The Earliest Inhabitants: The Dynamics of the Jamaican Taino

120 T HE E ARLIEST I NHABITANTS
fish swims into reef crevices, and its spines enable it to wedge itself in.
Triggerfish occasionally venture out into clear sand areas. Centropomus, the
snook, is most often encountered in freshwater or brackish areas of river
mouths, or in mangrove swamps or salt marshes (Hoese and Moore 1977).
They are occasionally found on inshore reefs near mangrove areas.
Lutjanidae (snappers) and Carangidae (jacks) are carnivorous predators.
Snappers are usually nocturnal, feeding primarily over offshore reefs and
banks (Randall 1968). The genus Lutjanus prefers the shallowest water of the
group, and L. griseus actually spends most of its time inshore. Unfortunately,
the faunal material was not well enough preserved to allow identification to
the species level, so this zoogeographic information could not be accessed.
Carangids are schooling predators that may use the reef as a foraging area but
do not reside there. Caranx hippos are sometimes scavengers in areas of human
use (Hoese and Moore 1977).
Cardisoma and Gecarcinus of the family Gecarcinidae are large terrestrial
scavengers sometimes called soldier crabs. Cardisoma may reach maximum
carapace length (posterior to anterior margins, at midline) of 90 mm, and
Gecarcinus attains a maximum of 70 mm. Cardisoma inhabits the lower floodplains
of rivers and other low-lying areas. Individuals construct burrows that
penetrate the water table, and under threat, will plunge beneath the water to
avoid danger. During daylight hours they rarely wander more than a metre
from their burrows, though at night they roam considerable distances (Chace
and Hobbs 1969). Gecarcinus occurs at higher elevations than Cardisoma,
though the young of both species sympatrically inhabit the talus slopes at the
bases of cliffs. Adults prefer cliffs and hills inland from the coastal lowlands.
They emerge from their shallow burrows at night, especially after rain.
Callinectes, the blue crab, is found in freshwater stream mouths, estuaries and
shallow ocean settings. It is a diurnal scavenger that tolerates great extremes
of salinity (ibid.). Some species are more tolerant than others of muddy or polluted
conditions.
Both Arca and Ostrea can be found attached to hard substrates or mangrove
roots in quiet-water areas (Emerson and Jacobson 1976). Donax, the coquina
clam, inhabits wave-wash areas of sandy beaches, actively burrowing and
being carried about the midtide line by wave action. They can be easily gathered
in great quantities at certain localities. Chama may be found attached by
the left valve to hard substrates below the tideline in warm, shallow waters.
The right valve is often thrown onto shore during storm tides (Emerson and
Jacobson 1976). Cittarium and the nerites cling to wave-washed rocks and
may be found in dense groups. Melongena is an active predator and scavenger,
usually frequenting sandy, shallow areas.