Cyclura

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Cyclura
Cyclura cornuta.JPG
Cyclura cornuta , rhinoceros iguana
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Iguania
Family: Iguanidae
Genus: Cyclura
Harlan, 1825
Type species
Cyclura cornuta

Cyclura is a genus of lizards in the family Iguanidae. Member species of this genus are commonly known as "cycluras" (or more commonly as rock iguanas) and only occur on islands in the West Indies. [1] Rock iguanas have a high degree of endemism, with (in most cases) a single species or subspecies originating on an individual island. [2] [3]

Contents

Taxonomy

The genus Cyclura was first circumscribed by Richard Harlan in 1825 to include two new species of lizard: C. carinata and C. teres. C. teres eventually turned out to be a junior synonym of Ctenosaura acanthura . [4]

In the 20th century there were eight recognised species of Cyclura and nine additional subspecies (one extinct) besides the nominotypical subspecies. [2] [5] [6]

Recently, certain subspecies were elevated to species status. [7] Currently, there are ten species in this genus.

Genus Cyclura Harlan, 1825 – ten species
Common nameScientific name and subspeciesRangeSize and ecologyIUCN status and estimated population
Turks and Caicos rock iguana

CycluraCarinataFemale.jpg

Cyclura carinata [8]
Harlan, 1825

Two subspecies
Turks and Caicos islands and Booby Cay, the BahamasSize:

Habitat:

Diet:
 EN 


Jamaican iguana

Jamaican iguana on tree.jpg

Cyclura collei [8]
Gray, 1845
Jamaica
Cyclura collei distribution.png
Size:

Habitat:

Diet:
 CR 


Rhinoceros iguana

Nashornleguan4 (fcm).jpg

Cyclura cornuta [8]
(Bonnaterre, 1789)

Two subspecies
Hispaniola (both Haiti and the Dominican Republic) and surrounding islandsSize:

Habitat:

Diet:
 EN 


Northern Bahamian Rock Iguana

Cyclura cychlura inornata in the bahamas.jpg

Cyclura cychlura [9]
(Cuvier, 1829)

Three subspecies
Andros Island and the Exuma islands in the BahamasSize:

Habitat:

Diet:
 VU 


Grand Cayman ground iguana, Grand Cayman blue iguana or Cayman Island rock iguana

Grand Cayman Blue Iguana.jpg

Cyclura lewisi [10]
(C. Grant, 1940)
Grand CaymanSize:

Habitat:

Diet:
 EN 


Cuban iguana

Iguana at the Iguanas island near Cayo Largo shot 01.jpg

Cyclura nubila [8]
(Gray, 1831)

Two subspecies
Cuba; introduced to Isla Magueyes, Puerto RicoSize:

Habitat:

Diet:
 VU 


Anegada ground iguana

Cyclura pinguis2.jpg

Cyclura pinguis [8]
Barbour, 1917
Anegada and Guana Island in the Virgin Islands; formerly Puerto Rico and Saint ThomasSize:

Habitat:

Diet:
 CR 


Ricord's iguana

Cabritos 2011 12 13Feb 221 cropped.jpg

Cyclura ricordii [8]
(Duméril & Bibron, 1837)
Hispaniola and surrounding islandsSize:

Habitat:

Diet:
 EN 


San Salvador iguana

Cyclura rileyi rileyi Green Cay c W K Hayes 2004.JPG

Cyclura rileyi [8]
Stejneger, 1903

Three subspecies
the BahamasSize:

Habitat:

Diet:
 CR 


Mona Island iguana [8]

Mona Ground Iguana Iguana de Mona (5840463474).jpg

Cyclura stejnegeri
Barbour & Noble, 1916
Mona Island, Puerto RicoSize:

Habitat:

Diet:
 CR 


Habitat

Rock iguanas most often inhabit subtropical zones, of Caribbean island dry forest biomes. These landscapes are characterised by rocky outcrops, rugged cliffs, hills, weather-eroded limestone features and moderate to sparse vegetation; they live in many types of environments, from moderately dry acacia forest, to much hotter mesquite and dry cactus landscapes. The reptiles enjoy sunning themselves on exposed rock faces, since they are naturally cold-blooded animals, and therefore must regulate their internal temperature. Caribbean islands are often made up of heavily weathered limestone, which ultimately forms natural caves for animals to take shelter in. [11]

Diet and longevity

Acklin's Island iguana basking on a rock Cyclura rileyi nuchalis Exumas 1997 c W K Hayes.jpg
Acklin's Island iguana basking on a rock

All rock iguanas are herbivorous, consuming leaves, flowers, berries, and fruits from different plant species. Their diet is very rarely supplemented with insect larvae, crabs, slugs, dead birds, and fungi; individual animals do appear to be opportunistic carnivores. [3] [12]

A study in 2000 by Allison Alberts revealed that seeds passing through the digestive tracts of C. nubila nubila rock iguanas germinate more rapidly than those that do not. These seeds in the fruits consumed by this species have an adaptive advantage by sprouting before the end of very short rainy seasons. She theorised these iguanas may be an important means of distributing such seeds to new areas. [13]

The record for the longest lived captive-born rock iguana is held by a Lesser Caymans iguana, which lived for 33 years in captivity. [14]

A blue iguana captured on Grand Cayman in 1950 by naturalist Ira Thompson was imported to the United States in 1985 by Ramon Noegel and sold to reptile importer and breeder, Tom Crutchfield. Crutchfield loaned this iguana to the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, Texas in 1997. The lizard was named Godzilla by the zoo staff and was kept until his death in 2004. Thompson estimated the iguana to be 15 years of age at the time of its capture. This lizard may have been the word's longest-living recorded lizard at 69 years of age, having spent 54 years in captivity. [15]

Reproduction

All species of Cyclura are sexually dimorphic; males are larger than females, and have more prominent dorsal crests as well as larger femoral pores on their thighs, which are used to release pheromones. [16] [17]

The particulars vary slightly among species and subspecies, the rock iguanas reach sexual maturity at three to seven years of age. Females become sexually mature at two to five years of age. Males can be highly territorial with the notable exception of the Exuma Island iguana. Mating takes place at the beginning of or just prior to the first rainy season of the year (May to June) and lasts for two to three weeks. Females lay from 2 to 34 eggs, with an average clutch size of 17 within 40 days. Females of most species guard their nests for several days after laying their eggs, and incubation lasts approximately 85 days. It has been noted that Cyclura eggs are among the largest lizard eggs produced in the world. [16]

Conservation

In 1996 nine of these taxa were assessed as critically endangered, four taxa are endangered and three species have been identified as vulnerable; one subspecies is believed to be extinct. In addition to small numbers typical of endemic island-dwelling animals, wild populations of these lizards are directly and indirectly impacted by land development, overgrazing by domestic and feral livestock and predation by introduced mammals such as hogs, cats, rats, dogs, and mongooses. [2]

In 1990, the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA) designated the genus Cyclura as their highest priority. Their first project was a captive breeding program for the Grand Cayman iguana, which at the time was the most critically endangered of all the species of Cyclura. [18]

The Indianapolis Zoo was involved in research and conservation of all sixteen taxa of West Indian iguanas. This includes collaborative work on establishing baseline biological information in captive and wild iguanas, scientific investigation, conservation efforts, field research and captive breeding programs. [18]

Grand Cayman blue iguana, Cyclura lewisi Grand Cayman Blue Iguana.jpg
Grand Cayman blue iguana, Cyclura lewisi

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turks and Caicos rock iguana</span> Species of lizard

The Turks and Caicos rock iguana is a species of lizard endemic to the Turks and Caicos islands. This small iguana can reach 30 in (76 cm) and becomes mature at seven years and may live for twenty. A single clutch of up to nine eggs is laid each year, and these take three months to hatch. This iguana is mostly herbivorous, but supplements this by adding some animal matter to its diet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue iguana</span> Species of reptile

The blue iguana, also known as the Grand Cayman ground iguana, Grand Cayman blue iguana or Cayman Island rock iguana, is an endangered species of lizard which is endemic to the island of Grand Cayman. It was previously considered to be a subspecies of the Cuban iguana, Cyclura nubila, but in a 2004 article Frederic J. Burton reclassified it as a separate species because according to him the genetic differences discovered four years earlier between the different C. nubila populations warranted this interpretation. The blue iguana is one of the longest-living species of lizard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mona ground iguana</span> Species of Cyclura closely related to the rhinoceros iguana

The Mona ground iguana is a critically endangered species of rock iguana, endemic to Mona Island, Puerto Rico. It is one of the island nation's few large land animals, and it is the largest endemic terrestrial lizard in the country, and one of the biggest rock iguanas within the Antilles. It was previously considered a subspecies of the rhinoceros iguana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamaican iguana</span> Species of lizard

The Jamaican iguana, also known commonly as Colley's iguana, is a large species of lizard in the family Iguanidae. The species is endemic to Jamaica. It is critically endangered, even considered extinct between 1948 and 1990. Once found throughout Jamaica and on the offshore islets Great Goat Island and Little Goat Island, it is now confined to the forests of the Hellshire Hills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhinoceros iguana</span> Species of iguana endemic to the Caribbean

The rhinoceros iguana is an endangered species of iguana that is endemic to the Caribbean island of Hispaniola and its surrounding islands. A large lizard, they vary in length from 60 to 136 centimetres, and skin colours range from a steely grey to a dark green and even brown. Their name derives from the bony-plated pseudo-horn or outgrowth which resembles the horn of a rhinoceros on the iguana's snout. It is known to coexist with the Ricord's iguana ; the two species are the only taxa of rock iguana to do so.

<i>Ctenosaura bakeri</i> Species of lizard

Ctenosaura bakeri, also known as the Utila spiny-tailed iguana, Baker's spinytail iguana, swamper or wishiwilly del suampo, is a critically endangered species of spinytail iguana endemic to the island of Utila, one of the Islas de la Bahía off the coast of Honduras in the Caribbean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Bahamian rock iguana</span> Species of lizard

The northern Bahamian rock iguana is a species of lizard of the genus Cyclura that is found on Andros Island and the Exuma islands in the Bahamas. Its status on the IUCN Red List is vulnerable, with a wild population of less than 5,000 animals.

<i>Cyclura nubila</i> Species of reptile

The Cuban rock iguana, also known as the Cuban ground iguana or Cuban iguana, is a species of lizard of the iguana family. It is the second largest of the West Indian rock iguanas, one of the most endangered groups of lizards. A herbivorous species with a thick tail and spiked jowls, it is one of the largest lizards in the Caribbean.

<i>Cyclura ricordii</i> Species of iguana endemic to Hispaniola

Cyclura ricordii, also known as Ricord's ground iguana or Ricord's rock iguana, is an endangered species of medium-sized rock iguana, a large herbivorous lizard. It is endemic to the island of Hispaniola. It is known to coexist with the nominate subspecies of the rhinoceros iguana ; the two species are the only taxa of rock iguana to do so. The natural habitats of its three subpopulations are hot, dry, wooded savanna on limestone with access to soil and sandy flats in southern Hispaniola. It is threatened by predation by introduced predators and habitat loss, due to overgrazing and charcoal manufacture.

<i>Cyclura rileyi nuchalis</i> Subspecies of lizard

The Acklins ground iguana, also commonly known as the Watling Island iguana, is an endangered subspecies of lizard of the genus Cyclura it is one of three subspecific forms of Cyclura rileyi in the family Iguanidae.

<i>Cyclura rileyi</i> Species of lizard

Cyclura rileyi, commonly known as the Bahamian rock iguana or the San Salvador rock iguana, is a critically endangered species of lizard in the family Iguanidae. The species is native to three island groups in the Bahamas, and is in decline due to habitat encroachment by human development and predation by feral dogs and cats. There are three subspecies: the Acklins ground iguana, the White Cay iguana, and the nominotypical subspecies.

The Andros Island iguana or Andros iguana is an endangered subspecies of Northern Bahamian rock iguana of the genus Cyclura that is found on Andros Island on the western edge of Grand Bahama. Its status is Endangered, with a wild population of 3,500 animals, and it can be found on the IUCN Red List.

Cyclura cornuta onchiopsis, the Navassa Island iguana, was a subspecies of rhinoceros iguana that was found on the Caribbean island of Navassa.

Cyclura carinata bartschi, commonly known as Bartsch's iguana or the Booby Cay iguana, is a subspecies of lizard in the family Iguanidae. The subspecies is endemic to a single cay, Booby Cay, in The Bahamas.

<i>Cyclura nubila caymanensis</i> Subspecies of lizard

Cyclura nubila caymanensis, the Lesser Caymans iguana, Cayman Brac iguana, Cayman Island brown iguana or Sister Isles iguana, is a critically endangered subspecies of the Cuban iguana. It is native to two islands to the south of Cuba: Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, which are also known as the Sister Isles due to their similar shapes and close proximity to each other. The population of this subspecies has been impacted by habitat encroachment by human development and is likely being destroyed due to predation by cats, the population on Cayman Brac has remained particularly small for decades.

<i>Cyclura cychlura inornata</i> Subspecies of lizard

Cyclura cychlura inornata, the Allen Cays rock iguana or Allen Cays iguana, is a subspecies of the northern Bahamian rock iguana that is found on Allen's Cay and adjacent islands in the Bahamas. Its status in the IUCN Red List is critically endangered. The population has been growing over the last century. Although it was considered extinct in 1916, there are as of 2018 at least 482 mature adult animals counted on two islands, Leaf Cay and U Cay, and a few hundred on at least five other nearby islands where they have recently spread to by unknown means, as well as many juveniles.

<i>Cyclura cychlura figginsi</i> Subspecies of lizard

Cyclura cychlura figginsi, known by the common name of guana and sometimes called the Exuma Island iguana in the international literature, is a subspecies of the northern rock iguana, C. cychlura, that is found on the Exuma island chain in the Bahamas with an estimated wild population of 1,300 animals in 2004, it has been listed on the IUCN Red List as critically endangered.

<i>Cyclura rileyi cristata</i> Subspecies of lizard

Cyclura rileyi cristata, the White Cay iguana or Sandy Cay rock iguana, is a critically endangered subspecies of lizard of the genus Cyclura native to a single cay in the Bahamas: White Cay located in the Southern Exumas.

<i>Cyclura pinguis</i> Species of reptile

Cyclura pinguis, the Anegada rock iguana, Anegada ground iguana or stout iguana, is a critically endangered species of lizard of the genus Cyclura belonging to the family Iguanidae. The species can be found exclusively in the islands of Anegada and Guana. Historically, it inhabited the islands of Puerto Rico and Saint Thomas; however, the animal's original range has been greatly diminished over prehistory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green iguana</span> Species of reptile

The green iguana, also known as the American iguana or the common green iguana, is a large, arboreal, mostly herbivorous species of lizard of the genus Iguana. Usually, this animal is simply called the iguana. The green iguana ranges over a large geographic area; it is native from southern Brazil and Paraguay as far north as Mexico.

References

  1. Dayhuff, Becky (2006-02-01), "Rock Iguanas of the Caribbean", All at Sea Magazine[ permanent dead link ]
  2. 1 2 3 Malone, Catherine; Davis, Scott (2004), "Genetic Contributions to Caribbean Iguana Conservation", Iguanas: Biology and Conservation, University of California Press, pp. 45–57, ISBN   978-0-520-23854-1
  3. 1 2 Blair, David (1991), "WEST INDIAN IGUANAS OF THE GENUS Cyclura Their Current Status in the Wild, Conservation Priorities and Efforts to Breed Them in Captivity" (PDF), Northern California Herpetological Society Special Publication, vol. SE, no. 6, pp. 55–56, archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-04-11
  4. Harlan, Richard (1825). "Description of two Species of Linnæan Lacerta, not before described, and construction of the new genus Cyclura". Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. Series 1. 4 (2): 242–251. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  5. Schwartz, A.; Carey, M. (1977). "Systematics and evolution in the West Indian iguanid genus Cyclura" (PDF). Studies on the Fauna of Curaçao and Other Caribbean Islands. 53 (173): 15–97.
  6. "Cyclura: Harlan, 1825", Integrated Taxonomic Information System, 2001, retrieved 2007-10-07
  7. "Cyclura stejnegeri". The Reptile Database. Retrieved 2021-07-06.
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  9. Cyclura cychlura, The Reptile Database
  10. Burton, Frederic (2004), "Taxonomic Status of the Grand Cayman Blue Iguana" (PDF), Caribbean Journal of Science, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 198–203, archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-10-25, retrieved 2007-09-16
  11. Knapp, Charles R.; Hudson, Richard D. (2004), "Translocation Strategies as a Conservation Tool for West Indian Iguanas", Iguanas: Biology and Conservation, University of California Press, pp. 199–209, ISBN   978-0-520-23854-1
  12. Alberts, Allison (9 December 2004). The Grand Cayman Blue Iguana – Species Recovery Plan 2001–2006 (PDF). Grand Cayman: Blue Iguana Recovery Program. p. 29. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 June 2016. Retrieved 2007-09-08.
  13. Alberts, Allison; Lemm, Jeffrey; Grant, Tandora; Jackintell, Lori (2004), "Testing the Utility of Headstarting as a Conservation Strategy for West Indian Iguanas", Iguanas: Biology and Conservation, University of California Press, p. 210, ISBN   978-0-520-23854-1
  14. Iverson, John; Smith, Geoffrey; Pieper, Lynne (2004), "Factors Affecting Long-Term Growth of the Allen Cays Rock Iguana in the Bahamas", Iguanas: Biology and Conservation, University of California Press, p. 184, ISBN   978-0-520-23854-1
  15. Adams, Colette (May 26, 2004), "Obituary" (PDF), Iguana Specialist Group Newsletter, 7 (1): 2, archived from the original (PDF) on August 12, 2007, retrieved October 5, 2007
  16. 1 2 De Vosjoli, Phillipe; David Blair (1992), The Green Iguana Manual , Escondido, California: Advanced Vivarium Systems, ISBN   1-882770-18-8
  17. Martins, Emilia P.; Lacy, Kathryn (2004), "Behavior and Ecology of Rock Iguanas,I: Evidence for an Appeasement Display", Iguanas: Biology and Conservation, University of California Press, pp. 98–108, ISBN   978-0-520-23854-1
  18. 1 2 Hudson, Richard D.; Alberts, Allison C. (2004), "The Role of Zoos in the Conservation of West Indian Iguanas", Iguanas: Biology and Conservation, University of California Press, pp. 274–289, ISBN   978-0-520-23854-1