Iguanas of theJohn Gibbons

Two species of iguana inhabit the islandsof the Fiji goup: one, the crested iguana,was discovered as recently as 1979 andthe other, the banded iguana, oncecommon enough to be an importantsource of food for humans, is now listedin the IUCN Red Data Book. The author,in his three-year study, discovered thatboth species still exist in relatively densepopulations on a few, small uninhabitedislands, although they have disappearedfrom those that are developed. He dis-cusses the threats to their survival and theconservation efforts being made.

The iguanine genus Brachylophus of Fiji andTonga is of considerable biogeographical interestin being the only true iguana (sub-familyIguaninae) found outside the Americas. Brachy-lophus is also of great interest on account of itsstrikingly beautiful appearance, and its rarity inmuseum and zoological collections. At presenttwo species are recognised; the banded iguanaBrachylophus fasciatus (Brongniart, 1800) andthe crested iguana, B. vitiensis (Gibbons, 1981).The former is widely distributed throughout FijiGroup and, probably, Tonga also. In addition, awild population is known to exist on Efate Islandin Vanuatu, but this probably represents a recentintroduction (Gibbons, 1981). The latter isrestricted to a few very dry rainshadow islands inthe north-west of the Fiji Group includingYaduataba and the Yasawas (Figure 1).

The two species are readily distinguished. Thecrested iguana has a well-developed crest of soft,82

brown spines, narrow white bands bordered byblack, and is generally much larger and higher atthe shoulder than the banded iguana. Sexualdimorphism is lacking, and both sexes exhibitextreme colour labity, from light green whensleeping or in shade to greyish-black whenaroused during aggressive or sexual encounters.The banded iguana has a feeble crest of spines,the longest not exceeding 0-3 cm, broad bluish-white bands and a smaller, more slender bodythan the crested iguana. Sexual dimorphism ismarked, most females either having a reducedbanding pattern, or none at all and a small, paledewlap. Colour change, though marked, is neveras great as in the crested iguana, the maximumdarkening possible being a chocolate brown.More detailed information on species differences,including ethological as well as morphologicaldata are given elsewhere (Gibbons, 1981;Gibbons and Watkins, 1982).

Information on the biology of the banded iguana,especially on its distribution, abundance andhabits in the wild is extremely limited. Most pub-lications on the animal have been written by over-seas scientists on short visits to Fiji or Tonga (e.g.Bustard, 1970; Cogger 1974) or by local natural-ists with little opportunity for full-time study (e.g.Cahill, 1970). All are in agreement that thebanded iguana is now uncommon or rare onmost islands. Indeed, the species is listed asendangered in the IUCN Amphibia and ReptiliaRed Data Book (Honegger, 1975). There isreliable evidence (Williams, c. 1843-45;Tischner, 1965) that the banded iguana was quitecommon, at least on Viti Levu, until late in thenineteenth century. A major reason cited for thisdecline has been the introduction of the Indian

OiyxVoll8No2

South Pacific

Top left: Crested iguana; in this species males and femaleshave similar colour patterns (John Gibbons).Top right: Male banded iguana; note the broad bands andfeeble crest (John Gibbons).Below: Female banded iguana; note the lack of bands (JohnGibbons).

mongoose Herpestes auropunctatus to Fiji in1883 (Gorman, 1975), and Bustard (1970) hasstated that Brachvlophus is 'rare throughoutalmost all its range'.

The present paper presents a re-assessment ofthe above conclusions based on a three-yearstudy of iguanas throughout the Fiji Group. Adetailed account is given on the ecology and con-Iguanas of the South Pacific

servation of the crested iguana population onYaduataba Island, which represents the only fieldstudy on Brachylophus yet undertaken.

Distribution and abundanceContrary to Bustard (1970), Brachylophus is notrare throughout almost all its range. The popu-lation of B. vitiensis on Yaduataba is extremely

83

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Figure 1. Map of the Fiji Islands showing the distribution of the banded iguana Brachylophus fasciatus and the crested iguanaB. vitiensis.

dense, well in excess of 300 animals occupying anarea of 0-7 sq km. There are strong indicationsthat a small number of uninhabited islands, in-cluding Vatu Vara and Aiwa in the Lau Groupcontain relatively dense populations of B.fasciatus. On many islands, including Koro,Nairai, Kadavu, Ovalau and Yacata, the bandediguana is encountered on a fairly regular basis byFijians. Several specimens have been sent toSuva from each of these islands during the pastthree years. This species seems less common onmany other islands, but populations still occurthroughout most of the coastal area of southernViti Levu. Occasional sightings of the bandediguana have been made within metropolitanSuva in the last decade. This is not to say that theaverage person might expect to see an iguana,84

even after a detailed search in the 'right' habitat,since the animals are extremely well camou-flaged.

One of the major problems in working out dis-tribution oiBrachylophus has been the completelack of museum records of specimens from thewet, forested interiors of the two main islands.Indeed, until recently, the available hard evi-dence indicated that Brachylophus was almostexclusively a coastal species (see Gibbons andWatkins, 1982). This was puzzling because thereis much historical evidence that iguanas wereonce a widespread food item in the interior of VitiLevu. The Reverend Thomas Williams (c. 1843-45) gives the following account:

' . . . a chief from Dan Vungalei who with his father-in-law wereserved with food consisting in part of cooked guanas—there

OryxVoll8No2

was one for each of them—unhappily the chief in passing onthe guana intended for his father-in-law broke off part of thetail and ate it. For this the angry father-in-law watched (for) anopportunity and slew him telling him before he did what washis motive'.

Theodor Kleinschmidt's 1877-78 account of VitiLevu (Tischner, 1965) also includes reference tothe banded iguana. On page 380, he states, intranslation:'Lizards, tree-geckos and Chrescartes (= Brachylophus)fasciatus axe eaten. From the C. fasciatus the natives collectthe leathery eggs. These eggs are cooked and the empty shellsare blown up and placed on a stick for decoration inside ahouse. . . ."

This puzzle was further complicated by reports(Boulenger, 1887) of an agamid lizard Gono-icephalus godeffroyi, which superficially re-sembles Brachylophus, on Viti Levu. Eventhough some herpetologists doubted the exist-ence of a natural population of this species in Fiji(Pernetta and Watling, 1978), lingering un-certainty remained as to the identity of Williams's'guanas'. The problem was finally solved when aspecimen of Brachylophus fasciatus collected atMonasavu (altitude c. 1000 m) in the wet rainforest interior of Viti Levu was brought to Suva in1981.

The crested iguana B. vitiensis remained un-known to science until its discovery in 1979 onYaduataba. For nearly two years thereafter noother populations were known. However, in late1980 the species was found on MatacawalevuIsland in the Yasawas. Very recently (October1982), additional populations were confirmedthroughout the Yasawas and on Monuriki Islandin the Mamanuca Group. The latter almostcertainly represents the southerly limit of thespecies. On nearby Malolo Levu Island some 12km to the south-east, there is a population ofBrachylophus of uncertain taxonomic status. Thesingle specimen in the Fiji Museum collected inlate 1980 conforms neither to B. fasciatus nor B.vitiensis, having characteristics of both species.For example, the size, crest structure and dewlapare uiriensis-like, but the colour pattern is as forfasciatus. Very recently, two further, similarspecimens have been captured (Errol Fifer, pers.comm.). Whether this population will be con-sidered a new, intermediate species, or sub-species of either the crested or banded iguanaremains open to question. What does seemcertain is that it represents an evolutionaryIguanas of the South Pacific

intermediate between typical B. fasciatus and B.vitiensis (see Gibbons, 1981).

For both species, the present-day distribution isvery patchy. For example, iguanas are unknownon -many of the more developed, populatedislands in the Mamanuca Group, and they areseldom seen on other islands except for Monuriki.The patterns of distribution of the two speciesindicate that vitiensis is restricted to dry islandswith low winter rainfall (May-October), whilefasciatus occupies a whole range of habitats fromdry beach forest to wet rain forest experiencingmore than 500 cm annual rainfall. Significantly,Malolo Levu is considerably wetter thanMonuriki, Yaduataba or the Yasawas, and unlikethese other islands supports a population of theintroduced cane toad Bufo marinus.

Causes of declineNineteenth-century accounts of the bandediguana in Viti Levu noted earlier leave no doubtthat the species was very common in formertimes. Now eggs are extremely difficult to findeven for relatively dense Brachylophus popu-lations. What were the causes of this decline? Formany declining or disappearing species, habitatdestruction and/or killing by man are the primarycauses. While both of these factors may be im-portant in small local areas, neither seemsadequate to explain the very widespread andrapid decline of Brachylophus iguanas through-out Fiji. Nor can all the blame be put on theintroduced mongoose, since this animal is onlypresent on the two large islands, Viti Levu andVanua Levu, and on Rabi, Beqa and Yanuca(relatively recent introduction).

The answer lies in looking at the native and intro-duced animals on a whole series of islandsthroughout the Fiji Group, including both in-habited and uninhabited ones. In this way, eachisland becomes an experimental laboratory withvariable numbers and kinds of introducedanimals. Those that lack introduced animals—ararity these days—are equivalent to 'controls'.The results are revealing. In Table 1, I have in-cluded only those introductions which are con-sidered to have had an effect on iguanas, eitherdirectly by predation, or indirectly by destructionof iguana habitat.

85

Table 1 is helpful in suggesting some of the causesof decline. These include:(i) Feral populations of cats have become estab-lished on virtually all inhabited islands in the FijiGroup. Cats were first introduced to Fiji in theearly 1800s and by the 1870s they had becomeso numerous in the interior of Viti Levu that theywere hunted for food by the Fijians. Take, forinstance, Theodor Kleinschmidt's statement oncats during the years 1877-78 (see Tischner,1965, p. 379).'I have not seen any cats in houses in the interior of Viti Levu,but there are many wild ones in the bush. The natives hunt forthem with dogs and guns, because their meat is said to be verygood. The skulls are kept as trophies and I found many ofthese skulls in the area of the Upper Wainimala andWainamu.'

Since that time the cat population on the twolarger islands seems to have itself declined, pre-sumably because food items like birds, iguanasand other lizards were no longer so abundant asin former times. There is no doubt that feral andsemi-wild cats have had a very marked effect onlizard populations, especially skinks. On cat-freeislands like Monuriki and Yaduataba, there arenot only high densities of iguanas but also oflarger species oiEmoia skinks. On Yadua which isonly 120 m distant from Yaduataba, but whichharbours cats, both iguanas and large Emoia axerare. On islands where there are tourist resort

operations like Galito (Castaway Resort, 1 kmwest of Malolo Levu) and Malolo Lailai (a smallisland separated from Malolo Levu by a shallowtidal channel, and the location of PlantationResort and Dick's Place) where there are high catdensities, large Emoia and Brachylophus are veryrare or extinct, even though there is still abundantforest on Galito.

I consider feral cats the single most importantfactor responsible for the decline of Brachylophusand several other lizard species in Fiji. Surpris-ingly, feral cats are not even mentioned byBustard (1970) and Cogger (1974), and theirexistence in Fiji is doubted by Pernetta and Wat-ling (1978), though the latter authors have sub-sequently agreed in personal communicationsthat feral cats are indeed widespread.

(ii) The role of feral pigs in affecting Brachylophuspopulations is uncertain, but if anything is prob-ably greater than generally realised. In other partsof the world, particularly certain islands of theWest Indies, pigs are important predators ofiguana eggs which are buried in the ground. Sucha situation may occur in Fiji. Feral pigs are presenton nearly all inhabited islands that contain forest.

(iii) The impact of mongooses on the wildlife ofViti Levu and Vanua Levu is better understoodand documented than that of either cats or pigs.

Table 1. Presence of introduced animals in relation to iguana abundance.

IslandFeralcats

Feralpigs

Freeranginggoats

Status ofMongoose iguanas Comments

Viti LevuVanua LevuTaveuniYaqagaOvalauKadavuMatacawalevuVatu VaraDevilau1

YaduaYaduatabaGalitoMalolo Laila'Monuriki

RareRareRareRareFrequentFrequentFrequentAbundantRare or extinctRare or extinctAbundantRare or extinctRare or extinctFrequent

Inhabited, largeInhabited, largeInhabitedInhabitedInhabitedInhabitedInhabitedUninhabitedUninhabited, goats long establishedInhabitedGoats recent, uninhabitedTourist island, many catsTourist island, many catsGoats recent, uninhabited

1. For explanation of location, see text.

86 Iguanas of the South Pacific

Undoubtedly, mongooses have had a drasticeffect on ground nesting birds, and some reptiles,particularly diurnal forms which are only partiallyarboreal. Birds such as the banded rail Rallusphilippensis are rare or absent on the two mainislands, but common elsewhere. The large,primarily ground dwelling skink Ernoia nigra israre or absent in most localities in Viti Levu andVanua Levu but common on many nearbyislands to the east such as Ovalau, Koro and Gau.Even some of the small highly ubiquitous speciesof skink such as Emoia cyanura are markedly lesscommon on the main islands than elsewhere.Since the banded iguana descends to the groundto move across broken habitat and to lay eggs,predation by mongooses is likely to have been animportant cause of the species's decline on VitiLevu and Vanua Levu.

(iv) Goats are free-ranging on many of the smallerislands in the Fiji Group, especially uninhabitedones. Goats are presently considered a profitablecommodity and fetch high prices. On largerislands they are usually kept in some kind ofenclosure, but costs of fencing are often beyondthe means of outer island villages, including theone on Yadua Island.

The effects of goats on iguana populations isindirect, but in the long term can be as devastatingas that of cats. Goats eat the understorey of aforest, thereby preventing new growth and re-generation. This is particularly marked in droughtconditions when there is little grass available andwhen the population achieves a high density.Removal of ground cover renders juvenile andhatchling iguanas susceptible to predation byhawks and kingfishers. It also leads to increasedsoil erosion, especially after heavy rain.

Goat farming has several other detrimental effectson iguana habitat. Particularly damaging is theburning of scrub to create new grazing areas.Many such fires have burned out of control anddestroyed significant sections of the remainingforest. Ample evidence is now available that goatfarming has severely affected iguana populations.According to the Fijians, Devilau, a small island inthe Yasawa Group very close to Matacawalevu,once supported a dense iguana population likeYaduataba. A recent search of the island failed tofind a single specimen. Though Yaduataba con-tained well over 200 goats before the island wasdeclared a wildlife reserve in 1980, goats had onlyIguanas of the South Pacific

been introduced there about seven years pre-viously and in relatively small numbers.

In conclusion, it can be seen that the decline ofBrachylophus in Fiji cannot be ascribed to anysingle factor. On many islands, feral cats seem tohave been the most important cause, while onothers habitat destruction, through burning, de-forestation and goat fanning, has had a majorimpact. The introduction of mongooses on thetwo large islands has been yet another cause ofdecline. Virtually all inhabited islands supportferal cats and have experienced varying degreesof alteration from the original forest habitat. Notsurprisingly, therefore, Brachyhphus onlyremains abundant on a few, small uninhabitedislands that have escaped major disturbance.Yaduataba Island, only 120 m from Yadua atclosest approach, provides a striking example ofthis phenomenon.

Ecology and conservation of thecrested iguanaThis species is confined to dry islands with a meanannual rainfall of approximately 180 cm. Most ofthis rain falls in the November-March 'hurricaneseason'. There is a pronounced dry season fromMay until September when drought conditionsmay occur. Air temperatures range from aminimum of about 16°C in July-August to amaximum of about 31°C in January—February.Neither of these extremes is encountered in theshaded forest canopy where the iguanas live.

Yaduataba (Figure 2) is a small (0-7 sq km),volcanic island reaching 100 m in height. Thereare several different vegetation types including: (i)dry beach forest, a plant community typical ofsome Pacific islands (David Hassall, pers.comm.); (ii) dry, exposed or disturbed areasdominated by Casuarina equisetifolia; (iii) areasof scrub and small trees, usually on exposedslopes and windswept ridges with poor soil; (iv)grassland, mainly a result of burning and treefelling, and (v) small coastal copra plantations.Over 120 plant species have been collected fromthe island. Iguanas are almost exclusivelyconfined to the beach forest habitat. The soil issandy, reaching a depth of 50 cm in places.Boulders and large rock outcrops occurthroughout the island. There is some evidencefrom aerial photographs taken in 1973,1978 and

87

1980 that grassland areas have increased at theexpense of beach forest due to burning.

The total iguana population of Yaduataba is dif-ficult to estimate because the animals, especiallyhatchlings and juveniles, are very well camou-flaged. However, adults would number between100 and 200. Activity patterns vary according toage and sex. Hatchlings emerge during Januaryand February. They have a mean snout vent (SV)length of 8-4 cm and a total length of about 28cm. During the early months of life they appear tomove around in small groups of 2-4, dashing for

cover when moving over open ground. At nightthey shelter in low bushes.

Growth is quite rapid and yearling iguanas mayachieve a SV length of 12 cm and a total length of41 cm. Like hatchlings, juveniles are difficult tofind and hide the entire body behind a branch onthe approach of a human observer. They can befound more readily at night using a spotlight,since they sleep motionless on branches, insteadof hiding. Juveniles show little sexual dimorphismand the ground colour of the body is a uniformlight green.

Key to Vegetation Types

beach forest

CasuarinaVVV I grassland

copra plantation

coastal scrub

cliffs

possiblenesting area

Figure 2. (A) Yaduataba in relation to Yadua showing rough detail of slopes and ridges.(B) Vegetation map of Yaduataba showing areas of coral reef surrounding the island. Drawn from aerial photographs.

88 OryxVoll8No2

Further rapid growth continues so that sexualmaturity is attained about 2 V2 years after hatching(at least in captive specimens at Orchid Island—see below). On Yaduataba, adult females, gravidwith eggs, have SV lengths of 18-5-20-7 cm,with total lengths of 67-87 cm. Adult males are19 -0-22 -3 SV length, with total lengths of 61-84cm.

The iguanas on Yaduataba show a characteristicdaily activity pattern. Much of the morning isspent thermoregulating. Shortly after sunrise, theiguana, which has spent the night in a tree, turnsits body around to face broadside on to the risingsun. After reaching a preferred body temperature(of 32°C), the animal usually alters its orientationor seeks partial shade. This process may takefrom one to several hours depending on theweather conditions. In relatively cool conditionsin August (air temperature 27-28°C), full baskinglasted as late as 1100 hours. Table 2 summarisesrecords of perching sites used by iguanas during1979-81 field trips. An iguana may, or maynot, subsequently feed in the tree used as a bask-

ing site. Quite often, the tree utilised for thermo-regulation, e.g. Cocos nudfera or Casuarinaequisetifolia is not a food tree. If this is the case,the animal climbs down to the trunk and walksacross open ground to reach the food tree. Muchlicking of the ground takes place during thisprocess. Alternatively, the animal may reach thefood tree by traversing the forest canopy. Furtherbasking/thermoregulation may occur prior tofeeding. Intermittent head bobbing may occurduring this period. Actual feeding takes place forone or two brief periods of five minutes or so,usually in early or mid-afternoon. Following feed-ing, the iguana may or may not remain in thesame tree for the night. Nearly all activity ceasesabout half an hour before sunset.

Adult male Brachylophus become aggressive andterritorial in September/October as the weatherstarts to warm up. At this time of year a number ofdifferent tree species near the main beaches (nearcopra plantation areas in Figure 2) are in bloomor begin to produce leaves, and the iguanas,

Table 2. Utilisation of perching sites by iguanas: Yaduataba all trips.

Species of tree and family

Vauaea amicorum (Meliaceae)Malhtus tiliifolius (Euphorbiaceae)Diospyros spp. (Ebenaceae)Hibiscus tiliaceus (Malvaceae)Premna taitenis (Verbenaceae)Canthium odoratum (Rubiaceae)Denis trifoliata (Papilionaceae)Eugenia rariflora (Myrtaceae)Ficus obliqua (Moraceae)Ervatamia orientalis (Apocynaceae)Fagreae gracilipes (Loganiaceae)Cocos nucifera (Palmae)Calophyllum inophyllum (Clusiaceae)Gyrocarpus americanus (Hernandiaceae)Term'malia littoralis (Combretaceae)Pongamia pinnata (Papilionaceae)Morinda citrifolia (Rubiaceae)Entada phasioloides (Mimosaceae)Thespesia populaea (Malvaceae)Messerschmidia argentea (Boraginaceae)Decaspermum fruticosum (Myrtaceae)Casuarina equisetifolia (Casuarinaceae)

Others: Dead treesForest floor litterRocks on forest floorRocks on beach

Fijian name

CevuaYaqataKau loaVauYaroNoko ni savuDuvaQaqi koroBakaLaqaiqaiBuabuaNiuDiloWin winTavolaKarisiniKuraWalaiMulomuloKau yalewaNuqanuqaNokonoko

Coastal/forest

C/F small treeC small tree

No. of iguanas

8630

C shrub small tree 21C small treeC small treeC small treeC creeperC small treeC/F large treeC/F small treeCtreeC treeCtreeC large treeC large treeC large treeC large treeC/F creeperCtreeC small treeC shrubCtree

15988443332222221111

Total 2103474

Grand total 228

Iguanas of the South Pacific 89

especially adult males, but also females andjuveniles, converge on this area. Buds, flowersand very young leaves of trees such as Fagraeagraclipes. Pongamia pinnata and Calophylluminophyllum are eaten.

During aggressive encounters between males, thecombatants invariably change colour from greento dark grey or black. Each animal lowers thedewlap, erects the skin on the back and puffs upwith air, so as to appear as large as possible.Territorial conflicts involve much head bobbingand circling of the opponent, as well as biting.Such encounters can last half an hour or moreand considerable physical damage may be in-flicted. Well over 25 per cent of adult males havemissing toes or damaged tails, whereas no suchinjuries were observed in females or juveniles.

By January, definite and well-spaced territorieshave been established throughout the forestedarea. Usually, a male and female are found ineach. By this time, the trees near the beach are nolonger in flower and the majority of iguanas arefound in Vauaea amicorum, the commonest treein the forest, Mallotus tilifolius, Dispyros spp. andHibiscus tiliaceus. These are all food trees,probably for most of year in the case of theevergreen Vavaea and Hibiscus. This situationcontinues until March, by which time most of themating has occurred. In April the gravid femalesall leave the territorial areas to lay their eggs.Males remain dispersed, but are no longer soaggressive. The migration of the females isapparently to a communal nesting site. Nobodyknows for sure where this is, but my field assistant,Maika Natera, found a number of gravid femalesin low bushes in a sandy area near the mainbeach. This may well be the nesting area. DuringApril 1980, I sampled over 40 males scatteredthroughout the island, but only a single 'empty'female.

Not much is known of the behaviour of theiguanas from May until September but they arebelieved to be inactive in the cooler, dry weather.Adult males have occasionally been observedbasking on boulders on the beach. During theheat of the day one specimen took shelter in asmall cave formed by two large rocks. Anothermale used a crab burrow as a retreat.

The B. uitiensis recorded on Matacawalevu Island90

in the Yasawas were all captured in ivi trees(Tahitian chestnut) Inocarpus fagiferus. The ivi isa large, broad leaved, leafy tree, and is an im-portant food plant for B. fasciatus elsewhere. It isnow clear that the apparent difference in ecologybetween the two iguana species is less than pre-viously thought. The crested iguana is found onother trees on Yaduataba simply because the ivi isabsent. There are some indications, however,that B. uitiensis is more strictly herbivorous thanB. fasciatus, which tends to show a keen appetitefor insect food.

Conservation actionFollowing an intensive campaign of seminars,photographic displays and general lobbying inthe local media, Yaduataba was declared Fiji'sfirst wildlife reserve in August 1980. Twogovernment Ministers, representatives from theNational Trust for Fiji, the owners of the islandand local officials made up the party visitingYaduataba. Permission to visit the island is nowgiven through the National Trust.

Funds to set up the island as a wildlife reservewere provided by a WWF/IUCN grant. Under theterms of the agreement, ownership of the islandremains in Fijian hands, all goats are to beremoved from the island and no further burningor other forms of habitat destruction is to takeplace. During 1981 all but about 10 goats wererounded up and transported to the new enclosureon nearby Yadua Island.

Awareness of the crested iguana has beenpromoted in a number of ways. The Fiji Film Unitmade a short documentary on the species includ-ing footage of both wild and captive animals. Thiswas released to cinemas as a 'short' in early 1981.The animal also appeared on the front cover ofthe 1980 Fiji Telephone Directory. Captiveanimals have been held at Orchid Island CulturalCentre, Suva, since 1979, and two clutches ofeggs have been hatched there, the first in late1979/early 1980, and the second in early 1981.Several adults died due to the wet and humidconditions in Suva during 1980 but subsequentlyno further deaths have occurred and the 1979/1980 hatchlings are now sexually mature. Thespecies is perhaps unique among vertebrates inhaving been recognised as a new species, given

OryxVoll8No2

protected status and bred in captivity beforebeing allocated a scientific name. Orchid IslandCultural Centre also has a large holding ofbanded iguanas. One of these has been housedthere for nearly ten years. A large number ofclutches of eggs have been successfully hatchedunder the auspices of Mrs Ivy Watkins, the wife ofthe manager.

Acknowledgments

I would particularly like to thank Fergus Clunie, of the FijiMuseum, and Mrs Ivy Watkins, of Orchid Island CulturalCentre, for their unwavering interest and support over anumber of years. Research funds from the University of theSouth Pacific and from the New York Zoological Society aregratefully acknowledged. Thanks are also due to Muni Raj fordrawing the figures.

References

Boulenger, G.A. 1887. Catalogue of the Lizards in the BritishMuseum. 2nd edn. British Museum, London. 382 pp.

Bustard, H.R. 1970. Turtles and an iguana in Fiji. Oryx, 10,317-322.

Cahill, C. 1970. The banded iguana of Fiji. Fiji Mus. Educat.Ser. 2, 1-14.

Cogger, H.G. 1974. The voyage of the banded iguana. Aust.Nat. Hist. 18,144-149.

Gibbons, J.R.H. 1981. The biogeography of Brachylophusincluding the description of a new species, B. uitiensis, fromFiji. J. Herpetol. 15(3), 255-273.

Gibbons J.R.H. and Watkins, I.F. 1982. Ecology behaviorand conservation of South Pacific banded iguanas,Brachylophus, including a newly discovered species. InIguanas of the World: their behavior, ecology and conser-vation, pp. 418-441 (EdsG.M. BurghardtandA.S. Rand).Noyes Publ., New Jersey.

Gorman, M.L 1975. The diet of feral Herpestes auro-punctatus (Carnivora, Viverridae) in the Fijian Islands. J.Zool. London, 175,273-278.

Honegger, R.E. 1975. Red Data Book. Vol. 3: Amphibia andReptilia. IUCN.

Pernetta, J.C. and Watling, D. 1978. The introduced andnative terrestrial vertebrates of Fiji. Pacif. Sci. 32(3), 223-244.

Tischner, H. 1965. Theodor Kleinschmidt's EthnographischeNotizen aus den Jahren 1877-78 ueber die Bergbe-wohner von Viti Leva Baessler Archiv., Neue Folge XIII,pp. 359-401.

Williams, T. c. 1843—1845. Miscellaneous notes chiefly con-cerning Feejee and the Feejeeans No. 3. Manuscript inMitchell Library, Sydney.

John R.H. Gibbons, School of Natural Resources, Universityof the South Pacific, PO Box 1168, Suvua, Fiji.

Addendum

In recent months it has become clear that a major reason forthe persecution otBrachylophus iguanas is the presence in Fijiof the voracious gecko Gehyra vorax. Apparently Fijians donot always distinguish between the two. This may seem sur-prising, but many specimens of the gecko have a pattern ofbrown and greenish bands along the body similar to that of thebanded iguana B. fasciatus. The voracious gecko is possiblythe largest member of its family in the South Pacific. Poorlyrepresented in museum collections, its distribution is believedto include New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Fiji. Reach-ing a total length of 25 cm, and with a thick muscular bodyand very large toe-pads, it is much feared by the Fijians for tworeasons. Firstly, it has a powerful bite and is reluctant to let go.Secondly, and even more important, the toe-pads adherestrongly to human skin, making it difficult for a panickingperson to remove. The small sharp claws can also leave anasty scratch. The presence of the voracious gecko maytherefore account, in part, for the fearsome reputation ofBrachylophus iguanas.

In many localities, however, the voracious gecko is wellknown in its own right and is called 'the lizard which barks likea dog' after its yapping call. Indeed, until about 30 years agothe gecko used to be a staple food item in some parts of Fiji,specimens being brought to the local market impaled on sticksand covered with turmeric.

John GibbonsIguanas of the South Pacific

Voracious gecko Gehyra vorax (John Gibbons).

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