The Herpetofauna of the Senkaku Group, Ryukyu Archipelago

Abstract

The herpetofauna of the Senkaku Group, western Ryukyus, was reviewed on the basis of recent fieldwork, as well as museum specimens and literature records. As a result, six species of reptiles were recorded from the islands. They are Gekko hokouensis Pope, Eumeces elegans Boulenger, Scincella sp., Ramphotyphlops braminus (Daudin), Elaphe carinata carinata (Gunther), and Dinodon rufozonatus rufozonatus (Cantor). No amphibian species were recorded. The herpetofauna of the Senkaku Group is distinct from that of other parts of the Ryukyu Archipelago and is more similar to that of Taiwan and eastern continental China. These conclusions conform with paleogeographical evidence indicating that most islands of the Senkaku Group and Taiwan were connected to the eastern margin of the continent during the most recent glacial period, when the remaining Ryukyu Islands were never connected by dry land with the continent.