Leiocephalus carinatus

Leiocephalus carinatus
L. c. labrossytus, Playa Larga, Cuba
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Iguania
Family: Leiocephalidae
Genus: Leiocephalus
Species: L. carinatus
Binomial name
Leiocephalus carinatus
Gray, 1827

Leiocephalus carinatus, commonly known as the northern curly-tailed lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Leiocephalidae (curly-tailed lizards).[2]

Geographic range

It is native to the Bahama Islands, the Cayman Islands, Cuba, and Honduras,[1][2] but also was released intentionally in Palm Beach, Florida, in the 1940s in an attempt to control sugar cane pests.[3]

Description

Adults may attain a snout to vent length (SVL) of 10.5 cm (4.1 in), or a total length, including the tail, of 26 cm (10 in). The dorsal scales are keeled and pointed. L. carinatus resembles lizards of the genus Sceloporus, but with the tail usually curled upward, especially when the lizard is in a horizontal position on rocks or on the ground.[4]

Behavior

An active, robust lizard, it is mostly terrestrial and will retreat into a burrow or cavity when frightened. It prefers sunny areas with loose rubble and rock. In the Cayman Islands a large captured specimen was observed to consistently burrow completely under the sand in a holding tank, even though a rock retreat was provided. The lizard also "played dead" when handled and remained completely motionless for a short while after being put down.

Subspecies

13 subspecies are recognized, including the nominate race:[2]

References

  1. 1 2 McCranie, J.R. (2010). "Leiocephalus carinatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2015.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 Leiocephalus carinatus at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 23 August 2015.
  3. "Nonnatives - Northern Curlytail Lizard". Florida's Nonnative Species. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Retrieved 2011-11-15.
  4. Smith, H.M., and E.D. Brodie, Jr. 1982. Reptiles of North America: A Guide to Field Identification. New York: Golden Press. 240 pp. ISBN 0-307-13666-3. (Leiocephalus carinatus, pp. 132-133.)
  5. Schwartz, A., and R. Thomas. 1975. A Check-list of West Indian Amphibians and Reptiles. Special Publication No. 1. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Carnegie Museum of Natural History. 216 pp. (Leiocephalus carinatus, pp. 127-129.)

Further reading

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