Anticoagulant rodenticides exposure status among wild pit vipers (Protobothrops flavoviridis) and green anoles (Anolis carolinensis) in two Japanese Islands

Abstract

To investigate the exposure of wild reptiles to anticoagulant rodenticides (ARs), liver ARs concentrations were analyzed using LCMS in individuals captured within ARs application areas. A total of 185 pit vipers (Protobothrops flavoviridis) from Amami Oshima Island and 89 green anoles (Anolis carolinensis) from Ogasawara Island were captured. Among the pit vipers, approximately 9% of the samples showed detection of three ARs (warfarin (WF), diphacinone (DP), and coumatetralyl (CT), with a maximum concentration of 436.5 ng/g. Additionally, the WF metabolite 10-OH WF was detected in 4 out of 10 individuals where WF was detected. No correlation was found between ARs detection rates and sex or sampling seasons, and no hemorrhaging signs were observed in pit vipers with ARs detection. In green anoles, DP was detected in only one individual at a concentration of 51.9 ng/g. Although high ARs accumulation was not observed, careful monitoring is needed as lizards may serve as exposure resources for higher−tier consumers.