endemic reptiles 

With six reptiles endemic to Montserrat at either 

species or subspecies level, this group has the highest 

endemism of all vertebrate animal and plant taxa on the 

island. In total, 11 reptile species (although three may 

have been introduced by humans), occur on Montserrat, 

which therefore has high species richness for a Lesser 

Antillean island of its size (Ricklefs & Lovette, 1999). 

Compared to other vertebrate taxa, such as birds or bats, 

reptiles on islands tend to be habitat specialists, and 

therefore a range of habitat types needs to be protected 

for this assemblage. 

The CHBA surveys revealed a potentially impor‐ 

tant area of high herptile (reptiles and amphibians) spe‐ 

cies richness on the central western flanks of the Centre 

Hills, as well as a possible second area on the eastern 

side (Fig. 1.11). There was some evidence that mesic 

forest was the richest habitat type for reptiles, because it 

is a zone where species that are characteristic of both 

wetter and drier forests overlap. Of the endemic reptiles, 

the reasonably abundant Leeward racer is important, 

because elsewhere in the Lesser Antilles other species 

(and subspecies of the same species) from this family 

have suffered catastrophic declines due mainly to preda‐ 

tion by the invasive small Indian mongoose Herpestes 

auropunctatus (which was never introduced into Mont‐ 

serrat). 

1.2.2.e. Elfin woodland 

The distinctive elfin woodland occurs at the high‐ 

est elevations of the Centre Hills, on the top Katy Hill 

and in the high altitude area at the top of Hope Ridge 

(Fig. 1.10), and is thought to be a restricted habitat type 

within the Lesser Antilles. It is possibly the most vul‐ 

nerable component of Montserrat’s biodiversity to the 

effects of global climate change. 

1.2.3. Ecosystem 

1.2.3.a. Shape and structure 

The Centre Hills is currently favoured by being a 

relatively continuous forest block, with a roughly circu‐ 

lar shape (see Fig. 1.10), so minimising the edge‐effects 

that can be so damaging to small tropical forest blocks 

(Laurance et al., 2002). The structure of the Centre Hills 

forest is relatively intact, i.e. with few large cleared ar‐ 

eas, and therefore it will be more resistant to hurricane 

damage than if it were highly fragmented. 

1.2.3.b. High densities of rats 

One negative but important feature of the Centre 

Hills fauna is the presence and abundance of the inva‐ 

sive brown rat Rattus norvegicus and black rat R. rattus. 

All available evidence from the CHBA and other recent 

field research points to rats occurring throughout the 

Centre Hills, even at the high elevations, and at particu‐ 

larly high density. The CHBA has provided compelling 

Fig. 1.12. Map showing the proposed highest priority strict conservation zones within and outside the Centre Hills protected 

area. Note that in order to accurately delineate a number of the zones, further surveys of key habitats and species 

are needed 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

22 


evidence that rat density is associated with numbers of 

non‐native fruiting trees in the local vicinity, presuma‐ 

bly because they provide an abundance of food for rats. 

The negative impacts of rats on island biodiversity are 

well‐documented, and pose a major and pervasive 

threat to the Centre Hills ecosystem. Rats currently have 

a large negative impact on some of the most important 

and vulnerable species in the Centre Hills, including the 

Montserrat oriole, and probably the galliwasp and 

mountain chicken. 

1.3. Threats to key biodiversity features and 

recommended management 

recommendations 

The main threats to each of the key biodiversity 

features described above are given in Table 1.5, along 

with recommended management actions to remove or 

mitigate these threats. A number of the most wide‐ 

ranging pressures on Centre Hills biodiversity are dis‐ 

cussed in detail outside the table, with brief information 

on recommended management actions. 

Similar to other islands in the Caribbean region 

and elsewhere around the world, invasive alien species 

pose perhaps the most severe threat to Montserrat’s na‐ 

tive biodiversity. Black rats, brown rats, feral pigs, and a 

number of invasive plant species are the most problem‐ 

atic. Pigs are capable of causing severe damage to island 

flora and fauna, and an island‐wide eradication pro‐ 

gramme is a priority conservation action. Eliminating 

the negative impacts of rats through lethal control over 

the whole of the Centre Hills forest would be prohibi‐ 

tively expensive with current technology. However, the 

CHBA provided compelling evidence that rat numbers 

are highest where non‐native fruiting trees are abun‐ 

dant, presumably because they provide an abundance of 

food for rats. Zoned removal of these non‐native fruit‐ 

ing trees would be feasible (with sufficient money and 

expertise), and should lead to a reduction in numbers of 

rats and therefore the negative impacts they exert on 

native biodiversity. It should be noted that non‐native 

tree management would need to be conducted simulta‐ 

neously with localised lethal rat control, to ensure that 

rats do not temporarily increase their intake of native 

flora and fauna when exotic food availability is reduced. 

Native pearly‐eyed thrashers Margarops fuscata also oc‐ 

cur at artificially high density in the Centre Hills, proba‐ 

bly because they are able to exploit abundant fruit for 

food. They have a negative impact on other species such 

as the Montserrat oriole, as well as being an agricultural 

pest in Montserrat. 

Removal of non‐native fruit trees from the Centre 

Hills would, however, need to take into account the 

needs of people who harvest fruit, and native species, 

such as bats, that feed on these trees. Zoning fruit tree 

removal in remote areas where fruit is not currently har‐ 

vested and offsetting the loss in fruit productivity by the 

creation of community orchards and banana plantations 

outside the Centre Hills are potential management ac‐ 

tions that would partially address this. It is important to 

note however that habitat restoration, including non‐ 

native tree weeding, is likely an essential tool in improv‐ 

ing the status of a number of key species, which occur 

outside of, or just within, the Centre Hills forest reserve. 

The most pressing example of this is the Montserrat gal‐ 

liwasp. 

Although habitat loss and degradation has not 

been widespread within the Centre Hills forest reserve 

boundary in recent years, destruction of vegetation does 

represent an existing threat to a number of biodiversity 

features, particularly, the galliwasp, endemic plants, and 

dry and littoral forest. These species and habitats are a 

vital component of Montserrat’s natural heritage and 

must be protected and/or managed sustainably. We 

recommend establishing a network of strict conservation 

zones (see Fig. 1.12 for the location of suggested strict 

conservation zones) which encompass the most impor‐ 

tant sites for these species and habitats (N.B. futher sur‐ 

veys are required to accurately delineate a number of the 

zones), within which appropriate management activities 

can be implemented, including, habitat restoration, habi‐ 

tat protection invasive species control, intensive moni‐ 

toring, etc. The network of strict conservation zones also 

includes areas of forest within the Centre Hills forest 

reserve boundary, in which various management actions 

are recommended to safeguard key biodiversity fea‐ 

tures. See Table 1.5 for a list of recommended activities 

for the strict conservation zones. 

Finally, another problem hindering conservation 

of Centre Hills’ biodiversity, particularly those species 

not well protected by the forest reserve, is a lack of stra‐ 

tegic conservation planning. Funding from the Overseas 

Territory Environment Programme has recently been 

secured to conduct a project entitled ‘Strengthening ca‐ 

pacity for Species Action Planning in Montserrat’. This 

project was launched in September 2007 and will focus 

on developing the skills and resources in the Montserrat 

Department of Environment to conduct species action 

planning. By August 2009, Species Action Plans will be 

produced for five of Montserrat’s most threatened spe‐ 

cies: Montserrat galliwasp, mountain chicken, yellow‐ 

shouldered bat, Epidendrum montserratense and Rondeletia 

buxifolia 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


23

Key biodiversity 

feature 


galliwasp 

Mountain chicken 

Main threats Recommended management actions 

Habitat loss and 

degradation 

Knowledge insufficient 

to guide 

management actions 

Invasive alien 

species 

No coherent 

conservation 

strategy 

Disease 

Unsustainable 

hunting 


species 


degradation 

• Extension of protected area boundary to encompass sites in Woodlands 

Spring where galliwasps have been observed 

• Establish a strict conservation zone (see ‘Montserrat Galliwasp’ 

zone in Fig. 1.13) in the Woodlands Spring area and Cassava Ghaut 

water catchment within which public access can be restricted to 

reduce effects of human disturbance and impact of domestic 

animals, and to ensure strictest planning regulation of urban development 

in Woodlands Spring area 

• Status assessment, monitoring and autecological research 

• Island-wide feral pig eradication 

• Selective removal of non-native fruiting trees in concert with rat 

control and monitoring to reduce rat numbers within the ‘Galliwasp 

strict conservation zone’ 

• Public awareness campaign aimed at local residents in Woodlands 

Spring area to reduce potential impacts of domestic pets, e.g. 

locking pets in at night 

• Feral cat control in the ‘Galliwasp strict conservation zone’ and 

surrounding watersheds 

• Develop and implement Species Action Plan 

• Improve quarantine and biosecurity controls at Montserrat’s borders 

to minimise risk of amphibians and soil infected with Chytridiomycosis 

(and spores) entering Montserrat 

• Establishment of biosecurity protocols for fieldworkers and ecotourists 

• Develop full international captive breeding population as safety 

net in case of arrival of Chytridiomycosis into Montserrat 

• Enforce mountain chicken hunting closed season, recommended 

to run between 31 November and 30 September 

• Establish moratorium on hunting until western and northern population 

recovers and harvestable quotas/bag limits can be set 

• Introduce licensing system for mountain chicken hunting to control 

number of hunters and location of hunting 

• Make improvements to mountain chicken monitoring scheme to 

increase reliability of monitoring data 


• Removal of non-native fruiting trees, combined with short-term rat 

control to quickly reduce rat density, in appropriate strict conservation 

zones (see ‘Key Biodiversity Areas’ zones in Fig. 1.13). 

• Establish strict conservation zones around watersheds that support 

high densities of mountain chickens, particularly Fairy Walk, Corbett 

Spring, Sappit River and Sweetwaters Ghaut (see ‘Key Biodiversity 

Areas’ zones in Fig. 1.13). Measures to protect habitat within the 

zones lying outside of the Centre Hills forest reserve boundary need 

to be identified. 

Table 1.5. Key biodiversity features of the Centre Hills, main threats and recommended management actions 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

24 



feature 

Mountain 

Chicken contd. 

Epidendrum 


Rondeletia buxifolia 

Montserrat oriole 



to guide 


No coherent conservation 

strategy 


degradation 


to guide 



strategy 


degradation 


to guide 



strategy 


species 


degradation 

Environmental 

stochasticity 

• Upgrade mountain chicken population monitoring programme, to 

increase sampling intensity in dry season and standardise timing of 

surveys between years 

• Establish a research programme of mountain chicken ecology and 

field experiment into impact of rats on mountain chicken productivity, 

survival, and population growth 


• Establish strict conservation zones to encompass the most important 

sites in Belham Valley and northern foothills of Centre Hills, and 

other sites identified during the ongoing species assessment (see 

‘Endemic Plants’ zones in Fig. 1.13). Measures to protect habitat 

within these zones need to be identified. 

• Tree protection orders for veteran mango trees in Belham Valley 

• Ex-situ conservation, including propagation at MNT botanic gardens 

and RBG-Kew and seed banking at RBG-Kew 

• Full species status assessment 


• Establish strict conservation zones to encompass the most important 

sites in the northern foothills of Centre Hills, and other sites identified 

during the ongoing species assessment (see ‘Endemic Plants’ 

zones in Fig. 1.13). Measures to protect habitat within these zones 

need to be identified and implemented 

• Ex-situ conservation, including propagation at MNT botanic gar- 

• Full species status assessment 



• Removal of non-native fruiting trees, combined with short-term rat 

control to quickly reduce rat density, in appropriate strict conserva- 

• Protection of mesic forest to the north of the Centre Hills that support 

hotspots of oriole density (largely falling within the Endemic 

Plants strict conservation zone) 

• Maintenance of large Centre Hills and South Soufrière populations 

at carrying capacity to minimise impacts of environmental stochasticity 

Table 1.5 contd. Key biodiversity features of the Centre Hills, main threats and recommended management actions 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


25


feature 


contd. 

Yellow-shouldered 

bat 

White-lined bat 

Forest thrush 

Podocarpus 

coriaceus 


Heliconia caribaea 

Littoral and dry forest 

adjacent to the 

Centre Hills forest 

reserve boundary 

Invertebrate 

assemblage 



to guide 



degradation 


to guide 



strategy 


to guide 



to guide 


• Continued population monitoring 

• Maintain or restore flow regimes of water courses, particularly open 

bodies of fresh water 

• Protection of mesic and dry forest habitat within the ‘Key Biodiversity 

Areas’ and ‘Dry Forest’ strict conservation zones falling outside 

of the Centre Hills forest reserve 

• No non-native tree removal from Bottomless Ghaut until better information 

on resource requirements of the species is available 

• Species status assessment, population monitoring and mapping of 

important roost sites 


• Species status assessment, population monitoring and mapping of 

important roost sites 

• Research project to investigate impacts of rats on nest survival 

Restricted range • Monitor productivity and population growth of existing stands 


to guide 



species 


to guide 



degradation 

Lack of knowledge 

• Research project to investigate impacts of rats on nest survival 


• Conduct surveys to map least disturbed areas of littoral and dry 

forest 

• Protection of dry and littoral forest habitat within the ‘Key Biodiversity 



• Establish a programme of research to carry out further species inventory 

and status assessment 

Table 1.5 contd. Key biodiversity features of the Centre Hills, main threats and recommended management actions. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

26 



feature 

Invertebrate 

assemblage 

Endemic reptile assemblage 

Ecological services 

provided by bats 

Elfin Woodland 

Shape of protected 

area and forest structure 

Overall functioning of 

ecosystem 



degradation 

Invasive alien species 


degradation 


species 


degradation 


species 

Climate change 

Habitat disturbance 

Various extrinsic 

factors 

Natural disasters 


species 





• Zoned removal of alien fruiting trees combined with short-term rat 

control to reduce rat and thrasher density 





• Zoned removal of alien fruiting trees combined with short-term rat 

control to reduce rat and thrasher density 

• Statutory protection of roosts, both inside and outside the Centre 

Hills, including key trees, caves (including Rendezvous Bluff, as highlighted 

by the ‘Bat Roost’ strict conservation zone), and roosts in 

buildings 

• Awareness programme to educate people of importance and 

conservation value of bats 

• No exploitation of timber and non-timber products from ghauts 

within the Centre Hills 

• Maintain or restore flow regimes of water courses 

• Invasive plant control (particularly Spathoglottis plicata) and monitoring 


• Annual monitoring of elfin woodland cover 

• Seed collection for long-term storage of component plant species 

• Regulate visitor numbers to the Elfin Woodland strict conservation 

zone 

• Strict management of trails through the Elfin Woodland strict conservation 

zone; no wide trails should be established to maintain 

structural integrity of this habitat 

• Patrol of protected area boundary and forest interior to prevent 

clearance of vegetation 

• Remote-sensing monitoring of changes in forest cover 

• Maintain structural integrity of forest to limit the destructive impacts 

of hurricanes 

• Zoned removal of non-native fruiting trees combined with shortterm 

rat control to reduce rat and thrasher density 

• Ecosystem-wide monitoring programme for invasive rats 


• Strengthen biosecurity measures at ports of entry to minimise likelihood 

of introduction of further invasive alien species 


_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


27


feature 

Overall functioning of 

ecosystem 

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Species 

Contd. 

Human disturbance 


to guide 

management 

actions 


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_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


29

2. Background to the Centre Hills biodiversity assessment 

R. P. Young & G. M. Hilton 

In this chapter, brief background information on 

the natural history of Montserrat is given, followed by 

the need for, and scope of, the Centre Hills Biodiversity 

Assessment (CHBA) project. This includes discussion of 

threats to the biodiversity and ecosystem goods and 

services of the Centre Hills, the aims and design of the 

project, and the structure of the project team. Finally, 

details are provided on how results of this project will 

be used to inform a management plan for the 

conservation of the Centre Hills, which will help support 

Montserrat to meet its national and international 

obligations for biodiversity conservation. 

2.1. A brief natural history of Montserrat 

Montserrat is located in the northern part of the 

Lesser Antilles island arc in the West Indies (62° 12ʹ 

west, 16° 45ʹ north) (Fig. 2.1), between the islands of 

Nevis and Guadeloupe, approximately 60 km northwest 

of the latter island. It lies on the eastern edge of the 

Caribbean tectonic plate in the subduction zone with the 

Atlantic plate and is volcanic in origin, emerging from 

the Caribbean Sea relatively recently ‐ around 25 million 

years ago. The island is mainly composed of andesitic 

lavas and volcaniclastic rocks produced by dome‐ 

forming eruptions. It is 102 km 2 in area and consists of 

four main volcanic centres. From oldest to youngest 

these are the Silver Hills in the north, the Centre Hills in 

the centre (the focus of the CHBA), and the active 

volcano of the Soufrière Hills as well as South Soufrière 

Hills in the south (see Fig. 2.2 and 2.3). Average annual 

daytime temperature is 28oC with annual rainfall 

varying between 1,100mm at the coast to 2,100mm at 

higher elevations. Montserrat has a humid tropical 

climate with a wet season from around July to 

December, with a drier season in the intervening period, 

although large seasonal and annual variation in rainfall 

does occur. 

Montserrat falls in the Lesser Antilles 

biogeographical province. Its terrestrial flora and fauna 

is influenced strongly by South America and to a lesser 

extent by Central and North America. Like other Lesser 

Antillean islands, Montserrat is an oceanic island and 

has never been connected to the mainland. Therefore all 

its fauna and flora have colonised by crossing the sea, 

both northwards from South America up the Lesser 

Antillean island chain and also southwards from the 

Greater Antilles. This has a number of implications for 

Montserrat’s assemblage of animals and plants. For 

example it explains the dominance of species with good 

dispersal ability in the vertebrate species assemblage, 

such as bats, birds and reptiles, and the absence of 

terrestrial mammals, freshwater fish and the scarcity of 

amphibian species. Flying vertebrates (i.e. bats and 

Fig. 2.1. Location of Montserrat in the Lesser Antilles 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

A Biodiversity Assessment of the Centre Hills, Montserrat 30

Fig. 2.2. Topographical map (pre-volcanic crisis) of Montserrat, with the Centre Hills in the middle of the island 

birds) in the Lesser Antilles tend to show ties with 

Central and North as well as South America. The non‐ 

flying vertebrates in the Lesser Antilles, such as 

amphibians and reptiles which passively disperse, 

display a very strong South American influence. It is 

thought the prevailing south‐east to north‐west current 

in the Caribbean Sea carried much of the passively‐ 

dispersing fauna on flotsam from the mouths of major 

rivers in South America. 

The wider Caribbean has high levels of diversity 

and endemicity, particularly in plants, amphibians and 

reptiles, and the region has been identified as a 

‘biodiversity hotspot’ (Myers et al., 2000). However 

much of this diversity is found in the Greater Antilles. 

The Lesser Antillean islands tend to be relatively 

species‐poor in relation to a similar size region in the 

Greater Antilles or on mainland America at similar 

latitudes. The number of species that occur on Lesser 

Antillean islands is related to a number of factors (some 

of which are correlated), including island size, 

topography, diversity of habitat, and distance from the 

mainland or other islands. Due to its small size and 

remoteness from mainland South America, Montserrat is 

not the most biodiverse Lesser Antillean island. 

However, given its small size, it does support a large 

number of island and regionally endemic species, and is 

rich in reptile and bat species. The Caribbean as a whole 

has very high reptile diversity and endemicity, with 

large evolutionary radiations of groups such as the anole 

lizards (Anolis), dwarf geckos (Sphaerodactylus), and 

racer snakes (Alsophis), which is reflected in 

Montserrat’s relatively large reptile assemblage, with six 

island endemics at species or subspecies level.. The level 

of island endemism in the plants on Montserrat is low, 

with three recognised endemic plant species. Lower 

levels of island endemicity also occur in the volant 

groups of bats and birds, with one endemic bird species 

(Montserrat oriole Icterus oberi) and one endemic 

subspecies of bat (yellow‐shouldered bat Sturnira 

thomasi vulcanensis). Far less is known about the 

biogeography of invertebrates and reliable data with 

which to evaluate endemicity levels in this group do not 

exist, but it is the subject of investigation as part of this 

project (see Chapter 4). 

Fig. 2.3. View of the Soufrière Hills, looking north from the 

southern coast of Montserrat, with the densely vegetated 

Centre Hills and the more arid Silver Hills in the background 

and the surviving forest patch in the South Soufrière Hills in 

the right foreground (Photo: Montserrat Volcano 

Observatory, www.mvo.ms) 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

31 


Fig. 2.4. A map of the predicted vegetation cover on Montserrat before the arrival of humans 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


Fig. 2.5. Eruption of the Soufrière Hills on 3 rd March 2004 

(Photo: Montserrat Volcano Observatory, www.mvo.ms) 

Fig. 2.6. A view of the Centre Hills. (Photo: R. P. Young, 

Durrell) 

A range of habitat types occur on Montserrat, 

with vegetation communities largely determined by the 

amount of rain, and to a lesser extent exposure, which is 

in turn closely linked to elevation. In lowland areas, 

where the least rain falls, dry scrub and forest tends to 

dominate. In certain coastal areas which are affected by 

sea spray, a thin band of littoral forest is found. Wetter 

riparian forests are found along the many ravines, or 

ghauts, that run down from the mountains to the coast. 

As elevation increases, so does rainfall, and the forest 

changes from dry to mesic and eventually wet forest at 

the higher altitudes. Elfin woodland occurs at the 

exposed peaks of the highest mountains. The Centre 

Hills are predominantly covered by mesic and wet 

forest, with small areas of elfin woodland at the peaks 

and dry forest at lower elevations. See Fig. 2.4 below for 

a map of the predicted pre‐human vegetation cover on 

Montserrat (also excluding any impacts from volcanic 

activity). 

The majority of Montserrat’s natural vegetation 

has been heavily modified following the arrival of 

Europeans in the 17th century. Only small fragments of 

pristine habitat at the highest elevations and on the 

steepest slopes of the Soufrière and Centre Hills remain 

after centuries of intensive exploitation. Forest was 

cleared mostly for the cultivation of sugar cane, and 

other cash crops such as cotton, banana and tobacco. 

The large scale forest clearance has resulted in a number 

of environmental problems, such as changes to water 

catchments, flooding, and significant loss of topsoil 

through erosion in areas such as the Silver Hills. 

Agricultural production declined during the 20th century, which allowed forest in the Soufrière and 

Centre Hills to regenerate naturally, and this has been 

supplemented by private and public reforestation efforts 

in these areas. However, many alien trees and other 

plant species remain in the secondary forest, so in terms 

of plant species composition, it is considerably modified 

from the original native forest. Natural lowland habitats 

in Montserrat remain very restricted in extent and are 

generally limited to narrow areas along steep sides of 

ghauts and small areas of littoral and dry scrub. 

Montserrat’s indigenous flora and fauna has also 

been modified through the introduction of non‐native 

mammals. Amerindians are believed to have introduced 

vertebrate species for food such as agouti Dasyprocta 

antillensis, red‐footed tortoises Geochelone carbonia, and 

probably green iguanas Iguana iguana, but the 

unintentional introduction of black Rattus rattus and 

brown rats R. norvegicus by European settlers is highly 

likely to have had much more wide‐ranging impacts on 

Montserrat’s biota. Other invasive alien species include 

marine toads Bufo marinus, house mice Mus musculus, 

feral cats Felis catus and pigs Sus scrofa and various plant 

taxa. 

On 18th July 1995, following a three‐year period of 

increased seismic activity, the Soufrière Hills volcano 

began erupting. The eruption has been characterised by 

the repeated growth and collapse of a lava dome with 

associated pyroclastic flows, vulcanian explosion and 

debris flows, similar to the activity that produced the 

ancient deposits making up the rest of the island. Since 

1995, pyroclastic and mud flows and rock and ash falls 

have destroyed the capital Plymouth and other southern 

settlements, with the loss of 19 lives. The southern 60% 

of the island has been completely evacuated and an 

exclusion zone established. A large number of 

Montserratians relocated abroad, resulting in the 

population falling from 11,000 to around 4,000 people, 

with approximately 5,000 people currently living on the 

island. At the time of writing the volcano remains 

highly active and continues to affect the lives of 

Montserratians. 

The volcano has had a major impact on the forest 

and other habitats in the south of Montserrat, with most 

vegetation completely destroyed, including the pristine 

habitats at the peaks of the Soufrière Hills. Only a small 

forested area on the south‐eastern flanks of the South 

Soufrière Hills remains, which due its topography 

escaped pyroclastic flow. The rapid destruction of 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

33 


vegetation resulted in large scale habitat loss for a 

number of Montserrat’s endemic and endangered 

species and has presumably resulted in large population 

declines for many. As a result of habitat destruction in 

the south, approximately 60% of forest cover in 

Montserrat was lost. 

2.2. Need for project 

The Centre Hills now supports the largest 

remaining tract of forest in Montserrat and consequently 

supports the majority of its biodiversity, including a 

large number of island endemic species. It is also a key 

site for numerous globally threatened species. For 

example, the Centre Hills area is the only known site on 

earth for the extremely rare and almost unknown 

Montserrat galliwasp Diploglossus montisserrati, a sub‐ 

species of the yellow‐shouldered bat, as well as an 

endemic orchid Epidendrum montserratense and species of 

shrub Rondeletia buxifolia which both occur in the 

foothills. The Centre Hills supports the world’s largest 

population of the endemic Critically Endangered 

Montserrat oriole and very possibly of the Critically 

Endangered mountain chicken frog Leptodactylus fallax 

and Vulnerable forest thrush Cichlerminia lherminieri. 

The contiguous forest of the Centre Hills encompasses 

the largest and least disturbed areas of all the major 

terrestrial vegetation types that occur in Montserrat. 

The Centre Hills is also now by far the most 

important site in terms of the provision of ecosystem 

services for Montserrat. It is the most important water 

catchment and supplies the vast majority of Montserrat’s 

human water supply. The forest cover is essential to the 

regulation of the water supply and prevention of 

flooding at lower elevations. The forest also prevents 

soil erosion, which would lead to the siltation of streams 

and localised marine habitats. Being the largest forested 

area it is also extremely important for carbon 

sequestration and local climate regulation. It is 

noteworthy that the services provided by the Centre 

Hills and their economic value have never been studied 

and quantified. Nevertheless, the Centre Hills forest is 

undoubtly of great importance both for Montserrat and 

for its international environmental obligations. It needs 

to be protected and sustainably managed to conserve its 

biodiversity and ecosystem services. 

The Centre Hills also provides Montserrat with a 

range of aesthetic, cultural and recreational values. For 

example, it supports the main populations of the 

national bird, the Montserrat oriole, and the national 

plant, Heliconia caribaea, and has a network of trails 

which are used by Montserratians and visitors. It also 

has financial value, generating income from tourism, 

and also on a smaller scale from the extraction of non‐ 

timber forest products, for example, mountain chicken 

hunting. 

2.2.1. Threats to Centre Hills biodiversity 

Habitat destruction 

Currently, habitat destruction in the Lesser 

Antilles is primarily driven by pressure for tourist and 

urban development, and for agricultural land. In the 

Centre Hills of Montserrat, however, forest destruction 

has been minimal in recent years. Since 2000, the core 

area of the Centre Hills forest at mid to upper elevations 

has received statutory protection under the Protected 

Forest Order and Forest Reserve Order of the Forestry, 

Wildlife, National Parks and Protected Areas Act. The 

boundary of the forest reserve was demarcated in 2002 

encompassing an area of 11.3 km2 . Land within the 

reserve is owned by private individuals and estates 

(60%) and by the Crown (40%). Through the Orders, 

restrictions are placed on activities within the forest 

boundary, including on clearing of land, cutting trees, 

grazing livestock and littering, and there are provisions 

for the establishment of management agreements with 

landowners. However no management plan has ever 

been implemented for the Centre Hills and the 

Department of Environment, which has a mandate over 

protected areas, has no regulations or enforcement codes 

under which to effectively manage activities within the 

forest boundary. Furthermore, much of the contiguous 

area of the Centre Hills forest at lower elevations lies 

outside of this forest reserve boundary, particularly on 

the eastern flank of the hills. Due to lower rainfall at 

these elevations, this tends to be dry forest which is 

vulnerable to further clearance and over‐grazing. 

Across the Lesser Antilles, dry forests occur in the 

lowlands nearer to the coast, and are therefore more 

susceptible to development pressure than higher 

altitude and relief rainforest areas. This is true of 

Montserrat, where mesic and wet forest are subject to 

relatively little pressure for clearance, because they are 

typically on steep slopes that are difficult to access and 

vital for watershed protection, but dry forest has been 

largely destroyed. 

Minor incursions for building development 

during the post‐volcano reconstruction have caused 

relatively small‐scale forest loss on the west and north‐ 

west flanks of the hills outside of the reserve boundary, 

as have agricultural clearances. Conversely, there has 

been considerable forest regeneration (reverting from 

agricultural land) in the east of the Centre Hills during 

the last ca.20 years (J. Daley & P. Murrain pers. comm.). It 

is important to point out that there has hitherto been no 

monitoring of landcover in the Centre Hills area, so 

there is no quantitative information on changes in forest 

cover. 

Forest patch configuration 

The Centre Hills is currently favoured by being a 

relatively continuous forest block, with a roughly 

circular shape (see Chapter 3 for vegetation map). This 

minimises the edge‐effects that can be damaging to 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


small tropical forest blocks (Laurance et al., 2002; Watson 

et al., 2004). 

We do not know anything about patterns of 

movement of animals and plants between the larger, 

now destroyed, southern forest block and the surviving 

Centre Hills forest. One can speculate that some species 

in the Centre Hills existed as sink populations that were 

maintained by immigration from the larger, higher and 

possibly more natural southern forests. Any such sinks 

would now be ‘exposed’ by the loss of the southern 

forests. Current forest bird monitoring data indicates 

that this is not likely to have been the case to a major 

extent for any of the forest bird species, since none have 

shown consistent declines since the loss of the southern 

forests. Nevertheless, both brown trembler and 

Montserrat oriole have shown apparent declines during 

parts of the 1997‐2006 period, and it is possible that 

immigration from the south would have boosted their 

populations in earlier periods. 

In any event, the existence of two largely 

separate, substantial sized forest blocks in Montserrat – 

the Centre Hills and the Soufrière/South Soufrière Hills ‐ 

likely reduced the extinction risk for many species, by 

reducing the probability that a single catastrophic or 

stochastic event could eliminate the whole‐island 

population. This is particularly so if the negative factors 

that affected the two forest blocks – for example rat 

population explosions, hurricanes, droughts and 

volcanic eruptions – did not occur simultaneously at 

both sites. 

Isolation and edge‐effects are likely to be most 

severe for the degraded dry forest areas that are 

contiguous with the main Centre Hills forest block, 

predominantly in the north‐east of the island. 

Invasive alien animals 

Both black (ship) rats and brown (Norway) rats 

occur in the Centre Hills, having been introduced since 

European settlement. Rat numbers appear to vary 

greatly between years, but are generally high, often 

exceptionally high, even up to the summits of the hills 

(Montserrat Centre Hills Project, unpubl. data). In other 

island ecosystems, rats are known to reduce tree 

regeneration, greatly reduce macro‐invertebrate and 

small herptile abundance and to predate birds’ eggs and 

chicks (Allen et al., 1994; Wilson et al., 2003; Towns et al., 

2006). Recent research work in the Centre Hills has 

confirmed that rats (apparently mostly black rats) are 

major predators of Montserrat oriole nests, and also 

predate forest thrush nests (G.A.L. Gray pers. comm.). 

Population models show that rat predation is sufficient 

to drive a decline in the Montserrat oriole population in 

the Centre Hills in some years. 

The status of feral cats in the Centre Hills is 

unclear. Signs of cats have been found in remote areas of 

the Centre Hills, as has evidence of cat predation on 

forest thrush and bridled quail‐doves Geotrygon mystacea 

(G.M. Hilton pers. obs.). It has not been definitively 

demonstrated that there is a true feral population, rather 

than just wandering domestic animals, though the 

former seems probable. There is no information on the 

cat population density or impacts of cats on Centre Hills’ 

biodiversity, but it is a cause for concern. The dense rat 

(and house mouse) population seems likely to be 

capable of sustaining a relatively large cat population, 

which could in turn have a significant predatory impact 

on native birds, reptiles and amphibians. Fortunately, 

the small Indian mongoose Herpestes auropunctatus, 

which is a major conservation problem on some West 

Indian islands (Stattersfield et al., 1998; Kairo et al., 2003), 

is not present on Montserrat. 

Feral pigs are thought to be a relatively new 

problem on Montserrat, having appeared in the Centre 

Hills since 2000, following the escape of domestic stock 

from abandoned agricultural areas in the south of the 

island. They spread through much of the Centre Hills 

with astonishing speed until a major control effort in 

2003‐4 pushed them back to the south‐eastern edges of 

the hills. Since the relaxation of control, populations are 

recovering, and pig‐sign was once again recorded near 

the summit of Katy Hill – relatively northward in the 

hills ‐ during 2005. Hitherto, the impact of pigs has been 

relatively slight, because they have not had time to reach 

high densities. In some island forests, such as in Hawaii, 

pigs have had catastrophic impacts, effectively 

destroying forests by preventing regeneration. In other 

islands, they have less massive, but still important 

impacts as predators and herbivores (Kessler, 2001; 

Schuyler et al., 2001; Sweitzer & Van Vuren, 2004). Their 

ultimate impact on the Centre Hills if the population is 

not checked is unclear. They are likely to be effective 

predators of ground‐nesting birds and we speculate that 

they could have a disastrous predatory impact on larger 

terrestrial herptiles, such as mountain chicken and 

Montserrat galliwasp (Kessler, 2001; GISD, 2006a). Their 

rooting activities may significantly deplete riparian 

Heliconia stands (G.M. Hilton pers. obs.), which could 

cause loss of Montserrat oriole nests and nesting 

territories. Whether they become significant ecosystem 

engineers, changing habitat structure and even, 

ultimately, destroying the forest remains to be seen. 

Agoutis and house mice are widespread and 

abundant in the Centre Hills, the former probably 

introduced by Carib Indians (Blankenship, 1990) and the 

latter presumably by Europeans. Their impacts are 

unknown. They may have some indirect effects, for 

example by affecting plant community composition 

through herbivory, and, in the case of mice, reducing 

invertebrate populations through predation (GISD, 

2006d). 

Large domestic grazing mammals regularly make 

incursions into the Centre Hills, especially goats Capra 

hircus and cattle Bos taurus. The former are a concern. 

As with cats, it is not clear whether there is a true feral 

population, or simply poorly controlled domestic stock, 

and it is not clear whether they are currently increasing. 

Both species can have major effects on forest vegetation 

structure (GISD, 2006c, b). 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

35 


Fig. 2.7. Destruction of vegetation along one of the ghauts 

in the southern Centre Hills by ash and mud flow in 2006 

(Photo: DOE, MALHE) 

Alien fruit trees and opportunistic generalists 

In parts of the Centre Hills, alien fruit trees such 

as bananas Musa acuminata and mangos Mangifera indica 

are relatively abundant, a consequence of a long history 

of agriculture within and around the site. Most native 

fruit species produce relatively small fruits, whereas 

some of the alien species produce large fruits that are 

highly profitable to vertebrate frugivores. It is notable 

that in the Centre Hills opportunistic generalists (e.g. 

rats and pearly‐eyed thrashers Margarops fuscata) are 

extremely abundant. The density of pearly‐eyed 

thrashers in the Centre Hills is among the highest in 

their range (Arendt, 2006). This may simply reflect the 

fact that Montserrat is a relatively species‐poor island 

ecosystem that is subject to periodic catastrophic 

disturbance; this situation tends to lead to communities 

that are species‐poor, supporting high densities of a few 

adaptable species (MacArthur et al., 1972). Another (not 

mutually exclusive) hypothesis is that the abundance of 

alien fruit trees (and perhaps other anthropogenic food 

sources such as small agricultural plots) permits these 

opportunists to reach very high densities. Both as 

competitors and predators, rats and thrashers can have 

important detrimental effects on a wide range of native 

flora and fauna. They are notable predators of other 

small vertebrates, including birds’ nests, and major 

consumers of large invertebrates (Arendt, 2006; Towns et 

al., 2006). Thus it is possible that anthropogenic changes 

to the plant community composition in the Centre Hills, 

have led to an ecosystem which favours opportunistic‐ 

generalists to an excessive degree, with negative 

consequences for other fauna. Direct evidence for such a 

syndrome is currently lacking and further research is 

needed. 

Catastrophic disturbance 

Montserrat is subject to both hurricanes and 

volcanic eruptions. Both of these are of course natural 

events, which have occurred throughout Montserrat’s 

history, and one would therefore expect the fauna and 

flora to be resilient. However, such events now occur in 

an anthropogenically modified landscape. For example, 

much of Montserrat’s forest (though relatively little of 

the hill ranges) has been cleared for human activities, so 

the natural habitat blocks are smaller and more isolated. 

This may make populations more vulnerable to 

extinction because they are smaller and less able to move 

between refugia. Secondly, a number of invasive alien 

plant and animal species have been introduced to the 

island since human colonisation. Typically, successful 

alien species are opportunists, adept at exploiting 

disturbed areas. Thus, the disturbances caused by 

hurricanes and eruptions may enhance the spread of 

alien species in modern Montserrat, with detrimental 

effects on native wildlife. 

Hurricane Hugo, one of the most powerful 

storms in Caribbean history, passed directly over the 

island in October 1989, with massive impacts on human 

society. There were also enormous ecological effects, 

with defoliation of forests, and substantial tree‐fall. 

Interestingly, there was some anecdotal evidence that 

the steeply incised valleys of the hill ranges served as 

refugia because defoliation in these more sheltered areas 

was less severe. 

The ongoing eruption of the Soufrière Hills 

volcano since 1996 has caused many major ash‐falls in 

the Centre Hills, as well as acid rain. During late 1996 to 

early 1998, ashfalls were very frequent. After this 

period, ash‐falls tended to be more infrequent one‐off 

events (e.g. in July 1998, 2001 and 2003), although 

absolute quantities of ash deposited were vast. Forest 

bird monitoring data indicates that many bird species 

showed substantial declines in the months following 

major ash‐falls (Dalsgaard et al., 2007). However, these 

declines were neither catastrophic nor long‐lived, with 

recovery in subsequent years. Overall, most forest bird 

populations were at least as numerous in 2005 as in the 

early stages of the eruption in 1997 (though pre‐eruption 

densities are not known). There is good evidence that 

arboreal arthropod populations are significantly 

depleted by ash‐falls (Marske, 2004). However, these 

effects are short‐lived – perhaps of the order of a few 

months. This suggests a mechanism for the observed 

declines in bird species following ash‐falls: a marked but 

short‐lived reduction in arthropod food availability. 


The specific risks posed by anthropogenic climate 

change to the Centre Hills ecosystem are largely 

unknown. However, the predicted significant and rapid 

shifts in temperature and precipitation patterns clearly 

could have a major impact on the Centre Hills. As has 

been observed elsewhere, the impacts of climate change 

are likely to first occur in animal and plant communities 

at higher elevations. This is a particular concern, since 

the area of land at high elevations is naturally small. 

The potential increase in frequency and strength of 

extreme weather events, such as hurricanes, poses 

another obvious risk. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


Threats – Conclusions 

In refreshing contrast to many forest areas in the 

tropics, Montserrat’s Centre Hills do not appear to be in 

imminent danger of conversion for human use. Of 

much greater immediate concern is historic, ongoing 

and perhaps accelerating degradation by alien invasive 

species. Urgent attention to the potentially catastrophic 

threat to the forest from feral pigs is required. 

Catastrophic natural events, while a natural 

feature of Caribbean islands, are also a major risk to 

biodiversity. If more than one negative factor (unusual 

precipitation, hurricanes and volcanic eruptions) occurs 

close together in time, then populations with limited 

ranges are clearly vulnerable to extinction. 

A crucial point to note is that any assessment of 

threats to the Centre Hills is severely limited by lack of 

monitoring data. There are no historical data‐sets, or 

current monitoring programmes which permit changes 

in forest cover, forest habitat types, or alien species to be 

detected. Even weather data, which might elucidate the 

relationships between climate and population trends, 

are scarce due to the disruption caused by the volcanic 

crisis. This lack of monitoring is a significant threat in 

itself, since any negative population trends in key 

species cannot be diagnosed and rectified. An 

integrated pressure‐state‐response monitoring scheme is 

urgently required. 

2.2.2. The Centre Hills management plan project 

Since its inception, the CHBA has become a major 

component of the Centre Hills Project (CHP), a UK 

Government Darwin Initiative‐funded project which is 

working to achieve the goal of “enabling the people of 

Montserrat to effectively manage the Centre Hills and 

associated resources” for biodiversity conservation and 

sustainable natural resource use. The key activities of 

the project include institutional capacity building, 

training, a socioeconomic assessment, legislative review, 

outreach programme, ecological research as well as the 

CHBA. The CHP commenced in June 2005 and is due to 

run to March 2008. It is a collaboration of the Ministry 

of Agriculture, Lands, Housing and The Environment 

(MALHE), Royal Society of the Protection of Birds 

(RSPB), Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (RBG‐Kew), 

Montserrat National Trust (MNT), Durrell Wildlife 

Conservation Trust (Durrell) plus the Montserrat Tourist 

Board. Information on how biodiversity is distributed, 

the status of species of conservation concern, and threats 

to biodiversity is needed to help set conservation 

priorities and inform the design of a Management Plan 

and Protected Area for the Centre Hills. 

2.2.3. National and international obligations to 

biodiversity conservation 

The CHBA (and CHP) will help Montserrat meet 

its national and international obligations for biodiversity 

conservation and sustainable natural resources use. 

These obligations include Montserrat’s Environmental 

Charter obligation “To safeguard and restore native species, 

habitats and landscape features, and control or eradicate 

invasive species”. It will also help achieve one of the ‘St. 

Georges’ Declaration Of Principles for Environmental 

Sustainability in the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean 

Fig. 2.8. Topographical map of the Centre Hills showing the existing forest reserve boundary and the location of the 30 

CHBA points. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

37 


States’ to protect plant and animal species; “The flora and 

fauna and the ecosystems of the region will be conserved and 

protected. At the same time, the people and authorities must 

prevent the introduction of alien and modified species which 

may have a negative impact on the environment and their 

health. Endangered species and their habitats will be secured 

and protected.” The Convention on Biological Diversity 

(CBD) obliges countries to adopt a National Biodiversity 

Strategy and produce Action Plans for the conservation 

of biodiversity and the sustainable use of the 

components of biodiversity. Scientifically robust 

information on the status, value and endangerment of 

biodiversity of the Centre Hills will underpin the 

development of such strategies, targets and action plans. 

Although Montserrat has to date not yet acceded to the 

CBD, the MALHE expects completion of this process in 

the near future and it is one of the highest priorities of 

the newly established Department of Environment 

(DoE). 

2.3. Scope of the project 

2.3.1. Project objectives 

The primary objectives of the CHBA project were to: 

• inventory the biodiversity of the Centre Hills, 

Montserrat, by collating existing data and 

sampling a number of indicator taxa, including: 

• plants and habitats 

• invertebrates, with emphasis on beetles 

(Coleoptera) 

• amphibians 

• reptiles 

• birds 

• bats 

• evaluate the status of species of particular 

biodiversity value and conservation concern, 

• map spatial patterns in biodiversity and 

important sites for key species to identify ‘key 

biodiversity areas’, 

• produce a classified habitat map of the Centre 

Hills, 

• assess the threats posed by invasive plants, 

• assess the status of introduced black and brown 

rats and their potential impact on indigenous 

flora and fauna, 

• provide a baseline biodiversity dataset and data 

collection protocols for future monitoring, 

• make recommendations for conservation 

priorities within the Centre Hills, and the 

management requirements of species and habitats 

of biodiversity value and conservation concern, 

and, 

• build capacity in MALHE for the design, 

implementation and analysis of biodiversity 

assessments and ecological surveys. 

2.3.2. Research design 

The indicator taxa outlined above were sampled 

at 28 sample points (CHBA points) distributed randomly 

across the Centre Hills (randomly selected from the 149 

sample points used for the Montserrat Forest Bird 

Monitoring Programme), but stratified by altitude so 

that each 100m altitude band was sampled in proportion 

to its area (Fig. 2.8). Two additional points were 

established outside of the immediate vicinity of the 

Centre Hills, in order to increase the sampling effort in 

dry forest habitat. This ‘stratified random design’ was 

employed to obtain an unbiased and representative 

sample of the biodiversity of the Centre Hills. This 

formal study was supplemented by the collation of 

historical data, analysis of previous plant and insect 

collections, recording incidental observations and ad‐hoc 

surveys of areas of particular interest. The teams of 

experts visited each CHBA point on one or more 

occasions to carry out data collection; methods for 

different taxonomic groups are outlined in the relevant 

chapters. A number of additional sample points were 

established and visited as part of the plant survey to 

collect data in order to ground‐truth a habitat map (see 

Chapter 3). Plants, amphibians and reptiles were 

surveyed in the wet season of 2005 and the dry season of 

2006. Invertebrates, bats and rats were surveyed during 

the wet season of 2005 only. 

Data on bird diversity was supplied from the 

MALHE/RSPB‐led Montserrat Forest Bird Monitoring 

programme. This programme has run since 1997 and 

has produced a large body of information on the 

avifauna of the Centre Hills. Details of the design of the 

Montserrat Forest Bird Monitoring programme and 

associated data collection protocols are given in Box 5. 

Additionally, the CHBA project was also able to utilise 

information collected by Scott Pedersen and team from 

South Dakota State University (SDSU) as part of a long 

term (1978‐) bat monitoring programme on Montserrat. 

2.3.3. Project outputs 

The outputs of the CHBA project will be as follows: 

• A published technical report 

• A biodiversity database linked to the 

Montserrat’s national Geographical Information 

System (GIS) held on the MALHE computer 

network 

• A vegetation map of Montserrat 

• A minimum of two articles published in peer‐ 

reviewed scientific journals 

• Strengthened biodiversity assessment and 

monitoring skills in MALHE and MNT 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


References 

Allen, R.B., Lee, W.G., & Rance, B.D. (1994). 

Regeneration in indigenous forest after eradication of 

Norway rats, Breaksea Island, New Zealand. New 

Zealand Journal of Botany, 32, 429‐439. 

Arendt, W.J. (2006). Adaptations of an avian supertramp: 

distribution, ecology, and life history of the pearly‐eyed 

thrasher (Margarops fuscatus). Gen. Tech. Rep. 27. U.S. 

Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, 

International Institute of Tropical Forestry, San Juan, 

Puerto Rico, p. 404. 

Blankenship, J. (1990). The Wildlife of Montserrat. 

Montserrat National Trust, Plymouth, Montserrat, 

West Indies. 

Dalsgaard, B., Hilton, G., Gray, G., Aymer, L., 

Boatswain, J., Daley, J., Fenton, C., Martin, J., Martin, 

L., Murrain, P., Arendt, W., Gibbons, D. & Olesen, J. 

(2007). Impacts of a volcanic eruption on the forest 

bird community of Montserrat, Lesser Antilles. Ibis, 

149, 298‐312. 

GISD (2006a). Global Inasive Species Database ‐ Sus 

scrofa. IUCN SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group. 

GISD (2006b). Global Invasive Species Database ‐ Bos 

taurus. IUCN SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group. 

GISD (2006c). Global Invasive Species Database ‐ Capra 

hircus. IUCN SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group. 

GISD (2006d). Global Invasive Species Database ‐ Mus 

musculus. IUCN SSC Invasive Species Specialist 

Group. 

Kairo, M., Ali, B., Cheesman, O., Haysom, K. & Murphy, 

S. (2003). Invasive Species Threats in the Caribbean 

Region. Report to The Nature Conservancy. CAB 

International, Curepe, Trinidad & Tobago. 

Kessler, C.C. (2001). Eradication of feral goats and pigs 

and consequences for other biota on Sarigan Islands, 

Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. In: 

Veitch, C.R., Clout, M.N. (Eds.), Turning the tide: the 

eradication of invasive species. IUCN, Gland, 

Switzerland & Cambridge, UK, pp. 132‐140. 


E.M., Didham, R.K., Stouffer, P.C., Gascon, C., Bier‐ 

regaard, R.O., Laurance, S.G. & Sampaio, E. (2002). 



618. 

MacArthur, R.H., Diamond, J.M. & Karr, J.R. (1972). 

Density compensation in island faunas. Ecology, 53, 

330‐342. 

Marske, K.A. (2004). Effects of volcanic ash on the insect 

food of the Montserrat Oriole Icterus oberi Lawrence 

1880. Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, 

p. X + 178. 

Myers, N., Mittermeier, R.A., Mittermeier, C.G., da 

Fonseca, G.A.B. & Kent, J. (2000) Biodiversity 

hotspots for conservation priorities. Nature, 403, 853‐ 

858. 

Schuyler, P.T., Garcelon, D.K. & Escover, S. (2001). 

Eradication of feral pigs (Sus scrofa) on Santa 

Catalina Island, California, USA. In: Veitch, C.R., 

Clout, M.N. (Eds.), 

Turning the tide: the eradication of invasive species. IUCN 

SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group, Gland, 

Switzerland & Cambridge, UK, pp. 274‐286. 

Stattersfield, A.J., Crosby, M.J., Long, A.J. & Wege, D.C. 

(1998). Endemic Bird Areas of the World. Birdlife 

International, Cambridge, UK. 

Sweitzer, R. & Van Vuren, D. (2004). Effects of wild pigs in 

oak woodland ecosystems in California. Ecological 

Society of America 2004 Annual Meeting, Portland, 

Oregon. 

Towns, D.R., Atkinson, I.A.E. & Daugherty, C.H. (2006). 

Have the harmful effects of introduced rats on 

islands been exaggerated? Biological Invasions, 8, 863‐ 

891. 

Watson, J.E.M., Whittaker, R.J. & Dawson, T.P. (2004). 

Habitat structure and proximity to forest edge affect 

the abundance and distribution of forest‐dependent 

birds in tropical coastal forests of southeastern 

Madagascar. Biological Conservation 120, 311‐327. 

Wilson, D.J., Lee, W.G., Webster, R.A. & Allen, R.B. 

(2003). Effects of possums and rats on seedling 

establishment at two forest sites in New Zealand. 

New Zealand Journal of Ecology, 27, 147‐155. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

39 


3. Plants and habitats of the Centre Hills and Montserrat 


3.1. A brief history of botanical collection in 


Compared to other islands in the Caribbean, 

Montserrat has received little botanical exploration. The 

earliest botanical collections made in Montserrat were 

by John Ryan in the late eighteenth century. He lived 

and worked on the island as a physician and a 

plantation owner for several years. During this time, 

Ryan collected the type specimen of the small tree 

Xylosma serratum, endemic to Montserrat. Most of his 

collections are held in the Copenhagen Herbarium in 

Denmark, his home country. 

The West Indies received notable botanical 

studies in the form of two important Floras between the 

late eighteenth and mid nineteenth centuries – Swartz’s 

Flora Indiae Occidentalis (1797) and Grisbach’s Flora of the 

British West Indian Islands (1859‐1864). Although these 

works were important in the context of the West Indies 

and specifically for the British Territories, they lack 

detailed botanical information pertaining to the flora of 


The 20th century brought new botanical explorers 

to Montserrat; however, the majority of these explorers 

spent little time on the island. Based on the collections 

held in the Kew Herbarium, the following botanists 

collected in Montserrat during this era: Robson, W. 

between 1907‐1911; Squire, F.A in 1937; Beard, J.S. in 

1944; Proctor, G.R. in 1959; Price, W.R. in 1969; Adams, 

Bryan R. in 1976‐1977; and Brussel, D. A. in 1977. 

It was not until 1979 that an extensive checklist 

was produced of the flora of Montserrat. This was 

achieved as part of Richard Howard’s work to produce 

the Flora of the Lesser Antilles (1979). This is currently the 

most important and comprehensive botanical inventory 

of Montserrat and the other islands in the Lesser 

Antilles. 

During the current effort to record Montserratian 

collection information held at Kew, and Howard’s 

collections recovered from the old Botanical Station in 

Plymouth, in the UK Overseas Territories Species and 

Specimens Database [BRAHMS software, http:// 

herbaria.plants.ox.ac.uk/bol/home/], only a few 

examples from the Centre Hills were noted. The 

majority of herbarium specimen collections over the 

years appear to have been made in the southern part of 

the island. This is a useful record of what may have 

been lost to the volcano; however, it highlights the lack 

of botanical knowledge for the rest of the island, 

particularly the Centre Hills. 

3.2. Data collection methods and progress 

The aim of the plant survey within the 

biodiversity assessment was to gather baseline 

information on the flora of Montserrat (to supplement 

Howard’s checklist), map the major vegetation types 

that occur across the island and investigate patterns in 

plant diversity within the Centre Hills. This is being 

achieved though the collection of plant specimens and 

seeds, site records, and vegetation surveys throughout 

the Centre Hills, including at the 30 CHBA points. 

Different habitats are visited to develop a wider 

knowledge of plant species composition. Additionally 

time is spent in other areas of the island, such as the 

Silver Hills, so as to increase the understanding of the 

island’s different ecosystems and species that occupy 

these areas. 

Herbarium specimen collections are made 

according to the methods outlined in The Herbarium 

Handbook (Bridson & Forman, 1998). In general, 

specimens in flower and/or fruit are collected to increase 

the likelihood of a fully determined specimen. Where a 

species has been previously collected and determined, a 

“Site Record” is made. In this case no plant material is 

collected; however, locality notes, GPS coordinates, and 

habitat details are recorded. This provides a better idea 

of particular habitats that are preferred by certain 

species and enables calculation of a species extent of 

occurrence. Site Records are also important in tracking 

the spread of invasive species. 

Special collections can be made, such as 

germplasm collections. For example, seeds were 

collected of two endemic species from Montserrat for 

long‐term storage. Seed collection procedures follow the 

Millennium Seed Bank guidelines. The full publication 

can be found at www.kew.org/msbp/internat/ 

fieldmanual.html. 

All of the records that are made in the field are 

directly entered into a PDA‐GPS (http:// 

www.garmin.com/products/iQueM5/) and later 

uploaded to the UKOTs Species and Specimens 

Database. Plant species collections, site records and 

habitats are, in general, photographically documented. 

All data collected are repatriated to Montserrat through 

the Physical Planning Department (PPD) as part of the 

national GIS. 

The initial assessment of plant diversity has 

provided baseline data on species composition, habitat 

structure, and given clues to habitat preferences of some 

species and allowed vegetation and habitat indicators to 

be identified. Many of the plant species recorded at 

CHBA points were not in flower or fruit when the initial 

assessments were undertaken. The presence of 

flowering and/or fruiting material is vital for accurate 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


Meters or % 

Number of Species 

12 

10 

8 

6 

4 

2 

0 

600 

500 

400 

300 

200 

100 

0 

10.66 

Wet Forest 

62.5 

Mesic 

Forest 

589.33 

60 70 

18.33 

Forest Type 

48.88 

Dry/Mesic 

Transition 

identification to the species level. Consequently many 

plant taxa remain identified to family or genus level 

only. In some cases identification was not possible even 

to the family level and these taxa remain unknown. 

Monitoring of the CHBA points will continue until firm 

identifications are possible. 

At each of the CHBA points, data on a number of 

variables were recorded. These data have been analysed 

to determine the structure (e.g. species presence at 

338.44 

17.5 

Dry Forest 

Average Altitude (m) 

Average Canopy Cover % 

Average Slope % 

Average Canopy Height (m) 

Fig. 3.1. Average values of canopy, slope, & altitude recorded at the Montserrat CHBA points. 

8.5 

7.33 

7.16 

4.83 

0 

1.16 

9.94 

7.66 

6 6 

2.5 

0.5 

0.16 

8 

8 

3 

0.5 

Wet Forest Mesic Forest Dry/Mesic 

Transition 

Forest Type 

Fig. 3.2. Average number of species recorded at the Montserrat CHBA points across the different forest types broken down 

into forest type structural elements. 

ground layer, understory and canopy) of the different 

forest types (see section 3.3 for description of forest 

types), species composition and richness within forest 

types, and to determine differences in elevation and 

slope amongst the forest types. Summary data are 

shown in Figures 3.1 and 3.2. 

Three major collecting field trips have been 

undertaken since the CHBA started (November 2005, 

February 2006 and May 2006). Data from the database, 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

41 


1.5 

52.5 

75 

8.5 

8.25 

283.5 

9.75 

6.75 

33.75 

2.75 

Dry Forest 

68.75 

0.75 

0 

195.5 

Average Number of Canopy 

Species 

Average Number of Understory 

Species 

Average Number of Ground 

Species 

Average Number of Climber 

Species 

Average Number of Invasive 

Species 

Average Number of Epiphytic 

Species

Field Work Date 

Collected within the 


presented in tables 3.1 and 3.2, show preliminary 

numbers of the collections made during these months. 

Depending on the type of plant, special 

collections are sometimes necessary to ensure 

appropriate material is available for taxonomists trying 

to name species. Special collections such as Carpological 

and Spirit Collections are made for plants with bulky 

fruits and delicate flowers, respectively. DNA 

collections can also be made for species of particular 

interest so that researchers can compare similar species 

or determine genetic diversity amongst populations. 

Leaf samples for DNA analysis are collected into silica 

gel to preserve the DNA. 

3.3. Diversity and status of plants in Montserrat 

3.3.1. The Montserrat plant species checklist 

To meet the need for baseline data on 

Montserrat’s plant diversity, a working species checklist 

for the island has been produced (see Appendix 1). A 

wide range of information sources have been consulted 

to make use of existing information including floras (in 

particular Howard’s Flora of the Lesser Antilles), 

checklists, monographs, and via personal 

communications. Species that have been verified to 

occur on Montserrat (i.e. via determined herbarium 

specimens) were added to the species checklist. 

Collected outside the 


Sightings by Kew’s UKOTs Programme staff and 

records from other sources indicating the possibility of a 

species occurring on Montserrat were added as 

‘candidate’ species to the list. These species will be 

confirmed on the checklist once herbarium specimens 

have been collected from the island and been positively 

determined. All data will be added to the UKOTs 

Species and Specimens Database (UKOTs Database). The 

full checklist will also be made available through the 

UKOTs website on the main Kew server (www.kew.org) 

and through BRAHMS On‐Line (www. 

herbaria.plants.ox.ac.uk/BOL/). 

All plant voucher specimens are deposited in the 

Kew Herbarium (K). Duplicates have been collected 

that can be repatriated to Montserrat once facilities have 

been established to house them. 

Species list categories 

Total Number of Records 

Nov-05 256 58 314 

Feb-06 145 34 179 

May-06 27 2 29 

TOTAL RECORDS 428 94 522 

Table 3.1. Number of database entries made, within and outside the Centre Hills during 3 field visits in 2005-2006. Note that 

“database entries”, in this context, is used to describe an individual record (independent of the collection type) and not a 

different species. 

Field Work Date 

Type of Collection 

Herbarium Sheet Spirit DNA Sight Record Carpological 

Nov-05 303 33 7 0 7 

Feb-06 117 12 8 53 1 

May-06 20 9 5 7 0 

COLLECTION 

TOTALS 

440 54 20 60 8 

Table 3.2. Number of database entries for each type of collection made during 3 field visits in 2005-2006. Note that 

“database entries”, in this context, is used to describe an individual record and not a different species or different 

collection. 

Accepted plant Family, Genus, and Species 

names (including subspecies, varieties etc.) are used at 

all times. Species names are qualified by their 

appropriate authors. Common names are listed but 

emphasis is given to ‘local’, Montserratian, names. 

Common names are derived from published sources e.g. 

Howard (1979) whilst local names have been gathered 

from Montserratians during the current fieldwork 

programme. Information regarding species life‐form and 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


dimensions is provided along with, in some cases, key 

identification features. Species habitat information is 

entered into the list if available. A notes field is added to 

capture other relevant information (e.g. useful historical 

information, known localities, etc.). All information 

sources are referenced accordingly for each species 

entry. In general, the species list categories follow the 

layout of any standard species checklist. However, there 

are a number of important categories (listed below) that 

need special mention in this case. 

Plant category 

Each species is given an identification code and is 

assigned to one of the following categories: 

Dicotyledons (Dicots), Monocotyledons (Monocots), 

Pteridophytes, or Gymnosperms. This is particularly 

useful for the production of field lists. 

Biogeography 

The bio‐geographical categories are as follows: 

• Endemic to Montserrat: species range restricted 

to Montserrat. 

• Endemic to the Lesser Antilles: species range 

restricted to the Lesser Antilles (as defined by 

Howard (1979) the islands from Anguilla in the 

north to Grenada in the south and Barbados in 

the east). 

• Restricted range: species range exceeds Lesser 

Antilles but is restricted to a small area outside 

the Lesser Antilles. 

• Caribbean: species range does not exceed the 

Caribbean Islands: i.e. Greater and Lesser 

Antilles, Bahamas archipelago, Trinidad and 

Tobago. 

• Peri‐Caribbean: species range exceeds Caribbean 

but is restricted to a small continental area. 

• Wider distribution: species range exceeds all of 

the above geographical categories. 

• Introduced: denotes that a species is introduced, 

i.e. ornamental/ food crop/ invasive, etc. 

‘Lesser Antilles Distribution’ and ‘Distribution’ Fields 

The Biogeography of a species is generated from 

information held in the fields Lesser Antilles Distribution 

and Distribution and they provide further information 

for the red‐listing and conservation planning process. 

The Lesser Antillean Island chain are listed north to 

south in the following order: Anguilla, St. Martin, St. 

Barthelemy, Barbuda, Antigua, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. 

Kitts, Nevis, Redonda, Montserrat, Guadeloupe, La 

Desirade, Marie Galante, Les Saintes, Dominica, 

Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, the Grenadines, 

Grenada, Barbados. The field Distribution is used if a 

species range exceeds that of the Lesser Antilles. 

Cultivated 

A cultivation category is provided if a species is 

under cultivation on Montserrat (i.e. ornamental, food 

plant, medicinal herb, culinary herb, environmental use 

[sand stabilization, wind break], etc). This information 

may lead to and assist in further ethno‐botanical study 

or for targeting potentially invasive species. 

Category Dicots Monocots Ferns Conifers Total 

Endemic to Montserrat 2 1 0 0 3 

Endemic to Lesser Antilles 51 9 10 0 70 

Restricted range 19 7 5 1 32 

Caribbean 84 15 10 0 109 

Peri-Caribbean 23 3 5 0 31 

Wider distribution 380 85 85 0 550 

Introduced 126 17 3 0 146 

VERIFIED SPECIES TOTALS 685 137 118 1 941 

Candidate native 2 1 0 0 3 

Candidate introduced 43 4 0 1 48 

CANDIDATE SPECIES TOTALS 45 5 0 1 51 

Table 3.3. Total numbers of plant species in Montserrat by plant category & biogeography 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

43 


Invasiveness 

Information is being compiled on known and so 

far unreported introduced (non‐native) plant species 

occurring in Montserrat. These species are being 

monitored by Kew’s UKOTs Programme staff and local 

project partners during field trips and are rated 

according to the degree to which they threaten native 

plant species and habitats. The following categories are 

used to rate species’ invasiveness: 

• Naturalized 

• Naturalized and spreading 

• Invasive 

Summarised totals 

The total number of verified species for 

Montserrat is 941 (see Table 3.3). Of these, three are 

known endemics to Montserrat, 70 are endemic to the 

Lesser Antilles, and another five species’ ranges exceed 

the Lesser Antilles but are restricted to a small area 

outside the Lesser Antilles. Potentially, Montserrat is 

home to 78 plant species of global conservation concern. 

These 78 restricted‐range species comprise the 

Candidate Red List (see Box 1) and will be the focus of 

investigation in the next phase of botanical work 

following the CHBA. 

3.3.2. Threats to Montserrat’s flora 

Threats to the flora of the Centre Hills are mainly 

restricted to feral mammals. Both pigs and rats are of 

major concern due to rooting up of vegetation by pigs 

and loss of seeds/seedlings to rats. On the periphery of 

the Centre Hills, clearance of vegetation for rural and 

urban development is a potential threat as this 

disturbance often breaks the contiguous forest, alters 

water tables/courses, causes erosion/silting, and allows 

access for non‐native species. 

Invasive alien species (IAS) are a major threat to 

the native biodiversity throughout the world and a 

recent review has highlighted their impacts in UK 

Overseas Territories (Varnham 2006). This review also 

highlighted the gaps in our knowledge of the current 

status of IAS and their impacts at a local level. Little 

information exists on the nature of the invasive plant 

threats in Montserrat and this situation is being 

addressed within the current project. An invasiveness 

field has been introduced to the Montserrat Species 

Checklist. Data to populate this field are being drawn 

from several sources: 

• Published species information to highlight 

species that are known to be non‐native to 


• Published sources of known invasive species (e.g. 

The Global Invasive Species Programme 

(www.gisp.org); the Invasive Species Specialist 

Group (www.issg.org); Florida Exotic Pest Plant 

Council (www.fleppc.org)). 

• Personal knowledge of invasive species in other 

Caribbean islands 

149 plant species are verified as having been 

introduced to Montserrat. There are another 45 species 

that are candidates, but not yet verified through 

herbarium specimens (See Appendix 3 for a full list of all 

non‐native species recorded from Montserrat). These species 

are being examined to determine which category of 

invasiveness they are best assigned to. 

The major invasive plant threats on Montserrat 

are currently outside the Centre Hills (as defined by the 

current 11.16 km2 forest feserve boundary) with 

relatively little evidence of invasive plants presenting a 

major threat within the core areas of the Centre Hills. 

However, in areas outside the Centre Hills several 

aggressive invasive plant species have established 

themselves and are negatively impacting the native 

biodiversity. The main effects are the replacement of 

native biota. 

Within the Centre Hills forest reserve 

Two key alien species have been identified that 

are being monitored by RBG‐Kew & MALHE Staff: 

• Spathoglottis plicata, an invasive ground orchid 

that is becoming well established within the 

Centre Hills and has been recorded in several 

forest types, including in Elfin Woodland at the 

top of Katy Hill. Originally from Asia this species 

is thought to have escaped from cultivation in 

Puerto Rico and is gradually spreading 

throughout the Caribbean. No major negative 

impacts have been observed yet, but this species 

has the potential to crowd out native species 

especially in fragile habitats like Elfin Woodland. 

• Psidium guajava, (guava), an escaped tree of 

cultivation that is spreading rapidly outside the 

Centre Hills (e.g. Richmond Hill) and has been 

recorded within the Centre Hills. This plant is a 

major invasive species in many parts of the 

World. It has the potential to become a major 

threat to the habitats of the Centre Hills where 

abandoned plots of guava can quickly spread 

into other disturbed areas caused by feral 

mammals and volcanic activity. 

Outside the Centre Hills forest reserve 

Three key alien species have been identified and 

are being monitored: 

• Casuarina equisetifolia (Australian pine), a large 

tree originally from Australia and the Indo‐ 

Pacific. It has been planted throughout the 

tropics as a shade tree and is a major invasive 

problem. It grows particularly well and is free‐ 

seeding along the coast and in recently deposited 

volcanic ash deposits. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


• Cryptostegia madagascariensis (known locally as 

purple allamanda), a vigorous scrambling shrub 

and escapee of cultivation. Originally from 

Madagascar, it is widely planted for ornamental 

purposes, especially as an effective and colourful 

hedge. This species is covering large tracts of 

land in the Silver Hills where it grows almost as a 

monoculture at the expense of all other species. 

• Psidium guajava, (guava) – see above. 

3.4 Patterns in plant diversity within the Centre 

Hills: Implications for biodiversity conservation 

3.4.1. Island endemic species 

Three plant species have been identified as 

strictly endemic to Montserrat: Rondeletia buxifolia, 

Epidendrum montserratense and Xylosma serratum and as 

such represent the most important plant species of 

global conservation concern and require the most 

stringent conservation protection measures. 

• Rondeletia buxifolia Vahl (Fig. 3.3) is a small shrub 

in the Rubiaceae that has so far only been found 

outside the current Centre Hills forest reserve 

boundary. This species must currently be 

considered as extremely vulnerable as it enjoys 

no protection at either the habitat or species level. 

During the course of this project significant 

populations of this plant have been lost to 

clearance of forest habitat for development. 

Although a formal red listing has yet to be 

completed, its candidate status is Critically 

Endangered, the highest level of threat of 

extinction recognized by IUCN. An initial seed 

collection was undertaken in May 2006 and the 

seeds are stored in the Millennium Seed Bank at 

Kew – Wakehurst Place. Cuttings have been 

established in ex situ cultivation in the 

conservation nursery at the Montserrat National 

Trust. 

• Epidendrum montserratense Nir (Fig. 3.4), an 

epiphytic orchid that seems to be largely found 

on veteran mango Mangifera indica trees and 

sugar mill ruins outside the current Centre Hills 

forest feserve boundary. Like R. buxifolia this 

species must also be considered as extremely 

vulnerable as it also enjoys no protection at either 

the habitat or species level and as such also has a 

candidate red list status of Critically Endangered. 

An initial seed collection was undertaken in May 

2006 and the seeds are stored in the Millennium 

Seed Bank at Kew – Wakehurst Place. Plants 

rescued from dead mango trees in the Belham 

Valley have been established in ex situ cultivation 

in the botanic garden at the Montserrat National 

Trust. 

• Xylosma serratum Urb is a small tree in the 

Salicaceae that is only known from one location 

Fig. 3.3. Flowering branch of Rondeletia buxifolia. (Photo: 

Martin Hamilton RBG-Kew) 

Fig. 3.4. Epidendrum montserratense inflorescence. 

(Photo: Martin Hamilton, RBG-Kew) 

Fig. 3.5. Herbarium specimen of Xylosma serratum. 

(Photo: Martin Hamilton, RBG-Kew) 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

45 


Fig. 3.6. Rondeletia buxifolia Vahl recorded locations as of September 2006 and predicted distribution 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


Fig. 3.7. Epidendrum montserratense Nir recorded locations as of September 2006 and predicted distribution 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

47 


on Montserrat, Great Alps Falls in the South 

Soufrière Hills, where it was last recorded by 

Howard in the 1970s as collection number 19733 

(Grisebach 1859‐1864; Howard 1979). Since this 

site was destroyed by a major pyroclastic flow 

during the 1995‐1997 volcanic eruptions we 

consider this species to be Extinct. However, 

since there are similar habitats to Great Alps Falls 

in the Centre Hills it is possible that this species 

exists there, but explorations so far have failed to 

find it. No ex situ material of this species exists so 

the only evidence we have are herbarium 

specimens. 

3.4.2. Other important plant species 

The on‐going fieldwork and analysis of these 

data has identified a number of other plant species of 

potential conservation concern. Three notable examples 

are: 

• Veteran mango trees (Mangifera indica), 

particularly in the Belham Valley area which 

provide the major location of the endemic 

Epidendrum montserratense. Careful consideration 

needs to be given to the long‐term protection of 

these trees 

• Montserrat’s only native gymnosperm, 

Podocarpus coriaceus, is listed in the IUCN Red 

List of threatened species as Lower Risk (Conifer 

Specialist Group, 1998). More information is 

required to re‐assess this species which is on the 

Candidate Red List. An important stand of large 

mature trees has been identified on the top of 

Hope Ridge highlighting the conservation value 

of this ridge within the Centre Hills. 

• Three tree species that have been widely utilised 

for timber throughout the region are native to 

Montserrat: Cedrela odorata (stinking cedar), 

Swietenia mahagoni (West Indian mahogany), and 

Guaiacum officinale (lignum vitae). In many 

countries in the region these species have been 

over‐exploited and as a consequence are all listed 

as threatened species by IUCN‐The World 

Conservation Union (Oldfield et al 1998). S. 

mahagoni and G. officinale are Endangered and 

listed on Appendix II of CITES; C. odorata is 

Vulnerable and listed on Appendix III of CITES 

(www.cites.org). A fuller evaluation of the 

distribution of these species needs to be 

undertaken and an action plan for their 

conservation developed. 

3.4.3. Habitat diversity 

Fig. 3.8. Montserrat Centre Hills Vegetation Map 

A survey of the island’s vegetation has been 

underway since November 2005. Field data collection 

has taken many forms. Most notable are herbarium 

specimen collections with associated habitat data, CHBA 

surveys, and Vegetation Assessment Point surveys. 

Herbarium specimen collections are made when a new 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


species is encountered or a previously observed species 

is found exhibiting new characteristics (e.g. fruiting). 

The CHBA Point surveys are undertaken at 30 agreed 

points within the Centre Hills at least once within the 

first year of the project. Vegetation Assessment Point 

surveys are undertaken in the field when a transition of 

habitat is noticed (e.g. Dry Forest changes to Mesic 

Dry Forest Types Description 

Littoral 

Dry Scrub 

Dry Scrub 

[Cacti Dominated] 

Dry Thicket 

Dry Forest 

Dry/Mesic Transition 

Forest) or land use changes (e.g. abandoned agriculture 

plot, area cleared for development). A series of 

standardised forms have been produced by Kew’s 

UKOTs Programme staff to record habitat and 

vegetation data directly into a database file held on a 

PDA‐GPS. These files are later uploaded, compiled, and 

used in association with Maxent prediction software 

Coastal Vegetation influenced by wind and salt spray. Typical taxa: Cordia sebestena, 

Argusia gnaphaloides, Ipomoea pes-caprae, Coccoloba uvifera, Ernodea littoralis, 

Strumpfia maritima, Suriana maritima. 

Shrubby vegetation 0.5-2.5m tall in lower elevations with low rainfall Typical taxa: 

Comocladia dodonaea, Agavaceae, Croton spp., Galactia spp., Acacia spp., Malpighia 

linearis, Stigmaphyllon spp., Tetramicra canaliculata, Melochia spp., Jacquinia armillaris, 

Corchorus aestuans. 

Shrubby vegetation 0.5-2.5m tall in lower elevations with low rainfall that is dominated by 

cacti and succulent plants. Typical taxa: Cactaceae, Oncidium urophyllum. 

Large shrub/small tree dominated vegetation 2.5-5m tall in lower elevations with low rainfall 

Typical taxa: Cordia spp., Bourreria succulenta, Oplonia microphylla, Cassine xylocarpa, 

Piscidia carthagenensis, Pithecellobium unguis-cati, Pisonia spp., Coccoloba spp., 

Verbenaceae. 

Medium/Large tree dominated vegetation >5m tall in lower elevations with low rainfall. 

Typical taxa: Capparis spp., Bursera simaruba, Tabebuia spp., Apocynaceae, Casearia spp., 

Hymenaea courbaril, Samanea saman, Bunchosia spp., Swietenia spp., Chiococca alba, 

Guaiacum officinale, Cedrela odorata. 

Medium/Large tree dominated vegetation >5m tall in low to mid elevations with low to 

medium rainfall. Typical taxa are a mix of Dry and Mesic Forest species. 

Mesic Forest Types Description 

Mesic Forest 

Mesic Forest (Disturbed) 

Dry/Mesic Transition 

Medium/Large tree dominated vegetation >5m tall in mid elevations with medium rainfall. 

Typical taxa: Begonia obliqua, Araceae, Lauraceae, Inga laurina, Eugenia spp., Piper spp. 

Medium/Large tree dominated vegetation >5m tall in mid elevations with medium rainfall 

that has been disturbed through human activity. Typical taxa: Mangifera indica, Thunbergia 

spp., Sida spp., Solanum spp., Stachytarpheta spp. 

Medium/Large tree dominated vegetation >5m tall in low to mid elevations with low to 

medium rainfall. Typical taxa are a mix of Dry and Mesic Forest species. 

Wet Forest Types Description 

Wet Forest 

Wet Forest [lower] 

Wet Forest [upper] 

Elfin Woodland 

Medium/Large tree dominated vegetation >5m tall in high elevations with high rainfall. 

Typical taxa: Elaeocarpaceae, Phyllanthus spp., Podocarpus coriaceus, Asplundia spp., 

Orchidaceae, Marcgravia umbellate, Arecaceae. 

As Wet Forest description, tendency to be dominated by Large tree vegetation with greater 

abundance of the following taxa: Sloanea spp., Phyllanthus mimosoides, Asplundia insignis. 

As Wet Forest description, tendency to be dominated by Medium tree vegetation with 

greater abundance of the following taxa: Marcgravia umbellata, Podocarpus coriaceus, 

Asplundia rigida, Orchidaceae. 

Shrubby vegetation 0.5-2.5m tall in high elevations with high rainfall and greater abundance 

of the following taxa: Wercklea tulipiflora. 

Table 3.4. Land Cover descriptors detailing habitat types and indicator species 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

49 


Other Land Cover Types Description 

Anthropogenic Landscape modified and maintained through human activity. 

Cultivated Area 

Roadside Verge 

(Disturbed) 

Land currently under cultivation. Typical taxa: Cocos nucifera, Mangifera indica, Carica 

papaya, Manihot esculenta, Psidium spp., Poaceae. 

Landscape modified and maintained through human activity of road building. Typical taxa: 

Catharanthus roseus, Calotropis procera, Crassulaceae, Gossypium barbadense, 

Azadirachta indica, Argemone mexicana, Eryngium foetidum, Poaceae. 

Ash/Mud Land covered with volcanic ash or mud. Typical taxa: Poaceae, Cyperaceae. 

Abandoned Farmland 

Cultivated land that has been left derelict or fallow. Typical taxa: Thunbergia spp., Wedelia 

trilobata, Cocos nucifera, Mangifera indica, Carica papaya, Manihot esculenta, Psidium 

spp., Poaceae. 

Fern Break Habitat dominated by tree ferns. Typical taxa: Cyatheaceae. 

Mangrove 

Coastal area dominated by mangrove species. Typical taxa: Avicennia germinans, 

Conocarpus erectus, Laguncularia racemosa, Hippomane mancinella, Rhizophora mangle. 

Pond Freshwater pond (usually man-made). Typical taxa: Nymphaea ampla, Lemna valdiviana. 

Riparian Remnants 

Riparian 

Area that once supported a riparian habitat but is no longer viable through disturbance. 

Typical taxa: Mangifera indica, Casuarina equisetifolia, Terminalia catappa. 

Habitat heavily influenced by moving fresh water supporting characteristic plant species. 

Typical taxa: Phytolacca rivinoides, Heliconia caribaea, Salicaceae, Ferns. 

Table 3.4 Contd. Land Cover descriptors detailing habitat types and indicator species 

(http://www.cs.princeton.edu/~schapire/maxent/) to 

generate potential vegetation distribution maps. 

The production of an island wide vegetation map 

will allow for a better understanding of the distribution 

of Montserrat’s plant species. This will be part of the 

final map production for the Centre Hills project and 

will include maps showing forest types, habitat 

disturbance, threatened species and invasive species 

distributions, and major land features (e.g. roads, trails, 

boundaries, water courses). Accompanying the maps 

will be a detailed description of the process undertaken 

to generate those maps and the data gathering and 

analysis. 

The vegetation of Montserrat is extremely varied 

due to the volcanic origin of the island. Several micro‐ 

climates are found on the island due to geology, aspect, 

elevation, precipitation, and land use (mainly historic). 

These micro‐climates give rise to several different 

vegetation types. The different vegetation types are 

often home to plants that have adapted to these micro‐ 

climates and are very specialized. The converse of this 

scenario is much more common where plant species are 

found growing across several different vegetation types; 

therefore, the structure and composition becomes very 

important in determining the type of vegetation/land 

cover. Table 3.4 is derived from observations made 

whilst undertaking field work on Montserrat. 

Once the Land Cover Descriptors were keyed 

and defined they were used to record the vegetation 

types on the island. For the Centre Hills, only forest 

types are of concern for the first draft of the vegetation 

map and these will need to be ground truthed to 

confirm boundaries before the map has more detail 

added (e.g. abandoned farmland, ponds, etc). Figure 3.8 

is a map of the Centre Hills vegetation cover showing 

the distribution of the various forest types identified. 

The Centre Hills ecosystem provides a range of 

habitats that are suitable for most of the species 

currently recorded on the Montserrat species checklist. 

In principle once the project is complete the Centre Hills 

species checklist could look very similar to the current 

Montserrat species checklist. However, the current forest 

boundary encompasses very little dry forest and no 

littoral forest. This means that threatened species that 

are restricted to dry forest (e.g. Swietenia mahagoni and 

Guaiacum officinale) currently have little protection and 

species restricted to littoral forest (e.g. Rhizophora mangle) 

currently have no protection. In addition to the under‐ 

representation of dry and littoral forest types within the 

existing forest reserve boundary, reference has already 

been made to the fact that all documented populations 

of the E. montserratense and R. buxifolia are outside the 

current reserve designation (Figs. 3.6 & 3.7). 

A key management objective for plant diversity 

in the Centre Hills is to ensure that all forest types and 

species occurring in those forest types are adequately 

represented within the protected/managed area. Steps 

need to be taken either to bring the locations supporting 

populations of E. montserratense and R. buxifolia within 

the protected area or for alternate species level 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


protection measures to be introduced. Other 

management measures that need to be introduced 

include: active conservation for threatened species; 

control of invasive plant species, especially in fragile 

habitats like Elfin Woodland; control of feral mammals, 

especially pigs and rats; and limiting the spread of 

abandoned crops (e.g. guava, mangos, bananas, 

coconuts). 

There is no doubt that the Centre Hills comprise 

a dynamic mosaic of habitats which support a wide 

range of plant species including many species of 

restricted distribution, two single island endemics as 

well as several threatened species. As such this would 

qualify the Centre Hills as an Important Plant Area 

(IPA) as defined by the Important Plant Area 

programme co‐ordinated by Plantlife International and 

IUCN‐The World Conservation Union (Plantlife 

International 2004). The long‐term protection of the 

Centre Hills would be an important contribution to the 

implementation of Target 5 of the Global Strategy for 

Plant Conservation – ‘Protection of 50% of the most 

important areas for plant diversity assured’ (CBD, 2003). 


The UK Overseas Territories Programme at Royal 

Botanic Gardens, Kew would like to thank everyone 

who has contributed to the plant components of the 

Montserrat Biodiversity Assessment. It’s been a 

remarkably collaborative and enjoyable journey. In 

particular we would like to pay special thanks to our 

field colleagues in Montserrat: Calvin “Blacka” Fenton, 

Jervain Greenaway, Phillemon “Mappie” James 

“Scriber” Daley, James “Boatswain” Boatswain, Lloyd 

“Lloydie” Martin, & John “Gamby” Martin. Without 

their in depth knowledge of the Centre Hills and 

commitment to fieldwork this assessment would have 

not been possible. 

Special mention goes to Carole McCauley, 

Darwin Project Manager, and Steven Mendes, Darwin 

Project Counterpart for all their logistical support and 

facilitation which ensured that all our visits to 

Montserrat were both successful and enjoyable. Thanks 

to Gerard Gray, Director, Department of Environment, 

for all his support since the establishment of the 

Department; to Claude Gerard, former Director of 

Agriculture, for making the initial assessment work 

possible; to Lady Eudora Fergus, Executive Director 

Montserrat National Trust for enabling Mappie to 

participate in the fieldwork and to Lavern Rogers, 

Physical Planning Unit, for her assistance with GIS 

related issues. Thanks to the Governor and staff of the 

Governor’s Office on Montserrat for their continuing 

support for all our work in Montserrat. 

Thanks to Richard Young for his tireless efforts to 

edit and chase contributors for their input. Many thanks 

to all our colleagues at RBG Kew, particularly in the 

Herbarium, who have given of and are still giving their 

time to identify and verify our Montserrat plant 

specimens and to the completion of the plant species 

checklist. 

And finally many thanks to the many friends, 

accommodation providers and restaurateurs who made 

our stays in Montserrat so agreeable. 

References 

Bridson, D., Forman, L. (eds) (1998). The Herbarium 

Handbook. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, 

UK. 

Conifer Specialist Group (1998). Podocarpus coriaceus. In: 


. 

CBD (2003). Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC). 

Secretariat for the Convention on Biological 

Diversity, Montreal, Canada. [Available at: www. 

www.cbd.int/gspc/default.shtml] 

Grisebach, A. H. R. (1859‐1864). Flora of the British West 

Indian Islands. London, UK. 

Howard, R. A. (1979). Flora of the Lesser Antilles: Leeward 

and Windward Islands. Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, 

Arnold Arboretum, Harvard University, US. 

IUCN (2001). IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria 

Version 3.1 IUCN Species Survival Commission. 

IUCN Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge. 

[Available at www.iucn.org/themes/ssc/redlist.htm] 

Oldfield, S., Lusty, C. & MacKinven, A. (compilers) 

(1998). The World List of Threatened Trees. World 

Conservation Press, Cambridge, UK 

Plantlife International (2004). Identifying and Protecting 

the World’s Most Important Plant Areas. Plantlife 

International, Salisbury, UK. [Available at 

www.plantlife.org.uk/international/plantlife‐ipas‐ 

criteria.htm] 

Swartz, O. (1797). Flora Indiae Occidentalis. Erlangen, 

Germany, Jo. Jacobi Palmii. 

Varnham, K. (2006). Non‐native species in UK Overseas 

Territories: A Review. JNCC, Joint Nature 

Conservation Committee, Peterborough, UK. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

51 


Box 1. Candidate Red List for the plants of Montserrat 

Table 3.5. Candidate Red List for the plants of Montserrat. All species occur at 9 locations (i.e. islands) or less. 

Number of 

Family Genus Species name 1 Author Rank Species name 2 Author 

locations 

1 Orchidaceae Epidendrum montserratense Nir 

1 Rubiaceae Rondeletia buxifolia Vahl 

1 Salicaceae Xylosma serratum Urb. 

2-5 Leguminosae-mim Acacia glauca (L.) Moench 

2-5 Agavaceae Agave dussiana Trel. 

2-5 Begoniaceae Begonia oblique L. 

Morton & 

Lellinger 

2-5 Blechnaceae Blechnum insularum 

2-5 Melastomataceae Charianthus nodosus (Desr.) Triana 

2-5 Boraginaceae Cordia reticulata M. Vahl 

(Urb.) R.M. King 

& H. Rob 

2-5 Asteraceae Chromolaena dussii 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

A Biodiversity Assessment of the Centre Hills, Montserrat 52 

2-5 Bromeliaceae Glomeropitcairnia penduliflora (Griseb.) Mez 

(Vahl) R.A. 

Howard & E.A. 

Kellog 

2-5 Melastomataceae Henriettea lateriflora 

2-5 Hernandiaceae Hernandia sonora L. 

2-5 Campanulaceae Lobelia digitalifolia (Griseb.) Urb. 

2-5 Apocynaceae Marsdenia macroglossa Schltr. 

2-5 Melastomataceae Miconia coriacea (Sw.) DC. 

R.A.Howard & 

E.A.Kellogg 

2-5 Melastomataceae Miconia globuliflora (Rich.) Cogn. var. dominicae 

2-5 Melastomataceae Miconia globuliflora (Rich.) Cogn. var. globuliflora


Table 3.5. Contd. 



locations 

2-5 Lauraceae Nectandra dominicana (Meisn.) Mez 

2-5 Lauraceae Ocotea martinicensis Mez 

2-5 Euphorbiaceae Phyllanthus mimosoides Sw. 

2-5 Orchidaceae Psychilis kraenzlinii (Bello) Sauleda 

2-5 Elaeocarpaceae Sloanea dentata L. 

2-5 Rubiaceae Spermacoce berteroana Howard 

2-5 Orchidaceae Tetramicra canaliculata (Aubl.) Urb. 

2-5 Melastomataceae Tibouchina ornata (Sw.) Baill. 

(Baker) J.R. 

Grant 

2-5 Bromeliaceae Werauhia guadelupensis 

2-5 Malvaceae Wercklea tulipiflora (Hook.) Fryxell 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

53 


6-10 Marcgraviaceae Marcgravia umbellata L. 

6-10 Asteraceae Mikania latifolia Sm. 

6-10 Begoniaceae Begonia Retusa O.E. Schulz 

6-10 Bignoniaceae Tabebuia pallida (Lindl.) Miers 

(Poir.) C.V. 

Morton & 

Lellinger 

6-10 Blechnaceae Blechnum binervatum 

6-10 Blechnaceae Blechnum ryanii (Kaulf.) Hieron. 

6-10 Bromeliaceae Aechmea smithiorum Mez 

6-10 Bromeliaceae Guzmania megastachya (Baker) Mez 

6-10 Bromeliaceae Guzmania plumieri (Griseb.) Mez 

6-10 Bromeliaceae Tillandsia antillana L.B.Sm. 

6-10 Clusiaceae Marila racemosa Sw.





locations 

6-10 Cyatheaceae Cyathea muricata Willd. 

6-10 Cyatheaceae Cyathea grandifolia Willd. 

(Duchass. ex 

Griseb.) Harling 

6-10 Cyclanthaceae Asplundia insignis 

6-10 Cyclanthaceae Asplundia rigida (Aubl.) Harling 

6-10 Dryopteridaceae Ctenitis meridionalis (Poir.) Ching 

6-10 Dryopteridaceae Polystichopsis muscosa (Vahl) Proctor 

6-10 Elaeocarpaceae Sloanea massoni Sw. 

6-10 Euphorbiaceae Sapium caribaeum Urb. 

6-10 Gesneriaceae Gesneria ventricosa Sw. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


(Baker ex 

Hook.) Proctor 

6-10 Grammitidaceae Grammitis eggersii 

6-10 Hymenophyllaceae Hymenophyllum hirsutum ( L. ) Sw. var. Gratum (Fée) Proctor 

6-10 Hymenophyllaceae Hymenophyllum macrothecum Fée 

6-10 Lauraceae Aniba bracteata (Nees) Mez 

6-10 Lauraceae Licaria salicifolia (Sw.) Kosterm. 

6-10 Leguminosae-pap Andira sapinoides (DC.) Benth. 

6-10 Leguminosae-pap Galactia rubra (Jacq.) Urb. 

6-10 Lomariopsidaceae Elaphoglossum impressum (F‚e) T. Moore 

6-10 Melastomataceae Blakea pulverulenta Vahl 

6-10 Melastomataceae Charianthus purpureus D. Don





locations 

6-10 Melastomataceae Clidemia umbrosa (Sw.) Cogn. 

6-10 Melastomataceae Miconia cornifolia (Desr.) Naudin 

6-10 Melastomataceae Miconia striata (M. Vahl) Cogn. 

6-10 Orchidaceae Epidendrum pallidiflorum Hook. 

6-10 Orchidaceae Tetramicra canaliculata (Aubl.) Urb. 

6-10 Passifloraceae Passiflora rotundifolia L. 

6-10 Piperaceae Peperomia trifolia (L.) A. Dietr. 

6-10 Piperaceae Piper dussii C. DC. 

6-10 Poaceae Isachne disperma (Lam.) D”ll 

6-10 Podocarpaceae Podocarpus coriaceus Rich. & A. Rich. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

55 


6-10 Rubiaceae Guettarda crispiflora Vahl 

6-10 Rubiaceae Psychotria urbaniana Steyerm. 

6-10 Sapindaceae Paullinia vespertilio Sw. 

6-10 Selaginellaceae Selaginella flabellata (L.) Spring 

6-10 Sterculiaceae Sterculia caribaea R. Br. 

6-10 Styracaceae Styrax glaber Sw. 

6-10 Theaceae Freziera undulata (Sw.) Willd. 

6-10 Theaceae Ternstroemia elliptica Sw. 

6-10 Thelypteridaceae Thelypteris clypeolutata (Desv.) Proctor 

6-10 Verbenaceae Stachytarpheta urticifolia Sims

4. 4. Invertebrates Invertebrates of of the the Centre Centre Hills Hills and and Montserrat, Montserrat, with with an 

an 

emphasis emphasis on on beetles 

beetles 


4.1. 4.1. 4.1. Introduction 

Introduction 

About three quarters of the world’s known organisms 

are animals (Fig. 4.1). Invertebrate animals 

alone make up the vast majority of the world’s biodiversity, 

the Arthropoda make up the vast majority of the 

invertebrates, the Insecta the vast majority of the arthropods, 

and the beetles the major portion of the insects 

(Fig. 4.1). In fact, one in 4 described animal species, and 

one in 5 organisms, is a beetle. 

The remainder of the animals, the vertebrates and 

their relatives, are a minor, tiny slice of the total biodiversity 

pie, and if the terrestrial vertebrates (i.e. nonfishes) 

are treated separately, they would virtually disappear. 

Although, because of their size and economic 

importance as food, tourist attractions and pets, they are 

the animals most familiar to the public, on a biodiversity 

scale, they are nearly insignificant. 

The number of terrestrial animal species native to 

Montserrat is probably several thousands, but the most 

extensive summary of the fauna to date (Stevens and 

Waldmann 2001) records only 53 tetrapods and 318 specific 

records for invertebrates on Montserrat (Table 4.1). 

Unfortunately, the vast majority of species present on 

Montserrat, and especially those populations of global 

conservation importance in terms of unique, endemic 

elements, are either poorly or not at all documented. 

The biodiversity of Montserrat is undoubtedly vastly 

more expansive than one would expect from a quick 

glance at a globe, but the scientific literature does nothing 

to indicate this fact, which under-values Montserrat’s 

biodiversity. 

This chapter will attempt the near impossible 

task of documenting the terrestrial invertebrate fauna of 

Montserrat, focusing on the Centre Hills. The data we 

have assembled and present below will show that the 

invertebrate fauna of Montserrat, concentrated mostly in 

the Centre Hills, ranks the island globally as among the 

most important areas in terms of density of unique, rare, 

valuable and endangered biodiversity. We hope to provide 

the jumping-off point for a discussion of this amazing, 

and still mostly unknown biodiversity, and the impact 

that increased knowledge can have on the status of 

Non-Insect 

Arthropods 

Other Animals 

Vertebrates & 

Relatives 

Single-Celled 

Organisms 

Fungi, 

Lichens, etc. 

Plants 

Coleoptera 

Insects 

Hymenoptera 

Diptera 

Lepidoptera 

Hemiptera 

Other Insects 

Fig. 4.1. Relative species richness of described taxa (Data 

from Chapman 2006) 

a small but biotically rich territory. We also give a general 

discussion of the historical data available, the history 

of exploration of Montserrat’s fauna (see Box 3), and 

some of the challenges faced whilst conducting the invertebrate 

inventory (see Box 2). We concentrated much 

of the effort of the inventory on the Coleoptera (beetles) 

as the primary example to illustrate the importance of 

the Centre Hills and the need for its recognition as a 

conservation priority. 

In an appendix to this report, we provide species 

lists of, and notes on, the beetles, the non-beetle hexapods 

(Insects), and the non-hexapod invertebrates of 

Montserrat. Also provided is a full Coleoptera checklist. 

4.2. 4.2. Diversity Diversity of of the the Montserrat Montserrat invertebrate 

invertebrate 

fauna 

fauna 

4.2.1. Results from pre-2000 collecting 

In all historical collections (see Box 3 for detailed 

discussion), except Bass and Stevens and Waldmann, the 

vast majority of specimens originated from south of the 

Belham Valley. It was clear that the big draw for most 

visitors was the Soufrière, and the high areas there, plus 

the area around Plymouth and the road to the south 

which were the most heavily sampled. The little bit of 

material coming from north of the Belham was from 

Woodlands. For instance, Blackwelder’s northernmost 

sites are at Woodlands and Trant’s beach. The 

Baranowskis made three long visits to Montserrat, making 

theirs perhaps the single greatest effort of any entomologist 

before 2000, but Slater & Baranowski (2005) 

report not a single specimen from the Centre Hills. Only 

the Aitken group, and possibly Fennah, spent much if 

any time in the north and only Fennah seems to have 

actually penetrated the mid-to-high elevations of the 

Centre Hills. 

The problem with this approach is that while the 

highest, wettest and most fertile point on the island before 

the volcanic crisis was in the southern mountain 

series, that area was in fact, secondary forest, which has 

relatively recently regenerated from both agricultural 

and historical volcanic activity. This fact was not obvious 

to earlier collectors who followed Darlington’s 

(1943) instruction to head to the tops of the highest 

peaks. Although we now know that the Centre Hills’ 

old forests are rich, possibly only a single one of the insect 

collectors who visited Montserrat between 1894 and 

2000 went to the specialized higher elevation forests of 

the Centre Hills, and that was Fennah. 

The only previous published summary of the 

fauna of Montserrat (Stevens and Waldmann 2001), provided 

a list of invertebrates totalling 455 species, which 

is summarised in Table 4.1. It is noteworthy, however, 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


Taxon Taxon Taxon 

N N N listed listed N N unrecorded 

unrecorded 

that Stevens and Waldmann included records of species 

for Montserrat on the basis of extrapolation. For instance, 

not one of the 11 records of Thysanoptera (thrips) 

they list has actually been recorded from Montserrat - 

they are simply recorded to be widespread in the Lesser 

Antilles. Fully 30% of the invertebrates listed by Stevens 

and Waldmann are not accompanied by a record specific 

to Montserrat (Table 4.1), reducing their recorded total 

confirmed species by 136. That number is further re- 

N 

N 

corrected 

corrected 

Notes 

Notes 

Protoctista 3 0 3 Disease causing organisms 

Plathelminthes 1 0 1 Disease causing organisms 

Nemathelminthes 3 0 3 Disease causing organisms 

Mollusca 5 0 5 

Onychophora 1 0 1 

Scorpiones 2 0 2 Medically important 

Amblypygi 2 1 1 

Araneae 4 0 4 

Acari 6 2 4 Medically & agriculturally important 

Crustacea 12 0 12 Some species important as food 

Chilopoda 2 0 2 Medically important 

Collembola 1 0 1 

Odonata 4 0 4 

Dermaptera 3 0 3 

Blattaria 5 2 3 Pest species 

Isoptera 15 0 15 Economically important 

Orthoptera 8 1 7 Economically important 

Thysanoptera 11 11 0 Economically important 

Hemiptera-- Heteroptera 27 21 6 Economically important 

Hemiptera -- Homoptera 49 28 21 Economically important 

Coleoptera 120 17 94 9 duplicate taxa removed 

Hymenoptera 25 10 15 

Trichoptera 1 0 1 

Lepidoptera 87 33 54 

Diptera 58 11 47 Medically important 

TOTAL TOTAL TOTAL 

455 455 

137 137 

318 

318 

Table 4.1. Summary of pre-2000 Montserrat invertebrate records in Stevens and Waldmann (2001). “N Listed” indicates 

number of species listed in Stevens and Waldmann (2001), “N unrecorded” refers to the number of those species that had 

never actually been reported specifically from Montserrat, and “N corrected” is the difference between the two. 

duced by their inclusion of erroneous records and double-listings 

(see below). Of those species listed, most are 

of medical, veterinary, or economic importance (Table 

4.1), and hence the list includes a disproportionate number 

of widespread, exotic and pestiferous species. However, 

this is no fault of Stevens and Waldmann, but is an 

accurate depiction of our unbalanced knowledge of the 

various groups of animals. Erroneous listings and double 

listings as alternative scientific names are simply 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

57 


unavoidable in a broad general work such as theirs, but 

their frustration at finding no published records of 

groups obviously present on the island understandably 

lead to their use of non-specific records from neighbouring 

islands or the region in general. To the extent possible, 

we have listed all the additions and corrections to 

Stevens and Waldmann (2001) that we have found, but 

undoubtedly many remain. 

From what we have learned whilst reviewing the 

historical data, it is possible that another 100 species’ 

records for Montserrat lie buried in the world’s primary 

taxonomic literature, but given factors such as level of 

taxonomic uncertainty and the low sampling effort of 

the Centre Hills, the recorded fauna of Montserrat is 

clearly but a small fraction of reality. 

4.2.2. Post-2000 collecting history 

In 2000, our group, from the West Indian Beetle 

Fauna Project at Montana State University, began to 

work on Montserrat. Initially, a visit at the invitation of 

the Montserrat Department of Agriculture and the Royal 

Society for the Protection of Birds in June, 2000 included 

Michael Aaron Ivie and Kelvin Antonio Guerrero. The 

impetus was the question of whether Montserrat oriole 

chicks were starving because of the effects of volcanic 

ash on their insect food. Several nesting sites in the Centre 

Hills were visited, although the visit came in an extensive 

dry period, and relatively little was collected. 

Our initial impressions lead to a multi-year project, and 

a return visit in January 2002, by Ivie, Katharine Ann 

Marske and Kenneth Patrick Puliafico. On that visit, in 

anticipation of a return, Bridget Beatty, Ann Krakower 

and her mother, Rosalie Burrows, were recruited to run 

Malaise and ultraviolet-light traps on a bi-weekly schedule, 

from January through July 2002. In May, June, and 

July 2002, Marske, accompanied for part of the time by 

Ivie, began establishing long-term research sites in the 

Centre Hills. Monthly canopy fogging samples were 

taken from 4 sites in the Centre Hills in May-August 

2002, then bimonthly from October 2002 through August 

2003, by staff of the Montserrat Department of Environment, 

including Lloyd Martin, James Boatswain, John 

Martin, James Daley, and Lloyd Aymer. Marske and 

Ivie, accompanied by LaDonna Lynn Ivie, returned to 

the island in May and June, 2003 to continue work. A 

small amount of material was collected in May 2004 during 

a visit by Ivie for a workshop. On most of these trips, 

Philemon Murrain and/or Calvin Fenton worked with 

our collectors, providing access, guidance and advice to 

maximize the collections. 

Most of this work had been concentrated on the 

mid-elevation forest of the Centre Hills, with repeated 

samples at Hope Ghaut, Fogarty, Cassava Ghaut and 

Underwood Ghaut. Other samples were taken around 

Woodlands, at the Beatty house in Cassava Ghaut, Lawyer 

Mountain, Gunn Hill, Jack Boy Hill and various 

other locations around the Centre Hills, as well as by 

trapping at each of the houses used as residences. The 

Beatty house and Riverside House in Woodlands were 

Fig. 4.2. Primary West Indian Beetle Fauna Project 

collecting localities 2000-2005. Red indicates major longterm 

canopy fogging sites, blue major trapping localities. 

Yellow line indicates the boundary of the Centre Hills forest 

reserve 

of particular importance in this regard. Ivie and Marske 

made separate visits of a few hours each by helicopter 

into Roaches, with traps left for the week between. This 

represented the total of our collecting in the south. A 

helicopter lift to the flanks of Katy Hill gave Ivie an 

overnight collecting opportunity in June 2003, followed 

by a hike over the actual top and out via the ridge to the 

north. This gave the first look at the highest and wettest 

elevations on the island. 

With the goal of expanding the area sampled, the 

Ivies brought a new team of students to the island in 

July and August 2005. This team included graduate 

student Ian Andrew Foley, and undergraduates Vincent 

Goodwin Martinson, Patrick Edward Hughley, Levi 

James Lehfeldt, and Robert Anthony Semplet. They 

placed Malaise and ultraviolet traps in areas both wetter 

(Big River, Killicrankie, Jack Boy Hill, Bottomless Ghaut, 

Katy Hill, Fairy Walk) and drier (Furlong, Cedar Ghaut, 

Rendezvous Bay) than those previously sampled. 

[Material collected by this group is labelled “WIBF 

Group” for the West Indian Beetle Fauna Project, rather 

than listing individual names.] At the end of this field 

work, a week was spent by Ivie on Guadeloupe, studying 

pre-volcano collections in INRA. 

The last collecting to be reported here was the 

result of a visit by the American orithologists/ 

odonatologists Fred Charles Sibley (1933-) and Margaret 

Pries Sibley (1936-) in October, 2006. Their collections 

of damselflies and dragonflies are in their private collec- 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


Taxon 

Taxon 

Stevens Stevens & & Waldman 

Waldman 

2001 2001 (Adjusted) 

(Adjusted) 

Ivie Ivie et et et et al. al. al. al. 

(2007) 

(2007) 

Protocitsta 3 3 

Plathelminthes 1 2 

Nematoda 3 4 

Annelida 0 0 

Mollusca 5 15 

Onychophora 1 1 

Scorpiones 2 2 

Amblypygi 1 1 

Schizomida 0 1 

Araneae 4 6+ 

Acari 4 4+ 

Pseudoscorpiones 0 1 

Crustacea 12 14+ 

Chilopoda 2 4+ 

Diplopoda 0 4+ 

Symphyla 0 1 

Colembola 1 Many 

Microcoryphia 0 1 

Thysanura 1 2 

Ephemeroptera 0 1 

Odonata 4 16 

Dermaptera 3 8 

Blattaria 3 7 

Phasmida 0 1 

Orthoptera 7 21 

Isoptera 15 15 

Psocoptera 0 Present 

Hemiptera – Homoptera 21 40 

Hemiptera—Heteroptera 6 58 

Thysanoptera 0 Present 

Coleoptera 94 718 

Neuroptera 0 11 

Hymenoptera 15 105+ 

Trichoptera 1 7 

Lepidoptera 50 54 

Diptera 47 130 

TOTAL TOTAL 

306 306 

1241 

1241 

Table 4.2. Summary of increase in Montserrat invertebrate 

records 2000-2007. The figures from Stevens & Waldman 

are adjusted according to Table 4.1 

tion, with excess material deposited at the University of 

Texas, the International Odonata Research Institute at 

Gainesville, Florida, and/or the NMNH. 

4.2.3. Results of post-2000 collecting 

The result of all of these collection activities was 

approximately 1 million specimens of arthropods in 

bulk samples. The goal of the biodiversity assessment 

work was more an inventory than an ecological association, 

and establishing within-island distributions for the 

various species will require future work. From these 

samples, a selection of ca. 15,000 specimens was 

mounted and labelled, representing an attempt to extract 

individuals of all the Coleoptera and Orthoptera 

species, and representatives of other Orders as time and 

space allowed. Among 13,044 mounted specimens of 

beetles, there were 696 species (this is lower than the 

total of 718 beetles because of 22 previously collected 

species were not collected in our survey, discussed below). 

The other specimens were scattered among other 

Orders, and mostly remain unstudied. 

During the taxonomic work, we strongly concentrated 

on the Coleoptera, enumerating 81 probable single-island 

endemic beetles. We also managed to add 

many other groups to the known fauna of the island 

(Table 4.2), providing both some specific and general 

records here as well as material of many more for specialists 

to study. Much of the non-beetle material was 

sent to other systematises appropriate to the group. For 

instance, over a kilogram of samples of both spiders and 

ants were sent to specialists for study, none of which are 

reported on here. Already, 31 beetle records, 2 sawfly 

records, 2 scorpion records, and a fly record have appeared 

in the scientific literature based on our material 

(Valentine 2003, de Armas 2005, Chalumeau & Touroult 

2005, Smith 2005, Kung & Brown 2006), and many more 

will do so in the future. We have already raised the 

number of invertebrate species on Montserrat, either 

through our own collections, the study of others, or the 

discovery of previously missed literature records, from 

Stevens & Waldmann’s (2001) 306 to 1,241. Nearly 60% 

of these species are Coleoptera. Among the non-beetle 

Hexapods, which are an order of magnitude less-well 

studied than the beetles, we tallied 32 additional singleisland 

endemics, and a few among the even-morepoorly-known 

non-hexapod invertebrates. Together, 

this compares ten-fold to the 12 endemic invertebrates 

enumerated by Stevens & Waldmann (2001) just 6 years 

ago. A summary of the total known number of species of 

a range of invertebrate taxa is given in Table 4.2. 

Even with a quadrupling of the total invertebrates 

known from Montserrat to over 1,240 species, the 

majority of animal species on the island remain unknown. 

In order to generate such a prediction, we took 

the numbers of species predicted to exist globally 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

59 


Number of species 

900 

800 

700 

600 

500 

400 

300 

200 

100 

0 

Vertebrates 

Coleoptera 

Diptera 

Hymenoptera 

Lepidoptera 

Hemiptera 

Taxonomic group 

Other Insects 

Arachnida 

Myriapoda 

Other Animals 

Fig. 4.3. Known and expected species richness of animals in Montserrat. Blue represents the recorded number of 

species and yellow represents predicted number of species awaiting documentation. For explanation of data source 

see text. 

(Chapman 2006), extracted the data for terrestrial animals, 

and proportioned the insect portion of those numbers 

into 6 groups according to the only nearby wellknown 

insect fauna, that of North America (Triplehorn 

& Johnson 2004). Those numbers provided a percentage-of-the-whole 

for each group. We then used the 

mean Chao-1 indicator for total expected beetles, and 

worked backwards from there to find what would be 

expected number of each group if Montserrat’s total 

fauna fit the global proportional model. Obviously this 

is not an exacting analysis, but should be relatively good 

at making broad predictions of what is still missing. At 

the least, it provides a hypothesis for future testing. 

Considering the total list of beetle species for 

Montserrat by number of observed specimens as a single 

collection (Appendix 2), and subjecting it to the Chao-1 

estimator: S * 1 = Sobs + (a 2 /2b), where “Sobs“ is the number of 

species observed, “a” is the number of singletons, and 

“b” is the number of doubles (Chao 1984, Colwell 2005), 

gives an estimate of a mean expected 827 beetle species, 

with a 95% CI of 792-876 (Calculated with EstimateS 

7.5.1, Colwell 2005). This indicates that the current 

count of 718 species is probably about 87% of the expected 

total number of beetles, with a 95% chance that it 

is between 82 and 91% of the total. 

Using this estimate of the total number of beetle 

species, to extrapolate to the entire Kingdom Animalia, 

we predicted a total of 4,146 animal species occur on 

Montserrat. Fig. 4.3 shows the known and predicted 

number of species of animals, broken down into 10 

groups. Only the vertebrates have a full census, and of 

the invertebrates, only the Coleoptera have a majority of 

the expected species discovered. A simple glance at the 

extent of the yellow on the graph gives an excellent feel 

for just how much work remains to be done on Montserrat. 

Given that the majority of rare and endemic species 

are usually discovered in the last half of an inventory, 

the need for further work on Montserrat’s fauna is obvious. 

4.2.4. Results of post-2000 collections - beetles 

The Coleoptera are the largest and most diverse 

Order of living things. The other megadiverse Orders 

are very heavily biased to one or a few trophic levels 

(Lepidoptera as herbivores, Diptera as saprophages, 

Hymenoptera as predators/parasitoids). There are exceptions 

in all of these cases, but the vast majority of 

their species do relatively similar things. Not so for the 

Coleoptera, which are divided among herbivores, 

fungivores, predators, parasites, parasitoids, lignivores, 

saprophages, detritovores, and all the other “vores” you 

can think of, including mosses, algae, slimemolds, carrion, 

dung and more. Their lifestyles include living just 

about everywhere -- at the tops of the forest canopy, in 

leaf litter and the soil; in human houses, bird nests, and 

bee hives; in and on fresh water; inside other animals; on 

salt water beaches and in warm springs; under rocks, in 

the lichens on rocks and where there are no rocks. 

Therefore, the beetle assemblage reaches farther into the 

entire ecosystem than any other group. Plus, we believe 

they are the most beautiful, fascinating and frustrating 

animals on earth. Therefore, we explored them as the 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


primary representative of the invertebrate fauna of 


As was shown above, the total known, vouchered 

or validly recorded beetle fauna of Montserrat now 

stands at 718 species in 63 families, with at least 81 single-island 

endemics and 53 exotics. An estimate of 827 

species has been proposed for the true total. How does 

this compare to other islands of the West Indies? It is 

difficult to know, because there are so few comprehensive 

treatments, the types of data reported vary greatly, 

and the degree of completeness is so very different. To 

date, 97 families of beetles are known from the West 

Family Species Status First Year 

Indian Bioregion (Ivie 2007), but no species total is available 

– not even as a wild guess. Island lists of beetles 

published in the last 25 years include those for Cuba, 

Dominica, Grenada and Guana. As expected, giant 

Cuba leads the pack with 2,673 species in 87 families 

(Peck 2005). The other islands all have fewer recorded 

species than Montserrat: Grenada with 507 species of 51 

families (Woodruff et al. 1998), Guana Island, British 

Virgin Islands, with 405 species in 55 families (Valentine 

& Ivie 2005); Dominica with 361 species of 42 families 

(Peck 2006); and Barbados with 239 species of 32 families 

(Bennett and Alam 1985). Thus, Cuba has less than 4 

Notes on Habitat and 

Biology 

Carabidae Glyptolennus chalybaeus (Dejean) EIS 1981 Anthropophilus 

Staphylinidae Apocellus ustulatus (Erichson) NEC 1936 In seaweed on beach 

Staphylinidae Cafius (Euremus) bistriatus (Erichson) WN 1936 In seaweed on beach 

Staphylinidae Cafius subtilis Cameron WIE 1936 In seaweed on beach 

Staphylinidae Neohypnus illucens (Erichson) WN 1936 In domestic animal dung 

Staphylinidae Espeson moratus Schaufuss WN 1894 No information 

Staphylinidae Oxytelus incisus Motschulsky WN 1894 In domestic animal dung 

Staphylinidae Philonthus discoideus (Gravenhorst) WN 1936 In domestic animal dung 

Staphylinidae Philonthus longicornis Stephens WN 1894 In domestic animal dung 

Staphylinidae Thinobius exasperatus Blackwelder WIE 1894 

Under stones along lower 

Belham R. 

Staphylinidae Nacaeus foveolus (Blackwelder)? IE 1894 Under bark of red cedar 

Staphylinidae Sepedophilus interruptus (Erichson)? WN 1894 

In fungi, under moss and 

dirt on a rock 

Anobiidae Gibbium aequinoctiale Boieldieu EIS 1894 Anthropophilus 

Nitidulidae Conotelus conicus (Fabricius) WIE 1894 

In Convolvulaceae flowers 

on beach 

Silvanidae Telephanus nodicornis LE 1894 Local endemic, fungivore 

Meloidae Tetraonyx quadrimaculatus (Fabricius) WN 1894 Widespread parasitoid 

Tenebrionidae Neomida lecontei (Bates) WN 1894 Widespread fungivore 

Tenebrionidae Cyrtosoma n.sp. IE 1894 Single Island endemic 

Salpingidae Serrotibia sp. poss. partita Olliff? LE 1894 Subcortical fungivore 

Chrysomelidae Omophoeta albicornis Fabricius WN 1975 

Curculionidae Proeces depressus (Wollaston) EIS 1894 

Curculionidae Metamasius quadrisignatus (Gyllenhaul) LIE 1894 

Pest in gardens and waste 

areas 

Invasive, associated with 

Royal Palm 

Bores in Tillandsia, local 

island endemic 

Table 4.3. Beetle species recorded or collected pre-volcano, not found in post-volcano collections 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

61 


times as many beetle species as Montserrat, and Montserrat 

has more than any other recently reviewed island. 

However, not much can be made of these figures. 

Tiny Guana (300 hectares) is one of the most intensively 

studied islands in the world (Lazel 2005), and is very 

close (ca. 500 meters) to much larger Tortola. Guana 

was joined by land to all of the northern Virgin Islands 

as well as Puerto Rico 18,000 years ago, so of course, it is 

expected to have more species per hectare than an island 

like Montserrat, which has always been isolated by the 

surrounding sea. Peck’s (2005) Cuban book is a summary 

of the existing literature rather than the result of an 

inventory effort, and cannot be expected to be nearly as 

complete as the Montserrat work. So it should not really 

surprise anyone if the total number of beetles on Cuba 

were to be considerably above only 29% of the current 

total. Likewise, the Dominica and Grenada figures reflect 

mostly published records, not an attempt to work 

up the entire fauna in the way Guana or Montserrat 

have been done. Barbados is perhaps at an intermediate 

level of knowledge, with a simplified geography, highly 

modified environment, and considerable work on the 

fauna. Just where Montserrat would settle out if all islands 

were well known is hard to discern, but given 

what we know today, it seems likely that it would be 

found to be on the high side of what would be expected 

based simply on area. 

Another way to look at the expectations of diversity 

is to compare the beetle fauna to the vascular plant 

flora. Plants are in general more completely censused 

than invertebrates, and give another base for comparison. 

A reasonable expectation is that the number of beetle 

species in any given fauna should approximate the 

number of vascular plants. This correlation holds 

broadly, at the global (Chapman 2006 cf. Grimaldi & 

Engel 2006), the continental (BONAP 1994 cf. Marske & 

Ivie 2003), local (Lesica 1985 cf. Ivie unpublished data) 

and insular (Eldredge & Evenhuis 2003, Acevedo- 

Rodríguez 1996 cf. Ivie unpublished data) scales. There 

are an estimated 13,000 vascular plants in the West Indies 

(M. Smith 2005), but no list of the beetles for the 

whole region. Guana’s beetle fauna is 120% of its 339 

species of vascular plants (Proctor 2005). At the other 

end of the scale, Dominica has only 29% as many beetle 

species as its 1,226 vascular plants (Nicolson 1991). In 

the same general range, Barbados’ beetles total 38% of 

her 625 native plants (Gooding et al. 1965) and Cuba’s 

40% of its estimated 6,550 vascular plants. At 76% of 

Montserrat’s 941 verified species of plants, (Hamilton et 

al., this volume), the 718 species of beetles is double the 

ratio reported for Cuba, Dominica and Barbados, but 

considerably below that of Guana. This might suggest 

that Montserrat is simply better sampled than the other 

islands, but the disparity remains unexplained. 

A special effort was made to see which, if any, of 

the species of beetles either recorded or collected from 

Montserrat before the volcanic crisis were not recollected 

after the eruptions. Because of the small number 

of published records, this might seem an easy task. 

However, in far too many cases, this proved very difficult. 

To our best estimate, there are 106 published prevolcanic 

records for Montserrat beetles that seem to be 

valid. Of these, 22 were not recollected. That 21% of the 

beetles previously known from Montserrat were not 

recollected in such an extensive effort seems alarming, 

but because of the different parts of the island where 

sampling efforts were concentrated, and our bias away 

from certain habitats, it may not be of as much concern 

(Table 4.3). 

The most common case of a recorded species not 

recollected is a widespread species from habitats that we 

did not emphasize. Since our efforts were initially confined 

to the habitat of the Montserrat oriole, and later to 

the Centre Hills, missing 13 widespread, often invasive 

species associated with human stored products (Gibbium 

aequinoctiale Boieldieu), human gardens or farms 

[Glyptolennus chalybaeus (Dejean), Proeces depressus 

(Wollaston), Omophoeta albicornis Fabricius], sea beaches 

[Apocellus ustulatus (Erichson), Cafius bistriatus 

(Erichson), Cafius subtilis Cameron, Conotelus conicus 

(Fabricius)], under stones along the lower Belham River 

(Thinobius exasperatus Blackwelder) or dung of domestic 

animals [Neohypnus illucens (Erichson), Oxytelus incisus 

Motschulsky, Philonthus discoideus (Gravenhorst), 

Philonthus longicornis Stephens] is not unexpected. 

Of the 9 species remaining, one case remains 

taxonomically unresolved. The single known specimen 

of Nacaeus foveolus was taken by Hubbard, under bark of 

a Red Cedar (Cedrela odorata L., Meliaceae) on Montserrat 

in 1894. It may well prove to be the same as our 

Nacaeus sp. #1, which differs from the published description 

only in colour and a possible difference in interpretation 

of the word “fovae.” Until a specialist resolves 

this in consultation with the type specimen (NMNH), 

the status of this species is uncertain. 

Four widespread species may indeed have been 

lost on Montserrat: Espeson moratus Schaufuss, Sepedophilus 

interruptus (Erichson), Tetraonyx quadrimaculatus 

(Fabricius) and Neomida lecontei (Bates). The tiny (1.2-1.5 

mm) staphylinid Espeson moratus may simply have been 

overlooked. Apparently never common, Blackwelder 

(1943) reported only 17 specimens from 11 collecting 

events spread among 9 islands. Very little is known 

about this species. Blackwelder (1943) records specimens 

taken flying in Jamaica, in a rotten banana stem in St. 

Lucia, and deep in an unspecified cave, probably in 

Trinidad or Cuba. A specimen taken in a rotten log from 

the type locality, St. Thomas, was available for comparison. 

Another widespread but uncommonly collected 

staphylinid, Sepedophilus interruptus, is a fungivore that 

should have been recollected if it was present, but was 

not found. It was taken on Montserrat by Hubbard in 

1894, but not found by staphylinid specialist Blackwelder 

30 years later. There is not enough known about 

its biology to speculate as to why we did not find it. 

The meloid Tetraonyx quadrimaculatus presents an 

interesting situation. This large (6-12 mm) and showy- 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


orange-and-black meloid is widespread, known from 

North Carolina to Trinidad. In reports from the early 

twentieth century, it apparently was common on many 

islands, but in the past 30 years of collecting on some 40 

West Indian islands, we have collected it only on Hispaniola. 

Whether this represents a real, region-wide 

decline or simply bad luck is not known, but the fact 

that the larvae are parasitoids of bees, and that many 

studies show a post-WWII decline in native bees 

throughout the world, is worth noting. If its loss or rarity 

on Montserrat is simply a post-volcano issue, it may 

be due to the effects of ash on the phoretic larvae, which 

ride on the plumose setae of adult bees back to the nest. 

Volcanic ash is well known to accumulate among these 

setae (Marske 2004) and could be involved in this loss. 

Hubbard took a series of 18 specimens of the 

moderately large (6 mm) tenebrionid Neomida lecontei 

(Bates) on Montserrat in 1894. This species feeds on 

shelf fungi on trees and occurs widely from Mexico to 

Brazil, but is recorded only sporadically among the West 

Indies. We collect it regularly in Hispaniola. Our failure 

to collect it on Montserrat post-volcano may well reflect 

extirpation. 

None of the Montserrat populations of these species 

is of global importance, as they are widespread, and 

if they are truly extirpated, could be easily reintroduced. 

The same is not true for the remaining 4 species. 

These 4 species reported from Montserrat, but 

not recollected, represent more critical conservation issues. 

All are known from either several of the Lesser 

Antilles {Metamasius quadrisignatus (Gyllenhaul)], only 

Montserrat and Guadeloupe (Serrotibia n.sp.), only 

Montserrat, Guadeloupe and Dominica (Telephanus nodicornis 

Neverman), or Montserrat only [Cyrtosoma n.sp.]. 

Their loss from Montserrat could represent either a major 

reduction in range or even global extinction. 

The handsome black and red weevil Metamasius 

quadrisignatus is the most widespread and largest (up to 

17 mm including the beak) of these species, known from 

Montserrat, Guadeloupe, Dominica and Martinique 

(Vaurie 1966). Its larva bores in Tillandsia 

(Bromeliaceae), which are among the most likely of all 

plants to accumulate volcanic ash and acidity. It is never 

commonly collected, but would have been expected to 

be taken in canopy fogging samples. We had specimens 

from Dominica available for comparison. 

Leng & Mutchler (1917) recorded the Guadeloupean 

tenebrionid Cyrtosoma lherminieri (Chevrolat) from 

Montserrat, based on 2 Hubbard specimens in the 

NMNH. Marcuzzi (1984) has recorded it from several 

islands from Montserrat to Grenada. We have studied 

Hubbard’s Montserrat specimens, and compared them 

to specimens of both Guadeloupe Cyrtosoma species, C. 

lherminieri and C. picea Laporte & Brullé, determined by 

T. J. Spillman. Our conclusion is that the Montserrat 

specimens represent an as-yet undescribed species, apparently 

endemic to Montserrat. The genus is known to 

be associated with fungi in moist forests, and would be 

expected to occur in the Centre Hills, within the areas 

Fig. 4.4. Thonalmus sp. (Photo: M. Ivie, Montana State 

University) 

Fig. 4.5. Trichodesma sp. 

(Photo: M. Ivie, Montana 

State University) 

most intensively surveyed by our projects. Yet, we did 

not locate this species. At 13 mm in length, this is the 

second-largest, and only Montserrat single-island endemic, 

species certainly not recollected post-volcanic 

crisis. 

The silvanid Telephanus nodicornis Neverman was 

described from Montserrat and Guadeloupe. It was 

recently recorded from Dominica (Peck 2006). Hubbard 

collected at least 8 specimens on Montserrat in 1894, 

indicating that it was not rare when he visited the island. 

Although no biological information is recorded about 

this species, it belongs to a group of fungivores whose 

adults (and perhaps larvae) live on the surface of dead, 

withered and hanging leaves and branches, probably 

feeding on surface fungi. This expected habitat is among 

the most exhaustively sampled in our survey, yet we did 

not detect it. We have not seen any specimens of this 

species, from any islands. 

Serrotibia n. sp. is a still-undescribed species that 

has been taken at least twice on Montserrat. Again, 

nothing specific is known about its biology, but based on 

other members of the subfamily, it is probably a subcortical 

fungivore. Hubbard’s collections at the NMNH 

were the source of Leng and Mutchler’s (1917) record of 

this species, under an Ecuadorian name which had been 

recorded from Guadeloupe. The species name was then 

synonymised with a Columbian species, and the Guadeloupe 

and Montserrat records went with it. In the Chalumeau 

collection at INRA, we found a single Montser- 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

63 


at specimen of this genus, representing an apparently 

undescribed native species that is not the same as the 

South American species. It has not been compared with 

specimens from Guadeloupe, so it is unknown whether 

1 or 2 species are involved. This is a beautiful, orange 

and black species, whose loss would be unfortunate. 

An intensive effort should be made to determine 

the fate of these last three species. Because of the general 

survey nature of our work on Montserrat, we did 

not specifically target these species, and they may still 

exist on the island, but if so, they may be very restricted 

and rare. A search of the remaining forest remnant at 

Roache’s is critical, as this is the closest remaining habitat 

to where all 3 were probably last seen. Considering 

the Cyrtosoma and Serrotibia, the very idea that two such 

elegant species might go extinct before even being described, 

is simply sad. 

4.3. 4.3. 4.3. An An evaluation evaluation of of the the importance importance importance of 

of 

Montserrat Montserrat and and the the Centre Centre Hills Hills Hills for 

for 

invertebrate invertebrate invertebrate diversity 

diversity 

4.3.1. The importance of Montserrat’s invertebrate 

fauna 

Montserrat is certainly special because it harbours 

endemic species found nowhere else on earth and 

because it represents the major portion of the range of 

many other species. However, this can be said of virtually 

every vegetated West Indian island. Montserrat is, 

after all, only one small component of the Caribbean 

Biodiversity Hotspot, so Montserrat is certainly special, 

but is this kind of “special” really important? 

There are several unique things about Montserrat 

that we believe make it absolutely more important than 

other special places in the region. Unlike endemic species 

that are part of a group occurring as closely related 

species on many Lesser Antillean islands, of which there 

are very large numbers on all the islands, there are also 

groups that are significant evolutionary outliers in the 

Lesser Antilles that occur only on Montserrat, or on 

Montserrat and a few neighbouring islands are important 

at a higher, regional level. Examples from the vertebrates 

are the Montserrat Galliwasp and Mountain 

Chicken discussed at length in other chapters. It is in 

this hosting of endemic groups otherwise absent from 

the region that Montserrat is important from both a conservation 

and scientific perspective. Two very distinct 

sister-species of the genus Thonalmus (Fig. 4.4) are similar 

in importance to the Montserrat Galliwasp. They are 

single-island endemics that represent the only Lesser 

Antillean members of a small, West-Indian-endemic 

lineage, otherwise present only in the Greater Antilles 

and Bahamas. This group is so colourful, abundant and 

obvious that it seems very unlikely that it has been 

missed on other Lesser Antillean islands. Further, 

Thonalmus have been on the island long enough to produce 

other single-island endemics that are mimetic associates, 

for instance Strangalia benitiespinali Chalumeau. 

Fig. 4.6. Eohomopterus sp. (Photo: M. Ivie, Montana 

State University) 

Another example of the importance of Montserrat 

is the radiation of the anobiid Trichodesma (Fig. 4.5), 

with five undescribed species on the island. These are 

the largest, or among the largest, species of the family in 

the West Indies, and are by far the most strikingly coloured. 

Guadeloupe has had its Anobiidae reviewed 

twice, and has never had a member of this genus reported. 

No other Lesser Antillean island is known to 

harbour Trichodesma. The closest island known to have 

Trichodesma is in the Greater Antillean Virgin Islands, 

and those species are very different from the Montserratian 

species. There are many more examples of this kind 

of “importance” scattered through this report, but again, 

a majority of the larger islands in the Antilles can make 

similar claims to importance, even if based on different 

details. 

So, Montserrat is special and important, but is it 

an island of such high biodiversity as to be on a unique 

scale? It is virtually impossible to establish this as fact at 

any credible level, because virtually any comparison 

with other islands is not valid due to a number of reasons. 

Differences in effort, emphasis and reporting 

make it very difficult to compare any two samples, if 

and when they exist. Even within Montserrat, different 

groups of collectors find different things. Comparing 

the various collections of Montserrat rove beetles 

(Staphylindae; Appendix 2, Table E), butterflies and 

flower flies (Syrphidae) shows this very clearly. 

There are many examples of groups with new 

and apparently endemic species on Montserrat scattered 

though this report that represent apparent outliers, but 

are members of groups so poorly studied that the reality 

of the gap cannot be evaluated. The very odd undescribed 

weevil Prionarthrus n. sp. belongs to a group 

known otherwise from only a single described species 

from Brazil. The unique Eohomopterus (Fig. 4.6) from 

Katy Hill is one of only 2 extant species of the subfamily 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


Paussinae known from the West Indies, and with its 

sister-species from Guadeloupe, are related to fossils in 

Dominican Amber. Both of these Montserrat endemics 

are known only from single specimens, and appear to be 

so rare that only extensive inventory efforts would find 

them. Are their lineages absent from other islands, or 

simply undetected? Most of the real biodiversity of islands 

in the Lesser Antilles remains virtually unknown, 

so that even though Montserrat has so many more 

known species per hectare than other islands in the region, 

it would be foolhardy to assert that this is evidence 

of Montserrat’s special stature. 

For the beetles the exception in the Lesser Antilles 

is Guadeloupe, which is reasonably well-known. 

Guadeloupe is, however, not an island but an archipelago 

of many islands that together have an area of 1,706 

km². Many, if not most, of the records are for the Department, 

not an individual island within it, making use 

of the data an unfair comparison. No Order-level checklist 

is available for the beetles of Guadeloupe, much less 

for its individual islands, so only a few groups can be 

examined. However, examples such as the Anobiidae 

mentioned above, where well-collected and twicereviewed 

Guadeloupe has 25 known species compared 

to Montserrat’s 32, gives one pause. On the face of it, 

comparison of Montserrat to Guadeloupe gives enough 

support to the idea of Montserrat’s uniqueness that we 

are still tempted to be amazed. 

One possibility of an independent data-set with 

which to evaluate Montserrat’s unique status may be 

Dominica. In the mid-1960s the Archbold-Breden- 

Smithsonian Survey of Dominica (ABS) sent the most 

richly equipped and well-supported expeditions ever 

seen in the region to that island. Together, the participants 

formed the largest pool of expertise ever to collect 

on any island east and south of Puerto Rico (Peck 2006). 

Their material was assembled at the Smithsonian, and 

reviews of many groups were published, giving us the 

best modern reviews of any Lesser Antillean island. 

Montserrat, on the other hand, has had far less expertise 

devoted to it. Of the many collectors that participated in 

our work, only the Ivies were fully trained collectors 

before arriving on the island. The others, productive 

and hard-working as they were, received their advanced 

training on-island during their stay(s). It seems that 

under these conditions, it is reasonable to expect the 

relative efforts on the 2 islands should be somewhat 

comparable, or for Dominica to be a bit better collected 

than Montserrat. 

Dominica is more than 7 times the area of Montserrat, 

and nearly 1.5 times as high. During our work, 

the vegetated extent of Montserrat was reduced to half 

of its area and removed the highest areas from the habitable 

area for insects, making Dominica nearly 15 times 

as large and twice as high as functional Montserrat. 

Thus, if Montserrat were just a normal “special and important” 

Lesser Antillean island, larger, wetter and 

higher Dominica would be expected to have many more 

species than Montserrat – at least twice the number un- 

der Darlington’s Rule of Thumb (MacArthur & Wilson 

1967). 

Yet, for the taxon best sampled by our group, 

Montserrat has 718 beetle species of 63 families, while 40 

years after the ABS, 361 species of 42 families are now 

reported from Dominica (Peck 2006), even though 3 of 

the ABS participants and 5 other contributors were professional 

research coleopterists (loc. cit.). Perhaps this is 

an unfair comparison, as we have worked up all the 

Montserrat beetles, but this has not been done for the 

Dominica samples. However, even for subgroups of 

beetles that have been fully worked, the totals do not tell 

the expected story. For instance, the 26 Scarabaeoidea 

we record from Montserrat is significantly below the 42 

reported from Dominica, but still more (62%) than the 

less-than-half expected. Another well-worked family is 

the Cerambycidae, where Montserrat’s 33 species, at 

79%, is again well above the one/half-level of Dominica’s 

42 species. For other fully-worked groups the story is 

also not so different as expected (numbers indicate Dominica 

and Montserrat respectively): Leiodidae (3,3), 

Buprestidae (7,7), Scydmaenidae (2,3), Carabidae 40,29). 

Moving to another Order, we did not actively 

seek out aculeate wasps, which hymenopterist Howard 

Evans targeted on Dominica, yet for the 6 families whose 

species have been identified from both projects, the expert 

on Dominica was equalled by the incidental on 

Montserrat at 29 and 29 species. There were 4 dipterists 

on the ABS, while we made no special effort to obtain 

flies on Montserrat, yet Dominica has only 23 reported 

flower flies, compared to 22 for Montserrat. The 46 

Montserrat species of Dolichopodidae is about what is 

expected compared with Dominica’s 113, until you consider 

that Harold Robinson is a dolichopodid specialist 

who personally conducted very directed collecting on 

Dominica, and we only took what fell incidentally into 

our traps. Further, Dolichopodidae are most diverse in 

wet habitats, of which Dominica has far, far more than 


Our studies on the invertebrate fauna of Montserrat 

point towards the true number of endemics being in 

the hundreds of species. There are 81 probable singleisland 

endemics in just the Coleoptera (Section 2), which 

comprises only one-third of the described Insecta. If 

local endemics are added in, i.e. those occurring on only 

a few neighbouring islands, another 54 species are 

added. Yet another 33 Leeward Island or Northeastern 

Antilles Endemics are represented. Thus, Montserrat is 

home to some 167 beetle species that occur either only 

on Montserrat or on it and a few neighbouring islands. 

Undoubtedly these numbers are all underestimates, because 

over 1/3 of the species of beetles are too poorly 

known to even rank their distribution status. Thus, that 

167 species of known conservation concern is nearly 40% 

of the pool of 445 that have an assigned distribution 

ranking. Keep in mind that the easiest species to identify 

are the widespread ones, so the proportion of endemics 

among the 270+ species still unranked may be higher 

than in the first 500, indicating that there are probably 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

65 


more than 100 species of beetles of conservation concern 

to be added to the total above. 

Moving beyond the beetles, there is no reason to 

expect that the Coleoptera are any more likely to evolve 

endemics than the rest of the Insecta. We know of 32 

more non-beetle single-island endemics, and 3 among 

the non-insect invertebrates, with nearly again as many 

local island, Leeward Island and Northeastern Antillean 

endemics. This means that the density of endemics and 

species of conservation interest is already so high that it 

should be measured in endemic species per hectares 

rather than endemic species per square kilometre on 105 

km² Montserrat. This density of endemism is a far better 

indicator of the importance of Montserrat than the number 

of endemics. With such a density of globally important 

species, a hectare of development on Montserrat 

may potentially have a far greater impact on global biodiversity 

than on Cuba, or Brazil, or Madagascar. 

Thus, we have to seriously consider the hypothesis 

that Montserrat is truly more diverse than expected, 

particularly when compared to Dominica and other 

Lesser Antillean islands. Again, we caution that these 

bits of information are highly suspect due to differences 

in collecting effort, expertise, technique and reporting, 

but they at least are strong enough to raise the issue of 

Montserrat’s uniqueness to a level that requires consideration 

of the possibility that it is more than just another 

“special and important” West Indian island. Thus, at the 

current state of knowledge, biodiversity managers can 

choose to consider these indications of uniqueness to be 

artefacts, or indications of reality. The consequences of 

being wrong, however, are very different for these two 

choices. There is no negative effect of protecting this 

“special and important” island, even if it is not unique, 

but to fail to do so and then discover that it was a globally 

unique place would be unforgivable. Thus, managers 

responsible for biodiversity would do well to proceed 

with caution before considering Montserrat an average 

“special and important” island, and, until data 

become available to show otherwise, proceed under the 

assumption that it is also a “uniquely biodiverse island.” 

4.3.2. The importance of the Centre Hills for 

Montserrat’s invertebrates 

It is well known that the only high-quality forest 

habitat left on Montserrat at this time is in the Centre 

Hills. What is less well-known is that this area is also 

the one most likely to harbour endemic species that 

evolved on the island (versus those that were once widespread 

and are now extinct elsewhere, similar to the 

Mountain Chicken). It is clear from the number of sibling 

species on Montserrat and Guadeloupe that a pattern 

of on-island evolution has indeed happened repeatedly. 

Darlington (1943) correctly pointed out that the 

oldest elements of a fauna, and usually the most specialized, 

will be expected on the tops of the highest peaks of 

islands. However, in this case “highest” assumes the 

mountain has been habitable for a long time. On Mont- 

serrat, a volcanic eruption in the early seventeenth century 

laid the southern mountain top bare, much as in the 

current volcanic crisis, forcing any forest and associated 

animal communities to later recolonise the south, far too 

short a time to produce the number of endemic species 

we see. The Centre Hills, on the other hand, has highelevation 

montane forest that is old in evolutionary time. 

If specialized high-elevation species were to evolve on 

Montserrat, it is in the Centre Hills that they would be 

found. The great increase in the number of known endemic 

species we have documented on Montserrat is 

attributable in large part to increased sampling intensity, 

but is also the result of the concentrating on this evolutionarily 

old and biodiversity-rich set of hills. 

The exact number of the known species of Montserrat 

that occur in the Centre Hills is still unknown. 

However, because our collecting effort was concentrated 

on the Centre Hills, we tentatively estimate that some 

90% of Montserrat’s invertebrate species we detected 

occur there. All but a handful of the known Island Endemics 

occur in the Centre Hills, and a majority of them 

are only recorded from that area. Those species not yet 

known from the Centre Hills are mostly widespread 

inhabitants of beaches, dry coastal scrub, or invasive 

species associated with human habitations (stored food 

or gardens). None of these species are of conservation 

importance. 

In summary, the Centre Hills clearly supports 

that vast majority of Montserrat’s invertebrate fauna, 

and given the dominance of this group in overall biodiversity 

it therefore supports the majority of the total 

biodiversity of Montserrat. If we were to select a species 

to represent Montserrat’s modern fauna, we would 

choose a globally rare, 3mm-long beetle first discovered 

in 2002, known only from the Centre Hills from a single 

individual, and which is either undescribed or cannot be 

named with certainty. Since this theoretical representative 

species is a stand-in for literally hundreds of others, 

and given that the Centre Hills is such a small area, they 

are therefore perhaps one of the very most critical areas 

on earth in terms of the density of unique biodiversity 

per hectare. This is the message in the invertebrate signal 

on Montserrat that most needs to be addressed. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


Box 2. Challenges of conducting the invertebrate inventory 

There are a wide range of large challenges to conducting an invertebrate inventory. Lack of collection data is 

one problem (more on this later), but the taxonomic impediment is the major factor. The fact is that any knowledgeable 

amateur naturalist with a single book and binoculars can identify every species of resident breeding bird on the island 

without ever touching one. The same is true for the amphibians and reptiles. A few hours of training are necessary to 

be sure of the bat and rat species, and some of them have to actually be held in the hands in order to identify them, but 

a pair of gloves and a hand lens are the extent of the additional equipment needed. There are significant numbers of 

people who could identify every resident breeding species of 4 Classes of Montserratian terrestrial vertebrates 

(Amphibia, Reptilia, Aves, Mammalia). However, no single person alive can authoritatively identify all of the species 

of any of the major Classes of Invertebrates on Montserrat. Even identifying the major Orders of arachnids and insects 

is out of the question. There are just too many of them, they are too small, and the literature that does exist is huge, 

scattered, and of a widely varying quality, with an often convoluted and confusing nomenclature. 

The simple numbers of species of invertebrates is the first reason for the imbalance. The 44 native and 9 

introduced terrestrial tetrapods on Montserrat contrast with over 718 known beetle species, (plus the 109 or more 

expected to still be discovered), with probably 2-5 times that number combined in flies, moths, bugs, mites, spiders and 

wasps/ants/bees. The number of nematodes (undoubtedly huge) is totally up for grabs, but there is no one who could 

identify them to a level that would allow us to count them anyway. Thus, the simple number of invertebrate species to 

be determined overwhelms any single naturalist. 


Size is the next factor contributing to the problem. Virtually everyone can spot and identify the Soldier Crab or 

Fig. 4.7. Montserrat beetle species by size class. Includes 705 Species for 

Which Data Were Available (excludes 13 Scolytinae). Data were taken 

from a representative Montserrat specimen of each species, or, if not 

available, for a specimen from another island or the literature 

Number of Individuals 

180 

160 

140 

120 

100 

80 

60 

40 

20 

0 

1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39 41 43 45 

Size in 1 mm Increments (0-0.9, 1-1.9, etc) 

12000 

11500 

Site 1-May 2002 

Site 3-June 2002 

11000 

1200 

Average values-all sites 

1000 

800 

600 

400 

200 

0 

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 55 

Body Length (mm) 

60 65 70 75 80 

Fig. 4.8. Abundance of arthropods by size in Centre Hills canopy samples. 

Sites 1 (Hope Ghaut ) and 3 (Fogarty) include all Arthropods from 

representative samples. Average values includes data from 34 samples, 

and arthropods ≥ 2.5 mm (from Marske 2004, N = 46,683 individuals). 

the White Land Crab, but these are the 

giant outliers of the invertebrates on 

Montserrat. The smallest tetrapod, the 

Cotton Ginner (Sphaerodactylus fantasticus 

lingniservulus) would rank among the 

largest 2% of beetle species on the island. 

Few people do not find it easier to identify 

an eagle species than a warbler, and size is 

an important part of that equation. Think 

about that when considering that the 

average beetle species on Montserrat is 4.55 

mm long, and 70% of the species are 4.5 

mm or smaller (Fig. 4.7). 

Invertebrates, as an aggregate of 

individuals, average even smaller. Fig. 4.8 

shows the size distribution of all arthropods 

taken from a 10 meter by 10 meter section 

of forest canopy in the Centre Hills (from 

Marske 2004). The Fogarty sample, taken 

21 June 2002, contained 2,450 arthropods. 

A month earlier, one from Hope Ghaut 

taken 16 May 2002, included a stunning 

18,916 individual arthropods. Yet, 12,000 

of those were in the 1 mm range. It is no 

wonder that although the number of 

individuals in this 100 square meters is 

huge (nearly 190 individuals per square 

meter), they are seldom noticed by the 

casual observer. 

Tiny species can live in tiny places, and so it 

takes huge efforts by very knowledgeable 

specialists in hundreds of very specialized 

habitats, using equally specialized 

equipment, to find more than 20% of the 

invertebrate species in a given area. 

Seasonality plays a much larger role in the 

variation in the numbers of invertebrate 

species than it does in the generally longerlived 

tetrapods, and many visits and much 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

67 



N Specimens 


300 

250 

200 

150 

100 

50 

0 

1 51 101 151 201 251 301 351 401 451 501 551 601 651 701 

800 

700 

600 

500 

400 

300 

200 

100 

0 

Species 

Fig. 4.9. Abundance of each species in the data set. 

Year (1893-2005) 

Species Accumulation 

Fig. 4.10. Accumulation of beetle species discovered on Montserrat from 

1893 to 2005. 

work is needed to find even 50% of the 

species in a given area. True or perceived 

rarity is the result, making it a long-term 

numbers game to encounter the tiny, the 

specialized, the seasonal and the truly 

rare. Of the 718 species of beetles now 

known from Montserrat, more than half 

are known from 5 or fewer specimens, 149 

from only one, another 40 from only 2 

(Fig. 4.9). 

Keep in mind that these numbers were 

collected after obtaining and searching 

through approximately 1 million 

specimens of arthropods. The effort 

expended to reach this point has been 

huge. A reasonably competent amateur 

can find and identify half the species of 

tetrapods on Montserrat in the course of a 

week of concentrated field work, but 

obviously that is not at all true for 

invertebrates. Fig. 4.10 shows that it took 

98 years to reach the 50% point in 

discovery of beetles on Montserrat. This 

is, in large part, because most of the visits 

to Montserrat by invertebrate zoologists 

were in the range of a few days, with a 

few spending a week or two and very few 

staying for a month or more. Short visits 

mean that one is most likely to find the 

same relatively moderate-sized, abundant, 

and often invasive, anthropophilus and 

pestiferous species over and over again, 

without ever really getting to the core of 

the fauna. This is why the vast majority of records come from only a handful of investigators. This can be seen very 

graphically in the pattern of discovery of beetles on Montserrat (Fig. 4.10). There are 5 collectors or groups whose 

efforts added the vast majority of beetle species over the period starting in 1894 and ending 2005: Hubbard (1894), 

Blackwelder (1936), Cooter (1975), Chalumeau (1982-1984) and Ivie et al. (2000-2005). 

Thus, it takes a huge amount of time and effort to find the large number of small species of invertebrates. 

Identifying them is another major problem. Compounding problems of numbers and size is that fact that there are 

simply too few invertebrate systematists to do the work, and in general, funding for them is very low. Even after 

specimens are collected, often there is no one to identify them. Table 4.4 lists the 62 families of beetles known from 

Montserrat, arranged by numbers of species found. Note that for 2 of the 5 most speciose families, no living specialists 

exist who can identify the West Indian members of the family, and for only 3 of the 10 largest are there specialists who 

can deal effectively with the entire fauna. There are no specialists with taxonomic expertise available for 39 of the 62 

families of beetles known from Montserrat. In addition, the availability of coleopterists is far better than for specialists 

who work on mites, spiders, nematodes, flies or parasitic wasps. 

Lack of literature resources is the third taxonomic impediment. Even where no specialist is available, the 

existence of good papers would allow the identification of much collected material by non-specialists. However, while 

single books or references allow authoritative identification of any bird, amphibian, reptile or mammal on Montserrat, 

the same is not true for any Class of arthropod. In fact, only for a few small Orders, namely the Dermaptera (earwigs), 

Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) and Isoptera (termites), are such works available, and they require the expertise 

of a specialist in order to use them. Even for the lower taxonomic unit of Family the situation does not become much 

easier, as very few comprehensive works are available, and most of them are only usable by a specialist. Among the 

entire Montserrat invertebrate fauna, only the butterflies, a mere 43 species, have an identification guide usable by the 

lay naturalist. 

The quality of the literature that is available is another factor. Unlike a bird field guide, the literature that does 

exist is very difficult to use. In assembling the list of Coleoptera below, references were consulted that were written in 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 



Table 4.4. Families of Montserrat beetles by number of species, with indication of availability of taxonomic specialists. Yes 

= specialist(s) available who can identify all species from the West Indies to either named species or state that it is 

undescribed. Some = specialist(s) available who can identify at least a majority of the species from the West Indies to 

either named species or state that it is undescribed. Few = specialist(s) available who can identify a minor portion of the 

species from the West Indies to either named species or state that it is undescribed. No = no specialist available who 

specializes in the West Indian fauna, although specialists concentrating on other regions may be able to do some 

determinations. Classification follows Lawrence & Newton (1995) as modified by Ivie (2002). 

Family 

N 

species 

Expertise 

available 

Family (cont.) 

N 

species 

Expertise 

available 

Curculionidae 146 Few Oedemeridae 4 No 

Staphylinidae 125 No Brentidae 4 No 

Chrysomelidae 36 Some Scydmaenidae 3 No 

Cerambycidae 33 Yes Leiodidae 3 Yes 

Anobiidae 32 No Cleridae 3 No 

Carabidae 29 Some Cantharidae 3 Yes 

Tenebrionidae 29 Some Silvanidae 3 Yes 

Scarabaeidae 24 Yes Phalacridae 3 No 

Coccinellidae 24 Yes Mycetophagidae 3 No 

Hydrophilidae 13 Some Meloidae 3 No 

Nitidulidae 12 No Zopheridae 3 Yes 

Attelabidae 12 Yes Scirtidae 2 No 

Elateridae 11 No Dermestidae 2 No 

Laemophloeidae 11 Yes Melyridae 2 No 

Histeridae 10 No Lycidae 2 Yes 

Colydiidae 10 No Bothrideridae 2 No 

Corylophidae 9 No Latridiidae 2 No 

Ciidae 9 No Rhysodidae 1 Yes 

Anthicidae 9 No Hydraenidae 1 No 

Dytiscidae 8 No Passalidae 1 Yes 

Bostrichidae 8 No Trogidae 1 Yes 

Languriidae 8 No Jacobsoniidae 1 No 

Buprestidae 7 Yes Lymexylonidae 1 Yes 

Ptiliidae 6 No Ptilodactylidae 1 No 

Ostomidae 6 No Lampyridae 1 Yes 

Cerylonidae 6 No Sphindidae 1 No 

Eucnemidae 5 No Smicripidae 1 Yes 

Monotomidae 5 No Cryptophagidae 1 No 

Mordellidae 5 Some Melandryidae 1 No 

Salpingidae 5 No Rhipiphoridae 1 No 

Endomycidae 4 No Mycteridae 1 No 

English, Latin, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese and Russian. Some were over 200 years old, and written at a time 

when the standards for description of a species were very different from today, yet for many groups, nothing more 

recent has been published. Often the publication has only a description of a single species, and lists nothing 

comprehensive for the group that would allow one to understand whether the specimen being examined is the same as, 

or different from, a species reported only from Guadeloupe, or Puerto Rico, or Grenada. These publications include 

illustrations for fewer than 5% of the Montserrat beetle species, and many of these are of limited use. Most frustrating 

is that after assembling all these papers, reading and translating all these descriptions, consulting with a whole raft of 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

69 



specialists, and comparing the specimens with the largest collection of West Indian beetle specimens in existence (Fig. 

4.11), only a relative few species can be confidently associated with an existing scientific species name. A few more can 

with certainty be determined as undescribed, but a huge portion remains in limbo. 

Montserrat has been visited by entomologists and invertebrate zoologists since at least 1894. However, no 2 

collectors ever find exactly the same things. Because of the incomplete and constantly changing level of work on the 

taxonomy of invertebrates, the correct names change with further information. It sometimes takes a massive amount of 

work in the library and museum in order to know whether the species you have just collected is the same species as 

that recorded from Montserrat 100 years ago, and again recorded under a different name 50 years ago. The voucher 

specimens that are the key to this system may be in London, UK, for one record, and in Washington, DC, USA, for the 

second, while we are working in Bozeman, MT, USA, so actual comparison is not practical in the short time available. 

Dealing only with literature records is far more difficult than if a voucher specimen is at hand. A few records 

are clear mistakes, and can be rejected. Other records are suspected, with a high degree of probability, to be 

misidentifications, and can be placed with confidence under species we collected. Far too many records can neither be 

associated with species we collected, or confidently excluded as something we did not collect. 

Montserrat’s plight in this regard is not unique; in fact it is the global norm. As an example of how these factors 

play out in the real world, we will take the example of the Montserrat Staphylinidae, one of the two most diverse 

Fig. 4.11. One representative drawer (of 20) from the Montserrat collection 

in the WIBF. (Photo: M. Ivie, Montana State University). 

families of beetles (Table 4.4). Unlike 

most of the more speciose families of 

West Indian beetles, a large portion of the 

S t a p h y l i n d a e ( e x c e p t i n g t h e 

Aleochorinae, Pselaphinae, and 

Scaphidiinae) were revised as a whole in 

modern times, and there are descriptions 

and keys to the species for the entire West 

Indian fauna known at that time 

(Blackwelder 1943). As such, the 

Staphylinidae is a best-case study, with 

most other families of beetles scattered on 

a scale of less optimal conditions. The 

reviser, Richard E. Blackwelder, assisted 

by his wife, Ruth, spent 2 weeks 

collecting on Montserrat, from 13-27 July 

1936. Blackwelder reported that they 

collected 15 species of the group to be 

revised. Interestingly, and as a harbinger 

of things to come, in the text we find 16 

species reported as collected by the 

B l a c k w e l d e r s o n M o n t s e r r a t . 

Blackwelder worked at the Smithsonian 

in Washington, DC, where he had access 

to the other large collection of Montserrat beetles of his day – that of Henry Guernsey Hubbard, who spent parts of 

February, March and April of 1894 on the island. Although Blackwelder was a specialist in the Staphylinidae, was on 

the island specifically to collect Staphylinidae, and was assisted by his wife, the generalist collector Hubbard bested 

them, and collected 18 species of the groups of Staphylinidae under revision. Most surprisingly, the two collections 

had only 2 species in common. So, Blackwelder had a total of 32 species recorded from Montserrat, a 78% increase by 

the second expedition over the first. 

Only a single additional species was recorded from Montserrat between 1943 and the review of the fauna by 

Stevens and Waldmann (2001), but some already recorded species were treated by various workers, moved from the 

names used by Blackwelder to other nomenclatural combinations and synonyms. Stevens and Waldmann recorded 34 

species of Staphylinidae from Montserrat - all dating to the Blackwelder (1943) revision. It turns out that the increase 

was due to double reporting of 2 species which had been moved to other genera subsequent to Blackwelder’s work, 

with Stevens and Waldmann then using both the new combination and the one Blackwelder used. So, the real number 

of recorded species was 33 (Blackwelder’s 32 plus one missed by Stevens and Waldmann), not the reported 34 (Table 

4.5). 

Our work on Montserrat began in 2000, and has involved several person-years of collecting, and trap-years of 

passive collecting. This represents many times the collecting effort by Hubbard and the Blackwelders, and, not 

surprisingly, we have again doubled the number of species of Staphylindae (excepting the Aleochorinae, Pselaphinae, 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 



Table 4.5. Comparison of historic collections and nomenclature with current collections and names for Montserrat 

Staphylinidae (excepting Pselaphinae, Scaphidiinae, and Aleocharinae). 

Name in Blackwelder 

(1943) 

Anacyptus testaceus 

(LeConte) 

Oxytelus insignitus 

Gravenhorst 

Apocellus ustulatus 

(Erichson) 

Belonuchus gagates 

Erichson 

Bledius caribbaenus 

Blackwelder 

Name in Stevens & 

Waldmann (2001) 


(LeConte) 

Anotylus insignitus 

(Erichson)/ 

Oxytelus insignus 

Gravenhorst* 


(Erichson) 


Erichson 


Blackwelder 

Cafius bistriatus (Erichson) Cafinus bistriatus (Erichson) 

Current Name 


(LeConte) 


(Gravenhorst) 


(Erichson) 


Erichson 


Blackwelder 

Cafius (Euremus) bistriatus 

(Erichson) 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

71 


Hubbard 1894 

Blackwelder 1936 

WIBF Group 

y n Y 

n y Y 

n y N 

y n Y 

n y Y 

n y N 

Cafius subtilis Cameron Cafinus subtilis Cam. Cafius subtilis Cameron n y N 

Carpelimus croceipes 

(Flauvel) 

Conosomus interruptus 

(Erichson) 

Coproporus rutilus 

(Erichson) 

Coproporus sharpi 

Cameron 

Echiaster microps 

Blackwelder 


(Flauvel) 

Conosomus interruptus 

(Erichson) 


(Erichson) 

Coproporus sharpi Cam. 


Blackwelder 

Espeson crassulus Fauvel Espeson crassulus Fauvel 

Espeson moratus 

Schaufuss 

Espeson moratus Schaufuss 

Thinodromus croceipes 

Fauvel 

Sepedophilus interruptus 

(Erichson) 


(Erichson) 


Cameron 


Blackwelder 

Pseudepeson crassulus 

(Fauvel) 


Schaufuss 

y n Y 

y n ? 

y y Y 

y n Y 

y n Y 

y n Y 

y n N 

Lispinus insularis Fauvel Lispius insularis Fauvel Lispinus insularis Fauvel y n ? 

Lithocharis dorsalis 

Erichson 

Lithocharis secunda 

Blackwelder 

Lithocharis sororcula 

Kraatz 

Xantholinus illucens 

Erichson 

Oligolinus hubbardi 

Blackwelder 

Lithocharis dorsalis Erichson 


Blackwelder 

Lithocharis sorocula Kraatz 

Neohypnus illucens 

(Erichson)/ 


Erichson** 


Blackwelder 


Erichson 


Blackwelder 


Kraatz 


(Erichson) 

Neoxantholinus hubbardi 

(Blackwelder) 

y n Y 

n y Y 

n y Y 

n y N 

y n Y


Name in Blackwelder 

(1943) 

Oxytelus incisus 

Motschulsky 

Philonthus discoideus 

(Gravenhorst) 

Philonthus hepaticus 

Erichson 

Philonthus longicornis 

Stephens 

Philonthus ventralis 

(Gravenhorst) 

Pseudolispinodes impar 

(Cameron) 

Pseudolispinodes 

foveolus Blackwelder 


nigrifrons (Fauvel) 

Thinobius exasperatus 

Blackwelder 

Thoracophorus simplex 

Wendeler 

Xantholinus attenuatus 

Erichson 

Xantholinus humeralis 

Erichson 

Name in Stevens & 

Waldmann (2001) 


Motschulsky 


(Gravenhorst) 


Erichson 


Steph. 

Philonthus vernalis 

(Gravenhorst) 

Pseudolispinodes impar 

Cam. 

Pseudolispinodes foveola 

Blackwelder 

Pseudolispinodes nigrifrons 

(Fauvel) 


Blackwelder 


Wendeler 

Xantholinus attenuatus 

Erichson 


(Erichson) 

Table 4.5 contd. 

Current Name 


Motschulsky 


(Gravenhorst) 


Erichson 


Stephens 


(Gravenhorst) 

Nacaeus impar 

(Cameron) 

Nacaeus foveolus 

(Blackwelder) 

and Scaphidiinae) to 77 or more, up to 80. Although we can say that we have collected 67 species of this group on 

Montserrat, we cannot say for certain how many of the previously reported 33 species we have collected, nor how 

many of our species are not among the 33 that were included in the 1943 treatment of the whole West Indian fauna, 

because the literature is simply inadequate. The 1943 paper is 658 pages long, includes keys to 468 species, but includes 

only 8 illustrations. Given the nature of a key, each of our specimens is likely to key out to some species, but if that 

species is known from Puerto Rico, how can we know whether it is the same species as the one we have, or something 

unique and different? 

This discussion illustrates 3 points: the fauna of Montserrat is poorly documented, allowing the near doubling of 

the known species between the first visit by a beetle specialist and the second, and again by our group; that a simple 

listing by a non-specialist of all the names ever used for a fauna will be prone to a great deal of error; and that summary 

works (including this one) must be checked against the original literature and voucher specimens before being used for 

significant management decisions. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


Hubbard 1894 


WIBF Group 

y y N 

n y N 

n y Y 

y n N 

n y Y 

y n Y 

y n ? 

Nacaeus nigrifrons Fauvel y n Y 


Blackwelder 


Wendeler 

Neohypnus attenuatus 

(Erichson) 

Neohypnus humeralis 

(Erichson) New Comb. 

*Stevens & Waldmann used both of the duplicate names Oxytelus insignus Gravenhorst and 

Anotylus insignitus (Erichson), but these names refer only to a single species. The spelling of 

the species name in the first combination is a lapsus calami, as is the attribution to Erichson 

in the second. 

**Stevens & Waldmann used both of the duplicate names Xantholinus illucens Erichson and 

Neohypnus illucusens (Erichson), but these names refer only to a single species. 

n y N 

y n Y 

n y Y 

n y Y

Box 3. A history of invertebrate collection in Montserrat 

Until recently, invertebrate collections from Montserrat were themselves small, scattered and even today they 

are incomplete. No comprehensive history documenting the discovery process for invertebrate zoology on Montserrat 

exists, but by carefully noting the label data on specimens we have seen, and those recorded in the primary literature, 

some of the more important visits can be reconstructed. This listing is incomplete, and biased towards the collectors of 

groups we have studied, but it gives some picture of the situation. Most of the information concerns entomologists, 

with a few references to other disciplines extracted from Stevens and Waldmann’s (2001) review of the fauna or the odd 

record. The impact of these workers on our knowledge of the beetle fauna is particularly noted. No attempt has been 

made to include unicellular groups, nor parasites of medical or veterinary importance, as that literature is of an entirely 

different character and beyond our expertise. 

The first person known to have collected invertebrates from Montserrat for scientific study is assumed to be Sir 

Rawson William Rawson (1812-1899), who sent 5 species of terrestrial snails from Montserrat to Thomas Bland for 

determination prior to 1875. Sir Rawson was Governor of Barbados and Governor-in-Chief of the Windward Islands 

(1868-1875), which did not include Montserrat (Anon. 1900). Exactly if and when he personally visited Montserrat is 

uncertain, but from this material, Bland (1875) described Amphibulimus rawsonis Bland, the first invertebrate we know 

of to be named from the island. 

The first entomologists to collect on Montserrat were apparently the head of the United States Department of 

Agriculture’s Division of Entomology, Charles Valentine Riley (1834-1895) and his assistant Henry Guernsey Hubbard 

(1850-1899). Riley’s work on biological control of citrus pests seems to be the basis for the earliest reports of specific 

insects from the island. Montserrat had begun exporting lime juice in the 1850’s and production peaked in 1884. 

Shortly after, an outbreak of scale insects attacked the lime trees, affecting the island’s lime juice industry. Riley was 

the most famous economic entomologist of his day, and had directed the successful control of the cottony cushion scale 

on California citrus using a ladybird beetle. Probably as a result of this fame, Riley received a letter dated 10 May 1890 

from the Montserrat Company in Birmingham, England, asking him to send some of the ladybirds to control a scale 

said to be related to the cottony cushion scale. Because of the very specific nature of the food habits of the ladybird in 

question, Riley requested that a sample of the scales be sent to him by the Company’s attorney in Montserrat, Mr. H. de 

C. Hamilton. When the specimens arrived, those from lime included the recently described snowy citrus scale [Unaspis 

citri (Comstock, 1883), then called Chionaspis citri Comstock] and the purple scale [Mytilaspis citricola (Packard)]. 

However, in the same package was indeed a new species of the same genus as the cottony cushion scale, albeit from 

Chrysophyllum leaves, not lime. Riley and H. C. Howard described this new cottony cushion scale as Icerya 

montserratensis Riley & Howard. This trio of records may be the earliest insect report from Montserrat (Riley & Howard 

1890). Whether the ladybird beetle that was the original reason for the correspondence was ever sent to Montserrat 

seems to remain unreported, and we did not find that species on the island, nor any records of it from the intervening 

years. Correspondence between Riley and agriculturalists in the region continued, and in 1893 Riley published a note 

listing scale insects collected by Mr. C. L. Barber (cited as C. A. Barber in some sources), Superintendent of Agriculture 

in the Leeward Islands, including 6 species from Montserrat (Riley 1893). 

By 1894 the scale problems on lime trees were becoming very serious (Innanen 1998). Following up on the initial 

relationships, Riley and Hubbard visited Montserrat in February, March and April of 1894, officially looking for 

parasitoids of citrus pests (Smith and Smith 1996). Interestingly, a lack of official authorization for this trip led to 

Riley’s resignation from his post, ending the career of one of the most celebrated entomologists of all time (Smith and 

Smith 1996). Riley and Hubbard material is deposited at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, 

Washington (NMNH). 

Only a few Montserrat specimens with Riley’s collection labels survive, but Hubbard was prodigious in his 

efforts, and hundreds, if not thousands, of specimens bear his collecting label. Even today, this is the second largest 

collection of Montserrat insect specimens in existence. Hubbard did not describe any of the species himself, but his 

material has formed the basis for the majority of published records of Montserratian beetles to date. He concentrated 

mainly on beetles, and records of at least 57 of the 107 species of beetles previously recorded in the literature from 

Montserrat date to his material (Table 4.6). 

The first 27 beetle species records in the literature for Montserrat (Hopkins 1915, Leng & Mutchler 1917) seem to 

be totally derived from Hubbard’s material, but his material has continued to be studied, so that another 32 (or 33, 

origin of one is uncertain) first reports of Montserrat beetles have appeared in 19 papers by 16 different authors over 

the years, one as recently as 2006 (Table 4.6). It is likely, even certain, that more, perhaps many more, first collections 

remain undiscovered, scattered through the tens of thousands of drawers of beetles at the Smithsonian. For practical 

reasons, it would be impossible to effectively search them all to reassemble exactly everything Hubbard found, but his 

records will continue to appear in the literature as groups are revised. Hubbard’s contribution has been honoured with 

four Montserrat insects that bear the species epithet hubbardi (Stevens and Waldmann 2001). Although this was 

Hubbard’s only trip to Montserrat, the literature sometimes incorrectly reported a specimen from 1923 (e.g. Vaurie 

1966). In fact, the label on these specimens reads “Mar. 19-23” and lacks a year, leading to the misinterpretation. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

73 



Table Table 4.6. 4.6. 4.6. Beetle records from Montserrat pre-2000, including records based on synonyms that proved to be the same 

species (does not included unsubstantiated Stevens & Waldmann 2001 records) 

Current Current Current Name Name Name Published Published Name 

Name 

Mioptachys sp. 

Pentagonica flavipes 

(LeConte) 

Glyptolennus 

chalybaeus (Dejean) 

Aeletes lissosternus 

Wenzel 

Mioptachys 

autumnalis Bates 

Pentagonica flavipes 

(LeConte) 

Glyptolennus 

chalybaeus (Dejean) 

Aeletes lissosternus 

Wenzel 

Source Source of 


Specimen 

Specimen 

H. G. Hubbard 

1894 

prob. Hubbard or 

Blackwelder 

First First Citation 

Citation 

Leng & Mutchler 1917 

Bell 1985 

R. S. Miller 1981 Liebherr 1997 

H. G. Hubbard 

1894 

Wenzel 1944 

Enochrus bartletti Short Enochrus (Methydrus) H. G. Hubbard Short 2004 

Dactylosternum 

abdominale (F.) 

Atholus confinus 

(Erichson) 

Tropisternus chalybeus 

Laporte 

Oligota minuta 

Cameron 


(LeConte) 


(Gravenhorst) 


(Erichson) 


Erichson 


Blackwelder 

Cafius (Euremus) 

bistriatus (Erichson) 

Dactylosternum 

abdominale (F.) 

Atholus confinus 

(Erichson) 

Tropisternus 

chalybeus Laporte 

Oligota minuta 

Cameron 


(LeConte) 

Oxytelus insignitus 

Gravenhorst 


(Erichson) 


Erichson 


Blackwelder 

Cafius bistriatus 

(Erichson) 

H. G. Hubbard 

1894 


J. & J. Cooter 1975 Cooter 1983 

H. G. Hubbard 

1894 

F. D. Bennet 1973 

H. G. Hubbard 

1894 

R. E. & R. M. 


R. E. & R. M. 


H. G. Hubbard 

1894 

R. E. & R. M. 


R. E. & R. M. 



Frank, Bennet, Comroy 

1992 







Cafius subtilis Cameron Cafius subtilis R. E. & R. M. Blackwelder 1943 

Thinodromus croceipes 

Fauvel 

Sepedophilus interruptus 

(Erichson) 


(Erichson) 


Cameron 


Blackwelder 

Pseudepeson crassulus 

(Fauvel) 


Schaufuss 


(Flauvel) 

Conosomus 

interruptus (Erichson) 


(Erichson) 


Cameron 


Blackwelder 

Espeson crassulus 

Fauvel 


Schaufuss 

H. G. Hubbard 

1894 

H. G. Hubbard 

1894 

H. G. Hubbard 

1894 

H. G. Hubbard 

1894 

H. G. Hubbard 

1894 

H. G. Hubbard 

1894 

H. G. Hubbard 

1894 








Lispinus insularis Fauvel Lispinus insularis H. G. Hubbard Blackwelder 1943 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 



Current Current Current Name Name Name Published Published Published Name 

Name 


Erichson 


Blackwelder 


Kraatz 


(Erichson) 

Neoxantholinus 

hubbardi (Blackwelder) 


Motschulsky 


(Gravenhorst) 


Erichson 


Stephens 


(Gravenhorst) 

Nacaeus impar 

(Cameron) 

Nacaeus foveolus 

(Blackwelder) 

Nacaeus nigrifrons 

Fauvel 


Blackwelder 


Wendeler 

Neohypnus attenuatus 

(Erichson) 

Neohypnus humeralis 

(Erichson) New Comb. 

Ateuchus insulare 

(Fleutiaux & Sallé) 

Aphodius pseudolividus 

Balthasar 

Aphodius nigrita (F.) 

Ataenius scutellaris 

Harold 

Ataenius howdeni 

Chalumeau 

Phyllophaga 

montserratensis Arrow 

Phyllophaga cneda 

Saylor 


Erichson 


Blackwelder 


Kraatz 


Erichson 


Blackwelder 


Motschulsky 


(Gravenhorst) 


Erichson 


Stephens 


(Gravenhorst) 


impar (Cameron) 


foveolus Blackwelder 


nigrifrons (Fauvel) 


Blackwelder 

Thoracophorus 

simplex Wendeler 

Xantholinus 

attenuatus Erichson 


Erichson 

Choerisium insulare 

Chevrolat 

Aphodius lividus 

(Olivier) 

Aphodius 

cuniculusChevrolat 

Ataenius frater Arrow 

Ataenius luteomargo 

Chapin 

Phyllophaga 

montserratensis Arrow 

Phyllophaga cneda 

Saylor 


Source Source Source of 


Specimen 

Specimen 

H. G. Hubbard 

1894 

R. E. & R. M. 


R. E. & R. M. 


R. E. & R. M. 


H. G. Hubbard 

1894 

H. G. Hubbard 

1894 

R. E. & R. M. 


R. E. & R. M. 


H. G. Hubbard 

1894 

R. E. & R. M. 


H. G. Hubbard 

1894 

H. G. Hubbard 

1894 

H. G. Hubbard 

1894 

R. E. & R. M. 


H. G. Hubbard 

1894 

R. E. & R. M. 


R. E. & R. M. 


H. G. Hubbard 

1894 

R. E. & R. M. 


R. E. & R. M. 


R. E. & R. M. 


R. E. & R. M. 


H. G. Hubbard 

1894 

H. G. Hubbard 

1894 


Citation 



















Chapin 1940 

Chapin 1940 

Chapin 1940 

Chapin 1940 

Arrow 1920 

Saylor 1940 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

75 



Current Current Current Name Name Name Published Published Name Name 

Name 

Ligrus cuniculus 

(Fabricius) 

Rutela s. striata (Olivier) 

Chalcolepidius n. sp. 

Heteroderes amplicollis 

Gyllenhal 

Tylocerus picipennis 

Leng & Mutchler 

Aspisoma ignitum 

Linneaus 

Thonalmus hubardi Leng 

& Mutchler 

Thonalmus sinuaticostis 


Trogoderma ornatum 

Say 

Xylomeira tridens 

(Fabricius) 

Gibbium psylloides 

Czempinski 

Carpophilus dimidiatus 

(Linneaus) 

Contotelus conicus 

(Fabricius) 

Macrostola vertraci 

Grouvelle 

Telephanus nodicornis 

Neverman 

Philothermus puberulus 

Schwarz 

Cycloneda sanguinea 

limbifer Casey 

Scymnus floralis 

(Fabricius) 

Coccidophilus cariba 

Gordon 

Neaptera viola Gordon 

Litargus balteatus 

LeConte 

Tetraonyx 

quadrimaculatus 

(Fabricius) 

Synchita sp. #1 

Ligrus cuniculus 

(Fabricius) 

Rutela s. striata 

(Olivier) 

Chalcolepidius 

obscurus (Laporte) 



Specimen 

Specimen 

First First First Citation 

Citation 


F. Chalumeau 

1982 or 1984 

H. G. Hubbard 

1894 

Chalumeau 1985 


Heteroderes sp. J. & J. Cooter 1975 Cooter 1983 

undetermined 

cantharid 

Aspisoma ignitum 

Linneaus 

Thonalmus hubardi 


Thonalmus 

sinuaticostis Leng & 

Mutchler 

Trogoderma ornatum 

Say 

Xylomeira torquata 

(Fabricius) 

Gibbium 

aequinoctiale 

Boieldieu 

Carpophilus 

dimidiatus (Linneaus) 

Contotelus conicus 

(Fabricius) 

Macrostola lutea 

Murray 

Telephanus nodicornis 

Neverman 

Philothermus 

puberulus Schwarz 

Cycloneda 

sanguinea limbifer 

Casey 

Scymnus loewii 

Mulsant 

Coccidophilus cariba 

Gordon 

Neaptera viola 

Gordon 

Litargus balteatus 

LeConte 

Tetraonyx 

quadrimaculatus 

(Fabricius) 

Synchita laticollis 

LeConte 




H. G. Hubbard 

1894 

H. G. Hubbard 

1894 




H. G. Hubbard 

1894 

H. G. Hubbard 

1894 

H. G. Hubbard 

1894 

H. G. Hubbard 

1894 

H. G. Hubbard 

1894 

H. G. Hubbard 

1894 

H. G. Hubbard 

1894 

Fisher 1950 





Nevermann 1932 



H. G. Hubbard 

1894 

H. G. Hubbard 

1894 

R. E. & R. M. 


H. G. Hubbard 

1894 

H. G. Hubbard 

1894 

H. G. Hubbard 

1894 


Gordon 1978 

Gordon 1991 




_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 



Current Current Current Name Name Name Published Published Name Name 

Name 

Monoedus lecontei 

Fleutiaux & Sallé 

Rhipidandrus cornutus 

(Arrow) 

Neomida leconteiBates 

Monoedus lecontei 


Eutomus 

cornutusArrow 

Neomida 

leconteiBates 




Specimen 

Specimen 

H. G. Hubbard 

1894 

R. E. & R. M. 


H. G. Hubbard 

1894 

First First First Citation 

Citation 



Triplehorn 2006 

Gondwanocrypticus sp. Crypticus sp. J. & J. Cooter 1975 Cooter 1983 

Phaleria fulva Fleutiaus & 

Sallé 

Cyrtosoma n.sp. 

Uloma retusa (Fabricius) 

Ulomoides ocularis 

Casey 

Phaleria fulva 

Fleutiaus & Sallé 

Cyrtosoma lherminieri 

(Chevrolat) 

Uloma retusa 

(Fabricius) 

Palembus ocularis 

Casey 

Serrotibia n. sp. Parlindria partia Olliff 

Neolema dorsalis 

(Olivier) 

Charidotella 

sexpunctata (Fabricius) 

Acalyma innubum 

(Fabricius) 

Diabrotica ochreata 

Fabricius 

Neolochmaea 

obliterata (Olivier) 

Exora encaustica 

(Germar) 

Cyrsylus montserrati 

Blake 

Omophoeta albicornis 

Fabricius 

Chlorida festiva 

(Linneaus) 

Eburia decemmaculata 

(F.) 

Elaphidion glabratum 

(F.) 

" 

Strangalia benitiespinali 

Chalumeau 

Adetus lherminieri 


Cyrtinus hubbardi Fisher 


H. G. Hubbard 

1894 

R. E. & R. M. 


H. G. Hubbard 

1894? 

H. G. Hubbard 

1894 



Triplehorn 1965 


Lema sp. J. & J. Cooter 1975 Cooter 1983 

Metronia trisignata J. & J. Cooter 1975 Cooter 1983 

Diabrotica 

melanocephala 

(Fabricius) 

Diabrotica ochreata 

Fabricius 

H. G. Hubbard 

1894 

H. G. Hubbard 

1894 



Galerucella tropica J. & J. Cooter 1975 Leng & Mutchler 1917 

Exora detritum (F.) 

Cyrsylus montserrati 

Blake 

Omophoeta 

albicornis Fabricius 

Chlorida festiva 

(Linneaus) 

Eburia 

decemmaculata (F.) 

H. G. Hubbard 

1894 

H. G. Hubbard 

1894 


Blake 1949 


H. G. Hubbard 

1894 



Elaphidion sp. S. T. Danforth 1935 Danforth 1939 

Elaphidion 

tomentosum 

Strangalia 

benitiespinali 

Chalumeau 

Adetus lherminieri 


Cyrtinus hubbardi 

Fisher 

R. E. & R. M. 


F. Chalumeau 

1982 

H. G. Hubbard 

1894 

H. G. Hubbard 

1894 


Chalumeau 1985 


Fisher 1926 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

77 



Current Current Current Name Name Name Published Published Name 

Name 

Brentus anchorago 

Linneaus 

Sitophilus linearis (Herbst) 

Metamasius hemipterus 

(Linneaus) 

Metamasius 

quadrisignatus 

(Gyllenhaul) 

Pseudopentarthrum sp. 

#1 

Proeces depressus 

(Wollaston) 

Brentus anchorago 

Linneaus 

Sitophilus linearis 

(Herbst) 

Metamasius 

hemipterus(Linneaus) 

Metamasius 

quadrisignatus 

(Gyllenhaul) 

Pseudopentarthrum 

sp. 

Eucoptus depressus 

Wollaston 

H. G. Hubbard 

1894 



S. T. Danforth 

1935/H. G. 

Hubbard 1894 

H. G. Hubbard 

1894 

H. G. Hubbard 

1894 

H. G. Hubbard 

1894 

Danforth 1939, Vaurie 

1966 

Vaurie 1966 

Champion 1909 

Buchanan 1947 

Pseudomus sp. #1 Pseudomus sp. J. & J. Cooter 1975 Cooter 1983 

Diaprepes abbreviatus 

(Linneaus) sensu lat. 

Diaprepes famellicus 

(Olivier) sensu Pierce 

Lachnopus curvipes 

(Fabricius) 

Diaprepes 

abbreviatus 

(Linneaus) 

Diaprepes famelicus 

(Olivier) 

Lachnopus villosipes 

(Boheman) 



? Ingram 1981 

" L. curvipes-group J. & J. Cooter 1975 Cooter 1983 

Litostylus pubens 

(Boheman) 

" 

Coccotrypes cyperi 

(Beeson) 

Litostylus pubens 

(Boheman) 

Litostylus strangulatus 

(Chevrolat) 

Coccotrypes 

hubbardi Hopkins 




Specimen 

Specimen 

P. C. Drummond Ingram 1981 

7-May-1968 O’Brien and Wibner 1982 

H. G. Hubbard 

1894 


Citation 

Hopkins 1915 

Several other entomologists are known to have followed Riley and Hubbard after the turn of the century, most 

for only a short period of time and collecting only a few specimens, or specializing on a particular narrow group. The 

English entomologist Harold Maxwell Lefroy (1877-1925) collected on Montserrat in August, 1901, before achieving 

fame as the entomologist to the Government of India (Rehn 1905), and Henry Arthur Ballou (1872-1937), the 

Entomologist of the Imperial Department of Agriculture based in Barbados, collected on Montserrat in January, 1904 

(Rehn 1905, Rehn and Hebard 1927) around the time (1905) another scale, the green shield scale (Coccus viridus Green) 

was recorded attacking young lime trees (Ballou 1912, Innanen 1998). The specimens of Lefroy and Ballou are scattered 

among the collections of specialists. Another USDA entomologist, the Lepidopterist August Busck (1870-1944) has 

been reported to have been on the island in June 1905 (Thompson 1981, specimens in NMNH). However, these 

specimens were actually collected at Montserrat, Trinidad (see label data cited in Stone & Knight 1957). 

In 1906, the Curator of the Montserrat Botanic Station, W. Robson, sent 2 species to the Imperial Commissioner 

of Agriculture in Bridgetown, which formed the basis of a published record (Robson 1906). Rounding out the first 

decade of the twentieth century, Thompson (1981) reports fly specimens in the NMNH from an unnamed collector on 

the island in March of 1910. 

Amos Peaslee Brown (1864-1917), Professor of Geology and Mineralogy at the University of Pennsylvania, was, 

among other things, an avid malacologist interested in both paleontology and land snails (Stone 1918). The fact that he 

collected snails on Montserrat in 1913 is documented only through the existence of his specimens in the Academy of 

Natural Sciences, Philadelphia. He is known to have visited Antigua in July and August of that year, and he published 

a paper on the geology of that island (Brown 1913). Exactly what his purpose was on Montserrat, be it pursuit of his 

interest in malacology, paleontology, geology, or some other reason is unknown. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 



From 1910 to 1922, we find no records of visits to Montserrat that yielded insect specimens. Stuart T. Danforth 

(1900-1938) of the University of Puerto Rico is best known as an ornithologist, but was also an accomplished 

entomologist. He visited Montserrat on 4 short visits in July 1922, July 1931, June 1935, and August 1935. Finally, in 

February 1937, he made a more extended visit. He collected insect and avian specimens on the island, and performed 

several bird stomach dissections that yielded insect and snail records (Danforth 1939, Thompson 1981). His insect 

collection is now at the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University. 

The Montserrat resident, historian and naturalist T. W. Savage-English collected the first Onychophorans known 

from Montserrat in April 1924. His specimens are in the NMNH and BMNH (Clark 1929, Read 1988). Brooks (1998) 

reports a bee in the NMNH collected on Montserrat on 13 September 1925, but the collector is not reported, and this 

date does not match any of the known collectors. In July, 1929, William A. Hoffman of the School of Tropical Medicine 

in San Juan, and his assistant José Oliver-Gonzáles (later of the University of Puerto Rico) bred several species of 

mosquitoes from a crab hole which found their way to Belkin and Heinemann (1975) (see below). These specimens 

became the source of the original mosquito records for the island (Belkin and Heinemann 1975). No report of other 

material Hoffman and Oliver-Gonzáles may have collected has been found. 

Richard Eliot Blackwelder (1909-2001), assisted by his wife Ruth MacCoy Blackwelder (1910-1989), spent 2 

weeks in July, 1936 collecting on Montserrat, under a W. R. Bacon Fellowship (1935-1938) at the Smithsonian 

Institution. He published a detailed list of his localities and collecting efforts (Blackwelder 1943). Although the 

Blackwelders were concentrating on Staphylinidae, they picked up numerous other groups as well, most of which can 

be found in the NMNH. Their collecting has been the basis for the second largest group of published beetle records for 

the island (Table 4). Later in his career, he produced the most recently published checklist and bibliography of 

Neotropical beetle species (Blackwelder 1944-57), and still later became one of the foremost scholars of J. R. R. Tolkien! 

His efforts on Montserrat are described in more detail above. 

The famous Homopterist Ronald Gordon Fennah (1910-1987) spent much of his career in the British West Indies, 

first as Lecturer in Zoology (1935), then the Citrus Entomologist for the Windward and Leeward Islands (1937-1942), 

and finally Officer-in-Charge for the Food-Crop Investigation for the Windward and Leeward Islands (1942-1948), all 

three at the Imperial College of Agriculture in Trinidad (now University of West Indies). His visits to Montserrat 

ended when he became Entomologist of the Department of Agriculture for Trinidad (1948). Originally from the Welsh 

Marches, he left Trinidad after 22 years in the West Indies (1958), and joined the Commonwealth Institute of 

Entomology in London, where he finished his career as Director. His 1937 hire required him to investigate a 

mysterious die-off of lime trees in Montserrat (Lapointe 2000). He visited the island several times, starting in January 

1938 (and at least in September, 1939 and May, 1941). He reported numerous Fulguroidea from the island in the 17 

papers he published on the Homoptera of the West Indies. He described 10 of the 12 species of Fulguroidea known 

from the island today, including all 6 of the single-island endemics. In addition, Fennah recorded several economically 

important species in his agricultural papers, and provided specimens of many groups to others (Thompson 1981). 

Type material from his West Indian period is deposited in the NMNH, and his later material is mostly deposited in The 

Natural History Museum, London (Wilson 1988). 

Botanist George R. Proctor (1920- ) collected a specimen of dung beetle (Matthews 1966), a ground beetle (G. Ball 

pers. com.), and perhaps other specimens, in February, 1959. His material is deposited at the Science Museum, Institute 

of Jamaica, Kingston. The Smithsonian-Bredin Caribbean Expedition, on the Research Vessel Freelance, apparently 

made a port call at Montserrat in April, 1959, yielding specimens of Crustacea collected by Thomas Elliot Bowman III 

(1918-1995) on the beach at Fox’s Bay. Several records of marine species undoubtedly date to this voyage. Other 

specimens of Crustacea at the NMNH date to an M. S. Carson, collected in December, 1963. 

Reference to a single Montserrat lygaeid in the Leiden Museum, Netherlands (Slater & Baranowski 2005), 

collected 15 July 1965 by a Mrs. E. Geijskes, indicates a potentially unstudied collection at that museum. Ester “Ettie” 

Sollewijn Gelpke (1909-1994) was the wife of Dutch Odonatologist Dirk Cornelis Geijskes (1907-1985), famous for his 

work in Suriname. To our knowledge, that single specimen is the only indication of a visit by one or both of them to 


In October, 1966, a team visited Montserrat led by the well-known Yale University medical entomologist 

Thomas Henry Gardiner Aitken (1912- ), who was then at the Trinidad Regional Virus Laboratory (TRVL). Aitken, 

along with TRVL staffers Ambrose Guerra and Raymond Martinez, surveyed Montserrat’s mosquitoes for the 

Mosquitoes of Middle America Project (Belkin and Heinemann 1975, 1976). They visited 134 localities (Belkin and 

Heinemann 1976), covering the island better than any other invertebrate collectors. Their thoroughness is the reason the 

mosquitoes, along with the butterflies, are the best known group of invertebrates on the island. After a few stops along 

the way, the collections from this project are now at the NMNH. 

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79 



Dutch zoologist Pieter Wagenaar Hummelinck (1907-2003) collected for a single day, 20 July, 1967 (not August 

as reported in Stevens & Waldmann 2001), as part of an area-wide survey of various animal groups (Wagenaar 

Hummelinck 1981). His insect collections are deposited mostly in the Leiden Museum. 

The Charles W. O’Brien collection contains weevil specimens collected in May 1968 and October 1971 by Peter 

Call Drummond (1937 - ), an isopod specialist from Santa Fe Community College, Florida. These specimens were 

submitted to O’Brien for identification by M. Sommeijer (presumably the Dutch entomologist Marinus J. Sommeijer, 

who worked for the UN Food and Agriculture Organization in Trinidad from 1971-1974) (C. W. O’Brien, in lit.). 

Montserrat specimens collected in November 1967 and July-August 1971 by Hawaiian biocontrol specialist Noel 

Louis Hilmer Krauss (1910-1996) are in the NMNH (Brooks 1998, Thompson 1981, Kung and Brown 2006). Fred D. 

Bennett, another biological control specialist based at the Commonwealth Institute of Biological Control in Trinidad, 

collected on Montserrat in February 1964, November 1973 and May 1974 yielding specimens of biological control 

agents (Gordon 1978, Frank et al. 1992). A citation of an unpublished report from a survey of plant parasitic nematodes 

(Braithwaite 1973) indicates that someone collected these common but oft-overlooked animals on Montserrat in the 

early 1970’s, most likely someone named C. W. D. Braithwaite from Trinidad. An original copy of this paper has not 

been located, but it contains the earliest records of non-medical nematodes from Montserrat. 

Montserrat has benefited from its proximity to the French Antilles, with several French scientists visiting 

Montserrat while working on Guadeloupe. The French entomologist Jacques Bonfils reported on some Montserrat 

species (Bonfils 1969), and he may have collected on the island during one of his visits to the French West Indies 

(Bonfils 1969). Specimens collected by Pére (Father) R. Pinchon and P. Enrico in December 1967 formed the basis for the 

first list of butterflies for the island (Pinchon & Enrico 1969). Malacologist Jean-Pierre Pointier, of the Université de 

Perpignan, collected aquatic snails in 1974 (Pointier 1975), apparently on a side trip from work in the French Antilles. 

His work was focused on the intermediate hosts of schistosomiasis. Fortuné Chalumeau of the Institut de Récherches 

entomologiques de la Caraïbe in Guadeloupe, collected insects, mostly beetles, on Montserrat in March 1982, December 

1983 and March 1984. His material is now in the collection of the Conseil Général de la Guadeloupe at the Institut 

National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), Petit-Borg, Guadeloupe. Also from Guadeloupe, the husband/wife 

team of entomologists Bernard LaLanne-Cassou and Jeanne le Duchat d'Aubigny collected on Montserrat in December 

1983. Their Montserrat material is also at INRA-Guadeloupe. The collections at INRA constitute the third largest insect 

collections from Montserrat. 

Following the schistosomiasis work of Pointier, M. A. Prentice collected aquatic snails in 1977 [identified as 

“Prantice” in Stevens and Waldmann 2001] (Prentice 1980) as a Rockefeller Foundation staffer based in St. Lucia. 

The English coleopterist Jonathan Cooter (1949- ) published (Cooter 1983) a brief report on a collection he made 

with his father (the designer of postage stamps, including many for Montserrat) John Edward Cooter (1913-2001) in 

August, 1975. He listed 20 species of beetles, 19 of them first records (Table 4). This represented only a portion of their 

specimens, all of which are deposited in the Natural History Museum, London (pers. com. J. Cooter). These collections, 

combined with others in London, are probably fifth in size among Montserrat insect collections. Coleopterist Robert 

Eugene Woodruff (1933 - ) of the Florida State Department of Agriculture visited the island in June of 1977, and ran an 

ultraviolet light trap at Fox’s Bay. His collections in the Florida State Collection of Arthropods (Gainesville), (along 

with records from Baranowski and Walker, below) form the basis for several Montserrat records included in Woodruff 

et al. (1998). Another coleopterist, Richard Stuart Miller (1945 - ) collected a few specimens while vacationing on 

Montserrat in July 1981. Most of his material is now in the West Indian Beetle Fauna Project collection in Bozeman, 

with some remaining in his private collection. 

One of the few synthetic works specifically on the invertebrates of Montserrat was published by Schwartz and 

Jimenéz (1982) on the island’s butterflies. The new material was based mainly on collections made between June 1980 

and February 1981 by Peter L. Richel and Geoffrey L. Blattin, who were resident on Montserrat at the time, attending 

medical school at the American University of the Caribbean. Additions to the butterfly fauna were made by Schwartz 

(1991), based on collections by herpetologist Robert W. Henderson in November 1987, and José Escobio in May 1990. 

This material is now deposited in the Milwaukee Public Museum. 

Hemipterist Richard Matthew Baranowski (1928- ) of the University of Florida, accompanied by his wife Helen 

B. Venn Baranowski, collected on Montserrat in June-July 1991, July-August 1992, and June 1993 as part of the work 

that led to a major volume on the Lygaeidae of the West Indies (Slater and Baranowski 2005). This material is largely 

housed in his private collection, with some in the Charles W. O’Brien collection and perhaps some at the FSCA. 

Baranowski’s collection also contains Montserrat material collected at ultraviolet lights run by P. Jeffers at Brades, in 

October 1992 and April-May 1993, as well as at Groves, in June 1993. No further information is available for Jeffers. 

Thomas J. Walker, University of Florida, visited Montserrat to collect Orthoptera in 1992. His material is in his 

private collection in Gainesville, and may be the source for some of the Montserrat records in Woodruff et al. (1998). In 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 



August, 1992 and again in August 1993, another husband/wife team, Lee Denmar Miller (1935 - ) and Jacqueline 

Yvonne Miller (1944 - ), collected butterflies on the island, and included their records in their book (Smith et al. 1994). 

Their specimens are in the Florida Museum of Natural History, Gainesville. 

Canadian entomologist Christopher Kenneth Starr, Senior Lecturer at the St. Augustine campus of the 

University of the West Indies (Trinidad) collected briefly on the island in July 1994, and his small batch of material is in 

the UWI collection. [This collection may also house unreported specimens from Ballou, Fennah, Bennett or others.] 

While serving as a Fulbright Scholar at the University of the West Indies (Cave Hill) T. David Bass (1956 - ) of 

the University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) visited Montserrat in June 1996 to collect aquatic invertebrates. He 

obtained the first, and to date, the only, known mayfly in Lawyer’s River. That specimen is deposited at Texas A&M 

University (Baumgardner et al. 2003), but material of 24 more species he collected, including snails, decapods, 

ephemeropterans, odonates, hemipterans, trichopterans, coleopterans and dipterans are in the Caribbean Invertebrate 

Freshwater Invertebrate Collection at UCO (Bass 2003). 

Germans Michael Stevens and George Waldmann, from the Heinrich-Heine-Universität (Germany) and 

University of Coventry (United Kingdom) respectively, collected more extensively on the island in 1999, preparing 

their checklist of the fauna of Montserrat (Stevens and Waldmann 2001). They were assisted by several residents, 

including Bridgett Beatty and Ingrid Rapuano. Much of their insect material was donated to the West Indian Beetle 

Fauna Project, reported below, while other portions were distributed to specialists. 



The number of people who have helped with this 

project is very large, and perhaps it is best to start by 

thanking the People of Montserrat, who as a whole so 

graciously welcomed us, helped us, and encouraged us 

in our work. Never have we worked with such a 

pleasant population of wonderful people. If we leave 

someone out below, it is because of the limitations of 

space, not for lack of gratitude. To all the people who 

opened their homes, businesses offices and even their 

cars to us, provided hospitality and forbearance, we say 

Thank You. 

This project built upon our initial work on the 

effects of volcanic ash on the food of the Montserrat 

oriole. That first multi-year project was the idea of, and 

because of the commitment by, Geoff Hilton of the Royal 

Society for the Protection of Birds. He filled a variety of 

roles, including funding manager, project advocate, field 

companion and helper, friend and colleague, and we 

thank him for everything he has done to make this 

project possible. 

The project would not have been physically 

possible without the Montserrat Department of 

Agriculture and its Forestry Division, especially Lloyd 

Martin, James Boatswain, John Martin, James Daley, 

Lloyd Aymer and Gerard Grey. They cut red tape, 

made things happen, toted the fogger out to every site, 

every time, ran the fogging, and generally kept us going 

with good cheer and encouragement, not to mention 

belief in what we were doing. Philemon Murrain and 

Calvin Fenton were part of this cadre of field support as 

well. This group of men who work so hard to protect 

Montserrat’s biodiversity became our good friends, and 

we dedicate this chapter to them. 

The Montserrat National Trust provided critical 

logistic support and transportation, and we thank Lady 

Eudora Fergus, Jean White, Donna Henry, Stephen W. 

Macnamera, and Ann-Marie Graham. The Montserrat 

Volcano Observatory staff helped with helicopter time, 

advice, and general good ideas, especially, Simon 

Young, Peter Dunkley, Gill Norton, and Racquel Syers. 

Ann Krakower faithfully ran traps for us, helped by her 

mother Rosalie Burrows and Bridgett Beatty. Chris 

Bowden, Joah Madden, Bo Dalsgaard, Richard Allcorn, 

Mark Hulme, and Sarah Sanders of The Royal Society 

for the Protection of Birds all helped with the field work 

and other aspects of this project. Thomas Burkett of The 

Community College of Baltimore County accompanied 

MAI to the summit of Katy Hill, and brought him down 

in one piece. Montana State University students Kelvin 

Guerrero, Kenneth Puliafico, Vincent Martinson, Patrick 

Hughley, Levi Lehfeldt, and Robert Semple helped with 

extensive field work, while Sarah Jackson mounted a 

very large number of the specimens. 

Bridget Beattie, Nancy Hermany, Carol and 

Cerdic Osborne, Susan & Eddie Edgecombe, Betty Dix, 

Ingrid Rapuano, and Gerry and Helen Cooper gave us 

permission to collect and/or run traps on their 

properties, as well as other courtesies too numerous to 

detail here. Advice, encouragement, information and 

good company were provided by Sir Howard Fergus of 

the University of the West Indies, Anthony Hill of DFID, 

Elivina Farrell of Montserrat Forestry, Trevor Howe of 

Montserrat Environmental Health, and Robert Krakower 

of Palm Loop. Governor Anthony and Mrs. Jane 

Longrigg, and Governor Deborah Barnes Jones, and 

members of their staffs Geoff Patton and David Hume 

facilitated many aspects of our work, including 

permission to work in the exclusion zone. 

In addition to the assistance while on Montserrat, 

many more people helped from off-island. Fortune 

Chalumeau and Bernard Brochier of Guadeloupe 

opened their homes and knowledge of West Indian 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

81 


collectors, and facilitated study of the Montserrat 

material at IREC. For permission to use their 

photographs, thanks to Kenneth Puliafico, Quentin 

Bloxam, and Gerardo Garcia. For reviews of parts of the 

manuscript, discussions of techniques, and help with 

literature: Richard Hurley, Richard Miller, Kevin 

O’Neill, Christopher Marshal, Andrew Cline and the 

interlibrary loan staff of MSU’s Renné Library. Michael 

Stevens, of Heinrich-Heine-Universität, kindly donated 

material from his own field work on Montserrat. 

The following people helped by determining 

material, providing corrections of nomenclature and/or 

reviewing or providing historical information: Robert 

Anderson, Luis de Armas, George Ball, David Bass, 

Charles Bellamy, Donald Bright, Brian Brown, Fortunè 

Chalumeau, Shawn Clark, Andrew Cline, Jonathan 

Cooter, Thomas Donnelly, Catharine Duckett, Michael 

Engel, Terry Erwin, Zachary Falin, Durland Fish, 

Christine von Hayek, Sylvain Hugel, Richard Hurley, 

Robert Gordon, Mary Liz Jameson, James Johnson, 

Norman Johnson, James Liebherr, Jay McPherson, 

Charles Michener, Jacqueline Miller, Richard Miller, 

Wendy Moore, Geoffrey Morse, Luciana Musetti, 

Eugenio Nearns, Alfred Newton, Charles O’Brien, Lois 

O’Brien, Westin Opitz, Daniel Otte, Stewart Peck, 

Norman Platnick, Alistair Ramsdale, David Rider, David 

Robinson, Gary Rosenberg, Justin Runyan, Fred Sibley, 

Adam Ślipiński, Danny Shpeley, Robert Sites, Paul 

Skelley, David Smith, Christopher Starr, Warren Steiner, 

Margaret Thayer, Michael Thomas, Christian Thompson, 

Jan van Tol, Julien Touroult, Charles Triplehorn, Barry 

Valentine, Thomas Walker, and Edward Wilson. 

Several people from the Durrell Wildlife 

Conservation Trust deserve a great round of thanks for 

their efforts on our behalf: John Fa for inviting us into 

this project; Richard Young for managing it and for his 

patience waiting for the manuscript, as well as the 

editing of this volume; Sarah Seymour and Quentin 

Bloxam have acted as effective advocates for this 

project’s initiation and completion. 

Funding for this project was provided by the 

Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, the Montana 

Agricultural Experiment Station of Montana State 

University and MSU’s Undergraduate Scholars 

Program, in cooperation with the Montserrat National 

Trust and Montserrat Forestry and Environment 

Division of the Montserrat Department of Agriculture. 

Earlier work that contributed so strongly to this project 

was funded by the Montserrat Forestry and 

Environment Division of the Montserrat Department of 

Agriculture, the United Kingdom Foreign and 

Commonwealth Office, The Royal Society for the 

Protection of Birds, and the Montserrat National Trust. 

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89 


5. Amphibians and reptiles of the Centre Hills 

R. P. Young & A. Ogrodowczyk 

5.1. Diversity and status of amphibians and 

reptiles in Montserrat 

Three species of amphibian and 11 terrestrial 

reptiles have been recorded on Montserrat (see Table 

5.1) (Schwartz & Henderson, 1991; Malhotra & Thorpe, 

1999), although five of these species are thought to be 

human‐sponsored introductions. The native species 

assemblage is generally typical of the Lesser Antillean 

region, with two species of frog, two species of snake 

and five species of lizard. Six island endemics at species 

or subspecies level occur, including a tree lizard (Anolis 

lividus), ground lizard (Ameiva pluvianotata), dwarf gecko 

(Sphaerodactylus fantasticus ligniservulus), galliwasp 

(Diploglossus montisserrati) (Fig. 5.1), racer (Alsophis antil‐ 

lensis manselli) (Fig 5.3) and blind snake (Typhlops 

monastus monastus). The regionally endemic mountain 

chicken (Leptodactylus fallax) (Fig. 5.2), and a tree frog 

endemic to the Lesser Antilles (Eleutherodactylus johns‐ 

tonei) also occur in Montserrat. The final native species 

is the turnip‐tailed gecko (Thecadactylus rapicauda), which 

has a widespread range in Central and South America. 

The high level of endemism in Montserrat’s amphibians 

and reptiles is typical of this taxonomic group across the 

Lesser Antilles. The number of species is higher than 

expected given the size of the island, as predicted by 

species‐area curves for the Lesser Antilles (Ricklefs & 

Lovette, 1999), and therefore, within the region, Mont‐ 

serrat can be considered to have high herptile species 

richness per unit area. This is probably due to high 

habitat diversity, thought to be the main driver of spe‐ 

cies richness in this taxonomic group in the Lesser Antil‐ 

les (Ricklefs & Lovette, 1999). 

All the native species occur within the Centre 

Hills which, with the exception of the A. pluvianotata 

(which tends to occur in open and dry habitats), proba‐ 

bly represents the most important site for the island en‐ 

demics globally and the other native species at the na‐ 

tional level. The amphibian and reptile species assem‐ 

blage of the Centre Hills is of high conservation value 

due to its high endemicity and the occurrence of two 

Critically Endangered species, D. montisserrati (Day, 

1996) and L. fallax (Fa et al., 2004). D. montisserrati was 

until recently only known from a single specimen col‐ 

lected from the Woodlands area of the Centre Hills in 

the 1960s. After the volcanic activity in the mid 1990s it 

was thought to be potentially extinct. However, in 1998 

a second D. montisserrati was observed in the same local‐ 

ity by a member of the Montserrat Department of Envi‐ 

ronment. In 2004, a third individual was also spotted in 

Woodlands and three unconfirmed observations by local 

residents have been subsequently reported 

(Ogrodowczyk et al., 2007). The concentration of these 

sightings in this small area of moist forest has led to the 

Fig. 5.1. Montserrat Galliwasp, Diploglossus montisserrati. 

(Photo: A. Ogrodowczyk, Durrell) 

Fig. 5.2. Mountain Chicken Leptodactylus fallax. (Photo: A. 

Ogrodowczyk, Durrell) 

Fig. 5.3. Alsophis antillensis manselli. (Photo: A. 


assumption that D. montisserrati is highly restricted in 

range (possibly < 1 km 2 ) and therefore extremely rare, 

although this assumption needs testing with a system‐ 

atic survey. Over the past few years search effort at this 

site has probably been disproportionately high com‐ 

pared with other Centre Hills sites. It is thought to be 

semi‐fossorial and cryptic in behaviour and therefore 

extremely difficult to detect even when present. D. mon‐ 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


90

Fig. 5.4. Typhlops monastus monastus. (Photo: A. 


Fig. 5.5. Probable rat bites on the leg of an adult L. fallax. 

(Photo: G. Garcia. Durrell) 

tisserrati is the only member of the Anguidae family in 

the Lesser Antilles, with its closest relatives occurring in 

the Greater Antilles, and therefore represents a bio‐ 

geographical enigma (Malhotra & Thorpe, 1999). 

L. fallax, one of the largest frogs in the western 

hemisphere, once occurred on six islands in the Lesser 

Antilles but is now only found on Montserrat and Do‐ 

minica. The population on Dominica has undergone 

dramatic decline due to a disease outbreak of Chytridio‐ 

mycosis in the early 2000s, and is severely threatened 

with extirpation. The recent eruptions of the Soufrière 

volcano in Montserrat is thought to have destroyed 

roughly 60% of Montserrat’s wetter forest habitats. It is 

unclear how much of this forest was occupied by L. fallax 

but some population decline in Montserrat is likely fol‐ 

lowing the volcano. L. fallax is now probably only found 

in the Centre Hills, which probably supports the largest 

and globally most important population as despite re‐ 

cent extensive sampling, no evidence of Chytridiomycosis 

has been found (Garcia et al., 2007). Anecdotal evidence 

suggests that within the Centre Hills the L. fallax popula‐ 

tion is not overall in major decline (see Box 4: Mountain 

chicken monitoring) and it appears relatively widespread 

in the mesic and wet forest. However, there is evidence 

of severe localised declines of mountain chickens in the 

Centre Hills, possibly due to over‐exploitation. No 

quantitative data on the actual size of the L. fallax popu‐ 

lation in the Centre Hills exist. 

E. johnstonei is ubiquitous in Montserrat and is 

very abundant in the moist forests of the Centre Hills in 

particular. S. fantasticus ligniservulus and A. lividus are 

also widely distributed and abundant in the Centre Hills 

and occur in the dry as well as moist forest. T. rapicauda 

is less well known but not considered to be locally 

threatened and is associated with forest and scrub habi‐ 

tats. As mongooses have not been introduced to Mont‐ 

serrat A. antillensis manselli is thought to be generally 

abundant, particularly in the Centre Hills. Mongooses 

have extirpated other species of racer on other Lesser 

Antillean islands, e.g. Alsophis antiguae on mainland An‐ 

tigua. A. pluvianotata has also probably benefited from 

the absence of this invasive mammal but is thought to 

have undergone a severe population decline as a result 

of habitat destruction after the volcanic eruption 

(Malhotra & Thorpe, 1999). It is considered to be rela‐ 

tively abundant in remaining dry open habitats, includ‐ 

ing the dry forest in the Centre Hills. T. monastus 

monastus (Fig. 5.4) is fossorial and highly cryptic and 

therefore information on its abundance and distribution 

is scant. 

Common to other taxonomic groups, amphibians 

and reptiles face a number of threats typical of Carib‐ 

bean islands, mainly from invasive mammals and habi‐ 

tat destruction (through both natural events and urban 

development and agriculture) which have been outlined 

in more detail in the Introduction. Both the Critically 

Endangered mountain chicken and galliwasp possess 

behavioural and morphological traits that predispose 

them to being vulnerable to the effects of rat predation, 

as well as pigs and cats. It is suspected that rats will 

predate juvenile L. fallax and even attack adults, which 

have been seen with wounds that appear to have been 

inflicted by rats (see Fig. 5.5). 

However, amphibians, and L. fallax in particular, 

also face a number of unique threats. Firstly, as am‐ 

phibians have permeable skin they may be susceptible to 

the toxic effects of volcanic ash which has regularly 

fallen on the Centre Hills since 1995. Under certain cli‐ 

mate conditions (i.e. no rain), falling ash can lead to po‐ 

tentially damaging increases in environmental acidity 

levels which may have both short and long term effects 

on mountain chickens. Secondly, L. fallax have histori‐ 

cally been extensively hunted (legally) for food on Mont‐ 

serrat. At present it appears that few people regularly 

hunt mountain chickens (McCauley & Mendes, 2006) but 

no quantitative data exist on the number of frogs 

hunted. It is suspected that hunting activities can result 

in the near complete removal of adult frogs from local‐ 

ised areas. However, perhaps the most severe threat to 

the persistence of mountain chickens in the Centre Hills, 

and more widely, is Chytridiomycosis. This disease can 

be transmitted between geographical regions via the 

human sponsored movement of amphibians and fungal 

spores contained in soil on boots, equipment and un‐ 

washed produce. Currently fruit is transported to Mont‐ 

serrat by boat from Dominica and this cargo is likely to 

contain small amphibians such as tree‐frogs. If Chy‐ 

tridiomycosis‐infected tree‐frogs survive the journey and 

escape from the shipment containers there is a high risk 

this disease will be introduced into the amphibian popu‐ 

lations in Montserrat, which would have extremely se‐ 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

91 


Species scientific name 

Species common 

name 

Centre 


vere consequences for mountain chickens in particular. 

An assessment of the risk of transmission of this disease 

through the shipment of fruit and other items from Do‐ 

minica, and other locations, is urgently required along 

with implementation of appropriate biosecurity meas‐ 

ures to reduce these risks. 

IUCN Red List 

category 

Bufo marinus Marine toad Yes Least concern 

Eleutherodactylus 

johnstonei 

Lesser Antillean 

tree frog 

Leptodactylus fallax Mountain chicken Yes 

Geochelone carbonaria 

Red-footed 

tortoise 

Global distribution 

Native to C. and S. America; 

introduced on to numerous 

Caribbean (including Montserrat) 

and Pacific islands, Papua New 

Guinea, Australia 

Yes Least concern Lesser Antilles 

Critically 

Endangered 

No Not listed 

Montserrat and Dominica 

Native to South America; 

introduced on to several 

Caribbean islands, including 


Ameiva pluvianotata Montserrat ameiva Yes Not listed Endemic to Montserrat 

Anolis lividus Montserrat anole Yes Not listed Endemic to Montserrat 

Diploglossus montisserrati 

Hemidactylus mabouia 


galliwasp 

Amerafrican 

house gecko 

Yes 

Critically 

Endangered 

? Not listed 

Iguana iguana Green iguana Yes Not listed 

Mabuya bistriata 


fantasticus ligniservulus 

Thecadactylus rapicauda 

South American 

skink 

Southern leeward 

dwarf gecko 

Turnip-tailed 

gecko 

? Not listed 

Yes Not listed 

Yes Not listed 

Alsophis antillensis manselli Leeward racer Yes Not listed 

Typhlops monastus 

monastus 

Blind snake ? Not listed 

Endemic to Montserrat 

Native to sub-Saharan Africa, 

introduced to S., C. and N. 

America, several Indian Ocean 

and Caribbean islands (including 

Montserrat) 

Native to C. and S. America and 

several Caribbean islands; possibly 

introduced to Montserrat; 

introduced to Florida and Hawaii 

Widespread in C. and S. America 

and Lesser Antilles 

Subspecies endemic to 


Widespread in C. and S. America 

and Lesser Antilles 





Table 5.1. Checklist of the amphibians and reptiles of Montserrat, with information on their occurrence in the Centre Hills, 

conservation status and global distribution 

5.2. Patterns in amphibian and reptile diversity 

within the Centre Hills: Implications for 

biodiversity conservation 

The reptile and amphibian survey of the Centre 

Hills forest was conducted between June‐July 2005 (wet 

season) and January‐March 2006 (dry season). Line tran‐ 

sects (100m in length) were established at each of the 30 

CHBA sample points and surveyed once at night and 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


92

Species 

Eleutherodactylus 

johnstonei 

once during the day. These surveys included intensive 

searching through leaf litter and refugia as well as visual 

inspection of the ground and vegetation. In total, ap‐ 

proximately 400 and 390 man hours of diurnal and noc‐ 

turnal fieldwork respectively was conducted. Incidental 

observations of all species except E. johnstonei and S. 

fantasticus away from line transects were recorded. 

All amphibian and reptile species known from 

Montserrat, except Mabuya bistriata and Geochelone car‐ 

bonaria (these two species are suspected to have now 

disappeared from Montserrat), were observed during 

the CHBA (i.e. during line transect surveys, dedicated 

searches and incidental observations). The number of 

sightings and encounter rate of amphibian and reptile 

species recorded during the line transect survey are 

given in Table 5.2. 

From the survey data it is clear that by far the 

most abundant species in the Centre Hills is E. johnstonei, 

which was recorded at all sample points and constituted 

90% of all herptile observations in the wet season (see 

Table 5.2). S. fantasticus was the second most frequently 

observed species and occurred at 77% of sample points. 

A. lividus was widely distributed (recorded at 93% of 

sample points) but was not as abundant in the Centre 

Hills as expected. Anoles typically occur at very high 

density in forests in the Lesser Antilles. For example, in 

St Lucia, Anolis luciae was encountered at a rate of 18.7 

anoles 100m ‐1 in a patch of dry forest and at 90.9 anoles 

100m ‐1 in xeric scrubland on a small offshore island (K. 

Varnham, unpubl. data). The dry season encounter rate 

of 2.3 anoles 100m ‐1 in the Centre Hills is an order of 

magnitude lower than these estimates. Populations of 

anoles are likely to fluctuate widely in size and so these 

estimates of relative abundance may represent a low 

point in a longer term trend. However, as they are so 

low, it does raise suspicions that the species is being 

held well below carrying capacity by a pressure such as 

predation by rats and we recommend this requires fur‐ 

Total number of registrations 

Mean encounter rate 

(registrations 100m -1 ) 

Wet Dry Wet Dry 

2647 1453 111.29 55.88 

Leptodactylus fallax 93 3 3.88 0.12 

Anolis lividus 35 70 1.25 2.33 


fantasticus ligniservulus 

140 220 5.00 7.33 

Thecadactylus rapicauda 3 2 0.05 0.03 

Alsophis antillensis manselli 7 1 0.13 0.02 

Table 5.2. Total number of visual or acoustic registrations and mean encounter rate of native amphibian and reptile 

species recorded during the line transect survey of the Centre Hills in the wet (n=28 transects) and dry (n=30 transects) 

season 

ther investigation. Anoles are important prey species for 

a number of predators, such as A. antillensis, and there‐ 

fore any reduction in their numbers could have knock‐ 

on effects at higher trophic levels. 

L. fallax were frequently heard along nearly all 

line transects surveyed at night during the wet season 

which coincides with their breeding season when males 

call regularly. They were however rarely seen along the 

line transects. In the dry season L. fallax are congregated 

in ghauts and not regularly calling and were therefore 

recorded very infrequently at this time of year (for more 

information on L. fallax see Box 4: Montserrat mountain 

chicken monitoring programme). Relatively few observa‐ 

tions of A. antillensis (n = 8) and T. rapicauda (n = 5) were 

made during the line transect survey, which probably 

reflects their low detectability rather than their scarcity. 

A further 12 and 7 incidental observations were made of 

A. antillensis and T. rapicauda respectively during the 

CHBA. Racers are highly threatened in the Lesser Antil‐ 

les (e.g. Antigua, St Lucia) so a healthy population of A. 

antillensis in the Centre Hills would be of conservation 

importance. A single incidental observation of the 

highly cryptic T. monastus monastus was made during 

the wet season phase of the CHBA in the Fogarthy area 

of the Centre Hills (with a second incidental observation 

of two individuals in the National Trust office grounds). 

T. monastus across the Lesser Antilles are typically diffi‐ 

cult to locate without specialized search techniques (e.g. 

digging) so it is impossible to draw any conclusions on 

the status of the species in the Centre Hills. 

Only 10 observations of the exotic B. marinus 

were recorded during the line transect survey, which 

was far lower than expected as they were previously 

thought to be widespread in the Centre Hills forest. 

They appeared to be relatively scarce in the forest inte‐ 

rior but were frequently seen along trails and tracks and 

also in ghauts. Four incidental observations of Iguana 

iguana were made in the Fairy Walk/Jack Boy Hill area 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

93 


Fig. 5.6. Location of galliwasp sightings (red triangles) in Woodlands Spring (the forest reserve lies to the east of black line 

which represents the current boundary) 

with one further sighting in Fogarthy. I. iguana was 

regularly seen away from the Centre Hills, particularly 

near to the coast. Hemidactylus mabouia was not ob‐ 

served in the Centre Hills but was widespread and com‐ 

mon in areas of human habitation. 

Following the historical sightings of D. montisser‐ 

rati in the Woodlands area of the Centre Hills a series of 

dedicated searches of the site were made during the dry 

season survey of the CHBA. On 26th January (1915 

hours), an adult D. montisserrati was observed, only the 

fourth confirmed sighting of this species, providing evi‐ 

dence of its continued existence. Woodlands Springs is 

approximately 10 hectares of mesic forest interspersed 

with a small number of houses, large gardens and agri‐ 

cultural plantations (see Fig. 5.6), and thus people and 

domestic animals, including cats and dogs, are present 

in the area. Topography is steep and rocky 

(approximately 240 metres asl), and recorded annual 

rainfall is roughly 1500 mm. The galliwasp was found 

under a stone and caught by hand, examined briefly, 

then measured and weighed. It had a snout‐vent length 

of 18 cm, a tail length of 23 cm and was 170 g in weight. 

A second adult D. montisserrati was seen in 

Woodlands Springs on the 5th February (1830 hours), 

approximately 20‐30 m from the location where the first 

individual was found. The animal was found within the 

roots of a tree with only its head visible but immediately 

retreated out of sight into the root system. It was ob‐ 

served again shortly afterwards and was followed for 

approximately 20 minutes walking across the forest floor 

in an attempt to examine its behaviour and to identify 

potential cues to aid its detection. The D. montisserrati 

appeared to be very sensitive to disturbance and would 

cease moving in response to any movement or noise 

made by the observer. Another sighting of what was 

presumed to be the same individual was made in exactly 

the same location on the 8th March (1800 hours). It is 

noteworthy that all of the recent and most of the histori‐ 

cal sightings have occurred around dusk, despite search‐ 

ing at all times of day and night, which suggests D. mon‐ 

tisserrati may be crepuscular. 

The CHBA survey covered the whole Centre 

Hills and this represents the first multi‐species system‐ 

atic survey of reptiles and amphibians dedicated to this 

area. Furthermore, the Montserrat Department of Envi‐ 

ronment has conducted regular nocturnal fieldwork 

throughout the area since 1998 as part of the mountain 

chicken monitoring programme. However, D. montisser‐ 

rati has only ever been recorded in one site. This lends 

weight to the hypothesis that D. montisserrati does in‐ 

deed have a highly restricted range and is therefore ex‐ 

tremely rare. As Woodlands Springs does not appear to 

be markedly different in terms of topography, climate 

and habitat structure to other nearby forest areas, it is 

not clear why D. montisserrati would be restricted to 

such a small site. The rocky terrain may provide suffi‐ 

cient refuge from rat (and cat and pig) predation for a 

population to persist. 

Data on the ecology and natural history of D. 

montisserrati are sparse. As a first priority, quantitative 

information on distribution and population abundance 

is required to evaluate its status and inform conserva‐ 

tion action. An effective and systematic survey tech‐ 

nique needs to be developed and tested. Although the 

species is detectable by sight (and the noise of them 

moving through leaf litter provides a cue to their pres‐ 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


94

Fig. 5.7. Map of the mean dry season encounter rate of L. fallax between 1999 and 2005 

ence), the cryptic nature of D. montisserrati and their 

apparent sensitivity to human presence will result in 

low encounter rates, thus potentially precluding mean‐ 

ingful sample sizes. Pit fall trapping has been used in 

surveys of other galliwasp species, e.g. Celestus crusculus 

and C. duquesneyi in Jamaica (Wilson & Vogel 2000), but 

in the current field site, such capture methods may be 

problematic because of the presence of rats (Rattus rattus 

and R. norvegicus) and domestic cats and dogs, which 

may predate upon any trapped animals. 

Given the likely scarcity and vulnerability of D. 

montisserrati a Species Action Plan needs to be devel‐ 

oped and implemented, including a programme of field 

research, habitat protection and potentially invasive 

mammal control. Rats are common in the Centre Hills 

(see Chapter 8: Rats in the Centre Hills) for more informa‐ 

tion) and may strongly limit the population growth of D. 

montisserrati and an experiment to quantify their impact 

would likely to prove informative for the design of con‐ 

trol programmes. Protection of the forest in the Wood‐ 

lands Spring site from further development is required 

and provision for this should be incorporated within the 

Centre Hills management plan along with other re‐ 

quired conservation initiatives. However, the galliwasp 

sightings fell outside the existing forest reserve bound‐ 

ary and therefore currently the site has no protection 

(see Fig. 5.6). The Woodlands site should be considered 

as a strict conservation zone to safeguard this species 

whilst data on its abundance and distribution are gath‐ 

ered. However, given the probable vulnerability of D. 

montisserrati direct intervention to save the species, such 

as captive breeding, may be necessary. 

The number of native herptile species recorded at 

sample points varied between two and six. Only at one 

sample point (#81) in the west of the Centre Hills, be‐ 

tween Woodlands and Salem, were all six regularly oc‐ 

curring native species recorded (i.e. those listed in Table 

5.2). Five species were recorded at five sample points, 

which were situated on the western and eastern flanks 

of Centre Hills. These high species richness sample 

points were all positioned in mesic forest and near the 

boundaries with wet forest and dry forest (at intermedi‐ 

ate altitudes between 240 and 476m). There was a ten‐ 

dency for recorded species richness to be lower at the 

high altitudes (Fig. 5.8: NB. due to health and safety rea‐ 

sons it was not possible to survey four of the high alti‐ 

tude sample points at night, so therefore survey effort at 

these points was reduced which may have resulted in 

lower species richness). The CHBA data suggested the 

existence of some species habitat associations. S. fantas‐ 

ticus appeared to be at much higher densities in dry for‐ 

est (an order of magnitude higher) than in mesic and 

wet forests. A. lividus was at higher density in dry and 

mesic forests. All observations of T. rapicauda were in 

mesic forest and all A. antillensis sightings were in wet 

and mesic forests (> 310m asl). There was no suggestion 

that E. johnstonei was associated with any particular 

habitat and was highly abundant in all three major forest 

types. 

L. fallax are traditionally thought to show a pref‐ 

erence for mesic and wet forest in Montserrat. Figure 5.7 

shows how the encounter rate of L. fallax along monitor‐ 

ing transects varies across the Centre Hills. Fairy Walk 

has the highest recorded encounter rate of L. fallax and is 

likely to represent the most important site for this spe‐ 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

95 


Fig. 5.8. Interpolated map of herptile species richness with the location of the captured Montserrat galliwasps marked 

cies in the Centre Hills. L. fallax encounter rate was also 

high in Corbett Spring, Sappit River, Killiecrankie, Bun‐ 

kum River and Pelican Ghaut. It appears to be most 

abundant in the east and south of the Centre Hills. 

Analysis carried out elsewhere (J. Fa, pers. comm.) re‐ 

vealed that the body condition of L. fallax tended to be 

higher in the east of the Centre Hills than in the west. 

This would suggest that the L. fallax population in the 

east is in better condition, both in terms of population 

size and individual growth rates. It is not understood 

why this would be the case, but may be due to the in‐ 

creased difficulty of accessing the eastern sites for hunt‐ 

ing compared to the west. For more information on L. 

fallax see Box 4: Montserrat mountain chicken monitoring 

programme 

In summary, the mesic forest appears able to sup‐ 

port both the species that favour the dry and also the 

wet forest and is therefore likely to be the most valuable 

habitat type for amphibians and reptiles within the Cen‐ 

tre Hills. However, it is noteworthy that the wet and 

dry forests were both under‐sampled in comparison to 

the mesic forest. We have tentatively identified two sites 

of high amphibian and reptile species richness in the 

Centre Hills (see Fig. 5.8). Firstly, there appears a rela‐ 

tively large area of high richness in the west and north‐ 

west of the Centre Hills, particularly in the forest di‐ 

rectly to the east of Salem and Woodlands. The Wood‐ 

lands site where the D. montisserrati individuals were 

found is located near to the western site of high richness 

(see Fig. 5.8) which further increases the potential value 

of this area for amphibians and reptiles. Secondly, there 

appears to be a site of high richness in the Jackboy Hill 

and Fairy Walk area to the east of the Centre Hills. Rela‐ 

tive to other taxa, such as birds or bats, herptiles on is‐ 

lands tend to have more specific habitat requirements 

and therefore a range of habitats needs to be managed 

for conservation to protect the herptile community. This 

should include substantial areas of the least disturbed 

dry forest which is under‐represented in the region de‐ 

lineated by the historical forest reserve boundary, as 

well as mesic and wet forest. If an area running from the 

elfin woodland at the peaks of the Centre Hills in an 

eastward direction down to the dry forest at sea‐level 

was designated for biodiversity conservation, this would 

ensure all elevations and therefore a complete range of 

habitats be represented in the protected area. Such an 

area would encompass the Jack Boy Hill‐Fairy Walk area 

of high richness, and the sites of highest L. fallax abun‐ 

dance. 


Agnieszka Ogrodowczyk is grateful to the Mont‐ 

serrat Department of Environment for providing so 

much support during the amphibian and reptile survey. 

Especially, I want to thank Lloyd Martin for organising 

my work schedule so perfectly, and Philemon Murrain 

and Calvin Fenton for spending many hours in the field 

with me. I also want to thank James Daly, John Martin, 

James Boatswain, Lloyd Amer and Jervain Greenaway 

for teaching me how to work in Montserrat. I am grate‐ 

ful to Carole McCauley for caring for me during my stay 

in Montserrat and to Matt Morton for his ever‐friendly 

support. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


96

Box 4. The Montserrat mountain chicken monitoring programme 

Since 1998 the Montserrat Department of Environment have monitored the Centre Hills mountain chicken 

population, using a scheme originally designed by Flora and Fauna International. From 2003 onwards, Durrell Wildlife 

Conservation Trust has provided assistance to the Montserrat Department of Environment on the design and 

implementation of the monitoring programme, training on wildlife disease sampling and the analysis of monitoring 

data. 

The monitoring programme (which is separate to the CHBA) consists of approximately 20 line transects of 200m 

in length subjectively placed along ghauts and trails to provide a reasonable spatial coverage of the Centre Hills. The 

number of frogs seen along each transect is recorded, along with data on each individual including, weight, snout‐vent‐ 

length, sex and condition. An encounter rate (number of frogs seen per 100m of line transect) is calculated, which 

serves as an index of abundance. Surveys are carried out between two and four times per year. A preliminary analysis 

of the field data is reported here along with a number of brief recommendations for improving the reliability of the 

monitoring programme. 

Some concern had been raised that small juvenile frogs (< 10 cm SVL) were not recorded on the data recording 

forms before 2003, and were recorded thereafter, and therefore a change in data collection protocol may have lead to 

the interpretation of misleading trends. Fig. 5.10 shows the distribution of snout‐vent length (SVL) data in the dry 

season before and after 2003. In both time periods, only a very small proportion of observations (1.6% each) were made 

of frogs

Box 4. The Montserrat mountain chicken monitoring programme 

population. Figure 5.13 shows the spatial variation in the trend of the mountain chicken population between 1999 and 

2005. There are five sites where there is a positive trend (slope of linear regression line) across this time period in the 

recorded encounter rate. The most positive trend is found in Fairy Walk followed in order by Corbett Spring, Bunkum 

River, Pelican Ghaut and Bottomless Ghaut. Four of these sites are in the east and north east of the Centre Hills. This 

underlines the importance of the east of the Centre Hills for mountain chickens where populations are larger and 

growing, and individual frogs are in better condition. Conversely, mountain chicken populations appear to be less 

abundant in the west, not increasing in size and in some ghauts seem to have disappeared. It is not certain whether 

this is due to the impact of hunting, predation by invasive mammals, difference in habitat quality or some other factor. 

A questionnaire survey of mountain chicken hunters in Montserrat revealed that a single individual is responsible for 

the majority of hunting and that he most frequently hunts in the western ghauts (McCauley & Mendes, 2006). This 

does suggest that the east‐west difference in abundance, population trend and body condition of mountain chickens 

may be due to the offtake from hunting. Given the range and severity of threats to the mountain chicken, and its low 

reproductive potential, we recommend that unregulated hunting of mountain chickens be actively discouraged until a 

positive trend in population size is detected 

with certainty or quantitative data on the vital 4 

rates of mountain chickens exist with which 

3.5 

to reliably estimate quotas for sustainable 

harvesting. 

3 

Further analysis of the monitoring 

data is needed to estimate the power of the 

monitoring programme to detect trends of 

certain magnitudes over certain time periods 

and to make recommendations to improve its 

sensitivity. A data collection protocol is 

needed to standardised methods of data 

collection to maximise data reliability. It 

should be noted that detection probability of 

mountain chickens is not estimated as part of 

the mountain chicken monitoring 

programme. Hence there is the potential for 

unquantified variation in detection 

probability resulting in changes in the index 

of abundance even when population size 

remains constant. This is a problem common 

to the majority of monitoring schemes relying 

on indices of abundance. 

However, we believe that given the 

level of threats to the mountain chicken in the 

Centre Hills it is vital that monitoring is 

continued for the foreseeable future. The 

current monitoring programme is likely to be 

able to detect any sharp declines in 

abundance through a potential outbreak of 

Chytrid fungus. Monitoring is also important 

so the impact of the Centre Hills management 

plan on this species can be quantified but 

changes to improve its sensitivity will need to 

be made to enable this. We recommend a 

minimum effort of one survey in the dry 

season and one in the wet season per year. It 

is imperative that surveys are conducted at 

the same time of year to remove the 

confounding effects of seasonal changes in 

behaviour on the estimates of encounter rate. 

Mean encounter rate (frogs 100m -1 ) 

2.5 

2 

1.5 

1 

0.5 

0 

1999 2000 2001 2002 

Year 

2003 2004 2005 

Fig. 5.12. Mean encounter rate of mountain chickens in the dry season 

between 1999 and 2005 (data from line transects repeated each year 

only). Line of best fit is fitted by linear regression (F1,4 = 0.99; P = 0.38); 

error bars are standard errors 

Fig. 5.13. Map of the trends (derived from the slope of linear regression 

line) in encounter rate of mountain chickens at occupied sites in the 

Centre Hills between 1999 and 2005. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


98

References 

Day, M. (1996). Diploglossus montisserrati. In: IUCN 2007. 



ber 2007. 

Fa, J., Hedges, B., Ibéné, B., Breuil, M., Powell, R. & 

Magin, C. (2004). Leptodactylus fallax. In: IUCN 2007. 



ber 2007. 

Garcia, G., Cunningham, A.A., Horton, D.L., Garner, 

T.W.J., Hyatt, A., Hengstberger, S., Lopez, J., Ogro‐ 

dowczyk, A., Fenton, C. & Fa, J.E. Mountain chickens 

Leptodactylus fallax and sympatric amphibians appear 

to be disease free on Montserrat. Oryx, 41, 398‐401. 

McCauley, C. & Mendes, S. (2006). Socioeconomic Assess‐ 

ment Report. Unpublished report from the Centre 

Hills Project, Montserrat. 

Malhotra, A. & Thorpe, R.S. (1999). Reptiles and amphibi‐ 

ans of the Eastern Caribbean. Macmillan Education 

Ltd, UK. 

Ogrodowczyk, A., Murrain, P., Martin, L., & Young, R.P. 

(2007). Recent observations of the Montserrat galli‐ 

wasp (Diploglossus montisserratti). Herpetological Bulle‐ 

tin, 98, 9‐11. 

Ricklefs, R.E., & Lovette, I.J. (1999). The roles of island 

area per se and habitat diversity in the species‐area 

relationships of four Lesser Antillean faunal groups. 

Journal of Animal Ecology, 68, 1142‐1160. 

Schwartz, A., & Henderson, R.W. (1991). Amphibians and 

reptiles of the West Indies: descriptions, distributions, and 

natural history. Univ. Florida Press, Gainesville, US. 

xvi + 720 pp. 

Wilson, B.S., and P. Vogel (2000). A survey of the dry 

forest herpetofauna of the Hellshire Hills, Jamaica, 

including the re‐discovery of the Blue‐tailed Galli‐ 

wasp (Celestus duquesneyi Grant). Caribbean Journal of 

Science, 36, 244‐249. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

99 


6. Birds of the Centre Hills 

G. M. Hilton 

6.1. Diversity and status of birds in Montserrat 

6.1.1. The Centre Hills avifauna 

The bird community of the Centre Hills is spe‐ 

cies‐poor, but of high conservation value. The avifauna 

comprises resident and wintering neotropical landbirds. 

There are no waterbirds of any kind, except for a small 

number of striated herons Butorides striatus along the 

larger ghauts. 

Taxonomically, the forest bird community is typi‐ 

cal of Lesser Antillean islands. Pigeons and doves 

(Columbidae), hummingbirds (Trochilidae) and mimic 

thrushes (Mimidae) are particularly conspicuous. Rap‐ 

tors (Falconiformes) are scarce, owls (Strigidae) and 

woodpeckers (Picidae) are absent. Parrots (Psittacidae) 

are also absent, although it is likely that an endemic 

Amazona parrot species, similar to those surviving on 

Dominica and St Lucia, occurred at one time and is now 

extinct (Reis and Steadman, 1999) 

Resident landbirds 

In general, and in common with other Antillean 

island bird communities (Raffaele et al., 1998), the bird 

species tend to be habitat (and dietary) generalists, rela‐ 

tive to tropical forest birds in mainland Central and 

South America (Table 6.1). 

The avifauna is dominated by omnivores. The 

majority of the resident bird species eat a combination of 

fruit and insects, plus, variously, nectar, seeds and small 

vertebrates. The predominance of generalists may be a 

response to environmental conditions on Montserrat. 

The island’s small area means that populations that oc‐ 

cur at low density are likely to be very small, and hence 

prone to stochastic extinction. Furthermore the relatively 

frequent catastrophic disturbances – notably hurricanes 

and volcanic eruptions ‐ mitigate against developing 

specialist habitat or diet selection: opportunism is likely 

to be strongly selected. 

Predatory birds are rare in the Centre Hills. The 

two characteristic hawks of the Antilles are both absent 

in the Centre Hills: the broad‐winged hawk Buteo platyp‐ 

terus, which is common in most of the Lesser Antilles, 

occurs only as a rare passage migrant on Montserrat 

(despite being abundant in Antigua); the red‐tailed 

hawk Buteo jamaicensis, common in the Greater Antilles, 

reaches its southern limit in St Christopher/Nevis 

(Raffaele et al., 1998). The only resident terrestrial raptor 

in Montserrat is American kestrel Falco sparverius, which 

is essentially an open country species and is scarce in the 

Centre Hills. It is rarely seen in closed forest, although 

observations have been made of this species pursuit‐ 

Figure 6.1. Antillean euphonia Euphonia musica. (Photo: 

G. Hilton, RSPB) 

Figure 6.2. Pearly-eyed thrasher Margarops fuscata. 

(Photo: G. Hilton, RSPB) 

hunting Montserrat orioles Icterus oberi (unsuccessfully) 

under closed canopy woodland in the Centre Hills. Both 

merlins Falco columbarius and peregrines Falco peregrinus 

do occur in the Centre Hills as winter visitors, but are 

uncommon. As in most of the Lesser Antilles, owls are 

absent. Pearly‐eyed thrashers Margarops fuscata, which 

are super‐abundant throughout the Centre Hills may 

predate small passerines (Arendt, 2006), though they are 

more known as nest predators. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


100

Species 

Scaly-naped pigeon 

Columba squamosa 

Bridled quail-dove 

Geotrygon mystacea 

Mangrove cuckoo 

Coccyzus minor 

Purple-throated carib 

Eulampis jugularis 

Green-throated carib 

Eulampis holosericus 

Antillean crested 

hummingbird 

Orthorhyncus cristatus 

Caribbean elaenia 

Elaenia martinica 

Scaly-breasted thrasher 

Margarops fusca 

Pearly-eyed thrasher 

Margarops fuscata 


Cinclocerthia gutturalis 

Forest thrush 

Cichlherminia lherminieri 

Lesser Antillean bullfinch 

Loxigilla noct 

Bananaquit 

Coeroba flaveola 


Icterus oberi 

Migrant landbirds 

Abundance in 


common 288 

infrequent 221 

In terms of numbers of species, the majority of 

Montserrat’s landbirds are in fact passage migrants and 

winter visitors that breed in North America (Table 6.2). 

The migrants are dominated by Parulidae (wood‐ 

warblers), with a small number of other families repre‐ 

sented. However, although relatively rich in species, the 

migrant avifauna is very thinly spread on Montserrat. 

None of these species have been recorded more than 10 

Body mass 1 Diet 2 Feeding zone 2 

Frugivore/ 

Herbivore 

Granivore/ 

Insectivore 

Arboreal (terrestrial) 

Terrestrial 

frequent 64 Insectivore Understory 

frequent 9 

scarce 5.6 

common 3.8 

common 22.6 

common 72 

abundant 105 

Nectarivore/ 

Insectivore 

Nectarivore/ 

Insectivore 

Nectarivore/ 

Insectivore 

Insectivore/ 

Frugivore 

Frugivore/ 

Insectivore 

Frugivore/ 

Insectivore/ 

Carnivore 

infrequent 53 Insectivore 

common 100 

scarce 15 

abundant 10 

Insectivore/ 

Frugivore 

Granivore/ 

Frugivore/ 

Insectivore 

Nectarivore/ 

Insectivore 

Understory 

Understory 

Understory 

times during the Centre Hills Bird Monitoring Pro‐ 

gramme, during well over 1,000 point counts, indicating 

that they are all very scarce relative to the resident forest 

bird species (by comparison, even the rarer of the forest 

resident species, such as bridled quail‐dove Geotrygon 

mystacea, brown trembler Cinclocerthia gutturalis and 

Lesser Antillean bullfinch Loxigilla noctis have been re‐ 

corded over 100 times). The passage migrants are proba‐ 

bly under‐recorded. They are generally inconspicuous 

and quiet, their calls are less well known to the observ‐ 

ers, and they have not been the focus of a great deal of 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

101 


Aerial 

Canopy 

Canopy 

Terrestrial & 

understory 

Terrestrial 

(understory & 

canopy) 

Understory 

Understory 

common 35 Insectivore Understory 

Table 6.1. Characteristics of the main breeding bird species in the Centre Hills 

Expanded and adapted from (Dalsgaard et al., 2007). 

1: Mist-net capture data from Montserrat (RSPB/MALHE, unpubl. data), and (Dunning, 1993). 

2: Authors’ pers obs, (Raffaele et al., 1998) and (del Hoyo et al., 1997; del Hoyo et al., 1999).

attention. They are not present during summer census 

work. A number of records in the Forest Bird Monitor‐ 

ing Programme are of ‘unidentified warblers’, and we 

suspect that not all identifications are positive; for exam‐ 

ple prothonotary warbler Dendroica citrea seems curi‐ 

ously common since Raffaele et al. (1998) report it as 

predominantly a mangrove species that is easily con‐ 

fused with yellow warbler Dendroica petechia (common 

on Montserrat). Similarly, there are no records of north‐ 

ern waterthrush Seiurus noveboracensis, but several of 

Louisiana waterthrush Seiurus motacilla. Nevertheless, it 

is clear that migrant landbirds are not numerically an 

important part of the Centre Hills’ avifauna, and that the 

Centre Hills, and Montserrat more generally, does not 

support a significant proportion of the population of any 

migrant landbird species. 

Species 

Peregrine 

falcon 

Falco 

peregrinus 

Merlin 

Falco 

columbarius 

Yellow-billed 

cuckoo 

Coccyzus 

americanus 

Antillean 

nighthawk 

Chordeiles 

gundlachii 

Black swift 

Cypseloides 

niger 

Barn swallow 

Hirundo rustica 

Cedar waxwing 

Bombycilla 

cedrorum 

Yellow-throated 

vireo 

Vireo flavifrons 

Red eyed vireo 

Vireo olivaceus 

Northern parula 

Parula 

americana 

Migrant 

status 

Raffaele et al. 1998 

Habitats 

Status on 


Within the Centre Hills, Cape May warbler Den‐ 

droica tigrina, prothonotary warbler, American redstart 

Setophaga ruticilla and Louisiana waterthrush are the 

only Parulidae species that can currently be regarded as 

regular in occurrence. Merlin, peregrine, Antillean night‐ 

hawk Chordeiles gundlachii and barn swallow Hirundo 

rustica are all relatively frequent non‐breeding visitors to 

Montserrat, but none are numerous in the Centre Hills. 

6.1.2. Centre Hills birds in the Montserratian context 

The Centre Hills has the largest continuous forest 

block on Montserrat, comprising mostly mesic and wet 

forest at higher altitudes within the forest reserve, with 

dry forest at lower altitudes and mostly outside the re‐ 

serve. There is a very limited area of elfin forest at the 

summits (Chapter 1, Fig. 1.11). Landbirds in Montserrat 

Draft 


Bird List 

Centre Hills Forest Bird 

Monitoring Programme 

Northern 

Lowland bird 

monitoring 

WV All habitats Rare Listed No records No records 

PM, WV 

PM 

Coasts, 

forest 

Scrub, dry 

forest 

Absent Listed No records 1 record, Jan 

Rare 

In Siegel 

(1983). Not in 

new bird list. 

PM Open areas Uncommon Listed No records 

No records No records 

SV Mountains Rare Listed No records No records 

PM Open areas Uncommon Listed No records No records 

WV 

Rainforest, 

gardens, 

farmland 

Absent Not listed No records 

WV Forest, scrub Absent Not listed 

PM 

WV, PM 

Forest, 

scrub, 

gardens 

Scrub, dry 

forest, 

rainforest 

1 record, Dec, 253 m, 

mesic forest 

No records 

Absent Listed No records No records 

Rare Listed 

2 records, Mar, Dec, 

129 - 253 m, mesic 

forest 

3 records, 

Nov, Dec, Mar 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


102

Species 

Chestnut sided 

warbler 

Dendroica 

Cape May 

warbler 

Dendroica 

tigrina 

Black throated 

blue warbler 

Dendroica 

Black throated 

green warbler 

Dendroica 

Yellow-throated 

warbler 

Dendroica 

dominica 

Prairie warbler 

Dendroica 

discolour 

Blackpoll 

Warbler 

Dendroica 

striata 

Black-andwhite 

warbler 

Mniotilta varia 

American 

redstart 

Setophaga 

ruticilla 

Prothonotary 

warbler 

Protonotaria 

citrea 

Ovenbird 

Seiurus 

aurocapillus 


waterthrush 

Seiurus 

noveboracensis 

Louisiana 

waterthrush 

Seiurus 

motacilla 

Migrant 

status 

WV 


Habitats 

Forest, 

gardens 

Status on 


Draft 


Bird List 

WV All habitats Rare Listed 

WV 

WV 

WV 

WV 

PM 

Rainforest, 

forest edge 

Rainforest, 

dry forest 

Lowland 

forest, 

gardens 

Dry forest, 

mangrove, 

gardens 

Forest, 

scrub, open 

areas 




Lowland bird 

monitoring 


6 records, Mar, Jul (2), 

Sep, Dec (2), 59-732 m, 

dry-elfin forest 

4 records, Jan 

(2), May, Sep 



Vagrant Not listed. No records No records 

Rare Listed No records No records 

Absent Not listed No records 1, Sep 

WV Forest Rare Listed No records 

WV, 

Forest, 

gardens, 

scrub 

Rare Listed 

WV Mangroves Vagrant Listed 

3 records, Jan & Mar, 

280-320 m, mesic forest 

9 records (10 birds), 

Oct (5), Nov (3), Jan 

(1), 161-704 m, mesic & 

elfin forest 

2 records, Nov 

& Jan 

3 records, Jan 

& Mar, dry 

forest. 

No records 

WV Forest Rare Listed No records No records 

WV 

WV 

Mangrove, 

coastal 

scrub, near 

water 

Near water, 

often at high 

altitude 

Uncommon Not listed No records No records 

Rare Listed 

5 records, Mar, Sep, 

Nov, Dec (2), 195 - 501 

m, mesic & wet forest 

No records 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

103 


Species 

Hooded 

warbler 

Wilsonia citrina 

Scarlet tanager 

Piranga 

olivacea 

Indigo bunting 

Passerina 

cyanea 

Bobolink 

Dolichonyx 

oryzivorus 

Migrant 

status 

WV, 

PM 

WV, PM 


Habitats 

Rainforest, 

mangrove 

Forest, forest 

edge, 

gardens 

Scrub, open 

areas 

Status on 


Draft 


Bird List 

Vagrant Listed 



2 records, Dec, 189 – 

362 m, mesic forest 


Lowland bird 

monitoring 

Not recorded 

Vagrant Listed No records No records 


PM Open areas Absent Listed No records No records 

Table 6.2. Status of migrant landbirds on Montserrat 

The table lists all passage migrant and winter visiting landbirds which are listed as occurring in Montserrat by (Raffaele et 

al., 1998), in the Draft Montserrat Bird List (Allcorn, Daley & Fenton), or which have been recorded during the 1997-2006 Bird 

Monitoring programmes. 

Timing, habitat and abundance as listed by (Raffaele et al., 1998) are summarised. SV= summer visitor; WV = winter visitor; 

PM = passage (spring and autumn) migrant. 

Records from the Centre Hills Bird Monitoring Programme are reported with details on month, altitude and forest type. 

Records from the Northern Lowland Bird Monitoring Programme are reported by month. All records from the latter 

programme are from dry forest habitats at 10-300 m asl. 

Additional notes on occurrence of some species are included. 

Species Scientific name Family Centre Hills 

Scaly-naped 

pigeon 

Columba 

squamosa 

Lowland 

forest 

patches 

Farms, 

gardens, 

settlements 

South 

Soufrière 


Columbidae common frequent ? abundant 

Zenaida dove Zenaida aurita Columbidae frequent common common absent 

Common ground- Columbina Columbidae rare common common absent 

Bridled quail-dove 

Geotrygon 

mystacea 

Columbidae infrequent rare absent scarce 

Mangrove cuckoo Coccyzus minor Cuculidae frequent infrequent infrequent scarce 

Smooth-billed ani Crotophaga ani Cuculidae rare frequent frequent absent 

Purple-throated 

carib 

Green-throated 

carib 


hummingbird 

Eulampis jugularis Trochilidae frequent rare rare absent 

Eulampis 

holosericus 

Orthorhyncus 

cristatus 

Trochilidae scarce infrequent frequent scarce 

Trochilidae common common common common 

Caribbean elaenia Elaenia martinica Tyrannidae common common ? absent 

Grey kingbird 

Tyrannus 

dominicensis 

Tyrannidae rare scarce frequent absent 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


104

Species Scientific name Family Centre Hills 

Caribbean martin 

Scaly-breasted 

thrasher 

Pearly-eyed 

thrasher 


Forest thrush 

Black-faced 

grassquit 


bullfinch 

Progne 

dominicensis 

Lowland 

forest 

patches 

Farms, 

gardens, 

settlements 

South 

Soufrière 


Hiruninidae absent rare scarce absent 

Margarops fusca Mimidae common common common common 

Margarops 

fuscata 

Cinclocerthia 

gutturalis 

Cichlherminia 

lherminieri 

Mimidae abundant abundant abundant abundant 

Mimidae infrequent rare absent scarce 

Turdinae common frequent absent frequent 

Tiaris bicolor Emberizinae rare frequent common absent 

Loxigilla noctis Emberizinae scarce infrequent infrequent common 

Antillean euphonia Euphonia musica Thraupinae rare rare rare absent 

Yellow warbler 

Bananaquit 

Black-whiskered 

vireo 

Dendroica 

petechia 

Coeroba 

flaveola 

Parulidae rare frequent common absent 

Parulidae abundant abundant abundant abundant 

Vireo altiloquus Vireonidae rare common ? absent 

Carib grackle Quiscalus lugubris Icteridae absent absent infrequent absent 

Montserrat oriole Icterus oberi Icteridae common absent absent abundant 

Table 6.3. Breeding landbird species in Montserrat, and their distribution among major habitats Population densities of 

Montserrat forest birds 

Abundance estimates are based on the overall mean number of birds detected per point during census work, 1997-2006. 

Zero birds detected = “absent”; 1.0 birds per point = “abundant”. 

Estimates for ‘farms, gardens, settlements’ are subjective assessments, since no census work has been conducted in such 

habitats. 

vary in the degree to which they are forest‐dependent, in 

the degree to which they are able to persist in small for‐ 

est patches away from the main Centre Hills block, and 

in their preference for dry lowland forest or rainforest 

(Table 6.3). Consequently, for some of Montserrat’s land‐ 

bird species, the Centre Hills is the main breeding site on 

Montserrat, while for others it is of less importance. 

With the exception of Caribbean martin Progne 

dominicensis, all of the breeding landbirds in Montserrat 

have been recorded during Centre Hills bird census 

work. 

Species that flourish primarily in open country, 

and for which the Centre Hills represents a relatively 

marginal habitat are American kestrel, zenaida dove 

Zenaida aurita, common ground‐dove Columbina 

passerina, smooth‐billed ani Crotophaga ani and green‐ 

throated carib Eulampis holosericus. Species that are most 

abundant in the dry lowland forest areas, and are rather 

rare in the wetter forests of the Centre Hills include 

Lesser Antillean bullfinch, Antillean euphonia Euphonia 

musica (Fig. 6.1), yellow warbler and black‐whiskered 

vireo Vireo altiloquus. Antillean crested hummingbird 

Orthorhyncus cristatus, scaly‐breasted Margarops fusca 

and pearly‐eyed thrasher (Fig. 6.2) and bananaquit Co‐ 

eroba flaveola are common in all habitats in Montserrat, 

including inhabited and farmed areas. Caribbean elaenia 

Elaenia martinica is restricted to forest areas, but appears 

to be equally common in dry‐ and rainforest. 

However, for a number of species, including sev‐ 

eral of conservation concern, mesic and wet forest is the 

key habitat on the island. Montserrat oriole is only 

found in mesic and wet forest. Scaly‐naped pigeon 

Columba squamosa, bridled quail‐dove, mangrove cuckoo 

Coccyzus minor, purple‐throated carib Eulampis jugularis, 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

105 


Species Model 

forest thrush Cichlherminia lherminieri and brown trem‐ 

bler all occur on occasion in lowland dry forest, but are 

much more abundant in the moist forests of the Centre 

Hills. Data for the other (much smaller) patch of rainfor‐ 

est on the island, in the South Soufrière Hills, are very 

scant, but seem to indicate that the bird community is 

similar to the Centre Hills. There is a hint that bridled 

quail‐dove, brown trembler and forest thrush might be 

at lower densities in the southern forest patch, whereas 

Montserrat oriole may be more common. 

6.1.3. Population densities 

Distance band 

treatment 

We estimated density of the more abundant for‐ 

est bird species using data from the December 2004 full 

census of the Centre Hills (Table 6.4). Distance‐sampling 

(Buckland et al., 1993) was used to convert point‐count 

data into estimates of absolute abundance. 

As always with distance‐sampling of mobile spe‐ 

cies such as birds, careful consideration of the biology of 

Goodness of Fit 

(df) 

Density 

(birds ha -1 ) 

Number 1 

(95% CI) 

Bananaquit Hazard-cosine Inner two distance 0.72 (1) 8.3 11,900 

Caribbean elaenia 

Elaenia martinica 

Forest thrush 

Cichlherminia 

lherminieri 


Icterus oberi 

Purple-throated 

carib 


Pearly-eyed 

thrasher 


Scaly-breasted 

thrasher 


Scaly-naped 

pigeon 

Columba 

squamosa 


Cinclocerthia 

gutturalis 

Hazard-cosine 

Half-normal – 

Hermite 

polynomial 

Hazard-cosine 

Hazard-cosine 

Hazard-cosine 

Half-normal - 

Hermite 

polynomial 

Inner two distance 

bands pooled 


bands pooled 


bands pooled 

No truncation/ 

pooling 


bands pooled 

No truncation/ 

pooling 

Hazard-cosine Truncate at 40m 

Half-normal – 

Hermite 

polynomial 

Merge into three 

distance bands (0- 

20m, 20-40m, 40-80m) 

0.70 (1) 

P =0.40 

0.17 (1) 

P =0.68 

1.87 (1) 

P =0.17 

1.82 (1) 

P =0.18 

0.0008 (1) 

P =0.98 

1.83 (3) 

P =0.61 

0.0008 (1) 

P =0.98 

2.58 (1) 

P =0.11 

Table 6.4. Population densities of Montserrat forest birds 

12.2 

(7.8-19.2) 

2.17 

(1.31-3.59) 

3.65 

(1.89-7.03) 

9.52 

(5.40-16.80 

22.6 

(12.9-39.7) 

3.43 

(2.51-4.69) 

3.55 

(1.33-9.52) 

0.288 

(0.137-0.608) 

17,600 

(11,300-27,500) 

3,100 

(1,900-5,200) 

5,200 

(2,700-10,100) 

13,700 

(7,800-24,100) 

32,500 

(18,500-57,100) 

4,900 

(3,600-6,700) 

5,100 

(1,900-13,700) 

410 

(200-870) 

Estimates are made using the December 2004 full census, comprising 146 point-counts, on an even grid throughout the 

Centre Hills. ‘Distance 5.0’ software was used to analyse data. 

1: Assuming an area of 1,440 ha; this is the size of the polygon onto which the point-count grid was originally set out. It does 

not equate to the full area of forested land in the Centre Hills. 

the species is required, to assess whether the assump‐ 

tions of the technique are likely to be violated, and hence 

estimates to be incorrect. We suspect that abundance 

estimates for hummingbird species may be too high, 

because they are highly mobile; estimates for these spe‐ 

cies are likely to be rather sensitive to the duration of the 

count. It is quite possible that birds that were not close to 

the observer at the outset move past the observer at 

some point during the course of a 10‐min stationary 

point‐count. We have also argued that early censuses of 

Montserrat oriole tended to over‐estimate numbers be‐ 

cause birds tended to respond to observers by approach‐ 

ing them and calling (Hilton et al. 2003). This phenome‐ 

non has tended to decline over the years since the census 

began, because the birds have become less naïve to hu‐ 

man presence. Nevertheless, we suspect that distance‐ 

sampling still over‐estimates oriole numbers to some 

degree. 

All population sizes reported here are essentially 

estimates of the number of individuals in the post‐ 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


106

eeding populations, since most Montserratian birds 

breed during March‐July. It thus includes juveniles from 

the previous breeding season as well as territorial adults. 

Consequently, it is rather difficult to convert these esti‐ 

mates to densities of breeding pairs. 

Along with Antillean crested hummingbird, 

which may be substantially over‐estimated, the pearly‐ 

eyed thrasher stands out as being exceptionally abun‐ 

dant: almost twice as common as all other species in the 

Centre Hills. Numbers of purple‐throated carib (but see 

comments above regarding hummingbirds), Caribbean 

elaenia and bananaquit are also estimated to exceed 

10,000 individuals. The Restricted‐range Species – forest 

thrush, scaly‐breasted thrasher, and Montserrat oriole 

occur in populations of a few thousand. 

The estimate of ca. 5,000 Montserrat orioles 

equates to a breeding population of ca. 1,000 pairs 

(based on known breeding success during 2004, and 

estimates of the number of immatures and floaters in the 

population). Other work suggests that this is estimate is 

too high. A territory‐mapping exercise conducted in 

2005 suggests a population of several hundred pairs, but 

certainly well under 1000. 

The estimate for brown trembler is open to some 

doubt, because the detection curve is a relatively poor fit 

to the data, but the estimates are of a population of only 

Figure 6.3. Montserrat oriole Icterus oberi. (Photo: C. 

Bowden, RSPB) 

Figure 6.4. Forest thrush Cichlherminia Iherminieri (Photo: 

G. Hilton, RSPB) 

a few hundred birds. Given that tremblers are almost 

entirely confined to the rainforest areas of Montserrat 

(being extremely rare in lowland dry forest), and also 

that there is some (tentative) evidence of decline since 

1997 (Dalsgaard et al., 2007), there is some concern for 

this species. Almost nothing is known of its ecology on 


6.1.4. Conservation importance of the Centre Hills 

The Centre Hills is an Important Bird Area 

(Sanders, 2006) of considerable importance to global 

conservation. It qualifies as such because it supports a 

significant assemblage of Restricted‐range Species, and 

important numbers of two Globally Threatened Species. 

Apart from being one of only two sites for the 

endemic, Critically Endangered Montserrat oriole (Fig. 

6.3), it is possibly the world headquarters of the globally 

Vulnerable forest thrush (Fig. 6.4): the species is re‐ 

ported to be uncommon and declining on St Lucia and 

Guadeloupe, with status on Dominica unclear 

(BirdLife_International, 2006), D. Wege, pers comm.) 

In keeping with the high endemicity characteris‐ 

tic of the Caribbean region, Montserrat forms part of an 

Endemic Bird Area – EBA030, the Lesser Antilles 

(Stattersfield et al., 1998). This 6,300 km 2 EBA stretches 

from Grenada in the South to Anguilla in the North, and 

has 33 Restricted‐range [bird] Species, of which 24 are 

found only within this EBA, and the remaining nine are 

found in parts of some of the neighbouring EBA’s 

(EBA029 Hispaniola, EBA028 Puerto Rico & the Virgin 

Islands, EBA026 Bahamas). 

(Stattersfield et al., 1998) report twelve Restricted 

Range Species occurring on Montserrat (Table 6.5). 

There are substantial populations of ten of these species 

in the Centre Hills. Lesser Antillean flycatcher Myiarchus 

oberi is a very rare species on Montserrat, and its status is 

unclear. It is most likely to be a non‐breeding vagrant, 

occasionally detected in lowland dry forest, and not re‐ 

corded in the Centre Hills hitherto. Antillean euphonia 

is also very scarce and is primarily found in the fringes 

of the hills during the winter months. It has been re‐ 

corded in the Duberry area of the Centre Hills during 

Forest Bird Monitoring work. It is not clear whether it is 

a regular breeding species in Montserrat, although we 

think this is likely (in very small numbers). For bridled 

quail‐dove, purple‐throated carib, forest thrush, brown 

trembler and Montserrat oriole, the majority of the 

Montserratian population occurs in the Centre Hills. The 

remaining five species have substantial populations else‐ 

where in Montserrat (see above). 

The two remaining IBAs on Montserrat are the 

Northern Forested Ghauts and the South Soufrière Hills. 

The former comprises discrete, small patches of lowland 

dry forest, mostly fringing the Centre Hills. The latter is 

a patch of wet and mesic forest in the exclusion zone of 

the south of the island, which is surrounded by pyro‐ 

clastic flows. Both sites support most of the Restricted‐ 

range Species that the Centre Hills holds. However, the 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

107 


Species Global Status Global Breeding Distribution 

Green-throated carib Least Concern Common throughout Lesser Antilles & in Puerto Rico & Virgin Islands. 

Purple-throated carib 



hummingbird 

Orthorhyncus cristatus 

Lesser Antillean flycatcher 

Myiarchus oberi 

Forest thrush 

Cichlerminia lherminieri 

Scaly-breasted thrasher 


Pearly-eyed thrasher 



Cinclocerthia gutturalis 

Lesser Antillean bullfinch 

Loxigilla noctis 

Antillean euphonia 

Euphonia musica 


Icterus oberi 

Northern Forested Ghauts site does not have Montserrat 

orioles, and other key species such as bridled quail‐ 

dove, forest thrush and brown trembler are extremely 

scarce. Both sites are much smaller than the Centre Hills 

(only 100‐400 ha, compared to ca. 1,400 ha for the Centre 

Hills). It is therefore clear that the Centre Hills is by far 

the most important site for bird conservation in Mont‐ 

serrat, and has great importance in a regional and global 

context. 

6.1.5. Threats and limiting factors 

Habitat destruction 

Least Concern 

Least Concern 

The Restricted‐range and globally threatened 

bird species that occur in Montserrat are primarily 

threatened, not surprisingly, by habitat destruction and 

invasive alien species. The forest specialist species ‐ 

bridled quail‐dove, forest thrush, brown trembler, Antil‐ 

lean euphonia, and Montserrat oriole ‐ are most at risk 

from habitat destruction. . These are also the species 

with the smallest global ranges. However, as previously 

noted, in Montserrat, rainforest destruction has been 

slight in recent years. Dry forest is more vulnerable, be‐ 

Lesser Antilles except Anguilla & St Martin in north; common in most 

islands. 

Throughout Lesser Antilles & in Puerto Rico & Virgin Islands; common in 

most islands. 

Least concern Lesser Antilles between St Kitts & St Lucia; common in most islands. 

Vulnerable Rare St Lucia, uncommon Guadeloupe & Dominica. 

Least Concern 

Least Concern 

Least Concern 

Least Concern 

Least concern 

Critically 

Endangered 

Throughout Lesser Antilles except Anguilla & St Martin in north & St 

Vincent. Apparently extirpated from St Eustatius, Antigua, Barbados; 

common in most other islands. 

All of Lesser Antilles, plus Hispaniola, Dominica, Bahamas, Netherlands 

Antilles; common in most islands. 

Common Saba, Guadeloupe, Dominica; uncommon St Christopher, 

Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent; rare Martinique, Grenada. 

Throughout Lesser Antilles & in some Virgin Islands; common in most 

islands. 

Hispaniola & Puerto Rico (where common); uncommon in Lesser Antilles 

between Antigua & Grenada (except Barbados where absent) 

Endemic to Montserrat. 

Table 6.5. Restricted-range [bird] Species reported to occur in Montserrat 1 

1: Stattersfield et al., (1998) 

cause lying predominantly outside the Forest Reserve 

and in areas heavily impacted by human agricultural 

and urban development. Among the Restricted‐range 

Species in Montserrat, Antillean crested hummingbird, 

forest thrush, scaly‐breasted thrasher, Lesser Antillean 

bullfinch and possibly Antillean euphonia can be con‐ 

sidered dry forest specialists. However, the first three of 

these are also found relatively frequently in other forest 

types, and the bullfinch is common in human‐ 

dominated areas. 

Degraded dry forest areas are relatively wide‐ 

spread in lowland Montserrat, but only a relatively 

small area of dry forest is contiguous with the main Cen‐ 

tre Hills forest block, predominantly in the north‐east of 

the island. Thus isolation and edge‐effects are likely to 

be most severe for dry forest bird populations. 

Invasive Alien Animals and opportunistic omnivores 

Lesser Antillean endemic birds are perhaps not 

as sensitive to introduced predatory mammals as species 

of islands such in the Pacific Ocean, because terrestrial 

predators were already present, in the form of various 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


108

eptile and amphibian species, prior to human introduc‐ 

tion of rats, cats and mongooses. Nevertheless, the im‐ 

pacts of introduced species on Lesser Antillean land‐ 

birds are not well studied, and anecdotal information 

suggests that they may have been under‐estimated in 

the past. As noted above, both black (ship) rats Rattus 

rattus and brown (Norway) rats R norvegicus are abun‐ 

dant in the Centre Hills, and might be expected to re‐ 

duce tree regeneration, and macro‐invertebrate and 

small herptile abundance (Allen et al., 1994; Wilson et al., 

2003; Towns et al., 2006). If this does occur in Montserrat, 

the effects on forest bird species might be considerable, 

for example by reducing food availability and changing 

habitat structure. An experiment is currently under way 

to investigate such effects. Research work during 2001‐5 

has shown that rats (apparently mostly R rattus) are ma‐ 

jor predators of Montserrat oriole nests, and also predate 

forest thrush nests (G.A.L. Gray pers comm.). Popula‐ 

tion models show that rat predation is sufficient to drive 

a decline in the Montserrat oriole population in the Cen‐ 

tre Hills in some years. There is no information on 

whether other bird species are similarly affected. 

As noted above, feral cats are also probably pre‐ 

sent in the Centre Hills, with unknown impacts on forest 

birds. The high abundance of opportunistic omnivores is 

a potential concern for the avifauna. Both as competitors 

and predators, rats and thrashers can have important 

detrimental effects on the avifauna. They are notable 

predators of birds nests, and major consumers of large 

invertebrates (Arendt, 2006; Towns et al., 2006). 

Catastrophic disturbance 

The impacts of hurricanes on West Indian avifau‐ 

nas have been well‐studied in recent years (Wiley and 

Wunderle, 1994). In general, effects have been relatively 

short‐term; it is often difficult to tell whether observed 

declines in some populations reflect mortality or redis‐ 

tribution to less affected areas. Most severe impacts are 

thought to occur due to food shortage after the storm – 

affecting nectarivores and frugivores above all – rather 

than due to direct impacts of the storm itself. There is 

evidence of inter‐site and inter‐habitat movements by 

some populations in response to hurricane damage. 

Hurricane Hugo, one of the most powerful storms in 

history, passed directly over Montserrat in October 1989, 

with massive impacts on human society. There were also 

enormous ecological effects, with defoliation of forests, 

and substantial tree‐fall. Bird survey work in March 

1990, with comparisons to earlier work by the same ob‐ 

server in 1984, suggested that the avifauna had suffered 

relatively minor and short‐lived impacts (Arendt, 1990). 

There was a suggestion that the steeply incised valleys 

of the hill ranges had served as refugia where defolia‐ 

tion was less severe. The effects of the volcanic eruption 

on the avifauna are summarised above. 

Catastrophic natural events, while a natural fea‐ 

ture of Caribbean islands, are also a major risk to the 

avifauna. If more than one negative factor (unusual pre‐ 

cipitation, hurricanes and eruptions) occurs close to‐ 

gether in time, then populations with limited ranges are 

clearly vulnerable to extinction, whether these events are 

natural or not. Population modelling indicates that such 

events in combination are likely to greatly increase ex‐ 

tinction risk for Montserrat oriole, and the 1997‐2002 

decrease in the oriole population seems to have resulted 

from a combination of ash‐falls and dry season drought, 

plus high numbers of nest predators. 

Precipitation 

Analysis of forest bird monitoring data indicates 

that rainfall is an important determinant of bird popula‐ 

tion trends, though exact patterns are currently hard to 

determine (Dalsgaard et al., 2007). Detailed studies of 

Montserrat oriole support this. In general, reproductive 

output of orioles is low in years when the dry season 

(which coincides broadly with the breeding season) is 

relatively dry (unpublished data). This is a consequence 

of both reduced reproductive investment (laying fre‐ 

quency, clutch size) and increased nest failure rates, par‐ 

ticularly due to predation. Such a response may not be 

common to all species: Montserrat oriole is one of rather 

few species to strongly avoid dry forest areas, so clearly 

does not tolerate drought‐prone areas well. There is also 

evidence that adult survival of orioles is lower when the 

wet season is relatively wet (unpublished data). This 

may, speculatively, result from reduced arthropod avail‐ 

ability in cool, wet and windy periods during winter. 

Recent research in other West Indian islands supports 

the idea that weather patterns have important influences 

on bird population trends (Dugger et al., 2004). 

Clearly, variability in weather is a natural phe‐ 

nomenon, and as such would not normally be consid‐ 

ered a threat to conservation interests. However, if it is 

true that it is a major driver of population trends, then it 

is clearly important to monitor weather and be aware of 

likely consequences of droughts and wet periods. Fur‐ 

thermore, anthropogenic climate change will cause di‐ 

rectional shifts in temperature and precipitation patterns 

during the present century, outside the range of current 

variations, and hence might cause major changes in bird 

abundance. 

Threats – Conclusions 

This section on threats to the birds of the Centre 

Hills needs to be set in context: over ten years of bird 

monitoring, all forest bird species have been stable or 

increasing, despite some shorter‐term declines, that ap‐ 

peared, in the case of the oriole 1997‐2002, extremely 

worrying (see below). The possible exception to this, 

though data are scant due to its rarity, is the brown 

trembler. Thus, it seems that, in recent years, the threats 

described have not been sufficient to drive population 

declines in Montserrat’s forest birds. 

Nevertheless, there is much to be concerned 

about. First, Montserrat’s forest birds have lost approxi‐ 

mately 60% of their habitat during the volcanic erup‐ 

tions. There has been further small‐scale loss of small 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

109 


and peripheral forest areas in the north, as the area has 

been re‐developed. Therefore, the Centre Hills are in‐ 

creasingly the sole location for many species. Second, 

although invasive alien species and the very high 

pearly‐eyed thrasher densities don’t appear to be driv‐ 

ing ongoing declines in forest birds, we do not know to 

what extent populations are limited by these factors; that 

is, forest bird populations may be stable, but at substan‐ 

tially lower levels than would be seen in the absence of 

aliens. Third, climatic threats will worsen dramatically 

in future years, due to anthropogenic climate change. 

Fourth, changing climate might increase the impact of 

invasive alien species. For instance, increased frequency 

or force of hurricanes might create more short‐term 

habitat destruction, but also the higher levels of distur‐ 

bance might favour invasive alien plants over native 

species. As climate moves out of the range experienced 

on Montserrat in the past, native species may be increas‐ 

ingly stressed, and therefore be increasingly sensitive to 

competition and predation by invasive alien species. 

Finally, some invasive species are still in an increasing 

phase – most notably pigs, with their enormous destruc‐ 

tive potential, and perhaps some plant species. 

6.2 Patterns in bird diversity within the Centre 


6.2.1. Altitudinal variation in species abundance 

The Centre Hills continuous forest block runs 

from almost sea level in the north‐east of the island to 

around 740 m asl on the summit of Katy Hill, and com‐ 

prises a transition from dry forest, through mesic and 

wet forest to elfin forest: altitude is the key environ‐ 

mental gradient in the site. 

The Centre Hills Forest Bird Monitoring Pro‐ 

gramme provides quantitative data from points distrib‐ 

uted between ca.50‐740 m asl, and in all major habitat 

types, and thus gives good information on altitudinal 

distribution of bird species (Fig 6.5). Among forest bird 

species, there are several which appear to be most fre‐ 

quent in dry forest: mangrove cuckoo, scaly‐naped pi‐ 

geon, Caribbean elaenia, forest thrush, scaly‐breasted 

thrasher and Lesser Antillean bullfinch all show a gen‐ 

eral decline in abundance with increasing altitude. The 

effect is particularly marked for mangrove cuckoo and 

Lesser Antillean bullfinch. A second group of species 

reach peak abundance in mesic and wet forest at inter‐ 

mediate altitudes: bridled quail‐dove, brown trembler 

and pearly‐eyed thrasher reach peak abundance at 

around 350 m, in the mesic forest zone, while purple‐ 

throated carib and Montserrat oriole peak at 500 m, 

where mesic forest grades into wet forest. Among these, 

Montserrat oriole shows a particularly pronounced pat‐ 

tern, being effectively absent from dry forest, while bri‐ 

dled quail‐dove is almost absent from high altitude sites. 

Antillean crested hummingbird shows a curious and not 

very pronounced pattern, which we do not fully under‐ 

stand, of reaching peak abundance in dry and wet‐elfin 

forest, with lower abundance at intermediate altitudes. 

Bananaquit, somewhat surprisingly, becomes more 

abundant with increasing altitude. 

Overall species richness tends to decrease with 

increasing altitude in the Centre Hills (Fig 6.5). How‐ 

ever, this trend masks a different pattern among more 

specialist forest bird species and among Restricted‐range 

Species, which are generally of greatest conservation 

concern. Among these groups, species richness increases 

with increasing altitude up to around 350 m asl, and 

decreases again at greater altitudes. 

The conclusion to be drawn from these varied 

altitudinal distribution patterns among species and spe‐ 

cies‐groups is that the conservation value of the Centre 

Hills can be maximised by conserving the full range of 

elevations in a single continuous forest block. This is the 

only way to capture the different altitudinal preferences 

of the full range of species. Given the comments made 

elsewhere about the relatively small area of dry forest, 

the greater threats it faces and its more fragmented state 

outside the forest reserve, maintaining an area of dry 

forest continuous with the higher elevation forest cur‐ 

rently contained with the forest reserve is vital. 

Curves are based on Generalised Linear Models, 

using altitude as a covariate, year as a categorical effect, 

and point x season as a repeated‐measures effect. Linear 

and quadratic altitudinal effects were tested, and the 

best fit model (using Maximum Likelihood) was used. 

For more abundant species, the response variable was 

bird counts, with a Poisson distribution and log‐link 

function; for less abundant species, bird presence‐ 

absence was the response variable, with a binomial dis‐ 

tribution and logit link function. For species groups, the 

response variable was number of species, with a nega‐ 

tive binomial distribution and log‐link function. 

6.2.2. Spatial patterns in the Centre Hills avifauna 

Figs 6.6 – 6.10 illustrate some spatial patterns in 

bird richness and abundance, based on an Inverse Dis‐ 

tance Weighted interpolation of the 1997 and 2004 cen‐ 

sus data. The maps need to be interpreted with some 

caution. Each census comprised a single 10‐min point‐ 

count in each location, so there is a considerable degree 

of stochasticity in the counts; apparent hotspots can be 

driven by random chance to some extent. Furthermore, 

each census lasted for approximately two weeks, during 

which weather conditions varied substantially. Certain 

parts of the hills were done on days when the weather 

was relatively poor for detecting birds, which can gener‐ 

ate spurious spatial patterns. Finally, the interpolations 

are based purely on the count data; they take no account 

of topography or other environmental variables, which, 

in the steep hills of Montserrat can vary over very small 

areas, and which we have shown are important determi‐ 

nants of bird abundance. 

In both 1997 and 2004, Montserrat orioles had a 

number of localised and widely scattered hotspots, and 

were scarce across most of the Centre Hills (Fig 6.6a‐c). 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


110

Abundance (birds point -1 ) 

Abundance (probability of occurrence) 

4 

3 

2 

1 

0 

0.4 

0.3 

0.2 

0.1 

0.0 

Dry Forest 

Mesic Forest 

50 150 250 350 450 550 650 750 

Altitude (m asl) 

Wet Forest 

Antillean Crested Hummingbird Bananaquit 

Forest Thrush Montserrat Oriole 

Pearly-eyed Thrasher Scaly-breasted Thrasher 

Scaly-naped Pigeon Caribbean Elaenia 

Fig 6.5. Altitudinal abundance patterns among forest birds in the Centre Hills. 

Dry Forest 

(a) Abundant species (models based on abundance) 

Mesic Forest 

Elfin Forest 

50 150 250 350 450 550 650 750 


Wet Forest 

Bridled Quail-dove Purple-throated Carib Brown Trembler 

Mangrove Cuckoo Lesser Antillean Bullfinch 


(b) Less abundant species (models based on presence-absence) 

Elfin Forest 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

111 


Species richness 

8 

7 

6 

5 

4 

3 

2 

1 

0 

Dry Forest 

Mesic Forest 

50 150 250 350 450 550 650 750 


Wet Forest 

Restricted-range Species All species Forest specialists 


(c) Altitudinal variation in abundance of bird species groups in the Centre Hills. 

Fig. 6.6a. Interpolated map of Montserrat oriole abundance in 1997 

Elfin Forest 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


112

Fig. 6.6b. Interpolated map of Montserrat oriole abundance in 2004 

Fig. 6.6c. Interpolated map of change in Montserrat oriole counts between 1997 and 2004 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

113 


Fig. 6.7a. Interpolated map of forest thrush abundance in 1997 

Fig. 6.7b. Interpolated map of forest thrush abundance in 2004 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


114

Fig. 6.7c. Interpolated map of change in forest thrush counts between 1997 and 2004 

Fig. 6.8. Interpolated map of brown trembler counts (1997, 1999 and 2004 data pooled) 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

115 


Fig. 6.9a. Interpolated map of bird species richness in 1997 

Fig. 6.9b. Interpolated map of bird species richness in 2004 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


116

Fig. 6.9c. Interpolated map of change in species richness between 1997 and 2004 

Fig. 6.10a. Interpolated map of restricted range species richness in 1997 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

117 


Fig. 6.10b. Interpolated map of restricted range species richness in 2004 

Fig. 6.10c. Interpolated map of change in restricted range species richness between 1997 and 2004 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


118

There was almost no concordance between the hotspots 

in 1997 and 2004. This may reflect rapid turnover of local 

hotspots, due to stochastic factors or ephemerally suit‐ 

able habitats; however, it may equally reflect a consider‐ 

able degree of stochasticity in the point‐counts them‐ 

selves, see above. There was evidence of a systematic 

shift in the oriole population between the two censuses. 

In 1997, the species appeared to be patchily distributed 

throughout the hills with one large area of higher den‐ 

sity in the central zone, running west‐east from the head 

of Hope Ghaut to the Bugby Hole/Corbett Spring area. 

In 2004 there was a strong overall bias towards the east‐ 

ern flanks. The change map shows a strong pattern of 

declines in the west, and increases in the east. 

Forest thrushes are largely concentrated around 

the edges of the Centre Hills, with hotspots in particular 

in the south‐west, north‐west and east (Fig 6.7a‐c). This 

pattern did not change between censuses in 1997 and 

2004, although the location of individual hotspots did, 

and probably reflects the species’ preference for lower 

altitude forests. The change map for forest thrush shows 

a general increase in population density across most 

areas, but little spatial pattern. 

The maps for bird species richness and Re‐ 

stricted‐range Species richness are very similar in their 

respective years, which largely reflects the fact that the 

majority of birds in the forest are of restricted‐range (Fig 

6.9a‐c, Fig 6.10a‐c). The patterns for the 1997 and 2004 

censuses are broadly similar, with hotspots dotted along 

the western flanks, and in a broad swathe across the 

south‐eastern half of the hills, and lower richness in the 

north. The change maps suggest declines across much of 

the north and parts of the west between 1997 and 2004, 

but increases over the greater part of the hills. 

Taking all the single species maps and the rich‐ 

ness maps, there is an intriguing overall pattern of in‐ 

creases in the eastern and south‐eastern parts of the hills, 

and decreases in the west/north‐west. The increases gen‐ 

erally outweigh the decreases. Forest regeneration has 

taken place in parts of the eastern Centre Hills in the last 

two decades, following the abandonment of agricultural 

land, and this may be a cause of increases in the east. 

However, this does not easily account for concomitant 

decreases in the west, and these remain unexplained. 

One might tentatively suggest that greater human pres‐ 

ence around the western and northern forest fringes in 

recent years could lead to increased densities of oppor‐ 

tunistic omnivores, especially rats and thrashers, which 

could in turn affect other bird species, but there is no 

direct evidence for this, and the stochastic nature of 

these data must be emphasised. 

The maps illustrate an important point about bird 

distributions in the Centre Hills: that a number of key 

areas lie outside or right at the edge of the forest feserve. 

As a result of their preference for the lower altitude 

fringes of the hills, important forest thrush hotspots lie 

outside the boundary in the north, south‐west and 

south‐east. The brown trembler, like the forest thrush, 

appears to be concentrated around the forest edge, but 

unlike the thrush, their hotspots lie mainly just within 

the forest reserve. This reflects their preference for mid‐ 

altitude forests (Fig 6.8), which tend to lie just within the 

forest feserve boundary. The oriole, with it’s preference 

for higher altitudes still, is found predominantly within 

the reserve boundary, but some occupied areas do fall 

outside. Areas with above average richness of restricted‐ 

range species occur outside the reserve boundary in sev‐ 

eral places in both censuses, including some notable 

hotspots. This pattern has obvious implications for man‐ 

agement. Hotspots outside the boundary are effectively 

unprotected, while hotspots adjacent to the boundary 

have minimal buffering against adverse impacts of hu‐ 

man activities on the other side. 

6.2.3. Temporal trends in bird abundance in the 


The Centre Hills Forest Bird Monitoring Pro‐ 

gramme allows an insight into population trends since 

1997 (see Dalsgaard et al., 2007). Such a long run of 

monitoring data is unique among the fauna and flora of 

Montserrat, and indeed is very rare for birds in the West 

Indies. 

There is a considerable concordance in popula‐ 

tion trends among bird species in the Centre Hills, sug‐ 

gesting that similar environmental drivers have tended 

to influence them. The most common pattern was for an 

increase between 1997 and 2001, and a subsequent de‐ 

crease between 2001 and 2003 (Fig. 6.11). After 2003, the 

consistency in pattern breaks down, and population 

trends were very varied. The main exceptions to this 

general pattern were Caribbean elaenia and Montserrat 

oriole, which decreased between 1997 and 2001; ba‐ 

nanaquit, which showed very little change until a sharp 

drop between 2002 and 2004, and purple‐throated carib 

and Caribbean elaenia which doubled in abundance 

between 2001 and 2003 while nearly all other species 

were decreasing dramatically. 

The overall conclusion is that almost none of the 

species showed an overall decline between 1997 and 

2006. The possible exception to this is brown trembler. 

The graph for this species suggests an ongoing down‐ 

ward trend, but statistical power to confirm this is weak, 

because detection rate is low. Nevertheless, forest rang‐ 

ers concur with the idea that this species has become less 

common, and as a forest specialist Restricted‐range Spe‐ 

cies, it deserves careful attention. Several species are far 

more abundant in 2005 than at the beginning of the 

monitoring scheme – most notably scaly‐naped pigeon, 

bridled quail‐dove, forest thrush and scaly‐breasted 

thrasher. Unfortunately, it is rather difficult to put these 

changes into a broader context. Monitoring began at the 

height of the volcanic activity. We do not know if popu‐ 

lations at that point were depleted by the intense ashfalls 

of the previous year, or indeed by other entirely separate 

environmental factors such as precipitation (see above). 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

119 


Population index 


2 

1.5 

1 

0.5 

0 

0.6 

0.5 

0.4 

0.3 

0.2 

0.1 

0 

1997/8 

1997/8 

1998/9 

1998/9 

1999/2000 

1999/2000 

2000/1 

2000/1 

2001/2 

2001/2 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


120 

Year 

2002/3 

2002/3 

2003/4 

2003/4 

2004/5 

Fig. 6.11. Population trends among Centre Hills’ bird species; Reproduced from (Dalsgaard et al., 2007). 

(a) Scaly-naped pigeon 

Year 

(b) Bridled quail dove 

2004/5 

2005/6 

2005/6



0.6 

0.5 

0.4 

0.3 

0.2 

0.1 

0 

0.5 

0.4 

0.3 

0.2 

0.1 

0 

1997/8 

1997/8 

1998/9 

1998/9 

1999/2000 

1999/2000 

2000/1 

2001/2 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

121 


Year 

(c) Mangrove cuckoo 

2000/1 

2001/2 

Year 

(d) Purple-throated carib 

2002/3 

2002/3 

2003/4 

2003/4 

2004/5 

2004/5 

2005/6 

2005/6



1.5 

1.25 

1 

0.75 

0.5 

0.25 

0.5 

0.4 

0.3 

0.2 

0.1 

0 

0 

1997/8 

1997/8 

1998/9 

1998/9 

1999/2000 

1999/2000 

2000/1 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


122 

2001/2 

Year 

2002/3 

(e) Antillean crested hummingbird 

2000/1 

Year 

2001/2 

(f) Caribbean elaenia 

2002/3 

2003/4 

2004/5 

2003/4 

2005/6 

2004/5



2 

1.5 

1 

0.5 

0 

1.5 

1.25 

1 

0.75 

0.5 

0.25 

0 

1997/8 

1997/8 

1998/9 

1998/9 

1999/2000 

1999/2000 

2000/1 

2000/1 

2001/2 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

123 


Year 

(g) Forest thrush 

2001/2 

Year 

(h) Scaly-breasted thrasher 

2002/3 

2002/3 

2003/4 

2003/4 

2004/5 

2004/5 

2005/6 

2005/6



6 

5 

4 

3 

2 

1 

0 

0.4 

0.3 

0.2 

0.1 

0 

1997/8 

1997/8 

1998/9 

1998/9 

1999/2000 

1999/2000 

2000/1 

2001/2 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


124 

Year 

(i) Pearly-eyed thrasher 

2000/1 

2001/2 

Year 

(j) Brown trembler 

2002/3 

2002/3 

2003/4 

2003/4 

2004/5 

2004/5 

2005/6 

2005/6


Population ind 

2.5 

2 

1.5 

1 

0.5 

0 

1 

0.8 

0.6 

0.4 

0.2 

0 

1997/8 

1997/8 

1998/9 

1998/9 

1999/2000 

1999/200 

2000/1 

2000/1 

2001/2 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

125 


Year 

(k) Bananaquit 

2001/2 

Year 

(l) Montserrat oriole 

2002/3 

2002/3 

2003/4 

2003/4 

2004/5 

2004/5 

2005/6 

2005/6

Box 5 The Centre Hills Forest Bird Monitoring Programme 

Field Methods 

Post‐volcano ornithological work on Montserrat commenced with a bird census in the Centre Hills during 

December 1997 (Arendt et al., 1999). This initial count had the aim of establishing whether and where there remained a 

viable population of Montserrat oriole, and determining the abundance of other forest species following the intense 

volcanic activity of the preceding year. This census indicated that orioles were still widespread in the Centre Hills, with 

a population estimate of ca. 4,000 birds (post‐breeding population), so concern for the species’ immediate future was 

reduced. Following this successful survey, an ongoing monitoring scheme was established, based on counting a sub‐set 

of the census points on a quarterly basis. This programme continues to the present, and has now generated a decade of 

monitoring data. From informal beginnings during the peak of the volcanic crisis, it has become one of the strongest 

bird monitoring schemes in the West Indies, and is used as a template for other programmes. 

All the monitoring work is based on stationary point‐counts. Line transects are not possible in the Centre Hills, 

because the lack of paths, steep terrain and dense vegetation prevents easy, quiet movement. At each point, there is a 3‐ 

min ‘settling down’ period, to allow bird activity to return to normal following the arrival of the observers. 

Subsequently, there is a 10‐min counting period, during which all birds detected are recorded. As a means of 

generating extra detections of Montserrat orioles, we initially deployed tape‐playback of oriole song for two‐minutes 

after the end of the count, and separately recorded orioles detected during that period. However, this practice was 

discarded, as it caused a major analytical problem. Naïve orioles respond strongly to playback, and so many detections 

were made by this method in the early census visits. However, as individual orioles became accustomed to people and 

the playback, their response rapidly diminished. Hence, a decline in detections occurred, independent of population 

trends (Hilton et al., 2003). This makes accurate assessment of population trends very difficult. 

The ‘full census’ conducted in 1997 was based on 149 points, set out on a systematic grid across the whole 

Centre Hills. This has been repeated in December 1999 and December 2004. The ongoing monitoring programme was 

based on an informally selected subset of 47 of these points. During 2006, the programme was revised, with the 

frequency of counts being reduced to once per year, in March, and the number of points increased to 90, giving 

coverage of all areas and altitudes of the Centre Hills. The original census was completed by staff from the Montserrat 

Department of Environment, with colleagues from RSPB and the International Institute of Tropical Forestry, Puerto 

Rico. The ongoing monitoring programme has always been executed by Forestry staff, but with data entered, stored 

and analysed at RSPB. In order to increase the local use of the scheme’s results, the programme was re‐launched in 2006 

as the ‘’Centre Hills Forest Bird Monitoring Programme’. The data are now entered and held in the Department of 

Environment, in a custom‐built database. The next step, currently under way, is to combine the monitoring data with 

spatial information, allowing improved management of the Centre Hills. 

The aim of the monitoring programme, as with all such, is to complete the essential feedback loop that permits 

adaptive conservation management. It allows deterioration in the status of any species or area to be detected 

quantitatively, thus triggering research to diagnose the problem. Once conservation measures have been identified, 

tested and deployed, the ongoing monitoring permits their success to be assessed. Data from the scheme have been 

used to assist global prioritisation exercises. For several of the West Indies’ Restricted‐range Species, Montserrat is the 

only nation able to supply IUCN/BirdLife with quantitative trends information for Red Listing. The monitoring 

programme proved its worth when an unexpected decline in the Montserrat oriole was detected in 2000/1. Since the 

1997 census had revealed an unexpectedly large population, and volcanic activity had subsequently declined, there was 

a general expectation that the oriole was safe. However, monitoring data indicated a rapid decline, which was not 

mirrored by other species in the forest. A major research programme (‘Emergency Conservation of the Montserrat 

oriole’), funded by the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office, began in 2001, to determine the causes of the decline. 

These turned out to be a combination of high nest predation by rats and thrashers, dry season drought in 2001, and 

ashfalls in 1998 and 2001. 

Some further quantitative census data are available for Montserrat. Since December 1997, a parallel point‐count 

census programme, covering 43 points, has been undertaken in various forested ghauts in the north of Montserrat. 

Some of these dry forest patches form a ring around the Centre Hills, with a few being continuous with the main forest 

block. Others are in and around the Silver Hills in the far north of Montserrat. The census work has generally been 

undertaken with the same frequency as the Centre Hills monitoring. A very small number of point‐counts were 

undertaken in the surviving forest patch in the South Soufrière Hills during summer 2001 and 2002, giving a small 

amount of comparable quantitative data from this, the only other surviving patch of mesic and wet forest in 


Distance-sampling to estimate absolute abundances 

Distance‐sampling (Buckland et al., 1993) was used to estimate absolute densities of the more frequently 

detected birds in the Centre Hills. Data used in this report were from a full census of 146 points, conducted between 30 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


126

Box 5 The Centre Hills Forest Bird Monitoring Programme 

Nov – 14 Dec 2004, according to standard Montserrat bird census methods (see (Arendt et al., 1999). Data were analysed 

for bird species for which we had 20 or more detections (except for brown trembler, for which a model was developed 

based on 19 detections). All detections of birds or clusters of birds were assigned to one of five distance bands: (0‐5 m, 

5‐10 m, 10‐20 m, 20‐40 m, >40 m). Distance software (v.5.0) was used to analyse data. A priori we chose three data filters: 

firstly, with all data included, in their original distance bands; secondly, with the data truncated at 40 m (i.e. data from 

the outermost distance band were omitted); thirdly, with data from the two innermost distance bands pooled into a 

single band (0‐10 m). We selected the best of these data filters based on the Chi‐squared Goodness of Fit of the data to 

the modelled detection curves, and also on whether the modelled detection curve met the assumptions of distance‐ 

sampling, specifically, whether the modelled detectability at zero distance approximated 1. Following (Buckland et al., 

1993), we examined, for each of the three data‐filters, the following four combinations of key functions and series 

expansions: uniform‐cosine, uniform‐simple polynomial, hazard‐cosine, half‐normal‐hermite polynomial, and chose 

the model with the lowest AIC value. Distance v5.0 automatically fits the optimum number of adjustment parameters 

for each detection curve. We did not use model averaging. Empirical variance estimates were used. 

Analysing population trends 

Information about trends in Centre Hills bird species was generated using Generalised Estimating Equations 

(GEE’s), with count or presence/absence of the species concerned as a response variable (Dalsgaard et al., 2007). The 

data used were just the data from those 47 points included in the frequent censuses; data from those points that were 

visited only during the three full censuses were not included. 

All modelling was conducted using PROC GENMOD in SAS v.9.1. Counts for each species were modelled as 

Poisson distributed count data (with rescaling using the DSCALE function), with a log link function. Where data were 

underdispersed in the Poisson model, we reverted to a binomial model (presence/absence), with a logit link function. 

To accommodate the multiple counts from each point (up to n=24 counts per point), we declared ‘point’ x ‘season’ as a 

repeated measures effect with a first‐order autoregressive covariance structure, there being four separate ‘seasons’ in 

which censuses took place (Dec/Jan, Mar/Apr, Jun/Jul and Sep/Oct). We used ‘year’ (n=8 years) as a categorical 

explanatory variable, the parameter estimates for each being used as the population index values. ‘Year’ was numbered 

from the Jun/Jul census in calendar yeart to the Mar/Apr census in calendar yeart+1. 

Analysing altitudinal preferences 

As for analysis of population trends, tests of altitudinal preference of forest bird species and species groups 

were conducted using GEE’s in SAS v9.1, with count or presence/absence as a Poisson‐ or binomially‐distributed 

response variable respectively, depending on the abundance of the species. 

We used data from all point‐counts conducted during 1997‐2005. As with population trends models, we 

declared ‘year’ as a categorical explanatory variable, and ‘point’ x ‘season’ as a repeated‐measures effect. We used 

‘altitude’ as a linear and quadratic covariate, and selected the model with the best fit to the data, using Maximum 

Likelihood. 

Altitudinal data were taken from altimeter readings taken during the December 2004 full census. Because 

comparison with GIS Digital Elevation Models (DEM) indicated a systematic under‐estimate, we added 35 m to all 

values. Where 2004 altimeter readings were not available, we took the 1999 altimeter reading (to which 35 m was 

added, there being no consistent difference between 1999 and 2004 altimeter readings, and the same instruments 

having been used in both censuses). This gave very few (n =7 points) large (>50m) anomalies between DEM and 

(adjusted) altimeter readings. Among these seven points, the 1999 and 2004 altimeter readings were in good agreement 

(differing by


Bird census and study in Montserrat has been an 

impressive collective effort over a decade, creating one 

of the Caribbean’s leading long‐term monitoring 

schemes. The programme has been led by the Montser‐ 

rat Forestry Division – now contained within the Depart‐ 

ment of the Environment (DoE) ‐ with support from the 

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), and 

several other individuals. Ken Smith (RSPB), Gerard 

Gray (DoE) and John Hartley (Durrell Wildlife) planned 

the original 1997 bird census, and Gerard Gray, David 

Gibbons (RSPB) and Wayne Arendt (International Insti‐ 

tute of Tropical Forestry) instigated and designed the 

long‐term programme. The Montserrat forest rangers 

have been the core data collectors throughout, and great 

credit is due to James Daley, James Boatswain, Lloyd 

Martin, Lloyd Aymer, Calvin Fenton, Jervain 

Greenaway and John Martin for rigorous data collection 

in often difficult conditions. Several RSPB staff, volun‐ 

teers and students have also participated in data collec‐ 

tion, discussion and analysis, notably Sarah Sanders, 

Phil Atkinson, Chris Bowden, Liz Mackley, Joah Mad‐ 

den, Mark Hulme, Richard Allcorn, Bo Dalsgaard, Mat‐ 

thew Brierley, Jo Wright, Glen Tyler and Mark O’Brien. 

Dyonne Duberry (DoE) and Ian Fisher (RSPB) have led 

on data management for the project. The Montserrat 

National Trust has provided strong support to the pro‐ 

gramme, and staff member Philemon Murrain has been 

involved in fieldwork since the beginning. The Centre 

Hills Project staff, Carole McCauley and Stephen Men‐ 

des, and Ministry of Agriculture, Lands, Housing and 

The Environment staff Tony Hill and Claude Gerald 

provided valuable logistical support. David Bucking‐ 

ham, Richard Bradbury, Paul Donald (RSPB), Richard 

Young (Durrell) and Preben Blæsild (University of Aar‐ 

hus) have all provided statistical advice. We are very 

grateful to John and Bridget Beattie for providing fantas‐ 

tic accommodation for staff visiting Montserrat. The bird 

monitoring programme has been financially supported 

at various times by the American Bird Conservancy, UK 

Environment Fund for Overseas Territories and the UK 

Darwin Initiative, as well as by the implementing insti‐ 

tutions. 

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_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

129 


7. Bats of the Centre Hills and Montserrat 

S. C. Pedersen, R. P. Young, M. N. Morton and W. Masefield 

7.1. Diversity and status of bats in Montserrat 

Ecologically, Montserrat has a relatively simple 

chiropteran fauna of ten species including one carnivore 

(Noctilio leporinus), two predominantly nectivorous spe‐ 

cies (Brachyphylla cavernarum, Monophyllus plethodon), 

four frugivores (Ardops nichollsi, Artibeus jamaicensis, 

Chiroderma improvisum, Sturnira thomasi), and three insec‐ 

tivorous species (Natalus stramineus, Tadarida brasiliensis, 

Molossus molossus), representing four families — Noctili‐ 

onidae, Phyllostomidae, Natalidae, and Molossidae. 

Together, these ten species represent the entire extant 

fauna of native mammals on the island. 

Montserrat has historically received a great deal 

of attention from bat biologists. Twelve surveys, span‐ 

ning 28 years (survey year 1978 Jones & Baker; 1984 Pier‐ 

son et al.; 1994 Pedersen et al.; 1995 Morton & Fawcett; 

1997‐98, 2000‐2002 Pedersen et al.; 2003 Kwiecinski; 2004‐ 

05 Pedersen et al.), have established a database that in‐ 

cludes nearly 2500 captures of the ten species of bats 

from 60 locations on Montserrat. Despite this effort, two 

of these species, Sturnira thomasi (Fig. 7.1) and Chi‐ 

roderma improvisum (Fig. 7.2) remain very poorly known 

on Montserrat (and elsewhere). 

Until recently, only two individuals of C. impro‐ 

visum had ever been caught on Montserrat; in 1978, in 

the gallery forest that once ran through the golf course, 

1km from the mouth of Belham River, and in 1984 in the 

Paradise Estate. Just three individuals of this species 

have ever been examined in Guadeloupe (Baker & 

Genoways, 1978). Previous to the CHBA, only one indi‐ 

vidual of S. thomasi had been caught in Montserrat; in 

1994 in the Paradise Estate (Pedersen 1996). It was sub‐ 

sequently described as a subspecies, S. thomasi vulcanen‐ 

sis (Genoways, 1998), unique to Montserrat. As a result 

of damage caused by Hurricane Hugo and the volcanic 

activity, it was suspected that both these species had 

become extinct in Montserrat. However, the continuing 

existence of these species was confirmed during the 

CHBA when an individual of each species was captured 

in July 2005 (see below for more information). C. impro‐ 

visum and S. thomasi are thought to be extremely rare 

and are classified by the IUCN as Endangered 

(Chiroptera Specialist Group, 1996b, d). 

Due to their vagility, bats in the Lesser Antilles 

tend to have relatively low levels of endemicity com‐ 

pared with other taxa such as reptiles and amphibians. 

However, Montserrat supports three restricted range 

species. S. thomasi vulcanensis is only known from the 

island (S. thomasi at species level occurs on Montserrat 

and Guadeloupe), C. improvisum is only recorded from 

Guadeloupe and Montserrat, while Ardops nichollsi is 

restricted to the northern Lesser Antilles (M. plethodon 

and B. cavernarum only occur on a few islands outside 

Figure 7.1. Sturnira thomasi vulcanensis. (Photo: W. 

Masefield, Durrell) 

Figure 7.2. Chiroderma improvisum. (Photo: W. Masefield, 

Durrell) 

the Eastern Caribbean). The bat fauna on Montserrat 

can be considered of high conservation importance as it 

contains two Endangered species, as well as three Near 

Threatened species (Chiroptera Specialist Group 1996a‐ 

e) (see Table 7.2). All of the 10 Montserrat species have 

been caught within or in the immediate vicinity of the 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


130

Figure 7.3. Species-area curve of bats in the Caribbean (Pedersen et al., 2005 after Genoways et al., 2001). Linear 

regression of log-transformed data: y = 0.17x + 0.49 (R-squared = 0.81) 

Centre Hills forest and therefore can be considered to 

use this site to some extent. The recently caught indi‐ 

viduals of S. thomasi vulcanensis and C. improvisum were 

both captured in the Centre Hills, which therefore cur‐ 

rently represents the only recorded home for these spe‐ 

cies on Montserrat since the volcanic eruption. 

Bats are the only extant native mammals in the 

Lesser Antilles and play a number of key ecological roles 

in ecosystems, particularly in seed dispersal and pollina‐ 

tion, and are likely to be vital to the functioning of the 

Centre Hills forest. Many fruit bats carry fruit and seeds 

further away from the parent plants than bird species 

and so are of particular importance in forest regenera‐ 

tion. The dispersal of seeds plays an important role in 

the replanting of damaged forests or deforested areas 

(through volcanoes, hurricanes, clearance for agricul‐ 

ture, etc) and for some trees, bats are the main agents by 

Number of species 

12 

10 

8 

6 

4 

2 

0 

Hand 

captures 

n = 454 

n = 637 

which new areas can be reforested. Fruit production 

requires pollination of the flowers on the plant/tree in 

question and many bats feed on flowers and nectar, and 

in doing so transfer pollen between plants. Many trees 

that are of economical importance to man are pollinated 

by bats, i.e., calabash, mango, banana, and cashew. 

Many insectivorous bats eat huge numbers of insects 

nightly. For example, a small colony of free‐tailed bats 

can consume tens of thousands of mosquitoes in an area 

each evening, which represents free pest‐control for hu‐ 

mans living nearby. Bats are sometimes considered 

ʺkeystone speciesʺ (after the keystone that symbolically 

holds up an entire building) because the loss of bats 

from an ecosystem may set‐off a devastating cascade of 

effects throughout an ecosystem. For example, some 

trees may depend entirely on bats for pollination; if bats 

n = 893 n = 2092 

1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 

Year 

Figure 7.4. Species accumulation curve for Montserrat, 1978-2004 (n = cumulative number of bats caught) 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

131 


are lost from the ecosystem, so are the trees and all their 

dependent species. 

The number of species found on an island tends 

to be correlated with the size (area) of the island, the 

distance from a source (typically a continental area) and 

the diversity of habitats available, which in most cases is 

directly related to elevation of the island. Increased ele‐ 

vation usually results in increased rainfall and more 

diverse vegetation (MacArthur et al., 1972). Morgan and 

Woods (1986) found that 69% of the variance in West 

Indian mammalian faunal diversity could be explained 

by island area alone while the ʺremaining 31% of the 

variance must be dependent upon other variables such 

as habitat diversity and distance from source areas.” 

Following models that have been applied to amphibians 

and reptiles (Preston, 1962), birds (Hamilton et al., 1964), 

and West Indian bats or mammalian fauna (Morgan and 

Woods, 1986; Griffiths and Klingener, 1988), a species‐ 

area curve for the Antillean bat fauna was constructed 

(Fig. 7.3). 

Localities Fruit bat BNN Total BNN 

Northern Lesser Antillean Faunas 

St. Eustatius (2002, 2003, 2004) 1 1.55 3.75 

Montserrat (1994-95, 97-98, 00-04) 1, 2 2.10 3.08 

Saba (2002, 2003) 2 0.65 2.47 

St. Kitts (1999, 2001) 1 1.11 2.11 

Antigua (1994, 1998, 2000, 2003) 1 1.45 2.04 

St. Maarten (2002. 2003, 2004) 2 0.92 1.63 

Nevis (1999, 2001) 1 1.34 1.55 

MEAN 1.88 2.70 

Mainland Faunas 

San Vito, Costa Rica 3 5.93 6.65 

Osa, Costa Rica 3 5.68 5.87 

La Pacifica, Costa Rica 3 4.11 4.46 

BCI, Panama 3 2.85 2.98 

Canal Zone, Panama 3 2.20 2.71 

MEAN 4.15 4.53 

Table 7.1.Mist-net capture rates (number of bats caught per net-night; BNN) of neotropical bats (from Pedersen et al., 

2005) 

1 Published survey data from Pedersen et al., 1993-2004 

2 Un-published survey data from Pedersen et al., 1993-2004 

3 Data from Findley, 1993 

The relative position of an island ʹabove the curveʹ 

may be attributed to (1) a long history of survey efforts; 

(2) a wealth of sufficiently diverse habitat that supports 

a high level of bat species richness; and (3) close prox‐ 

imity to source islands. Conversely, the relative position 

of an island ʹbelow the curveʹ may be attributed to (1) a 

simple case of under‐sampling; (2) a dearth of sufficient 

habitat to support bat diversity; and (3) the presence of 

an insurmountable biological barrier beyond which bats 

cannot move. The primary forcing agent behind the 

inter‐island movement of bats is probably by way of 

tropical storms (S. Pedersen, unpubl. data). Several is‐ 

lands with low biodiversity (e.g., Antigua, Barbuda, St. 

Maarten) may simply be so unfortunate as to not lie 

downwind from a large source island. 

Montserrat, with its 10 species of bat, is posi‐ 

tioned well above the regression‐line in Fig. 7.3 relative 

to other islands of similar size due mainly due to the 

presence of two very rare species (S. thomasi, C. impro‐ 

visum). We explain this as being due to Montserratʹs 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


132

down‐wind location and close proximity (55 kilometres) 

to Guadeloupe (12 species; Baker et al., 1978; Genoways 

& Baker, 1975; Genoways & Jones, 1975; Masson & 

Breuil, 1992), high elevation and topographic diversity, 

and the fact that the island remains relatively underde‐ 

veloped in terms of tourism. If this observation is cor‐ 

rect and we can compare Guadeloupe and Montserrat 

bat faunas, it is interesting to note that two species of 

insectivorous bat (Myotis nigricans, Eptesicus guadeloupen‐ 

sis) remain ʺmissingʺ from Montserrat despite extensive 

survey efforts over 28 years. It is unclear whether there 

is something unique about these two bats that makes 

them less likely to disperse. 

Due to their mobility and nocturnal activity pat‐ 

terns, estimating the size of bat populations is very diffi‐ 

cult. Given this difficulty, a simple metric (BNN ‐ bats 

captured per net‐night) has been developed to approxi‐ 

mate the abundance of bat populations at our sample 

sites using mist‐netting to catch individual bats 

(Genoways et al., 2006; Pedersen et al. 1996, 2003, 2005, 

2006). Preliminary data based on night‐vision re‐ 

Species scientific name 

Ardops nichollsi 

montserratensis 

Artibeus jamaicensis 

Brachyphylla cavernarum 

Species common 

name 

Diet* 

Tree bat Frugivore 

Jamaican fruit 

bat 


fruit bat 

Frugivore 

Nectivore 

cordings of flyways with and without nets show that 

only 5% of the bats in an airspace ever come into contact 

with the mist‐net and then only 60% of those become 

snared by the net (Larsen et al., 2005). This suggests 

mist‐netting could vastly underestimate abundance and 

possibly species richness. However, given the large his‐ 

torical and current sampling effort on Montserrat it is 

unlikely that species richness has been substantially un‐ 

der‐estimated. Figure 7.4 shows a species accumulation 

curve for Montserrat, which reaches an asymptote in 

1994 at 10 species. 

We have utilized the BNN metric conservatively 

by avoiding its use as an estimate of population size per 

se, but rather as an approximation of bat activity at a 

particular location. However, if we compare trends in 

BNN over time from any single location, BNN can be 

viewed as a crude proxy for overall bat population 

trends. If all feeding guilds are considered, bat capture 

rates on Montserrat are second only to St. Eustatius in 

the northern Lesser Antilles and are comparable to those 

reported from mainland populations (Table 7.1; Peder‐ 

IUCN Red List 

category** 

Lower Risk/ Near 

Threatened 

Lower Risk/ Least 

Concern 


Concern 

Global distribution 

Northern Lesser Antilles 

Widespread in C. & S. 

America, Caribbean 

Lesser Antilles, Virgin 

Islands, Puerto Rico 

Chiroderma improvisum White-lined bat Frugivore Endangered Guadeloupe, Montserrat 

Molossus molossus 

Velvety free-tailed 

bat 

Insectivore 

Monophyllus plethodon Long-tongued bat Nectivore 

Natalus stramineus Funnel-eared bat Insectivore 

Noctilio leporinus Bulldog bat Carnivore 


vulcanensis 

Tadarida brasiliensis 

Yellow- 

shouldered bat 

Brazilian freetailed 

bat 


Concern 


Threatened 


Concern 


Concern 

Frugivore Endangered 

Insectivore 


Threatened 



Puerto Rico, Lesser 

Antilles 

C. & S. America, Eastern 

Caribbean 



Sub-specifically island 

endemic 

Widespread in C., N. & S. 


Table 7.2. Checklist of the bats of Montserrat, including information on diet, conservation status and global distribution 

*The dietary categories describe general food preferences only (e.g. the frugivorous and nectivorous species also eat 

other plant material and insects) 

**All 10 of Montserrat's bat species were last assessed by IUCN's Chiroptera Specialist Group in 1996 and all 10 assessments 

are listed as "out of date" (i.e. proceeding the current [2001] revision of IUCN's red list criteria). Work on Montserrat and 

other Eastern Caribbean islands (e.g. Pedersen et al., 1996, 2003, 2005, 2006) suggests that a re-assessment would result in 

the endangerment status of some of these species being revised downwards, with the probable exception of C. 

improvisum and S. thomasi. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

133 


sen et al., 2005). If only fruit bats are evaluated, average 

capture rates during our surveys on Montserrat are the 

highest in the northern Lesser Antilles (Table 7.1; Peder‐ 

sen et al., 2005). 

In summary, for its size, Montserrat appears to be 

richer in species and its bat populations appear to be 

larger than those on neighbouring islands, taking into 

account differences in sampling protocols and sampling 

effort. This is probably due to the lack of habitat modifi‐ 

cation due to urban and rural development relative to 

other Lesser Antillean islands. However, the bat fauna 

of Montserrat has fluctuated dramatically over the last 

25 years due to the influence of several natural disasters. 

The implications of these stochastic events on long‐term 

population dynamics deserve attention, which can only 

be investigated by long‐standing monitoring pro‐ 

grammes. As well as the catastrophic threats posed by 

hurricanes and volcanoes, bats on Montserrat are also 

vulnerable to a number of other factors. Deforestation 

leads to the reduction in the availability of food plants 

and roost sites for a number of species, particularly 

frugivorous bats. Caves represent important sites for 

roosting at which large numbers of bats may congregate. 

Many species have quite specific requirements for 

roosts, for example, N. stramineus seem to require very 

humid caves which prevent their delicate wing mem‐ 

branes from drying out. Mother bats congregate to give 

birth to and suckle their babies at so‐called nursery 

roosts. If these critical sites are destroyed or disturbed 

by humans, then the bat populationʹs reproductive out‐ 

put for that year could be lost or even a large proportion 

of the whole bat population on an island may be wiped 

out in a single event. No cave roosts are known in the 

Centre Hills, but invariably the forest supports a large 

number of roosting trees. Natural water bodies are im‐ 

portant as they support increased densities of both in‐ 

sects and fruiting and flowering trees, as well as being 

resource for bats drinking, and therefore the modifica‐ 

tion of the flow of streams and rivers in the Centre Hills 

is predicted to have negative consequences for insectivo‐ 

rous and piscivorous species of bat. 

7.2. Patterns in bat diversity within the Centre 


All 10 species of bat known from Montserrat were re‐ 

corded during the period of the CHBA, through mist 

netting both at CHBA sample points and at long‐term 

bat monitoring sites. This was the first time all 10 spe‐ 

cies of bat have been recorded during a single survey 

since sampling started in 1978. According to the mist 

netting data, by far the most dominant species in the 

Centre Hills was A. jamaicensis (Table 7.3). However, 

acoustic surveys suggested that Molossus molossus was 

present at the majority of sampling points and that this 

species is ubiquitous in the area, as it appears to be on 

most Eastern Caribbean islands. Far fewer captures 

Species 


captures 

Artibeus jamaicensis 77 

Ardops nichollsi 16 

Brachyphylla cavernarum 10 

Chiroderma improvisum 1 

Monophylus plethodon 7 

Sturnira thomasi vulcanensis 1 

TOTAL 112 

Table 7.3. Number of captures of bat species at the 16 

CHBA points 

were made of B. cavernarum and the restricted range 

species A. nichollsi and M. plethodon. 

The most notable captures were the individuals 

of C. improvisum and S. thomasi vulcanensis which were 

caught at the CHBA points in Corbett Spring and Bot‐ 

tomless Ghaut respectively (Fig. 7.4). Both were lactat‐ 

ing females, providing important evidence of the exis‐ 

tence of breeding colonies of these species. Another 

lactating S. thomasi vulcanensis individual has subse‐ 

quently been caught in Bottomless Ghaut in 2006. It is 

very likely that C. improvisum is extremely rare in Mont‐ 

serrat, and possibly in Guadeloupe, and therefore highly 

threatened. Following the volcanic eruptions in the 

1990s, Bottomless Ghaut is now the only location in the 

world known to support S. thomasi vulcanensis, and is 

clearly a very important site. Mobs of roughly a dozen 

S. thomasi vulcanensis were observed on two occasions in 

both 2005 and 2006 in Bottomless Ghaut, which may 

suggest they are not as rare as once thought but were 

missed in previous monitoring efforts and tend to be 

hard to catch in mist‐nets. Another bat caught in Bot‐ 

tomless Ghaut during the CHBA was initially identified 

as A. nichollsi but (following discussions with G. 

Kwiecinski) it is possible this was a Stenoderma rufum. 

This species has not previously been described further 

south than the Virgin Islands but unfortunately no pho‐ 

tographs were taken of this individual for retrospective 

identification; further sampling in Bottomless Ghaut is 

recommended and may prove productive. 

Three species were not recorded at the CHBA 

points but were caught at the long term monitoring sites. 

Two fishing bats (Noctilio leporinus) were caught at Sap‐ 

pit River in the Centre Hills. This was of interest as this 

species was unrecorded on Montserrat following the 

volcanic eruption until the capture of a single specimen 

in 2004 (by S. Pedersen and team). Though readily net‐ 

ted, these animals have never been captured in large 

numbers in Montserrat. The highest observed activity 

and netting success of these bats between 1978 and 2005 

was recorded in 1994 and 1995 (post‐Hugo, pre‐volcano) 

along the Belham Valley River, but this site has subse‐ 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


134

Fig. 7.5. Map of the number of bat species caught in mist-nets at the CHBA points in the Centre Hills. 

quently suffered severe damage as a result of pyroclastic 

flow and ashfall. One individual was netted in a deep 

ravine at a higher elevation in Hope Springs in 1984. 

Given that the Hope springs site was 1.5 km distant 

from the nearest known foraging area, this suggested 

there was a N. leporinus roost site somewhere in this lo‐ 

cality but whether it still exists is unknown. Although a 

globally widespread species, it appears restricted to 

lower elevations and may have limited habitat available 

to it on Montserrat, and other small Caribbean Islands, 

which makes Sappit River probably the most important 

site for N. leporinus on the island. T. brasiliensis was also 

caught at Sappit River and in an abandoned building in 

the village of Lees in 2005. Finally, N. stramineus, be‐ 

lieved to be an obligate cave roosting species, was found 

at a roost in tarrish pits immediately south of the Centre 

Hills boundary near Happy Hill. 

The number of bat species recorded at the CHBA 

points varied across the Centre Hills (Fig. 7.5). Five spe‐ 

cies were caught at the Bottomless Ghaut sampling 

point, including S. thomasi vulcanensis, which therefore 

appears to be a very important ghaut for bats. Three 

species were recorded at three sampling points, includ‐ 

ing Gun Hill, Upper Blakes and Jackboy Hill. The latter 

two sites, Bottomless Ghaut and Corbett Spring, where 

the endangered C. improvisum was caught, all fall in the 

east and north‐east of the Centre Hills. This region 

therefore appears to be a key zone for bats in the Centre 

Hills. 

However, examination of the long term monitor‐ 

ing data (summarised in Table 7.4) reveals other impor‐ 

tant sites within the Centre Hills. Due to the large effort 

required to catch all bat species using a particular site, 

the monitoring data provide a more accurate estimate of 

species richness for a given area. The Sappit River, 

which is still relatively intact following the volcano, can 

be currently considered a key site for bats, with seven 

species recorded there between 1978 and 2005. The 

lower Belham Valley and Paradise Estate have suffered 

severe damage from the volcano and are currently 

unlikely to support the high species richness that has 

been recorded historically. Hope Springs, Soldier and 

Runaway Ghauts and the Lawyers area are other rela‐ 

tively undisturbed and important sites for bats in the 

Centre Hills. 

Due to their high mobility and capacity of rang‐ 

ing over wide areas, bats present a number of challenges 

to the identification of key zones and habitats within the 

Centre Hills. Further, the CHBA data only represent a 

single ‘snapshot’ of the distribution of bat species in the 

Centre Hills. The long term monitoring data tend to be 

collected between June and August and therefore may 

not be a representative sample of habitat use and move‐ 

ment of bats across an entire year. Despite these issues, 

it is clear the Centre Hills forest overall represents a vital 

resource for bats on Montserrat for foraging, roosts and 

nursery sites, particularly for the frugivorous species. It 

is noteworthy that both native and exotic fruiting trees 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

135 


Location Species Nights Nets Captures 

Belham Valley River, Lower 9 5 41 564 

Belham Valley River, Sappit 7 5 51 281 

Paradise Estate 7 2 27 177 

Collins River 6 6 46 85 

Hope Springs 6 5 25 73 

Soldier Ghaut 5 4 33 44 

Lawyers Tank 5 3 17 48 

Runaway Ghaut 5 3 11 9 

Lawyers, Lower 5 3 10 31 

Dick Hill Farm 3 1 6 15 

Cassava Ghaut 2 2 11 8 

MEAN 5.5 3.5 25.3 121.4 

Table 7.4. Number of species caught and sampling effort expended between 1978 and 2004 at 11 sites within or in the 

vicinity of the Centre Hills 

are likely to be important for this guild and therefore 

removal of exotic trees may reduce food availability for 

a number of frugivorous species, including the two En‐ 

dangered species. Offsetting this impact by planting 

native fruiting trees would need to be considered. Flow‐ 

ing and standing water bodies are a key resource for 

insectivorous and piscivorous bats and therefore water 

management practices in the Centre Hills will have im‐ 

plications for these species. 

Bats that frequent the Centre Hills also invariably 

rely on a number of resources located outside and per‐ 

haps far from the forest boundary. Therefore, a coherent 

conservation strategy for bats, and the services they pro‐ 

vide to the Centre Hills forest, needs to include relevant 

mechanisms for protecting these resources. In particu‐ 

lar, roost sites are an extremely valuable resource. Bats 

as a group use a number of different roost types such as 

caves, trees and buildings but whilst some species utilise 

a wide variety of roosts (e.g. A. jamaicensis and M. molos‐ 

sus) others seem to have more specific requirements (e.g. 

caves for N. stramineus and B. cavernarum; tree foliage for 

A. nichollsi). Volcanic activity is known to have de‐ 

stroyed a number of roost sites in the south of Montser‐ 

rat. For example, a large roost used predominantly by B. 

cavernarum was eradicated by pyroclastic flows in 1996. 

It is absolutely critical therefore that the remaining caves 

elsewhere on the island are protected. A cave in Little 

Bay houses a large colony of 5000‐6000 individuals of B. 

cavernarum which is probably vital for this species on 

Montserrat. The potential future development of the 

nearby port facility is likely to endanger this colony. 

The tarrish pits south of Belham Valley house the only 

known roosts for N. stramineus on Montserrat and there‐ 

fore warrant protection. However, they are currently 

endangered by the mining/gravel facilities therein, al‐ 

though apparently they still use the roost despite the 

noise and vibration. No caves providing roost sites are 

known to exist in the Centre Hills and data on other 

types of roost sites within the forest is lacking, but it 

seems highly likely that foliage and hollow tree roosts at 

least will be found inside the boundary. Water bodies 

outside of the Centre Hills boundary are also an impor‐ 

tant resource for bats. In particular, the Belham Valley 

River, the only known site for N. leporinus and N. stra‐ 

mineus, is a key site and warrants attention. 

Although bats on Montserrat have been the sub‐ 

ject of intense field research, an investigation of the key 

feeding and roosting sites and resources is needed to 

inform the conservation management of bats. Specifi‐ 

cally, a better understanding is required of the contem‐ 

porary distribution of species across Montserrat follow‐ 

ing the volcanic activity, and resource use by species of 

conservation concern and biodiversity value throughout 

the entire year. Given their importance to the function‐ 

ing of forests, monitoring of bats should be a key com‐ 

ponent of a management plan for the Centre Hills. We 

recommend a two‐pronged approach; sampling at long 

term sample sites established by S. Pedersen and team 

for longitudinal monitoring, combined with a more ran‐ 

domised approach (similar to the one utilised by the 

CHBA) to produce a spatially more representative sam‐ 

ple of the bat fauna. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


136


Scott Pedersen wishes to thank the following for finan‐ 

cial support of the project: Mary B. Totten Trust, Durrell 

Wildlife Conservation Trust, South Dakota State Univer‐ 

sity, University of Wisconsin‐Whitewater, and the Uni‐ 

versity of Northern Colorado. Thanks go to Gerard 

Gray, Tony Hill, and Claude Gerald (Chief Forestry and 

Environment Officers during the duration of this pro‐ 

ject) of the Ministry of the Environment for granting us 

collection permits. Steven McNamara, Sarita Francis, 

Jean White, and the Staff of the Montserrat National 

Trust are to be thanked for their advice and support. The 

patience, courtesy and good humor extended to us by 

the Estate owners on Montserrat is greatly appreciated. 

In particular, a warm and special thank you goes to the 

Hollenders of the Waterworks Estate and their dedicated 

efforts towards maintaining Montserratʹs biodiversity. 

Finally, we wish to acknowledge the fine field assistance 

of Philemon (Mapie) Murrain, James (Scriber) Daly, John 

(Gambie) Martin, Calvin (Blacka) Fenton, Lloyd (Lloydie) 

Martin, Samson and Andre Lahti‐Parcell, Nancy Heisel, 

Karen Hadley, numerous students who attended the 

American University of the Caribbean School of Medi‐ 

cine in 1993‐94, Jon Appino, Anya Hartpence, Betsy 

South, Sam Daane, Karen Boegler, Roxy Larsen, Jessica 

Kiser, and Will Masefield. Materiel and curatorial sup‐ 

port was provided by the Division of Zoology of the 

University of Nebraska State Museum with great thanks 

for the assistance of Tom Labedz. 

References 

Baker, R.J., & Genoways, H.H. (1978). Zoogeography of 

Antillean bats. Academy Natural Science of Philadelphia 

Special Publications, 13, 563‐597. 

Baker, R.J., Genoways, H.H. & Patton, J.C. (1978). Bats of 

Guadeloupe. Occasional Papers of the Museum, Texas 

Tech University, 50, 1‐16. 

Chiroptera Specialist Group (1996a). Ardops nichollsi. In: 



ber 2007. 

Chiroptera Specialist Group (1996b). Chiroderma impro‐ 

visum. In: IUCN 2007. 2007 IUCN Red List of Threat‐ 



Chiroptera Specialist Group (1996c). Monophyllus pletho‐ 

don. In: IUCN 2007. 2007 IUCN Red List of Threatened 

Species. . Downloaded on 26 

November 2007. 

Chiroptera Specialist Group (1996d). Sturnira thomasi. In: 



ber 2007. 

Chiroptera Specialist Group (1996e). Tadarida brasiliensis. 

In: IUCN 2007. 2007 IUCN Red List of Threatened Spe‐ 

cies. . Downloaded on 26 No‐ 

vember 2007. 

Findley, J.S., & Wilson, D.E.. (1983). Are bats rare in 

tropical Africa? Biotropica, 15, 299‐303. 

Genoways, H.H. (1998). Two new species of bats of the 

Genus Sturnira from the Lesser Antilles, West Indies. 

Occasional Papers of the Museum, Texas Tech University, 

176, 1‐7. 

Genoways, H.H. & Baker, R.J. (1975). A new species of 

Eptesicus from Guadeloupe, Lesser Antilles 

(Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae). Occasional Papers of the 

Museum, Texas Tech University, 34, 1‐7. 

Genoways, H.H., & Jones Jr., J.K. (1975). Additional re‐ 

cords of the stenodermine bat, Sturnira thomasi, from 

the Lesser Antillean Island of Guadeloupe. Journal of 

Mammalogy, 56, 924‐925. 

Genoways H.H., Pedersen, S.C., Larsen, P.A., Kwiecin‐ 

ski, G.G. & Huebschman, J.J. (2006). Bats of Saint 

Martin, French West Indies/Sint Maarten, Nether‐ 

lands Antilles (Submitted: Mastozoologia Neotropi‐ 

cal). 

Griffiths, T.A. & Klingener, D. (1988). On the 

distribution of Greater Antillean bats. Biotropica, 20, 

240‐251. 

Hamilton, T. H., Barth, R.H. & Rubinoff, I. (1964). The 

environmental control of insular variation in bird 

species abundance. Proceedings of the National Acad‐ 

emy Science, 52, 132‐140. 



330‐342. 

Larsen, R., Boegler, K. & Pedersen, S.C. (2005). Mistnet‐ 

ting bias on Montserrat. Bat Research News, 46, 191. 

Masson, D. & Breuil, M. (1992). Un Myotis (Chiroptera, 

Vespertilionidae) en Guadeloupe (Petites Antilles). 

Mammalia, 56, 473‐475. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

137 


Morgan, G.S. & Woods, C.A. (1986). Extinction and the 

zoogeography of West Indian land mammals. Biologi‐ 

cal Journal of the Linnaean Society, 28, 167‐203. 

Pedersen, S.C. (1998). Blown in, blown off, and blown 

up; the bats of Montserrat BWI. American Zoologist, 

37, 17A. 

Pedersen, S.C., Genoways, H.H. & Freeman, P.W. (1996). 

Notes on the bats from Montserrat (Lesser Antilles), 

with comments concerning the effects of Hurricane 

Hugo. Caribbean Journal of Science, 32, 206‐213. 

Pedersen S.C., Genoways, H.H., Morton, M.N., Johnson, 

J.W. & Courts, S.E. (2003). Bats of Nevis, northern 

Lesser Antilles. Acta Chiropterologica, 5, 251‐267. 

Pedersen, S.C., Genoways, H.H., Morton, M.N., 

Kwiecinski, G.G. & Courts, S.E. (2005). Bats of St. 

Kitts (St. Christopher), northern Lesser Antilles, with 

comments regarding capture rates of Neotropical 

bats. Caribbean Journal of Science, 41, 744‐760. 

Pedersen, S.C., Genoways, H.H., Morton, M.N., Swier, 

V.J., Larsen, P.A., Lindsay, K.C., Adams, R.A. & Ap‐ 

pino, J.D. (2006). Bats of Antigua, northern Lesser 

Antilles. Occasional Papers of the Museum, Texas Tech 

University, 249, 1‐18. 

Preston, F.W. (1962). The canonical distribution of com‐ 

monness and rarity: Part II. Ecology, 43, 410‐432. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


138

8. Rats in the Centre Hills 

R. P. Young 

8.1. Potential impact of introduced rats on 

the Centre Hills biota 

The negative effects of introduced species of rats 

(Rattus rattus, R. norvegicus and R. exulans) on indige‐ 

nous island animal and plants have been long recog‐ 

nised and are well‐documented (see Towns, Atkinson 

and Daugherty, 2006, for a review). These effects can 

either be direct, e.g. through predation or exploitation 

competition for food, or indirect, e.g. through changing 

habitat structure leading to shifts in predator‐prey dy‐ 

namics or access to food resources. There is increasing 

evidence that the impacts of rats are sufficiently perva‐ 

sive to affect ecosystem structure and function and have 

far‐reaching consequences for the persistence of island 

biotas. Effects can be over relatively short time‐scales, 

e.g. effects of high predation rates by rats on small liz‐ 

ards, or over much longer periods, e.g. low recruitment 

due to seedling predation by rats preventing forest re‐ 

generation. Recent studies suggest that the effects of 

introduced rats on islands have probably been greatly 

under‐estimated (Towns et al. 2006). 

Fig 8.1. Black rat Rattus rattus. (Photo: G. Hilton, RSPB) 

Globally, black rats R. rattus (Fig. 8.1) have been 

demonstrably associated with the declines or extinctions 

of the largest number of indigenous vertebrate species, 

around 60 species, and are considered the most damag‐ 

ing of the introduced rats. They are arboreal and can 

predate birds’ nests, tree‐living reptiles, fruit and seeds 

and are also capable swimmers so therefore are good 

colonisers of islands. Brown rats R. norvegicus are also 

known to have major negative impacts on indigenous 

island species, albeit less wide‐ranging, but due to their 

greater body size may affect larger prey species such as 

seabirds. Both these species have been introduced onto 

Montserrat, probably with the arrival of the first Europe‐ 

ans roughly 400‐500 years ago, and now occur in many 

areas of the Centre Hills forest. In order to evaluate 

which native species in the Centre Hills may be affected 

by rats it is informative to assess which taxa have been 

shown to be vulnerable to rats elsewhere. The following 

taxonomic groups have demonstrated global vulnerabil‐ 

ity to black and/or brown rats (from Towns et al. 2006): 

1. Plants with fleshy fruits and/or large edible 

seeds, or heavily scented inflorescences, or dio‐ 

ecious reproductive systems, or reliant on seabird 

effects such as enriched soil or open disturbed 

ground 

2. Terrestrial flightless invertebrates, especially 

large, nocturnal and ground‐dwelling species 

3. Amphibians and reptiles that are large, nocturnal 

and ground‐dwelling, have low annual reproduc‐ 

tive output and are oviparous, laying eggs in 

rookeries 

4. Diurnal ground dwelling reptiles, including some 

snakes (vulnerable to R. rattus only) 

5. Small terrestrial birds with weak flight and are 

surface or crevice nesters near ground level 

6. Small arboreal birds, especially hole nesting pas‐ 

serines and parakeets (vulnerable to R. rattus 

only) 

7. Small ground nesting birds, including well‐ 

flighted species 

8. Small burrowing sea‐birds (

of the Montserrat oriole (G.M. Hilton, pers. comm.) and in 

some years achieve very high densities in the Centre 

Hills resulting in high predation rates and a concomitant 

decrease in oriole annual productivity, which had longer 

term population effects in this species. None of the bat 

species on Montserrat are ground‐dwelling or ground‐ 

foraging and so are unlikely to be directly affected by 

rats. Rats are also known to have a major impact on 

plants, through seed, fruit and seedling predation and 

affect recruitment in plant populations. Plants with 

fleshy fruits and/or large edible seeds, or heavily scented 

inflorescences are particularly vulnerable. Terrestrial 

flightless invertebrates, especially large, nocturnal and 

ground‐dwelling species, are also particularly at risk 

from rat predation. 

Black and brown rats are therefore highly likely 

to be posing a serious threat to the persistence of a large 

number of the Centre Hills taxa by exerting a range of 

direct and indirect effects, which may be sufficiently 

strong and wide‐ranging to influence the overall func‐ 

tioning of the Centre Hills ecosystem. Most worryingly, 

three Critically Endangered species, the oriole, galliwasp 

and mountain chicken possess traits that have been 

shown elsewhere to pre‐dispose them to being vulner‐ 

able to the effects of introduced rats. These effects may 

have already had a severe historical impact on the popu‐ 

lation growth rates of these species. However, no quan‐ 

titative data exist on the distribution and abundance of 

rats in the Centre Hills and whether rats have penetrated 

the interior of the forest at the highest elevations. As 

part of the CHBA we carried out surveys to understand 

how rats are distributed across the Centre Hills and how 

their abundance varies with habitat and landscape fea‐ 

tures. Nevertheless, methods of reducing the impact of 

rats on the Centre Hills ecosystem should be a central 

consideration in the design of the management plan. 

8.2. Patterns and correlates of rat abundance 

within the Centre Hills: implications 

for biodiversity conservation 

In order to detect the presence of rats and to esti‐ 

mate their distribution, short pieces of wood soaked in 

vegetable oil (‘chew‐sticks’) were placed in the ground 

at CHBA points which, if rats are present, are chewed. 

The chew‐stick data demonstrate that rats occur 

throughout the Centre Hills, even in the interior of the 

forest and at the highest altitudes on top of Katy Hill 

(see Fig. 8.2). 

We estimated the relative abundance of black and 

brown rats by placing 11 independent lines of snap‐traps 

along trails and ghauts across the Centre Hills (N.B. 

trapping line is referred to as ‘sampling site’ in the 

analysis). Each trapping line consisted of 15 snap‐trap 

stations spaced 25m apart, with two traps situated on 

the ground (within 1m of each other) and two traps tied 

to branches at eye level of nearby trees. All snap‐traps 

were baited with peanut butter. Trapping rates were 

very high in the Gun Hill region (24.4 rats per 100 trap 

Fig 8.2. Rat chew rate (number of sticks chewed per 100 days) at the CHBA points in the Centre Hills 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

140 


Line transect 


brown rats 

caught 

Bottomless Ghaut 0 

Cassava Ghaut 7 

Cat Ghaut 2 

Fairy Walk 6 

Fogarthy 1 

Gun Hill 6 

Hope spring 3 

Jack Boy Hill 0 

Jubilee Heights 1 

Killicrankie 2 

Underwood 2 

MEAN 2.73 


black rats 

caught 

nights), as well as Cassava Ghaut (14.0 rats per 100 trap 

nights) and Fogarthy (9.9 rats per 100 trap nights) (Table 

8.1). The high trap rate observed at Cassava Ghaut is 

concerning given the proximity of this site to Woodlands 

where the galliwasps were found and the pre‐disposed 

vulnerability of galliwasps to rat predation. The rat 

trapping data suggest that overall black rats are much 

more abundant in the Centre Hills than brown rats, al‐ 

though differences in capture probability have not been 

taken into account. 

To test the hypothesis that rats are more abun‐ 

dant in areas with higher numbers of non‐native fruiting 

trees we investigated the relationship between mean rat 

capture rate and mean number of fruiting trees at sam‐ 

pling sites (n=11). A linear regression revealed a strong 

positive relationship between these variables with the 

mean number of fruiting tress explaining 69.1% of the 

variance in rat capture rate (Fig. 8.3). However, the 

effect of one site (Gun Hill with both the highest number 

of rats and fruiting trees) on this relationship was 

stronger than expected (i.e. high leverage) and therefore 

these results should be treated with some caution. 

We also used generalised linear mixed modelling 

to investigate the relationship between the occurrence of 

rats in individual traps and the number of non‐native 

fruit trees within 10m of the trap. The effect of altitude 

at which the trap is located (rats are suspected to be 

5 

15 

12 

4 

14 

27 

7 

10 

5 

5 

2 

9.64 

Brown rat 

capture rate 

(rats per 100 

trap nights) 

scarcer at higher altitudes) was also included in the 

model, as well as the interaction between number of 

fruiting trees and altitude. Sampling site was entered 

into the model as a random term to take account of non‐ 

independence of individual traps. 

There was a near‐significant relationship between 

the occurrence of rats at trap stations and the number of 

non‐native fruiting trees (P = 0.061) (Table 8.2). There 

was no relationship between rat occurrence and altitude, 

but there was an association between rats and the inter‐ 

action of fruiting tree numbers and altitude (P = 0.024), 

suggesting a higher probability of catching rats at in‐ 

creased elevations with more non‐native fruiting trees. 

This is slightly contrary to expectation. However, due to 

logistical reasons it was not possible to sample at the 

highest elevations, and therefore most trapping was 

carried out lower and mid altitudes. Therefore, this in‐ 

teraction effect may not be relevant at the higher eleva‐ 

tions of the Centre Hills. 

Overall, these analyses provide good evidence 

that the number of exotic fruiting trees in the Centre 

Hills forest is positively related to the abundance of rats 

in an area. Higher numbers of rats supported by plenti‐ 

ful food non‐native fruit resources will result in high 

predation pressure on indigenous plants and animals, 

which may be sustained even when native prey decline 

(i.e. inverse density dependent mortality through preda‐ 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


141 

0.00 

4.45 

0.94 

4.26 

0.66 

4.43 

1.90 

0.00 

0.59 

0.94 

1.17 

1.76 

Black rat 

capture rate 

(rats per 100 trap 

nights) 

2.46 

9.55 

5.65 

2.84 

9.24 

19.93 

4.43 

6.15 

2.94 

2.34 

1.17 

6.06 

Total capture 

rate (rats per 100 

trap nights) 

Table 8.1. The number of black rats Rattus rattus and brown rats Rattus norvegicus caught and capture rates at trapping 

lines in the Centre Hills 

2.46 

14.00 

6.59 

7.09 

9.90 

24.35 

6.33 

6.15 

3.53 

3.28 

2.34 

7.82

Rat capture rate per 

30 

25 

20 

15 

10 

5 

0 

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 

tion). Therefore, methods of reducing the impact of rats 

on the Centre Hills ecosystem should be a central con‐ 

sideration in the management plan to achieve a goal of 

conserving and restoring biodiversity over the long 

term. As an eradication of rats from the Centre Hills 

through trapping or poisoning is impossible in the near 

future, an experiment to quantify the impact of rats on 

key indigenous taxa would be informative to estimate 

the level of control necessary to enable population 

growth or increased survival or productivity in these 

taxa. Such an experiment is currently being carried as 

part of the Centre Hills Management Plan project and 

should prove informative. Given the correlations be‐ 

tween rat density and numbers of fruiting trees, it is 

highly likely that removing fruit trees would result in an 

overall decrease in the rat population and ultimately a 

reduction in their effects on indigenous flora and fauna 

(but see section on bats). We recommend conducting a 

Mean number of fruiting trees

duce rat abundance in key areas of biodiversity may be 

an optimal strategy. If successful, these zones could 

serve as refuges where native species would be allowed 

to achieve high productivity and survival which would 

increase the probability of long term persistence of these 

taxa. These zones should be placed at medium to high 

elevations so that brown rat abundance is low and far 

from the forest edge and agricultural areas where rat 

populations are likely to be very high. A zone of inten‐ 

sive rat control in the Woodlands area should be consid‐ 

ered as part of a Species Action Plan for the Montserrat 

galliwasp. 

We recommend that introduced rats are included 

in pressure‐state‐response monitoring programme (i.e. 

rats as a pressure on the Centre Hills biodiversity) as 

part of the management plan. Such monitoring would 

serve both as an early warning device for vulnerable 

threatened species, such as the Montserrat galliwasp and 

oriole, and to quantify the impacts of any rat control 

measures on their population size. Evidence from the 

Montserrat oriole conservation project indicates that rat 

populations show large fluctuations in sizes and can 

achieve very high densities for periods of time. Testing 

and development of a sensitive but low intensity moni‐ 

toring technique is vital; the tracking tunnel technique 

currently being developed by the Centre Hills Manage‐ 

ment Plan project is promising. 


Karen Varnham provided valuable expert advice 

on the design of the snap‐trapping lines and protocols 

for data collection, as well as carrying out training of key 

individuals. Will Masefield, Richard Allcorn and Lloyd 

Martin co‐ordinated the rat trapping fieldwork and col‐ 

lected much of the data. Agnieszka Ogrodowczyk led 

the rat distribution survey. Calvin Fenton, James Daley, 

James Boatswain, John Martin, Lloyd Aymer and Phile‐ 

mon Murrain all made valuable contributions to data 

collection. 

References 


Have the harmful effects of introduced rats on is‐ 

lands been exaggerated? Biological Invasions, 8, 863‐ 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


143

Appendix 1. The Montserrat plant species checklist 

S. K. Robbins, M. A. Hamilton, C. Clubbe & S. Bárrios. 

Categories 

Bio-geographical Categories 

Montserrat: Endemic to Montserrat — species range restricted to Montserrat. 

Lesser Antilles: Endemic to the Lesser Antilles—species range restricted to the Lesser Antilles. 

Restricted range: Species range exceeds Lesser Antilles but is restricted to a small area outside the Lesser Antilles. 

Caribbean: Species range does not exceed the Caribbean Islands: i.e. Greater and Lesser Antilles, Bahamas, Trinidad 

and Tobago etc. 

Peri‐Caribbean: Species range exceeds Caribbean but is restricted to a small continental area. 

Wider distribution: Species range exceeds all of the above geographical categories. 

Introduced: Denotes that a species is introduced, i.e. ornamental/ food crop/invasive etc. 

Cultivation Categories 

Ornamental 

Food crop 

Culinary herb 

Medicinal herb 

Environmental use: e.g. wind break, sand stabilization, etc… 

Plant Category Key 

Di: dicot species 

C‐Di‐Intro: candidate dicot species‐ introduced 

C‐Di‐Nat: candidate dicot species‐ native 

Mo: monocot species 

C‐Mo‐Intro: candidate monocot species‐ introduced 

C‐Mo‐Nat: candidate monocot species‐ native 

Gym: Gymnosperm 

C‐Gym‐Intro: candidate gymnosperm species‐ introduced 

C‐Gym‐Nat: candidate gymnosperm species‐ native 

Pter: Pteridophyte 

C‐Pter‐Intro: candidate pteridophyte species‐ introduced 

C‐Pter‐Nat: candidate pteridophyte species‐ native 

Invasiveness Key 

Naturalized 

Naturalized and spreading 

Invasive 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


144

Species Checklist 

ACANTHACEAE 

Asystasia gangetica (L.) T.Anders 

Description: Scrambling or sprawling herb with 

branches to 1m or more. 

Distribution: Native of Asia, now a Pantropical weed 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, Guadeloupe, 

Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Barbados 

Biogeography: Introduced 

Plant Category: Di 

Barleria cristata L. 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, St. Vincent, 

Barbados 


Plant Category: C‐Di‐Intro 

Barleria lupulina Lindl. 

Description: Shrub; to 1m tall. 

Distribution: Native of Mauritius but cultivated and 

naturalised elsewhere 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, Antigua, Gua‐ 

deloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, 

the Grenadines, Grenada, Barbados. 



Blechum pyramidatum (Lam.) Urb. 

Common Name(s): rock balsam. 

Description: Herb; stems ascending to 70cm. 

Distribution: Neotropical weed, Greater Antilles, Mex‐ 

ico, Central America, introduced in Paleotropics. 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, Anguilla, St. 

Martin, St. Barts, Barbuda, Antigua, St. Eustatius, St. 

Kitts, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. 

Vincent, the Grenadines, Grenada, Barbados. 

Biogeography: Wider Distribution 


Crossandra infundibuliformis (L.) Nees 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, Grenada 



Eranthemum pulchellum Andr. 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, Guadeloupe, St. 

Lucia, St. Vincent, Barbados 



Fittonia albivensis (Lindl. Ex Veitch) Brummitt 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, Barbados 



Hemigraphis alternata (Burm.f.) T.Anderson 


Martinique, St. Lucia 



Justicia brandegeana Wassh. & L.B. Sm. 

Common Name(s): Shrimp plant. 


Barbados 



Justicia carthaginensis Jacq. 

Description: Shrub; to 1.5m. 

Distribution: Hispaniola, Virgin Islands, Mexico, Central 

America, Venezuela, Columbia 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, Barbuda, Anti‐ 

gua, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Dominica, St. Lucia, St. Vin‐ 

cent, Grenada. 



Justicia eustachiana Jacq. 

Description: Shrub; to 1m. 

Distribution: Endemic to the Lesser Antilles 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, St. Barts, Bar‐ 

buda, Antigua, Saba, St. Eustatius, Redonda, Guade‐ 

loupe, Marie Galante. 

Biogeography: Lesser Antilles 


Justicia secunda M. Vahl 

Common Name(s): St John, St. Johnʹs bush. 

Description: Stout herb or subshrub; to 4m tall. 

Distribution: St. Croix, Trinidad, Guianas, Venezuela, 

Colombia 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, Saba, St. Kitts, 

Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vin‐ 

cent, Grenada, Barbados. 



Justicia sessilis Jacq. 

Common Name(s): cossie balsam 

Description: Herbaceous or slightly woody plants; to 

40cm. 

Distribution: Greater Antilles, Central America 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, St. Martin, St. 

Barts, Antigua, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, 

Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, the Grenadines, Gre‐ 

nada. 



Odontonema nitidum (Jacq.) Kuntze 


Distribution: Cuba, Jamaica, Virgin Islands 


Barts, Antigua, St. Kitts, Nevis, Guadeloupe, Marie Gal‐ 

ante, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, the 

Grenadines, Grenada, Barbados. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

145 


Biogeography: Caribbean 


Oplonia microphylla (Lam.) Stearn 

Description: Erect, branched shrub; to 1.5m tall. 

Distribution: Jamaica, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Virgin 

Islands 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, St. Barts, Anti‐ 

gua, Guadeloupe, La Desirade, Marie Galante, the 

Grenadines. 



Pseuderanthemum carruthersii (Seem.) Guillaumin 

Common Name(s): Jacobʹs coat, coloured leaf. 

Description: Shrub; 1‐2m tall. 

Distribution: Native to the Polynesian Islands but 

widely cultivated in tropical coutries 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, Antigua, Saba, 





Ruellia brittoniana Leonard 

Cultivated: ornamental 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat 



Ruellia tuberosa L. 

Common Name(s): Bluebell, sheep potato, Danielʹs great 

gun, minne root, snapdragon root. 

Description: Perennial herb; to 50cm. 

Distribution: Florida, Greater Antilles, Mexico, Central 

America, South America 


Martin, St. Barts, Barbuda, Antigua, Saba, St. Eustatius, 

St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, La Desirade, Marie Galante, Les 

Saintes, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, the 

Grenadines, G 



Sanchezia speciosa Leonard 


Barbados 



Teliostachya alopecuroides (M. Vahl) Nees 

Description: Perennial herb; to 50cm. 

Distribution: Greater Antilles, Central America, Trini‐ 

dad, South America 


deloupe, Marie Galante, Dominica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, 

Grenada, Barbados. 



Thunbergia alata Bojer ex Sims 

Common Name(s): Golden bells. 

Description: Trailing or climbing herbaceous vine; stems 

to 1m. 

Distribution: Native of eastern Africa now widely cul‐ 

tiv\ted and escaped in Tropical; areas 






Thunbergia erecta (Benth.) T. Anderson 

Description: Erect shrubs; to 3m tall. 

Notes: persists after cultivation and has been found re‐ 

sidual at old house foundations 

Distribution: A native of Africa now widely cultivated in 

tropical areas 


Dominica,St. Lucia. 



Thunbergia fragrans Roxb. 

Common Name(s): White lady. 

Description: Slender, climbing herbaceous vine; stems to 

several meters. 

Distribution: Native of India, widely cultivated, escaped 

and persisting in tropics 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, Anguilla, Anti‐ 

gua, Saba, St. Kitts, Nevis, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Mar‐ 

tinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, the Grenadines, Grenada, 

Barbados. 



ADIANTACEAE 

Adiantopsis radiata (L.) F‚e 

Description: Terrestrial fern; fronds 20‐50cm long. 

Distribution: Greater Antilles except Puerto Rico; Trini‐ 

dad, continental tropical America 


deloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St Lucia, St. Vincent. 


Plant Category: Pter 

Adiantum latifolium Lam. 


Distribution: Greater Antilles, Virgin Islands, Trinidad, 

continental tropical America from Mexico to South 

America 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, Nevis, Re‐ 

donda, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St Lucia, St. 

Vincent, Grenada. 



Adiantum pyramidale (L.) Willd. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


146


Distribution: Greater Antilles, St. Thomas 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, Guadleoupe, 

Martinique 



Adiantum tenerum Sw. 


Distribution: Southern US, Bahamas, Greater Antilles, 

Tobago, Trinidad, Central America, northern Central 

America 


Barthelemy, Antigua, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Nevis, 

Guadeloupe, La Desirade, Marie Galante, Dominica, 

Martinique, St. Vincent, Grenada, Barbados. 



Adiantum tetraphyllum Humb. & Bonpl. ex Willd. 


Distribution: Greater Antilles, Tobago, Trinidad, conti‐ 

nental tropical America from Mexico to South America 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, Antigua, St. 

Kitts, Nevis, Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, Dominica, 

Martinique, St Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada, Barbados. 



Adiantum villosum L. 


Distribution: Greater Antilles, Virgin Islands, continental 

tropical America from Mexico to northern South Amer‐ 

ica 


Kitts, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St Lucia, St. 

Vincent, the Grenadines, Grenada. 



Cheilanthes microphylla (Sw.) Sw. 

Description: Small terrestrial fern; fronds 20‐60cm. 

Distribution: Southeastern US, Greater Antilles, Cayman 

Islands, Mexico 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, St. Barthelemy, 

Antigua, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Nevis, Guade‐ 

loupe, Les Saintes, Dominica, Martinique, St. Vincent, 

Grenadines. 

Biogeography: Peri‐Caribbeanaribbe 


Doryopteris pedata (L.) F‚e 

Description: Small terrestrial fern; fronds 8‐50cm long. 

Distribution: Greater Antilles, St. Thomas 


deloupe, Dominica, Martinique 



Hemionitis palmata L. 

Description: Small terrestrial, soft‐herbaceous fern; 

fronds 15‐35cm long. 

Distribution: Greater Antilles, continental tropical Amer‐ 

ica from Mexico to Bolivia 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, St. Martin, Gua‐ 

deloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St Lucia, St. Vincent, 

Grenada. 



Pityrogramma calomelanos (L.) Link 

Description: Terrestrial fern; fronds to 1m long. 

Distribution: Tropical and sub‐tropical America and 

Africa; naturalised elsewhere in warm regions 


Barthelemy, Antigua, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Gua‐ 

deloupe, Marie Galante, Dominica, Martinique, St Lucia, 

St. Vincent, Grenada. 



Pityrogramma chrysophylla (Sw.) Link 


Distribution: Puerto Rico 


Saba, St. Kitts, Nevis, Redonda, Guadeloupe, Dominica, 

Martinique, St Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada. 

Biogeography: Restricted Range 


AGAVACEAE 

Agave dussiana Trel. 

Description: Succulent; rosette‐forming, non‐suckering; 

leaves 1‐1.6m tall; inflorescence 5‐9m long. 



gua, Guadeloupe, Martinique 


Plant Category: Mo 

Agave karatto Mill. 

Description: Succulent; non‐suckering; leaves 1.3‐1.7m 

long; inflorescence 5‐6m tall. 


Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, Antigua, Bar‐ 

buda, Saba, St. Kitts, La Desirade 



Agave sisalana Perrine 

Description: Succulent; short caudex, commonly sucker‐ 

ing from base; leaves to 1.5m long; inflorescence to 8m 

tall. 

Distribution: Native to Mexico, cultivated in South 

America, Central America, Greater Antilles 


Barts, St. Kitts, Nevis, Grenada, Barbados 


_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

147 



Furcraea tuberosa W.T. Aiton 

Description: Rosette plants; leaves 1‐2m long. 



gua, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Nevis, Guadeloupe, La 

Desirade, Marie Galante, Les Saintes, Dominica, Martin‐ 

ique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, the Grenadines, Grenada, 

Barbados, St. Th 



AIZOACEAE 

Sesuvium portulacastrum (L.) L. 

Common Name(s): Sea purslane. 

Description: Succulent perennial; trainling stems to 2m 

long. 

Distribution: Southeastern US, Mexico, Central America, 

Greater Antilles, South America, and the Old World 


martin, St. Barts, Barbuda, Antigua, St. Eustatius, St. 

Kitts, Redonda, Guadeloupe, Les Saintes, Dominica, 

Martinique, St. lucia, the Grenadines 



Trianthema portulacastrum L. 

Description: Succulent perennial herb; stems prostrate; 

to 1m long. 

Distribution: Southern US, Mexico and Central America, 

Greater Antilles, and South America 


Barts, Antigua, Guadeloupe, Martinique, the Grena‐ 

dines, Grenada, Barbados 



AMARANTHACEAE 

Alternanthera bettzichiana (Regel) Voss 

Description: Erect herb; to 1.5m tall. 

Distribution: Southern Florida, Central and South Amer‐ 

ica, cultivated elsewhere in the tropics 


Martinique, Barbados 



Alternanthera brasiliana (L.) Kuntze 

Description: Herbacious perennial; erect and spreading; 

weedy; to 2m tall. 

Distribution: Mexico, Central America and Columbia to 

the Guianas, Brazil, Ecuador, and Peru 


Marie Galante, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vin‐ 

cent, Grenada, Barbados 



Alternanthera flavescens Kunth 

Description: Climbing or scrambling herb; roadsides and 

waste places. 


Invasiveness: Naturalised 

Distribution: Florida, Mexico, Columbia, Venezuela, 

Brazil, Peru, Paraguay, West Indies 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, Guadleoupe, 

Dominica, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, 

the Grenadines, Grenada 



Alternanthera sessilis (L.) R. Br. Ex DC. 

Description: Trailing or scandent herb; of open places or 

shallow water. 

Distribution: Scattered in US, Mexico, Central America, 

Greater Antilles, South America, tropical Afric and Asia 


Kitts, Nevis, Montserrat, Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, 

Domica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada, 

Barbados 



Alternanthera tenella Colla 

Description: Herb; spreading to ascending; weedy. 


Distribution: South America 






Amaranthus spinosus L. 

Description: Weed, often large, robust and woody, to 

6dm. 

Invasiveness: Naturalised and spreading 

Distribution: originally of the old world tropical low‐ 

lands, now weedy elsewhere in America and in central 

and southern Europe, tropical Asia and Africa 


Barts, Barbuda, Antigua, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, 

Guadeloupe, La Desirade, Les Saintes, Dominica, Mar‐ 

tinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, the Grenadines, grenada, 

barbados 



Amaranthus viridis L. 

Description: Succulent weed; to 1 metre tall. 

Distribution: Pantropical 


gua, St. Eustatius, Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, Domin‐ 

ica, Martinique, St Lucia, St Vincent, Barbados. 



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148

Blutaparon vermiculare Raf. 

Description: Trailing succulent perennial; diffuse with 

creeping branches rooting at nodes; grows along shores. 

Distribution: Florida, Texas, mexico, Central America, 

Northern South America to the Guianas, West Indies, 

Bahamas, eastern Brazil and Equador. 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, St Martin, St 

Barts, Barbuda, Antigua, St Eustatius, St Kitts, Guade‐ 

loupe, Marie Galante, Le Saintes, Dominica, Martinique, 

St Lucia, St Vincent, The Grenadines, Grenada, Barba‐ 

dos. 



Celosia argentea L. 

Description: Annual herb; to 12 dm tall; cultivated or 

weedy. 

Distribution: Probably native to Asia, but weedy and 

cultivated throughout the tropics. 


Barts, Antigua, St Eustatius, St Kitts, Guadeloupe, Do‐ 

minica, Martinique, St Lucia, St Vincent, Grenada, Bar‐ 

bados. 



Chamissoa altissima (Jacq.) Kunth 

Description: Climbing shrub of waste areas and thickets 

often several metres long. 

Distribution: West Indies, Mexico, Central America, and 

scattered collections from much of tropical America. 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, St Martin, Saba, 

St Kitts, Grenada. 



Gomphrena globosa L. 

Description: Annual herb. 

Distribution: Widespread in cultivation throughout the 

tropics. 


Barts, Antigua, St Eustatius, St Kitts, Guadeloupe, Do‐ 

minica, Martinique, St Lucia, St Vincent, Grenada, Bar‐ 

bados. 



Gomphrena serrata L. 

Description: Perennial; erect or partly decumbent. 

Distribution: Florida, Mexico, Central America, Greater 

Antilles, Bolivia, Paraquay. 


Kitts, St Lucia 



Iresine angustifolia Euphras‚n 

Description: Weedy scrambling shrub of thickets or 

open areas; to 3 m tall. 

Distribution: West Indies, Panama, Colombia, Equador, 

Brazil. 


Barts, Antigua, Saba, St. Eustatius, St Kitts, Redonda, 

Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St Lucia, St Vincent, 

grenada, Barbados. 



Iresine diffusa Humb. & Bonpl. ex Willd. 

Description: Scrambling or erect herb to 2 metres tall; 

dioecious or rarely monoecious. 

Distribution: Southern US, West Indies, Central America 

and tropical South America, south to Argentina. 


Barts, Antigua, Saba, St Eustatius, St Kitts, Guadeloupe, 

Marie Galante, Dominica, Martinique, St Lucia, St Vin‐ 




Lithophila muscoides Sw. 

Description: Prostrate, rosette and mat forming; arising 

from thick woody tap root . 

Distribution: West Indies and northern South America 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, Anguilla, St 

Martin, St Barts, Barbuda, Antigua, Saba, St Eustatius, St 

Kitts, Redonda, Guadeloupe, La Desirade, Marie Gal‐ 

ante, Martinique, St Lucia, The Grenadines. 



AMARYLLIDACEAE 

Crinum asiaticum L. 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: 


Plant Category: C‐Mo‐Intro 

Hymenocallis caribaea (L.) Herb. 

Common Name(s): Lily, spider lily, white lili. 

Description: Perennial herb; bulbous base; leaf blades 23‐ 

60x2.8‐4.9cm long; Scape 25‐60cm long. 

Key ID Feature: Grows in sandy coastal areaas 

Distribution: Jamaica, St. Croix 


Martin, St. Barts, Antigua, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, 

Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. 

Vincent, the Grenadines, Grenada, Barbados 



Zephyranthes puertoricensis Traub 

Common Name(s): Barbados snow drop, white snow 

drop. 

Description: Bulbous herb. 

Distribution: Greater Antilles, Tobago, Columbia, Vene‐ 

zuela 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, St. Martin, An‐ 

tigua, Barbuda, Saba, St. Eustatius, Guadelupe, Martin‐ 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

149 


ique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Barbados 



ANACARDIACEAE 

Anacardium occidentale L. 

Common Name(s): Cashew, cashew nut, wild almond, 

neva. 

Description: Tree to; to 12m tall (5‐7m in the Lesser An‐ 

tilles). 

Distribution: Cultivated throughout the tropics; native 

to tropical America. 


Martin, St. Barts, Antigua, Saba, St. Eustatius, Guade‐ 

loupe, Marie Galante, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, 

St. Vincent, the Grenadines, Grenada, Barbados. 



Comocladia dodonaea (L.) Urb. 

Common Name(s): Hogwood, hollywood. 

Description: Slender shrub or small tree; to 1.5m 

Notes: all parts poisonous causing contact dermatitis 

Distribution: Hispaniola, Puerto Rico and the Virgin 

Islands 



St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, St. Lucia, St. Vin‐ 

cent, the Grenadines, Grenada. 



Mangifera indica L. 

Common Name(s): Mango. 

Description: Large tree; 7‐30m tall (generally to 20m in 

the Lesser Antilles). 

Notes: Large specimens along roadsides form important 

habitats for abundant epiphytes including Epidendrum 

montserratense, Polystachia, bromeliads and ferns as 

sited by the UKOTs team 


Distribution: native to Indo‐Malesia, but widely culti‐ 

vated and naturalised throughout the tropics 







Spondias mombin L. 

Common Name(s): Hog plum. 

Description: Tree; to 25m tall. 

Distribution: Native to tropical America from Mexico to 

South America, cultivated throughout the tropics of both 

hemispheres, becoming naturalised in some cases 


gua, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Marie 

Galante, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, 




ANNONACEAE 

Annona glabra L. 

Common Name(s): Pond apple, dog apple, gut apple, 

monkey apple. 

Description: Tree; 5‐10m tall. 

Distribution: Greater Antilles, Florida, along coast from 

Mexicio, to Southern Brazil, western Africa 


buda, Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, La Desirade, Domin‐ 

ica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, the Grenadines, 

Grenada, Barbados 



Annona muricata L. 

Common Name(s): Guanabana, soursop. 

Description: Tree; 4‐10 tall. 

Distribution: Greater Antilles, Trinidad, Mexico, Central 

America 


Barts, Antigua, Barbuda, Saba, St. Eustatius, Guade‐ 

loupe, Marie Galante, Martinique, St. Vincent, the 

Grenadines, Grenada, Barbados 



Annona squamosa L. 

Common Name(s): Sweet sop, sugar apple, custard ap‐ 

ple. 

Description: Small tree; 2‐10m tall. 

Distribution: Greater Antilles, Mexico, Central America, 

tropical South America 


barts, Barbuda, Antigua, Saba, St. Eustatius, Nevis, Gua‐ 

deloupe, Marie Galante, Dominica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, 

the Grenadines, Grenada, Barbados 



Artabotrys hexapetalus (L. f.) Bhandari 




Cananga odorata (Lam.) Hook. F. & Thomson 

Common Name(s): Ylang‐ylang. 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat and probably 

other islands 



Guatteria caribaea Urb. 

Common Name(s): Blackbark, mountain soursop. 

Description: Medium sized to large tree; up to 40m tall; 

very erect; often with 1 or 2 smaller trees sprouting from 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


150

the base. 

Key ID Feature: Base of trunk is often deeply lobed or 

lightly buttresed. The bark is very black, rough, finely 

fissured and soft. Flowers are solitary, small, greenish 

and scented, borne in the leaf axils all along the branchl 

Distribution: Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, St Kitts, Nevis, 

Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, Grenada 



APIACEAE 

Anethum graveolens L. 

Common Name(s): Dillweed, aniseed, lami dill. 

Distribution: Cultivated worldwide 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, Anguilla, Gua‐ 

deloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Vincent, Barbados. 



Eryngium foetidum L. 

Common Name(s): Blessed thistle, celantro. 

Description: Biennial herb; to 40cm tall. 

Distribution: Circumtropical weed or culinary herb. 


tigua, Saba, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martin‐ 

ique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada, Barbados. 



APOCYNACEAE 

Allamanda cathartica L. 

Description: Shrub. 

Distribution: Possibly native to Brazil but cultivated and 

naturalised throughout the tropics 


gua, Saba, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, 

St. Vincent, Grenada, Barbados. 



Asclepias curassavica L. 

Common Name(s): Red head, blood flower, milk weed, 

johanna. 

Description: Erect perennial herb; usually unbranched; 

to 60cm tall. 

Distribution: Bahamas, Greater Antilles, Mexico, Central 

America, South America, and introduced widely 

throughout the tropics 


gua, Saba, Guadeloupe, Les Saintes, Dominica, Martin‐ 

ique, St. Vincent, the Grenadines, Barbados. 



Calotropis procera (Aiton) W.T. Aiton 

Common Name(s): French cotton, French Jasmine. 


Notes: sited by UKOTs team feb 06 in Mrat growing in 

xeric sites usually along road sides 


Distribution: Native to the Old World tropics, widely 

introduced in the Neotropics 


Barts, Barbuda, Antigua, Guadeloupe, La Desirade, Mar‐ 

tinique, St. Vincent, the Grenadines. 



Catharanthus roseus (L.) Don 

Common Name(s): Periwinkle. 

Description: Herb; to 80cm. 

Distribution: Native of Madagascar but widely culti‐ 

vated, escaped and spreading in tropical and subtropical 

areas. 


Martin, St. Barts, Barbuda, Antigua, Saba, St. Kitts, Gua‐ 


Barbados. 



Cryptostegia madagascariensis Bojer ex Decne. 


Invasiveness: Invasive 

Distribution: Old World 




Marsdenia macroglossa Schltr. 

Description: Climber. 



the Grenadines 



Matelea maritima (Jacq.) Woodson 

Description: Woody climber; stems 6m long. 

Distribution: Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Panama, northern 

South America 



Les Saintes, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, 

the Grenadines, Grenada. 



Metastelma parviflorum (Sw.) R. Br. ex Schult. 

Description: Slender climber; to 4m tall. 

Distribution: Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Trinidad, Mar‐ 

garita 


Barts, Barbuda, Antigua, Redonda, Guadeloupe, La De‐ 

sirade, Dominica, Martinique, St. Vincent, Barbados. 


_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

151 



Nerium oleander L. 

Common Name(s): Oleander. 

Description: Shrub or small tree; to 5m tall. 

Distribution: Native to the Meditterranean region but 

widely cultivated and persisting in the tropics 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, St. Barts, Do‐ 

minica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, the Grena‐ 

dines, Barbados. 



Plumeria alba L. 

Common Name(s): Wild frangipani, pigeon wood, cater‐ 

pillar tree, jasmine. 

Description: Small to medium‐sized tree; to 10m tall. 

Notes: plants are commonly infested and defoliated by 

the large, black and yellow‐striped caterpillar of the 

sphinx moth 

Distribution: Puerto Rico to northern South America 



Guadeloupe, La Desirade, Marie Galante, Les Saintes, 

Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, the Grena‐ 

dines, Grenada, Bar 



Rauvolfia viridis Willd. ex Roem. & Schult. 

Common Name(s): Bellyache bush, balsam, sassafras, 

milk tree. 


Distribution: Puerto Rico, Trinidad, northern South 

America 



St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, Les Saintes, Do‐ 


dines, Grenada, Barba 



Tabernaemontana citrifolia L. 

Common Name(s): Milky bush, milk tree. 


Distribution: Cuba, Hispaniola, Bahamas 


tigua, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Marie 





Tabernaemontana divaricata (L.) R. Br. 





Tabernaemontana pandacaqui Poir. 





Thevetia peruviana K.Schum. 

Common Name(s): Lucky nut. 


Distribution: Greater Antilles 


gua, Saba, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Lucia, 

St. Vincent, Grenada, Barbados. 



AQUIFOLIACEAE 

Ilex dioica (M. Vahl) Griseb. 


Distribution: Apparently endemic to the Lesser Antilles 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, Nevis, Guade‐ 

loupe, Martinique, St. Vincent, Grenada 



Ilex macfadyenii (Walp.) Rehder 


Notes: *in original Howard Montserrat species list but 

not listed in Flora of Lesser Antilles. 


Lesser Antilles Distribution: *Montserrat, St Kitts, Nevis, 

Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique. 



Ilex nitida (M. Vahl) Maxim. 

Description: Tree; to 20m. 

Distribution: Mexico, Cuba, Jamaica, Dominican 

Republic, Puerto Rico. 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, Antigua, 

Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, Martinique. 



Ilex sideoxyloides (Sw.) Griseb. 

Common Name(s): Caca rat, black teeth, white birch. 

Description: Shrub or medium sized tree; to 15 (‐40)m. 

Distribution: Jamaica, Pueto Rico, Trinidad 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, St. Kitts, Nevis, 

Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. 




ARACEAE 

Anthurium acaule (Jacq.) Schott 

Description: Epiphyte; stems short. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


152

Distribution: Lesser Antilles, Trinidad, Guyana 



cent, Grenada 



Anthurium cordatum (L.) Schott 

Common Name(s): Hand leaf. 

Description: Climbing, epiphytic plant; with extensive 

supporting roots. 

Distribution: Greater Antilles, Virgin Islands 



cent 



Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott 

Common Name(s): Taro, dashine, malanga. 

Description: Perennial herb; starchy tuberous rootstock. 

Notes: *sited by UKOTs team feb 06 in Mrat. But not 

listed as occurring in Flora 

Distribution: Native to tropical Asia, widely cultivated 

in tropics 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: *Montserrat, Antigua, Gua‐ 

deloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia 



Dieffenbachia seguine (Jacq.) Schott 

Common Name(s): Dumb cane. 

Description: Erect perennial herb; to 2m tall. 



Distribution: Mexico, Central America, Greater Antilles, 

South America 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: *Montserrat, Antigua, St. 

Kitts, Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, Dominica, Martin‐ 

ique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada, Barbados 



Philodendron giganteum Schott 

Common Name(s): China bush. 

Description: Terrestrial or occasional epiphytic; leaves 

50‐100cm x 40‐80cm. 

Distribution: Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Trinidad, 

Venezuela. 


Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Vincent. 



Philodendron scandens K.Koch & Sello 

Description: Scandent, slender plant. 


South America. 


Kitts, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Vincent. 



Pistia stratiotes L. 

Common Name(s): Chance, godapail, water lettuce. 

Description: Aquatic, floating or rooted herb. 

Distribution: Tropical America, Asia, and Africa. 


Guadeloupe, Les Saintes, Martinique, St. Vincent. 



ARALIACEAE 

Oreopanax capitatus (Jacq.) Decne. & Planch. 

Common Name(s): Candlewood, broad leaf balsam. 

Description: Shrub or tree; to 15m tall. 

Distribution: Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, Mexico, Central 

and South America 



Grenada. 



Schefflera attenuata (Sw.) Frodin 

Common Name(s): White elder. 

Description: Small tree; 2‐13m tall. 


Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, St. Barts, St. 





ARECACEAE 

Cocos nucifera L. 

Description: Medium to large palm; with the trunk char‐ 

acteristically leaning; to 30m tall. 

Notes: Common on most islands wherever there is or 

has been human habitation. Occasionally spontaneous 

along hedgerows, roadsides and sandy beach areas 


Distribution: Widely cultivated throught the world trop‐ 

ics. 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat* 



Phoenix sp. L. 

Description: Small, medium or large, solitary or caespi‐ 

tose, dioecious, armed, pinnate leaved palms. 

Cultivated: food plant 




Prestoea montana (Graham) G. Nicholson 

Common Name(s): Mountain cabbage. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

153 


Description: Small palm; usually solitary; 3‐15 (‐20)m 

tall. 

Distribution: Primarily a montane species distributed 

throught out the Caribbean from eastern Cuba, His‐ 

paniola, Puerto Rico and the Lesser Antilles to Grenada. 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, Saba, St. Mar‐ 

tin, St, Kitts, Nevis, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, 

St. Lucia, St. Vicent, Grenada. 



Roystonea oleraceae (Jacq.) O.F.Cook 

Common Name(s): cabbage palm, royal palm 

Description: Palm; 18‐40m tall. 

Notes: *common name given in Mrat: ʺcabbage palmʺ 

but species not in Howardʹs list 

Distribution: Trinidad, Tobago, northern Venezeula, and 

northeastern Columbia. 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat*, Guadeloupe, 

Dominica, Martinique, Barbados 


Plant Category: C‐Mo‐Nat 

Syagrus amara (Jacq.) Mart. 

Description: Solitary palm; with gray caudex; 10‐20m 

tall. 

Notes: Syn.: Syagrus amara 

Distribution: Endemic to the Lesser Antilles and Trini‐ 

dad. 


Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia. 



ARISTOLOCHIACEAE 

Aristolochia labiata Willd. 

Description: Liana. 


Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat* (*cultivated 

according to Howard (1988‐ dicots vol 1)) 



ASPLENIACEAE 

Asplenium abscissum Willd. 


Distribution: Florida, Greater Antilles, Trinidad, conti‐ 

nental tropical America from Mexico to Brazil 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, St. Eustatius, St. 

Kitts, Nevis, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. 




Asplenium cristatum Lam. 


Distribution: Florida, Greater Antilles, Tobago, Trinidad, 

continental tropical America, from Mexico to Brazil, 

continental tropical America from Mexico to Bolivia and 

Brazil 


tigua, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Nevis, Guadeloupe, 

Dominica, Martinique, St Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada. 



Asplenium formosum Willd. 


Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, Saba, Guade‐ 

loupe, Dominica, Martinique. 



Asplenium laetum Sw. 



nental tropical America from Mexico to Argentina 


Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Vincent, Gre‐ 

nada. 



Asplenium obtusifolium L. 

Description: Lithophytic fern; fronds 5‐40cm long. 

Distribution: Cuba, Puerto Rico, Tobago, Trinidad, and 

continental tropical America 





Asplenium pumilum Sw. 


Distribution: Florida, Greater Antilles, Virgin Islands, 

Tobago, continental tropical America from Mexicoto 

Brazil. 


tigua, Saba, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St Lu‐ 

cia, St. Vincent,Grenada 



Asplenium serratum L. 

Description: Terrestrial fern; fronds up to 100cm long. 

Distribution: Florida, Greater Antilles, St. Thomas, To‐ 

bago, Trinidad, continental tropical America from Mex‐ 

ico to Brazil 


St. Eustatius, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St 

Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada. 



Asplenium serratum Langsd. & Fisch. 

Description: Terrestrial fern; fronds 1.5m long. 

Distribution: Greater Antilles, Trinidad, continental 

tropical America, from Mexico to Brazil, tropical Africa 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


154


Dominica, St. Vincent. 



ASTERACEAE 

Acanthospermum hispidum DC. 

Description: Annual herb; to 60cm. 

Distribution: Greater Antilles, Central America, South 

America, introduced elsewhere and persisitng as a weed 


Barts, Antigua, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martin‐ 

ique. 



Acmella uliginosa (Sw.) Cass. 


Distribution: A pantropical weed of disturbed areas. 


Eustatius, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, 

St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada. 



Ageratum conyzoides L. 

Description: Herb; to 1m tall. 

Distribution: Native of tropical America, now world‐ 

wide as a weed. 



Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada, 

Barbados. 



Ambrosia hispida Pursh 

Common Name(s): Tapis. 

Description: Shrubby perennial; stems prostrate to 80cm 

long. 

Distribution: Bahamas, Greater Antilles. 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat,St. Martin, St. 


La Desirade, Marie Galante, Dominica, Martinique, St. 

Lucia, St. Vincent, Barbados. 



Baccharis dioica Vahl 

Description: Shrub; to 2m long. 

Distribution: Bahamas, Greater Antilles. 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, Barbuda, La 

Desirade 



Bidens pilosa L. 

Description: Erect annual; to 1.5m tall. 

Distribution: North America, Greater Antilles, Mexico 

south through South America 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, St. Martin, 

Saba, Antigua, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Do‐ 

minica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Barbados. 



Bidens reptans (L.) G. Don 

Description: Woody climbing herb; to 6m long. 

Distribution: Greater Antilles, Central America, Vene‐ 

zuela, Brazil 



Barbados. 



Chaptalia nutans (L.) Pol. 

Description: Perennial herb. 

Distribution: Neotropics. 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat,St. Martin, Saba, 

St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Nevis, Guadeloupe, Dominica, 


nada, Barbados. 



Chromolaena dussii (Urb.) R.M. King & H. Rob, Phytolo‐ 

gia 20: 200. 1970 (Phytologia; BPH (0) 


Distribution: Endemic to the Lesser Antilles. 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, guadeloupe. 



Clibadium erosum (Sw.) DC. 




St. Kitts, Nevis, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St 

Lucia, St Vincent. 



Conyza apurensis Kunth 

Description: Erect annual herb; to 1m tall. 


America 


Saba, St. Kitts, Antigua, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martin‐ 




Conyza bonariensis (L.) Cronquist 

Description: Erect herb; to 1.2m tall. 

Distribution: Native of tropical America but now a pan‐ 

tropical weed. 


St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

155 





Conyza canadensis (L.) Cronquist 

Description: Erect annual herb; to 2m tall. 

Distribution: Abundant weed in temperate and tropical 

areas. 




dines, Grenada, Barbados. 



Cosmos caudatus Kunth 

Description: Annual herb; to 2m tall. 

Distribution: Widely dispersed in the Neotropics as a 

weed. 


Eustatius, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, 




Cosmos sulphureus Cav. 


Notes: cultivated and naturalised 

Distribution: Mexico, Central America, but cultivated 

elsewhere 


Vincent 



Eclipta prostrata (L.) L. 

Common Name(s): Kongolala. 

Description: Annual herb; to 90cm tall. 

Distribution: A nearly cosmaopolitan weed in temperate 

and tropical areas 


tigua, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, La De‐ 

sirade, Marie Galante, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, 




Elephantopus mollis Kunth 

Description: To 2m tall. 

Distribution: Greater Antilles, Mexico south to northern 

Argentina 






Emilia fosbergii Nicolson 

Common Name(s): Rabbit meat. 


Distribution: Presumed to be native of the Old World 

but widely distributed in the Antilles and less so in Cen‐ 

tral America and northern South Amerca 


St. Kitts, Redonda, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, 

St. Lucia, St. Vincent, the Grenadines, Grenada, Barba‐ 

dos. 



Emilia sonchifolia (L.) DC. 

Description: Herb; to 30 cm tall. 

Distribution: Pantropical weed of Old World origin. 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat,St. Martin, Anti‐ 

gua, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Marie 


Grenada. 



Erechtites valerianifolia (Spreng.) DC. 

Description: Annual; to 1m tall. 

Distribution: Neotropics, introduced in the Old World. 





Eupatorium corymbosum Aubl. 

Description: Shrub to 1.5m tall. 

Distribution: Bahamas, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Virgin 

Islands 


gua, Saba, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, La Desirade, Martin‐ 

ique. 



Eupatorium integrifolium Bertero 



Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, St. Kitts, Gua‐ 

deloupe, La Desirade, Marie Galante, Les Saintes, Do‐ 

minica. 



Eupatorium macrophyllum L. 

Description: Herb; to 3 m tall. 

Distribution: Greater Antilles, Mexico, south to Argen‐ 

tina. 



ique, St. Vincent, Grenada. 



Eupatorium microstemon Cass. 


Distribution: Greater Antilles, Central America, northern 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


156

South America, Africa. 



ique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada. 



Eupatorium odoratum L. 

Common Name(s): Chrsitmas bush, baby tea. 

Description: Shrub; to 1.5m tall. 

Distribution: Florida, Texas, Greater Antilles, Mexico, 

south to Argentina 




cent, the Grenadines, Grenada, Barbados. 



Eupatorium sinuatum Lam. 

Description: Shrub; to 2 m tall. 

Distribution: Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Virgin Is‐ 

lands 


Eustatius, Guadeloupe, La Desirade. 



Eupatorium trigonocarpum Griseb. 

Description: Shrub to 2m tall 



deloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia. 



Gundlachia corymbosa (Urb.) Britton ex Bold. 

Common Name(s): Yam bush. 

Description: Shrub; to 1.2 m. 

Distribution: Bahamas, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Curacao 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, Barbuda, Saba, 

Guadeloupe, La Desirade. 



Launaea intybacea (Jacq.) Beauverd 

Description: Herb; to 1.2m tall 

Distribution: Nearly cosmopolitan as a weed 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, Anguilla, 

Antigua, St. Barts. 



Mikania latifolia Sm. 

Description: Twining liana. 

Distribution: Endemic to Lesser Antilles. 


Dominica, Martinique, St Lucia, St Vincent, Barbados. 



Mikania micrantha Kunth 

Common Name(s): Bitter vine, wappe. 

Description: Herbaceous to semiwoody twiner. 

Distribution: Wet tropical America. Introduced to 

tropical Asia and the Pacific islands. 


Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada. 



Neurolaena lobata (L.) Cass. 

Description: Annual or perennial herb; to 3m tall. 

Distribution: Greater Antilles, mexico south to northern 

South America 


St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, 

Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, the 




Parthenium hysterophorus L. 

Common Name(s): Whitehead, white top. 

Description: Annual; flowering when only 10 cm tall or 

becoming 70 cm tall. 

Notes: Plants toxic to many people as a contact poison 

causing edema and swelling with strong itching. 


South America, introduced and established as a noxious 

weed in Asia. 



Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, Dominica, Martinique, St. 

Lucia, St. Vincent, the Grenadines, Grenada, Barbados. 



Pectis humifusa Sw. 

Description: Diffuse annual or perennial; branched from 

base; stems 5‐40 cm long. 






Grenadines, G 



Pluchea carolinensis (Jacq.) G. Don 

Common Name(s): Wild tobacco, cure‐for‐all, sweet 

scent, cattletongue. 

Description: Shrub; to 3m tall 

Distribution: Southern Florida, Greater Antilles, Mexico, 

Central America, northern South America 


Barbuda, Antigua, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, 

Martinique, Dominica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent. 


_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

157 



Porophyllum ruderale (Jacq.) Cass. 

Description: Erect annual; to 1m tall. 


America 


Antigua, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, 





Pseudelephantopus spicatus (Aubl.) C. F. Baker 

Description: Erect herb; to 1m tall. 

Distribution: Greater Antilles, Mexico, Central America 

south Chile. 


Saba, Antigua, St. Eustatius, Guadeloupe, Dominica, 





Rolandra fruticosa (L.) Kuntze 


Distribution: Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Costa Rico south 

to northern South America. 



Vincent, Grenada, Barbados. 



Sonchus oleraceus L. 

Common Name(s): Sow thistle. 

Description: Herbs; to 1m tall. 

Distribution: A cosmopolitan weed. 


Martin, St. Barts, Antigua, Saba, St. Eustatius, 





Synedrella nodiflora (L.) Gaertn. 

Description: Erect herb; to 70 cm tall. 

Distribution: Neotropics, introduced into the Old World. 







Tagetes erecta L. 

Common Name(s): Marigold. 


Distribution: Native of Mexico but widely cultivated and 

persisting 



Vincent, Barbados. 



Tithonia diversifolia (Hemsl.) A. Gray 

Description: Erect perennial; to 3m tall. 

Distribution: Native of Mexico and Central America but 

now widely cultivated in tropical areas 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, St. Kitts, 

Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Vincent, 




Vernonia albicaulis Pers. 





Guadeloupe, La Desirade, Dominica. 



Vernonia cinerea (L.) Less. 

Description: Herb; annual to 80 cm tall. 

Distribution: Weedy and in disturbed habitat, nearly 

pantropical. 


Martin, St. Barts, Antigua, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, 





Wedelia calycina Rich. 

Common Name(s): Marigold. 


Distribution: Puerto Rico, northern South America 



Redonda, Guadeloupe, La Desirade, Marie Galante, Les 


Grenadines, Gren 



Wedelia trilobata (L.) Hitchc. 

Common Name(s): Yellow marigold. 

Description: Herb; with prostrate trailing and woody 

stems, often exceeding 1 m. 




Kitts, Guadeloupe, La Desirade, Marie Galante, Les 





_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


158

Zinnia elegans Jacq. 


Dominica 



AURACARIACEAE 

Araucaria heterophylla ( Salisb. ) Franco 



Plant Category: C‐Gym‐Intro 

AVICENNIACEAE 

Avicennia germinans (L.) L. 

Common Name(s): Black mangrove, olive mangrove. 


Key ID Feature: bark characteristically dark coloured, 

fissered with orange‐red cortex, erect pneumatophores 

abundant, single and clustered aerial adventitious roots 

from older branches of mature trees 


America 


Martin, St. Barts, Barbuda, Antigua, St. Kitts, Guade‐ 

loupe, Martinique, St. Vincent, the Grenadines, Grenada. 



BALSAMINACEAE 

Impatiens balsamina L. 

Common Name(s): Impatience, gekweekt. 

Description: Erect annual herb; to 40cm tall. 

Distribution: Native to India, China, and parts of south‐ 

east Asia, now generally introduced throughout the 

world as an ornamental. 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, St. Eustatius, 

Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, Barbados 



BEGONIACEAE 

Begonia obliqua L. 

Description: Erect, stout, perennial herb; to 2m tall. 

Notes: sited and HS collected along Katy Hill trail by 

UKOTs team feb 06 in Mrat. But not listed as occurring 

in Flora 

Distribution: Lesser Anitlles 


Dominica, Martinique 


Plant Category: C‐Di‐Nat 

Begonia retusa O.E. Schulz 

Description: Erect perennial; to 1.5m tall. 

Key ID Feature: stems purple‐brown 

Distribution: Restricted to northern Lesser Antilles. 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, St. Barts, Saba, 

St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Nevis. 



BIGNONIACEAE 

Crescentia cujete L. 

Common Name(s): Calabash. 


Distribution: native to northern tropical America but 

widely cultivated in tropical areas 



St. Kitts, Nevis, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. 




Macfadyena unguis‐cati (L.) A.H. Gentry 

Common Name(s): Catʹs‐claw. 


Key ID Feature: strongly developed uncinate 3‐fid ten‐ 

drils 


America south to Argentina 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, St. Martin, Bar‐ 

buda, Antigua, Saba, St. Eustatius, Guadeloupe, Domin‐ 


Grenada. 



Phryganocydia corymbosa (Vent.) Bureau ex K. Schum. 


Notes: Cultivated 

Distribution: Panama to Brazil and Bolivia 




Phryganocydia corymbosa (Vent.) Bureau ex K. Schum. 




Tabebuia chrysantha (Jacq.) G.Nicholson 


Distribution: Mexico to Panama, Trinidad, Venezuela 

and Amazonian Peru 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, Martinique, St. 

Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada 



Tabebuia heterophylla (DC.) Britton 

Common Name(s): Cedar. 

Description: Shrub or tree; to 20m. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

159 









Tabebuia pallida (Lindl.) Miers 

Common Name(s): white cedar, cedar 

Description: shrub or large tree; to 35m tall. 

Notes: *common name given in Mrat: ʺwhite cedarʺ but 

species not in Howardʹs list 







Tecoma stans (L.) Juss. Ex Kunth 

Description: Shrub or small tree; 5 (‐10)m tall. 

Distribution: Greater Antilles, Southwestern US and 

South Florida to Argentina 


Martin, St. Barts, Saba, Antigua, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, 





BIXACEAE 

Bixa orellana L. 


Distribution: Tropical middle and South America, West 

Indies; widely cultivated and naturalised in the tropics 

of the Old World. 


St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martin‐ 

ique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Barbados. 



BLECHNACEAE 

Blechnum binervatum (Poir.) C.V. Morton & Lellinger 

Description: Climbing fern; fronds up to 115cm long. 



deloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St.. Lucia 



Blechnum divergens (Kunze) Mett. 

Description: Terrestrial fern; fronds 30‐90cm. 

Distribution: Greater Antilles except Jamaica; continen‐ 

tal tropical America 


deloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Vincent, Grenada. 



Blechnum insularum Morton & Lellinger 

Description: Large epiphytic fern; up to 50cm tall. 



St. Vincent 



Blechnum occidentale L. 


Distribution: Widespread in tropical and sub‐tropical 

areas from Florida to Argentina 



Dominica, Martinique, St Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada, 

Barbados 



Blechnum ryanii (Kaulf.) Hieron. 

Description: Large errestrial fern; fronds to 125cm long. 



Nevis, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St Lucia, St. 




Blechnum serrulatum Rich. 

Description: Terrestrial fern; rhizome subterranean; 

fronds 0.5‐1.2m long. 

Distribution: Florida, Bahamas, Greater Antilles, Trini‐ 

dad, continental tropical America from Mexico to south‐ 

ern Brazil; also in the Paleotropics. 


Dominica, Martinique, St Lucia. 



BORAGINACEAE 

Argusia gnaphaloides (L.) Heine 

Common Name(s): Sea lavender, sea rosemary. 

Description: Erect shrub; to 2m. 

Distribution: Bahamas, Greater Antilles 




tinique, St. Vincent, the Grenadines, Barbados. 



Bourreria succulenta Jacq. 

Common Name(s): Cherry, chinkswood, chink, bam‐ 

bora, bodywood, caf? marron. 


_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


160


dad, Venezuela 





Grenadines, G 



Cordia alliodora (Ruiz & Pav.) Oken 


Distribution: Cuba, hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Mexico, 

Central America, northern South America 


deloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Vincent 



Cordia collococca L. 

Common Name(s): Sip, slip, clammy cherry. 


Distribution: Cuba, Mexico, Central America, northern 

South America 


gua, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. 




Cordia globosa (Jacq.) Kunth 

Common Name(s): Wild black sage. 




buda, Antigua, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, La Desirade, 





Cordia nesophila I.M. Johnst. 

Common Name(s): Black sage. 




gua, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, La De‐ 

sirade, Marie Galante, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia. 



Cordia obliqua Willd. 

Common Name(s): Gum, clammy cherry, sticky cherry, 

white manjack. 

Description: Tree; to 8m 

Distribution: Native of India, widely introduced in tropi‐ 

cal areas. 


Antigua, St. Kitts, Nevis, Redonda, Guadeloupe, La 






Cordia reticulata M. Vahl 

Description: Shrub or small tree; to 10m. 

Distribution: Restricted to Lesser Antilles. 





Cordia sebestena L. 

Common Name(s): Geiger tree, scarlet cordia. 


Distribution: Probably native to the Bahamas and 

Greater Antilles and introduced elsewhere as an 

ornamental 



Kitts, Guadeloupe, La Desirade, Martinique, St. Lucia, 




Cordia sulcata DC. 

Common Name(s): Manjack. 


Distribution: Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico 


St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, 

Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Barbados. 



Heliotropium angiospermum Murray 

Common Name(s): Eye bright. 

Description: Erect loosely branched herb; to 1m. 

Distribution: Southeastern US, Greater Antilles, Mexico, 

Central America, Trinidad, South America to Bolivia 

and Chile 



Guadeloupe, La Desirade, Dominica, Martinique, St. 




Heliotropium indicum L. 

Common Name(s): Abooba, wild clavey. 


Distribution: Greater Antilles, Trinidad 


Barbuda, Antigua, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, 





_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

161 


Heliotropium ternatum Vahl 

Description: Branched shrub; to 50cm. 

Distribution: Greater Antilles, Trinidad, northern South 

America 


Barbuda, Antigua, Saba, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, La 

Desirade, Marie Galante, Dominica, Martinique, St. 

Lucia, St. Vincent, the Grenadines. 



Mallotonia gnaphalodes (L.) Britton 

Description: Erect, much branched shrub; to 2m. 

Notes: Syn. Of Argusia gnaphalodes 

Distribution: Neotropics 




Rochefortia spinosa (Jacq.) Urb. 

Description: Thorny shrub; to 2m m tall. 

Distribution: Bahamas, Greater Antilles 


Guadeloupe, La Desirade, Marie Galante, Martinique. 



Tournefortia bicolor Sw. 

Common Name(s): May wet. 

Description: Climbing shrub. 

Distribution: Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica, Trinidad, 

Tropical America 


Antigua, Saba, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, 


Barbados. 



Tournefortia filiflora Griseb. 

Description: Shrub or tree; to 8m. 

Distribution: Puerto Rico and the Lesser Antilles. 


Antigua, Saba, St. Eustatius, Guadeloupe, La Desirade, 

Marie Galante, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. 




Tournefortia volubilis L. 

Description: Climbing shrub. 




St. Kitts, Nevis, Guadeloupe, La Desirade, Marie 

Galante, Les Saintes, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. 

Vincent, the Grenad 



BRASSICACEAE 

Cakile lanceolata (Willd.) O.E. Schulz 

Common Name(s): Sea rocket. 

Description: Annual or rarely perennial; erect or often 

prostrate; branches sometimes over 1 m. 

Distribution: Greater Antilles, Carribean coasts of Cen‐ 

tral America and northwestern South America, US and 

Mexican coasts of the Gulf of Mexico 



St. Kitts, Nevis, Guadeloupe, La Desirade, Marie Gal‐ 

ante, Les Saintes, Martinique, St. Vincent, the Grena‐ 

dines, Grenada, Barbad 



Lepidium virginicum L. 

Common Name(s): Pepper grass, Virginia pepper grass, 

poor manʹs pepper. 

Description: Annual or biennial; 20‐90 cm. 

Distribution: Native of North America, introduced to all 

other continents except Antarctica, v common in W In‐ 

dies. 



St. Kitts, Nevis, Guadeloupe, La Desirade, Marie Gal‐ 


Grenadines, Grenada 



BROMELIACEAE 

Aechmea smithiorum Mez 

Description: Epiphyte/terrestrial; leaves to 70cm long. 



Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada 



Catopsis floribunda L.B. Sm. 

Description: Epiphyte; leaves of rosette 20‐40 cm long. 

Distribution: Florida, Greater Antilles, Trinidad, Vene‐ 

zuela 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat,St. Martin, Anti‐ 

gua, Saba, St. Eustatius, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martin‐ 

ique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, the Grenadines 



Glomeropitcairnia penduliflora (Griseb.) Mez 

Description: Epiphyte; leaves of rosette to 1m. 



Dominica, Martinique. 



_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


162

Guzmania megastachya (Baker) Mez 

Description: Epiphyte; leaves of rosette to 1m. 

Distribution: Lesser Antilles and Tobago. 


Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St Vincent, Grenada. 



Guzmania plumieri (Griseb.) Mez 

Description: Epiphyte; leaves to 40cm. 

Notes: Growing in mossy forest areas. 

Distribution: The Lesser Antilles and Venezuela. 


Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St Vincent, Gre‐ 

nada. 



Pitcairnia angustifolia Aiton. 

Description: Epiphyte; leaves 50‐120cm. 

Distribution: Endemic to the Greater and Lesser Antilles 




Barbados 



Tillandsia antillana L.B.Sm. 

Description: Epiphyte; leaves in a dense rosette each up 

to 30 cm long. 


Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, Saba, St Kitts, 




Tillandsia recurvata (L.) L. 

Common Name(s): Old manʹs beard. 

Description: Epiphyte. 

Distribution: United States, Mexico, Central America, 

Greater Antilles, South America 



Nevis, Redonda, Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Lucia 



Tillandsia usneoides (L.) L. 

Common Name(s): Old manʹs beard. 

Description: Epiphyte; stems flexuous, hanging in fes‐ 

toons; 1m> long. 

Distribution: Southeastern U.S states, Central America, 





cent, the Grenadines 



Tillandsia utriculata L. 

Common Name(s): Wild pine. 

Description: Epiphyte; to 2m tall; leaves to 70cm long. 

Distribution: Mexico, Central America, Trinidad, Vene‐ 

zuela 



St. Kitts, Nevis, Guadeloupe, La Desirade, Dominica, 


nada 



Werauhia guadelupensis (Baker) J.R. Grant, Originall listed 

as Vriesia guadelupensis; changed after consulting 

monocot checklist 

Nomenclature Notes: Originall listed as Vriesia guadelu‐ 

pensis; changed after consulting monocot checklist 

Description: Epiphyte; leaves 50cm x 5cm. 



deloupe, Dominica. 



Werauhia ringens (Griseb.) J.R. Grant, Originall listed as 

Vriesia ringens; changed after consulting monocot 

checklist. 

Nomenclature Notes: Originall listed as Vriesia ringens; 

changed after consulting monocot checklist. 

Description: Epiphyte; leaves to 60 cm. 

Distribution: Costa Rica, Panama, Greater Antilles. 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, Saba, St. Eusta‐ 

tius, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. 

Vincent, Grenada 



BURMANNIACEAE 

Apteria aphylla (Nutt.) Barnhart ex Small 

Description: herb; 5‐25cm. 

Distribution: throughout the Neotrpics 


deloupe, Martinique 



BURSERACEAE 

Bursera simaruba (L.) Sarg. 

Common Name(s): West Indian birch, turpentine tree, 

birch, naked Indian, gommier, gommier maduit, gommi 


Key ID Feature: bark peels inthin red‐brown papery 

layers 


Antilles, South America 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

163 




St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, Dominica, 





Dacryodes excelsa Vahl 

Description: Very large dominant tree; to 35 m. 

Key ID Feature: Bark is grey‐green, scaley in round 

flakes, cuts exude a watery gum, very strongly scented 

of turpentine, which solidifies. Leaves are imparipinnate 

with 3 to 5 leaflets 6‐16x3‐8cm, often cupped or rolled 

inward 


Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, Antigua, St 

Kitts, Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, Dominica, 

Martinique, St. Lucia, St Vincent, the Grenadines. 



CACTACEAE 

Cereus hexagonus (L.) Mill. 

Description: Xerophyte; to 15m tall; usually branched 

from base. 

Key ID Feature: stems six‐ribbed 

Distribution: Northern South America and cultivated 

elsewhere 


Antigua, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe. 



Hylocereus trigonus (Haw.) Saff. 

Common Name(s): Night blooming cactus. 

Description: Xerophyte. 

Key ID Feature: stems elongate, 2‐4cm broad, thickly 3‐ 

angled 



Antigua, Saba, St. Eustatius, Nevis, Guadeloupe, Marie 

Galante, Martinique, St. Vincent, Grenada. 



Melocactus intortus (Mill.) Urb. 

Common Name(s): Turkʹs cap, Popeʹs head, barrel 

cactus. 

Description: Xerophyte; plants globose to cylindrical; to 

1m tall. 

Distribution: Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands. 



St. Kitts, Nevis, Redonda, Guadeloupe, La Desirade, Les 

Saintes, Dominica. 



Opuntia cochenillifera (L.) Mill. 

Common Name(s): Cochineal cactus. 

Description: Xerophyte; much‐branched; to 6m. 

Notes: introduced into tropical areas as a potential host 

plant for the cochineal insect 

Distribution: Possibly native to Jamaica but intriduced 

and cultivated in many tropical areas 



Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, Grenada, 

Barbados. 



Opuntia dillenii (Ker Gawl.) Haw. 

Common Name(s): Prickly pear, dildo, tuna, broad‐ 

leafed cassie. 

Description: Xerophyte; low spreading plants often 

forming massive extensive clumps; to 2 m tall. 

Distribution: South US, Greater Antilles, introduced 

elsewhere in the Neotropics. 



Nevis, Redonda, Guadeloupe, La Desirade, Marie 


Vincent, the Grenadi 



Opuntia elatior Mill. 

Common Name(s): French Prickle. 

Description: Xerophyte; densely branched sturdy plants 

with short thick cylindrical trunk; to 5m tall. 

Distribution: Curacao, Venezuela, Columbia, Panama 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, Saba, Redonda 



Opuntia rubescens Salm‐Dyck ex DC. 

Common Name(s): Signpost cactus. 

Description: Xerophyte; erect with single stemmed 

cylindrical trunks; to 3‐6m tall. 

Distribution: Puerto Rico, St Croix, Virgin Islands. 


Barts, Barbuda, Antigua, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, La 

Desirade. 



Opuntia triacantha (Willd.) Sweet 

Common Name(s): Suckers, sucking cassie, jumping 

cassie. 

Description: Xerophyte; stems erect and branched; to 1.5 

m tall. 

Distribution: Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands. 


Barts, Antigua, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Nevis, 

Redonda, Guadeloupe, La Desirade, Les Saintes, St. 

Lucia. 


_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


164


Pereskia aculeata Mill. 

Description: Xerophyte; shrub‐like in form with long 

branches clambering or high‐climbing. 

Distribution: Neotropics and cultivated or escaped 

elsewhere in the tropics. 


Antigua, Saba, St. Eustatius, Guadeloupe, Dominica, 

Martinique, St. Vincent, the Grenadines, Barbados. 



Pereskia grandiflora Haw. 

Description: Xerophyte; tree/shrub‐like in form; long 

arching branches. 

Key ID Feature: . 

Distribution: widely planted in tropical areas 


Kitts, Guadeloupe 



Pilosocereus royenii (L.) Byles & G.D. Rowley 

Local Name(s): Dildo 

Common Name(s): Dildo, organ cactus. 

Description: Xerophyte; stout plants or erect single 

stems or much branched near base with short trunk to 

30cm in diameter. 

Uses: Dye made from sap of fruit. 




St. Kitts, Nevis, Redonda, Guadeloupe, La Desirade, 

Marie Galante, Les Saintes, Dominica, Martinique, St. 

Lucia, St. Vincent, t 



CAMPANULACEAE 

Hippobroma longiflora (L.) G. Don 

Common Name(s): Star of Bethlehem, pipe‐shank. 

Description: Herb; 15‐50cm tall. 

Notes: The white latex of this plant is caustic and will 

burn the skin. It is reported to be very toxic to humans 

and animals 

Distribution: Neotropics, introduced into the Palaeotrop‐ 

ics. 



Lucia, Grenada, Barbados. 



Lobelia digitalifolia (Griseb.) Urb. 




Dominica 



CANELLACEAE 

Canella winteriana Gaertn. 

Common Name(s): Pepper cinnamon, wild cinnamon, 

bastard cinnamon. 

Description: Small tree or less often a shrub; to 10m tall. 

Notes: Habitat; dry woodland 

Distribution: Southern Florida, Bahamas south through 

the Lesser Antilles, and northern South America 


Martin, Barbuda, Antigua, Guadeloupe, La Desirade, 

Les Saintes, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, 

Barbados. 



CAPPARACEAE 

Capparis baducca L. 

Common Name(s): Church blossom, mabouya, rat‐bean, 

rope, sapo. 

Description: Shrub or small tree; 1‐8m tall. 

Notes: plants of woodlands and thickets in moist dis‐ 

tricts 

Distribution: Southern Mexico, to northern South Amer‐ 

ica, West Indies 



St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, Dominica, Martin‐ 


Barbados 



Capparis coccolobifolia Mart. ex Eichler 

Description: Shrub or small tree; 3‐10 m. 

Notes: syn. Of C. hastata 





Capparis cynophallophora L. 

Common Name(s): Black willow, linguan tree, man of 

war bush, mustard tree. 

Description: Shrubs or trees; 2‐15m tall. 

Notes: common on limestone hillsides in coastal wood‐ 

lands and thickets 

Distribution: southern Florida, Central America, West 

Indies 



Gaudeloupe, La Desirade, Marie Galante, Dominica, 

Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, the Grenadines, Barba‐ 

dos 


_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

165 



Capparis flexuosa (L.) L. 

Common Name(s): Bat‐leaved caper, caper tree, mo‐ 

stazo, palinguan, rat bean. 

Description: Shrub or small tree; sometimes vinelike; 2‐9 

m tall. 

Distribution: southern Florida, the West Indies, Central 

America to central South America 




Lucia, St. Vincent, the Grenadines, Grenada, Barbados 



Capparis hastata Jacq. 

Common Name(s): Broad‐leaved caper tree, burro. 

Description: Shrubs or small tree; 3‐10m tall. 

Notes: plants of dry limestone forest along coast and 

inland 

Distribution: Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, 

Trinidad, Curucao, Columbia, Venezuela 


gua, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. 

Lucia, St. Vincent, the Grenadines, Grenada 



Capparis indica (L.) Druce 

Common Name(s): White willow. 

Description: Shrub or small tree; 2‐10 m 

Distribution: Southern Mexico, to northern South Amer‐ 

ica, West Indies 





nada, Barbados 



Cleome aculeata L. 

Common Name(s): Acaya. 

Description: Erect annual herb; 2.5‐9dm tall. 

Notes: plants of disturbed grounds along seashores and 

among woods 

Distribution: Mexico, Central America, Geater Antilles, 

Trinidad, South America, to Argentina 



Grenada 



Cleome gynandra L. 

Common Name(s): Sambo, small spider flower, white 

masambee, spider wasp. 

Description: erect annual herb; 2‐15dm tall. 

Notes: weed of waste grounds, fields, roadsides, wet or 

dry woodlands or wood clearings, and rocky and sandy 

shores 

Distribution: Native of the Old World tropics and sub‐ 

tropics, introduced from Africa into the Caribbean re‐ 

gion; widely distributed from southeastern US to Mex‐ 

ico, West Indies, and South 





Grenadines, G 



Cleome rutidosperma DC. 

Common Name(s): Consumption weed. 

Description: Erect to procumbent annual herb; 1‐9 dm 

tall. 

Notes: weed of waste places, disturbed grounds, road‐ 

sides, fields, and sandy areas inland and along seashores 

Distribution: Native of western tropical Africa, intro‐ 

duced to Florida, Honduras, Panama, Jamaica, His‐ 

paniola, Virgin Islands, Tobago, Trinidad, Brazil. 






Cleome spinosa Jacq. 

Common Name(s): Sambo, spider flower, wild massam‐ 

bee. 

Description: Erect herbs; 0.6‐2m tall. 

Notes: found growing in sand and gravel along river‐ 

beds, thickets, and open slopes; weedy along roadsides 

and in waste grounds 

Distribution: widely distributed from the US southward 

through Mexico, Central America, the West Indies, and 

South America 


deloupe, Marie Galante, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lu‐ 

cia, St. Vincent, the Grenadines, Grenada, Barbados 



Cleome viscosa L. 

Description: Erect annuals, 2‐10 dm tall. 

Notes: weed of roadsides, waste grounds, cultivated 

fields, snady and rocky seashores 

Distribution: Native of Old World Tropics, naturalized 

in neotropics. 



Nevis, Redonda, Guadeloupe, La Desirade, Marie Gal‐ 


Grenadines, Grenada, 



_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


166

Morisonia americana L. 

Common Name(s): Dog sapodilla, jubie sapodilla, wild 

mespili, wild mesple. 

Description: Shrub or small tree; 2‐10 m. 

Distribution: western Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, 

the West Indies, northern Southe America 


barts, Antigua, Saba, St. Eustatius, Guadeloupe, La De‐ 

sirade, Marie Galante, Les Saintes, Dominica, Martin‐ 

ique, St. Lucia, the Grenadines 



CARICACEAE 

Carica papaya L. 

Description: Unbranched trees or tree‐like herbs to 6m 

tall; usually dioecious. 

Notes: The fruits are a source of proteolytic enzymes ; 

these are used as meat tenderizers, to clarify bear, or in 

the treatment of dyspepsia 

Distribution: Native to tropical America but Pantropical 

having been spead through cultivation 







CARYOPHYLLACEAE 

Drymaria cordata Gaertn. 

Description: Branched herb; often rooting at nodes. 

Distribution: Florida, Mexico, Central and South Amer‐ 

ica, Greater Antilles 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, St. Martin Anti‐ 

gua, Saba, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, 

St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada, Barbados 



CASUARINACEAE 

Casuarina equisetifolia L. 

Common Name(s): She‐oak, Australian pine. 

Description: Tree; to 15m tall with ascending branches 

and open crown. 

Cultivated: environmental use 

Notes: Common along coastal areas and in sandy, nutri‐ 

ent poor soil generally. 

Invasiveness: Invasive 

Distribution: Originally from Australia and the Islands 

of the Indo Pacific, now wide spread in the tropics gen‐ 

erally 


Kitts, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Vincent, 




CECROPIACEAE 

Cecropia schreberiana Miq. 


Notes: Sometimes referred to as C. peltata L. which is 

common in Central America and northern South Amer‐ 

ica and occurs in Jamaica. C. schreberiana differs in the 

presence of brown, instead of white, pith, in types of ha 








CELASTRACEAE 

Cassine xylocarpa Vent. 

Description: Shrub or small tree; to 4 (‐8)m tall. 

Distribution: Greater Antilles, Mexico, Panama, and 

Venezuela 


gua, St. Kitts, Nevis, Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Vin‐ 

cent, the Grenadines. 



Crossopetalum rhacoma Crantz 

Common Name(s): Maidenberry. 

Description: Shrub or occassionally becoming tree‐like; 

to 4m. 

Distribution: Florida, West Indies, southern Mexico, 

northern Central America, and northern South America 



Kitts, Guadeloupe, La Desirade, Marie Galante, Martin‐ 

ique, St. Lucia. 



Gyminda latifolia (Sw.) Urb. 


Distribution: Southern Florida, West Indies, and Mexico 


Martin, Barbuda, Antigua, St. Eustatius, Guadeloupe, La 

Desirade, Marie Galante, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vin‐ 

cent. 



Maytenus laevigata (M. Vahl) Griseb. 


Key ID Feature: young branchlets distinctly quadrangu‐ 

lar 



_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

167 


Barts, St. Eustatius, Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, Domin‐ 

ica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, the Grenadines. 



Schaefferia frutescens Jacq. 

Description: Shrub or small tree; to 6 m tall. 

Distribution: Southern Florida, West Indies, southern 

Mexico to northern Central America, and South America 



St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, 




CHENOPODIACEAE 

Chenopodium ambrosioides L. 

Common Name(s): Wormwood, worm bush, bolbo. 

Description: Annual or perennial herb; to 1 m. 

Notes: Cultivated or weedy 

Distribution: Possibly native to Mexico and C America, 

pantropical; widespread and weedy worldwide in warm 

regions 



La Desirade, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vin‐ 




Chenopodium murale L. 

Common Name(s): Sprainbush. 

Description: Erect perennial or long‐lived annual weed; 

to 8 dm tall. 

Distribution: Worldwide, tropical and temperate. 


Martin, St. Barts, Antigua, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Mont‐ 

serrat, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique 



CHLORANTHACEAE 

Hedyosmum arborescens Sw. 

Description: Dioecious shrub or small tree; to 10 m and 

35cm d.b.h; sometimes forming stilt roots to 1m high on 

trunk. 

Key ID Feature: Totally glabrous, bark brown, smooth, 

thin, inner bark pink brown, pungent. Twigs ringed at 

nodes by annular stipular scars. Leaf blades narrowly 

elliptic, oblong to oblanceolate, the base attenuate, the 

margin 

Distribution: Greater and Lesser Antilles. 



Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent 



CHRYSOBALANACEAE 

Chrysobalanus icaco L. 

Common Name(s): Coco plum, fat pork. 

Description: Shrub with erect stems or small tree; to 5m 

tall. 


Antilles, northern South America 



St. Kitts, Nevis, Guadeloupe, La Desirade, Dominica, 





Hirtella triandra Sw. 

Common Name(s): Pigeon berry. 

Description: Tree; to 15 m tall. 

Distribution: Mexico, Central and South Americ, Greater 

Antilles 


Nevis, Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, Dominica, Martin‐ 

ique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent 



CLUSIACEAE 

Calophyllum calaba L. 

Common Name(s): Galba. 


Notes: commonly used as a windbreak and/or plated as 

a living fence and roadside tree 

Distribution: Greater Antilles, St. Croix, Trinidad, To‐ 

bago 


gua, Guadeloupe, La Desirade, Marie Galante, Domin‐ 

ica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada, Barba‐ 

dos. 



Clusia major L. 

Description: Epiphytic or freestanding trees; to 20m tall. 



Eustatius, St. Kitts, Nevis, Guadeloupe, La Desirade, 





Garcinia humilis (Vahl) C.D. Adams 


Distribution: Jamaica, Hispaniola, Trinidad. 


Marie Galante, Dominica, Martinique, Grenada.. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


168



Garcinia livingstonei T. Anderson 


Notes: Represented by ageing plants in Montserrat BG 




Mammea americana L. 

Common Name(s): Mammee apple, zab‐wiko, zapricot. 


Distribution: Greater Antilles, St. Thomas, St. Croix, 

Trinidad, Mexico, Central America 



Marie Galante, Dominica, Martinique, St. Vincent, 

Grenada. 



Marila racemosa Sw. 

Common Name(s): Bwa pwa, bull tongue. 

Description: Tree or commonly a shrub; to 10m tall. 



Kitts, Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, Dominica, 

Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent. 



COCHLOSPERMACEAE 

Cochlospermum vitifolium (Willd.) Spreng. 

Common Name(s): Rose of Peru. 

Description: Tree or shrub; 5‐15m tall. 

Notes: Flowers of most are the double form and are con‐ 

sequently sterile 

Distribution: Northwestern Mexico through Central 

America to Bolivia. Cultivated elsewhere in the West 

Indies. 





COMBRETACEAE 

Buchenavia tetraphylla (Aubl.) R.A. Howard 

Description: Large tree with sympodial growth; to 30m 

tall and 3m in diameter. 

Distribution: Panama to Bolivia and the West Indies 



cia, St. Vincent, the Grenadines, Grenada, Barbados. 



Bucida buceras L. 

Common Name(s): Whitewood tree. 

Description: Tree with sympodial branching often 

spreading or drooping; 20‐25m tall, 1.5m in diameter. 

Distribution: Neotropical. 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, Barbuda, 

Antigua, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. 




Conocarpus erectus L. 

Common Name(s): Buttonwood, button bush, button 

mangrove, West Indian alder. 

Description: Shrub or tree; to 1.5‐10 m. 

Notes: Commonly associated with Laguncularia, 

Avicennia, and Rhizophora at the inner edge of 

mangrove habitat, generally occuring above the level of 

tidal inundation 

Distribution: Neotropics and West Africa. 



St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, La Desirade, Marie Galante, 


Grenada. 



Laguncularia racemosa (L.) C.F. Gaertn. 

Common Name(s): White mangrove, Tom House 

mangrove. 

Description: Shrub or tree; 1.5‐15m tall. 

Notes: One of the common mangrove species along with 

Rhizophora, Avicennia, and Conocarpus 

Distribution: Tropical America and West Africa 


Martin, St. Barts, Barbuda, Antigua, St. Kitts, 

Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, Les Saintes, Dominica, 





Terminalia catappa L. 

Common Name(s): Almond, Indian Almond, Barbados 

Almond, sea almond, wild almond. 

Description: Tree to 15m tall; with spreading branches 

obviously tiered. 

Distribution: Native to Malaysia, introduced and more 

or less naturalised in southern Florida, the West Indies, 

Mexico, Central America and northern South America 


Martin, St. Barts, Antigua, Saba, St. Eustatius, 





COMMELINACEAE 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

169 


Callisia repens (Jacq.) L. 

Description: Slender, prostrate, often mat forming stems. 

Distribution: Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Mexico, South 

America 







Commelina benghalensis L. 

Description: Rhizomatous herb. 

Distribution: Asia, Cuba, Jamaica 


Vincent, Barbados 



Commelina diffusa Burm. 

Common Name(s): Water grass, french weed, curage. 


Distribution: S and C America, Neotropics. 






Commelina elegans Kunth 

Common Name(s): Pond grass, water grass, curage. 



Trinidad, South America 


Martin, St. Barts, Antigua, Barbuda, Saba, St. Eustatius, 





Cyanotis cristata (L.) D. Don 

Description: Stems creeping, branches erect or ascend‐ 

ing, to 50cm. 

Distribution: Native of Asia Reported as introduced and 

naturalized in 1900 to Martinique, found growing as a 

weed in Montserrat (in cotton fields)near silver hill 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, Martinique 



Tradescantia zebrina Heynh. var. zebrina 

Common Name(s): Wandering Jew. 

Description: Prostrate, trailing or pendent plants. 


South America 


Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Lucia, Barbados 



CONVOLVULACEAE 

Cuscuta americana L. 

Common Name(s): Yellow dod (or dodder), love vine. 

Description: Parasitic, herbaceous, twining perennial; 

attached by host haustoria. 

Distribution: Widespread in the Western Hemisphere, 

parasitizing a variety of woody host species. 







Cuscuta globulosa Benth. 

Description: Parasitic, herbaceous, twining perennial, 

attached by host haustoria. 

Distribution: Mexico, the West Indies. 


gua, Martinique, St. Vincent, Grenada 



Ipomoea hederifolia L. 

Description: Herbaceous vine. 

Distribution: Tropical America; introduced into Old 

World Tropics. 



St. Kitts, Nevis, Redonda, Guadeloupe, La Desirade, 


Lucia, St. Vincent, t 



Ipomoea indica (Vahl) Fosberg var. acuminata (M. Vahl) 

Fosb. 


Distribution: Tropical America 


deloupe, St. Vincent 



Ipomoea nil (L.) Roth 

Description: Herbaceous twiner. 

Distribution: Throughout the tropics, often cultivated. 


Barts, Antigua, Saba, St. Eustatius, Guadeloupe, Domin‐ 





Ipomoea pes‐caprae (L.) R. Br. Ex DC. subsp. brasiliensis 

(L.) Ooststr. 

Common Name(s): Ivy, sea vine, sea wisse, seaside yam, 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


170

goatʹs foot, ipomoea. 

Description: Prostrate seashore plant. 

Distribution: Tropical seashores 


Barts, Antigua, St. Eustatius, Guadeloupe, La Desirade, 





Ipomoea repanda Jacq. 


Distribution: Puerto Rico. 



Vincent, The Grenadines, Grenada. 



Ipomoea tiliacea (Willd.) Choisy 

Common Name(s): Wild potato vine, wild potato, wild 

slip, hog meat, caapi. 


Distribution: Tropical America, Polynesia, introduced 

into Old World tropics. 







Jacquemontia cumanensis (Kunth) Kuntze 

Description: Woody vine. 

Notes: *cultivated 

Distribution: Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Netherlands 

West Indies, and Venezuela 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat*, St. Martin 



Jacquemontia pentantha (Jacq.) Don 

Description: Slender vine. 

Distribution: Tropical America, Malaysia and Ceylon. 


Martin, Barbuda, Antigua, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, 



dines, Grenada, Bar 



Merremia aegyptia (L.) Urb. 

Description: Twiner. 

Distribution: Tropical America, Africa, Asia, Pacific Is‐ 

lands 




Barbados. 



Merremia dissecta (Jacq.) Hallier f. 

Description: Twiner. 

Distribution: Tropical America; introduced into other 

tropical regions and becoming naturalized. 





Grenadines, G 



Merremia umbellata (L.) Hallier f. subsp. umbellata 

Description: Twiner; occasionally prostrate and rooting 

at nodes. 

Distribution: Tropical America, West Africa, occasion‐ 

ally in the Far East where it has been introduced. 






Stictocardia tiliifolia (Desr.) Hallier f. 

Description: Stout climber. 

Distribution: Native to Asian tropics, established 

throughout Old world and introduced into New World. 


Eustatius, Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, Dominica, 

Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada, Barbados. 



Turbina corymbosa (L.) Raf. 

Description: Perennial climber; mainly growing on low 

bushes. 

Distribution: Tropical America, Introduced and 

established in parts of the Old World tropics. 


Antigua, Nevis, Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Lucia, 

Barbados. 



CRASSULACEAE 

Bryophyllum pinnatum (L. f.) Oken 

Common Name(s): Leaf‐of‐life, love bush, travel life, 

kalabana, sweetheart bush, temetic 

Description: Fleshy, perennial herb; often woody at the 

base; to 1.5m tall. 

Notes: Syn: Kalanchoe pinnatum (original list) 

Distribution: Native to Madagascar but widely intro‐ 

duced, cultivated or escaped and persisting in all tropi‐ 

cal areas. 


Martin, Barbuda, Antigua, Saba, St. Eustatius, Dominica, 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

171 






Kalanchoe delagoensis Eckl. & Zeyh. 



Distribution: Old World 




CUCURBITACEAE 

Cucumis anguria L. 

Common Name(s): Bur gherkin, West Indian gherkin, 

warty cucumber, wild cucumber. 

Description: Annual herb; trailing or climbing; 1‐2m 

long. 

Distribution: Originaly from tropical Africa, now widely 

established in tropical South and Central America and 

the West Indies 


gua, Saba, St. Eustatius, Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. 




Melothria pendula L. 

Description: Herb; climbing or trailing. 

Distribution: Widespread through the Americas 






Momordica charantia L. 

Common Name(s): Maiden apple, maidenʹs bush, wild 

balsam apple. 

Description: Twiner; stems to 8m long. 

Distribution: Originally native to the Old World tropics, 

now pantropical. 


Barts, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Nevis, Guadeloupe, 





CUNONIACEAE 

Weinmannia pinnata L. 


Notes: a characteristic and almost dominant plant of 

higher elevations 


South America 


deloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent 



CYATHEACEAE 

Cyathea arborea (L.) Sm. 

Description: Tree fern; to 15m tall. 



tius, St. Kitts, Nevis, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, 

St Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada, Barbados. 



Cyathea grandifolia Willd., Cnemidaria grandifolia 

(Willd.) Proctor var. grandifolia 

Nomenclature Notes: Cnemidaria grandifolia (Willd.) 

Proctor var. grandifolia 

Description: Tree fern; to 2m. 



Nevis, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St Lucia. 



Cyathea muricata Willd. 

Description: Tree fern; 4‐6m tall. 

Key ID Feature: stipes 50‐100cm long, usually dark 

brown, persistently attached to the caudex, minutely 

scurfey when young, armed with short, straight spines. 



Nevis,Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St Lucia, St. 




Cyathea tenera (Hook.) T. Moore 

Description: Tree fern; to 8m tall. 

Distribution: Cuba, Hispaniola, Trinidad, Margarita Is‐ 

land, Costa Rico. 





CYCLANTHACEAE 

Asplundia insignis (Duchass. ex Griseb.) Harling 

Description: Terrestrial plant; with erect stems but not 

climbing. 

Distribution: endemic to lesser Antilles 


deloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Vincent, Grenada 



Asplundia rigida (Aubl.) Harling 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


172

Description: Climbing liana; adhering by adventitious 

roots. 

Distribution: Lesser Antilles, Trinidad and Tobago 



Grenada 



CYPERACEAE 

Cyperus alopecuroides Rottb. 

Description: Perennial; culms 90‐120 cm tall. 

Distribution: Pantropical. 


loupe, Marie Galante, St. Lucia, Grenada 



Cyperus flexuosus Vahl, Enum. Pl. 2: 359 (1805). (0), 

(Vahl.) T. Koyama 

Nomenclature Notes: (Vahl.) T. Koyama 

Description: 20‐75 cm tall. 

Distribution: Tropical America. 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, Antugua, 

Guadeloupe 



Cyperus ligularis L., (L.) Urban 

Nomenclature Notes: (L.) Urban 

Description: Robust perennial; 30‐80 cm tall. 

Distribution: Tropical America, tropical West Africa and 

the Mascarene Islands. 


Guadeloupe, Dominica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada, 

Barbados, St. Thomas, Mustique 



Cyperus odoratus L., (L.) Hooper. 

Nomenclature Notes: (L.) Hooper. 



Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, 

Nevis,Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. 

Vincent, Grenada, Barbados 



Cyperus sphacelatus Rottb. 

Description: Annual herb; 20‐60 cm tall. 

Distribution: Tropical Africa and Tropical America, 

recently introduced to Ceylon and Malesia 






Eleocharis flavescens (Poir.) Urb. 

Description: Culms 10‐40 cm tall. 

Key ID Feature: Floral glumes 2‐2.5mm long pale green 

to light yellowish 

Distribution: S, C and N America. 


Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia 



Fimbristylis complanata (Retz.) Link 







Machaerina restioides (Sw.) Vahl 


Distribution: Endemic to the West Indies. 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, Nevis, 

Guadeloupe, Martinique, St Vincent. 



Rhynchospora nervosa (Vahl) Boeck. subsp. ciliata T. 

Koyama 

Description: Up to 60 cm tall. 







Rhynchospora nervosa (Vahl) Boeck. subsp. nervosa 




Dominica, Grenada 



Rhynchospora polyphylla (Vahl) Vahl 








Rhynchospora tenerrima Nees 


Distribution: West Indies, Tropical South America 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat,Antigua, Nevis, 




_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

173 



Scleria latifolia Sw. 

Description: 30‐200cm tall. 

Distribution: Tropical America from Guatemala and the 

Lesser Antilles south to northern Guatemala 






Scleria pterota Presley 

Description: Rhizomatous, creeping, perennial; culms 

50‐100 cm tall. 

Key ID Feature: Culms solitary or 2 or 3 together 

Distribution: Tropical America from the West Indies 

south to southern Argentina 


Antigua, Nevis, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. 

Lucia, St. Vincent, Barbados, Grenada 



Scleria secans (L.) Urb. 

Description: Rhizomatous perennial; culms attaining 

10m in length. 

Notes: Syn: Scleria reflexa 

Distribution: Tropical America, from Mexico and the 

West Indies southward to southern Brazil 


Guadeloupe, Dominica, Matinique, St. Lucia, St. 




DENNSTAEDTIACEAE 

Anisosorus hirsutus Underw. & Maxon 

Description: Large terrestrial fern; fronds 1‐2.5m long. 



Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, Saba, Nevis, 

Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St Lucia, St. Vin‐ 




DIOSCOREACEAE 

Dioscorea alata L. 

Common Name(s): Yami marron. 

Description: Glabrous herbaceous vine; stems 4‐angled. 

Distribution: Native of Southeast Asia and cultivated 

throughout the tropics. 


gua, Barbuda, Saba, St. Eustatius, Guadeloupe, Marie 

Galante, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, Grenada 



Dioscorea polygonoides Humb. & Bonpl. ex Willd. 


Distribution: Mexico, Central America, Jamaica, His‐ 

paniola, Puerto Rico, South America 



Grenada 



Rajania cordata L. 

Common Name(s): Wa‐wa. 

Description: Herbaceous vine; often exceeding 10 m in 

length 

Distribution: Jamaica, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Trinidad 


Kitts, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Vincent 



DRACAENACEAE 

Sansevieria cylindrica Bojer ex Hook. 

Description: Stemless plants with stout rhizomes. 

Distribution: Native of Mauritius, widely cultivated and 

persisting 


Antigua, Guadleoupe, Martinique 



Sansevieria trifasciata Prain 

Common Name(s): Snake plant. 

Description: Stemless plants with stout rhizomes. 

Notes: sited by UKOTs team feb 06 in Mrat. But not in 

Flora as occurring in Montserrat 


Distribution: Native of Africa, cultivated and persisting/ 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat*, St. Martin, 

Saba, St. Eustatius, Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Lucia, 

St. Vincent 



DRYOPTERIDACEAE 

Ctenitis meridionalis (Poir.) Ching 

Description: Terrestrial fern; fronds 1‐1.3m long. 



Kitts, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Grenada. 



Polystichopsis muscosa (Vahl) Proctor 

Description: Small terrestrial fern: fronds 30‐65cm long. 

Distribution: Trinidad, Margarita Island 


_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


174

Martinique, St Lucia. 



Stigmatopteris rotundata (Willd.) C. Chr. 

Description: Terrestrial fern; fronds up to 2m long. 

Distribution: Trinidad, Brazil 





Tectaria heracleifolia (Willd.) Underw. 


Distribution: Florida, Bahamas, Greater Antilles, conti‐ 

nental tropical America from Mexico to Peru and Vene‐ 

zuela 


St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, La Desirade, Dominica, Martin‐ 

ique, St Lucia, Barbados. 



Tectaria incisa Cav. 

Description: Terrestrial fern; fronds up to 1.5m long. 


nental tropical America from Mexico to Bolivia and Bra‐ 

zil 


Eustatius, St. Kitts, Nevis, Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, 




Tectaria plantaginea (Jacq.) Maxon 


Distribution: Puerto Rico, Tobago, Trinidad, continental 

tropical America from Belize to Peru and Brazil 






Tectaria trifoliata (L.) Cav. 

Description: Terrestrial fern; fronds up to 1.5m long. 

Distribution: Greater Antilles except Jamaica; Tobago, 

Trinidad, northern South America. 



St Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada. 



EBENACEAE 

Diospyros blancoi A. DC. 

Common Name(s): Mabolo, velvet persimmon. 


Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, Guadeloupe 



Diospyros malabarica (Desr.) Kostel. 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, Dominica, St. 

Lucia 



Diospyros revoluta Poir. 

Common Name(s): Barbara, black apple. 


Distribution: Hispaniola, Puerto Rico. 


Marie Galante, Dominica, St Lucia. 



ELAEOCARPACEAE 

Sloanea berteriana Choisy ex DC. 

Common Name(s): Bullwood. 

Description: Tree; to 25(‐30)m tall. 






Sloanea dentata L. 

Common Name(s): Burrwood. 



Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, St Kitts, Guade‐ 

loupe, Dominica, Martinique. 



Sloanea massoni Sw. 

Common Name(s): Burrwood, bullet tree, red santinee, 

ironwood. 




Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St Vincent, Gre‐ 

nada. 



ERYTHROXYLACEAE 

Erythroxylum havanense Jacq. 

Common Name(s): Barberry, lionwood. 


Distribution: Cuba, Lesser Antilles, Mexico to Panama, 

Columbia, Equador, Venezuela, Trinidad, Guyana 


gua, Saba, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, La De‐ 

sirade, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, the 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

175 





EUPHORBIACEAE 

Acalypha poiretii Spreng. 

Description: Annual herb; < 50 cm. 

Distribution: Old World native, introduced occasionally 

and persisting as a weed in the New World. 


Kitts, Marie Galante, the Grenadines, Barbados 



Bernardia corensis (Jacq.) M ll. Arg. 

Description: Monoecious shrub or small tree; to 4m tall. 

Distribution: Lesser Antilles, Northern South America. 







Cnidoscolus aconitifolius (Mill.) I.M. Johnst. 

Description: Small tree or shrub; to 6m. 

Distribution: Nexico, Central America, Cultivated else‐ 

where 


Martinique 



Codiaeum variegatum (L.) A. Juss. 


Distribution: Native of Polynesia but widely cultivated‐ 

all propagated asexually 


Lucia 



Croton astroites Dryand. 

Common Name(s): Balsam, black balsam. 


Distribution: Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Leeser Antilles. 




tinique. 



Croton corylifolius Lam. 

Description: Shrub or slender tree to 10m tall. 

Distribution: Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola. 


Dominica, St Lucia, St Vincent. 



Croton flavans L. 

Common Name(s): Rock sage, sage, balsam, copaiba. 


Notes: common in drier areas. Sap applied directly to 

ring‐worm infections. 

Distribution: Greater Antilles, Venezuela 


Martin, Barbuda Antigua, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, 

Redonda, Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, Les Saintes, Do‐ 





Croton hirtus LʹH‚r. 

Description: Herb; to 60cm tall. 

Distribution: Jamaica, Mexico, Central and South Amer‐ 

ica 


Dominica, Martinique, St. Vincent 



Croton lobatus L. 

Description: Annual herb; to 60 cm tall. 

Distribution: Neotropics, widespread in other tropical 

areas. 


Martin, St. Barts, Antigua, Saba, St. Eustatius, Redonda, 

Guadeloupe, La Desirade, Marie Galante, St. Lucia, St. 




Dalechampia scandens L. 

Description: Slender vine; stems to 5m long. 



tigua, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Marie Gal‐ 

ante, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Gre‐ 




Drypetes glauca M. Vahl 

Common Name(s): Green heart. 




Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St Vincent. 



Euphorbia articulata Aubl., (Aublet) Britton 

Nomenclature Notes: (Aublet) Britton 

Description: Erect Shrub; 1‐3m tall. 

Key ID Feature: conspicuous swollen nodes 

Distribution: Bahamas, Puerto Rico 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


176


buda, Antigua, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, La 


ique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, the Grenadines. 



Euphorbia cotinifolia L. 


Distribution: Mexico, Central and northern South Amer‐ 

ica 


Vincent, the Grenadines 



Euphorbia heterophylla L. 

Common Name(s): Male ipecac, galloping warner. 

Description: Annual or perennial herb; to 1m tall. 

Distribution: Worldwide in tropical and subtropical ar‐ 

eas as a weed. 


Barts, Barbuda, Antigua, St. Eustatius, Dominica, Mar‐ 

tinique, St. Lucia, the Grenadines, Grenada, Barbados 



Euphorbia hirta (L.) Millsp. 

Description: Annual; to 30cm. 

Distribution: Possibly worldwide in the tropics. 


gua, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Mar‐ 

tinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, the Grenadines, Grenada, 

Barbados. 



Euphorbia hypericifolia (L.) Millsp. 

Description: Erect annual; to 40cm. 








Euphorbia hyssopifolia (L.) Small 

Description: Erect annual; to 60cm. 




gua, Guadeloupe, Dominica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Gre‐ 

nada 



Euphorbia mesembrianthemifolia (Jacq.) Dugand 

Description: Erect shrub; to 2m tall. 

Distribution: Bahamas, Greater Antilles, Venezuela, Co‐ 

lumbia 


Martin, St. Barts, Barbuda, Antigua, St. Eustatius, Gua‐ 

deloupe, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, the Grena‐ 




Hippomane mancinella L. 

Common Name(s): Manchineel, poison apple, mance‐ 

nillier, beach apple, med‐sinnye. 

Description: Tree; to 10m tall (or stunted plants when on 

limestone). 

Notes: the toxicity of this plant should not be underesti‐ 

mated according to Howard. 

Distribution: Florida, Mexico, Central and northern 

South America, Bahamas, Greater Antillles. 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, Anguilla, Bar‐ 

buda, Antigua, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, Les 





Jatropha curcas L. 

Common Name(s): Physic nut. 


Distribution: Mexico and Central America,. Introduced 

and cultivated elsewhere in the tropics 


Martin, St. Barts, Barbuda, Saba, St. Eustatius, Guade‐ 

loupe, Dominica, St. Vincent, the Grenadines, Grenada, 

Barbados 



Jatropha gossypifolia L. 

Common Name(s): Physic nut, belly‐ache bush, figus 

nut. 

Description: Slightly woody shrub; to 2m tall. 

Notes: common in dry areas and wastelands 

Distribution: Florida, Mexico, Central and South Amer‐ 

ica, Bahamas, Greater Antilles 



Kitts, Guadeloupe, La Desirade, Dominica, Martinique, 


dos. 



Jatropha integerrima Jacq. 


Distribution: Native to Cuba now commonly cultivated 

in neotropics 


Martin, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. 




_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

177 


Jatropha multifida L. 

Common Name(s): Coral plant, French physic nut, Span‐ 

ish physic nut, corail. 


Distribution: Native to tropical America but widely cul‐ 

tivated 




Barbados. 



Manihot esculenta Crantz 

Common Name(s): Manihot, cassava, yuca. 

Description: Monoecious shrub. 

Distribution: Native to South America; widely cultivated 


Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat (sited by 

UKOTs team feb 06), Barbuda, Antigua, Guadeloupe, 




Pedilanthus tithymaloides (L.) Poit. 

Common Name(s): Slipper plant, milk bush, jew bush, 

bleeding heart, patagon, red bird flower. 

Description: Shrubs; often forming dense clumps; stems 

to 2m tall. 


ica, Greater Antilles 







Richeria grandis M. Vahl 


Distribution: Panama, Trinidad, northern South America 


deloupe, La Desirade, Marie Galante, Dominica, Martin‐ 

ique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, the Grenadines, Grenada. 



Ricinus communis L. 

Common Name(s): Caster oil plant, carapate, ricin. 

Description: Shrub or soft wooded small tree; to 5m tall. 

Distribution: widely cultivated and naturalized in tropi‐ 

cal areas. 



Vincent. 



Sapium caribaeum Urb. 

Common Name(s): Bird‐lime. 

Description: Tree; 20m tall. 







Tragia volubilis L. 

Common Name(s): Stinging nettle, stinging wiss, fire‐ 

man. 

Description: Twining, slightly woody vine; stems to 4m 

long. 

Distribution: Central and South America, Greater Antil‐ 

les 







GENTIANACEAE 

Enicostema verticillatum (L.) Engl. 


Distribution: Greater Anilles, Central America, Trinidad, 

Tobago, northern Venezuela 






Voyria aphylla (Jacq.) Pers. 

Description: Herb; 15‐30cm tall. 








Voyria tenella Hook. 





Vincent 



GESNERIACEAE 

Alloplectus cristatus (L.) Mart. 

Common Name(s): Wild fuchsia. 

Description: Scandent epiphytic shrub. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


178

Distribution: Guianas 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, St. Barts, St. 





Besleria lutea L. 


Distribution: Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola. 






Columnea scandens L. 

Description: Epiphytic or terrestrial slightly woody herb; 

stems to 50cm long. 


America 



Barbados. 



Gesneria ventricosa Sw. 

Common Name(s): Wild frangipani. 


Distribution: St Croix. 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, St Barts, Saba, 

St Eustatius, St Kitts, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martin‐ 

ique, St Lucia. 



GLEICHENIACEAE 

Dicranopteris pectinata (Willd.) Underw. 

Description: Fern 


nental tropical America; common and widely distrib‐ 

uted 


Guadleoupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Liucia, St. Vin‐ 

cent, Grenada 



Gleichenia bifida (Willd.) Spreng. 



ica from Mexico to Brazil and Bolivia 


Guadleoupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vin‐ 

cent, Grenada 



GRAMMITIDACEAE 

Cochlidium seminudum (Willd.) Maxon 

Description: Small epiphytic fern; fronds 8‐20cm long. 

Distribution: Greater Antilles except Cuba; Trinidad, 

northern South America 






Grammitis asplenifolia (L.) Proctor 

Description: Epiphytic fern; fronds 15‐45mm long. 







Grammitis eggersii (Baker ex Hook.) Proctor 

Description: Epiphytic fern; fronds 6‐25cm long. 



deloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Vincent, Grenada. 



Grammitis serrulata (Sw.) Sw. 

Description: Terrestrial/epiphytic fern; fronds 2‐10cm 

long 


tropical America, tropical Africa 






Grammitis taenifolia (Jenman) Proctor 

Description: Epiphytic fern; fronds 5‐20mm long. 

Distribution: Greater Antilles except Cuba; Trinidad, 



Nevis, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Vincent, 

Grenada. 



HAEMODORACEAE 

Xiphidium caeruleum Aubl. 

Description: Perennail herb, 20‐60cm tall 



Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, St. Kitts, Do‐ 

minica, St. Vincent 


_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

179 



HELICONIACEAE 

Heliconia bihai (L.) L. 

Common Name(s): Wild plantain. 

Description: Plants 1.5‐4.0 m tall. 







Heliconia caribaea Lam. 

Description: Herbs 3‐6 m tall. 






HERNANDIACEAE 

Hernandia sonora L. 

Common Name(s): Jack‐in‐the‐box. 

Description: Large evergreen tree to 20 m. 

Key ID Feature: The bark is thick, whitish‐brown and 

covered with small warts in vertical rows. The leaves are 

large and thin, heart‐shaped, alternate, smooth, with 

palmate veination (13.5‐38 x 9.5‐26cm). Flowers are 

small and 

Distribution: Endemic to the Greater and Lesser Antilles 


Martinique, St. Vincent, Barbados 



HYDROCHARITACEAE 

Limnobium laevigatum (Humb. & Bonpl. ex Willd.) Heine, 

Adansonia, n.s., 8: 315 (1968). (0) 

Description: Compact, floating plants, or if rooted in 

mud, the leaves often much elongated. 

Distribution: Mexico, Central America, Cuba, Puerto 

Rico, South America 


deloupe, Martinique, St. Lucia 



HYDROPHYLLACEAE 

Nama jamaicensis L. 

Description: Annual herb, much branched with prostrate 

stems, to 20 cm long. 

Distribution: Florida to Texas, Greater Antilles, Mexico, 

Central America, Venezuela 


buda, Antigua, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Mar‐ 

tinique, the Grenadines, Barbados. 



HYMENOPHYLLACEAE 

Hymenophyllum hirsutum ( L. ) Sw. var. gratum (Fée) 

Proctor, Listed as Hymenophyllum hirtellum var. gra‐ 

tum in Flora of Less Ant but name not accepted by 

Nomenclature Notes: Listed as Hymenophyllum hirtel‐ 

lum var. gratum in Flora of Less Ant but name not ac‐ 

cepted by 

Description: Fern. 



Nevis, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. 




Hymenophyllum hirsutum (L.) Sw. 



tropical America 


Nevis, Guadleoupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. 




Hymenophyllum macrothecum F‚e 




Nevis, Guadeloupe, St. Vincent, Grenada 



Trichomanes alatum Sw. 


Distribution: Greater Antilles, Trinidad, Margarita Is‐ 

land 






Trichomanes angustifrons (F‚e) Wess. Boer 

Description: Ferns; colonial, forming mats. 


ica 


Kitts, Nevis, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St Lu‐ 

cia, St. Vincent, Grenada 



Trichomanes crispum L. 


_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


180


tropical America. 






Trichomanes holopterum Kunze 




Dominica, Martinique, St. Vincent, Grenada 



Trichomanes hymenophylloides Bosch 

Description: Fern (usually epiphytic). 




Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, Grenada. 



Trichomanes membranaceum L. 

Description: Ferns; colonial, forming dense mats. 


nental tropical America 



cent, Grenada 



Trichomanes polypodioides L. 

Description: Fern; epiphytic. 




Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St Lucia, St. 




Trichomanes punctatum Poir. 

Description: Ferns; colonial, forming thin mats. 

Distribution: Puerto Rico, Tobago, Trinidad, Venezuela 


Kitts, Nevis, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St Lu‐ 

cia, St. Vincent, Grenada 



LAMIACEAE 

Hyptis atrorubens Poit. 

Common Name(s): Lanmant, mint. 

Description: Slender herbs; rooting at nodes; stems 1m 

long. 

Distribution: Mexico, Central America, northern South 

America 



Barbados. 



Hyptis capitata Jacq. 

Description: Perennial herb; to 2m tall. 


through South America, established in Old World trop‐ 

ics 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, Guadeloupe, La 



Barbados. 



Hyptis mutabilis (Rich.) Briq. 

Description: Herb; to 1‐2 m tall. 

Distribution: Mexico, Central and South America 


Martinique, St. Lucia, Grenada 



Hyptis pectinata (L.) Poit. 


Distribution: Southern US, Greater Antilles, widespread 

and abundant weed of American Tropics, Africa and 

Asia 



Marie Galante, Dominica, St. Vincent, the Grenadines, 




Hyssopus officinalis L. 

Cultivated: culinary herb 




Leonotis nepetifolia (L.) R. Br. 

Common Name(s): Johnny Collins, bird honey, Lord 

Lavington, bald head, grow pompon. 

Description: Erect herb; to 2m. 

Distribution: Native of tropical Africa. Now a pantropi‐ 

cal weed. 


Barts, Barbuda, Antigua, Saba, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, 


Barbados. 



Leonurus sibiricus L. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

181 


Common Name(s): Motherwort. 


Distribution: Native of Asia established in Greater Antil‐ 

les, Mexico, and Central and South America. 


Martin, Barbuda, Antigua, Saba, Guadeloupe, Les 





Marsypianthus chamaedrys Bartl. 

Common Name(s): Marguerite. 

Description: Herb; to 70cm long. 

Distribution: Native of Asia established in Greater 

Antilles, Mexico, and Central and South America. 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, St. Barts, 





Mentha spicata L. 

Cultivated: culinary herb 




Ocimum basilicum L. 

Common Name(s): Basilic. 

Description: Erect annual herb; to 60cm. 

Distribution: Native of India or Asia now widely distrib‐ 

uted in tropical areas 


deloupe, La Desirade, Dominica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent. 



Ocimum campechianum Mill. 

Common Name(s): Balm, basil. 

Description: Erect annual herb; to 0.5m tall. 

Distribution: Widely distributed in the neotropis 







Ocimum gratissimum L. 

Common Name(s): Mint, basilic. 

Description: Perennial shrub; to 2m tall. 

Distribution: Native of India, but common in all tropical 

areas. 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat,Antigua, Gua‐ 





Salvia coccinea Bucʹhoz ex Etl. 


Distribution: cultivated or escaped in many tropical 

countries 


Martinique, St. Vincent 



Vitex divaricata Sw. 


Distribution: Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Trinidad 

and the Lesser Antilles. 



cia, St. Vincent, Grenada, Barbados 



LAURACEAE 

Aniba bracteata (Nees) Mez 

Common Name(s): Red Sweetwood. 

Description: Small tree; to 15m tall. 

Key ID Feature: Leaves 15‐25cm long, 4‐7cm wide; very 

stiff, rough, elliptical, drawn out at the tip and heart‐ 

shaped at the base; clustered at the ends of the 

branchlets. Flowers are small, white and produced in 

terminal panic 



loupe, Dominica, Martinique, St Lucia St Vincent. 



Beilschmiedia pendula (Sw.) Hemsl. 

Common Name(s): Zaboca, sweetwood, red sweetwood. 








Cinnamomum elongatum (Nees) Kosterm. 

Common Name(s): Pitch‐pine, sweetwood. 


Distribution: Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Trinidad, 

Tobago 


Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada 



Licaria salicifolia (Sw.) Kosterm. 


Key ID Feature: Leaves 3.5‐15x1‐4.5cm; very stiff, lanceo‐ 

late, drawn out to a point, veins arching alongthe edge. 

Branches rust‐coloured and minutely tomentose. Flow‐ 

ers are greenish in short axillary spikes. Fruit ovoid‐ 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


182

oblang, 



deloupe, Marie Galante, Martinique. 



Nectandra coriacea (Sw.) Griseb. 


Notes: Nectandra is a syn of Ocotea 





Nectandra dominicana (Meisn.) Mez 


Notes: In original Howard species list but not in his 

Flora. 


Lesser Antilles Distribution: Guadeloupe, Dominica, 

Martinique. 



Ocotea cernua (Nees) Mez 


Distribution: Southern Mexico and Central America, and 




cia, St. Vincent 



Ocotea coriacea (Sw.) Britton 



Antilles, Lesser Antilles, northern South America, Trini‐ 

dad 


buda, Antigua, Saba, St. Eustatius, Guadeloupe, Marie 





Ocotea floribunda (Sw.) Mez 

Common Name(s): Sweet wood. 

Description: Tree; dioecious; to 20m tall. 

Distribution: Greater Antilles, Lesser Antilles, Central 

America, northern South America 


deloupe 



Ocotea leucoxylon (Sw.) Laness. 

Common Name(s): Pumpkin sweetwood. 


Distribution: Greater and Lesser Antilles, Trinidad and 

Tobago. 



Vincent, Greanda 



Ocotea martinicensis Mez 

Description: Tree; sometimes with aerial roots; to 12 m 

tall. 

Key ID Feature: Leaves obovate, large, with a blunt tip, 

minutely tomentose and 5 to 10 pairs of veins uniting 

into an arc near the edge of the leaf. Leaves not aromatic. 

Flowers white and fragrant in axillary panicle. Fruit ov 

Distribution: Lesser Antilles. 


Dominica, Martinique, St Vincent, Grenada. 



Ocotea membranacea (Sw.) HOWARD 

Common Name(s): Sweetwood. 


Distribution: Greater and Lesser Antilles, Trinidad and 

Tobago. 


Kitts, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, 

Grenada 



Ocotea patens (Sw.) Nees 



Distribution: Greater and Lesser Antilles 


St. Eustatius, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. 

Lucia, St. Vincent 



Persea americana Mill. 

Common Name(s): Pear, avocado, avocado pear, 

alligator pear. 


Distribution: Native to Central America but generally 

cultivated and persisting in tropical areas. 


Guadeloupe, Dominica, St. Vincent, Probably on all 

islands but not represented by herbarium specimens 



Persea urbaniana Mez 



Distribution: Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Lesser Antilles. 



_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

183 




Phoebe elongata Nees 


Notes: Syn of Cinnamomum elongatum 

Distribution: Greater and Lesser Antilles, trinidad and 

Tobago. 




LECYTHIDACEAE 

Barringtonia asiatica (L.) Kurz 

Common Name(s): Pain tree, mitreʹs cap, bishopʹs cap. 


Notes: Occurs mainly in littoral habitats but can tolerate 

drier sites. The fruits and esp. the seeds are used as fish 

poison, and on Antigua as a remedy for headaches 

Distribution: Native from Madagascar and the Seychelle 

Islands to Southern India, Sri Lanka, southeast Asia, 

Malaysia, northeastern Austrailia, Micronesia, and the 

Pacific Islands. 





Couroupita guianensis Aubl. 

Common Name(s): Cannonball tree. 

Description: Deciduous or evergreen trees; up to 35m 

tall. 

Notes: Cultivated. Occuring in humid rainforest 



Guadeloupe, Dominica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent 



LEGUMINOSAE‐CAES 

Caesalpinia bonduc (L.) Roxb. 

Common Name(s): Grey nicker, horse‐nicker, Bahama 

Brazilletto, konik. 

Description: Scrambling shrub or vine; to 6 (15)m tall. 

Distribution: Florida, Bermuda, Mexico and Central 

America, West Indies, South America, Old World tropics 


martin, St. Barts, Antigua, Saba, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, 





Caesalpinia pulcherrima (L.) Sw. 

Common Name(s): Barbados‐pride, flower pride, Span‐ 

ish carnation, flower fence, dwarf poinciana. 


Distribution: Native to S America, widely cultivated. 


Martin, St. Barts, Antigua, Barbuda, Saba, St. Eustatius, 


St Vincent, Grenada, Barbados 



Cassia grandis L. 

Common Name(s): Horse cassia. 


Distribution: Central and South America 




Cassia javanica L. 

Common Name(s): Stinking toe, pink cassi. 


Distribution: Eastern Asia, but widely planted through‐ 

out the tropics 


lucia, Barbados 



Chamaecrista glandulosa Greene var. schwartzii ( Wiks ) 

H.S.Irwin & Barn 

Common Name(s): Wild tamarind, broom cassi, dutch‐ 

manʹs butter. 

Description: Erect shrubs; to 2m tall. 



buda, Antigua, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, 


cent, the Grenadines, Grenada 



Haematoxylon campechianum L. 

Common Name(s): Logwood, campeachy wood, champ‐ 

ish. 


Distribution: Mexico, Central America, West Indies 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, St Martin, St. 

Barts, Antigua, Barbuda, Saba, St. Eustatius, Guade‐ 

loupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, the 




Hymenaea courbaril L. 

Common Name(s): Locust tree, stinking tree, koubawi, 

koukoubawi. 


Distribution: Mexico, Central America, West Indies 

(except Bahamas), South America 


Barts, Antigua, Saba, St. Eustatius, Guadeloupe, Les 

Saintes, Marie Galante, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


184

St. Vincent, the Grenadines, Grenada 



Parkinsonia aculeata L. 

Common Name(s): Jerusalem thorn, holy thorn, royal 

cashiaw. 


Distribution: Florida to Texas, Mexico, Central America, 

West Indies, South America 


Barts, Antigua, Barbuda, St. Eustatius, Guadeloupe, Do‐ 

minica, Martinique, St. Vincent, the Grenadines, Gre‐ 




Senna alata (L.) Roxb. 

Common Name(s): Taratana, talentro, ringworm shrub, 

Christmas candle. 

Description: Tree or large shrub; 1‐4m tall. 

Notes: syn of Cassia alata 

Distribution: West Indies, Mexico south to northern Co‐ 

lumbia, east to Guianas, Brasil, Ecuador, Paraguay, 

northern Agentina; cultivated in US and Old World 

Tropics 






Senna bacillaris (L. f.) H.S. Irwin & Barneby var. bacillaris 

Common Name(s): Christmas blossom, Christmas bush. 

Description: Shrub; to 3‐8m tall. 

Distribution: south from Nicuaragua across northern 

South America north to the Winward Isles. Cultivated 

elsewherre 


Kitts, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Vincent, 




Senna bicapsularis (L.) Roxb. var. bicapsularis 

Common Name(s): Black dog bush, money bush. 

Description: Spreading shrub; up to 3.5m tall. 

Distribution: Perhaps native to s and e Caribbean, intro‐ 

duced elsewhere throughout Neotropics and Pa‐ 

laeotropics. 


gua, Barbuda, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, La 



Barbados 



Senna obtusifolia (L.) Irwin & Barneby 

Common Name(s): Italian senna. 

Description: Monocarpic herb; 3‐24dm. 

Distribution: Weedy throughout the tropics. 


Barts, Antigua, Barbuda, Guadeloupe, Dominca, Martin‐ 

ique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada 



Senna occidentalis (L.) Link 

Common Name(s): Wild coffee, coffee bush, stinking 

weed, wild French guava, stinking bush, pis‐a‐bed, d 

Description: Coarse maloderous weedy herb; usually 1‐ 

2m tall. 

Notes: common in waste ground 

Distribution: weedy through the Neotropics, north to 

eastern and central US., south to northern Agentina, not 

recorded from pacific Peru or Amazonian Hylaea 


Martin, Saba, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martin‐ 




Senna siamea (Lam.) Irwin & Barneby 

Common Name(s): Kas, casse. 

Description: Tree; up to 10‐15m tall. 

Distribution: Forest margins in Burma and Thailand; 

cultivated throughout the tropics 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Cultivated; Montserrat, St. 

Lucia 



Senna sophora (L.) Roxb. 

Description: Large, leafy, futescent herb; up to 1‐2m tall. 

Notes: found growing in waste places 

Distribution: circum‐Caribbean; Barhamas to West In‐ 

dies, Mexico to Columbian Andes, and east to Guyana 


buda, Guadeloupe, La Desirade, Dominica, Barbados 



Tamarindus indica L. 

Description: Tree; to 20 m. 

Distribution: Origin unknown; possibly tropical Africa; 

cultivated throughout the tropics 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, St. Martin , St. 

Barts, Antigua, Barbuda, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, 





LEGUMINOSAE‐MIM 

Acacia farnesiana (L.) Willd. 

Common Name(s): Sweet cassis. 


Distribution: Florida, and the Gulf Coast, Central Amer‐ 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

185 


ica, Greater Antilles, northern South America 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, Barbuda, St. 


Les Saintes, Dominica, , Martinique, St. lucia, St. Vincnet, 

the Grenadines, Grenada, Barbados 



Acacia glauca (L.) Moench 

Common Name(s): Redwood. 


Key ID Feature: unarmed, branches sparsely pubescent. 

Distribution: Curucao 


Vincent 



Acacia nilotica (L.) Delile 

Common Name(s): Cassie, casha. 


Distribution: An African species introduced to the 

Greater and Lesser Antilles. 


buda, Antigua, Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Lucia, the 




Acacia retusa (Jacq.) Howard 

Description: Woody vine or slender tree; to 7m tall. 


Trinidad, northern South America 


barts, St. Eustatius, Antigua, Guadeloupe, Dominica, 

Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada 



Acacia tortuosa (L.) Willd. 

Common Name(s): Alabama cossy. 


Distribution: Florida, Greater Antilles, northern South 

America 


buda, Antigua, St. Eustatius, Guadeloupe, Martinique, 

Barbados 



Adenanthera pavonina L. 

Common Name(s): Red sandalwood, dimawi, jumbi 

bead. 


Notes: the flowers often have a strong and foul odour. 

The seeds are commonly used in necklaces and local 

handicraft. 

Distribution: Widespread in tropical Asia and cultivated 

and persisting throughout the tropics. 






Albizia caribaea (Urb.) Britton & Rose 

Common Name(s): Tantacayo. 


Distribution: Central America, Trinidad, Tobago, Vene‐ 

zuala 





Bauhinia tomentosa L. 


Distribution: Native to Asia; widely cultivated 


Kitts, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, Bar‐ 

bados 



Calliandra haematocephala Hassk. 


Distribution: Native to Bolivia but widely cultivated ub 

the American tropics 


Dominica, St. Lucia 



Calliandra purpurea (L.) Benth. 

Description: Shrub or small tree; 4 or 5 m tall. 

Distribution: Trinidad, Venezuela 


Kitts, Guadeloupe, Les Saintes, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. 

Vincent, the Grenadines, Grenada 



Calliandra surinamensis Benth. 

Common Name(s): Bwa pata. 


Distribution: Native to northern South America but cul‐ 

tivated elsewhere in American tropics 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Cultivated, persisting or 

escaped. Montserrat, Guadeloupe, St. Lucia, Barbados 



Desmanthus virgatus (L.) Willd. 

Description: Erect or ascending herb or subshrub; 0.5‐2 

m. 

Distribution: Greater Antilles, Trinidad and Tobago. 


martin, St. Barts, Antigua, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Domin‐ 

ica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. vincent, the Grenadines, 



_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


186


Enterolobium cyclocarpum (Jacq.) Griseb. 

Common Name(s): Monkey ear. 

Description: Large‐trunked tree; to 25m. 

Distribution: Mexico to Venezuela, although introduced 

elsewhere 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Cultivated or persisting. 

Montserrat, Martinique, St. Lucia, Barbados 



Inga laurina (Sw.) Willd. 

Common Name(s): Spanish oak, cacoley. 


Distribution: Greater Antilles, Trinidad 



ique, St. Vincent, Grenada, Barbados 



Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) de Wit 

Common Name(s): Wild tamarind, wild mimosa, mon‐ 

val. 


Distribution: Widespread in Tropical America and intro‐ 

duced to Africa and Asia. 


Barts, Barbuda, Antigua, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Domin‐ 


Grenada 



Mimosa pudica L. 

Common Name(s): Sensitive plant. 

Description: Herbaceous or woody plants. 

Key ID Feature: leaflets, pinnae and leaves are all sensi‐ 

tive to touch 





St. Vincent, the Grenadiines, Grenada, Barbados 



Pithecellobium unguis‐cati Benth. 

Local Name(s): Bread and Cheese 

Common Name(s): Bread and cheese, doctor long, 

groven eye. 

Description: Shrub to small tree; to 6m tall. 

Uses: Dye made from bark. 

Distribution: Florida, Venezuela, Greater Antilles. 


Martin, St. Barts, Barbuda, Antigua, St. Kitts, Guade‐ 

loupe, La Desirade, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. 




Prosopis juliflora (Sw.) DC. 



South America 


buda, Barbados 



Samanea saman (Jacq.) Merr. 

Common Name(s): Saman, rain tree, coco tamarind. 



South America 


buda, Guadeloupe, Dominica, martinique, St. Lucia, St. 

Vincent, the Grenadines, Grenada, barbados 



LEGUMINOSAE‐PAP 

Abrus precatorius L. 

Description: Climbing or twining woody slender vine; to 

3 m long. 

Distribution: Probably pantropical. 



Guadeloupe, Les Saintes, Dominica, Martinique, St. Vin‐ 




Aeschynomene villosa Poir. 

Description: Stems to 1m long; prostrate to weakly as‐ 

cending. 

Distribution: US, Mexico, Central and South America, 

Greater Antilles 


Guadleoupe, Martinique 



Andira sapinoides (DC.) Benth. 

Common Name(s): Angelin. 


Key ID Feature: Leaves pinnately compound, 15‐30cm 

long, leaflets 7.5‐12cm long, 3‐3.5cm wide, and 9‐11 in 

number. Inflorescenes axillary. corolla pink‐purple. Fruit 

globose to obovoid, fleshy, indehiscent; one seed. 

Distribution: Lesser Antilles 


deloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, Grenada 



Arachis hypogaea L. 

Common Name(s): Peanut, ground nut. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

187 



Notes: plants persist in abandoned gardens 

Distribution: Cultivated in tropical countries 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, St. martin, An‐ 

tigua, Saba, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Vin‐ 




Cajanus cajan (L.) Huth 

Common Name(s): Pigeon pea, pigeon pea bush. 

Description: Erect perennial shrub; to 4m. 

Distribution: Assumed to have originated in Africa, 

widely distributed. 


martin, St. Barts, Antigua, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, 





Calopogonium mucunoides Desv. 

Common Name(s): Wild ground nut. 

Description: Twining, trailing herb; with stems several 

metres long. 


south America 


Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent 



Centrosema virginianum (L.) Benth. 

Common Name(s): Wild pea, butterfly pea, blue bell. 

Description: Twining herbs. 

Distribution: southern US, Mexico, Central America, 

Greater Antilles, South America, and introduced else‐ 

where 


martin, St. barts, Antigua, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Guade‐ 


St. Vincent. Grenada 



Clitoria ternatea L. 

Common Name(s): Blue pea, butterfly pea. 

Description: Herbaceous vine, rampant and profuse. 

Distribution: native of the paleotropics, widely estab‐ 

lished in the Neotropics 


Barts, Barbuda, Antigua, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Guade‐ 

loupe, Martinique, St. Vincent, the Grenadines, Barbados 



Cracca caribaea (Jacq.) Benth. 

Description: Shrub or woody herb; to 1.5 m. 

Distribution: Greater and lesser Antilles, northern S 

America. 


Barts, Antigua, St. Eustatius, Guadeloupe, Martinique, 

St. Vincent, the Grendines 



Crotalaria micans Link 


Distribution: Mexico, Central America, Trinidad, South 

America 





Crotalaria pallida Aiton 

Description: Erect annual or shrub; to 2m. 

Distribution: throughout the tropics as a weed 


minica, Martinique, St. Vincent 



Crotalaria retusa L. 

Common Name(s): Shack‐shack, popbush, shak shak. 

Description: Branched annual; to 1m tall. 

Distribution: Probably of Asian origin but now pan‐ 

tropical 




St. Vincent, Grenada, barbados 



Crotalaria verrucosa L. 

Common Name(s): Shack‐shack, purple pop bush. 

Description: Annual herb; to 80 cm. 

Distribution: Native to Asia, now widely naturalised in 

tropics. 


martin, St. Barts, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. kitts, Guade‐ 

loupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. lucia, St. Vincent, the 




Dalbergia ecastaphyllum (L.) Taub. 

Description: Small tree or shrublike vine; 2‐20m long. 

Distribution: Florida, Greater Antilles, Trinidad, South 

America, tropical Africa 


buda, Antigua, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. 




Desmodium adscendens (Sw.) DC. 

Description: Herb; repent and rooting along the stem; 6‐ 

24 inches tall. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


188

Distribution: Widespread in tropical Africa, Asia and 

America. 






Desmodium incanum DC. 

Common Name(s): Sweethearts. 

Description: Shrubby herb; to3m tall. 

Distribution: throughout tropical America and Old 

World Tropics 


barts, Barbuda, Antigua, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, 



Barbados 



Desmodium scopiurus (Sw.) Desv. 

Description: Herb. 

Distribution: Throughout tropical America and a weed 

elsewhere. 






Desmodium tortuosum (Sw.) DC. 

Common Name(s): Beggar Weed, sweetheart. 

Description: Woody herb or shrub; to 1m. 

Distribution: Native to subtropical and tropical America 

but widely cultivated as green manure. 







Erythrina corallodendrum L. var. bicolor Krukoff 

Common Name(s): Jumbie cutlass, Coral Tree. 

Description: Tree or shrub; to 8m tall. 

Key ID Feature: Differs from the straight species in hav‐ 

ing seeds part red and part black. 

Distribution: Jamaica, Haiti and the Lesser Antilles and 

Cultivated elsewhere. 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat,St. Kitts, Guade‐ 





Erythrina poeppigiana (Walp.) Cook 

Common Name(s): Immortelle. 

Description: Large tree; armed with spines. 

Distribution: Native of South America, established in 



Martinique, St. Lucia, Grenada, Barbados 



Erythrina variegata L. 

Common Name(s): Easter flower, Holocauste, Motel. 


Distribution: Asia, Oceania, Africa and introduced else‐ 

where in the Tropics. 


tigua, Saba, Guadeloupe, Les Saintes, Martinique, St. 

Lucia, the Grenadines, Grenada 



Flemingia strobilifera (L.) R. Br. 

Common Name(s): Wild hops, Luck plant. 

Description: Shrub; to 2 m tall. 

Distribution: Native to Asia, including China and Male‐ 

sia, but introduced and established in many tropical 

countries. Central America, South America, Greater An‐ 

tilles. 


Kitts, Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, 




Galactia dubia DC. 

Description: Woody climber. 

Key ID Feature: Three leaflets, drying brown above and 

shining pilose below. Corolla rose to purple drying to 

yellow. Legume is 4‐5 cm long, 5mm wide, curved 

above, seeds are dark brown. 

Distribution: endemic to Lesser Antilles. 


Martin, St Barts, Barbuda, Antiqua, St Eustatius, St Kitts, 

Guadeloupe, La Desirade, Marie Galante. 



Galactia rubra (Jacq.) Urb. 

Description: Vine; woody at base; to 4m tall. 

Key ID Feature: 3 leaflets, pilose below, corolla red, leg‐ 

ume 10‐12 seeded, 5‐7 cm long, 6‐9mm wide, almost 

straight, curved above. Seeds brown to black and shin‐ 

ing. 

Distribution: Lesser Antilles 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, St Martin, Anti‐ 

gua, Saba, St Eustatius, St Kitts, Guadeloupe, Dominica, 

Martinique. 



Galactia striata (Jacq.) Urb. 

Description: Perennial climber. 

Distribution: The American tropics 


_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

189 


uda, Guadeloupe, Les Saintes 



Gliricidia sepium (Jacq.) Kunth ex Walp. 

Common Name(s): Quickstick, Nicaragua shade tree, 

glory cida. 


Distribution: Native of South America but widely culti‐ 

vated in American tropics and elsewhere. 


gua, St. Eustatius, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, 

St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Barbados 



Indigofera suffruticosa Mill. 

Common Name(s): Indigo, Guatemala Indigo. 


Distribution: Native of tropical America, southern 

United States, Mexico, Central America, Greater Antil‐ 

les, South America and introduced into the Old World. 


Barts, Antigua, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. 




Indigofera tinctoria L. 

Common Name(s): Indigo, French Indigo. 

Description: Erect or sprawling shrub; to 1.5m tall. 

Distribution: Native of Old World, introduced and natu‐ 

ralized in New World. 


Martin, St. Barts, Barbuda, Antigua, St. Kitts, Martin‐ 

ique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, the Grenadines, Barbados 



Lablab purpureus (L.) Sweet 

Common Name(s): Black Bean. 

Description: Vigorous climbing or twining herb; stems 

to 5m long. 

Distribution: Probably native of Africa but introduced 

and established as a food and forage plant in most tropi‐ 

cal countries. 


gua, Saba, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Lucia, 

St. Vincent, the Grenadines, Grenada, Barbados 



Lonchocarpus violaceus (Jacq.) DC. 

Common Name(s): Greenheart. 


Distribution: Colombia and Lesser Antilles. 


Eustatius, Nevis, Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, Les 

Saintes, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, 

Barbados 



Mucuna pruriens (L.) DC. 

Description: Climbing herb; stems 2‐3m. 

Key ID Feature: Corolla mostly blackish purple or lilac, 

fruits with or without irritant hairs. 

Distribution: widespread in tropical areas, wild or culti‐ 

vated. 


deloupe, Martinique, Grenada, Barbados. 



Mucuna sloanei Fawc. & Rendle 

Description: Robust vine; high climbing, stems tomen‐ 

tose hairs whitish. 

Distribution: Greater Antilles and Central America 



cia, St. Vincent, the Grenadines, Grenada, Barbados 



Ormosia monosperma (Sw.) Urb. 

Common Name(s): Snakewood, bastard nickers, jumbi 

beads, jumbie. 


Distribution: Lesser Antilles, Trinidad, Tobago, Vene‐ 

zuela. 


loupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Gre‐ 

nada 



Piscidia carthagenensis Jacq. 

Common Name(s): Dogwood. 


Distribution: Mexico, Central America, Puerto Rico, 

Venezuela 


Barts, Antigua, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Les Saintes, Mar‐ 

tinique, St Lucia, St. Vincent, the Grenadines, Grenada, 

Barbados 



Pueraria phaseoloides (Roxb.) Benth., J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 9: 

125. 1865 (0) 

Local Name(s): Kudzu 

Life Form: Scrambling vine 

Description: Vigorous perennial forming dense tangles 

masses. 

Uses: Introduced as a forage plant. 

Cultivated: forage crop 

Notes: Not listed as occurring in Montserrat according 

to Howardʹs Flora. However, occurrence in Montserrat 

likely. Herbarium specimen collected from Paradise 

region in 1960s; this area is now under pyroclastic flow. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


190

Species probably exists elsewhere on the island due to 

invasiveness. 

Invasiveness: 3 

Distribution: Southest Asia, introduced elsewhere. 


Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent. 

Biogeography: Introducedntroduced 


Rhynchosia minima (L.) DC. 

Common Name(s): Jumby bean, horse rub‐down. 

Description: Perennial climbing herb; stems to several 

metres in length. 

Distribution: Worldwide in the tropics 



St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, La Desirade, Les Saintes, Domin‐ 


Grenada, Barbado 



Rhynchosia reticulata (Sw.) DC. 

Description: Herbaceous to woody vine; stems to 6m 

long. 


south America 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, Anguilla. St. 


Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, St. Vincent, the Grenadines, 

Grenada 



Sesbania emerus (Aubl.) Urb. 

Description: Shrub; stems woody at base; to 5m tall. 


Antilles 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, Antigua, Guad‐ 

loupe, Martinique 



Sesbania grandiflora (L.) Poir. 


Distribution: Hispaniola, Puerto Rico but cultivated and 

naturalized elsewhere in the tropics. 


deloupe, St. Lucia 



Strongylodon macrobotrys A.Gray 


Notes: Currently cultivated in one private garden on 





Tephrosia cinerea (L.) Pers. 

Description: Prostrate to erect herb; to 1m or more tall. 

Key ID Feature: most parts have silvery pubescence 

Distribution: Throughout the neotropics 


Barts, Antigua, St. Kitts, Redonda, Guadeloupe, La De‐ 

sirade, Marie Galante, Barbados 



Tephrosia noctiflora Bojer ex Baker 

Description: Herb or subshrub; to 1.5m tall. 

Distribution: Widespread in Africa, introduced else‐ 

where 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, Antigua, Do‐ 

minica, Martinique, St. Vincent 



Teramnus labialis (L. f.) Spreng. 

Description: Climbing to prostrate herb; stems to 3m 

long. 

Distribution: Greater and Lesser Antilles and occasion‐ 

ally in Central America. 


deloupe, Martinique, St. Vincent, Grenada, Barbados 



Zornia reticulata Sm. 

Description: Perennial herb; stems prostrate to erect, 

60cm in length. 

Distribution: US, Mexico, Central America, Greater An‐ 

tilles, South America 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, St. Kitts 



LEMNACEAE 

Lemna valdiviana Phil. 

Description: Floating plants; solitary. 

Notes: sited by UKOTs team feb 06 in Mrat. But not 


Distribution: Temperate and Tropical America 


deloupe, Les Saintes, Marie Galante, Martinique 



LENTIBULARIACEAE 

Utricularia alpina Jacq. 

Description: Perennial, epiphytic herbs. 

Distribution: Nicaragua, Panama, Columbia, Venuzuela, 

Guyana 



Grenada. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

191 




LOGANIACEAE 

Spigelia anthelmia L. 


Notes: Considered to be the most effective treatment for 

worms, but it is dangerous to use. It is still regarded as a 

very toxic plant throughout the Lesser Antilles. 

Distribution: Bahamas, Greater Antilles, Mexico, Central 

and northern South America 


Martin, Antigua, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Guade‐ 

loupe, Les Saintes, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. 




LOMARIOPSIDACEAE 

Bolbitis portoricensis (Spreng.) Hennipman 



nental tropical America from Mexico to Columbia 


Kitts, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, Grenada. 



Elaphoglossum apodum (Kaulf.) Schott 



ica 






Elaphoglossum hirtum (Sw.) C. Chr. 

Description: Epiphytic/terrestrial fern; fronds 15‐45cm 

long. 

Distribution: Trinidad 


Redonda, Guadeloupe, La Desirade, Marie Galante, Les 

Saintes, Dominica, Martinique, St Lucia, St. Vincent, 

Grenada. 



Elaphoglossum impressum (F‚e) T. Moore 


Notes: the relationship between the Lesser Antilles 

population and related continental forms need clarifica‐ 

tion 



Guadeloupe, La Desirade, Dominica, Martinique, Gre‐ 

nada. 



Elaphoglossum martinicense (Desv.) T. Moore 

Description: Epiphytic fern; fronds 20‐55cm long 

Distribution: Hispaniola, Puerto Rico 



St Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada. 



Elaphoglossum petiolatum (Sw.) Urb. 


Distribution: Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, South America 


Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Vincent, Gre‐ 

nada. 



Elaphoglossum schomburgkii (F‚e) T. Moore 


Distribution: Trinidad, Guiana, Costa Rica 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, St. Kitts, Nevis 



Hymenodium crinitum (L.) F‚e 


Distribution: Greater Antilles, Trinidad, Central America 






Lomariopsis sorbifolia (L.) F‚e 

Description: Climbing fern; fronds 50‐75cm. 




Vincent. 



LORANTHACEAE 

Dendropemon caribaeus Krug & Urb. 

Description: Shrub; stems quadrangular. 



Martin, Antigua, Marie Galante, Guadeloupe, Dominca, 




_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


192

LYCOPODIACEAE 

Lycopodium cernuum L. 

Description: Lycopod; terrestrial; 30‐100cm tall. 



Guadleoupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Liucia, St. Vin‐ 




Lycopodium taxifolium Sw. 

Description: Lycopod; epiphytic, pendent, flaccid; 20‐ 

60cm tall. 


tropical America, from Mexico to northern South Amer‐ 

ica 


Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Vincent, St. Lu‐ 

cia, Grenada. 



LYTHRACEAE 

Cuphea hyssopifolia Kunth 

Description: Shrubby perennial; 20‐70cm tall. 

Distribution: Mexico to Panama 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, St. Lucia 



Lagerstroemia indica L. 

Common Name(s): Crepe myrtle. 

Description: Shrub or small tree. 

Key ID Feature: grey bark flaking in plates 

Distribution: Native to east Asia. Introduced and exten‐ 

sively cultivated throughout warm regionsof the world 

as a street or garden tree 


Eustatius, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Vincent, 

Barbados. 



Lawsonia inermis L. 

Common Name(s): Henna, reseda. 


Distribution: Native to East Africa or Asia. Now grown 

widely throughout the tropics; frequently escaped and 

naturalised. 


Barts, Antigua, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Nevis, Gua‐ 

deloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, Barbados. 



Punica granatum L. 

Common Name(s): Pomegranate. 

Description: Shrub or small tree; to 6 or 7m tall. 

Distribution: native from south eastern Europe to the 

Himalayas and Islands of Socotra; cultivated and occa‐ 

sionally naturalised elsewhere 


Martin, St. Barts,Antigua, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, 

Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Barba‐ 

dos. 



MALPIGHIACEAE 

Bunchosia glandulosa (Cav.) DC. 

Common Name(s): Stinkwood. 

Description: Shrub or small tree; 2‐4(‐8)m tall. 


Islands, Lesser Antilles. 


Barts, Barbuda, Antigua, Guadeloupe, Martinique 



Bunchosia polystachia (Andrews) DC. 

Common Name(s): Wild coffee. 



lands, Lesser Antilles. 






Byrsonima spicata (Cav.) DC. 

Common Name(s): Shoemakersʹ bark 


Distribution: Greater Antilles except Jamaica; northern 

south America, south to Bolivia 



ique, St. lucia, St. Vincent, Barbados 



Heteropterys purpurea (L.) Kunth 

Common Name(s): Black twist. 

Description: Woody vine; climbing to 10m tall. 

Distribution: Greater and Lesser Antilles, Trinidad, 

Venezuela. 


Eustatius, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, La Desirade, Marie 

Galante, Martiique, St. Luci, St. Vincent, the Grenadines, 




Malpighia linearis Jacq. 

Common Name(s): Cow‐itch bush 


Distribution: Puerto Rico, virgin Islands and the Lesser 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

193 


Antilles. 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, St. matin, St. 

Barts, Barbuda, Antigua, St. Kitts, Nevis, Guadeloupe, 

La Desirade, Les Saintes, Martinique, St. Lucia 



Stigmaphyllon cordifolium Nied. 


Notes: Syn of S. diversifolium. 

Distribution: Cuba. 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Anguilla, St Barts, Barbuda, 

Antigua, St Kitts, Guadeloupe, La Desirade, Marie 

Galante, Les Saintes, Dominica, Martinique. 



Stigmaphyllon diversifolium (Kunth) A. Juss. 


Key ID Feature: plants of open places at low elevations. 

Flowering time Feb to June 

Distribution: Cuba 


Barts, Barbuda, Antigua, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, La 


Martinique 



MALVACEAE 

Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench 

Common Name(s): Okra, gumbo, chimbombo, gonbo, 

guingambo, kinkambo, orchra. 

Description: Erect; herb to 1‐2m. 

Notes: *cultivated specimens sited by UKOTs team feb 

06 in Mrat. But not listed as occurring in Flora. 

Distribution: Southeast Asia and Malesia. Cultivated 

elsewhere in the tropics and sometimes escaped/ 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat*, St. Barts, Saba, 





Abutilon guineense (Schumach.) Baker f. & Exell 

Common Name(s): Monkey bush. 


Distribution: Northern Australia, New Guinea, Java, 

Celebes, India, Ceylon; in Africa from Guinea to Angola, 

Ruanda‐Burundi and Somalia to Transvaal, Swaziland, 

Natal, and Madagascar; We 


gua 



Abutilon hirtum (Lam.) Sweet 

Common Name(s): Sweet. 

Description: Robust herb; to 1m tall. 



Antigua, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, La 

Desirade, Les Saintes, Martinique, Grenada, Barbados. 



Abutilon hulseanum (Torr. & A. Gray) Torr. ex A. Gr 

Description: Subshrub; 1‐1.5m tall. 



Martinique. 



Abutilon indicum (L.) Sweet 

Common Name(s): Monkey bush. 

Description: Herb or sub‐shrub; to 0.5‐2m 

Distribution: Widely distributed throughout the tropics 


Martin, St. Barts, Antigua, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Marie 

Galante, Dominica, Martinique, Grenada, Barbados. 



Abutilon umbellatum (L.) Sweet 

Description: Shrub; 1‐2 m tall. 

Distribution: West Indies and southern Texas to Central 

and South America (Venezuala to Peru) 


Martin, St. Barts, Antigua, Guadeloupe, the Grenadines, 

Grenada. 



Ceiba pentrandra ( L. ) Gaertn. 

Common Name(s): Silk cotton tree, pin tree. 

Description: Large tree; to 25m tall or more. 

Distribution: Mexico south to northern South America 

and West Indies. Introduced and more or less 

naturalised in the Old World 


Martin, St. Barts, Antigua, St. Eustatius, Guadeloupe, 





Gossypium barbadense L. 

Common Name(s): Coton, kidney coton, sea island 

coton. 

Description: Shrubs; 1‐3m tall. 

Distribution: Originally from South America, now 

cultivated in many parts of the world. 


Antigua, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, 

Barbados. 



_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


194

Herissantia crispa (L.) Brizicky 

Description: Perennial subshrub. 

Notes: *listed in Howard Mrat Species list but not listed 

as occurring in Mrat according to Flora 

Distribution: Neotropics, adventive in the Palaeotropics. 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat* Anguilla, St. 

Martin, St. Barts, Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Vincent, 




Hibiscus rosa‐sinensis L. var. rosa‐sinensis 

Common Name(s): Chinese hibiscus, Chinese rose, 

pavona, shoe black, red hibiscus, garden hibiscus, hibi 


Notes: one of the showiest and best known ornamental 

shrubs 

Distribution: Unknown in the wild, pantropical, 

cultivated 




Barbados. 



Malachra capitata (L.) L. 

Description: Herb or subshrub; 1.5m tall. 



Barts, Antigua, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, 





Malachra fasciata Jacq. 

Description: Herb or subshrub; 0.5‐2m tall. 

Distribution: Mexico, West Indies, Central and South 

America, and adventively in parts of the Old World 


Antigua, Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Lucia, Grenada, 

Barbados. 



Malvastrum americanum (L.) Torr. 

Description: Herb, subshrub or shrub; 0.5‐1.5m tall. 

Distribution: Southern US, West Indies, Mexico, Central 

and South America, Australia, India, and elsewhere in 

the Old World. 





Grenadines, Grenada, Ba 



Malvastrum coromandelianum (L.) Garcke 

Common Name(s): Soap bush, broomweed. 

Description: Subshrub or sometimes annual herb. 

Distribution: Pantropical weed. 







Ochroma pyramidale (Cav. ex Lam.) Urb. 

Common Name(s): Pripri, balsa. 

Description: Tree; to 15m tall or more. 

Distribution: Southern Mexico to Bolivia, Greater 

Antilles. 






Pavonia spinifex (L.) Cav. 

Description: Subshrub; to 1 m tall. 

Distribution: Southeastern United States and the West 

Indies. 




Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada, Barbados. 



Quararibea turbinata (Sw.) Poir. 

Common Name(s): Swizzlestick tree, swizzlestick wood, 

millerwood. 


Key ID Feature: the dry foliage has a strong ʺcurryʺ 

odour 

Distribution: Hispaniola 


Eustatius, St. Kitts, Nevis, Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, 


Barbados. 



Sida acuta Burm. f. 

Common Name(s): Wire weed, sweet broom, 

broomweed. 

Description: Erect shrub or sub‐shrub; 1 m tall. 

Distribution: Pantropical, often weedy. 


Martin, St. Barts, Antigua, Saba, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, 

La Desirade, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. 




Sida ciliaris L. 

Description: Decumbent perennial herb. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

195 


Key ID Feature: freely branching; stems with appressed 

stellate hairs, hairs usually 4‐armed. 

Distribution: From the southern US to Argentina 


Martin, St. Barts, Barbuda, Antigua, St. Eustatius, 

Guadeloupe, La Desirade, Marie Galante, Martinique, St. 

Lucia, the Grenadines, Grenada, Barbados. 



Sida cordifolia L. 

Description: Erect shrub or subshrub; to 1.5m tall. 

Key ID Feature: stellate, tomentose throughout. 



Barts, Antigua, St. Kitts, Redonda, Guadeloupe, La 

Desirade, Marie Galante, Dominica, Martinique, St. 

Lucia, St. Vincent, Barbados. 



Sida glabra Mill. 

Description: Weak‐stemmed herb or subshrub; to 2m 

tall. 

Key ID Feature: erect or often reclining or scandent; 

stem viscid. 

Distribution: Mexico, West Indies, Central America, and 

northern South America; locally introduced in parts of 

southeast Asia. 


Martin, St. Barts, Antigua, Redonda, Guadeloupe, 

Dominica, Martinique, Grenada. 



Sida glomerata Cav. 

Description: Sub‐shrub; 0.5‐1m tall. 

Distribution: West Indies and Central America, South 

America 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, St. Barts, Gua‐ 


the Grenadines. 



Sida rhombifolia L. 

Description: Erect sub‐shrub; to 1m tall with ascending 

branches. 


as occurring in Mrat according to Howardʹs Flora 

Distribution: Pantropical, extending into temperate 

zones, a common weed. 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat*Malvaceae Sida 

glabra, St. Martin, Barbuda, Antigua, Saba, St. Kitts, 


cent, Barbados. 



Sida salviifolia C. Presl 

Description: Sub‐shrub; to 0.5‐1m tall. 

Distribution: Mexico, West Indies, Venezuela, Columbia. 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, St. Barts. 



Sidastrum multiflorum (Jacq.) Fryxell 

Description: Sub‐shrub or shrub; to 1.5m tall. 

Distribution: West Indies and Venezuela to northern 

Agentina. 


Barts, Antigua, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe. 



Thespesia populnea (L.) Sol. ex Corrˆa 

Common Name(s): Cork tree, Spanish cork, bendy tree, 

seaside mahoe, John bull tree, head‐ache tree. 

Description: Large shrub or small tree; 3‐7 m tall. 

Distribution: Pantropical in littoral habitats, often 

planted elsewhere as an ornamental shade tree. 







Urena lobata L. 


Distribution: Nearly pantropical and often weedy, occa‐ 

sionally as an adventive in temperate regions. 






Wercklea tulipiflora (Hook.) Fryxell 


Notes: Possibly the large pale‐yellow flowered Malva‐ 

ceae shrub sited but not collected by the UKOts team 

near summit of Katy Hill in Feb 06 






MARANTACEAE 

Maranta arundinacea L. 

Description: Perennial herb; 0.5‐1.5m tall. 

Distribution: Probably native to South America and cul‐ 

tivated or escaped in the Neotropics. 




Maranta arundinaceae L. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


196

Common Name(s): Arrowroot. 



Distribution: Probably native to South America, and 

cultivated or escaped in Central America, the Greater 

Antilles and South America 



ica, Martinique, St. Vincent, Grenada 



MARCGRAVIACEAE 

Marcgravia umbellata L. 

Description: Sprawling hemiepiphytic liana. 

Distribution: Restricted to moist, montane regions in the 

Lesser Antilles. 


St Kitts, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St Lucia, St 




MELASTOMATACEAE 

Blakea pulverulenta Vahl 

Description: Shrub or small tree or massive epiphyte. 

Distribution: Lesser Antilles. 


Dominica, Martinique, St. Vincent, Grenada. 



Charianthus nodosus (Desr.) Triana 





Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat*, Martinique. 



Charianthus purpureus D. Don 

Common Name(s): Wassard. 

Description: Shrub; 1‐10 m tall. 



Nevis, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, Grenada. 



Clidemia hirta (L.) D. Don 

Description: Shrub 1‐1.5m tall. 

Distribution: Greater Antilles, Central and South 

America 






Clidemia umbrosa (Sw.) Cogn. 

Common Name(s): Wild hogwood. 





cent. 



Conostegia icosandra (Sw. ex Wikstr.) Urb. 


Distribution: Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica, Trinidad, Central 

America, Columbia, Brazil 



nada. 



Conostegia montana (Sw.) D. Don ex DC. 

Description: Shrub or tree; 3‐8m tall. 

Distribution: Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica, Costa Rica. 


deloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Vincent. 



Henriettea lateriflora (Vahl) R.A. Howard & E.A. Kellog 

Description: Shrub or small tree; 8m tall. 



Dominica, Martinique, St. lucia. 



Miconia coriacea (Sw.) DC. 






Dominica. 



Miconia cornifolia (Desr.) Naudin 




Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St Vincent, Grenada, 

Barbados. 



Miconia globuliflora (Rich.) Cogn. var. dominicae 

R.A.Howard & E.A.Kellogg 


_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

197 




Dominica. 



Miconia globuliflora (Rich.) Cogn. var. globuliflora 




Lucia. 



Miconia impetiolaris (Sw.) D. Don ex DC. 

Description: Shrubs to small trees; to 8(‐10)m tall. 

Distribution: Central and South America, West Indies 


Kitts, Guadeloupe, Dominica. 



Miconia mirabilis (Aubl.) L.O. Williams 

Description: Small weedy tree; to 14m. 

Distribution: West Indies and northern S America. 







Miconia prasina (Sw.) DC. 




Distribution: Mexico and Central America, Greater An‐ 

tilles, Trinidad, South America 


Martinique, St. Vincent, Genada 



Miconia striata (M. Vahl) Cogn. 







Nepsera aquatica Naudin 

Description: Weak herb; to 1m tall. 

Distribution: Central America, Greater Antilles, Tri‐ 

nadad, northern South America 


tigua, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. 




Tetrazygia angustifolia (Sw.) DC. 

Common Name(s): Broom wood. 


Distribution: Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands. 


deloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia 



Tetrazygia discolor (L.) DC. 

Common Name(s): ashes wood, hogwood 




St. Kitts, Nevis, Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, Dominica, 

Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada. 



Tibouchina ornata (Sw.) Baill. 

Description: Low woody herb; to 30cm tall. 



Guadeloupe. 



MELIACEAE 

Azadirachta indica A. Juss. 

Common Name(s): Nim, nime, neem. 


Cultivated: shade tree, ornamental, ornamental, 

Notes: considered invasive in some regions according to 

Barwick, M, (2004); introduced to Antigua in 1955 and 

spreading rapidly according to C. Pratt 


Distribution: Native of indo‐Malaya but widely intro‐ 

duced and cultivated 


gua, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe 



Cedrela odorata L. 

Local Name(s): Stinking cedar (Mr 

Common Name(s): Red ceder, West Indian cedar, cigar‐ 

box wood, Spanish cedar. 

Life Form: Tree; to 40m ta 

Description: Leaves pinnate, deep green; flowers green‐ 

ish‐white, held in erect panicles; fruit a capsule, to 4cm, 

woody, dehiscent, held in branched panicles; seeds 

winged. 

Key ID Feature: Capsules become woody before they 

open to form a star‐shape through which they expell 

their seeds. All parts of plant smell strongly of garlic 

when freshly cut (repellent to insects). 

Uses: Large shade tree; timber tree; wood used for lining 

cigar boxes and the interiors of closets as it impar 

Notes: Collected under local name ʺstinking cedarʺ in 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


198

Montserrat by UKOTs team; local name matched to spe‐ 

cies in UK. 




Eustatius, Guadeloupe, Dominica, St. Lucia, Grenada, 

Barbados 



Guarea glabra Vahl 


Distribution: Mexico, Central America, Jamaica, Puerto 

Rico 


Kitts, Nevis, Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, Domimica, 




Guarea macrophylla Vahl 




deloupe, Marie Galante, Dominica, Martinique, St. Vin‐ 

cent, Grenada 



Melia azedarach L. 

Local Name(s): Lilac 

Common Name(s): Soap berry, China berry, Barbados 

lilac, West Indian lilac, syringa. 


Distribution: Native of Palaeotropics but widely culti‐ 

vated, persisting or escaped in Neotropics. 




cent, Barbados 



Swietenia macrophylla King & Urb. 

Common Name(s): Central American mahogany, Hon‐ 

duras mahogany. 


Invasiveness: Naturalized 

Distribution: Mexico, Central America, South America 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat (planted for 

timber), Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, 

St. Vincent, Grenada 



Swietenia mahogoni (L.) Jacq. 

Common Name(s): Mahogany, West Indian mahogany. 

Description: Deciduous tree; to 10m tall. 

Distribution: southern Florida, Bahamas, Greater Antil‐ 

les, Trinidad 


Barts, Barbuda, Antigua, Saba, St. Eustatius, Guade‐ 





MELIOSMACEAE 

Meliosma herbertii Rolfe 

Description: Evergreen tree; to 25m tall. 

Distribution: Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, Lesser Antiles, 

northern Venezuela. 




MENISPERMACEAE 

Cissampelos pareira L. 

Common Name(s): Velvet leaf. 

Description: Slender vines; to 5m long. 

Distribution: Worldwide in tropical areas. 


Martin, Saba, St. Eustatius, Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, 

Martinique, Dominica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, the Grena‐ 




Hyperbaena domingensis (DC.) Benth. 

Description: Stout climbing shrub or vine; to 10m tall. 

Distribution: Greater Antilles, Trinidad, Tobago, north‐ 

ern South America, Guianas to Bolivia 


tigua, Saba, St. Euststius, Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, 

Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, Barbados 



Tinospora crispa (L.) Hook. F. & Thomson 

Description: Woody climber; to 15m tall. 

Distribution: China, Thailand, the Philippines to Java 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, at ruins of Stur‐ 

ges Cottage in Olveston area of Central Hills 



MORACEAE 

Artocarpus altilis (Parkinson) Fosberg 

Description: Large tree; to 25m tall. 

Distribution: Native of the Pacific tropics and now 

widely cultivated in tropical areas 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Probably found throughout 

the Lesser Antilles but poorly represented in herbaria. 

Montserrat, Marie Galante, St. Lucia 



_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

199 


Castilla elastica Sess‚ ex Cerv. 

Description: Often a large tree. 

Notes: Introduced as a source of rubber but no longer 

tapped for latex 


Lesser Antilles Distribution: Persisting after cultivation 

or escaped. Montserrat, Guadeloupe, St. Lucia 



Ficus americana Aubl. 


Key ID Feature: stems often lacking milky latex 

Distribution: Mexico, central America, Greater Antilles, 

south America 


St. Austatius, St. Kitts, Nevis, Guadeloupe, Dominica, St. 




Ficus bengalensis L. 




Ficus carica L. 

Description: Much branched shrub or small tree; to 3m 

tall. 

Distribution: Native to tropical Asia but cultivated in 

tropical and subtropical areas 





Ficus citrifolia Mill. 


Key ID Feature: Fruit borne among leaves, generally 

paired, globose or depressed globose, red to yellow or 

yellow with red spots. 

Distribution: Florida, Greater and Lesser Antilles. 


Martin, St. Barts, Barbuda, Marie Galante, Dominica, 





Ficus elastica Roxb. Ex Hornem. 

Description: Tree to 12m or more tall. 

Distribution: Native of tropical Asia; introduced and 

cultivated elsewhere 


Kitts, Guadeloupe, St. Lucia, Grenada, Barbados 



Ficus insipida Willd. 

Description: Large buttressed tree; to 30m tall. 




Vincent 



Ficus microcarpa L. 

Description: Large tree; to 30m tall. 

Distribution: Native of tropical Asia, now grown in 

many tropical areas. 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, St. Kitts, St. 

Lucia, Barbados 



Ficus nymphaeifolia Mill. 






cent 



Ficus pumila L. 

Description: Climbing plant; juvenile branches ad‐ 

pressed to walls and climbing by clusters of adventitious 

roots. 

Distribution: Native of China or Japan and cultivated in 

many tropical areas 


Kitts, Guadeloupe, Barbados 



Ficus trigonata L. 


Distribution: Central America, Greater Antilles, south 

America 


tigua, St. Estatius, St. Kitts, Nevis, Guadeloupe, Marie 

Galante, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent 



MORINGACEAE 

Moringa oleifera Lam. 

Common Name(s): Horseradish tree, maloko. 


Distribution: Probably native to northern India and 

Pakistan but introduced into Neotropics. 



Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincentm the Grenadines, Gre‐ 




_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


200

MUSACEAE 

Musa acuminata Colla 


Distribution: ? 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat including Lesser 

Antiles 



MYOPORACEAE 

Bontia daphnoides L. 

Common Name(s): Wild olive. 


Distribution: Bahamas, Greater Antilles, Coastal 

Venezuela and adjacent islands 


Antigua, Barbuda, Guadeloupe, La Desirade, Marie 





MYRISTICACEAE 

Myristica fragrans Houtt. 

Common Name(s): Nutmeg (The aril is called mace). 


Distribution: Native of the Moluccas and cultivated or 

naturalised in many areas in tropical America 





MYRSINACEAE 

Ardisia obovata Ham. 


Distribution: Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands. 


St. Eustatius, Nevis, Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, Do‐ 

minica, Martinique, St. Lucia, Barbados. 



Myrsine coriacea (Sw.) R. Br. ex Roem. & Schult. 



Trinidad, east coast of South America 






MYRTACEAE 

Eugenia ligustrina (Sw.) Willd. 

Common Name(s): Black cherry, blackberry. 


Distribution: Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, 

Virgin Islands, Trinidad, Tobago, noertheastern Vene‐ 

zuela, Surinam, reported from southeastern Brazil 




tinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, the Grenadines, Barbados. 



Eugenia monticola (Sw.) DC. 

Description: Shrub or small tree; to 8‐10m tall. 

Distribution: Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, 

Virgin Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, northern Vene‐ 

zuela and Columbia, and the Guianas 


Martin, St. Barts, Antigua, Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, 





Eugenia pseudopsidium Jacq. 

Description: Shrub or tree; to 15‐20m tall. 








Eugenia uniflora L. 

Common Name(s): Surinam cherry. 


Distribution: Native to eastern Brazil, now cultivated 

and escaped in most tropical and subtropical regions. 


gua, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Nevis, Guadeloupe, 

Dominica, Martinique, St. Vincent, Grenada, Barbados. 



Gomidesia lindeniana O. Berg 

Description: Tall shrub or tree; to 10m tall. 

Distribution: Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, 

southeastern Brazil (Minas Geraes). 


Guadeloupe, Dominica. 



Myrcia citrifolia (Aubl.) Urb. var. imrayana ( Griseb. ) 

Stehl‚ & Quen 

Common Name(s): Birch, red birch, guava berry. 

Description: Shrub or small tree 6‐8 m tall. 

Distribution: Puerto Rico, virgin Islands and the Lesser 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

201 


Antilles. 


Antigua, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Nevis, 

Guadeloupe, Dominica, St. Vincent, Grenada. 



Myrcia fallax (Rich.) DC. 


Distribution: Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago, 

Panama, South America as far south as Peru and eastern 

Brazil 





Myrcia splendens (Sw.) DC. 

Common Name(s): Birch. 








Myrcianthes fragrans (Sw.) McVaugh 




Barts, Antigua, Saba, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Grenada. 



Pimenta racemosa (Mill.) J.W. Moore 

Common Name(s): Cinnamon, bay leaf, bay rum tree, 

bay tree, Christmas tree, bayberry tree. 


Distribution: Cuba, Pueto Rico, Virgin Islands, Trinidad, 

Surinam. 







Psidium cattleianum Sabine 

Local Name(s): strawberry guava 



Distribution: Probably native to southeastern Brazil, 

cultivated theoughout the tropics and often established 


Guadeloupe, Martinique. 



Psidium guajava L. 

Local Name(s): guava 

Common Name(s): Guava, white guava. 



Distribution: Native of Neotropics, cultivated and 

naturalized in both Neo‐ and Palaeotropics. 





Grenadines, G 



NYCTAGINACEAE 

Boerhavia coccinea Mill. 

Common Name(s): Hogweed. 



Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, St Martin, Bar‐ 

buda, Antigua, Saba, St Eustatius, St. Kitts, Guadaloupe, 


Barbados 



Boerhavia diffusa L. 



Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, Anguilla, Saba, 

Dominica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, The Grenadines, Gre‐ 

nada, 



Boerhavia erecta L. 

Common Name(s): Hogweed, Patagon. 

Description: Annual weed; to 8dm tall. 

Distribution: Neotropics, Southern US, Mexico, Central 

America, South America, West Indies, West Africa, Ma‐ 

laya. 


Barts, Antigua, Saba, St Eustatius, St Kitts, Guadaloupe, 

Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, The Grenadines, Gre‐ 




Boerhavia scandens L. 

Description: Sprawling weed; often scrambling over 

shrubs; to 2m tall. 

Notes: Syn of Commicarpus scandens 

Distribution: Texas to Arizona, Mexico, Central and 

South America, West Indies. 


Martin, St Barts, Antigua, St Eustatius, St. Kitts 



_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


202

Bougainvillea glabra Choisy 

Description: High climbing vine. 

Distribution: Native to South America; widely cultivated 


Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, St Martin, Anti‐ 

gua, Martinique, St. Lucia, St Vincent, Barbados 



Mirabilis jalapa L. 

Common Name(s): Four oʹ clock. 

Description: Weedy herb; to 1m tall. 


Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, Antigua,Saba, 

St Eustatius, Guadaloupe, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vin‐ 




Pisonia aculeata L. 

Common Name(s): Blackthorn. 

Description: Scrambling shrub or vine. 

Distribution: New world tropics and subtropics, south‐ 

ern Asia, Pacific islands. 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, St. Martins, St. 

Barts, Antigua, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Nevis, Gua‐ 


cent, the Grenadines, grenada, barbados 



Pisonia fragrans Dum. Cours. 

Common Name(s): Black loblolly, beef wood 

Description: Tree or shrub; to 8 (15)m tall. 

Notes: *common name given in Mrat: ʺblack loblollyʺ 

Distribution: Greater Antilles, Curacao, Bonaire, Trini‐ 

dad, Tobago, northern South America. 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat*, Anguilla, St. 




Barbados. 



Pisonia subcordata Sw. 

Common Name(s): Loblolly. 


Distribution: Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Lesser Antilles 



Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, Martinique 



NYMPHAEACEAE 

Nymphaea ampla (Salisb.) DC. 

Common Name(s): White water lily. 

Description: Aquatic perennial; leaves floating or emer‐ 

gent. 

Distribution: Ranging from southern Texas through 

Central and South America to southern Brazil, including 

peru and Equador, and widespread in the West Indies 


buda, St. Eustatius, Nevis, Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, 

Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada, Barbados 



OCHNACEAE 

Ouratea guildingii (Planch.) Urb. 

Description: Shrub or small tree; to 4(‐10?)m tall. 

Distribution: Panama(?), Trinidad, Tobago and Vene‐ 

zuela(?). 


deloupe, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent. 



Sauvagesia erecta L. 

Description: Herb to 7dm tall. 

Distribution: Neotropics, Central Africa, Madagascar 






OLACACEAE 

Schoepfia schreberi J.F. Gmel. 


Distribution: Florida, Bahamas, Greater Antilles, 


buda, Antigua, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Nevis, Gua‐ 

deloupe, Marie Galante, Dominca, Martinique, St. Lucia, 




OLEACEAE 

Chionanthus compacta Sw. 

Common Name(s): Wild olive, white ironwood, buck‐ 

bill, mountin parry. 

Description: Tree or occasionally shrub; 5‐12m tall. 


Trinidad, Venezuela, Columbia 


St. Eustatius, Guadeloupe, La Desirade, Marie Galante, 


dines, Grenada. 



Jasminum grandiflorum L. 

Description: Climbing or speading shrub; to 5m tall. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

203 


Distribution: Native to Arabia but widely cultivated in 

the tropics 


gua, Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Lucia 



Jasminum laurifolium Roxb. Ex Hornem. f. nitidum 

( Skan ) P.S.Green 

Description: Freely branching shrub; to 1m tall. 

Distribution: Native to Asia but widely cultivated in the 

tropics 





Jasminum multiflorum (Burm. f.) Andrews 


Distribution: Native to Asia but widely cultivated in the 

tropics 


tigua, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Domin‐ 


dos. 



OLEANDRACEAE 

Nephrolepis multiflora (Roxb.) F.M. Jarrett ex C.V. Mor 



Distribution: India; naturalised in widely scattered 

troopical areas, including southern Florida, the Baha‐ 

mas, and the Greater Antilles 


Marie Galante, Dominica, Martinique, St Lucia, St. Vin‐ 




Oleandra nodosa (Willd.) C. Presl 





Dominica, St Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada. 



ONAGRACEAE 

Ludwigia erecta (L.) H. Hara 


Distribution: Neotropics, introduced into the Old World 

in tropical africa, Madagascar, and the Seychelle and 

Mascarene Islands. 


tigua, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. 




Ludwigia octavalvis (Jacq.) Raven 

Description: Herb, often shrub‐like; to 1.5m tall. 







OPHIOGLOSSACEAE 

Ophioglossum palmatum L. 

Description: Fern; fronds to 50cm long. 

Distribution: Widespread in the Neotropics from Florida 

and Mexico to Peru and Brazil; also found on islands of 

the Indian Ocean and in southeast Asia 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, Guadleoupe 



Ophioglossum reticulatum L. 

Description: Fern; 15‐25cm. 



loupe, Dominca, Martinique, Grenada 



ORCHIDACEAE 

Bletia sp. Ruiz & Pav. 

Description: Terrestrial orchid; to 70cm tall. 

Notes: Of the genus, B. patula most likely to occur in 

Mrat according Nir, M (2000) 





Brachionidium sheringii Rolfe 

Description: Small orchid; to 4cm tall 

Distribution: Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, Cuba, Jamaica 


deloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia and Grenada. 



Brassavola cucullata (L.) R. Br. 

Description: Epiphytic orchid; to 50cm tall. 

Distribution: Central America, Venezuela, Trinidad, 



Saba, St. Eustatius, Antigua, Guadeloupe, Maria‐ 

Galante, Dominica, St. Vicent, Bequia, Mustique, Ronde, 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


204

La Desirade, Canuoan, Grenada 



Cranichis muscosa Sw. 

Description: Terrestrial orchid; variable in size and ap‐ 

pearance; to 50cm tall. 

Distribution: Florida, Central America, South America, 

Trinidad, Tobago, Greater Antilles 


deloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vicent, 

Grenada 



Cyclopogon bicolor (Ker Gawl.) Schltr. 


Distribution: Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, South 

America* (*Occurance non‐verified according to Nir 

(2000) 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat* (*Occurance 

non‐verified according to Nir (2000)) 



Cyclopogon elatus (Sw.) Schltr. 

Description: Terrestrial orchid; to 60 cm tall. 

Notes: Syn. Spiranthes elatus (Sw.) L.C. Rich 

Distribution: St. Croix, St. Thomas, Tortola, The Baha‐ 

mas, Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, 

Cuba, Florida, Mexico, Central America and Venezuela. 


Bart, St. Eustatius, Antigua, Guadeloupe, Dominca, Mar‐ 

tinique, Barbados 



Epidendrum ciliare L. 

Description: Epiphytic or lithophytic orchid. 


Lesser Antilles Distribution: St. Martin, St. Barts, Saba, 

St. Eustatius, Nevis, Antigua, Guadeloupe, Dominica, 

Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vicent, Bequia, Barbados, 

Canuoan, Grenada, Union 



Epidendrum difforme Jacq. 

Description: Epiphytic orchid; very variable in size; to 40 

cm tall, commonly much smaller. 


minica, Martinique, St. Lucia 



Epidendrum montserratense Nir 

Description: Epiphytic or lithophytic orchid. 

Conservation Measures: Ex‐Situ: ‐MNTBG: plant rescues 

ongoing from mango trees killed by volcanic activity. ‐ 

Seed collection made May 2006 stored at MSB. 

Distribution: Endemic to Montserrat. 


Biogeography: Montserrat 


Epidendrum pallidiflorum Hook. 


Distribution: No occurance outside lesser Antilles ac‐ 

cording to Nir (2000), misidentifications of the 

ʺPallidiflorum allianceʺ has generated incorrect distribu‐ 

tion data in older publicat 


Vincent, Grenada, Nevis, Martinique, Guadeloupe 



Epidendrum strobiliferum Rchb. F. 


Distribution: Hispaniola, Cuba, Jamaica, Florida, Mex‐ 

ico, Central America, South America 


Dominica, Martinique, St. Vicent, Grenada, Saba 



Epidendrum umbellatum Sw. 


Notes: Syn. Neolehmannia difformis, Epidendrum pane‐ 

gyricum 

Distribution: Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, Cuba, Jamaica, 

Mexico, Central America, South America 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, St, Eustatius, St. 





Erythrodes hirtella (Sw.) Fawc. & Rendle 


Distribution: Trinidad, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, His‐ 

paniola, Cuba, Jamaica 



cent, Grenada 



Erythrodes plantaginea (L.) Fawc. & Rendle 



Trinidad 


tius, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. 

Vicent, Grenada 



Eulophia alta (L.) Fawc. & Rendle 

Description: Terrestrial orchid; to 1.5m tall. 

Distribution: Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, His‐ 

paniola, Cuba, Jamaica, Florida, Mexico, Central Amer‐ 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

205 


ica, South America 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, Antiqua, Gua‐ 


Grenada 



Ionopsis utricularioides (Sw.) Lindl. 

Description: Epiphytic orchid; to 60 cm tall. 


Mexico, Central and South America 


Dominica, Martinique, St. Vincent. 



Isochilus linearis (Jacq.) R. Br. 

Description: Epiphytic or lithophytic orchid; to 75cm 

tall. 







Jacquiniella globosa (Jacq.) Schltr. 

Description: Small epiphyte orchid; to 15cm tall. 




tius, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. 

Lucia, St. Vicent, Grenada 



Malaxis massonii (Ridl.) Kuntze 


Distribution: Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, South America 





Malaxis umbelliflora Sw. 

Life Form: Terrestrial orchid 

Description: Herb to 45cm tall. 

Notes: Accurring in Montserrat according to Literature 

(via Philippe Feldman‐ Guadeloupe checklist) 

Distribution: Cuba and Jamaica. 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: St. Kits, Guadeloupe, Do‐ 

minica, St. Vincent. 

Biogeography: Caribbeanaribbean 


Maxillaria coccinea (Jacq.) L.O.Wms. ex Hodge 

Life Form: Epiphytic orchid 

Description: Robust epiphyte to 50cm tall. 

Notes: Occurence in Montserrat likely but distribution to 

be confirmed according to Philippe Feldman‐ Guade‐ 

loupe checklist. 

Distribution: Puerto Rico, Hispaniola. 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat*, Saba, St. Kitts, 



Biogeography: Caribbeanaribbean 


Octomeria graminifolia (L.) R. Br. 

Description: Small epiphytic orchid; to 17cm tall. 

Distribution: Trinidad, Central and South America 





Oeceoclades maculata (Lindl.) Lindl. 


Distribution: Very common and widespread. Native to 

tropical Africa but naturalized in Florida, Bahamas, 

Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Hispaniola, Cuba, Navassa, 

Cayman Islands, Jamaica P 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Guadeloupe, Martinique 



Oncidium altissimum (Jacq.) Sw. 

Description: Robust Epiphytic orchid; to 2m tall. 

Distribution: Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands according to 

Nir (2000). Central America, northern South America, 

Florida, Greater Antilles according to Garray & Herman 

(1974). 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, Dominica, Mar‐ 

tinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada, Guadeloupe 



Oncidium urophyllum Lodd. ex Lindl. 



St. Barthelemy, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts,Barbuda, Nevis, 

Antigua, Gaudeloup, La Desiderade, Les Saintes, Marie 

Galante, Dominica. 



Pleurothallis aristata Hook. 


Description: Small epiphyte to 8cm tall. 




Distribution: Central America, South America, Puerto 

Rico, Hispaniola. 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat*, St. Kitts, Gua‐ 


Biogeography: Wider Dist 


Pleurothallis ruscifolia (Jacq.) R. Br., Aiton, Hort. Kew. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


206

ed.2, 5:211,1813. (0) 

Life Form: Epiphytic/lithophytic orchid 

Description: To 30 cm tall. 




Distribution: Central and South America, Puerto Rico, 

Hispaniola, Cuba, Jamaica. 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat*, St. Kitts, 


Grenada. 



Polystachya concreta (Jacq.) Garay & Sweet 

Description: Erect epiphytic or lithophytic orchid; very 

variable in size; to 45cm tall. 

Key ID Feature: Leaves to approx. 35cm long. Column 

foot prominent. Lateral lobes of lip broadly curved 

Distribution: Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, 

Hispaniola, Cuba, Florida, Mexico, Central and South 

America 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat* (*Occurance 

unknown according to Nir (2000)), St. Eustatius, 

Cayman Islands, St. Kitts, Jamaica, Guadeloupe, Les 

Saintes, Desidirade, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. 




Polystachya foliosa (Hook.) Rchb. 

Description: Erect epiphyte or lithophyte orchid; to 18cm 

tall. 

Key ID Feature: Very similar to P. concreta. Leaves to 

approx. 15cm long. Column foot very short. Lateral 

lobes of lip triangular‐curved 

Distribution: American tropics. 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Grenada. 



Prescottia stachyodes (Sw.) Lindl. 

Description: Terrestrial herb; very variable in size; up to 

1m tall. 

Distribution: Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Hispaniola, 

Cuba, Mexico, Central and South America 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, St. 

Eustatius.Barbuda, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, 

St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada 



Psilochilus macrophyllus (Lindl.) Ames, Orch. 7:45,1922. 

(0) 


Description: Robust plants to 40cm tall. 


be confirmed according to Philippe Feldman‐ 

Guadeloupe checklist. 

Distribution: Central and South America, Puerto Rico, 

Hispaniola, Cuba, Jamaica. 





Psychilis kraenzlinii (Bello) Sauleda, Phytologia 

65:15,1988. (0) 

Life Form: Epiphytic/lithophytic orchid 

Description: To 1.4m tall. 

Notes: Accurring in Montserrat according to Literature 

(via Philippe Feldman‐ Guadeloupe checklist) 



Biogeography: Restricted 


Spathoglottis plicata Blume 

Description: Terrestrial orchid; to 1.2m tall. 

Invasiveness: Invasive. 

Distribution: An Asian species naturalised on several 

islands including Peurto Rico and the Virgin Islands and 

spreading to others 



Vincent. 



Stenorrhynchos lanceolatum (Aubl.) L.C. Rich. ex Spreng., 

Syst. Veg. 3:710,1826. (0), Listed as Spiranthes lanceolata 

in Philippe Feldmanʹs checklist 

Nomenclature Notes: Listed as Spiranthes lanceolata in 

Philippe Feldmanʹs checklist 


Description: Erect herb to 45cm tall. 




Distribution: Florida, Mexico, Central and South 

America, Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, 

Hispaniola, Cuba. 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat*, St. Martin, St. 

Barts, St. Esutatius, Barbuda, Jamaica, Antigua, 

Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, Barbados, St. Lucia, 




Tetramicra canaliculata (Aubl.) Urb. 


Distribution: Florida and Greater Antilles (according to 

Garay & Sweet (1974)), just Hispaniola (according to Nir 

(2000) 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: St. Barts, St. Eustatius, 

Barbuda, Antigua, Guadeloupe, Martinique, La 

Desirada, Barbados (according to Garay & Sweet (1974)), 

No occrance in Lesser Antilles according to Nir (200). 



_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

207 


Triphora surinamensis (Lindl.) Britton, Sci. Surv. Porto 

Rico & V.1,5:184,1924. (0) 


Description: Delicate herb to 35cm tall. 




Distribution: South America, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, 

Jamaica, Trinidad. 





Vanilla planifolia G. J. Andrews, Bot. Repos. 8:t.538,1808. 

(0) 


Description: Scandent herb, climbing to 6m and longer. 




Distribution: Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Hispaniola, 

Cuba, Jamaica, Mexico, Central and South America. 


Dominica, Martinique, Grenada. 



OXALIDACEAE 

Oxalis barrelieri L. 


Distribution: Central America, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, 




Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada, Barbados 



Oxalis corniculata L. 

Common Name(s): Sour grass. 

Description: Annual. 

Distribution: Established worldwide as a weed. 



Dominica, Martinique, St. Vincent, Grenada, Barbados 



Oxalis debilis Kunth var. corymbosa (DC.) Lourteig 

Common Name(s): Shrock. 


Distribution: Neotropical in origin but widely cultivated, 

persisting or escaping. 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, Saba, 





PAPAVERACEAE 

Argemone mexicana L. 

Common Name(s): Mexican poppy, thistle, yellow this‐ 

tle. 

Description: Herb to 60 cm. 

Distribution: Widespread in Neotropics and elsewhere 

as a weed. 



St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, La Desirade, Dominica, Martin‐ 


Barbados 



Bocconia frutescens L. 



South America 






PASSIFLORACEAE 

Passiflora edulis Sims 

Common Name(s): Passion fruit. 

Cultivated: ornamental/food plant 

Distribution: Brazil and extending into neighboring 

coutnries. 


tinique, St. Lucia 



Passiflora foetida L. var. hispida Killip 

Common Name(s): Love‐in‐a‐mist, pop‐pop. 


Key ID Feature: easily distinguished by the type, degree, 

and location of pubescense 

Notes: According to the flora there are 3 vars, but only 

one, P. foetida var hispida, occurs in Montserrat. 

Distribution: West Indies (excluding Hispaniola) and 

northern South America. 


Martin, Antigua, Saba, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Dominica, 





Passiflora laurifolia L. 

Common Name(s): Water melon, water lemon, wild 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


208

passion flower, bell apple. 


Key ID Feature: very fragrant flowers, leaves simple 

ʺlaurelʺ like 

Notes: herb specimen collected along Pelican Ghaut and 

near garbage tip 

Distribution: West Indies and northern South America 


Barts, Barbuda, Antigua, Saba, St. Eustatius, Guade‐ 





Passiflora rotundifolia L. 




Dominica, Martinique, St Vincent, Grenada. 



Passiflora rubra L. 

Common Name(s): Passion flower, snakeberry vine. 


Distribution: Bahamas through the West Indies to north‐ 

ern South America 



ica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent. 



Passiflora suberosa L. 


Distribution: Neotropics, introduced in the Palaeotrop‐ 

ics. 







PHYLLANTHACEAE 

Phyllanthus acidus (L.) Skeels 

Common Name(s): Gooseberry. 


Distribution: Native to South America but cultivated in 

many tropical areas. 






Phyllanthus amarus Schum. & Thonn. 


Distribution: Circumtropical weed 


Martin, Antigua, St. Eustatius, Redonda, Guadeloupe, 

La Desirade, Marie Galante, Dominica, Martinique, St. 

Lucia, St. Vincent, the Grenadines, Grenada. 



Phyllanthus caroliniensis Walter 


Distribution: Temperate North America, Mexico, Central 


Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, Antigua, Nevis, 

Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, Dominica, Martinique. 



Phyllanthus mimosoides Sw. 


Distribution: Trinidad. 





Phyllanthus niruri L. 


Distribution: Subsp niruri is restricted to West Indies, 

Subsp lathyroides occurs from Mexico into South 

America. 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat* (*In Howards 

original Checklist as occurring in Mrat. However, listed 

as not occurring in Mrat according to Flora?), Barbuda, 

Antigua, Guadleoupe, Martinique, Barbados 



Phyllanthus stipulatus (Raf.) Webster 


Distribution: Widespread in tropical America. 





Phyllanthus urinaria L. 


Distribution: Native to tropical Asia but a weed 

throughou the tropics 






PHYTOLACCACEAE 

Microtea debilis Sw. 

Description: Weedy taprooted herb; to 3 dm tall. 

Distribution: West Indies, Guatemala south through 

Central America to Peru and Brazil 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

209 







Petiveria alliacea L. 

Description: Weed; to 2m tall. 

Notes: used for fatigue on Dominica 

Distribution: Widespread from Florida to Texas, West 

Indies, Central America, south to Argentina 



La Desirade, Dominica, Martinique, St. Vincent, the 




Phytolacca rivinoides Kunth 

Description: Sprawling weedy shrub or herb; to 2 m tall. 

Distribution: Mexico, south to Bolivia and Brazil, West 

Indies 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Monteserrat, Saba, St. Kitts, 





Rivina humilis L. 

Common Name(s): Blood berry, catʹs blood, pepper 

bush, rouge plant. 

Description: Herbaceous weed; to 1m tall. 

Distribution: Southern US, Central America, South 

America to Argentina, West Indies 




St. Vincent, the Grenadiines, Grenada, Barbados 



Trichostigma octandrum (L.) H. Walter 

Description: Woody vine; to 7.5m tall. 

Distribution: Southern Florida, West Indies, Mexico 

south to Central and South America to Argentina 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, St. Martin, St, 

Barts, Barbuda, Anitigua, Saba, St. Eustatius, Guade‐ 





PIPERACEAE 

Lepianthes peltata (L.) Raf. 

Description: Soft wooded shrub or herb; to 2m tall. 


south America 


Kitts, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Gre‐ 




Peperomia emarginella (Sw.) A. Dietr. 

Description: Epiphytic, creeping herb; stems succulent. 

Distribution: Central America, Greater Antilles, south 

America 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat,Saba, St. Kitts, 

Nevis, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Vincent 



Peperomia magnoliifolia (Jacq.) A. Dietr. 

Description: Terrestrial, rarely epihytic herb; with trail‐ 

ing and rooting stems. 


south America 


Saba, St. Austatius, Nevis, Guadeloupe, La Desirade, 

Marie Galante, Dominica, Martinique, St. Vincent, the 




Peperomia myrtifolia (M. Vahl) A. Dietr. 

Description: Terrestrial plant. 

Distribution: St Croix and the Lesser antilles. 


gua, Saba, St Eustatius, St. Kitts, Redonda, Guadeloupe, 


cent, the Grenadines, Grenada, Barbados 



Peperomia nigropunctata Miq. 

Description: Terrestrial or epiphytic herb. 


south America 


tigua, St. Kitts, Nevis, Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, Do‐ 

minica, Martinique, St. Lucia 



Peperomia pellucida (L.) Kunth 

Description: Erect herbs; tissue subtranslucent. 

Distribution: Neo‐ and Palaeotropics. 


St. Austatius, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martin‐ 




Peperomia rotundifolia (L.) Kunth 

Description: Tenuous vine; appressed to trunks and 

branches or rarely descending in festoons. 

Distribution: Central America, Greater Antilles, northern 

South America 


_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


210





Peperomia serpens (Sw.) Loudon 

Description: Epiphytic, creeping herb. 


south America 


Kitts, St, Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada 



Peperomia trifolia (L.) A. Dietr. 

Description: Epiphytic, climbing herb. 




cent, Grenada 



Piper aequale Vahl 



south America 





Piper amalgo L. 



south America 



cent, Barbados 



Piper dilatatum Rich. 


Distribution: Central America, Greater Antilles, Trinidad 


St. Austatius, St. Kitts, Nevis Guadeloupe, Marie Gal‐ 

ante, Dominica, MArtinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, the 

Grenadines, Grenada, Barbadoa 



Piper dussii C. DC. 




Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, Dominica, Martinique, St 

Lucia, St Vincent, the Grenadines. 



Piper hispidum Sw. 



south America 





Piper reticulatum L. 


Distribution: Central America, South America 


Eustatius, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, Domin‐ 

ica, Martinique, St. Vincent 



PLANTAGINACEAE 

Plantago lanceolata L. 


Distribution: Cosmopolitan as a weed 


Martinique 



Plantago major L. 

Common Name(s): Plantain, millet. 


Distribution: Cosmopolitan as a weed 






PLUMBAGINACEAE 

Plumbago auriculata Lam. 

Common Name(s): lead vine. 


Distribution: Native to Africa, widely cultivated in the 

Neotropics 


tigua, Saba, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lu‐ 

cia, Barbados. 



Plumbago scandens L. 

Common Name(s): Doctor john, old womanʹs bush. 

Description: Weak, woody shrub; to 2m tall. 

Distribution: Bahamas, Greater Antilles, Trinidad, Mex‐ 

ico, Central and South America 



St. Kitts,Redonda, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

211 



dos. 



POACEAE 

Andropogon bicornis L. 

Description: Coarse perennial; 1‐2.5m tall. 







Andropogon glomeratus (Walter) Britton, Sterns & Pogge 

Description: Stout perennial; 75‐150cm tall. 



tigua, Saba, St. Kitts, Nevis, Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. 

Lucia, Grenada 



Anthephora hermaphrodita (L.) Kuntze 

Description: Annual; 15‐50cm tall. 





dos 



Aristida adscensionis L. 

Description: Annual. 

Key ID Feature: Plants annual, culm spreading‐erect 

Distribution: Tropical America and Africa. 


gua, Nevis, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Grenada 



Aristida cognata Trin. & Rupr. 

Description: Perennial; 20‐40cm. 

Notes: Wrong det? 

Distribution: Cuba and the Virgin Islands. 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat (uncertain det) 



Arundo donax L. 

Description: Culms mostly 2‐6 m tall; commonly form‐ 

ing large clumps. 

Distribution: Native to Europe and Asia, but now wide‐ 

spread throughout temperate and subtropical region of 

the world. 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Dominica, Martinique, St. 

Lucia. Reports from other islands including Montserrat 



Bouteloua americana (L. f.) Scribn. 

Description: Perennial but often appearing annual. 

Key ID Feature: Upper floret typically neuter, reduced to 

cylindrical awn column and 3 awns of equal or nearly 

equal length 



Martin, Antigua, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Nevis, 





Brachiaria adspersa (Trin.) Parodi 

Description: Coarse, leafy annual; 30‐120 cm or more. 

Notes: In loose, open ground, often along ditches and 

other disturbed areas 

Distribution: Florida and the Antilles. 


Martin, Antigua, Saba, St. Kitts, Nevis, Guadeloupe, 

Martinique, St. Lucia, Grenada 



Brachiaria fasciculata (Sw.) S.T. Blake 

Description: Annual; with tufted or decumbent‐creeping 

culms; 30‐120cm or more. 








Brachiaria purpurascens (Raddi) Henr. 

Description: Perennial; with thick, decumbent, trailing 

culms 4‐5m long. 

Notes: introduced in many areas as a forage grass 





dos 



Brachiaria reptans (L.) C.A. Gardner & C.E. Hubb. 

Description: Mat‐forming annual; with widely creeping 

and branching culms 10‐35cm long. 

Distribution: Tropical and subtropical regions of the 

world. 


Martin, Antigua, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Mar‐ 

tinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada, Barbados 



_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


212

Chloris inflata Link 

Description: Annual; with culms often decumbent below 

and rooting at lower nodes. 

Key ID Feature: Lemma awns 4‐7.7mm long, plants an‐ 

nual 

Distribution: Throughout the warmer parts of the world. 


Martin, Antigua, St. Eustatius, Nevis, Guadeloupe, Do‐ 





Chloris radiata (L.) Sw. 

Description: Annual; with culms 30‐60cm tall. 

Key ID Feature: reduced florets less than 1mm long ex‐ 

cluding the awn 





Barbados 



Coix lacryma‐jobi L. 

Description: Culms thick and succulent, much branched, 

mostly 1‐1.5 m tall. 

Notes: Growing in low, moist areas, often weedy in 

ditches and other areas of disturbed soil. 

Distribution: Native to Asia but widely distributed in 

Neotropics. 


tigua, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. 

Lucia, Grenada, Barbados 



Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. 

Description: Flowering culms numerous, mostly 10‐50 

cm tall. 

Distribution: Widespread throughout the warmer parts 

of the world. 


tigua, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Dominica, 




Dactyloctenium aegyptium (L.) Willd. 

Description: Annual; branching at base, the culms usu‐ 

ally decumbent; 10‐60cm tall. 

Distribution: Worldwide in tropical and subtropical ar‐ 

eas, introduced in the Americas. 







Digitaria bicornis (Lam.) Roem. & Schult. 

Description: Annual; with weak, decumbent‐spreading 

culms, much branched and stoloniferous below. 

Distribution: Worldwide in the tropics and subtropics. 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, Anguilla, Ne‐ 

vis, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia 



Digitaria horizontalis Willd. 

Description: Annual; with decumbent, spreading, 

branching, stoloniferous culm bases and erect floriferous 

shoots; 30‐50cm tall. 

Distribution: Widespread in tropical regions of both 

hemispheres. 


St. Kitts, Redonda, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, 




Digitaria insularis (L.) Mez ex Ekman 

Description: Coarse perennial; with culms mostly 60‐150 

cm tall. 

Distribution: Widely distributed in the American tropics 

and subtropics. 






Eleusine indica (L.) Gaertn. 

Description: Culms erect or spreading and stoloniferous 

at base; mostly 15‐70cm long. 

Distribution: Worldwide in tropical and temperate re‐ 

gions. 


Martin, Antigua, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Nevis, 





Eragrostis ciliaris (L.) R. Br. 

Description: Annual; with weak, often geniculate‐ 

spreading culms; 15‐40cm. 

Key ID Feature: Panicle contracted, with short, erect and 

appressed branches. Pedicels mostly shorter than 

spikelets. 

Distribution: Widespread in the warmer regions of the 

world, apparently introduced in the Americas. 


Martin, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Redonda, Guade‐ 





_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

213 


Eragrostis tenella (L.) P. Beauv. ex Roem. & Schult 

Description: Annual; with slender, weak, often genicu‐ 

lately spreading culms mostly 10‐20(‐35)cm tall. 

Key ID Feature: Panicle open, oblong, pedicles mostly as 

long as or longer than the spikelet 

Distribution: Widely distributed in the warmer parts of 

both hemispheres; native to the Old World. 


gua, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Lucia, Gre‐ 

nada 



Eriochloa punctata (L.) Desv. ex Ham. 

Description: Perennial; with erect or spreading‐erect 

culms 60‐100cm or more tall. 



deloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Vincent, Grenada, 

Barbados 



Heteropogon contortus (L.) P. Beauv. ex Roem. & Schult 

Description: Perennial; with erect, branching culms 20‐ 

80cm tall. 

Distribution: Widely distributed in the tropical and sub‐ 

tropical regions of both hemishpheres. 


Eustatius, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Martinique 



Ichnanthus nemorosus (sw.) doell v K.E. Rogers 

Description: Weak perennial or long lived annual; erect, 

floriferous branches mostly 15‐40cm tall. 

Notes: Moist, shaded forest habitats 

Distribution: The Antilles and Trinidad. 


Martinique, St Vincent, Grenada 



Ichnanthus pallens (Sw.) Munro 

Description: Long trailing and spreading culms; flower‐ 

ing shoots, 25‐80cm tall. 

Notes: Moist banks and in tropical forest, from low to 

medium elevations, often forming mats on forest floor 

Distribution: The Antilles and Trinidad. 






Isachne disperma (Lam.) D”ll 

Description: Culms often climbing and branching over 

the branches of shrubs, up to 2 m or more long. 

Key ID Feature: Spikelets not clustered at the panicle 

branch tips, panicle forming loosely 

Notes: Woody hillsides 

Distribution: Endemic to the Lesser Antilles and Tobago. 






Lasiacis divaricata var. divaric (L.) Hitchc. 

Description: Perennial; climbing and trailing over 

bushes; with slender branches to 5m long. 





dos 



Lasiacis sorghoidea var. sorghoi (Desv.) Hitchc. & Chase 

Description: Robust perennial; with a central culm 

reaching 5‐7m in height. 







Leptochloa filiformis (Pers.) P. Beauv. 

Description: Weedy annual; with slender, weak culms 

10‐80cm or more tall. 

Key ID Feature: Plants annual, spikelets 2‐4 flowered, 

lemmas 1‐1.6mm long, awnless 



tigua, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. 




Leptochloa virgata (L.) P. Beauv. 

Description: Perennial; with several, many‐noded wiry 

culms; 30‐100cm tall. 

Key ID Feature: Plants perennial, spikelets 2‐8 flowered, 

lemmas 1.5‐2.8 mm long 



tigua, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Marie Galante, Mar‐ 

tinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada 



Panicum maximum Jacq. 

Description: Stout, clump‐forming perennial; with thick 

culms 1‐2.5m tall. 

Distribution: Pantropical, probably native to Africa. 


Martin, Antigua, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Redonda, 


_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


214




Panicum trichoides Sw. 

Description: Tufted annual; with slender, often branch‐ 

ing and geniculate‐decumbent culms. 

Distribution: Neotropics, Asia and Pacific Islands. 






Paspalidium geminatum (Forssk.) Stapf 

Description: Perennial; with thickish culms in clumps. 

Distribution: Neotropics, also in the Old World tropics. 


Martin, Antigua, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Mar‐ 

tinique, St. Vincent, Grenada, Barbados 



Paspalum conjugatum P.J. Bergius var. conjugatum 

Description: Low perennial; with culms 20‐50cm tall. 

Distribution: Probably native to the Neotropics, also in 

Old world tropics. 


tigua, Saba, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, Do‐ 

minica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada, Bar‐ 

bados 



Paspalum fimbriatum Kunth 

Description: Annual; with weak, often decumbent or 

branching culms mostly 15‐100cm tall. 








Paspalum notatum Flugge 

Description: Perennial; with culms mostly 20‐75 cm tall. 







Paspalum plicatulum Michx. 

Description: Perennial; with erect culms in clumps; 

mostly 50‐75(‐100)cm tall. 



tigua, St. Kitts, Nevis, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martin‐ 




Paspalum virgatum L. 

Description: Robust perennial; with stiffly erect or ba‐ 

sally curved culms; 1‐2m tall. 



tigua, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, Dominica, 





Pharus glaber Kunth 

Description: Culms from an erect base; 50‐75cm tall. 

Key ID Feature: Fruit 2‐3 times longer than glumes, pu‐ 

bescent all over, leaf blades commonly 3‐5 cm broad 

Distribution: Mexico and Brazil 


tius, St. Kitts, Marie Galante, Dominica, Martinique, St. 




Saccharum officinarum L. 

Description: Perennial. 

Notes: *UKOTs Site Record by M. Hamilton and C. 

Clubbe on Molyneux, Mrat. 

Distribution: Cultivated in tropics and sub‐tropics of the 

world 


deloupe, Martinique, Barbados 



Setaria geniculata (Lam.) P. Beauv. 

Description: Perennial; with culms 30‐100 cm tall. 

Distribution: Apparently native to the western hemi‐ 

sphere, widely distributed throughout the Neotropics. 




Barbados 



Sporobolus jacquemontii Kunth 

Description: Perennial;culms 30‐100cm tall. 

Key ID Feature: Second glume less than half as long as 

spikelet, panicle branches well developed, slender, 

loosely erect or speading 





Barbados 



_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

215 


Tragus berteronianus Schult. 

Description: Culms geniculate, spreading; 5‐30(‐40)cm 

tall. 

Notes: T. berteronianum 

Distribution: Neotropics and Palaeotropics. 



Guadeloupe, Dominica, St. Vincent, Grenada, Barbados 



Vetiveria zizanioides (L.) Nash 

Description: Perennial; culms 1‐2m or more tall. 

Distribution: Throughout the warmer regions of both 

hemispheres. 


tigua, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Dominica, 




PODOCARPACEAE 

Podocarpus coriaceus Rich. & A. Rich. 


Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, Dominca, Gua‐ 

deloupe, Martinique, St. Kitts 


Plant Category: Gym 

POLYGONACEAE 

Antigonon leptopus Hook. & Arn. 

Common Name(s): Coralita, coral vine. 

Description: Herbaceous or woody vine. 


Notes: spreading rapidly since 1950 in Antigua; in Nevis 

the problem seems more severe according to C. Pratt 


Distribution: Native to Mexico but now widely culti‐ 

vated throughout the Antilles, South America, and other 

tropical areas 


gua, Saba, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, 

St. Vincent 



Coccoloba pubescens L. 

Common Name(s): Mountain grape, large leaf, knotty 

knave. 




gua, Nevis, Guadeloupe, La Desirade, Marie Galante, 

Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, Barbados 



Coccoloba swartzii Meisn. 

Common Name(s): Redwood, saltwood, wild grape. 


Distribution: Greater Antiles, Central America, northern 

South America 



Martinique, St. Lucia, Barbados 



Coccoloba uvifera (L.) L. 

Common Name(s): Sea Grape, seaside grape, grape. 


Notes: should this be uvifera? No record of C. univera. 



Barts, Barbuda, Antigua, Saba, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, 





Coccoloba venosa L. 

Common Name(s): Wild grape, chiggery grape. 


Distribution: Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Trinidad, Tobago, 

Venezuela. 



ica, Martinique, St. Lucia, the Grenadines, Grenada, Bar‐ 

bados 



POLYPODIACEAE 

Nephrolepis rivularis (Vahl) C. Chr. 

Description: Terrestrial or epiphytic fern; fronds 60‐ 

200cm. 

Notes: commonest of its genus in the Lesser Antilles 

Distribution: Greater Antilles, Virgin Islands, Tobago, 

Trinidad, continental tropical America from mexico to 

Brazil 


tius, St. Kitts, Nevis, Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, Do‐ 

minica, Martinique, St Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada. 



Neurodium lanceolatum (L.) F‚e 

Description: Small epiphytic fern; fronds 20‐40cm long. 

Distribution: Florida, Greater Antilles, Virgin Islands, 

Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, French Guiana. 


tigua, St. Eustatius, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, 

St. Vincent, Barbados. 



_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


216

Polypodium aureum L. var. aureum 

Description: Terrestrial fern; fronds seasonally decidu‐ 

ous, 20‐50cm long. 


dad, continental tropical America. 



La Desirade, Marie Galante, Les Saintes, Dominica, Mar‐ 

tinique, St Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada. 



Polypodium crassifolium L. 

Description: Epiphytic/lithophytic fern; fronds to 1.3m 

long. 



loupe, Dominica, Martinique, St Lucia, St. Vincent, Bar‐ 

bados. 



Polypodium heterophyllum L. 

Description: Climbing fern; fronds up to 15cm long. 

Distribution: Florida, Bahamas, Greater Antilles, Virgin 

Islands 


Barthelemy, Antigua, Saba, St. Eustatius 



Polypodium latum (T. Moore) T. Moore ex Sodiro 

Description: Epiphytic/lithophytic fern; frondsto 100cm 

long. 

Distribution: tropical America 


loupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Vincent, Grenada, Bar‐ 

bados. 



Polypodium loriceum L. 


long. 








Polypodium lycopodiodes L. 

Description: Epiphytic/lithophytic fern; fronds 5‐20cm 

long. 




Marie Galante, Les Saintes, Dominica, Martinique, St 




Polypodium pectinatum L. 


Distribution: Florida, Greater Antilles, continental tropi‐ 

cal America. 






Polypodium phyllitidis L. 

Description: Epiphytic/lithophytic fern; fronds1‐5cm 

long. 








Polypodium piloselloides L. 


long.. 








Polypodium polypodioides (L.) Watt 


long. 








Polypodium triserale Sw. 


long. 

Distribution: Cuba, Jamaica, Trinidad, sporadically in 

continental tropical America 


Nevis, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, Grenada. 



PORTULACACEAE 

Portulaca guadrifida L. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

217 


Description: Annual herb; prostrate; stems creeping and 

rooting at nodes forming mats. 

Distribution: Greater Antilles, Trinidad, South America 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, St. Barts Anti‐ 

gua, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, the Grenadines, 

Granada 



Portulaca halimoides L. 

Description: Annual herb; erect or diffuse; 5‐15cm tall. 

Distribution: Greater Antilles, Mexico and Central 



Martin, St. Barts, Barbuda, Antigua, St. Eustatius, Re‐ 

donda, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, 

Granada 



Portulaca halimoides L. 

Description: Erect or diffuse much branched annual, 5‐ 

15 cm tall. 

Distribution: South America, but cultivated widely and 

naturalized in temperate and tropical areas. 




Portulaca oleracea L. 

Common Name(s): Purslane, pusley. 

Description: Annual herb; fleshy, usually prostrate and 

spreading; stems to 30cm long. 

Distribution: Nearly cosmopolitan as a weed 


Martin, St. Barts, Antigue, Dominica,, Martinique, St. 




Portulaca pilosa L. 

Description: Annual; stems ascending or prostrate. 





Portulaca quadrifida L. 

Description: Much branched prostrate annual; stems 

creeping and rooting at nodes, forming mats. 





Talinum fruticosum (L.) Juss. 

Description: Perennial; stout and fleshy; to 60cm tall. 


South America 


gua, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Nevis, Redonda, Guade‐ 

loupe, La Desirade,Martinique, St Lucia, St Vincent, Bar‐ 

bados. 



Talinum fruticosum (L.) Juss. 


Biogeography: 

Plant Category: 

Talinum paniculatum (Jacq.) Gaertn. 

Description: Herb:sometimes woody at base; tuberous 

roots; 25cm tall or with inflorescence to 75cm tall. 

Distribution: US, Mexico, Central America, Greater An‐ 

tilles, Trinidad, South America. 






Talinum triangulare (Jacq.) Willd. 

Description: Stems erect, to 60 cm tall. 

Notes: Syn of Talinum fruticosum 





PROTEACEAE 

Grevillea banksii R. Br. 

Distribution: Native to Australia 




Grevillea robusta A. Cunn. 

Common Name(s): Silk oak. 

Distribution: Native to Australia 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, Guadeloupe 



PSILOTACEAE 

Psilotum nudum (L.) Griseb. 

Description: Epiphytic/terrestrial fern; Rhizomatous; 

height 20‐60cm. 

Distribution: Pantopical 


Saba, St. Kitts, Nevis, Redonda, Guadeloupe, La 

Desirade, Marie Galante, Dominica, Martinique, St. Luci, 

St. Vincent, Grenada 



_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


218

PTERIDACEAE 

Acrostichum daneaefolium Langsd. & Fisch. 

Description: Large fern; fronds 1.5‐3.5m long. 

Distribution: western hemsphere tropics in suitable lo‐ 

calities. 



Martinique, St Lucia, Grenada. 



Pteris altissima Poir. 

Description: Terrestrial fern; fronds 1.5‐3m long. 




loupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Vincent, Grenada. 



Pteris biaurita L. 







Pteris multifida Poir. 



Distribution: Tropical Asia; introduced to the neo‐ 

tropics 





Pteris quadriaurita Retz. 

Description: Terrestrial fern; fronds 1.5m long. 



Martinique 



Pteris vittata L. 



Distribution: Old World tropics; introduced to Florida 

and the Southern US, Virgin Islands, Trinidad, and per‐ 

haps in other localities 



Martinique, St Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada. 



RHAMNACEAE 

Colubrina arborescens (Mill.) Sarg. 

Common Name(s): Mambe, mabie, soap bush, mauble 

bark, soapberry, blackbeard tree. 

Description: Shrub or small tree; to 1‐8m. 

Distribution: Southern Florida, Bahamas, West Indies, 

southern Mexico, and Central America 


Barts, Barbuda, Antigua, Saba, Guadeloupe, Barbados 



Gouania lupuloides (L.) Urb. 

Common Name(s): Chew‐stick, toothbrush tree. 

Description: High climbing vine or less often a scandent 

shrub. 

Notes: stems are chewed to heal and harden gums as 

well as clean the teeth 

Distribution: Florida, Mexico, Central and northern 

South America, West Indies 


gua, Saba, St. Eustatius, Guadeloupe, La Desirade, Marie 





Ziziphus mauritiana Lam. 

Common Name(s): Stink tree, dunks. 

Description: Shrub or small tree; to 2‐10m. 

Distribution: Native to Asia and Africa, cultivated and 

frequently naturalised in the neotropics. 


Martin, St. Barts, Antigua, Guadeloupe, La Desirade, 

Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, Grenada, Barbados. 



RHIZOPHORACEAE 

Cassipourea guianensis Aubl. 

Common Name(s): Mountain coffee. 

Description: Shrub or more commonly small tree; 3‐15m 

tall. 



Marie Galante, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. 

Vincent,Grenada. 



Rhizophora mangle L. 

Common Name(s): Black manque. 


Notes: principal inhabitant of the ʺmangrove swampsʺ. 

Generally occurs in the outermost zone of the mangrove 

Distribution: Neotropics and West Africa. 


Barbuda, Antigua, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

219 


Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada.. 



ROSACEAE 

Eriobotrya japonica (Thunb.) Lindl. 

Common Name(s): Loquat. 

Description: Small dense tree; to 7m. 

Distribution: Native of Japan and China. Now widely 

cultivated as an ornamental or for fruit 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: cultivated. Montserrat, 

Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique 



Rubus coronarius (Sims) Sweet 

Description: Prickly shrub; canes to 1m tall. 

Distribution: Greater Antilles, Trinidad, Brazil, Asia 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Monteserrat, St. Kitts, Gua‐ 




Rubus rosifolius Sm. 

Common Name(s): Raspberry. 

Description: Perennial; with erect canes to 1.5m tall. 

Distribution: Native of southeast Asia, introduced to 

many tropical areas 



Grenada 



RUBIACEAE 

Antirhea coriacea (Vahl) Urb. 


Distribution: Jamaica, Puerto Rico 





Chiococca alba (L.) Hitchc. 

Common Name(s): Snowberry, Davidʹs root, Davis root. 

Description: Shrub; commonly with scrambling 

branches 1‐3 m long. 

Notes: aphrodisiac; used in bush rum 

Distribution: Florida, Greater Antilles, Mexico and Cen‐ 

tral America, northern South America 







Chione venosa (Sw.) Urb. 

Common Name(s): mastic, fat pork. 


Distribution: Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Trinidad. 


Kitts, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St Lucia, St 




Diodia ocymifolia (Willd. ex Roem. & Schult.) Brem 

Description: Woody herb; to 30cm. 


America, Tropical South America 


Barts, Antigua, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martin‐ 




Diodia sarmentosa Sw. 

Description: Perennial herb; with scrambling or climbing 

branches to 3m long. 


America, northern South America, introduced into the 

Old World tropics 


Martinique 



Erithalis fruticosa L. 

Common Name(s): Candlewood. 


Distribution: Florida, the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, 

Belize 


buda, Antigua, Guadeloupe 



Ernodea littoralis Sw. 

Common Name(s): Cough bush, wild pomegrati, wild 

pamgramma. 

Description: Shrub; with erect or arching branches; to 

1m tall. 

Distribution: Florida, the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, 

Mexico, Honduras 



St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, La Desirade, Marie Galante. 



Exostema caribaeum (Jacq.) Roem. & Schult. 

Common Name(s): Greenheart, caribee bark tree. 

Description: Shrub or small tree; to 8 m. 

Distribution: Bahamas, Greater Antilles, Mexico, Hondu‐ 

ras, Guatemala 


_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


220



Lucia, St. Vincent, the Grenadines, Grenada. 



Faramea occidentalis (L.) A. Rich. 

Common Name(s): Wild coffee. 



Trinidad, Tobago, northern South America 






Gonzalagunia hirsuta (Jacq.) Schum. 

Description: Shrub or small tree; to 4 m. 

Distribution: Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Trinidad, Vene‐ 

zuela, Guiana, Brazil. 




Barbados. 



Guettarda crispiflora Vahl 


Distribution: Trinidad. 


Dominica, Martinique, St Lucia, St Vincent, Grenada. 



Guettarda odorata (Jacq.) Lam. 


Distribution: Puerto Rico, Central America, Venezuela 







Guettarda scabra (L.) Vent. 

Common Name(s): Pigeon fat, pigeon bay, white allee. 


Distribution: Florida, Cuba, Haiti, Puerto Rico, Trinidad, 




Nevis, Guadeloupe, La Desirade, Marie Galante, Domin‐ 


Grenada. 



Hedyotis corymbosa (L.) Lam. 


Distribution: worldwide as a weed in the tropics 






Hedyotis lancifolia Schumach. 

Description: Annual; stems weak, often decumbent, to 

60cm long. 

Distribution: Africa. 


deloupe, Martinique. 



Hillia parasitica Jacq. 

Description: Climbing epiphytic shrub. 


Trinidad, Venezuela and Brazil 







Hura crepitans L. 

Local Name(s): Boxwood tree (Mrat 

Common Name(s): Gogo tree. 

Life Form: Tree; to 25m ta 

Description: Leaves ovate to orbicular, 12‐25 x 7‐15cm, 

base cordate, apex acuminate, margin crenate with glan‐ 

dular teeth, prominently pinnate‐veined, spasely pubes‐ 

cent on lower surface. Fruit a woody capsule, 8cm in 

diameter, 3‐5 

Key ID Feature: Trunk and limbs covered with spines; 

leaves simple, deep‐green, elongated, cordate, long peti‐ 

oled; flowers dark red, monoecious, held in pairs, termi‐ 

nal; dried fruit (schizocarp) is tangerin‐like, with about 

20 

Uses: Large shade tree, xerophytic. 

Notes: Collected under local name ʺboxwoodʺ in Mont‐ 

serrat by UKOTs team; local name matched to species in 

UK. 



Lesser Antilles Distribution: Monterrat*, Anguilla, St. 

Martin, Barbuda, Antigua, Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, 




Ixora chinensis Lam. 





_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

221 


Ixora ferrea (Jacq.) Benth. 


Distribution: Cuba, Puerto Rico. 


Kits, Nevis, Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, Dominica, Mar‐ 

tinique, St Lucia, St Vincent, the grenadines, Grenada, 

barbados. 



Mitracarpus hirtus (L.) DC. 


Distribution: Florida, Texas, Haiti, Jamaica, Mexico, Pa‐ 

nama, Guyana, Venezuela, Brazil, Africa 


Kitts, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, Grenada. 



Morinda citrifolia L. 

Common Name(s): Jumbie breadfruit, hog apple, pain 

killer. 


Distribution: Tropical Asia and Australia, introduced 

into the New World. 


deloupe, La Desirade, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, 

St. Vincent, Barbados. 



Mussaenda s L. 




Neolaugeria resinosa (Vahl) Nicolson 



Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, guadeloupe, 




Palicourea crocea (Sw.) Roem. & Schult. 


Distribution: Greater Antilles, southern Mexico, Central 

America, south to Brazil and Paraguay 






Pentas lanceolata Schum. 


Martinique 



Psychotria aubletiana Steyerm. 


Distribution: Central America, northern South America 


Guadeloupe, Dominica, MartiniquE. 



Psychotria berteriana DC. 

Common Name(s): Caf? marron. 


Distribution: Greater Antilles, Trinidad, Central Amer‐ 

ica, Columbia 






Psychotria guadalupensis (DC.) Howard 

Description: Epiphytic shrub; with pendant or arching 

ascending branches. 


America 






Psychotria mapourioides DC. 


Distribution: Trinidad, northern South America 


Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent. 



Psychotria microdon (DC.) Urb. 

Common Name(s): Cafe? marron. 

Description: Arching shrub; 1‐2 m tall. 


lands, northern South America 


Barts, Antigua, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Les 

Saintes, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, the Grena‐ 




Psychotria nervosa Sw. 

Common Name(s): Caf? marron, wood balsam. 



South America 


Nevis, Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, Martinique, St. Lu‐ 

cia, St. Vincent, Grenada, Barbados. 



_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


222

Psychotria urbaniana Steyerm. 







Randia aculeata L. 

Common Name(s): Fve fingers, goat horn, ink berry, 

fishing rod. 





Barts, Barbuda, Antigua, Saba, St. Kitts, Nevis, Guade‐ 

loupe, Les Saintes, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. 




Rondeletia americana L. 




Rondeletia buxifolia Vahl 

Common Name(s): Privet. 

Description: Shrub; 1‐2 mm tall. 

Conservation Measures: Ex‐Situ: ‐Seed collection made 

May 2006 stored at MSB. 


Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat. 



Spermacoce assurgens Ruiz & Pav. 

Description: Perennial herb; to 40cm tall. 

Distribution: Native of tropical America naturalised in 

Africa, Asia 




Barbados. 



Spermacoce berteroana Howard 

Description: Woody herb. 



deloupe, Dominica. 



Spermacoce densiflora (DC.) Alain 

Description: Stout herb; to 70cm tall. 

Distribution: Jamaica, Central America, northern South 

America 


deloupe, Martinique, St. Lucia. 



Strumpfia maritima Jacq. 

Common Name(s): Rosemary. 


Distribution: Florida, Greater Antilles, Yucatan 


Barts, Barbuda, Antigua, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, La De‐ 

sirade, Marie Galante. 



RUTACEAE 

Amyris elemifera L. 

Common Name(s): Torchwood. 


Distribution: Bahamas, Greater and Lesser Antilles, 

Trinidad. 


Barts, Barbuda, Antigua, Nevis, Guadeloupe, Marie Gal‐ 

ante, Les Saintes, Dominica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, the 

Grenadines, Grenada 



Citrus aurantifolia (Christm.) Swingle 

Description: Tree; branches with single spines in axils of 

leaves. 

Distribution: Cultivated throughout the tropics. 




Citrus maxima (Burm. ex Rumph.) Merr. 


Biogeography: 


Murraya exotica L. 


Distribution: native of tropical Asia but widely culti‐ 

vated in tropical areas 


Barts, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Dominica, 

Martinique, the Grenadines 



Murraya exotica L. 

Notes: Although commonly seen as a cultivated plant, 

this taxon is now well established. 


Distribution: Native to China, Taiwan 


Barts, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Montserrat, Guadeloupe, 

Dominica, Martinique, the Grenadines 

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223 




Pilocarpus racemosus Vahl 


Distribution: Cuba, Hispaniola. 


Martinique. 



Triphasia trifolia (Burm. F.) P. Wilson 

Common Name(s): Sweet lime, Chinese lemon, myrtle 

lime, citronella. 


Distribution: Native of the East Indies but widely culti‐ 

vated. 


Barts, Barbuda, Antigua, St. Eustatius, Nevis, Guade‐ 

loupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Lucia, St. 




Triphasia trifolia (Burm. F.) P. Wilson 

Notes: This plant persists in hedgerows and around old 

foundations. It has become established in coastal areas 

and invades the edges of mangroves. 


Distribution: Native of East Indes 


Barts, Bermuda, Antigua, St. Eustatius, Nevis, Montser‐ 

rat, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. 




Zanthoxylum flavum Vahl 


Distribution: Bermuda, Florida, Greater Antilles. 


Martin, St Barts, Barbuda, Antigua, Guadeloupe, Marie 

Galante. 



Zanthoxylum monophyllum (Lam.) P. Wilson 

Common Name(s): Yellow prickle, greater yellow hercu‐ 

les. 


Distribution: Central America, Hispaniola, northern 

South America 


deloupe, Les Saintes, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, 

Barbados 



Zanthoxylum spinifex (Jacq.) DC. 

Common Name(s): Ram goat. 


Distribution: Greater and Lesser Antilles, Venezuela. 


Barts, Barbuda, Antigua, Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, 

Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Barbados 



SALICACEAE 

Casearia decandra Jacq. 

Common Name(s): Coco‐ravet, jumbie apple, wild 

cherry. 


Distribution: Honduras south to Brazil, northern Argen‐ 

tina, Paraguay‐Bolivia, and in the West Indies south 

from Hispaniola throught the Lesser Antilles. 



Galant, Dominca, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, the 

Grenadadines, Grenada, Barbados 



Casearia sylvestris Sw. 

Common Name(s): Crack‐open. 

Description: Shrub or small tree; to 3(‐6)m tall. 

Notes: *Montserrat herbarium specimens collected by 

MH 198, 213, 316 are verified as C. sylvestris by Sue 

Zmartzy 

Distribution: Mexico south to northern Argentina and 

Uraguay, West Indies from Cuba through Lesser Antil‐ 

les 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat*, St. Martin, 

Saba, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. 




Flacourtia jangomas (Lour.) Raeusch. 

Common Name(s): Governorʹs plum. 

Description: Large shrub or small tree; 4‐15m tall. 

Key ID Feature: Young branches whitespeckled by nu‐ 

merous lenticels, older branches commonly with sharp 

thorns 


Distribution: Originating in the Old World (India?). Cul‐ 

tivated in many tropical countries. 


Dominca, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, the Grena‐ 

dines, Grenada 



Samyda dodecandra Jacq. 

Common Name(s): Banso, wild guave. 


Distribution: West Indies from Cuba south to Bonaire, 

Curacao, and Trinidad 


_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


224

Barts, Anigua, St. Austatius, St. Kitts, Nevis, Guade‐ 

loupe, Martinique, St. Vincent 



Xylosma serratum Urb. 

Description: Dioecious or occasionally polygamous 

small tree; to 6m tall. 

Notes: Very similar to X. martinicense‐ perhaps only a 

more robust variety with larger flowers and more nu‐ 

merous stamens. 





SAPINDACEAE 

Allophylus racemosus Sw. 


Distribution: Central and northern South America, 



St. Eustatius, Nevis, Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, Do‐ 

minica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Barbados. 



Blighia sapida K.D. Koenig 

Common Name(s): akee, aki. 

Description: Trees; to 7m 

Distribution: Native to tropical Africa, introduced and 

cultivated in the New World. 


tinique, St. Lucia, Barbados 



Cardiospermum halicacabum L. 

Common Name(s): Ballon vine. 

Description: Herbaceaous climber; to 5 m tall. 

Distribution: Worldwide in tropical areas and com‐ 

monly cultivated. 



Martinique, St. Vincent. 



Cardiospermum microcarpum Kunth 

Common Name(s): Heart seed, ballon vine, wild parsley. 

Description: Herbaceaous annual climber; to 2m tall. 

Distribution: Widespread in all tropical areas. 


buda, Antigua, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, 





Cupania rubiginosa (Poir.) Radlk. 


Distribution: Guyana, Northern Brazil. 


Marie Galante 



Paullinia pinnata L. 

Description: Climbing vine. 

Distribution: Neotropics, Africa. 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat* (*In Howards 

original Checklist abut not in Flora?), Dominica, Martin‐ 

ique, St. Lucia, Grenada 



Paullinia vespertilio Sw. 

Description: Climbing vine. 



loupe, Dominica, Martinique, St Lucia, St Vincent. 



Sapindus saponaria L. 

Common Name(s): Soapberry tree, black nicker tree. 


Distribution: Florida, Bahamas, Greater Antilles, Mexico, 

and Central America, tropical South America 


buda, Antigua, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Do‐ 

minica, Martinique, St. Vincent, the Grenadines, Gre‐ 




SAPOTACEAE 

Chrysophyllum argenteum Jacq. 

Common Name(s): Wild star apple, milky iron. 


Distribution: Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, northern 







Micropholis guyanensis (A. DC.) Pierre 

Common Name(s): Wild balata. 


Distribution: Puerto Rico, Costa Rico, Panama, northern 

and western South America, coastal Brazil 


Guadeloupe, Dominica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada. 



_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

225 


Mimusops elengi L. 


Notes: occasionally cultivated but in some areas 

producing numerous seedsseedlings with the potential 

of escaping 

Distribution: Tropical Asia. 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, Dominica, 

Martinique 



Pouteria multiflora (A. DC.) Eyma 

Common Name(s): Penny piece, choky apple. 


Distribution: Jamaica, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico 






Pouteria sapota (Jacq.) H.E. Moore & Stearn 

Common Name(s): Mamey sapote. 


Notes: cultivated or persisting after cultivation 

Distribution: Native to Mexico to Nicaragua, but 

introduced elsewhere 





Sideroxylon foetidissimum Jacq. 

Common Name(s): Mastic. 


Distribution: Florida, Bahamas, Greater Antilles, Mexico, 

Guatemala, Belize 


Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, Dominica, Martinique, the 

Grenadines, Barbados. 



Sideroxylon obovatum Lam. 

Common Name(s): Boxwood, milky thorn, box tree. 


Distribution: Greater Antilles, Venezuelan islands 



Kitts, Guadeloupe, La Desirade, Marie Galante, 

Martinique, St. Lucia, the Grenadines. 



SCHIZAEACEAE 

Anemia adiantifolia (L.) Sw. 


Distribution: Florida, Greater Antilles, Trinidad, Mexico, 

Guatemala, northern South America 


Kitts, Guadeloupe, La Desirade, Marie Galante, Les 

Saintes, Dominica, Martinique, Barbados 



Anetium citrifolium (L.) Splitg. 

Description: Fleshy epiphytic/lithophytic fern; fronds10‐ 

40cm long. 

Distribution: Greater Antilles, except Cuba; Tobago, 

Trinidad, continental tropical America from Guatemala 

to Brazil 



Grenada. 



SCROPHULARIACEAE 

Alectra fluminensis (Vell.) Stearn 

Description: Annual herb; 30‐75cm tall. 

Distribution: Hispaniola, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Central 




Grenada. 



Capraria biflora L. 

Common Name(s): Wild tea, goatweed. 





Martin, Barbuda, Antigua, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, La 



Barbados. 



Lindernia crustacea (L.) F. Muell. 


Distribution: Jamainca, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Central 

America, Trinidad, South America 


tinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada. 



Mecardonia procumbens (Mill.) Small 

Description: Procumbent herb; stems to 40cm long. 

Distribution: Southern US, Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto 

Rico, Mexico, Central America to Argentina 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, Antigua, Do‐ 

minica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada. 



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226

Scoparia dulcis L. 

Common Name(s): Sweet broom. 


Distribution: Nearly pantropical and pansubtropical as a 

weed. 





Grenadines, G 



SELAGINELLACEAE 

Selaginella flabellata (L.) Spring 

Description: Fern; stoloniferous; stems 8‐45cm long. 

Distribution: Probably endemic to the Lesser Antilles 






Selaginella substipitata Spring 

Description: Fern: main stems 15‐30cm long. 

Distribution: Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Trinidad 






Selaginella tenela ( P.Beauv. ) Spring 

Description: Fern: main stems 5‐14cm long. 



Guadleoupe, Dominica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent. 



SIMAROUBACEAE 

Picramnia pentandra Sw. 

Common Name(s): Gohallow. 


Distribution: Greater and Lesser Antilles, northern south 

America. 


tigua, St. Barts, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. 

Lucia 



Picrasma excelsa (Sw.) Planch. 

Common Name(s): Bitter tree, bitter ash, raw dog. 

Description: Tree; to 9m long. 

Distribution: Jamaica, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Virgin 

Islands, Venezuala 






Simarouba amara Aubl. 

Common Name(s): Tom tar, boardwood, maruba. 








SOLANACEAE 

Acnistus arborescens (L.) Schltdl. 

Common Name(s): Hollow heart, wild tobaco. 



America 


Antigua, Saba, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. 




Brunfelsia americana L. 

Common Name(s): Lady of the night. 


Distribution: Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, but cultivated 

elsewhere in the Neotropics 


Antigua, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Les Saintes, 

Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent 



Cestrum laurifolium LʹH‚r. 

Common Name(s): Candlewood, torch. 









Datura stramonium L. 

Common Name(s): David bush. 

Description: Erect annual; to 1m tall. 

Distribution: Native to Mexico but growing as a weed in 

many countries 


Barts, Antigua, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. 


_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

227 




Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. 

Common Name(s): Tomato. 


Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat and probably 

other islands 



Nicotiana tabacum L. 

Description: Annual herb; often persisting; to 2m tall. 

Distribution: Native of Tropical the Neotropics, 

commonly cultivated 


Antigua, Redonda, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, 

St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Barbados. 



Physalis turbinata Medik. 

Description: Annual; to 1m tall. 

Distribution: Greater Anilles, Mexico, Central America 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Antigua, Montserrat, 

Martinique, St. Vincent, Barbados 



Solandra grandiflora Sw. 

Description: Climbing vine or epiphyte. 

Distribution: Greater Antilles, Panama, northern South 

America 


Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia 



Solanum americanum Mill. 

Common Name(s): Ink balls, nightshade. 

Description: Herb; to 0.6m tall. 

Distribution: Nearly cosmopolitan in tropical areas as a 

weed. 


Antigua, Saba, St. Kitts, Nevis, Guadeloupe, Marie 





Solanum capsicoides All. 

Common Name(s): Cockroach berry. 

Description: Perennial herb; to 0.5m tall. 

Distribution: Native to South America but wide spread 

in tropics as a weed 


Antigua, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, 


Barbados. 



Solanum racemosum Jacq. 

Common Name(s): Canker berry, gut apple, conka 

berry. 


Distribution: St Croix, Virgin Islands 



St. Kitts, Nevis, Guadeloupe, La Desirade, Marie 





Solanum seaforthianum Andr. 

Common Name(s): St. Vincent lilac. 

Description: Vine; to 6m long. 

Distribution: Native to S America but widely cultivated 

and naturalized in tropical areas. 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, Saba, 





Solanum torvum Sw. 

Common Name(s): Turkey berry, boo, quashy, wild egg 

plant. 


Distribution: Native of tropical America now widely 

naturalized in all tropical areas. 


Antigua, Saba, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Dominica, 





Solanum tuberosum L. 

Common Name(s): Potato. 


Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat and other 

islands 



STERCULIACEAE 

Ayenia insulicola Crist¢bal 

Description: Decumbent sub‐shrub; to 3dm tall. 


Islands. 


Barts, Barbuda, Antigua, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Guade‐ 

loupe. 



Brachychiton acerifolium F.Muell. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


228

Notes: Recorded as growing in a BG in Mrat 

Distribution: Native to Austraia 




Guazuma ulmifolia Lam. 

Common Name(s): Gun‐stock. 

Description: Tree; occasionally shrub‐like; 8‐20m tall. 

Distribution: Neotropics and introduced in India and 

neighbouring countries, Hawaii and Java. 


Kitts, Nevis, Guadeloupe, La Desirade, Marie Galante, 





Melochia nodiflora Sw. 

Common Name(s): Mauve. 

Description: Shrub; occasionally herbaceous; 0.8‐3m tall. 


ica, West Indies. 


Martin, St. Barts, Antigua, Nevis, Guadeloupe, Domin‐ 





Melochia pyramidata L. 

Common Name(s): Mauve. 

Description: Erect or spreading herb; to 1m tall. 

Distribution: Neotropics, introduced in Indomalesia‐ 

Australia. 


Martin, St. Barts, Antigua, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Guade‐ 

loupe, Marie Galante, Dominica, St. Lucia, Grenada, 

Barbados. 



Melochia tomentosa L. 

Common Name(s): Black widow, balsam. 

Description: Erect or spreading shrub or subshrub; 0.5‐3 

m tall. 

Distribution: Southern Florida, Mexico, West Indies, 

northern South America, Infrequent in Central America. 







Sterculia apetala (Jacq.) H. Karst. 


Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, St. Kitts 



Sterculia caribaea R. Br. 

Common Name(s): Mahot, wild mahot. 

Description: Tree; to 16.5 (‐35)m tall. 

Distribution: Endemic to the large volcanic islands of the 



Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent. 



Theobroma cacao L. 

Common Name(s): Cocoa. 


Invasiveness: Naturalised. 

Distribution: Mexico, northern Central America, no‐ 

thern‐central South America; cultivated elsewhere 


St. Eustatius, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. 

Lucia, St. Vincent,Grenada, Barbados. 



Waltheria indica L. 

Common Name(s): Marsh‐mallow, velvet leaf, monkey 

bush, boater bush, leather coat, buff coat. 

Description: Shrub or woody herb; 0.7‐2 m tall. 

Notes: Specimens from Jamaica, Trinidad, Tobago. 

Distribution: A pantropical weed native to the New 

World, introduced and naturalized in the Old World. 







STRELITZIACEAE 

Ravenala madagascariensis Sonn. 

Common Name(s): Travelerʹs palm. 

Description: Palmlike trunk; leaves distichous forming a 

conspicuous fan‐like mass. 

Notes: sited by S. Robbins and M. Hamilton at the Na‐ 

tional Trust BG 

Distribution: Madagascar 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: *Montserrat 



STYRACACEAE 

Styrax glaber Sw. 

Common Name(s): Crump wood. 




loupe, Dominica, Martinique, St Lucia. 


_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

229 



SURIANACEAE 

Suriana maritima L. 

Description: Compact shrub; to 1.5m tall. 

Distribution: Florida, Central America, Bahamas, 

Greater Antilles, northern South America, Madagascar, 

Polynesia, New Guinea, Australia 


buda, Antigua, Guadeloupe, La Desirade, Martinique, 




SYMPLOCACEAE 

Symplocos martinicensis Jacq. 

Common Name(s): Caca‐rat, white beech. 


Distribution: Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Trinidad and 

the Lesser Antilles. 






THEACEAE 

Freziera undulata (Sw.) Willd. 

Common Name(s): Mountain parrot, pigeonberry, 

washʹway gunstock. 




Nevis, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St 

Vincent Grenada. 



Ternstroemia elliptica Sw. 

Description: Shrub or small tree; 1.5‐5 (‐10)m tall. 



kitts, Nevis, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St Vin‐ 

cent. 



Ternstroemia peduncularis DC. 


Distribution: Greater and Lesser Antilles, excluding Ja‐ 

maica. 


tigua, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, La De‐ 

sirade, Marie Galante, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia. 



THELYPTERIDACEAE 

Thelypteris angustifolia (Willd.) Proctor 


Distribution: Greater Antilles, St. Thomas, continental 

tropical America from Costa Rica to Bolivia 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat. 



Thelypteris balbisii (Spreng.) Ching 


Distribution: Greater Antilles, Tobago, Trinidad, Central 







Thelypteris clypeolutata (Desv.) Proctor 








Thelypteris decussata (L.) Proctor 

Description: Terrestrial fern; fronds 1‐2.8m long. 

Distribution: Gretaer Antilles, Trinidad, continental 







Thelypteris germaniana (F‚e) Proctor 




deloupe, Dominica, Martinique. 



Thelypteris glandulosa (Desv.) Proctor 


Distribution: Tobago, Trinidad, Guyana 


Guadeloupe, Dominica, St Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada. 



Thelypteris interrupta (Willd.) K. Iwats. 



_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


230


deloupe, Marie Galante, Martinique. 



Thelypteris nephrodiodes (Klotzsch) Proctor 



America 



St Lucia, St. Vincent. 



Thelypteris opposita (Vahl) Ching 


Distribution: Puerto Rico, Tobago, Trinidad, northern 

South America 






Thelypteris patens (Sw.) Small var. patens 


Distribution: Florida, Greater Antilles, continental 

tropical America from Mexico to Argentina 


Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, grenada, Barbados. 



Thelypteris patens (Sw.) Small var. scabriuscula ( C.Presl ) 

A.R.Sm. 



tropical America from El Salvador to northwestern 

Argentina and Peru 





Thelypteris pennata (Poir.) C.V. Morton 


Distribution: Greater Antilles, Tobago, Trinidad, 

continental tropical America from Mexico to Venezuela 

and Equador 



Vincent. 



Thelypteris poiteana (Bory) Proctor 


Distribution: Greater Antilles, Tobago, Trinidad, 

continental tropical America from Guatemala to Peru 

and Brazil 






Thelypteris quadrangularis ( F‚e ) Schelpe var. 

quadrangulari 


Distribution: Greater Antilles except Puerto Rico; 

Tobago, Trinidad, continental tropical America from 

Mexico to Bolivia 






Thelypteris quadrangularis ( F‚e ) Schelpe var. inconstans 

( C.Chr. ) A.R.Sm. 




Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Vincent, Grenada. 



Thelypteris reticulata (L.) Proctor 


Distribution: Florida, Greater Antilles, Tobago, Trinidad, 

continental tropical America, from Mexico to Brazil 






Thelypteris tetragona (Sw.) Small var. tetragona 


Distribution: Florida, Greater Antilles, Trinidad, 

continental tropica America from Mexico to Brazil and 

Equador 


St. Martin, Antigua, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Nevis, 





THEOPHRASTACEAE 

Jacquinia armillaris Jacq. 

Common Name(s): Torchwood. 



Trinidad, northern South America 



St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, La Desirade, Marie Galante, Do‐ 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

231 






THYMELAEACEAE 

Daphnopsis americana (Mill.) J.R. Johnst. 

Common Name(s): Bitter mahoe. 


Distribution: Central America, Columbia, Venezuela, 

Puerto Rico 


tigua, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Nevis,Guadeloupe, 


dines, Grenada. 



TILIACEAE 

Corchorus aestuans L. 

Description: Annual herb; erect or decumbent and sub‐ 

woody. 

Distribution: Pantropical but ost abundant in the West 

Indies 


Barts, Antigua, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, St. Vin‐ 




Triumfetta lappula L. 

Common Name(s): Mahot. 


Distribution: Mexico, Central and South America, West 

Indies 


buda, Antigua, Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. 




Triumfetta semitriloba Jacq. 

Common Name(s): Nedyah, black bush. 

Description: Shrub; 0.5‐2 m tall. 

Distribution: Neotropics, also found in Africa. 


Barts, Antigua, St. Eustatius, Guadeloupe, Dominica, 





ULMACEAE 

Celtis iguanaea (Jacq.) Sarg. 

Description: Woody vine or shrub. 

Distribution: United States, Mexico, Central America, 



Barts, Barbuda, Antigua, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. kitts, 


Dominica, Martinique, St. Vincent, the Grenadines, Bar‐ 

bados 



Trema lamarckiana (Roem. & Schult.) Blume 


Distribution: Florida, Greater and Lesser Antilles. 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, Saba, St. Austa‐ 

tius, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, La Desirade, Marie Galante, 




URTICACEAE 

Boehmeria ramiflora Jacq. 


Key ID Feature: young stems and leaves densely ap‐ 

pressed‐hirsute. 

Distribution: Central America, South America, Jamaica, 

Hispaniola 






Laportea aestuans (L.) Chew 

Description: Annual herb; to 1.2m tall. 


South America 


St. Kitts, Nevis, Guadelupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. 




Pilea herniariodes Lindl. 

Description: Prostrate herb; monoecious. 

Distribution: Florida, Central America, South America, 

West Indies 

Lesser Antilles Distribution: Montserrat, Anitgua 



Pilea hyalina Fenzl 

Description: Erect herb; monoecious; to 3m tall. 



Kitts, Guadeloupe, Martinique 



Pilea inaequalis (Jussieu) Wedd. 

Description: Erect, scandent or repent herb; to 4 dm tall. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


232

Key ID Feature: monoecious; stems puberulent with 

clear unicellular trichomes. 

Distribution: West Indies 






Pilea microphylla (L.) Liebm. 

Description: Erect or sprawling herb; to 4 dm tall. 

Key ID Feature: common on rocky outcrops and old 

foundation walls 



gua, Saba, St Eustatius, Nevis, Redonda, Guadeloupe, 

Marie Galante, Dominca, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vin‐ 




Pilea nummulariifolia (Sw.) Wedd. 

Description: Trailing herb; moneocious or dioecious. 

Distribution: West Indies. 


gua, Saba, St. Kitts, Nevis, Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, 

Dominica, St. Lucia, Barbados 



Pilea rivoirae Wedd. 

Description: Erect herb; to 2m tall; generally dioecious. 

Distribution: Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico 


Nevis, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Vincent, 

Grenada 



Pilea semidentata Wedd. 

Description: Erect herb; to 8dm tall; generally 

monoecious. 




ique, St. Lucia 



Pilea serpyllifolia (Poir.) Wedd. 

Description: Erect herb; to 4dm tall; dioecious. 

Distribution: Central America, West Indies 


buda, Saba, Guadeloupe, La Desirade, St. Lucia, Gre‐ 

nada 



Urera caracasana (Jacq.) Steud. 

Common Name(s): Nettle tree. 

Description: Shrub or tree; to 8 m tall. 






VERBENACEAE 

Aegiphila martinicensis Jacq. 

Description: Shrub or slender tree; to 5m tall. 

Distribution: Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Central 

America and South America 


Eustatius, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, Domin‐ 


dos. 



Citharexylum spinosum L. 

Common Name(s): Cutlet, fiddle wood, fig bush, fairy 

tree. 


Distribution: Lesser Antilles, Northern South America. 





Barbados. 



Clerodendrum aculeatum (L.) Schltdl. 

Common Name(s): Privet, prayer berry, privy hedge, 

pree‐bree. 

Description: Shrub; with climbing branches; to 3m tall. 

Distribution: Greater and Lesser Antilles, Tobago. 





Grenadines, G 



Clerodendrum chinense (Osbeck) Mabb. var. chinense 


Biogeography: 


Clerodendrum philippinum Schauer 

Common Name(s): Stick bush. 


Distribution: Native to tropical Asia. Widely cultivated, 

escaped and well established in the tropics 






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233 


Clerodendrum philippinum Schauer 


Distribution: Native of tropical Asia, widely cultivated, 

escaped and well established in the tropics. 




Clerodendrum speciosissimum Van Geert ex Morren 


Distribution: Native to Southeastern Asia but widely 

cultivated, escaping and persisting in tropical areas 


Kitts, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique. 



Clerodendrum umbellatum Poir. var. speciosum (Dombrain) 

Moldenh., Reported as occurring in Montserrat as this 

name in Flora of Lesser Antilles, but var. speciosum is 

not validly published. 

Nomenclature Notes: Reported as occurring in Montser‐ 

rat as this name in Flora of Lesser Antilles, but var. spe‐ 

ciosum is not validly published. 



Dominica, Martinique 



Congea tomentosa Roxb. 


Distribution: Asia 




Duranta erecta L. 

Common Name(s): Pigeon berry. 


Distribution: Subtropical US, Greater Antilles, Mexico, 

Central America and South America. 


Barts, Antigua, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Nevis, Re‐ 

donda, Guadeloupe, La Desirade, Marie Galante, Les 


Grenadines, Gren 



Gmelina phillippensis Cham. 


Distribution: Native to Asia 


tinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada 



Holmskioldia sanguina Retz. 






Lantana camara L. 

Common Name(s): Lantana. 

Description: Shrub to 3m tall. 








Lantana involucrata L. 

Description: Shrub: 1‐2 m tall. 

Distribution: Florida, Greatere Antilles, Mexico, south to 






Grenadines, G 



Lantana urticifolia Mill. 

Description: Shrubs to 3m tall. 

Distribution: Cuba, Mexico, Central America and south 

to Argentina 







Lippia nodiflora (L.) Michx. 

Description: Herbaceous creeping or trailing plants; 

stems to 1m long. 

Distribution: Southeastern US, Greater Antilles, Mexico, 

Central America through South America, introduced in 

the Old World 


buda, Antigua, Guadeloupe, Martinique, the Grena‐ 




Petrea kohautiana C. Presl 

Common Name(s): Montserrat wreath plant. 







_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


234


Priva lappulacea (L.) Pers. 

Description: Perennial herb; to 1m. 


South America, introduced to Africa and Asia 


Barts, Antigua, Saba, Guadeloupe, La Desirade, Domin‐ 

ica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, the Grenadines, Grenada, Bar‐ 

bados. 



Stachytarpheta cayennensis (Rich.) Vahl 

Common Name(s): Vervain. 

Description: Shrub; 1‐2.5m tall. 

Distribution: Greater Antilles, Mexico, Central Merica, 

South America, as a weed in the Old World 


Kitts, Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, Les Saintes, Domin‐ 


dos. 



Stachytarpheta jamaicensis (L.) Vahl 

Common Name(s): Vervain. 

Description: Herb; 0.6‐1.3m tall. 

Distribution: Southern US, Greater Antilles, Mexico, 

Central America, northern South America, and a weed 

in many tropical areas 


Martin, Antigua, Saba, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, La De‐ 

sirade, Marie Galante, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, 




Stachytarpheta urticifolia Sims 

Common Name(s): Rattail. 





Lesser Antilles Distribution: *Montserrat, Dominica, 




Tectona grandis L.f. 

Common Name(s): Teak. 


Distribution: Native to S.E. Asia, introduced and persist‐ 

ing in the Lesser Antilles. 






Vitex divaricata Sw. 


Distribution: Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Trinidad 


deloupe, La Desirade, Marie Galante, Dominica, Martin‐ 




VISCACEAE 

Phoradendron trinervium (Lam.) Griseb. 

Description: Woody parasite. 

Distribution: Costa Rica, Panama, Venezuela, Jamaica, 

Cayman Islands, Hispaniola, Purto Rico, Bahamas, Trini‐ 

dad, Tobago, Curacao, Margarita 


Martin, St. Barts, Antigua, Saba, St. Eustatius, Guade‐ 

loupe, La Desirade, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. 

Vincent, the Grenadines, Barbados 



VITACEAE 

Cissus verticillata (L.) Nicolson & Jarvis 

Common Name(s): Pudding bush, godmort, snake vine. 

Description: Vine. 

Distribution: Southern Florida, Mexico, Central and 

northern South America, West Indies 



St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, Les Saintes, Do‐ 





VITTARIACEAE 

Polytaenium feei ( W.Schaffn. ex F‚e ) Maxon 

Description: Fleshy epiphytic/lithophytic fern; fronds 20‐ 

55cm long. 



ica 



Grenada. 



Vittaria graminifolia Kaulf. 

Description: Terrestrial/piphytic fern; fronds 10‐40cmcm 

long. 


ica from Mexico to Brazil 


Dominica, Grenada. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

235 




Vittaria lineata (L.) Sm. 


Distribution: Southeastern US, Bahamas, Greater Antil‐ 

les, Tobago, Trinidad, continental tropical America from 

Mexico to Paraguay 


Eustatius, St. Kitts, Nevis, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Mar‐ 




WOODSIACEAE 

Diplazium cristatum (Desr.) Alston 









Diplazium limbatum (Willd.) Proctor 

Description: Very large terrestrial fern; fronds up to 3m 

long. 








Diplazium striatum (L.) C. Presl 

Description: Terrestrial fern; fronds 1‐2m long. 



ica 






ZINGIBERACEAE 

Renealmia alpinia (Rottb.) Maas 

Description: Herbaceous perennial; 1‐6m tall. 

Distribution: throughout the Neotropics, except the 






ZYGOPHYLLACEAE 

Guaiacum officinale L. 

Common Name(s): tree of life, Lignum vitae, manlira. 


Distribution: Bahamas, Greater Antilles, Venezuela, Co‐ 

lumbia 


Martin, St. Barts, Barbuda, Antigua, Guadleoupe, La 

Desirade, Dominica, Martinique, St. Vincent, Grenada, 

Barbados 



Kallstroemia maxima (L.) Hook. & Arn. 

Description: Annual herb; stems prostrate; to 60cm tall. 

Distribution: Texas, Mexico, Central America, Greater 








Kallstroemia pubescens (Don) Dandy 





buda, Antigua, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, 




_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


236

Appendix 2. Species lists of the beetles, non-beetle hexapods 

and non-hexapod invertebrates of Montserrat 

M. A. Ivie, K. A. Marske, I. A. Foley & L. L. Ivie 

The beetles of Montserrat: an annotated checkllist 

Below are listed all of the beetles known to us from Montserrat, organized by family. Each has a name at the level we 

are able to assign it. Each has a code indicating the species’ distributional status (Table A), from single island endemic 

to invasive exotic. The symbol “?” associated with this ranking, indicates our lack of knowledge of a particular taxon. 

Following the distributional code is the original citation (if any) of the species from Montserrat, as well as any notes. 

This format is also followed for the sections on non‐beetle hexapods and the non‐hexapods invertebrates. 

COLEOPTERA 

Table A. Key to Distributional Status 

Distributional status Code Description 

Island Endemic IE Montserrat only 

Local Endemic LE Few islands, i.e St. Kitts, Montserrat & Guadeloupe 

Leeward Island Endemic LIE Sombrero to Dominica 

North Eastern Caribbean 

Endemic 

Rhysodidae 

Clinidium (s.str.) n.sp. nr planum IE 

NEC Puerto Rico to Dominica 

Lesser Antilles Endemic LAE Sombrero to Grenada 

West Indian Endemic WIE Not on mainland, or only south Florida 

Widespread Native WN West Indies and Mainland 

S. America and Lesser 

Antilles Native 

SA Sombrero to Grenada & S. America 

Native N? Full distribution unknown 

Exotic EIS Invasive Species (exotic species not introduced on purpose) 

Biological Control Agent EBC Exotic spp introduced for beneficial purpose 

Status Uncertain ? Identity not yet ascertained, or range in dispute 

Carabidae (determined by George Ball and Danny Shpeley, with individual species determined by Wendy Moore, 

James Liebherr and Terry Erwin) 

Cicindela trifasciata Fabricius WN 

Eohomopterus n.sp. (being described by W. Moore) IE 

Aspidoglossa schach (Fabricius) WN 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


237

Bembidion darlingtoni Mutchler WIE 

Mioptachys sp. ? [Leng & Mutchler (1917) recorded Mioptachys autum‐ 

nalis Bates from Montserrat. This species was described from Central America, and has been reported from Cuba and 

Guadeloupe. However, this genus has never been revised, and the limits of M. autumnalis never delimited. Therefore, 

this published record and our specimens are treated here as M. sp. until the specimens involved can be brought to‐ 

gether and critically examined.] 

Elaphropus singularis Andrews EIS 

Tachys ensenada Mutchler WN 

Paratachys (Eotachys) blemoides Jeannel EIS 

Paratachys sp. #1 ? 



Micratopus insularis? Darlington NEC 

Glyptolennus chalybaeus (Dejean) WN [Liebherr (1997), not recollected] 

Selenophorus alternans Dejean WIE? 

Selenophorus chalybaeus Dejean WIE 

Selenophorus sinuatus Gyllenhal WIE? 

Selenophorus n.sp.? IE? 

Selenophorus subquadratus Putzeys WIE 

Selenophorus discopunctatus Dejean WN 

Selenophorus propinquus Putzeys NEC 

Notiobia pallipes Bates EIS 

Athrostrichus paganus Dejean WN 

Pentagonica flavipes (LeConte) WN 

Zuphium sp. ? 

Perigona nigriceps Dejean EIS 

Apenes marginalisDejean WN 

Apenes chalumeaui Ball & Shpeley LIE 

Menidius amandus Newman EIS?/WN? 

Lebia pleurodera Chaudior WN 

Rejected Record: Erwin and Sims 1984 recorded the very large, rare South American and Trinidadian species 

Enceladus gigas Bonelli from Montserrat, but it seems certain that this was either a mislabeled or misinterpted specimen. 

Since Montserrat is a common place name in Latin America, including a place name in Trinidad, the specimen must 

have been from a Montserrat in Trinidad or northern South America. A search for the specimen in question at the 

NMNH in 2007 did not turn up the source of the record, but at some point between 1984 and 2007, Erwin dropped the 

record from his distributional database (T. Erwin, pers. com.). 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

238 


Fig. A. Eohomotperus n.sp. (Photo: Wendy Moore) 

Dytiscidae 

Bidessonotus sp. N? 

Copelatus sp. nr. posticalus (F.) N? 

Hydrovatus sp. N? 

Laccophilus proximus (Say) WN 

Laccophilus sp. N? 

Megadytes gigantea LaPorte WN 

Rhantus calidus (Fabricius) WN 

Thermonectes basilaris (Harris) WN 

Histeridae (some determinations by A. Ramsdale) 

Omalodes laevigatus Quensel WN 

Aeletes lissosternus Wenzel IE 

Bacanius sp. #1 N? 

Bacanius sp. #2 N? 

Hister servus Erichson WN 

Atholus confinus (Erichson) 

(lapsus)] 

WIE [Cooter 1983, Stevens & Waldmann as A. confirnis 

Hypocaccus sp. N? 

Carcinops? sp. N? 

Teretriosoma sp. N? 

Paromalus? sp. N? 

Hydrophilidae 

Dactylosternum abdominale (F.) WN [Leng & Mutchler 1917] 

Hydrophilus insularis actorum WN 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


239

Cercyon atricapillus (Marshall) WN 

Cercyon variegatus Sharp WN 

Aculomicrus n.sp. IE 

Tropisternus lateralis Laporte WN 

Tropisternus chalybeus Laporte WN [Leng & Mutchler 1917] 

Phaenonotum exstriatum (LeConte0 WN 

Pelosoma sp. N? 

Berosus sp. N? 

Omicrus subopacus Smetana WN 

Parachymus confusus Woodridge WN 

Enochrus bartletti Short WIE [Short 2004] 

Scydmaenidae 

Scydmaenus guadeloupensis Franz NEC 

Euconnus sp. 1 N? 

Euconnus sp. 2 N? 

Hydraenidae 

Hydraena guadeloupensis d’Orchymont 

Ptiliidae 

Bambara sp. #1 (+) N? 

Bambara sp. #2 N? 

Oligella? sp. N? 

Ptiliolum? sp. N? 

Ptinella sp. N? 

Actinopteryx sp. N? 

Leiodidae 

Zeadolopus sp. #1 IE 



Staphylinidae 

PSELAPHINAE 

Burus/Bythinophysis? sp. N? 

Hamotus (Hamotoides) hirtus Raffray LAE 

Eupsenius sp. N? 

Decarthron nr. or = insulare Raffray N? 

Ramelbida sp. 

TACHYPORINAE 

N? 

Coproporus sharpi Cameron LAE [Blackwelder 1943] 

Coproporus rutilus Erichson WN [Blackwelder 1943] 

Coproporus n.sp. IE? 

Sepedophilus interruptus (Erichson) WN [Blackwelder 1943, not recollected] 

Sepedophilus sp. (“scriptus group”) ? 

Bryoporus sp. #1 ? 

Bryoporus sp. #2 ? 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

240 


SCAPHIDIINAE 

Baeocera sp. #1 ? 




ALEOCHARINAE 

Adinopsis sp. #1 ? 

Anacyptus testaceus LeConte WN [Blackwelder 1943] 

Aleochara sp. #1 ? 

Aleochara sp. #2 

Oligota minuta Cameron WN [Frank, Bennet, Comroy 1992] 

Oligota guadeloupae Frank LE 

Hypocyphtini sp. #1 ? 





Athetini sp. #1 ? 

Aleochorinae #1 ? 

Aleochorinae sp. #2 ? 




Aleochorinae sp. 6 ? 
















_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


241

Fig. B. Aleochorinae #22, a representative Aleocharinae. (Photo: Ian Foley and Michael Ivie) 

PIESTINAE 

Piestus pygmaeus (Laporte) WN 

OSORIINAE 

Clavilispinus guadeloupensis Irmler WN 

Clavilispinus megacephalus (Fauvel) WN 

Clavilispinus politus (Sharp) WN 

Clavilispinus exiguus (Erichson) WN 

Espeson moratus Schaufuss WN [Blackwelder 1943, not recollected] 

Lispinus sp.? attenuatus WN 

Lispinus insularis Fauvel WN [Blackwelder 1943] 

Nacaeus impar (Cameron) WN [Blackwelder 1943] 

Nacaeus nigrifrons (Fauvel) WIE [Blackwelder 1943] 

Nacaeus foveolus (Blackwelder) 

Nacaeus sp. #1] 

IE [Blackwelder 1943, not recollected or poss. = 

Nacaeus sp. #1 ? 

Thoracophorus simplex Wendeler WIE [Blackwelder 1943] 

Thoracophorus guadelupensis Cameron WN 

Pseudepeson crassulus (Fauvel) LAE [Blackwelder 1943] 

Holotrochus sp. #1 ? 

Holotrochus sp. #2 ? minor WN 

OXYTELINAE 

Anotylus insignitus Gravenhorst WN [Blackwelder 1943] 

Anotylus glareosus (Wollaston) EIS 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

242 


Apocellus ustulatus (Erichson) WIE [Blackwelder 1943, not recollected] 

Bledius caribbeanus Blackwelder WN [Blackwelder 1943] 

Carpelimus sp.#1 ? 

Carpelimus sp. #2 prob. correctus Blackwelder WIE 

Carpelimus sp. #3 ? 




Oxytelus incisus Motschulsky WN [Blackwelder 1943, not recollected] 

Thinobius exasperatus Blackwelder WIE [Blackwelder 1943, not recollected] 

Thinodromus croceips Fauvel WIE [Blackwelder 1943] 

PAEDERINAE 

Biocrypta fulvipes (Erichson) WN 

Echiaster microps Blackwelder IE [Blackwelder 1943] 

Lobrathium nitidum(Erichson) WIE 

Lithocharis dorsalis Erichson WN [Blackwelder 1943] 

Lithocharis limbatus Erichson WN 

Lithocharis secunda Blackwelder WN [Blackwelder 1943] 

Lithocharis sororcula Kraatz WN [Blackwelder 1943] 

Lithocharis sp.#1 N? 

“Medon” complex sp. #1 ? 




Microlinus pasio (LeConte) WN 

Pinophilus sp. poss. vermiformis Cameron LAE 

Palaminus sp. #1 ? 





Scopaeus sp. ? 

Stamnoderus sp. ? 

Sunius debilicornis Wollaston WN 

STAPHYLININAE 

Atanygnathus sp. 1 ? 

Atanygnathus sp. 2 ? 

Belonuchus gagates Erichson WIE [Blackwelder 1943[ 

Belonuchus sp. 1 ? 



Cafius (Euremus) bistriatus (Erichson) WN [Blackwelder 1943, not recollected] 

Cafius subtilis Cameron WIE [Blackwelder 1943, not recollected] 

Diochus nanus Erichson WN 

Holisus sp. #1 ? 

Holisus sp. #2 ? 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


243

Neohypnus attenuatus (Erichson) WN [Blackwelder 1943] 

Neohypnus humeralis (Erichson) New Comb. WIE [Blackwelder 1943] 

Neohypnus illucens (Erichson) SA [Blackwelder 1943, not recollected] 

Neoxantholinus hubbardi (Blackwelder) IE [Blackwelder 1943] 

Philonthus discoideus (Gravenhorst) WN [Blackwelder 1943, not recollected] 

Philonthus hepaticus Erichson WN [Blackwelder 1943] 

Philonthus havaniensis (Laporte). WIE 

Philonthus longicornis Stephens WN [Blackwelder 1943, not recollected] 

Philonthus ventralis (Gravenhorst) WN [Blackwelder 1943] 

Passalidae 

Spasslus crenatus M’Lea WN 

Trogidae 

Omorgus suberosus (Fabricius) WN 

Scarabaeidae 

Scarabaeinae 

Ateuchus insulare (Fleutiaux & Sallé) 

rolat, Matthews 1966 as A. illaesus Harold] 

LE [Leng & Mutchler 1917 as Choerisium insulare Chev‐ 

Onthophagus gazella (F.) EIS 

Aphodiinae (dets by P. Skelley) 

Aphodius nigritus (F.) EIS [Chapin (1940) as Aphodius cuniculus Chevrolat] 

Aphodius pseudolividus Balthasar EIS [Chapin (1940) as Aphodius lividus (Olivier)] 

Ataenius vincentiae Arrow LAE 

Ataenius gracilis (Melsheimer) EIS 

Ataenius scutellaris Harold WN or EIS 

(Chapin 1940 as A. frater Arrow) 

Ataenius cameneni Chalumeau & Gruner LE 

Ataenius scabrellus Schmidt WN 

Ataenius liogaster Bates EIS 

Ataenius brevicollis (Wollaston) EIS 

Ataenius temperei Chalumeau & Gruner LIE 

Ataenius howdeni Chalumeau 

MisID] 

LE [=Ataenius luteomargo Chapin of Chapin 1940, 

Iguazua blackwelderi (Chapin) 

Melolonthinae 

NEC 

Phyllophaga montserratensis Arrow LE [Arrow 1920] 

Phyllophaga cneda Saylor 

Rutelinae 

LE [Saylor 1940] 

Anomala n.sp insularis group IE 

Leucothyreus guadulpiensis Burmeister LIE 

Macraspis tristis Castelnau LE 

Rutela s. striata (Olivier) LE ssp. [Chalumeau 1985] 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

244 


Fig. C. Rutela s. striata (Olivier) Adult, larva and pupa in rotten wood. (Photo: Michael Ivie) 

Dynastinae 

Cyclocephala mafaffa Burmeister SA 

Ligyrus cuniculus (Fabricius) WN [Cooter 1983] 

Phileurus valgus Linneaus WN 

Strategus syphax (Fabricius) LE 

Scirtidae 

Scirtes n.sp. 1 IE 

Scirtes n.sp. 2, testaceus group IE 

Buprestidae 

Polycesta n.sp. IE 

Chrysobothris sp. thoracica group LE 

Micrasta sp. #1, nr. uniformis IE 

Micrasta sp. #2, yellow tarsi IE 

Micrasta sp. #3, yellow tibia ‐ big parameres IE 

Micrasta sp. #4, olive‐elytra‐blue‐pronotum IE 

Micrasta sp. #5, bright‐blue‐wide IE 

Elateridae 

Conoderus sp. WN 

Physorrhinus insularis Candeze LE 

Chalcolepidius n. sp. IE [Recorded by Leng & Mutchler (1917) and Casari 

(2002) (cited by Peck 2006) as Ch. obscurus, however we have not yet seen the Casari paper, and all true Ch. obscurus are 

dark green, while all Montserrat Chalcolepidius are bright red.] 

Drapetes nigricans Bonvouloir WN 

Heteroderes amplicollis Gyllenhal LAE [Cooter, 1983 as H. sp.] 

Dicrepidius ramicornis P. de Beauvois WN 

Dicrepidius distinctus Fleutiaux & Sallé LE 

Lacon subcostatus (Candeze) WIE 

Anchastus sp. #1 IE 



_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


245

Eucnemindae 

Adelothyreus curtis Fleutiaux LE 

Adelothyreus dufaui Fleutiaux LE 

Fornax sp. N? 

Serrifornax sp. #1 N? 

Serrifornax sp. #2 N? 

Ptilodactylidae 

Ptilodactyla macrophthalma LeGross WIE 

Cantharidae (determined by A. Ramsdale) 

Tytthonyx n. sp. IE 

Tylocerus picipennis Leng & Mutchler IE [Cooter 1983, as undet.] 

Tylocerus n.sp. IE 

Lampyridae 

Aspisoma ignitum L. EIS/WN [Cooter 1983, Stevens & Waldmann’s 

record from Blackwelder is an error, Blackwelder (1945) did not include Montserrat for this species] 

Lycidae 

Thonalmus hubardi Leng & Mutchler IE [Robson’s 1906 record of an undetermined lampyrid 

is really for a Thonalmus, but could be either of these species, first certain record the description by Leng & Mutchler 

1922] (move this to after next Thonalmus) 

Thonalmus sinuaticostis Leng & Mutchler IE [Leng & Mutchler 1922] 

Fig. D. Thonalmus sp. (Photo: Michael Ivie) 

Dermestidae 

Dermestes maculatus DeGeer EIS 

Trogoderma ornatum Say EIS (Cooter 1983) 

Bostrichidae 

Melalgus caribeanus (Lesne) LAE 

Amphicerus cornutus (Pallas) EIS?/WN 

Tetrapriocera longicornis (Olivier) EIS?/WN 

Xylomeira tridens (Fabricius) EIS?/WN [Fisher 1950] 

Xylopsocus capucinus (Fabricius) EIS 

Dinoderus minutus (Fabricius) EIS 

Lyctus caribbeanus Lesne WN 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

246 


Minthea rugicollis (Walker) EIS 

Rejected record. Apate monarchus Boh. (sic) unsupported record Stevens and Waldmann 2001 

Anobiidae 

Xyletinus marmoratus Pic LE 

Protheca sp. 1 N? 

Protheca sp. 2 N? 

Tricorynus ?pierriei (Lepesme) LIE? 

Pseudodorcatomus ?mariei Lepesme LE 

Calymmaderus sp. nr. dufaui Pic IE? 

Microzogus sp. 1 N? 



Caenocara maculatum Fisher NEC 

Cryptorama carinatum White NEC 

Cryptorama megalops White NEC 

Cryptorama ?antillensis White WN 

Cryptorama sericeum aureum (Lepesme) LE 

Cryptorama sp. 1 IE 

Cryptorama sp. nr. impunctaum White IE? 

Cryptorama sp. nr. tortolensis White IE? 

Cryptorama sp. nr. minor Fall IE? 

Cryptorama sp. nr. rufescens White IE? 

Petalium sp. 1 N? 

Petalium sp. 2 N? 

Petalium ?antillarum Pic WN 

Trichodesma sp. 1 IE? 





Stichtoptenus n.sp. nr. dufaui Pic IE 

Megorama sp. N? 

Ptinus strangulates Fall WN 

Ptinus dufaui Pic LE 

Gibbium aequinoctiale Boieldieu 

Czempinski] 

EIS [Leng & Mutch. 1917 as Gibbium psylloides 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


247

Fig. E. Trichodesma sp. (Photo: Ian Foley and Michael Ivie) 

Jacobsoniidae 

Derolathrus or near sp. ? 

Trogossitidae 

Tenebroides transversicollis Jacquelin du Val WN 

Temnochila obscura Reitter WN? 

Temnochila sp. IE? 

Colydobius n.sp. IE 

Nemosoma n.sp. IE 

Cleridae (determinations assisted by W. Opitz) 

Neorthopleura murina (Klug) WIE 

Madoniella pici Lepesme LIE 

Pelonium n.sp. LIE 

Melyridae 

Melyrodes n.sp. LE? 

Albrechrus n.sp. IE 

Lymexylidae 

Atractocerus brasiliensis Lepeletier & Audinet‐Ser. WN 

Sphindidae 

Sphindus sp. N? 

Nitidulidae 

Lobiopa insularis (Castelnau) WN 

Epuraea (Haptoncus) luteolus (F.) WN 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

248 


Stelidota strigosa (Gyllenhal) WIE 

Stelidota coenosa Erichson WIE 

Stelidota ruderata Erichson WIE 

Macrostola vertraci Grouvelle LIE 

Carpophilus humeralis (Fabricius) EIS 

Smicripidae 

Carpophilus dimidiatus (Linneaus) EIS [Leng & Mutchler 1917] 

Carpophilus sp. N? 

Colopterus infimus (Erichson) N? 

Cilleaus n.sp. IE 

Contotelus conicus (Fabricius) WIE [Leng & Mutchler 1917] 

Smicrips sp. N? 

Monotomidae 

Europs sp. #1 N? 




Monotoma. sp. ? 

Silvanidae 

Silvanoprus scuticollis (Walker) EIS 

Monanus concinnus (Walker) EIS 

Telephanus nodicornis Neverman LE [Described from Montserrat and Guadeloupe by 

Nevermann 1932, not recollected. Stevens and Waldmann’s assertion of single‐island endemic status in error.] 

Laemophloeidae 

Cryptolestes unicornis (Reitter) WN 

Laemeophoelus sp. #1 N? 

Laemeophoelus sp. #2 N? 

Placonotus ?patruellus Thomas WN 

Placonotus planifrons Thomas LAE 

Placonotus modestus (Say) WN 

Placonotus politissimus (Wollaston) EIS 

Placonotus ?patruellus Thomas WN 

Placonotus sp. nr. pallentipennis & patruellus N? 

Dysmerus sp. N? 

Lepidophloeus n.sp.? IE? 

Lathropus pictus Schwarz WN 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


249

Fig. F. Lepidophloeus sp. (Photo: Ian Foley and Michael Ivie) 

Phalacridae 

Ochrolitus tristriatus Casey WN 

Olibrus sp. N? 

Litolibrus sp. N? 

Cryptophagidae 

Ephistemus sp. N? 

Languriidae 

Toramus #1 N? 

Toramus #2 N? 

Loberus sp. N? 

Hapalips angulosus Grouvelle LIE 

Hapalips nr. guadeloupensis Grouvelle IE? 

Cryptophilus integer (Heer) EIS 

Platoberus dufaui Grouvelle LE 

Telmatoscius sp. N? 

Cerylonidae. (some determinations by S. S. Ślipiński) 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

250 


Philothermus puberulus Schwarz WN [Leng & Mutchler 1917] 

Euxestes erithacus (Chevrolat) EIS 

Mychocerus sharpi (Champion) WN 

Ostomopsis neotropcalis? N? 

Botrodus sp#1 dufaui? N? 

Botrodus sp#2 estriatus? N? 

Bothrideridae 

Sosylus sp. N? 

Bothrideres dufaui Grouvelle LE 

Endomycidae 

n. genus #1 sp. N? 

n. genus #2 sp. N? 

Displotera sp. EIS 

Holoparamecus sp. EIS 

Coccinellidae (dets by R. Gordon) 

Cycloneda sanguinea limbifer Casey WIE [Cooter 1983] 

Coelophora inaequalis (F.) EBC 

Cryptolaemus monstrouzieri Mulsant EBC 

Chilocerus cactus (L.) EBC 

Psyllobora lineola (F.) NEC 

Diomus ochroderus (Mulsant) WIE 

Diomus #1 N? 

Diomus #2 N? 

Diomus #3 N? 

Diomus #4 N? 

Diomus roseicollis (Mulsant) WN 

Neaptera viola Gordon IE [Gordon 1991] 

Nephaspis n. sp LE 

Scymnus phloeus Mulsant NEC 

Scymnus floralis (Fabricius) NEC [Leng & Mutchler 1917 as S. loewii] 

Scymnus (Pullus) sp. N? 

Zilus sp. IE 

Stethorus albipes (Mulsant) WIE 

Decadiomus hubbardi Chapin NEC 

Coccidophilus cariba Gordon SA [Gordon 1978] 

Prodilis n.sp. LE 

Delphastus nebulosus Chapin WIE 

Calloeneis n.sp. IE 

Hyperaspis sp. N? 

Corylophidae 

Arthrolips sp. # 1 N? 




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251


Clypastraea sp. N? 

Holopsis sp. #1 N? 

Holopsis sp. #2 N? 

Corylophid sp. #1 N? 

Latridiidae 

Cortodere constricta (Gyllenhal) EIS 

Cortilena picta (LeConte) EIS 

Mycetophagidae 

Litargus balteatus LeConte WN [Leng & Mutchler 1917] 

Thrimolus minutus Casey WN 

Berginus sp. N? 

Ciidae 

Orthocis sp. #1 N? 

Orthocis sp. #2 N? 

Cis sp. #1 N? 

Cis sp. #2 N? 

Cis sp. #3 N? 

Cis creberrimus Mellie WN 

Cis melliei Coquerel WN 

Ceracis #1 N? 

Ceracis #2 N? 

Mordellidae 

Glipostenoda pallida (Champion) LAE 

Tolidomordella sp. N? 

Mordella sp. #1 N? 

Mordella sp. #2 N? 

Falsomordellistena sp. N? 

Meloidae 

Cissites maculata (Swederus) WN 

Pseudozonitis marginata (Fabricius) WIE 

Tetraonyx quadrimaculatus (Fabricius) WN [Leng & Mutchler 1917, not recollected] 

Melandryidae 

Orchesia sp. N? 

Rhipiphoridae 

Macrosaigon cruenta Germar WN 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

252 


Fig. G. Macrosaigon cruenta Germar. (Photo: Ian Foley and Michael Ivie) 

Zopheridae 

Hyporrhagus sp. ? 

Pycnomerus biimpressus (Reitter) WN 

Pycnomerus uniformis Ivie & Ślipiński LIE 

Colydiidae 

Lemnis lhermimieri Grouvelle. LE 

Bitoma sp. ? 

Colydodes mammalaris (Pascoe) WN 

Synchita sp. #1 ? [Leng & Mutchler 1917 as S. laticollis] 

Synchita sp. #2 ? 

Paha guadeloupensis Dajoz LIE 

Aulonium bidentatus (Fabricius) WN. 

Monoedus lecontei Fleutiaux & Sallé NEC [Leng & Mutchler 1917. Contrary to statements by 

Stevens and Waldmann (2001), this species was named from Guadeloupe.] 

Monoedus obscurus Grouvelle LIE 

Nematidium filiforme LeConte WN 

Tenebrionidae 

Lagriinae 

Lorelus n. sp. 

Phrenapatinae 

IE 

Diodeus guadeloupensis Fleutiaux & Sallé 

Tenebrioninae 

LE 

Palorus cerylonoides Pascoe EIS 

Rhipidandrus cornutus (Arrow) WN [Blackwelder 1945, as Eutomus cerylonoides] 

Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) EIS 

Uloma retusa (Fabricius) WN [Blackwelder 1945] 

Blapstinus opacus Mulsant & Rey NEC 

Diastolinus puncticollis Mulsant & Rey WIE 

Diastolinus sp. nr. barbudensis Marcuzzi LE 

Opatrinus clathratus (Fabricius) 

Alleculinae 

WN 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


253

Hymenorus antillensis Campbell or nr. LE 

Hymenorus n.sp. IE 

Lobopoda n.sp. IE 

Diaperinae 

Platydema excavataum Say WN 

Neomida lecontei Bates WN [Triplehorn 2006, from Hubbard 1894 NMNH, not 

found post volcano] 

Neomida suilla Champion WN 

Adelina pici (Ardoin) WN 

Gnatocerus curvicornis (Champion) EIS 

Gnatocerus guatemalensis Champion EIS 

Phaleria fulva Fleutiaux & Sallé WN [Cooter (1983)] 

Phaleria picipes Say WN 

Gondwanocrypticus sp. N? [Cooter (1983) as Crypticus sp.] 

Corticeus n.sp. IE 

Cryptozoon n.sp. IE 

Ulomoides ocularis (Casey) EIS [Triplehorn 1965, as Palembus ocularis Casey] 

Stenochiinae 

Nesocyrtosoma n.sp. IE 

Cyrtosoma n.sp. IE [Leng & Mutchler (1917) recorded this as the Guade‐ 

loupean Cyrtosoma lherminieri(Chevrolat), but examination of the specimens in the NMNH show it to be an undescribed 

species. It was not recollected] 

Strongylium delauneyi Fleutiaus & Sallé LE 

Talanus sp. IE? 

Mycteridae 

Physicus faciatus Pic NEC 

Salpingidae 

Inopeplus praeustus Chevrolat WIE 

Inopeplus striatulus Blackwelder LE 

Aprostomis cephalotes Grouvelle LE 

Serrotibia n. sp. LE? [Recorded by Leng & Mutchler (1917) as Parlindria 

partia Olliff, described from Ecuador. Olliff’s species had been recorded from Guadeloupe (Fleutiaux & Sallé 1889), and 

was later synonymized with the Columbian Serrotibia bicolor Reitter. Comparison of a Montserrat specimen in IREC 

taken in 1984 at Riley’s Estate, does not match typical South American S. bicolor, but no Guadeloupe specimens are 

available for comparison. This group is under revision by H. Escalona, and we leave it to him to resolve the issue. This 

species was not recollected on Montserrat post‐volcano] 

Prostominiinae sp. N? 

Aderidae 

Aderus brunipennis (LeConte) WN 

Cnopus sp. #1 N? 

Ganascus sp #1 N? 




Pseudariotes sp #1 N? 

Zonates sp. #1 N? 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

254 


Fig. H. Aderidae. (Photo: Ian Foley and Michael Ivie) 

Anthicidae 

Anthicus tobias Marseul EIS 

Oedemeridae 

Hypasclera simplex (Waterford) WN 

Oxycopis #1 N? 



Chrysomelidae 

Bruchinae 

Acanthoscelides johnique Johnson WIE [Johnson (1990) mentioned an existing Montserrat 

record for Acanthoscelides flavescens (Fåhraeus), but the source of that record is unknown. This record is placed here as 

A. johnique, a member of the Flavescens species group, common on Montserrat, that went unrecognized until 1983, and 

is easily confused with A. flavescens.] 

Acanthoscelides sp. #1 N? 

Ctenocolum crotonae (Fåhraeus) WN 

Stator monachus (Sharp) WN 

Mimosestes mimosae (Fabricius) WN 

Sennius rufomaculatus (Motschulsky 

Criocerinae 

WN 

Neolema dorsalis (Olivier) 

Hispinae 

WIE [Cooter 1983 as Lema sp.] 

Chalepus sanguinicollis (Linneaus) WN 

Charidotella sexpunctata (Fabricius) WN [Cooter 1983 as Metronia trisignata] 

Chelymorpha cribraria (Fabricius) WN 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


255

Hilarocassis exclamationis (Linnaeus) WN 

Fig. I. Hilarocassis exclamationis (Linnaeus) (Photo: Caroline Caboo) 

Galerucinae 

Acalymma innubum (Fabricius) WN [Leng & Mutchler 1917 recorded Diabrotica melano‐ 

cephala (Fabricius), a syn. of Acalyma vittata (F.) (Smith & Lawrence 1967), a species name widely confused with this and 

other species in the West Indian literature. Until Hubbard’s specimens are examined, this record will be treated here.] 

Ceratoma ruficornis (Olivier) WN 

Diabrotica ochreata Fabricius LE [Leng & Mutchler 1917] 

Neolochmaea obliterata (Olivier) NEC [Cooter 1983, as Galerucella tropica] 

Exora encaustica (Germar) ? [Leng & Mutchler 1917 as E. detritum (Fabricius)] 

Altica occidentalis Suffrian WN 

Disanycha sp. ? 

Megistops n. sp. nr. granulate IE 

Parchicola sp. ? 

Epitrix cucumeris (Harris) WN 

Epitrix fasciata Blatchley WN 

Epitrix sp. ? 

Homoschema n.sp. IE 

Cyrsylus montserrati Blake IE [Blake 1949] 

Aedmon ?stenotrachela Blake LIE? 

Omophoita albicornis Fabricius 

Eumolpinae 

WN [Cooter 1983 as Homophoeta albicornis] 

Typophorus sp. ? 

Megascelis n. sp. IE 

Colaspis sp. ? 

Metachroma sp. #1 ? 

Metachroma sp. #2 ? 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

256 


Cryptocephalinae 

Cryptocephalus sp. #1 ? 

Cryptocephalus sp. #2 ? 

Diachus sp. ? 

Pachybrachis sp. ? 

Cerambycidae. Most of the cerambycid records from this project were included (with our permission) in Chalumeau & 

Touroult (2005), who included keys and illustrations to our species. Only where our records differ from theirs are there 

notations below. 

Prioninae 

Stenodontes maxillosus (Drury) 

Cerambycinae 

LAE 

Methia necydalea (F.) WN 

Achryson surinamum (L.) EIS 

Ochrus ornatus (Fisher) LE 

Chlorida festiva (L.) EIS [Leng & Mutchler (1917)] 

Eburia decemmaculata (F.) NEC [Cooter (1983)] 

Eburia inermis (F. & S.) LE 

Eburia octomaculata Chevrolat LE 

Elaphidion glabratum (F.) 

(1945) as E. tomentosum ] 

NEC [Danforth (1939) as Elaphidion sp., Blackwelder 

Nesanoplium n.sp. IE [Based on a misidentification communicated by Ivie, 

this species was recorded by Chalumeau & Touroult (2005) as Nesanoplium puberulum (Fleutiaux & Sallé), but further 

examination shows this to be a different species] 

Nesanoplium sp. LE 

Curtomerus flavus (F.) EIS 

Neocompsa cylindricollis (F.) WN 

Caribbomerus attenuatus (Chevrolat) WIE 

Plectromerus fasciatus (Gahan) LAE [Recorded by Chalumeau & Touroult (2005) as 

Plectromerus n.sp., Gino Nearns, who is revising this genus, has since informed us that the Montserrat specimens are in 

fact very large P. fasciatus.] 

Gourbeyella n. sp. IE 

Tillomorphini n.g. near Euderces IE 

Oxymerus aculeatus lebasi Dupont 

Lepturinae 

WN 

Strangalia benitiespinali Chalumeau IE [Chalumeau 1985] 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


257

Table B. Total list of Beetle Species with date of first collection, number of specimens observed (N) and size 

Family Species N First Date Length (mm) 

Rhysodidae Clinidium (s.str.) n.sp. nr planum 4 25-Jun-2000 5 

Carabidae Cicindela trifasciata Fabricius 7 25-May-2002 6.6 

Carabidae Eohomotperus n.sp. 1 14-Aug-2005 5 

Carabidae Aspidoglossa schach (Fabricius) 5 31-Jul-2005 7 

Carabidae Bembidion darlingtoni Mutchler 2 26-Jul-2005 3 

Carabidae 

Mioptachy sp. (= M. autumnalis of 

authors) 

4 1-Jan-1900 1.8 

Carabidae Elaphropus singularis Andrews 2 11-Jun-2002 1.9 

Carabidae Tachys ensenada Mutchler 1 26-Jul-2005 2.5 

Carabidae Paratachys (Eotachys) blemoides Jeannel 1 1-Aug-2005 2.3 

Carabidae Paratachys sp. #1 28 21-Jun-2000 2.6 

Carabidae Paratachys sp. #2 8 13-Jan-2002 2.1 

Carabidae Paratachys sp. #3 1 23-Mar-2002 2.3 

Carabidae Micratopus insularis? Darlington 1 8-Aug-2005 1.6 

Carabidae Selenophorus alternans Dejean 8 25-Jun-1971 7.2 

Carabidae Selenophorus chalybaeus Dejean 7 29-May-1982 10.5 

Carabidae Selenophorus sinuatus Gyllenhal 10 25-Jun-1971 5 

Carabidae Selenophorus n.sp.? 18 20-Jun-2000 5.2 

Carabidae Selenophorus subquadratus Putzeys 1 7-Aug-2005 6 

Carabidae Selenophorus discopunctatus Dejean 35 30-Jun-1935 7 

Carabidae Selenophorus propinquus Putzeys 65 1-Feb-1959 8.7 

Carabidae Notiobia pallipes Bates 3 12-Dec-1983 10 

Carabidae Athrostichus paganus Dejean 7 24-Jul-1936 8.5 

Carabidae Pentagonica flavipes (LeConte) 76 13-Jan-2002 3.7 

Carabidae Zuphium sp. 2 25-Jul-2005 6.2 

Carabidae Perigona nigriceps Dejean 25 1-Mar-1982 2.8 

Carabidae Apenes marginalisDejean 4 11-Jan-2002 10.1 

Carabidae Apenes chalumeaui Ball & Shpeley 4 11-Jan-2002 6.5 

Carabidae Menidius amandus Newman 2 21-Jun-2002 7.1 

Carabidae Glyptolennus chalybaeus (Dejean) 1 22-Aug-1981 7.4 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

258 




Carabidae Lebia pleurodera Chaudior 2 25-Jul-2005 4.9 

Dytiscidae Bidessonotus sp. 1 26-Jul-2005 2 

Dytiscidae Copelatus sp. nr. posticalus (F.) 42 8-Jan-2002 6 

Dytiscidae Hydrovatus sp. 1 26-Jul-2005 2.5 

Dytiscidae Laccophilus proximus (Say) 2 1-Jan-2002 4.5 

Dytiscidae Laccophilus sp. 16 21-Jun-2000 3.8 

Dytiscidae Megadytes gigantea LaPorte 1 1-Jan-2001 40 

Dytiscidae Rhantus calidus (Fabricius) 2 23-Mar-2002 11 

Dytiscidae Thermonectes basilaris (Harris) 1 7-Aug-2005 10.7 

Staphylinidae Burus/Bythinophysis? sp. 2 25-Jun-2000 1.2 

Staphylinidae Hamotus (Hamotoides) hirtus Raffray 3 21-Jun-2002 1.9 

Staphylinidae Eupsenius sp. 3 30-May-2002 1.1 

Staphylinidae Decarthron nr. or = insulare Raffray 4 26-Jul-2005 1.5 

Staphylinidae Ramelbida sp. 16 23-Mar-2002 0.9 

Staphylinidae Coproporus sharpi Cameron 8 1-Jan-1900 1.9 

Staphylinidae Coproporus rutilus Erichson 4 1-Jan-1900 1.6 

Staphylinidae Coproporus n.sp. 5 21-Jun-2000 1.5 

Staphylinidae Sepedophilus sp. (“scriptus group”) 6 25-Jun-2000 1.5 

Staphylinidae Bryoporus sp. #1 7 5-Jan-2002 3.5 

Staphylinidae Bryoporus sp. #2 1 7-Aug-2005 5.2 

Staphylinidae Baeocera sp. #1 9 17-Jun-2000 1 

Staphylinidae Baeocera sp. #2 19 20-Jun-2000 1.4 

Staphylinidae Baeocera sp. #3 29 23-Jun-2000 1.9 

Staphylinidae Baeocera sp. #4 13 8-Jun-2002 1 

Staphylinidae Adinopsis sp. #1 1 7-Aug-2005 2 

Staphylinidae Anacyptus testaceus LeConte 1 1-Jan-1900 1 

Staphylinidae Aleochara sp. #1 6 24-Apr-2001 4.6 

Staphylinidae Aleochara sp. #2 2 23-Jul-2005 4 

Staphylinidae Oligota minuta Cameron 19 1-Nov-1973 0.5 

Staphylinidae Oligota guadeloupae Frank 6 23-Jun-2000 0.4 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


259



Staphylinidae Hypocyphtini sp. #1 2 22-May-2002 0.9 



Staphylinidae Hypocyphtini sp. #4 2 21-Jun-2002 1 


Staphylinidae Athetini sp. #1 27 25-Jun-2002 1.2 

Staphylinidae Aleochorinae #1 76 21-Jun-2000 2 

Staphylinidae Aleochorinae sp. #2 29 17-Jun-2000 1.6 




Staphylinidae Aleochorinae sp. 6 1 14-Jun-2002 2.1 

Staphylinidae Aleochorinae sp. #7 42 11-Mar-2002 1.9 

Staphylinidae Aleochorinae sp. #8 8 5-Feb-2002 2 

Staphylinidae Aleochorinae sp. #9 2 21-May-2002 2 

Staphylinidae Aleochorinae sp. #10 1 10-Jan-2002 2.6 




Staphylinidae Aleochorinae sp. #14 7 23-Mar-2002 2.2 


Staphylinidae Aleochorinae sp. #16 1 10-Jan-2002 1.2 

Staphylinidae Aleochorinae sp. #17 42 24-May-2003 1.7 

Staphylinidae Aleochorinae sp. #18 1 14-Aug-2005 2 


Staphylinidae Aleochorinae sp. #20 1 7-Aug-2005 2.2 

Staphylinidae Aleochorinae sp. #21 1 5-Feb-2002 2.4 




_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

260 





Staphylinidae Piestus pygmaeus (Laporte) 12 17-Jun-2000 4.3 

Staphylinidae Clavilispinus guadeloupensis (Irmler) 17 30-May-2002 1.9 

Staphylinidae Clavilispinus politus (Sharp) 2 23-May-2002 1.6 

Staphylinidae Clavilispinus megacephalus (Fauvel) 2 6-Jun-2002 3.8 

Staphylinidae Clavilispinus exiguus (Erichson) 1 23-Mar-2002 2.3 

Staphylinidae Lispinus insularis Fauvel ? 2 1-Jan-1900 3.3 

Staphylinidae Lispinus sp.? attenuatus 7 18-Jun-2000 4.4 

Staphylinidae Nacaeus impar (Cameron) 3 1-Jan-1900 3 

Staphylinidae Nacaeus nigrifrons (Fauvel) 4 1-Jan-1900 2.2 

Staphylinidae Nacaeus sp. #1 9 5-Jan-2002 2.2 

Staphylinidae Thoracophorus simplex Wendeler 6 1-Jan-1900 1.6 

Staphylinidae Thoracophorus guadelupensis Cameron 2 1-Aug-2005 1.8 

Staphylinidae Pseudepeson crassulus (Fauvel) 2 1-Jan-1900 2.3 

Staphylinidae Holotrochus sp. #1 25 8-Jun-2002 3.2 

Staphylinidae Holotrochus sp. #2 ? minor 2 24-Jun-2000 2.8 

Staphylinidae Anotylus insignitus Gravenhorst 3 1-Jul-1936 3 

Staphylinidae Anotylus glareosus (Wollaston) 3 23-Mar-2002 1.5 

Staphylinidae Bledius caribbeanus Blackwelder 1 1-Jul-1936 2.5 

Staphylinidae Apocellus ustulatus (Erichson) 1 1-Jul-1936 2.1 

Staphylinidae Cafius (Euremus) bistriatus (Erichson) 1 1-Jul-1936 6 

Staphylinidae Cafius subtilis Cameron 1 1-Jul-1936 4 

Staphylinidae Neohypnus illucens (Erichson) 1 1-Jul-1936 8.5 

Staphylinidae Espeson moratus Schaufuss 1 1-Jan-1900 1.4 

Staphylinidae Oxytelus incisus Motschulsky 1 1-Jan-1900 3 

Staphylinidae Philonthus discoideus (Gravenhorst) 1 1-Jul-1936 5.7 

Staphylinidae Philonthus longicornis Stephens 1 1-Jan-1900 7.5 

Staphylinidae Thinobius exasperatus Blackwelder 1 1-Jan-1900 1 

Staphylinidae Nacaeus foveolus (Blackwelder) ? 1 1-Jan-1900 2 

Staphylinidae Sepedophilus interruptus (Erichson) ? 1 1-Jan-1900 2.3 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


261



Staphylinidae Carpelimus sp.#1 8 13-Jan-2002 1.8 

Staphylinidae 

Carpelimus sp. #2 prob. correctus 

Blackwelder 

3 6-Jun-2002 2.7 

Staphylinidae Carpelimus sp. #3 2 21-Jun-2002 2.5 

Staphylinidae Carpelimus sp. #4 1 8-Aug-2005 2.7 

Staphylinidae Carpelimus sp. #5 26 13-Jan-2002 1.6 

Staphylinidae Carpelimus sp. #6 1 21-Jun-2002 1 

Staphylinidae Thinodromus croceips Fauvel 7 18-Jun-2000 2.8 

Staphylinidae Biocrypta fulvipes (Erichson) 63 23-Jun-2000 7.2 

Staphylinidae Echiaster microps Blackwelder 5 20-Jun-2000 2.4 

Staphylinidae Lobrathium nitidum(Erichson) 6 26-Jul-2005 3.4 

Staphylinidae Lithocharis dorsalis Erichson 1 1-Jan-1900 2.9 

Staphylinidae Lithocharis limbatus Erichson 10 5-Feb-2002 4.2 

Staphylinidae Lithocharis secunda Blackwelder 1 1-Jul-1936 3 

Staphylinidae Lithocharis sororcula Kraatz 2 1-Jul-1936 3.2 

Staphylinidae Lithocharis sp. 1 1-Jun-2003 2.2 

Staphylinidae “Medon” complex sp. #1 12 23-Mar-2002 3.8 

Staphylinidae “Medon” complex sp. #2 8 25-Jun-2000 4.2 

Staphylinidae “Medon” complex sp. #3 1 23-Jun-2000 6 

Staphylinidae “Medon” complex sp. #4 1 25-Jul-2005 2.3 

Staphylinidae Microlinus pasio (LeConte) 2 6-Jun-2002 2.6 

Staphylinidae Pinophilus sp. poss. vermiformis Cameron 3 25-Jul-2005 6.5 

Staphylinidae Palaminus sp. #1 2 23-Jun-2000 5.3 


Staphylinidae Palaminus sp. #3 3 14-Aug-2005 5 


Staphylinidae Palaminus sp. #5 14 1-May-2002 3.2 

Staphylinidae Scopaeus sp. 6 13-Jan-2002 2.5 

Staphylinidae Stamnoderus sp. 7 20-Jun-2000 2.9 

Staphylinidae Sunius debilicornis Wollaston 1 2-Aug-2005 2 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

262 




Staphylinidae Atanygnathus sp. 1 4 5-Feb-2002 4 

Staphylinidae Atanygnathus sp. 2 1 25-Jun-2000 3.5 

Staphylinidae Belonuchus gagates Erichson 5 1-Jan-1900 8.5 

Staphylinidae Belonuchus sp. 1 46 5-Feb-2002 8 

Staphylinidae Belonuchus sp. 2 1 15-Aug-2005 8.3 

Staphylinidae Belonuchus sp. 3 3 26-Jun-2003 8.6 

Staphylinidae Diochus nanus Erichson 25 18-Jun-2000 2.9 

Staphylinidae Holisus sp. #1 31 23-Mar-2002 2.3 

Staphylinidae Holisus sp. #2 11 17-Jun-2000 4.3 

Staphylinidae Neohypnus attenuatus (Erichson) 11 1-Jul-1936 6 

Staphylinidae Neohypnus humeralis (Erichson) New 12 1-Jul-1936 5 

Staphylinidae Neoxantholinus hubbardi (Blackwelder) 1 1-Jan-1900 4 

Staphylinidae Philonthus hepaticus Erichson 13 1-Jul-1936 5 

Staphylinidae Philonthus havaniensis (Laporte). 3 31-Jul-2005 7 

Staphylinidae Philonthus ventralis (Gravenhorst) 1 1-Jul-1936 5.7 

Histeridae Omalodes laevigatus Quensel 38 18-Jun-2000 7.5 

Histeridae Aeletes lissosternus Wenzel 77 21-Jun-2000 1 

Histeridae Bacanius sp. 1 1 23-Jul-2005 0.8 

Histeridae Bacanius sp. 2 1 21-Jun-2000 0.8 

Histeridae Hister servus Erichson+B221 2 27-May-2002 4.5 

Histeridae Atholus confinus (Erichson) 3 1-Aug-1975 3.8 

Histeridae Hypocaccus sp. 6 12-Jun-2002 3 

Histeridae Carcinops? sp. 4 16-Jun-2000 2.7 

Histeridae Teretriosoma sp. 5 23-Mar-2002 3.4 

Histeridae Paromalus? sp. 8 18-Jun-2000 1.9 

Hydrophilidae Dactylosternum abdominale (F.) 6 1-Jan-1900 4.5 

Hydrophilidae Hydrophilus insularis actorum 6 4-Jun-2002 36.5 

Hydrophilidae Cercyon atricapillus (Marshall) 4 24-Jun-2000 1.5 

Hydrophilidae Cercyon variegatus Sharp 40 5-Feb-2002 2.7 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


263



Hydrophilidae Aculomicrus n.sp. 2 5-Jul-2005 0.8 

Hydrophilidae Tropisternus lateralis Laporte 1 15-Jun-2002 9.5 

Hydrophilidae Tropisternus chalybeus Laporte 1 1-Jan-1900 10.5 

Hydrophilidae Phaenonotum exstriatum (LeConte0 7 10-Jan-2002 3.1 

Hydrophilidae Pelosoma sp. 23 14-Aug-2005 2.5 

Hydrophilidae Berosus sp. 3 15-Jun-2005 5.75 

Hydrophilidae Omicrus subopacus Smetana 10 7-Aug-2005 1.5 

Hydrophilidae Parachymus confusus Woodridge 2 13-Jan-2002 2 

Hydrophilidae Enochrus bartletti Short 63 13-Jan-2002 4 

Scydmaenidae Scydmaenus guadeloupensis Franz 1 7-Aug-2005 1.2 

Scydmaenidae Euconnus sp. 1 1 25-Jun-2000 1 

Scydmaenidae Euconnus sp. 2 7 23-Jun-2000 1 

Hydraenidae Hydraena guadeloupensis d’Orchymont 5 23-Jun-2000 1.5 

Ptiliidae Bambara sp. #1 (+) 12 17-Jun-2000 0.6 

Ptiliidae Bambara sp. #2 1 21-May-2002 0.6 

Ptiliidae Oligella? sp. 1 10-Aug-2005 0.4 

Ptiliidae Ptiliolum? sp. 1 12-Jun-2003 0.5 

Ptiliidae Ptinella sp. 3 22-May-2002 0.5 

Ptiliidae Actinopteryx sp. 10 21-May-2002 0.9 

Leiodidae Zeadolopus sp. #1 3 1-Jun-2002 1.2 



Passalidae Spasslus crenatus M’Lea 50 25-Jun-2000 17 

Trogidae Omorgus suberosus (Fabricius) 22 20-May-2003 12.5 

Scarabaeidae Ateuchus insulare (Fleutiaux & Sallé) 83 1-Jan-1900 5.7 

Scarabaeidae Onthophagus gazella (F.) 21 24-Jun-2000 10.5 

Scarabaeidae Aphodius nigritus (F.) 9 1-Jul-1936 3.7 

Scarabaeidae Aphodius pseudolividus Olivier 6 1-Jul-1936 4.5 

Scarabaeidae Ataenius vincentiae Arrow 48 16-Jun-2000 3.2 

Scarabaeidae Ataenius gracilis (Melsheimer) 1 21-Jun-2002 2.9 

Scarabaeidae Ataenius scutellaris Harold 13 1-Jul-1936 4.5 

Scarabaeidae Ataenius cameneni Chalumeau & Gruner 3 20-Jun-2002 3.9 

Scarabaeidae Ataenius scabrellus Schmidt 2 1-Jan-2002 3.5 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

264 




Scarabaeidae Ataenius liogaster Bates 6 4-May-2002 4.2 

Scarabaeidae Ataenius brevicollis (Wollaston) 2 7-Jul-2002 3.8 

Scarabaeidae Ataenius temperei Chalumeau & Gruner 2 21-Jun-2000 4 

Scarabaeidae Ataenius howdeni Chalumeau 78 1-Jul-1936 4.1 

Scarabaeidae Iguazua blackwelderi (Chapin) 8 18-Jun-2000 3 

Scarabaeidae Phyllophaga montserratensis Arrow 48 1-Jan-1900 17.5 

Scarabaeidae Phyllophaga cneda Saylor 43 1-Jan-1900 10 

Scarabaeidae Anomala n.sp insularis group 81 1-Mar-1982 12.2 

Scarabaeidae Leucothyreus guadulpiensis Burmeister 19 1-Mar-1982 11.1 

Scarabaeidae Macraspis tristis Castelnau 24 18-Jun-2000 25.5 

Scarabaeidae Rutela s. striata (Olivier) 39 1-Mar-1982 16.5 

Scarabaeidae Cyclocephala mafaffa Burmeister 20 1-Mar-1982 22.5 

Scarabaeidae Ligyrus cuniculus (Fabricius) 81 1-Aug-1975 16.5 

Scarabaeidae Phileurus valgus Linneaus 57 1-Mar-1982 22.2 

Scarabaeidae Strategus syphax (Fabricius) 2 11-May-2004 34 

Scirtidae Scirtes n.sp. 1 5 8-Apr-2002 2.7 

Scirtidae Scirtes n.sp. 2, testaceus group 2 31-Jul-2005 4 

Buprestidae Polycesta n.sp. 1 28-Jul-2005 19 

Buprestidae Chrysobothris sp. thoracica group 9 16-Jun-2000 5.1 

Buprestidae Micrasta n. sp. #1, nr. uniformis 35 23-Mar-2002 1.9 

Buprestidae Micrasta n.sp. #2, yellow tarsi 5 6-Dec-2002 1.4 

Buprestidae 

Buprestidae 

Micrasta n.sp. #3, yellow tibia - big 

parameres 

Micrasta n.sp. #4, olive-elytra-bluepronotum 

3 8-Apr-03 1.7 

5 22-May-03 2.1 

Buprestidae Micrasta n.sp. #5, bright-blue-wide 1 16-May-02 2.1 

Dermestidae Dermestes maculatus DeGeer 2 12-Jun-2002 8 

Dermestidae Trogoderma ornatum (Say) 10 1-Aug-1975 3.2 

Jacobsoniidae Derolathrus or near sp. 1 18-Jun-2000 0.6 

Trogossitidae 

Tenebroides transversicollis Jacquelin du 

Val 

25 11-Mar-2002 6.5 

Trogossitidae Temnochila obscura Reitter 2 1-Mar-1982 12 

Trogossitidae Temnochila sp. 1 20-May-2003 7.5 

Trogossitidae Colydobius n.sp. 6 3-Jan-2002 3.9 

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265



Trogossitidae Nemosoma n.sp. 1 30-Jul-2003 3.1 

Trogossitidae Nemosoma n.sp. 1 21-Feb-2003 1.3 

Cleridae Neorthopleura murina (Klug) 5 16-Jun-2000 4.7 

Cleridae Madoniella minor Pic 4 10-Oct-2002 3 

Cleridae Pelonium n.sp. 22 16-Jun-2000 10.5 

Melyridae Melyrodes n.sp. 1 6-Jun-2000 2 

Melyridae Albrechrus n.sp. 2 3-Jan-2002 1.3 

Lymexylidae 

Atractocerus brasiliensis Lepeletier & 

Audinet-Ser. 

15 24-Apr-2001 23.5 

Elateridae Conoderus sp. 72 1-Mar-1982 15.5 

Elateridae Physorrhinus insularis Candeze 10 17-Jun-2000 11.9 

Elateridae Chalcolepidius n. sp. 4 1-Jan-1900 35 

Elateridae Drapetes nigricans Bonvouloir 6 21-Jun-2000 4.5 

Elateridae Heteroderes amplicollis Gyllenhal 25 1-Aug-1975 9 

Elateridae Dicrepidius ramicornis P. de Beauvois 3 1-Mar-1982 16 

Elateridae Dicrepidius distinctus Fleutiaux & Sallé 177 21-Jun-2000 9 

Elateridae Lacon subcostatus (Candeze) 9 24-Apr-2002 15 

Elateridae Anchastus sp. #1 2 30-May-2002 9.7 

Elateridae Anchastus sp. #2 2 21-Jun-2002 8.4 

Elateridae Anchastus sp. #3 2 29-Mar-2001 7.7 

Eucnemidae Adelothyreus curtis Fleutiaux 9 24-Apr-2001 3.1 

Eucnemidae Adelothyreus dufaui Fleutiaux 8 23-Apr-2002 3 

Eucnemidae Fornax sp. 1 1-Mar-1982 9 

Eucnemidae Serrifornax sp. #1 24 18-Jun-2000 8 

Eucnemidae Serrifornax sp. #2 2 19-Jun-2002 5.1 

Ptilodactylidae Ptilodactyla macrophthalma LeGross 58 23-Jun-2000 3.2 

Cantharidae Tytthonyx n. sp. 170 20-Jun-2000 3.7 

Cantharidae Tylocerus picipennis Leng & Mutchler 227 1-Mar-1984 7 

Cantharidae Tylocerus n.sp. 9 25-Jun-2002 5.2 

Lampyridae Aspisoma ignitum L. 183 1-Aug-1975 12.2 

Lycidae Thonalmus hubardi Leng & Mutchler 183 1-Jan-1900 11.6 

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266 




Lycidae Thonalmus sinuaticostis Leng & Mutchler 164 1-Jan-1900 12 

Bostrichidae Melalgus caribeanus (Lesne) 24 11-Mar-2002 12.6 

Bostrichidae Amphicerus cornutus (Pallas) 9 5-Jan-2002 12.5 

Bostrichidae Tetrapriocera longicornis (Olivier) 19 10-Jan-2002 4.8 

Bostrichidae Xylomeira tridens (Fabricius) 107 1-Jan-1900 4 

Bostrichidae Xylopsocus capucinus (Fabricius) 1 20-May-2003 4.2 

Bostrichidae Dinoderus minutus (Fabricius) 1 21-Jun-2002 2.7 

Bostrichidae Lyctus caribbeanus Lesne 4 10-Jan-2002 2.7 

Bostrichidae Minthea rugicollis (Walker) 4 1-Jan-1999 2.7 

Anobiidae Xyletinus marmoratus Pic 87 5-Feb-2002 4.2 

Anobiidae Protheca sp. 1 3 5-Jan-2002 1.5 

Anobiidae Protheca sp. 2 11 13-Jan-2002 1.8 

Anobiidae Tricorynus ?pierriei (Lepesme) 51 23-Mar-2002 2.3 

Anobiidae Pseudodorcatomus ?mariei Lepesme 4 20-Jun-2000 1.4 

Anobiidae Calymmaderus sp. nr. dufaui Pic 3 30-May-2002 3.2 

Anobiidae Microzogus sp. 1 4 30-May-2002 1.1 

Anobiidae Microzogus sp. 2 4 21-Jun-2002 1 

Anobiidae Microzogus sp. 3 6 22-May-2002 1.3 

Anobiidae Caenocara maculatum Fisher 11 10-Jan-2002 1.2 

Anobiidae Cryptorama carinatum White 40 21-Jan-2002 2.3 

Anobiidae Cryptorama megalops White 31 21-Jan-2002 2.2 

Anobiidae Cryptorama ?antillensis White 3 16-May-2002 1.5 

Anobiidae Cryptorama sericeum aureum (Lepesme) 3 23-Mar-2002 2 

Anobiidae Cryptorama sp. 1 143 20-Jun-2000 1.5 

Anobiidae Cryptorama sp. nr. impunctaum White 11 21-Jan-2002 2.5 

Anobiidae Cryptorama sp. nr. tortolensis White 9 20-Jun-2000 1.6 

Anobiidae Cryptorama sp. nr. minor Fall 24 16-May-2002 2.1 

Anobiidae Cryptorama sp. nr. rufescens White 10 5-Feb-2002 2.4 

Anobiidae Petalium sp. 1 10 16-May-2002 1.5 

Anobiidae Petalium sp. 2 10 16-May-2002 1.3 

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267



Anobiidae Petalium ?antillarum Pic 9 5-Jan-2002 1.5 

Anobiidae Trichodesma sp. 1 18 17-Jun-2000 6 

Anobiidae Trichodesma sp. 2 15 20-Jun-2000 4.3 

Anobiidae Trichodesma sp. 3 2 11-Mar-2002 5.3 

Anobiidae Trichodesma sp. 4 1 3-Jun-2003 5.5 

Anobiidae Trichodesma sp. 5 1 28-Jul-2005 5 

Anobiidae Stichtoptenus n.sp. nr. dufaui Pic 14 21-Jan-2002 4.1 

Anobiidae Megorama sp. 11 24-May-2002 5 

Anobiidae Ptinus strangulatus Fall 12 4-Mar-2002 2.6 

Anobiidae Ptinus dufaui Pic 178 1-Mar-2001 2.2 

Anobiidae Gibbium aequinoctiale Boieldieu 1 1-Jan-1900 3.2 

Sphindidae Sphindus sp. 3 5-Feb-2002 1.5 

Nitidulidae Lobiopa insularis (Castelnau) 79 19-Jun-2000 7 

Nitidulidae Epuraea (Haptoncus) luteolus (F.) 46 19-Jun-2000 2.4 

Nitidulidae Stelidota strigosa (Gyllenhal) 123 19-Jun-2000 3.5 

Nitidulidae Stelidota coenosa Erichson 2 8-Jan-2002 2.2 

Nitidulidae Stelidota ruderata Erichson 42 23-Jun-2000 2.6 

Nitidulidae Macrasta vertraci Grouvelle 16 1-Jan-1900 5 

Nitidulidae Carpophilus humeralis (Fabricius) 3 29-May-2002 4.2 

Nitidulidae Carpophilus dimidiatus (Linneaus) 4 1-Jan-1900 2.2 

Nitidulidae Carpophilus sp. 1 1-Jun-2003 2.3 

Nitidulidae Colopterus infimus (Erichson) 4 23-Mar-2002 2 

Nitidulidae Cilleaus n.sp. 4 26-May-2003 7.4 

Nitidulidae Conotelus conicus(Fabricius) 1 1-Jan-1900 3.2 

Smicripidae Smicrips sp. 24 23-Jun-2000 1.5 

Monotomidae Europs sp. #1 10 13-Jan-2002 2.4 

Monotomidae Europs sp. #2 50 18-Jun-2000 1.9 

Monotomidae Europs sp. #3 24 17-Mar-2002 2.1 

Monotomidae Europs sp. #4 3 2-Aug-2005 2.1 

Monotomidae Monotoma. sp. 1 23-Mar-2002 2 

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268 




Silvanidae Silvanoprus scuticollis (Walker) 4 1-Jan-2002 2.4 

Silvanidae Monanus concinnus (Walker) 5 23-Mar-2002 2.1 

Silvanidae Telephanus nodicornis Nevermann 6 1-Jan-1900 4 

Laemophloeidae Cryptolestes unicornis (Reitter) 14 21-Jun-2000 1.7 

Laemophloeidae Laemeophoelus sp. #1 4 30-May-2002 3 

Laemophloeidae Laemeophoelus sp. #2 3 23-Mar-2002 2.4 

Laemophloeidae Placonotus planifrons Thomas 20 21-Jun-2000 2.1 

Laemophloeidae Placonotus modestus (Say) 5 3-Jan-2002 1.9 

Laemophloeidae Placonotus politissimus (Wollaston) 4 5-Jan-2002 1.8 

Laemophloeidae Placonotus ?patruellus Thomas 1 3-Jan-2002 2 

Laemophloeidae Placonotus sp. nr. patruellus 1 23-Mar-2002 1.5 

Laemophloeidae Dysmerus sp. 2 5-Feb-2002 1.8 

Laemophloeidae Lepidophoeus n.sp.? 2 21-May-2002 1.1 

Laemophloeidae Lathropus pictus Schwarz 3 10-Aug-2005 1.1 

Phalacridae Ochrolitus tristriatus Casey 83 5-Jan-2002 2.7 

Phalacridae Olibrus sp. 4 7-Jan-2002 1.9 

Phalacridae Litolibrus sp. 21 17-Jul-2005 1.8 

Cryptophagidae Ephistemus sp. 2 26-Jul-2005 1 

Languriidae Toramus #1 98 17-Jun-2000 1 

Languriidae Toramus #2 17 20-Jun-2000 1.3 

Languriidae Loberus sp. 47 17-Jun-2000 1.9 

Languriidae Haplips angulosus Grouvelle 1 10-Jul-2005 4 

Languriidae Haplips nr. guadeloupensis Grouvelle 33 20-Jun-2000 4.5 

Languriidae Cryptophilus integer (Heer) 23 10-Jan-2002 2 

Languriidae Platoberus dufaui Grouvelle 2 24-Jul-2005 3.1 

Languriidae Telmatoscius sp. 13 6-Aug-2005 3.3 

Cerylonidae Philothermus puberulus Schwarz 4 1-Jan-1900 1.8 

Cerylonidae Euxestes erithacus (Chevrolat) 9 16-Jun-2000 2 

Cerylonidae Mychocerus sharpi (Champion) 6 26-Jun-2002 1.6 

Cerylonidae Ostomopsis neotropcalis? 3 30-Jun-2002 1 

Cerylonidae Botrodus sp#1 dufaui? 2 1.7 

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269



Cerylonidae Botrodus sp#2 estriatus? 1 1.7 

Bothrideridae Sosylus sp. 23 1-Jan-2002 4 

Bothrideridae Bothrideres dufaui Grouvelle 21 16-May-2002 3.2 

Endomycidae n. genus #1 sp. 4 21-Feb-2003 1 

Endomycidae n. genus #2 sp. 4 21-May-2002 0.9 

Endomycidae Displotera sp. 1 21-Jun-2002 1.5 

Endomycidae Holoparamecus sp. 2 6-Jun-2002 0.7 

Coccinellidae Cycloneda sanguinea limbifer Casey 85 1-Aug-1975 4.2 

Coccinellidae Coelophora inaequalis (F.) 79 18-Jun-2000 5 

Coccinellidae Cryptolaemus monstrouzieri Mulsant 32 16-Jun-2000 4.5 

Coccinellidae Chilocerus cactus (L.) 14 23-Jun-2000 6.4 

Coccinellidae Psyllobora lineola (F.) 153 25-Jun-2000 2.3 

Coccinellidae Diomus ochroderus (Mulsant) 62 23-Jun-2000 7.5 

Coccinellidae Diomus #1 1 1-Jan-2002 1.3 

Coccinellidae Diomus #2 1 8-Jan-2002 1.9 

Coccinellidae Diomus #3 1 16-Jun-2000 1.1 

Coccinellidae Diomus #4 24 17-Jun-2000 1.4 

Coccinellidae Diomus roseicollis (Mulsant) 24 10-Jan-2002 1.5 

Coccinellidae Neaptera viola Gordon 32 24-Jul-1936 1 

Coccinellidae Nephaspis n. sp 7 16-May-2002 1 

Coccinellidae Scymnus (Pullus) phloeus Mulsant 62 11-Jan-2002 2 

Coccinellidae Scymnus (S.) floralis (Fabricius) 31 1-Jan-1900 2.1 

Coccinellidae Scymnus (Pullus) sp. 1 1-Jun-2003 1.2 

Coccinellidae Zilus sp. 2 22-May-2002 1.1 

Coccinellidae Stethorus albipes (Mulsant) 8 21-May-2002 0.9 

Coccinellidae Decadiomus hubbardi Chapin 1 14-Jun-2002 1 

Coccinellidae Coccidophilus cariba Gordon 46 1-Jan-1900 0.9 

Coccinellidae Prodilis n.sp. 4 16-May-2002 1.5 

Coccinellidae Delphastus nebulosus Chapin 19 16-May-2002 1 

Coccinellidae Calloeneis n.sp. 8 21-May-2002 1.6 

Coccinellidae Hyperaspis sp. 2 4-Aug-2005 2.7 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

270 




Corylophidae Arthrolips sp. # 1 11 3-Jan-2002 1.2 

Corylophidae Arthrolips sp. # 2 25 22-May-2002 1.1 

Corylophidae Arthrolips sp. # 3 5 3-Apr-2002 0.9 

Corylophidae Arthrolips sp. # 4 4 23-Mar-2002 1 

Corylophidae Arthrolips sp. # 5 2 14-Jun-2002 0.7 

Corylophidae Clypastraea sp. 38 21-May-2002 0.9 

Corylophidae Holopsis sp. #1 37 27-May-2000 0.9 

Corylophidae Holopsis sp. #2 3 21-May-2002 0.5 

Corylophidae Corylophid sp. #1 1 1-May-2002 1 

Latridiidae Cortodere constricta (Gyllenhal) 1 23-Mar-2002 1.4 

Latridiidae Cortilena picta (LeConte) 1 3-Jan-2002 1.1 

Mycetophagidae Litargus balteatus LeConte 8 1-Jul-1936 1.6 

Mycetophagidae Thrimolus minutus Casey 4 18-Jun-2000 0.9 

Mycetophagidae Berginus sp. 1 15-Aug-2005 1 

Ciidae Orthocis sp. #1 1 22-May-2002 1.1 

Ciidae Orthocis sp. #2 2 21-May-2002 0.8 

Ciidae Cis sp. #1 1 15-Jun-2002 2 

Ciidae Cis sp. #2 1 21-Jun-2002 1.2 

Ciidae Cis sp. #3 59 22-May-2002 1.1 

Ciidae Cis creberrimus Mellie 26 7-Jan-2002 2 

Ciidae Cis melliei Coquerel 13 4-Aug-2005 1.5 

Ciidae Ceracis. #1 11 18-Jun-2000 1.5 

Ciidae Ceracis. #2 4 22-Jun-2002 1.2 

Mordellidae Glipostenoda pallida (Champion) 262 20-Jun-2000 3.2 

Mordellidae Tolidomordella sp. 247 20-Jun-2000 2.7 

Mordellidae Mordella sp. #1 3 24-Apr-2001 4.6 

Mordellidae Mordella sp. #2 2 30-May-2002 4.3 

Mordellidae Falsomordellistena sp. 4 16-May-2002 3.2 

Meloidae Cissites maculata (Swederus) 1 14-May-2002 31 

Meloidae Pseudozonitis marginata (Fabricius) 17 1-Jan-1900 12.2 

Meloidae Tetraonyx quadrimaculatus (Fabricius) 4 1-Jan-1900 10 

Melandryidae Orchesia sp. 1 30-May-2002 4.7 

Rhipiphoridae Macrosaigon cruenta Germar 1 21-Jun-2002 4.5 

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271



Zopheridae Hyporrhagus sp. 5 22-Jul-1981 4.9 

Zopheridae Pycnomerus biimpressus (Reitter) 2 18-Jun-2000 3.3 

Zopheridae Pycnomerus uniformis Ivie & Ślipiński 3 21-Jul-2005 3.3 

Colydiidae Lemnis lhermimieri Grouvelle. 2 29-May-1982 3.1 

Colydiidae Bitoma sp. 61 21-Jun-2000 2.5 

Colydiidae Colydodes mammalaris (Pascoe) 2 8-Jun-2002 4.7 

Colydiidae Synchita sp. #1 21 1-Jan-1900 1.9 

Colydiidae Synchita sp. #2 8 3-Jan-2002 1.6 

Colydiidae Paha guadeloupensis Dajoz 8 23-Apr-2002 2 

Colydiidae Aulonium bidentatus (Fabricius) 54 1-Jan-2002 5.8 

Colydiidae Monoedus lecontei Fleutiaux & Sallé 2 1-Jan-1900 1.9 

Colydiidae Monoedus obscurus Grouvelle 33 25-Jun-2002 2.4 

Colydiidae Nematidium filiforme LeConte 82 23-Mar-2002 4.8 

Tenebrionidae Lorelus n. sp. 38 28-Jun-2002 2 

Tenebrionidae Diodeus guadeloupensis Fleutiaux & Sallé 46 9-May-2004 3.2 

Tenebrionidae Palorus cerylonoides Pascoe 6 21-Jun-2000 2.3 

Tenebrionidae Rhipidandrus cornutus (Arrow) 25 1-Jul-1936 4.1 

Tenebrionidae Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) 4 21-Jun-2000 4 

Tenebrionidae Uloma retusa (Fabricius) 64 1-Jul-1936 11 

Tenebrionidae Blapstinus opacus Mulsant & Rey 19 1-Mar-1982 4.8 

Tenebrionidae Diastolinus puncticollis Mulsant & Rey 2 3-Jan-2002 9 

Tenebrionidae Diastolinus sp. nr. barbudensis Marcuzzi 11 1-Mar-1982 5.4 

Tenebrionidae Opatrinus clathratus (Fabricius) 9 5-Jan-2002 10 

Tenebrionidae Hymenorus antillensis Campbell or nr. 2 26-Jul-2005 6.5 

Tenebrionidae Hymenorus n.sp. 9 6-Jun-2002 5.5 

Tenebrionidae Lobopoda n.sp. 16 17-Jun-2000 8 

Tenebrionidae Platydema excavataum Say 1 22-Jul-1981 5.1 

Tenebrionidae Neomida lecontei (Bates) 18 1-Jan-1900 6 

Tenebrionidae Neomida suilla Champion 11 3-Jan-2002 2.1 

Tenebrionidae Adelina pici (Ardoin) 20 7-Jan-2002 4.1 

Tenebrionidae Gnatocerus curvicornis (Champion) 6 13-Jan-2002 3.5 

Tenebrionidae Gnatocerus guatemalensis Champion 8 16-Jun-2000 3.2 

Tenebrionidae Phaleria fulva Fleutiaux & Sallé 26 1-Aug-1975 4.9 

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272 




Tenebrionidae Phaleria picipes Say 4 1-Mar-1982 5.1 

Tenebrionidae Gondwanocrypticus sp. 5 1-Aug-1975 4.2 

Tenebrionidae Corticeus n.sp. 2 23-Mar-2002 2.2 

Tenebrionidae Cryptozoon n.sp. 1 2-Aug-2005 1.2 

Tenebrionidae Ulomoides ocularis (Casey) 2 1-Jan-1900 3.8 

Tenebrionidae Nesocyrtosoma n.sp. 13 1-Jan-1900 6 

Tenebrionidae Cyrtosoma n.sp. 2 1-Jan-1900 13 

Tenebrionidae Strongylium delauneyi Fleutiaus & Sallé 18 21-Jun-2000 8.4 

Tenebrionidae Talanus sp. 3 1-Mar-1982 5.6 

Mycteridae Physicus faciatus Pic 177 19-Jun-2000 2.4 

Salpingidae Inopeplus praeustus Chevrolat 38 3-Jan-2002 2.1 

Salpingidae Inopeplus striatulus Blackwelder 5 22-May-2002 4 

Salpingidae Aprostomis cephalotes Grouvelle 5 16-May-2002 1.7 

Salpingidae Serrotibia n. sp. 2 1-Jan-1900 5 

Salpingidae Prostominiinae sp. 6 21-Jun-2002 3 

Aderidae Aderus brunipennis (LeConte) 2 6-Dec-2002 1.6 

Aderidae Cnopus sp. #1 3 5-Jan-2002 1.2 

Aderidae Ganascus sp #1 43 23-Jun-2000 1.7 

Aderidae Ganascus sp #2 8 16-May-2002 1.9 

Aderidae Ganascus sp #3 63 21-May-2002 1.8 

Aderidae Ganascus sp #4 18 5-Jan-2002 1.7 

Aderidae Pseudariotes sp #1 24 16-May-2002 1.8 

Aderidae Zonates sp. #1 3 22-May-2002 1.5 

Anthicidae Anthicus tobias Marseul 7 21-Jun-2002 3.4 

Oedemeridae Hypasclera simplex (Waterford) 65 16-Jun-2000 8.7 

Oedemeridae Oxycopis #1 102 1-Mar-1982 9.5 

Oedemeridae Oxycopis #2 33 21-Jun-2000 6.6 

Oedemeridae Oxycopis #3 6 13-Jan-2002 9 

Chrysomelidae Acanthoscelides johnique Johnson 100 10-Jan-2002 3.1 

Chrysomelidae Acanthoscelides sp. #1 2 17-Jul-2005 2.8 

Chrysomelidae Ctenocolum crotonae (Fåhraeus) 49 6-Jun-2002 3.7 

Chrysomelidae Stator monachus (Sharp) 4 10-Jan-2002 3.1 

Chrysomelidae Mimosestes mimosae (Fabricius) 2 26-Jul-2005 4.7 

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273



Chrysomelidae Sennius rufomaculatus (Motschulsky 1 1-Aug-2005 3 

Chrysomelidae Neolema dorsalis (Olivier) 7 1-Aug-1975 4.7 

Chrysomelidae Chalepus sanguinicollis (Linneaus) 16 6-Jul-2002 6.9 

Chrysomelidae Charidotella sexpunctata (Fabricius) 38 1-Aug-1975 5.9 

Chrysomelidae Chelymorpha cribraria (Fabricius) 3 5-Jun-2002 7.9 

Chrysomelidae Hilarocassis exclamationis (Linnaeus) 1 26-May-2002 9.6 

Chrysomelidae Acalymma innubum (Fabricius) 73 1-Jan-1900 7.4 

Chrysomelidae Ceratoma ruficornis (Olivier) 15 12-Jan-2002 5.2 

Chrysomelidae Diabrotica ochreata Fabricius 15 1-Jan-1900 6.6 

Chrysomelidae Neolochmaea obliterata (Olivier) 1 1-Aug-1975 7.1 

Chrysomelidae Exora encaustica (Germar) 128 1-Jan-1900 9.4 

Chrysomelidae Altica occidentalis Suffrian 37 19-Jun-2002 5.1 

Chrysomelidae Disanycha sp. 2 10-Jan-2002 6.9 

Chrysomelidae Megistops n. sp. nr. granulate 6 23-May-2002 4.4 

Chrysomelidae Parchicola sp. 18 5-Feb-2002 5 

Chrysomelidae Epitrix cucumeris (Harris) 1 22-Jul-1981 1.5 

Chrysomelidae Epitrix fasciata Blatchley 14 9-May-2004 1.4 

Chrysomelidae Epitrix sp. 12 21-May-2002 1.6 

Chrysomelidae Homoschema n.sp. 3 4-Aug-2005 2.5 

Chrysomelidae Crysylus montserrati Blake 2 18-Mar-1894 3.2 

Chrysomelidae Aedmon ?stenotrachela Blake 2 7-Aug-2005 2.8 

Chrysomelidae Omophoeta albicornis Fabricius 8 1-Aug-1975 6.2 

Chrysomelidae Typophorus sp. 108 13-Jun-2002 5.8 

Chrysomelidae Megascelis n. sp. 115 22-May-2002 5.7 

Chrysomelidae Colaspis sp. 16 1-Jan-2002 4.5 

Chrysomelidae Metachroma sp. #1 4 23-Apr-2002 4.1 

Chrysomelidae Metachroma sp. #2 3 20-Jun-2002 3 

Chrysomelidae Cryptocephalus sp. #1 103 13-Jan-2002 4.2 

Chrysomelidae Cryptocephalus sp. #2 25 13-Jan-2002 4.4 

Chrysomelidae Diachus sp. 1 17-Jun-2000 1.9 

Chrysomelidae Pachybrachis sp. 16 21-Jan-2002 3 

Cerambycidae Stenodontes maxillosus (Drury) 7 8-Jan-2002 45 

Cerambycidae Methia necydalea (F.) 143 5-Jan-2002 9.7 

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274 




Cerambycidae Achryson surinamum (L.) 49 7-Jan-2002 15.5 

Cerambycidae Ochrus ornatus (Fisher) 11 10-Jan-2002 11.5 

Cerambycidae Chlorida festiva (L.) 67 1-Jan-2002 21.5 

Cerambycidae Eburia decemmaculata (F.) 20 1-Aug-1975 18 

Cerambycidae Eburia inermis (Fleutiaux & Sallé) 6 5-Feb-2002 22 

Cerambycidae Eburia octomaculata Chevrolat 41 11-Mar-2002 17.5 

Cerambycidae Elaphidion glabratum (F.) 3 1-Feb-1937 15 

Cerambycidae Nesanoplium n.sp. 52 19-Feb-2001 7.5 

Cerambycidae Nesanoplium sp. 16 25-Jun-1977 6.7 

Cerambycidae Curtomerus flavus (F.) 112 27-Feb-2001 10 

Cerambycidae Neocompsa cylindricollis (F.) 51 1-Mar-2001 8.2 

Cerambycidae Caribbomerus attenuatus (Chevrolat) 11 5-Jan-2002 6.5 

Cerambycidae Plectromerus fasciatus (Gahan) 8 21-Jan-2002 9 

Cerambycidae Gourbeyella n.sp. 13 24-Apr-2002 5 

Cerambycidae Tillomorphini n.g. near Euderces 7 24-Apr-2002 4.3 

Cerambycidae Oxymerus aculeatus lebasi Dupont 10 11-Jun-2002 9.6 

Cerambycidae Strangalia benitiespinali Chalumeau 2 29-May-1982 10.7 

Cerambycidae Ecyrus hirtipes Gahan 6 11-Mar-2002 9.1 

Cerambycidae Adetus lherminieri Fleutiaux & Sallé 1 1-Jan-1900 8.2 

Cerambycidae Mimestoloides benardi Breuning 3 23-Mar-2002 7.9 

Cerambycidae Cacostola ornata (Fleutiaux & Sallé) 3 1-Mar-1982 8.1 

Cerambycidae Oreodera glauca (L.) 1 11-Mar-2002 23.5 

Cerambycidae Lagocheirus araneiformis (L.) 4 13-Jan-2002 23.7 

Cerambycidae Amniscus assimilis (Gahan) 65 1-Mar-2001 10.5 

Cerambycidae Styloleptus posticalis (Gahan) 22 18-Feb-2001 7 

Cerambycidae Acanthocinini ?Styloleptus n.sp. 1 1-Aug-2005 8 

Cerambycidae Urgleptes guadeloupensis (Fleutiaux & 23 19-Feb-2001 4.9 

Cerambycidae Urgleptes cobbeni Gilmour 55 27-Feb-2001 3.7 

Cerambycidae Epectasis similis Gahan 1 5-Dec-2002 8.9 

Cerambycidae Decarthria n.sp. 18 3-Jan-2002 2.1 

Cerambycidae Cyrtinus hubbardi Fisher 44 1-Jan-1900 2 

Anthribidae Ormiscus sp. #1 22 16-May-2002 2 

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275



Anthribidae Ormiscus sp. #2 65 19-Jun-2000 2 

Anthribidae Ormiscus sp. #3 41 5-Jan-2002 2.1 

Anthribidae Homocloeus. #1 14 22-May-2002 3.5 

Anthribidae Homocloeus sp. #2 9 5-Jan-2002 3.9 

Anthribidae Homocloeus sp. #3 2 17-Jun-2000 5.3 

Anthribidae Holostilpna sp. #1 1 16-May-2002 1.2 

Anthribidae Anthribidae sp. #1 1 22-May-2002 0.9 

Anthribidae Anthribidae sp. #2 1 26-Jul-2005 1.5 

Anthribidae Anthribidae sp. #3 1 20-May-2003 1.6 

Anthribidae Anthribidae sp. #4 3 16-Jul-2002 1.5 

Attelabidae Auletobius sp. 37 20-Jun-2000 1.7 

Brentidae Apion sp. 8 16-May-2002 2.2 

Brentidae Brentus anchorago Linneaus 148 1-Jan-1900 17 

Brentidae Brentidae sp. #1 9 17-Jun-2000 13.4 

Brentidae Cylas formicarius (F.) 1 21-Jun-2002 6.5 

Curculionidae Sitophilus linearis (Herbst) 5 1-Aug-1975 4.4 

Curculionidae Cosmopolites sordidus (Germar) 1 7-Jun-2002 11 

Curculionidae Metamasius hemipterus (L.) 12 1-Jan-1900 11.5 

Curculionidae Metamasius quadrisignatus (Gyllenhaul) 2 1-Jan-1900 17 

Curculionidae Sphenophorus sp. 2 3-Jan-2002 9 

Curculionidae Sphenophorus venatus? (Say) 16 24-Jun-2000 9.5 

Curculionidae Anthonomus alboannulatus Boheman 2 25-Jul-2005 3.5 

Curculionidae Anthonomus flavescens Boheman 18 21-Jun-2002 3 

Curculionidae Anthonomus sp. #1 1 6-Aug-2005 2.4 

Curculionidae Anthonomus sp. #2 1 12-Jan-2002 2.7 

Curculionidae Anthonomus sp. #3 1 21-Jun-2002 2.6 

Curculionidae Anthonomus sp. #4 1 9-Aug-2005 2.4 

Curculionidae Anthonomus sp. #5 1 30-May-2002 2.5 

Curculionidae 

Anthonomus squamulosus? Schenkling & 

Marshall 

14 6-Jun-2002 2.1 

Curculionidae Ceratopus sp. #1 1 14-Jun-2002 5.9 

Curculionidae Ceratopus sp. #2 3 5-Feb-2002 5.2 

Curculionidae Phyllotrox palidus Fåhraeus 4 16-May-2002 1.6 

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276 




Curculionidae Piazorhinus n.sp. #1 3 21-Jun-2002 2.6 

Curculionidae Piazorhinus n.sp. #2 7 22-May-2002 2.6 

Curculionidae Smicronyx sp. 1 8-Aug-2005 2 

Curculionidae Sibinia sp. #1 1 15-Aug-2005 2.1 

Curculionidae Chalcobaris guadeloupensis? Hustache 1 18-Jun-2000 2.4 

Curculionidae Limnobaris? sp. 1 16-Jun-2000 2.5 

Curculionidae Notesia sp. 1 23-Jul-2005 4 

Curculionidae Copturus sp. nr. dufaui Hustache 3 11-Mar-2002 3.9 

Curculionidae Eulechriops sp. #1 12 11-Mar-2002 1.4 

Curculionidae Eulechriops sp. #2 3 22-May-2002 1.2 

Curculionidae Eulechriops sp. #3 4 21-May-2002 1.7 

Curculionidae Cossoninae sp. #1 30 10-Jul-2005 1.3 

Curculionidae Cossonus guadeloupensis? Hustache 11 25-Jun-2000 4 

Curculionidae Cossonus impressus Boheman 2 4-Mar-2002 3.5 

Curculionidae Cossonus sulcatifrons? Hustache 4 14-Jun-2002 3.3 

Curculionidae Cossonus sulcatirostris? Hustache 1 23-Jul-2005 5.2 

Curculionidae Cossonus vitraci? Hustache 7 23-Jul-2005 4.2 

Curculionidae Prionathrus n. sp. 1 7-Aug-2005 4.3 

Curculionidae Acamptus n.sp. 39 21-Jun-2000 1.6 

Curculionidae Catolethrus? sp. 7 28-Jun-2002 4.3 

Curculionidae Dryotribus mimeticus Horn 1 19-Jun-2002 2.8 

Curculionidae Micromimus sp.#1 16 22-May-2002 2.6 

Curculionidae Stenomimus? sp. 2 15-Aug-2005 2 

Curculionidae Pseudopentarthrum sp. #1 16 1-Jan-1900 2.4 

Curculionidae Stenotribus sp. #1 3 25-Jun-2002 3.1 



Curculionidae Macroscytalus? sp. 2 10-Aug-2005 2.7 

Curculionidae Proeces depressus (Wollaston) 1 1-Jan-1900 1.8 

Curculionidae Cryptorhynchinae sp. #1 4 17-Jun-2000 5.1 

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277



Curculionidae Cryptorhynchinae sp. #2 1 18-Jun-2000 2.5 

Curculionidae Homoeostethus sp. #1 13 20-Jun-2000 4 

Curculionidae Homoeostethus? sp. #2 5 18-Jun-2000 7.4 

Curculionidae Macromerus lanipes (Olivier) 1 23-Jun-2000 9.5 

Curculionidae n,g, "Elephantine" sp. #1 2 23-Jun-2000 6 

Curculionidae n,g, "Elephantine" sp. #2 5 28-May-2002 6.2 

Curculionidae n,g, "Elephantine" sp. #3 2 29-Mar-2000 4.6 

Curculionidae Neotylodes sp. #1 1 20-May-2003 4 

Curculionidae Neotylodes sp. #2 4 28-May-2002 4.4 

Curculionidae Neotylodes sp. #3 30 16-Jun-2002 4.3 

Curculionidae Neotylodes sp. #4 9 17-Jun-2000 7.2 

Curculionidae Pappista aurulenta (Chevrolat) 13 17-Jun-2000 8.5 

Curculionidae Semnorhynchus clericus Chevrolat 18 25-Jun-2000 3.5 

Curculionidae Semnorhynchus vacillatus (Boheman) 37 25-Jun-2000 2.8 

Curculionidae Semnorhynchus? sp. #1 4 20-Jun-2000 3.8 

Curculionidae Semnorhynchus? sp. #2 4 18-Mar-2002 3.3 

Curculionidae Sternochetus mangiferae (Fabricius) 6 29-May-2002 8.2 

Curculionidae Styracopus phaseoli Marshall 1 6-Aug-2005 3.4 

Curculionidae Troezon sp. #1 10 19-Jun-2002 5 

Curculionidae Acalles sp. #1 46 20-Jun-2000 2.5 

Curculionidae Acalles sp. #2 2 24-Jul-2005 2.5 

Curculionidae Tyrannion sp. #1 162 23-Mar-2002 6 

Curculionidae Faustinus sp. 3 5-Jul-2002 4.2 

Curculionidae Lembodes sp. #1 1 9-Aug-2005 3.4 

Curculionidae Microxypterus? sp. #1 1 5-Jul-2002 1.8 

Curculionidae Oxypteropsis? sp. #1 1 1-Aug-2005 4.9 

Curculionidae Pseudomopsis sp. #1 77 4-Mar-2002 3.7 

Curculionidae Pseudomopsis sp. #2 10 20-May-2003 4 

Curculionidae Pseudomus sp. #1 10 1-Aug-1975 4.2 

Curculionidae Ulosominus sp. #1 4 6-Jun-2003 2.1 

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278 




Curculionidae Ulosominus sp. #2 20 16-May-2002 2 

Curculionidae 

Diaprepes abbreviatus (Linneaus) sensu 

lat. 

13 1-Jul-1936 16 

Curculionidae Diaprepes famelicus sensu Pierce 73 1-Aug-1975 15 

Curculionidae Lachnopus curvipes (Fabricius) 54 1-Aug-1975 10 

Curculionidae Lachnopus sp. #1 13 22-May-2002 8.1 

Curculionidae Litostylus pudens (Boheman) 202 1-Aug-1975 7.5 

Curculionidae Polydacrys sp. 1 15-Aug-2005 5.5 

Curculionidae Molytinae sp. #1 11 10-Jan-2002 9.5 

Curculionidae Anchonus sp. nr. interuptus Fårhraeus 78 19-Jun-2000 4.7 

Curculionidae Anchonus suillus (Fabricius) 46 19-Jun-2000 4.5 

Curculionidae Geobyrsa sp. 5 11-Jan-2002 5 

Curculionidae Cholus zonatus (Swederus) 2 24-Jul-2005 13 

Curculionidae Conotrachelus cinnamonumeus Hustache 1 4-Jun-2003 5.1 

Curculionidae Conotrachelus cristatus Fåhraeus 5 18-Jun-2000 5.2 

Curculionidae Conotrachelus sp. #1 11 12-May-2002 4.4 

Curculionidae Conotrachelus sp. #2 1 1-Aug-2005 5.3 

Curculionidae Heilipus? sp. 1 16-May-2002 4 

Curculionidae Heilus sinuatus (Boheman) 2 23-Mar-2002 11 

Curculionidae Ozoctenus dufaui Hustache 8 22-May-2002 5.2 

Curculionidae Decuanellus n. sp. 1 5-Jan-2002 2 

Curculionidae Dorytomorpha? sp. 1 15-Aug-2005 3.1 

Curculionidae Chalcodermus insularis Chevrolat 35 16-Jun-2002 4.8 

Curculionidae Sternechus vicinus Fleutiaux & Sallé 18 24-Apr-2001 5 

Curculionidae Pycnarthrum hispidum (Ferrari) 8 1.8 

Curculionidae Gymnochilus reitteri Eichhoff 17 2 

Curculionidae Cryptocarenus seriatus Eggers 3 2.2 

Curculionidae Cryptocarenus heveae (Hagedorn) 2 1.6 

Curculionidae Coccotrypes cyperi (Beeson) 27 1-Jan-1900 1.9 

Curculionidae Coccotrypes dactyliperda (Fab.) 11 2.1 

Curculionidae Coccotrypes advena Blandford 2 1.7 

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279



Curculionidae Ambrosiodmus lecontei Hopkins 2 2.7 

Curculionidae Ambrosiodmus devexulus Wood 1 2 

Curculionidae Xyleborus affinis Eichhoff 62 21-Jun-2000 2.1 

Curculionidae Xyleborus ferrugineus (Fab.) 122 24-Jun-2000 2.6 

Curculionidae Xyleborus volvulus (Fab.) 127 2.5 

Curculionidae Xyleborus spinulosus Blandford 6 2.3 

Curculionidae Chramesus sp. A 17 2 

Curculionidae Chramesus sp. B 2 2 

Curculionidae Microborus sp. 1 

Curculionidae Scolytodes striatus Wood 22 1.7 

Curculionidae Scolytodes schwarzi (Hopkins) 29 1.5 

Curculionidae Scolytodes spp. 2 

Curculionidae Pseudothysanoes n.sp. 12 

Curculionidae Pseudothysanoes sp. 1 

Curculionidae Hylocurus sp. 1 1 

Curculionidae Hylocurus sp. 2 1 

Curculionidae Araptus sp. A 2 

Curculionidae Araptus sp. B 4 

Curculionidae Corthylus sp. 6 

Curculionidae Premnobius cavipennis Eichhoff 12 2.5 

Curculionidae Xylosandrus compactus (Eichhoff) 4 1.4 

Curculionidae Cladoctonus sp. 1 

Curculionidae Cnemonyx ficus Schwarz 4 2.3 

Curculionidae Cnemonyx vagabundus Wood 2 1.5 

Curculionidae Cnesinus sp. A 3 

Curculionidae Cnesinus sp. B 1 

Curculionidae Hypothenemus dolosus Wood 1 1.6 

Curculionidae Hypothenemus eruditus Westwood 28 1.2 

Curculionidae Hypothenemus pubescens Hopkins 13 1.1 

Curculionidae Hypothenemus brunneus (Hopk.) 4 1.4 

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280 



* Species recorded or collected pre‐volcano, but not recollected, with either number of specimens number seen, re‐ 

ported in literature, or if not seen or recorded in literature, assumed to be 1 

Notes 


Curculionidae Hypothenemus obscurus (Fab.) 14 1.3 

Curculionidae Hypothenemus gossypii (Hopk.) 5 1 

Curculionidae Hypothenemus birmanus (Eichh.) 5 1.7 

Curculionidae Hypothenemus comosus Bright 2 1.7 

Curculionidae Hypothenemus plumeriae (Nordlinger) 2 

Curculionidae Hypothenemusspp. 10 1-Jan-1900 1.5 

Curculionidae Euplatypus parallelus (Fabricius) 82 11-Mar-2002 4.4 

Curculionidae Euplatypus hians (Chapuis) 32 8-Jan-2002 4.1 

Curculionidae Teloplatypus sp. 19 11-Mar-2002 3 

TOTAL N 13065 

NUMBER OF SPECIES 

RECORDED 

All IREC material dated 01 March 1982, but may be 1982, 1983, 1981 

Chapin records assumed to be from Blackwelder 

Leng & Mutclher assumed to be from Hubbard 

Arrow 1920 assumed to be from Hubbard 

First Records in Blackwelder, assumed to be from Blackwelder 

Champion 1909 assumed to be from Hubbard 

Triplehorn 1961 assumed to be from Hubbard 

Fisher 1950 assumed to be from Hubbard 

Measurements were taken from a representative Montserrat specimen. For cases where no Montserrat specimen was 

available, data were taken from published references to the species or a closely related congener. 

Empty cells indicate data not available, and not included in analyses 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


281 

718

The non-beetle hexapods 

NOTE: No records for Protura, Diplura, Zoraptera, Mantodea, Embidina, Phthiraptera, Siphonaptera, and Strepsiptera 

are included, in spite of the fact that most, if not all of these Orders will be found to occur on Montserrat. All Orders 

listed below, even those without specific records, have vouchers in the WIBF collections, or have been deposited else‐ 

where as noted. 

COLLEMBOLA 

Stevens & Waldmann (2001) reported a single published record of an Isotomidae from Montserrat. However, several 

families of this group are present on Montserrat, and springtails are abundant and speciose in the soil, canopy and litter 

layers. Study of this group would yield many new species records for Montserrat. 

Fig. K. A small sample of the collembolan diversity in the Centre Hills. (Photo: Michael Ivie) 

MICROCORYPHIA 

Not reported from Montserrat by Stevens & Waldmann (2001), an unidentified species of this family was taken com‐ 

monly in the Centre Hills. 

Meinertellidae 

Undetermined species ? 

THYSANURA 

Not reported from Montserrat by Stevens & Waldmann (2001), an invasive member of this order was reported from 

Montserrat in 1995, and another undetermined species is very common in the Centre Hills. 

Lepismatidae 

Ctenolepisma rothschildi Silvestri EIS [Irish 1995] 

Nicoletiidae 

Undetermined species ? 

EPHEMEROPTERA 

Allenhyphes flinti (Allen) WN [Baumgardner et al. 2003] 

ODONATA 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

282 


Determinations by T. W. Donnelly, additional records by F. Sibley from his Montserrat collections of October 2006). 

The dragonflies and damselflies are widely used as indicators of environmental health. Cooter (1983) provides the only 

4 published records of this group for Montserrat, which we expand to 16. Given the sensitivity of this group to water 

conditions, we were surprised at the number which have survived the volcano’s deposits in Montserrat’s fresh water 

habitats. Two species are local endemics, both only recently discovered from Guadeloupe (Donnelly 2007). 

Aeshnidae 

Anax junius (Drury) WN 

Triacanthagyna trifida (Rambur) WN 

Libellulidae 

Brachymesia herbida (Gundlach) WN 

Dythemis sp. (♀♀) ? 

Erythrodiplax umbrata (Linnaeus) WN 

Erythemis vesiculosa (Fabricius) WN 

Macrothemis n. sp. LE 

Miathyria marcella (Selys) WN 

Orthemis macrostigma (Rambur) LAE 

Pantala flavescens (Fabricius) WN 

Tramea abdominalis (Rambur) WN 

Coenagrionidae 

Enallagma coecum (Hagen) WN 

Ischnura capreola (Hagen) WN 

Ischnura ramburii (Selys) WN 

Lestidae 

Lestes forficula Rambur WN 

Protoneuridae 

Protoneura romanae Meurgey LE 

ORTHOPTERA/BLATTERIA/PHASMIDA 

These orders are the subject of reviews in preparation by Marske and Otte, and are not treated here. One Phasmid, 7 

roaches, and 21 Orthopterans are listed by Marske (2004), and more were added in 2005. 

Fig. L. Nesonotus sp., a long‐horned grasshopper used as food by the Montserrat oriole. (Photo: Michael Ivie) 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


283

Fig. M. Microcentrum sp., a long‐horned grasshopper used as food by the Montserrat oriole. (Photo: Michael Ivie) 

Fig. N. The brightly colored dorsum of the cryptically‐patterned Microcentrum sp. (Photo: Michael Ivie) 

Fig. O. An undescribed forest cricket of the genus Amphiacusta (Phalangopsinae: Gryllidae). (Photo: Gerardo Garcia/ 

Durrell, determination by D. Otte) 

DERMAPTERA 

Because the earwigs have been revised for the West Indies (Brindle 1971), little attention was paid to this group, and 

only 14 mounted specimens were preserved. This proved to be a mistake, as 8 species are represented, 4 of which can‐ 

not be identified using Brindle! Obviously, here is a place for more collecting. 

Carcinophoridae 

Euborellia stali (Dohrn) EIS [Cooter 1983, not recollected] 

Euborellia caraiba Hebard 

Forficulidae 

WN [Brindle 1971] 

Doru sp. nr. albipes (Fabricius) 

Labiidae 

? 

Labia curvicauda (Motschulsky) EIS 

Labia dorsalis (Burmeister) EIS [Brindle 1971] 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

284 


Marava sp. ? 

Sp. #1 ? 

Sp. #2 ? 

ISOPTERA 

Stevens & Waldmann (2001) recorded 15 species of termites from Montserrat. We did not work with this group, and 

have found no further literature records. 

HEMIPTERA: HOMOPTERA 

This moderately diverse section of the Hemiptera includes many economic pest species, as well as some endemics of 

conservations concern. Many more species are yet to be discovered on Montserrat. 

Aleyrodidae 

Aleurodicus cocois (Curtis) 

as Aleurodiscus cocois] 

EIS [Woodruff et al. 1998, Stevens & Waldmann (2001) 

Bemisia argentifolii (Bellows & Perring) EIS [Ryckewaert & Alauzet 2001] 

Aphidiidae 

Aphis gossypii Glover EIS or WN 

Pseudococcidae 

Dysmicoccus boninsis (Kuwana) EIS [Grey sugarcane mealybug, Ben‐Dov 1994] 

Maconellicoccus hirsutus (Green) EIS [Williams 1985] 

Phenacoccus madeirensis Green EIS [Cassava or Madeira mealybug Ben‐Dov 1994] 

Ortheziidae 

Orthezia praelonga Douglas EIS [Miller et al. 2001] 

Diaspididae 

Aonidomytilus albus (Cockerell) EIS or WN [Woodruff et al. 1998] 

Aspidiella sacchari Cockerell EIS [Woodruff et al. 1998] 

Aspidiotus aurantii Maskell EIS [Riley 1893] 

Aspidiotus destructor Signoret EIS or WN [Gordon 1978] 

Howardia biclavis (Comstock) EIS [Fennah 1947] 

Lepidosaphes beckii (Newman) EIS or WN [Woodruff et al. 1998] 

Pseudaulacaspis pentagona (Targioni) EIS or WN [Fennah 1947] 

Selenaspidus articulatus (Morgan) EIS or WN [Woodruff et al. 1998] 

Unaspis citri (Comstock) 

Chionaspis citri Comstock] 

EIS [Citrus snow scale, Riley and Howard (1890) as 

Mytilaspis citricola (Packard) EIS or WN [Riley and Howard 1890] 

Rejected Record: Chionaspis minor var angustior is cited from Montserrat by Riley 1893, but this is a nomen nudum, and 

should not be used. Further, the species it refers to cannot be identified. If it is attributed to C. minor, the current cor‐ 

rect name is Pinnaspis strachani (Cooley), an invasive species known from Antigua, St. Kitts and the Virgin Islands, but 

this cannot be considered verified. 

Margarodidae 

Icerya montserratensis Riley & Howard 

ard 1890] 

WIE? [described from Montserrat by Riley and How‐ 

Coccidae 

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285

Ceroplastes cirripediformis Comstock EIS or WN [Woodruff et al. 1998, Stevens & Waldmann 

(2001) as Cercoplastes cirripediformis] 

Ceroplastes floridensis Comstock EIS or WN [Woodruff et al. 1998, Stevens & Waldmann 

(2001) as Cercoplastes floridensis) 

Coccus hesperidum Linneaus EIS or WN [Woodruff et al. 1998] 

Parlatoria pergandei Comstock EIS or WN [Ballou (1912) , Stevens & Waldmann 

(2001) as P. perganei Comstock] 

Saissetia oleae (Olivier) EIS or WN [Woodruff et al. (1998) and Stevens & 

Waldmann (2001) as Saissettia oleae Oliver in Coccidae and as Saissaetia oleae in Diaspididae] 

Saissetia coffeae (Walker) EIS [Riley 1893 as Lecanium hemisphericum [sic, mis‐ 

spelling of L. hemisphaericum] Targioni‐Tozzetti] 

Vinsonia stellifera (Westwood) EIS [Riley 1893] 

Asterolecaniidae 

Asterolecanium pustulans (Cockerell) EIS [Cockerell 1893, Riley 1893] 

Asterolecanium bambusae Boisduval EIS [Riley 1893] 

Cicadidae 

Proarna hilaris (Germar) WIE 

FULGOROIDEA (Extracted from R. G. Fennahʹs 17 West Indian papers, courtesy of Lois O’Brien, with additions from 

WIBF collections in O’Brien collection) 

Cixiidae 

Bothriocera eborea Fennah WIE 

Cyclopoliarus montserratensis Fennah IE 

Cubana sp. 

Derbidae 

? 

Patara mimula Fennah LIE 

Kinnaridae 

Paraprosotropis marmorata Fennah IE [Described from the “Central Hills”] 

Flatidae 

Flatoidinus caesalpiniai Fennah IE 

Antillormenis albicostalis Fennah IE 

Petrusa epilepsis (Kirkaldy) LIE 

Ilesia septempunctata (Fennah) IE 

Acanaloniidae 

Acanalonia bonducellae Fennah LE 

Acanalonia viriditerminata sylvestris Fennah LE ssp. 

Achilidae 

Catonia montserratensis Fennah IE 

HEMIPTERA: HETEROPTERA 

The true bugs are diverse and ubiquitous on Montserrat, and include pest species, predators, fungivores in the terres‐ 

trial and aquatic environment. Presented here is but a tip of the iceberg of this fauna. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

286 


Enicocephalidae 

Sp. #1 ? 

Sp. #2 ? 

Sp. #3 ? 

Scizopteridae 

Sp. #1 ? 

Veliidae 

Sp. #1 ? 

Sp. #2 ? 

Gerridae 

Sp. #1 ? 

Naucoridae (det. by R. Sites) 

Pelocoris sp. #1 

named to species.] 

WN [A single female was taken, which cannot be 

Notonectidae 

Sp. #1 ? 

Sp. #2 ? 

Reduviidae 

Barce fraterna (Say) WN [Stevens & Waldmann 2001] 

Zelus longipes Linneaus 

Emesinae sp. 

WN 

Miridae 

Many species present ? 

Tingidae 

Present ? 

Aradidae 

Sp. #1 ? 

Sp. #2 ? 

Sp. #3 ? 

Cydnidae 

Amnestus sp. ? 

Pentatomidae (Determinations by David A. Rider) 

Asopinae 

Podisus sagitta (Fabricius) 

Edessinae 

WN 

Edessa meditabunda (Fabricius)? WN [Ingram 1981] 

Edessa bifida (Say)? WN 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


287

Pentatominae 

Arvelius albopunctatus (DeGeer) WN 

Chinavia marginata (Palisot de Beauvois) WN 

Cyptocephala antiguensis (Westwood) WN 

Loxa viridis (Palisot de Beauvois) WN 

Mecidea longula Stål WIE 

Mormidea cubrosa (Dallas) WN 

Mormidea ypsilon (Linnaeus) WN 

Nezara viridula (Linnaeus) WN [Ingram 1981] 

Oebalus pugnax (Fabricius) WN 

Proxys victor (Fabricius) SA 

Thyanta perditor (Fabricius) WN 

Thyanta testacea (Dallas) SA 

Vulsirea nigrorubra Spinola WIE 

Scutelleridae (Determinations by David A. Rider) 

Augocoris sp. ? 

Diolcus sp. ? 

Tetyra antillarum Kirkaldy WIE 

Tessaratomidae (determination by David A. Rider) 

Piezosternum subulatum (Thunberg) WN 

Lygaeidae 

Blissus antillus Leonard WN [Slater & Baranowski 2005, most West Indian re‐ 

cords of B. insularis Barber belong here] 

Neopamera albocincta (Barber) WN [Slater & Baranowski 2005] 

Neopamera bilobata (Say) WN [Slater & Baranowski 2005] 

Neopamera vicarious (Barber) WIE [Slater & Baranowski 2005] 

Neortholomus jamaicensis (Dallas) WN [Slater & Baranowski 2005] 

Ochrimnus collaris (Fabricius) WIE [Slater & Baranowski 2005] 

Oncopeltus aulicus (Fabricius) WIE [Slater & Baranowski 2005] 

Oncopeltus faciatus (Dallas) WN [Robson 1906, Slater & Baranowski 2005] 

Ozophora quinquemaculata Barber WIE [Slater & Baranowski 2005] 

Pachygrontha minarum saileri Slater LAE spp. [Slater & Baranowski 2005] 

Paragonatas divergens (Distant) WN [Slater & Baranowski 2005] 

Paromius longulus (Dallas) WN [Slater & Baranowski 2005] 

Prytanes formosa (Distant) WN [Slater & Baranowski 2005] 

Pseudopachybrachius vinctus (Say) WN [Slater & Baranowski 2005] 

Xyonysius californicus (Stål) WN [Slater & Baranowski 2005] 

Pyrrhocoridae 

Dysdercus discolor Walker 

2001 as D. discolori] 

WN [Fennah 1947, Ingram 1981, Stevens & Waldmann 

Dysdercus andreae (Linneaus) WIE [Irving 1978] 

Coreidae 

Sp. #1 ? 

Sp. #2 ? 

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288 


THYSANOPTERA (Thrips) 

None of the species listed by Stevens & Waldman (2001) have actually been recorded from Montserrat, and no other 

records have been found, but thrips are speciose and abundant, both as plant pests (probably invasive species), and as 

native plant feeders, fungivores and predators in forest litter and canopy. Fig. P gives an idea of the diversity from a 

single canopy fogging sample. 

Fig. P. A selection of forest canopy thrips species on a Eastern Caribbean dime. (Photo: Michael Ivie) 

PSOCOPTERA 

No members of this Order have been reported from Montserrat, but they are both abundant and speciose on the island. 

Another group that would prove a fertile field of investigation into Montserrat’s biodiversity. 

NEUROPTERA (determined By J. B. Johnson) 

This small holometabolous Order is exclusively predacious, and important in the biological control of several plant 

pests. 

Coniopterygidae 

Coniopteryx ?dominica Meinander LIE 

Coniopteryx ? virginum Meinander NEC 

Hemerobiidae 

Micromus subanticus (Walker) WN 

Nusalala sp. ? 

Chrysopidae 

Ceraeochrysa sp. ? 

Chrysoperla ?externa (Hagen) ? 

Chrysopodes sp. 1 ? 

Chrysopodes sp. 2 ? 

Dilaridae 

Nallachius americanus (McLachlan) WN 

Ascelaphidae 

Ululodes sp. poss. cajennensis (Fabricius) ? 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


289

Myrmeleontidae 

Myrmeleon ?insertus Hagen ? 

HYMENOPTERA 

One of the huge megadiverse Orders, the sawflies, wasps, ants and bees can be expected to approach the Coleoptera in 

number of species. The number of hymenopterous parasitoids alone to be found on Montserrat will number in the 

hundreds. 

Pergidae (described for this study by David R. Smith) 

Acordulecera montserratensis Smith LIE [Smith 2005] 

Acordulecera longica Smith LIE [Smith 2005] 

Ceraphronidae ‐‐ present 

Evaniidae 

Evania appendigaster (Linnaeus) EBC 

Braconindae – many 

Ichneumonidae ‐‐ many 

? 

Trichogrammatidae 

Trichogramma australicum Girault WN? 

Trichogramma japonicum Ashmead WN? 

Brachyufens osborni (Dozer) WN? [as Ufens osborni in Fennah 1942 (not 1947, and 

Wolcott 1951, not Walcott 1947, as recorded in Stevens & Waldmann 2001)] 

Eulophidae – many ? 

Aphelinidae – represented ? 

Signiphoridae—represented ? 

Encyrtidae – represented ? 

Agaonidae – represented 

Torymidae 

? 

Tormyoides cecidomyidae (Ashmead) WN [Woodruff et al. 1998] 

Pteromalidae ‐‐ many 

Eucharitidae (determined by J. Heraty) 

Pseudochalcura americana WN 

Obeza grenadensis LAE 

Orasema smithi WN 

Kapala sulcifacies complex n. sp. IE? 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

290 


Fig. Q. Two Montserrat endemics, the microhymenopteran Kapala sulcifacies complex n. sp. (Eucharitidae) and the long‐ 

horned beetle Cyrtinus hubbardi Fisher (Cerambycidae). The longhorns are normally considered a group of large bee‐ 

tles, but Kapala is a parasitoid of ants 

Perilampidae – represented ? 

Eurytomidae – represented ? 

Chalcididae – represented ? 

Eucoilidae – represented ? 

Diapriidae – represented ? 

Fig. R. A small sampling of the diversity of the unstudied microhymenoptera of Montserrat 

Scelionidae (Norman F. Johnson determiner) 

Calotelea sp. ? 

Oethecoctonus sp. ? 

Baeus sp. ? 

Phanuromyia sp. #1 ? 



Telenomus sp. podisi‐group ? 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


291

Telenomus sp. #2 ? 

Platygastridae – represented ? 

Figitidae – represented ? 

Dryinidae – represented ? 

Formicidae 

Stevens & Waldmann (2001) recorded 6 species of ants from Montserrat. Several thousand specimens of many species 

from the WIBF have been deposited with E. O. Wilson at Harvard’s Museum for Comparative Zoology. 

NOTE: The following 6 families (Tiphiidae, Scolyidae, Pompilidae, Vespidae, Eumenidae and Sphecidae) were the sub‐ 

ject of a review by Evans (1972) of material collected by the Bredin‐Archbold‐Smithsonian Biological Survey of Domin‐ 

ica. It is interesting to compare the relative numbers of species (Table C) produced with targeted collecting by wasp 

specialists and others on the much‐larger‐and‐higher island of Dominca, to those collected incidentally by coleopterists 

on Montserrat. From standard island biogeographic theory, we would expect 1.5‐2.5 times more species on Dominica 

than occur on Montserrat, with a correction for the bias of the 2 groups of collectors pushing the difference higher. 

However, Montserrat’s total for the 6 families equal those of Dominica, although the family‐by‐family totals vary. 

However, in none of the cases is Dominica’s recorded fauna as large as would be expected. 

Table C. Relative numbers of Species of Selected Aculeate Wasp Familes from Dominica and Montserrat. 

Dominica Figures from Evan (1972). 

Family Dominica Montserrat 

Tiphiidae 4 3 

Scoliidae 1 3 

Pompilidae 7 6 

Vespidae 1 2 

Eumenidae 1 4 

Sphecidae 15 11 

TOTAL 29 29 

Tiphiidae 

Myzinum haemorrhoidale (Fabricius) 

Tiphia paupi Allen & Krombein WIE 

Tiphia sp. nr. dominicae Allen ? 

Scoliidae 

Campsomeris dorsata (Fabricius) WN? 

Campsomeris trifasciata (Fabricius) WN? 

Campsomeris ?atrata (Fabricius) ? 

Pompilidae. Six species for this group shows unexpected diversity, given that Evans (1972) reported only 7 from much‐ 

larger Dominca, after that island was collected by a Smithsonian survey which included a specialist in this group. 

Pepsis rubra (Drury) WIE 

Pepsis ruficornis (Fabricius) WN 

Ageniella sp. ? 

Priochilus splendidum opacifrons (Fox) WN 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

292 


Poecilopompilus mixtus (Fabricius) WIE 

Anoplius americanus ambiguous (Dahlbom) WN 

Vespidae 

Polistes crinitus (Felton) WIE [The “Jack Spaniard.” = Polistes cf. annularis of 

Stevens and Waldman (2001), not Fabricius. The true P. annularis is North American.] recorded from Montserrat by 

Richards (1978). 

Polistes dominicus Vallot [= P. cinctus Lepeletier] EBC. [The “Buderman.”Recorded from Montserrat by 

Richards (1978) and Snelling (1983). Ballou (1915) reported that the attempt to establish this species on Montserrat was 

unsuccessful. Mr William P. Ryan of the Montserrat Department of Agriculture (retired, pers. com.) told me that it was 

established through the efforts of a Mr. Budderman around the 1940’s, and the species’ common name on Montserrat 

therefore became “Budderman.” EBC 

Eumenidae 

Pachodynerus nasidens (Latreille) WN 

Pachodynerus atratus (Fabricius) WIN [Menke 1986] 

Pachodynerus guadeloupensis (Sassure) LAE [ Menke 1986, not seen post‐volcano] 

Stenodynerus sp. ? 

Sphecidae 

Sceliphron assimile (Dalbom) WN 

Sceliphron caementarium (Drury) WN 

Stictia signata (Linneaus) WN 

Ectemnius sp. ? 

Rhopalum sp. ? 

Prionyx thomae (Fabricius WN 

Tachyta chrysopyga argentipes Smith WIE 

Liris fuliginosa (Dalbom) WIE 

Liris labiata (Fabricius) WIE 

Liris n.sp. IE? 

Sphex sp. ? 

Colletidae 

Hylaeus sp. 

Halictidae 

? 

Lasioglossum sp. ? 

Halictidae sp. # 1 ? 













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293

Megachilidae 

Apidae 

Chalicodoma lanata (Fabricius) EIS 

Coelioxys sp. ? 

Megachile sp. ? 

Megachilid sp. #1 ? 

Megachilid sp #2 ? 

Apis melifera Linnaeus EIS 

Anthophora tricolor (Fabricius) WIE [Brooks 1999] 

Anthophora footei Crawford LE [Brooks (1999) reports a single female in the USNM 

determined by Sandhouse as this species, but did not examine it. It may prove to be A. tricolor] 

Melipona variegatipes Gribodo LE 

Fig. S. Melipona variegatipes Gribodo male guarding a nest entrance in a Mahogany tree at Woodlands. The black area 

above the bee is a tarry wax sheet over an opening, and the dark spots scattered across the surface are ventilation holes. 

(Photo: Michael Ivie) 

Centris sp. #1 ? 




Exomalopsis sp. #1 ? 

Exomalopsis sp. #2 ? 

Melissodes? sp. ? 

Mesoplia sp. ? 

Xylocopa caribea Lepeltier LAE [Hurd 1978, followed by Woodruff et al. 1998 and 

Stevens and Waldmann 2001, records this species from Montserrat.] 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

294 


Xylocopa mordax Smith WIE [Hurd 1978, followed by Woodruff et al. 1998 and 

Stevens and Waldmann 200, records this species from Montserrat.] 

Xylocopa sp. ? [Hurd 1978, followed by Woodruff et al. 1998 and 

Stevens and Waldmann 2001, records 2 species of this genus from Montserrat. We have collected one, which species it 

is, is unknown] 

TRICHOPTERA 

This group includes many important water‐quality indicators. Botosaneanu (1973) reported an early instar Oxyethira sp. 

(as Oxyethira by Stevens & Waldmann 2001) from Montserrat, but no adults have been reported (Botosaneanu 2002). 

He recorded a total of 360 species from the West Indies, although this number is inflated by inclusion of species from 

islands in the southern Caribbean that lie within the South American biogeographic region (Botosaneanu 2002). Flint 

and Sykora (1993) list 22 species from the Lesser Antilles, none from north of Guadeloupe. Botosaneanu (1994) added 

six more new species from Guadeloupe Seven species are now recorded from Montserrat, and given that these are 

from only a few samples, and that we did not try to collect this group, at least double that number are expected. Oliver 

Flint did the determinations. 

Family Hydropsychidae 

Smicridea (Smicridea) karukerae Botosaneanu LE 

Family Hydroptilidae 

Alisotrichia lobata Flint LE 

Neotrichia iridescens Flint LAE 

Ochrotrichia ponta Flint LAE 

Oxyethira sp. ? [Botosaneanu 1973] 

Family Philopotamidae 

Chimarra (Chimarra) haesitationis Botosaneanu LE 

Family Xiphocentronidae 

Xiphocentron albolineatum Flint LAE 

LEPIDOPTERA 

The third of the megadiverse Orders, the vast majority of the biodiversity in this group is not in the well‐known and 

highly visible butterflies, nor even in the so‐called macromoths, but in the tiny microlepidoptera that are so understud‐ 

ied throughout the world. Many plant pests and biological control agents are included in this order. We made abso‐ 

lutely no effort to inventory this group, and our additions below are what can happen purely accidentally. 

Butterflies. Perhaps, with the mosquitoes, the best studied insect group world‐wide. Our material was highly size‐ 

biased, missing entirely the smaller‐sized species. Smith et al. covered the West Indian fauna extensively. Yet, even 

with all of the work done on this group, we added 2 species of butterflies to those known from the island (Table D). 

Lack of a collection record in the Ivie et al. material should not be construed to indicate the species was absent, as we 

simply did not even try to collect any of the small species, nor anything that had to be chased down. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


295

Table D. Butterflies of Montserrat, comparing 3 collections. Stevens & Waldmann (2001) summarized the records 

of Pinchon & Enrico (1969) and Schwartz & Jimenez (1982) 

Family Genus Species 

Pinchon & 

Enrico 1969 

Schwartz & 

Jimenez 1982 

Ivie et al. 2000- 

2006 

Danaidae Danaus plexippus X x no 

Apaturidae Anaea minor no x no 

Nymphalidae Junonia evarete X x x 

Anartia jatrophae X x x 

Biblis hyperia X x x 

Antillea pelops no x x 

Vanessa cardui X x no 

Marpesia petreus no no x 

Eunica monima no no x 

Heliconidae Heliconius charitonius X x x 

Dryas iulia X x no 

Agraulis vanillae X x x 

Lycaenidae Chlorostrymon simaethis no x no 

Strymon acis X x no 

Strymon bubastus X x no 

Electrostrymon angerona X x x 

Leptotes cassius X x no 

Hemiargus hanno X x no 

Pieridae Ascia monuste X x x 

Appias drusilla X x x 

Eurema leuce no x x 

Eurema venusta X x x 

Eurema elathea no x no 

Eurema lisa X x x 

Anteos maerula no x no 

Phoebis sennae X x x 

Phoebis trite X no x 

Papilionidae Battus polydamas X x sight 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

296 


Family Genus Species 

Pinchon & 

Enrico 1969 

Schwartz & 

Jimenez 1982 

Moths. There are hundreds of moths on Montserrat, but aside from a few pest species, there are virtually no published 

records. Stevens & Waldmann (2001) could locate only 12 species, all pests (1 Lyonetiidae, 1 Gelichiidae, 2 Pyralidae, 8 

Noctuidae) with actual Montserrat records. To hopefully spur someone to the work on the moths of Montserrat, we 

give 2 new records of very large and beautiful moths that are recorded from the island in the scientific literature for the 

first time. 

Noctuidae. This huge family is well represented on Montserrat. The largest moth on the island, well‐known as the 

“Rat‐Bat,” belongs here (Fig. T) 

Ascalapha odorata (L.) WN 

Fig. T. The Black Witch [Ascalapha odorata (L.)], one of Montserrat’s largest moths. (Photo: Kenneth Puliafico) 

Ivie et al. 2000- 

2006 

Hesperiidae Epargyreus zestos X x no 

Polygonus leo no x no 

Polygonus manueli no x no 

Urbanus proteus X x no 

Urbanus obscurus X x x 

Achlyodes papinianus X x no 

Pyrgus oileus X x x 

Wallengrenia ophites X x no 

Hylephila phyleus X x no 

Calpodes ethlius no x no 

Panoquina sylvicola X x no 

Nyctelius nyctelius X no no 

N taken 29 36 19 

TOTAL 29 38 40 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


297

Sphingidae. The very large and colorful frangipani worms that appear on ornamental and wild trees from time to time 

are our representative of this family. The adult is large, but rather dull. Several other, smaller, species are more attrac‐ 

tive. 

Pseudosphinx tetrio (Linneaus) WN [Fig. U] 

Fig. U. The Frangipani Worm, Pseudosphinx tetrio on leaves of frangipani, Plumeria sp.. (Photo: Michael Ivie) 

DIPTERA 

(Except as noted, determinations by Richard L. Hurley). The fourth and last of the megadiverse Orders, the number of 

flies in a Malaise trap sample can easily overwhelm. Montserrat, with over 130 species now recorded, can be expected 

to yield hundreds more species. 

Ceratopogonidae 

Culicoides furens (Poey) WN [Woodruff et al. 1998] 

Chaoboridae 

Corethrella spec. 21 ? [Belkin & Heinemann 1976] 

Corethrella spec. 22 ? [Belkin & Heinemann 1976] 

Culicidae 

Stevens & Waldmann (2001) gave an extensive review of the mosquitoes of Montserrat, recording 20 species. We have 

nothing to add to this beyond a few spelling corrections, and the reader is referred to their treatment. 

Aedes (Howardina) busckii (Coquillett) [in Stevens & Waldmann (2001) as Aedes (Howardia) busckii 

(Coquillett)] 

Aedes (Ochlerotatus) taeniorhynchus (Wiedemann) [in Stevens & Waldmann (2001) Aedes (Ochlerotarsus) taenio‐ 

rhynchus (Weidemann)] 

Aedes (Ochlerotatus) tortilis (Theobald) [in Stevens & Waldmann (2001) as Aedes (Ochlerotarsus) tortilis 

(Theobald)] 

Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti (Linneaus) 

Anopheles (Nyssorhynchus) albimanus Weidemann 

Anopheles (Nyssorhynchus) aquasalis Curry 

Anopheles (Nyssorhynchus) argyritarsis Robineau‐Desvoidy 

Culex (Culex) bahamensis Dynar & Knab 

Culex (Culex) declarator Dynar & Knab 

Culex (Culex) habilitator Dynar & Knab 

Culex (Culex) nigripalpus Theobald 

Culex (Culex) quinquefasciatus Say 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

298 


Culex (Melanoconion) atratus Theobald 

Culex (Melanoconion) madininensis Senevet 

Culex (Micraedes) bisulcatus (Coquillett) 

Deinocerites magnus (Theobald) 

Psorophora (Grabhamia) sp nr. cingulata (Fabricius) 

Toxorhynchites (Lynchiella) guadeloupensis (Dynar & Knab) 

Toxorhynchites (Lynchiella) portoricensis Roeder 

Wyeomyia (Wyeomyia) grayii Theobald 

Anisopodidae 

Olbiogaster sp. ? 

Cecidomyiidae 

Contarinia gossypii Felt WIE [Ingram 1981] 

Porricondyla gossypii (Coquillett) SA [Ballou 1912] 

Sciaridae – present 

Stratiomyidae 

Hermetia illucens (Linneaus) EIS or WN [Danforth 1939)] 

Asilidae (Determinations by A. Scarbrough) 

Efferia n.sp. IE 

Ommatius prolongatus Scarbrough IE 

Leptogastrinae n. sp. 1 IE? 

Leptogastrinae n. sp. 2 IE? 

Bombyliidae 

Heterostylus sp. ? 

Dolichopodidae (Determinations by Richard Hurley and Justin Runyon). This family is one of the most dramatic exam‐ 

ples of what remains to be discovered on Montserrat. A relatively large family of small, obscure predaceous flies, the 

dolies are often overlooked. Not a single previous record of the family for Montserrat exists. Because of the interest of 

Hurley and Runyon, we made a special effort to obtain samples of this group, and what they discovered is an amazing 

46 species from Montserrat. The group was revised for Dominica by Robinson (1975), providing a solid framework for 

evaluating the Montserrat fauna. The 46 species on Montserrat, obtained without the assistance of a Dipterist, compare 

with 113 species known from Dominica (Robinson 1975). Running the Chao1 estimator (classic option in EstimateS 

7.5.1, Colwell 2007) on the 735 specimens of the 46 species gives a mean estimate of 78 species (95% CI = 53‐176 species). 

Some species of this group are shore and beach specialists, habitats we did not sample, leaving the real expected total of 

Montserratian dolies unresolved. 

Amblypsilopus n.sp. luteus (Robinson) IE 

Amblyspilopus n.sp. nr. bredini (Robinson) IE 

Asyndetus sp. #1 N? 

Asyndetus sp. #2 N? 

Chrysotus acutus Aldrich WN 

Chrysotus apicalis Aldrich WIE 

Chrysotus hirsutus Aldrich WN 

Chrysotus lamellicaudus Robinson LIE 

Chrysotus mexicanus Robinson WN 

Chrysotus minimus Robinson LIE 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


299

Chrysotus spectabilis (Loew) WN 

Chrysotus n.sp. nr. callichromus Robinson IE 

Chrysotus n.sp. nr. integer Robinson IE 

Chrysotus n.sp. nr. pseudoniger Robinson IE 

Chrysotus n.sp. nr. pseudopacus Robinson IE 

Chrysotus n.sp. nr. robustus (Robinson) IE 

Chrysotus n.sp. nr. subcaudatus Robinson IE 

Chrysotus orichalceus Gosseries LAE 

Chrysotus proximus Aldrich LAE 

Chrysotus spinipes Van Duzee WIE 

Diaphorinae females N? 

Chrysotus xiphostoma Robinson LAE 

Coeloglutus concavus Aldrich WIE 

Condylostylus longicornis (Fabricius) EIS 

Condylostylus n.sp. nr. nigripilosus IE 

Condylostylus peripilosus Robinson LIE 

Condylostylus quadricolor (Walker) WN 

Dactylomyia decora (Aldrich) LAE 

Diaphorus contiguous Aldrich WN 

Diaphorus n.sp. nr. flavipes IE 

Diaphorus n.sp. nr. mundus IE 

Diaphorus n.sp. nr. parvulus IE 

Medetera n. sp. nr. crassicauda Robinson IE 

Medetera dominicensis Robinson LIE 

Medetera n.sp. 1 IE 

Medertera n.sp. 2 IE 

Neurigona fuscicosta Robinson LIE 

Plagioneurus univittatus Loew WN 

Systenus sp. N? 

Systenus n. sp. IE 

Thryptcus n. sp. nr. delicatus IE 

Thrypticus sp. 1 N? 

Thrypticus sp. 2 N? 

Thrypticus violaceus Van Duzee WIE 

Viridigona thoracica (Van Duzee) WN 

Xanthina rubromarginata Robinson LIE 

Empididae ‐‐ present 

Phoridae [Determinations by Brian Brown, vouchers deposited in Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History] 

For comparison, 82 species are reported from Dominica (Borgmeier 1969).] 

Dohrniphora dispar (Enderlein) WN [Kung and Brown 2006] 

Dohrniphora sp. ? 

Coniceromyia latimana (Malloch) WIE 

Megaselia aurea (Aldrich) WIE 

Megaselia femoralis (Endelein) WN 

Megaselia luteicauda (Borgmeier) WN 

Megaselia striativentris Borgmeier WN 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

300 


Megaselia spp. ? 

Syrphidae. (Determinations by F. C. Thompson and R. L. Hurley)The flower flies are one of the few relatively speciose 

groups of insects with a comprehensive West Indian revision that records all of the specimens involved (Thompson 

1981). As such, it provides an excellent opportunity to study the discovery and accumulation of records. There are 22 

species of flower flies now known from Montserrat. Table 10 shows the relationship of Thompson’s (1981) original list, 

Stevens & Waldmann’s (2001) list, the WIBF material mounted in the early part of the project and the specimens 

mounted and labeled in 2005‐2006. The Chao 1 estimate of total species for Montserrat is 25, with a 95% confidence 

interval ranging from 22‐37 ‐‐ an amazing diversity considering that the entire Lesser Antilles have only 31 recorded 

species. 

Allograpta limbata (Fabricius) NEC 

Copeostylum apicale Loew WN 

Copeostylum discale ? ? 

Copeostylum vacuum (Fabricius) WIE 

Copeostylum n.sp.? IE? 

Lepidomyia n.sp. IE 

Meromacrus unicolor (Wulp) LE 

Meromacrus n.sp. IE 

Ocyptamus cylindricus (Fabricius) WIE 

Ocyptamus dimidiatus (Fabricius) WN 

Ocyptamus stenogaster group sp. A LAE 

Ocyptamus sp. ? 

Ornidia obesa (Fabricius) EIS 

Palpada vinetorum (Fabricius) WN 

Pseudodorus clavatus (Fabricius) WN 

Toxomerus arcifer (Loew) WN 

Toxomerus dispar (Fabricius) WN 

Toxomerus ferroxida (Hull) LAE 

Toxomerus floralis (Fabricius) WN 

Toxomerus musicus (Fabricius) WN 

Toxomerus pulchellus (Macquart) WN 

Xanthandrus tricinctus Thompson LIE 

Calliphoridae 

Chrysomyia sp. ? 

Hippoboscidae (incl. Streblidae) 

Megistopoda aranea (Coquillett) 

as Pterellipsis aranea] 

WN [Coquillett (1899), in Stevens & Waldmann (2001) 

Muscidae—represented ? 

Sarcophgdidae—represented ? 

Tachinidae—represented ? 

Micropezidae 

Hoplocheiloma sp. ? 

Odontomera sp. ? 

Neriidae 

Odontoloxozus sp. ? 

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301

Lonchaeidae – present ? 

Tephritidae – present ? 

Ulidiidae (Otitidae) – present ? 

Lauxaniidae ? 

Pachyopella sp. ? 

Agromyzidae 

Liriomyza trifolii (Burgess) EIS [Ingram 1981] 

Anthomyzidae 

Anthomyza sp. ? 

Clusiidae 

Chaetoclusia sp. ? 

Sobarocephala sp. ? 

Chloropidae 

Pseudogaurax lancifer (Coquillett) 

1947 as in Stevens & Waldmann 2001)] 

WIE [Coquillett (1900) and Wolcott (1951) (not Walcott 

Drosophilidae 

Drosophila carcinophila Wheeler WIE [Carson 1967] 

Drosophila pulchella Sturtevant LAE [Grimaldi 1988] 

Drosophila richardsoni Vilela NEA [Grimaldi 1988 

Zygothrica insularis Grimaldi nomen nudem LAE [Grimaldi (1988) coined this name without a valid 

descripton, and it was used by Stevens & Waldmann, but it has never been validated, making it a nomen nudem 

(literally a naked name).] 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

302 


Table E. Discovery of Syrphidae on Montserrat. Thompson (1981) records 34 species from the Lesser Antilles, 10 

of which are endemic. Four of these are NOT Lesser Antillean in the biogeographic sense, occuring only in 

the Greater Antilles, including the Virgin Islands. One species (Toxomerus watsoni) was recorded from Grenada, 

but not listed as Lesser Antillean. Thus, the recorded fauna of the biogeographic Lesser Antilles is 31 

species (34-4+1). Montserrat now has 19-22 species, with a predicted total of 25. 

Species 

Allograpta 

limbata 

(Fabricius) 

Copeostylum 

apicale Loew 

Copeostylum 

discale ? 

Copeostylum 

vacuum 

Copeostylum 

n.sp.? 

Thompson 

1981 

6 

Number of Specimens Recorded (or citation if no specimens seen) 

Stevens & 

Waldman 

Thompson 

1981 

Ivie et al. 

batch 1 

Ivie et al. 

batch 2 

Ivie et al. 

total 

Distribution 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


303 

Total 

2 0 2 8 NEC 

0 - 6 11 17 17 WN 

0 - 0 4 4 4 ? 

2 

Thompson 

1981 

0 1 1 3 WIE 

0 - 0 4 4 4 IE? 

Lepidomyia n.sp. 0 - 2 0 2 2 IE 

Meromacrus 

unicolor (Wulp) 

Meromacrus 

n.sp. 

Ocyptamus 

cylindricus 

(Fabricius) 

Ocyptamus 

dimidiatus 

(Fabricius) 

Ocyptamus 

stenogaster 

group sp. A 

0 - 1 0 1 1 LE 

0 - 4 2 6 6 IE 

13 

7 

Thompson 

1981 

Thompson 

1981 

14 10 24 37 WIE 

0 10 10 17 WN 

0 - 1 0 1 1 LAE 

Ocyptamus sp. 0 - 0 1 1 1 ? 

Ornidia obesa 

(Fabricius) 

Palpada 

vinetorum 

(Fabricius) 

Pseudodorus 

clavatus 

(Fabricius) 

Toxomerus arcifer 

(Loew) 

0 

Doesburg 

1970 

21 

1 

Danforth 

1939 

Thompson 

1981 

Thompson 

1981 

Thompson 

1981 

20 7 27 27 EIS 

0 5 5 5 WN 

5 8 13 34 WN 

0 2 2 3 WN

Species 

Toxomerus dispar 

(Fabricius) 

Toxomerus 

ferroxida (Hull) 

Toxomerus floralis 

(Fabricius) 

Toxomerus 

musicus 

(Fabricius) 

Toxomerus 

pulchellus 

(Macquart) 

Xanthandrus 

tricinctus 

Thompson 

Thompson 

1981 

1 

0 

1* 

4 

1 

Number of Specimens Recorded (or citation if no specimens seen) 

Stevens & 

Waldman 

Thompson 

1981 

Woodruff 

et al. 1998 

Thompson 

1981 

Thompson 

1981 

Thompson 

1981 

Ivie et al. 

batch 1 

Ivie et al. 

batch 2 

Ivie et al. 

total 

*excludes Thompson’s Busck specimen, which actually refers to Montserrat, Trinidad. 

Distribution 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

304 


Total 

0 0 0 1 WN 

4 3 7 7 LAE 

0 0 0 1 WN 

0 1 1 5 WN 

0 0 0 1 WN 

0 - 1 1 2 2 LIE 

TOTAL N 57 60 70 130 187 

Species 

Recorded 


Singletons 


doubles 

Chao 1 Est. of 

expected 

species richness 

11 13 11 15 19 22 

3 3 4 5 5 

2 2 2 4 3 

24.5 

95% C.L. 

22-37

Non-hexapod invertebrates of Montserrat 

PROTOCTISTA. We have nothing to add to the 3 medically important taxa reported by Stevens and Waldmann (2001). 

PLATYHELMINTHES. Stevens & Waldmann (2001) reported one species, the trematode agent of human bilharziasis, 

to which we add another Class for Montserrat. 

Additions to Stevens and Waldman (2001): 

TUBULARIA (Flat Worms). A land planarian, possibly of the genus Rhynchodemus, occurs in the Centre Hills (Fig. V). 

Fig. V. An unidentified land planarian. (Photo: Gerardo Garcia) 

NEMATODA (Round Worms). Stevens & Waldmann listed 3 human parasites from this group, all exotic. We discov‐ 

ered only one further record of an economically important plant‐pest nematode from Montserrat, from what must be 

hundreds more plant parasitic, animal (including insect and other invertebrate) parasitic, and free‐living species on the 

island. 

Additions to Stevens and Waldman (2001): 

Rotylenchulus reniformis Linford & Oliveira, 1940 (reniform nematode) Braithwaite (1973); 

ANNELIDA. Earthworms of the Class Oligochaeta occur on Montserrat, but none seem to have been recorded. 

ONYCHOPHORA (Onychophorans). A Peripatus has been repeatedly recorded from Montserrat (Clark 1929, Peck 

1975, Read 1988, Stevens & Waldman 2001) as both Peripatus sp and Peripatus antiguensis Bouvier, all apparently based 

on a series collected in 1924 by T. W. Savage‐English (not “J. W.”, as per Stevens & Waldmann 2001. Clark reported 

that Savage‐English reported the population “now nearly exterminated.” Whatever the correct name, after 78 years, it 

was recollected in the Centre Hills at Hope Ghaut Spring in May 2003. The group is globally sensitive, and of high con‐ 

servation interest (New, 1995) 

MOLLUSCA. The many marine species are beyond the scope of this review. Often, marine shells end up on land be‐ 

cause of their use by soldier (or hermit) crabs, but should not be confused with snail species that actually live on land 

or in fresh water. Data and determinations below were kindly provided by Gary Rosenberg and David Robinson. 

GASTROPODA (Snails and Slugs) Stevens & Waldman (2001) listed 5 species of snails from Montserrat ‐‐ 4 aquatic and 

one terrestrial species. One more aquatic species has been recorded since then (Bass 2003). Additions below include the 

terrestrial snails that made up the first 5 invertebrates reported from Montserrat (Bland 1875). Two terrestrial species 

were found among the collections of the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia (ANSP), and three species added 

from our collections, one a new record of an invasive pest (Fig. X), for a total of 14 snails and one unidentified slug (Fig. 

W). More terrestrial snail species have been sighted, and given the number of species known from St. Martin and Gua‐ 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


305

deloupe, 30 or more species might be expected, with additions to the one single‐island endemic known to date. David 

Robinson of the USDA, based at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, is planning a much needed survey 

of the land snails of Montserrat in 2007. Land snails are often among the most sensitive of island species, and are a 

priority group for conservation monitoring. 

Fig. W. An unidentified slug from the Centre Hills. (Photo: Gerardo Garcia) 

Terrestrial Snails 

Buliminidae 

Amphibulimus rawsonis Bland 

in 1894 (ANSP)] 

IE [Described from Montserrat, recollected by Hubbard 

Bulimulus guadalupensis (Bruguière) 

(1974) as B. guadeloupensis. 

? [Recorded by Bland (1875) as “B. exilis,” and Breure 

Bulimulus sp. ? [A specimen we collected in Hope Ghaut differs from 

the above species, D. Robinson, in lit.] 

Helicinidae 

Helicina fasciata (Lamarck) ? [Recorded from a Trembler stomach by Danforth 

(1939), and a specimen is in the ANSP, collected by A. P. Brown in 1913. The record of Helicina picta (Bland) by Bland 

(1875) may be a synonym of this species.] 

Helicina guadelupensis (Bland) ? [Recorded by Bland (1875)] 

Pleurodontidae 

Pleurodonte josephinae (Ferussac) 

lected by A. P. Brown, 1913 (ANSP). 

? [Recorded by Bland (1875) as “H. josephinae.” Recol‐ 

Subulinidae 

Subulina octona (Bruguière, 1792) WN [from a specimen we collected in Hope Ghaut, det. 

D. Robinson. This species serves as a second intermediate host for the trematode Postharmostomum gallinum, which in‐ 

fects domestic chickens.] 

Succineidae 

Omalonyx felinus Guppy ? [in ANSP, collected by Hubbard, 1894] 

Strophocheilidae (det. G. Rosenberg) 

Megalobulimus oblongus Müller 

pest] (Fig. X) 

EIS [Giant South American Land Snail, an invasive 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

306 


Aquatic Snails 

Hydrobiidae 

Potamopyrgus sp., 

Physidae 

Physa cubensis Pfeiffer 

Planorbidae 

Biomphalaria glabrata (Say) 

Thiaridae 

Melanoides tuberculata (Müller) 

Neritidae 

An unnamed member of this family was recorded by Bass (2003). 

Fig. X. The Giant South American Land Snail, Megalobulimus oblongus Müller, an invasive threat to Montserrat’s biodi‐ 

versity. (Photo: Michael Ivie) 

ARACHNIDA. This very large group has at least 6 Orders present on Montserrat. For this group, Stevens & 

Waldmann’s (2001) records are all listed, along with new records. 

SCORPIONES (Scorpions). Two species of scorpions have been recorded from Montserrat, and both were recovered 

post‐volcano (de Armas 2005). 

Centroides pococki Sissom & Francke LE (Sissom & Francke 1983) 

Oieclus purvesii (Becker) 

Armas 2005.] 

LIE [Lorenço 1987. As Oieclus purvesii (Becker) by de 

AMBLYPYGI (Tailless Whip Scorpions). A single species of this group has a verified record for Montserrat (Quintero 

1981). It was commonly seen post‐volcano. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


307

Phrynus goesii Thorell LAE (Quintero 1981, called “Anancy” by Montserra‐ 

tians ) 

Fig. Y. the Anancy of Montserrat (Phrynus goesii Thorell). (Photo: Gerardo Garcia) 

SCHIZOMIDA. A species of this group, probably a member of the genus Schizomus, was taken repeatedly in the Centre 

Hills, but remains unidentified. 

OPILIONES (Harvestmen). Common and diverse in Centre Hills forests. Specimens have been sent to the American 

Museum of Natural History. 

ARANEAE (Spiders). Stevens & Waldmann (2001) listed 4 species of Montserrat spiders, to which we add 2 additional 

published records. This number represents but a drop in the bucket for what actually occurs on the island. Several 

thousand specimens, of what appeared to be a few dozen species, where sent to Norman Platnick at the American Mu‐ 

seum of Natural History for eventual determination. The spiders recorded so far are: 

Tetragnathidae 

Alcimosphenus licinus Simon 

Levi 2005.] 

WIE [Thonalmus mimic, recorded from Montserrat by 

Fig. Z. Alcimosphenus licinus Simon. (Photo: Quentin Bloxam) 

Salticidae 

Lyssomanes michae Brignoli IE [Brignoli 1984] 

Theraphosidae 

Cyrtopholis femoralis Pocock IE [Pocock 1903] 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

308 


Fig. A1. The Montserrat tarantula, Cyropholis femoralis Pocock. (Photo: Gerardo Garcia) 

Theridiidae 

Latrodectus geometricus (Koch) 

Araneidae 

WN (Stevens & Waldmann 2001) 

Argiope argentata (Fabricius) WN (Stevens & Waldmann 2001) 

Gasteracantha cancriformis (Linneaus) 

Stevens & Waldmann 2001] 

[Wolcott (not Walcott) 1951, as Gasteracanthia (sic) by 

Fig. A2. An unidentified Montserratian spider. (Photo: Gerardo Garcia) 

ACARI (Mites and Ticks). Berlese samples, canopy fogging, beating vegetation, and infested insects indicated that 

there are hundreds (at least) of species of mites to be discovered on Montserrat. The variety of forms, sizes, colors (Fig. 

A3) and lifestyles make this a fascinating, but little known group. The opportunities for endemism are many. Unfortu‐ 

nately, they are beyond our expertise and efforts. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


309

Fig. A3. An indication of the richness of mites present on Montserrat is hinted at by this photo of a sample of mites 

from leaf litter in the Centre Hills. (Photo: Michael Ivie) 

Eriophyidae 

Acalitus gossypii (Banks) EIS or WN (Irving 1981) 

Phyllocoptruta oleivora (Ashmead) 

(2001)] 

EIS (Ballou 1912) [=P. oleivorus of Stevens & Waldmann 

Tetranychidae 

Tetranychus gloveri Banks EIS or WN (Irving 1978) 

Ixodidae 

Amblyomma variegatum (Fabricius) EIS [The African invasive pest known as the Tropical 

Bont Tick previously recorded from Montserrat has been provisionally eradicated from the island (Pegram et al. 2004).] 

More ticks are present, but are as yet unrecorded (Fig. A4). 

Fig. A4. An unidentifed soft tick engorged on a Bufo. (Photo: Gerardo Garcia) 

PSEUDOSCORPIONES (pseudoscorpions). We found no published records for this group, but one or more species 

were taken and more seen in the field. 

CRUSTACEA. To the list of 6 crabs and 6 freshwater shrimps in Stevens & Waldmann (2001) should be added Amphi‐ 

pods and Isopods, unidentified species of both, which occur in abundance on the island. 

The only records we found for this group are 2 Isopods. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

310 


Philosciidae 

Philoscia sp. ? [2 specimens without dates are in the NMNH, taken 

by Plant Quarantine officials from pineapple roots sent from the Montserrat Botanic Station to Washington, DC.] 

Corallanidae 

Excirolana braziliensis Richardson Eight specimens in the NMNH from the black sand beach at Fox’s Bay on 20 

Apr 1959 by Thomas E. Bowman, of the Smithsonian ‐ Bredin Caribbean Expedition. 

This is a fertile field of further work, which may identify both invasive and native, if not endemic, species. 

CHILOPODA. Stevens & Waldmann (2001) found only 2 records for centipeds, both Scolopendridae, from Montserrat. 

A good variety of species of several Orders await formal identification, including members of the Scutigeromorpha and 

Geophilomorpha, both of which are well represented. 

DIPLOPODA. That no species of millipeds have been recorded from Montserrat is a surprise to anyone familiar with 

the island. Many species of several Orders occur on the island, from Polydesmidae, Polyxenidae, Julidae and Spiroboli‐ 

dae. 

SYMPHYLA. One or more species of these tiny and cryptic animals were seen in berlese samples from the Centre Hills. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


311

Appendix 3. The Montserrat non-native plant species 

checklist 

S. K. Robbins, M. A. Hamilton, C. Clubbe & S. Bárrios. 

Family Genus Species 1 Author 1 

Acanthaceae Asystasia gangetica (L.) T.Anders 

Acanthaceae Barleria lupulina Lindl. 

Acanthaceae Pseuderanthemum carruthersii (Seem.) Guillaumin 

Acanthaceae Thunbergia alata Bojer ex Sims 

Acanthaceae Thunbergia erecta (Benth.) T. Anderson 

Acanthaceae Thunbergia fragrans Roxb. 

Acanthaceae Crossandra infundibuliformis (L.) Nees 

Acanthaceae Eranthemum pulchellum Andr. 

Acanthaceae Fittonia albivensis (Lindl. Ex Veitch) Brummitt 

Acanthaceae Hemigraphis alternata (Burm.f.) T.Anderson 

Acanthaceae Sanchezia speciosa Leonard 

Acanthaceae Barleria cristata L. 

Acanthaceae Justicia brandegeana Wassh. & L.B. Sm. 

Acanthaceae Ruellia brittoniana Leonard 

Agavaceae Agave sisalana Perrine 

Dracaenaceae Sansevieria cylindrica Bojer ex Hook. 

Dracaenaceae Sansevieria trifasciata Prain 

Amaranthaceae Alternanthera bettzichiana (Regel) Voss 

Amaranthaceae Alternanthera flavescens Kunth 

Amaranthaceae Alternanthera tenella Colla 

Amaranthaceae Amaranthus spinosus L. 

Amaranthaceae Celosia argentea L. 

Amaranthaceae Gomphrena globosa L. 

Amaryllidaceae Crinum asiaticum L. 

Anacardiaceae Mangifera indica L. 

Annonaceae Annona glabra L. 

Annonaceae Artabotrys hexapetalus (L. f.) Bhandari 

Annonaceae Cananga odorata (Lam.) Hook. F. & Thomson 

Apocynaceae Allamanda cathartica L. 

Apocynaceae Catharanthus roseus (L.) Don 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


312


Apocynaceae Nerium oleander L. 

Apocynaceae Tabernaemontana divaricata (L.) R. Br. 

Apocynaceae Tabernaemontana pandacaqui Poir. 

Araceae Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott 

Araceae Pistia stratiotes L. 

Apocynaceae Calotropis procera (Aiton) W.T. Aiton 

Apocynaceae Cryptostegia madagascariensis Bojer ex Decne. 

Auracariaceae Araucaria heterophylla ( Salisb. ) Franco 

Balsaminaceae Impatiens balsamina L. 

Bignoniaceae Phryganocydia corymbosa (Vent.) Bureau ex K. Schum. 

Boraginaceae Cordia obliqua Willd. 

Boraginaceae Cordia sebestena L. 

Cactaceae Opuntia cochenillifera (L.) Mill. 

Cactaceae Pereskia aculeata Mill. 

Cactaceae Pereskia grandiflora Haw. 

Capparaceae Cleome gynandra L. 

Capparaceae Cleome rutidosperma DC. 

Capparaceae Cleome viscosa L. 

Caricaceae Carica papaya L. 

Casuarinaceae Casuarina equisetifolia L. 

Chenopodiaceae Chenopodium ambrosioides L. 

Clusiaceae Garcinia livingstonei T. Anderson 

Cochlospermaceae Cochlospermum vitifolium (Willd.) Spreng. 

Combretaceae Terminalia catappa L. 

Commelinaceae Cyanotis cristata (L.) D. Don 

Asteraceae Conyza bonariensis (L.) Cronquist 

Asteraceae Cosmos sulphureus Cav. 

Asteraceae Emilia fosbergii Nicolson 

Asteraceae Emilia sonchifolia (L.) DC. 

Asteraceae Tagetes erecta L. 

Asteraceae Tithonia diversifolia (Hemsl.) A. Gray 

Asteraceae Zinnia elegans Jacq. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

313 



Convolvulaceae Jacquemontia cumanensis (Kunth) Kuntze 

Convolvulaceae Stictocardia tiliifolia (Desr.) Hallier f. 

Crassulaceae Bryophyllum pinnatum (L. f.) Oken 

Crassulaceae Kalanchoe delagoensis Eckl. & Zeyh. 

Brassicaceae Lepidium virginicum L. 

Cucurbitaceae Cucumis anguria L. 

Cucurbitaceae Momordica charantia L. 

Dioscoreaceae Dioscorea alata L. 

Ebenaceae Diospyros blancoi A. DC. 

Ebenaceae Diospyros malabarica (Desr.) Kostel. 

Euphorbiaceae Acalypha poiretii Spreng. 

Euphorbiaceae Codiaeum variegatum (L.) A. Juss. 

Euphorbiaceae Jatropha curcas L. 

Euphorbiaceae Jatropha integerrima Jacq. 

Euphorbiaceae Manihot esculenta Crantz 

Phyllanthaceae Phyllanthus acidus (L.) Skeels 

Phyllanthaceae Phyllanthus urinaria L. 

Euphorbiaceae Ricinus communis L. 

Salicaceae Flacourtia jangomas (Lour.) Raeusch. 

Lamiaceae Leonotis nepetifolia (L.) R. Br. 

Lamiaceae Leonurus sibiricus L. 

Lamiaceae Marsypianthus chamaedrys Bartl. 

Lamiaceae Ocimum basilicum L. 

Lamiaceae Ocimum gratissimum L. 

Lamiaceae Salvia coccinea Buc'hoz ex Etl. 

Lamiaceae Hyssopus officinalis L. 

Lamiaceae Mentha spicata L. 

Lauraceae Persea americana Mill. 

Lecythidaceae Barringtonia asiatica (L.) Kurz 

Leguminosae-pap Strongylodon macrobotrys A.Gray 

Leguminosae-caes Caesalpinia pulcherrima (L.) Sw. 

Leguminosae-caes Cassia javanica L. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


314


Leguminosae-caes Senna siamea (Lam.) Irwin & Barneby 

Leguminosae-caes Tamarindus indica L. 

Leguminosae-pap Cajanus cajan (L.) Huth 

Leguminosae-pap Clitoria ternatea L. 

Leguminosae-pap Crotalaria retusa L. 

Leguminosae-pap Crotalaria verrucosa L. 

Leguminosae-pap Desmodium scopiurus (Sw.) Desv. 

Leguminosae-pap Desmodium tortuosum (Sw.) Dc. 

Leguminosae-pap Erythrina poeppigiana (Walp.) Cook 

Leguminosae-pap Erythrina variegata L. 

Leguminosae-pap Flemingia strobilifera (L.) R. Br. 

Leguminosae-pap Gliricidia sepium (Jacq.) Kunth ex Walp. 

Leguminosae-pap Indigofera tinctoria L. 

Leguminosae-pap Lablab purpureus (L.) Sweet 

Leguminosae-pap Tephrosia noctiflora Bojer ex Baker 

Leguminosae-mim Acacia nilotica (L.) Delile 

Leguminosae-mim Bauhinia tomentosa L. 

Leguminosae-mim Calliandra haematocephala Hassk. 

Leguminosae-mim Calliandra surinamensis Benth. 

Lythraceae Lagerstroemia indica L. 

Lythraceae Lawsonia inermis L. 

Malvaceae Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench 

Malvaceae Gossypium barbadense L. 

Malvaceae Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L. 

Marantaceae Maranta arundinaceae L. 

Meliaceae Azadirachta indica A. Juss. 

Meliaceae Melia azedarach L. 

Meliaceae Swietenia macrophylla King & Urb 

Menispermaceae Tinospora crispa (L.) Hook. F. & Thomson 

Moraceae Castilla elastica Sess‚ ex Cerv. 

Moraceae Artocarpus altilis (Parkinson) Fosberg 

Moraceae Ficus carica L. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

315 



Moraceae Ficus elastica Roxb. Ex Hornem. 

Moraceae Ficus microcarpa L. 

Moraceae Ficus pumila L. 

Moraceae Ficus bengalensis L. 

Moringaceae Moringa oleifera Lam. 

Musaceae Musa acuminata Colla 

Myristicaceae Myristica fragrans Houtt. 

Myrtaceae Eugenia uniflora L. 

Myrtaceae Psidium cattleianum Sabine 

Myrtaceae Psidium guajava L. 

Nyctaginaceae Bougainvillea glabra Choisy 

Oleaceae Jasminum grandiflorum L. 

Oleaceae Jasminum laurifolium Roxb. Ex Hornem. 

Oleaceae Jasminum multiflorum (Burm. f.) Andrews 

Orchidaceae Oeceoclades maculata (Lindl.) Lindl. 

Orchidaceae Spathoglottis plicata Blume 

Arecaceae Phoenix sp. L. 

Passifloraceae Passiflora edulis Sims 

Plumbaginaceae Plumbago auriculata Lam. 

Poaceae Arundo donax L. 

Poaceae Coix lacryma-jobi L. 

Poaceae Dactyloctenium aegyptium (L.) Willd. 

Poaceae Eragrostis ciliaris (L.) R. Br. 

Poaceae Eragrostis tenella (L.) P. Beauv. ex Roem. & Schult 

Poaceae Panicum maximum Jacq. 

Poaceae Saccharum officinarum L. 

Polygonaceae Antigonon leptopus Hook. & Arn. 

Pteridaceae Pteris vittata L. 

Pteridaceae Pteris multifida Poir. 

Oleandraceae Nephrolepis multiflora (Roxb.) F.M. Jarrett ex C.V. Mor 

Proteaceae Grevillea robusta A. Cunn. 

Proteaceae Grevillea banksii R. Br. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


316


Lythraceae Punica granatum L. 

Rhamnaceae Ziziphus mauritiana Lam. 

Rosaceae Eriobotrya japonica (Thunb.) Lindl. 

Rosaceae Rubus rosifolius Sm. 

Rubiaceae Hedyotis lancifolia Schumach. 

Rubiaceae Morinda citrifolia L. 

Rubiaceae Mussaenda sp. 

Rubiaceae Pentas lanceolata Schum. 

Rubiaceae Ixora chinensis Lam. 

Rubiaceae Rondeletia americana L. 

Rutaceae Citrus aurantifolia (Christm.) Swingle 

Rutaceae Triphasia trifolia (Burm. F.) P. Wilson 

Rutaceae Murraya exotica L. 

Rutaceae Triphasia trifolia (Burm. f.) P. Wilson 

Sapindaceae Blighia sapida K.D. Koenig 

Sapotaceae Mimusops elengi L. 

Sapotaceae Pouteria sapota (Jacq.) H.E. Moore & Stearn 

Solanaceae Datura stramonium L. 

Solanaceae Nicotiana tabacum L. 

Solanaceae Solanum capsicoides All. 

Solanaceae Solanum seaforthianum Andr. 

Solanaceae Solanum torvum Sw. 

Solanaceae Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. 

Solanaceae Solanum tuberosum L. 

Sterculiaceae Theobroma cacao L. 

Sterculiaceae Brachychiton acerifolium F.Muell. 

Sterculiaceae Sterculia apetala (Jacq.) H. Karst. 

Strelitziaceae Ravenala madagascariensis Sonn. 

Apiaceae Anethum graveolens L. 

Verbenaceae Clerodendrum philippinum Schauer 

Verbenaceae Clerodendrum speciosissimum Van Geert ex Morren 

Verbenaceae Tectona grandis L.f. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

317 



Verbenaceae Holmskioldia sanguina Retz. 

Verbenaceae Congea tomentosa Roxb. 

Verbenaceae Clerodendrum umbellatum Poir. 

Verbenaceae Gmelina phillippensis Cham. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


318

Appendix 4. Information on invertebrate voucher specimens 

M. A. Ivie, K. A. Marske, I. A. Foley & L. L. Ivie 

Because of the level of taxonomic uncertainty 

involved in the identification of species from Montserrat, 

vouchers are critical to being able to track these records 

in the future. All records in this paper are vouchered 

with museum specimens, or by a citation from the litera‐ 

ture, which themselves usually cite vouchers. The only 

exceptions are in the case of a few of the photos used to 

illustrate the non‐insect section, which were either taken 

by people not directly involved with this inventory, and 

which were not vouchered. 

Even well‐known species sometimes need to be 

re‐examined, and less‐known species are always subject 

to re‐evaluation. Undoubtedly, mistakes in identifica‐ 

tion have been made. Mistakes in species concepts are 

also expected. For many groups no literature exists to 

guide the delimitation of species, and we and our col‐ 

laborators have been forced to use a best‐guess for spe‐ 

cies limits. It is expected that the number of times we 

have listed multiple species as one will approximately 

equal out with the number of single species we have 

split one as more than one, but only time will tell if this 

expectation holds. Vouchers are the key to determining 

this. Vouchers allow these identifications and concepts 

to be treated as testable hypotheses, subject to review 

and correction as needed. In any case, our listing repre‐ 

sents our best understanding of the situation at the cur‐ 

rent time, and we hold sole responsibility for the errors 

that will be discovered. 

The vast majority of voucher specimens for this 

publication are in the West Indian Beetle Fauna Project 

Collection at Montana State University, Bozeman. How‐ 

ever, it has been better to place all or portions of certain 

groups in other institutions, where they will be more 

accessible to researchers. These are listed below: 

• Mollusca: Department of Malacology, Academy 

of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia. 

• Arachnida ‐‐ Araneae and Opiliones – Depart‐ 

ment of Entomology, American Museum of 

Natural History, New York. Scorpiones ‐‐ Insti‐ 

tuto de Ecologia y Sistematica, Havana. 

• Hemiptera: Pentatomoidea – Department of En‐ 

tomology Collection, North Dakota State Univer‐ 

sity, Fargo. Fulgoroidea – Lois O’Brien Collec‐ 

tion, Green Valley, Arizona. Naucoridae – Enns 

Entomology Museum, University of Missouri, 

Columbia. 

• Hymenoptera: Symphyta ‐‐ Department of Ento‐ 

mology, National Museum of Natural History, 

Washington. Scelionidae and other microhymen‐ 

optera – Charles A. Triplehorn Collection, De‐ 

partment of Entomology, The Ohio State Univer‐ 

sity. Apoidea – Division of Entomology, Univer‐ 

sity of Kansas Natural History Museum, Law‐ 

rence. Formicidae – Museum of Comparative 

Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge. 

• Diptera: Phoridae – Entomology Section, Natural 

History Museum of Los Angeles County, Los 

Angeles. Syrphidae – Department of Entomol‐ 

ogy, National Museum of Natural History, Wash‐ 

ington. 

• Trichoptera ‐ Department of Entomology, Na‐ 

tional Museum of Natural History, Washington. 

• Lepidoptera ‐ McGuire Center for Lepidoptera 

and Biodiversity, Florida Museum of Natural 

History, University of Florida, Gainesville . 

• Neuroptera – James B. Johnson collection, Uni‐ 

versity of Idaho, Moscow. 

• Odonata – Thomas W. “Nick” Donnelly collec‐ 

tion, Binghamton, New York. Fred Sibley collec‐ 

tion, Alpine, New York. 

• Orthoptera – Department of Entomology, Acad‐ 

emy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


319


The Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust is a charity that was founded with the singular 

mission to save species from extinction. Our founder, the naturalist Gerald Durrell, 

was very clear in what he saw as the role of a zoo and what impact it could have in 

the future. This role was strongly linked to preservation of wildlife in its natural setting. 

Over the course of the last 50 years, the Trust has built up a worldwide reputation for 

its pioneering conservation techniques and the species that it has brought back 

from the brink of extinction. Currently the organisation runs projects in 18 countries 

worldwide. In all cases the Trust believes in working with local stakeholders to tackle 

threats in ways that are effective, sustainable and have the support of those that live 

in these regions. 

About the Conservation Monographs 

The Durrell Conservation Monograph series aims to publish applied research 

concerning either a single taxon or ecosystem that forms part of Durrell’s 

Conservation Programme. Each monograph provides a detailed source of 

information directly applicable to the conservation of biodiversity in the field. 

About the report 

The Centre Hills forest is the largest area of natural and semi-natural terrestrial habitat 

remaining in Montserrat, supporting an internationally important assemblage of 

plants and animals; many of which are unique to Montserrat and are considered 

globally threatened. The forest also provides a range of ecosystem services which 

are vital to Montserrat’s future. However the forest continues to be threatened by a 

number of pressures, including habitat degradation and invasive plants and animals. 

The monograph reports the findings of a systematic assessment of the plants, 

invertebrates, amphibians, reptiles, bats and birds of the Centre Hills and proposes a 

series of conservation priorities and actions. The assessment is being used to support 

the planning of a protected area, which will be soon implemented to conserve the 

Centre Hills forest and its natural resources. 


Les Augrès Manor, La Profonde Rue, 

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Channel Islands, United Kingdom 

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A biodiversity assessment of the Centre Hills, Montserrat.

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