| Leiocephalus jamaicensis | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Iguania |
| Family: | Leiocephalidae |
| Genus: | Leiocephalus |
| Species: | †L. jamaicensis |
| Binomial name | |
| †Leiocephalus jamaicensis Etheridge, 1966 | |
Leiocephalus jamaicensis, commonly known as the Jamaican curlytail, is an extinct species of lizard in the family Leiocephalidae (curly-tailed lizard). [1] It was native to Jamaica. [2]
L. jamaicensis was a large lizard species that could grow up to 130 mm in snout-vent length.
Fossil evidence suggests there may have been two distinct variants of this species, as shown by different frontal bone structures: one specimen found in Portland Cave had a wide posterior with well-developed rugosities, while another from Montego Bay Airport Cave was narrow and smooth.
Known only from fossilized remains found in Jamaica. The fossils have been discovered at several locations across the island, including:
This species was part of a broader distribution of Leiocephalus lizards throughout the West Indies, with fossil evidence showing that the genus once ranged across all main islands of the Greater Antilles and likely most of the Lesser Antilles as far south as Martinique. [3]
The species was widespread throughout central and western Jamaica and may have persisted into historical times. The most recent fossils from Marta Tick Cave were dated to approximately 770 ± 70 years before present. This timing, along with other Leiocephalus species that became extinct around European settlement, provides insights into relatively recent ecological changes in the Caribbean. [3]
The Iguanidae is a family of lizards composed of the iguanas, chuckwallas, and their prehistoric relatives, including the widespread green iguana.
The genus Brachylophus consists of four extant iguanid species native to the islands of Fiji and a giant extinct species from Tonga in the South West Pacific. One of the extant species, B. fasciatus, is also present on Tonga, where it has apparently been introduced by humans.
Leiocephalidae, also known as the curlytail lizards or curly-tailed lizards, is a family of iguanian lizards restricted to the West Indies. One of the defining features of these lizards is that their tail often curls over. They were previously regarded as members of the subfamily Leiocephalinae within the family Tropiduridae. There are presently 30 known species, all in the genus Leiocephalus.
Montego Bay is the capital of the parish of St. James in Jamaica. The city is the fourth most populous urban area in the country, after Kingston, Spanish Town, and Portmore, all of which form the Greater Kingston Metropolitan Area, home to over half a million people. As a result, Montego Bay is the second-largest anglophone city in the Caribbean, after Kingston.
Portland, with its capital town Port Antonio, is a parish located on Jamaica's northeast coast. It is situated to the north of St Thomas and to the east of St Mary in Surrey County. It is one of the rural areas of Jamaica, containing part of the Blue Mountains, where the Jamaican Maroon communities of Moore Town and Charles Town are located.
St. James is a suburban parish, located on the north-west end of the island of Jamaica in the county of Cornwall. Its capital is Montego Bay. Montego Bay was officially named the second city of Jamaica, behind Kingston, in 1981, although Montego Bay became a city in 1980 through an act of the Jamaican Parliament. The parish is the birthplace of the Right Excellent Samuel Sharpe, one of Jamaica's seven National Heroes.
The Jamaican, common, or Mexican fruit bat is a frugivorous bat species native to the Neotropics.
Iguania is an infraorder of squamate reptiles that includes iguanas, chameleons, agamids, and New World lizards like anoles and phrynosomatids. Using morphological features as a guide to evolutionary relationships, the Iguania are believed to form the sister group to the remainder of the Squamata, which comprise nearly 11,000 named species, roughly 2000 of which are iguanians. However, molecular information has placed Iguania well within the Squamata as sister taxa to the Anguimorpha and closely related to snakes. The order has been under debate and revisions after being classified by Charles Lewis Camp in 1923 due to difficulties finding adequate synapomorphic morphological characteristics. Most iguanians are arboreal but there are several terrestrial groups. They usually have primitive fleshy, non-prehensile tongues, although the tongue is highly modified in chameleons. Today they are scattered occurring in Madagascar, the Fiji and Friendly Islands and Western Hemisphere.
The family Natalidae, or funnel-eared bats, are found from Mexico to Brazil and the Caribbean islands. The family has three genera, Chilonatalus, Natalus and Nyctiellus. They are slender bats with unusually long tails and, as their name suggests, funnel-shaped ears. They are small, at only 3.5 to 5.5 cm in length, with brown, grey, or reddish fur. Like many other bats, they are insectivorous, and roost in caves.
The fauna of Puerto Rico is similar to other island archipelago faunas, with high endemism, and low, skewed taxonomic diversity. Bats are the only extant native terrestrial mammals in Puerto Rico. All other terrestrial mammals in the area were introduced by humans, and include species such as cats, goats, sheep, the small Indian mongoose, and escaped monkeys. Marine mammals include dolphins, manatees, and whales. Of the 349 bird species, about 120 breed in the archipelago, and 47.5% are accidental or rare.
The Jamaican dry forests is a tropical dry forest ecoregion located in southern Jamaica.
The Antillean fruit-eating bat is one of two leaf-nosed bat species belonging to the genus Brachyphylla. The species occurs in the Caribbean from Puerto Rico to St. Vincent and Barbados. Fossil specimens have also been recorded from New Providence, Bahamas.
The following is an alphabetical list of topics related to the nation of Jamaica.
Leiocephalus etheridgei, commonly known as the Morovis curlytail, is an extinct species of lizard in the family Leiocephalidae. The species was native to Puerto Rico.
Leiocephalus roquetus, also known as the curlytail roquet or La Désirade curlytail lizard, is an extinct species of lizard in the family of curly-tailed lizard (Leiocephalidae). It was endemic to Guadeloupe.
Leiocephalus apertosulcus, also known as the Banica giant curlytail lizard is an extinct species of Curly-tailed lizard from Hispaniola. This species stands out within the genus Leiocephalus for its unique skeletal characteristics and large size.
Leiocephalus anonymus, also known as the Atalaye giant curlytail lizard, is an extinct species of curly-tailed lizard discovered in cave deposits of northwestern Haiti. The species is notable for its large size among curly-tailed lizards and its unique combination of ancestral and derived skeletal features. Its fossils remained unstudied for over 50 years before their formal description in 1984.