urbpan | Island Creatures (Reply)

Here Alexis has recorded me carefully regarding a Frangipani worm. I'm taking care because I know little about this caterpillar, save for the report from my mother in law that it can deliver a surprising bite. Following some research, I know some more: scientists call it Pseudosphinx tetrio. It grows into a large grayish brown moth in the group known as hawk moths, sphinx moths, and hummingbird moths. It feeds upon toxic plants in the dogbane family, including Frangipani (Plumieria rubra), and incorporates the plant toxins into its body, a fact advertised by its bright colors. Claims that its appearance mimics the coral snake seem specious. This animal is found from the southern United States down to South America, including the Caribbean.

Which is a lot more than I know about this moth. I know exactly nothing about this one, which is small (about three quarters of an inch long), attractive, and dead.

This tiny amphibian is the loudest animal on the island. On wet evenings the males sing their "tink" call, audible through the closed windows of a moving car. They don't seem to have an Antiguan common name, but they are close relatives of the coqui, a treefrog both endangered in Puerto Rico and invasive in Hawaii. There are many species in the genus Eleutherodactylus (which means "free toed," that is, not webbed), and this one is E. martinicensis. This treefrog never enters the water, laying eggs on leaf litter and underneath vegetation. The baby frogs undergo complete metamorphosis in the egg, emerging as froglings. When I disturbed this one (by removing it from a planter) it changed from dark brown to the color you see here.

The green tree lizard, Anolis leachii is Antigua's endemic anole. Over 300 different species of anole occur throughout the islands and in the Americas. This one is comparatively large, around eight inches long, but only half the length the species can reach. He has chosen a spot on a date palm for a discreet territorial or mating display, in which he extends his throat flap and changes his color to appear vigorous and one assumes, attractive.

The much smaller brown anole A. wattsi is said to have arrived on the island along with Amerindians from South America. They are exceedingly common around houses, feeding on the ants and flies that are found in such places. It's hard to find fault with an introduced lizard if it's eating introduced mosquitoes.

Our favorite Antiguan weed is the tree-sized giant milkweed. It sprouts from the pavement on a sunny cliffside road, impervious (through toxic impalatability) to the predations by goats that other plants must suffer.