Leiocephalus psammodromus

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Leiocephalus psammodromus
Leiocephalus psammodromus 188835182.jpg
Leiocephalus psammodromus 189402506.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Iguania
Family: Leiocephalidae
Genus: Leiocephalus
Species:
L. psammodromus
Binomial name
Leiocephalus psammodromus
Barbour, 1920

Leiocephalus psammodromus, commonly known as the Turks & Caicos curlytail and the Bastion Cay curlytail lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Leiocephalidae (curly-tailed lizards). [2] The species is native to the Turks and Caicos Islands in the Caribbean Sea. [3]

Contents

Taxonomy

Leiocephalus psammodromus was first formally described as Leiocephalus arenarius in 1916 by the American herpetologist Thomas Barbour with its type locality given as Bastion Cay in the Turks Islands. [4] However, as the specific name arenarius was thought to be preoccuppied by Steironotus arenarius , [5] a species now classified in a different family, so in 1920 Barbour proposed the new name psammodromus. [2] This species is classified in the genus Leiocephalus which is the only genus in the monotypic family Leiocephalidae, the curly-tailed lizards. [6]

Description

Leiocephalus psammodromus is a smaller species of curly-tailed lizard with less well-developed keels on its dorsal scales. The overall color is pale, sandy gray marked with irregular black bars and spots, the underside is grayish white witha scattering of dark spots on the throat. [4]

Distribution and habitat

Leiocephalus psammodromus is endemic to the Turks and Caicos Islands, and has been recorded on all of the islands, although it may have been extirpated from some (see below). The Turks and Caicos curly-tailed lizard is found in xeric areas, in coastal scrub and open areas, often in leaf litter. Its an omnivore which feeds on fruit and other lizards, even scavenging the carcasses of conspecifics. [1]

Conservation status

Leiocephalus psammodromus was assessed as vulnerable by the IUCN in 2015 due to a sharply declining population threatened by habitat loss and invasive species. [1] 2008 surveys on South Caicos, Salt Cay, Cotton Cay, or Grand Turk, did not report any individual of this species, as a result it is considered potentially extinct on these islands. [7]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Reynolds, R. (2016). "Leiocephalus psammodromus ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T75316425A115483438.
  2. 1 2 Leiocephalus psammodromus at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database . Accessed 23 August 2021.
  3. ↑ Henderson, R.W.; Powell, R. (2009). Natural History of West Indian Reptiles and Amphibians. Gainesville, Florida, USA: University Press of Florida.
  4. 1 2 Barbour, Thomas (1916). "Additional notes on West Indian reptiles and amphibians". Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 29. Biological Society of Washington: 215--220.
  5. ↑ Carvalho, André Luiz (2021). "Resolving the Obscure Identity of Steironotus arenarius Tschudi, 1845 and Tropidurus tschudii Roux, 1907 (Squamata: Tropiduridae)". South American Journal of Herpetology. 19. doi:10.2994/SAJH-D-19-00094.1.
  6. ↑ "Leiocephalidae". DahmsTierleben.de. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
  7. ↑ Buckner, S.D.; Franz, Richard; Reynolds, R.G. (2012). "Bahama Islands and Turks & Caicos Islands". In Powell, R.; Henderson, R.W. (eds.). Island Lists of West Indian Amphibians and Reptiles. Bulletin of the Florida Museum of Natural History. Vol. 51. pp. 85–166.
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