Guarocuyus

Jaragua forest lizard
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Anguimorpha
Family:	Diploglossidae
Subfamily:	Celestinae
Genus:	Guarocuyus Landestoy, Schools, & Hedges, 2022
Species:	G. jaraguanus
Binomial name
Guarocuyus jaraguanus Landestoy, Schools, & Hedges, 2022

The Jaragua forest lizard (Guarocuyus jaraguanus) is a species of lizard of the family Diploglossidae endemic to the Dominican Republic on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola.

Taxonomy

It is the only member of the genus Guarocuyus. ^[1] It was named in honor of the Taíno cacique Enriquillo, whose indigenous name is thought to have been "Guarocuya". ^[2] Being both a monotypic genus and species restricted to a single island and described only in 2022, G. jaraguanus is unique among recently-described reptiles. It is the sister group to the clade containing the genera Celestus , Comptus , and Panolopus (the latter two of which were previously considered synonymous with Celestus until 2021).

Description

It is unique among celestines due to its nocturnal, arboreal habits with a semi-prehensile tail and webbed toes. ^[3]

Distribution and habitat

It is found in the Dominican Republic, where it is known only from two small, adjacent keys in the Laguna de Oviedo, a lagoon in Jaragua National Park. ^[3]

References

1. "Guarocuyus jaraguanus". The Reptile Database. Retrieved 2022-08-02.
2. "Descubren nueva especie y género de lagarto en Parque Nacional Jaragua". Diario Libre (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-02-05.
3. T, Miguel a. Landestoy; Schools, Molly; Hedges, S. Blair (2022-12-09). "A new genus and species of Caribbean forest lizard (Diploglossidae; Celestinae) from southern Hispaniola" . Zootaxa. 5219 (3): 201–226. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.5219.3.1. ISSN   1175-5334. S2CID   254477704.