Lesser Antillean iguana

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Lesser Antillean iguana
Iguana delicatissima in Coulibistrie e04.jpg
A Lesser Antillean iguana in Coulibistrie, Dominica
CITES Appendix II (CITES) [2]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Iguania
Family: Iguanidae
Genus: Iguana
Species:
I. delicatissima
Binomial name
Iguana delicatissima
Laurenti, 1768
Iguana delicatissima distribution.png

The Lesser Antillean iguana (Iguana delicatissima) is a large arboreal lizard endemic to the Lesser Antilles. It is one of three species of lizard of the genus Iguana and is in severe decline due to habitat destruction, introduced feral predators, hunting, and hybridization with its introduced sister species, the green iguana (Iguana iguana). Successful captive breeding of this species has been limited to only two instances, as most captive-laid eggs tend to be infertile.

Contents

Other common names for it are Lesser Antillean green iguana or West Indian iguana.

Etymology and taxonomy

The generic name iguana is derived from iwana, a Spanish form of the Taino name for the species. [3] Its specific name delicatissima is Latin for "delicate". The species was first officially described by Austrian naturalist Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti in 1768. [4]

Anatomy and morphology

A juvenile Lesser Antillean iguana near the Coulibistrie River, Dominica Iguana delicatissima near Coulibistrie River b01.jpg
A juvenile Lesser Antillean iguana near the Coulibistrie River, Dominica

The Lesser Antilles iguana has a more blocky, shortened face than the green iguana and lacks the distinctive stripe pattern present along the green iguana's tail. The feature that most easily distinguishes these two species is the large, round scale that the green iguana has below each ear hole but which the Lesser Antillean iguana lacks.

The Lesser Antillean iguana varies in color between different island populations, but the base color tends to be gray, with green splotching on the underside. [5] They have large pale, ivory colored scales on their heads. The jowls of males are pink and the scales around the eyes are blue. [5] Males also have femoral pores along each inner thigh that exude pheromones during breeding season. Males are larger than females and are 40 cm (15.5 in) long, with an 80 cm (31.5 in) tail when full-grown. Females are two-thirds this size.

Habitat and distribution

The Lesser Antillean iguana is found in scrub woodlands, rainforests, and mangroves throughout the Lesser Antilles on Saint Barth, Anguilla, St. Eustatius, Guadeloupe, Dominica, and Martinique. [1] Since European settlement the species has disappeared from Sint Maarten, Saint Kitts, Nevis, Barbuda, Antigua, Marie Galante, and Îles des Saintes. [1]

Ecology

Lesser Antillean iguanas are primarily herbivores, feeding on leaves, flowers, fruit, and growing shoots of upwards of 100 different species of plant. [5]

Conservation

A Lesser Antillean iguana in Dominica Iguana delicatissima.jpg
A Lesser Antillean iguana in Dominica

The Lesser Antillean iguana is a critically endangered species and is found on the IUCN Red List. [1] The Lesser Antillean iguana is legally protected from hunting throughout its range, but enforcement of these regulations is extremely difficult and therefore limited. Other threats include habitat loss to agriculture and development and the introduction of feral predators such as dogs, cats, and mongooses. [1]

The species' greatest threat is from its own relative. The green iguana has been introduced to the Lesser Antilles as an invasive species and directly competes with the Lesser Antillean iguana for food and resources. [6] In addition, the green iguana has been interbreeding with the Lesser Antillean iguana and this hybridization has been the number one reason for the latter species' decline on numerous islands (Basse Terre and Grande Terre (Guadeloupe), St. Barthélemy, Martinique) or complete disappearance (e.g., Les Iles des Saintes). [1] Also on St. Eustatius hybridization has been observed. [7] After a group of green iguanas washed ashore after hurricane Luis in 1995 on the island of Anguilla, [8] the endemic Lesser Antillean iguana population was gone within twenty years. [9] Recently, non-native iguanas also arrived on Dominica, the last major stronghold of the species. These iguanas were translocated together with hurricane-aid supplies during the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in 2017. [10]

Captive Lesser Antillean iguanas are currently kept at the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, the Chester Zoo, the Memphis Zoo, and the San Diego Zoo's Center for Reproduction of Endangered Species. All individuals originate from the Commonwealth of Dominica. Breeding and keeping the species in captivity is difficult. Mating and egg laying have occurred at each institution, but most of the eggs have been infertile; however, a single individual was successfully hatched at the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust in 1997 and in 2000 eight iguanas were hatched. Following on from this success, 11 iguanas hatched at Durrell in 2016 and they will be sent to zoos across Europe in an effort to promote and support the urgent conservation work for this species. [1] In 2018 four captured iguanas from Sint Eustatius were sent to Blijdorp zoo in Rotterdam, The Netherlands for a breeding programme.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antilles</span> Archipelago bordering the north and east of the Caribbean Sea

The Antilles is an archipelago bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the south and west, the Gulf of Mexico to the northwest, and the Atlantic Ocean to the north and east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Introduced species</span> Species introduced by human activity

An introduced species, alien species, exotic species, adventive species, immigrant species, foreign species, non-indigenous species, or non-native species is a species living outside its native distributional range, but which has arrived there by human activity, directly or indirectly, and either deliberately or accidentally. Non-native species can have various effects on the local ecosystem. Introduced species that become established and spread beyond the place of introduction are considered naturalized. The process of human-caused introduction is distinguished from biological colonization, in which species spread to new areas through "natural" (non-human) means such as storms and rafting. The Latin expression neobiota captures the characteristic that these species are new biota to their environment in terms of established biological network relationships. Neobiota can further be divided into neozoa and neophyta (plants).

<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">Antillean crested hummingbird</span> Species of bird

The Antillean crested hummingbird is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. Found across Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Montserrat, north-east Puerto Rico, Saba, Saint-Barthélemy, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sint Eustatius, the British Virgin Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Lesser Antilles, while it has also been recorded as a vagrant in Florida, USA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Lucia amazon</span> Species of bird

The Saint Lucia amazon, also known as the St. Lucia amazon and St. Lucia parrot, is a Vulnerable species of bird in subfamily Arinae of the family Psittacidae, the African and New World parrots. It is endemic to Saint Lucia in the Lesser Antilles and is the country's national bird.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Insular single leaf bat</span> Species of bat

The insular single leaf bat or Lesser Antillean long-tongued bat is a species of bat in the family Phyllostomidae. It is found on the Lesser Antilles, on Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Montserrat, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

<i>Cyclura</i> Genus of lizards

Cyclura is a genus of lizards in the family Iguanidae. Member species of this genus are commonly known as "cycluras" and only occur on islands in the West Indies. Rock iguanas have a high degree of endemism, with a single species or subspecies originating on an individual island.

<i>Iguana</i> Reptile genus of herbivorous lizards

Iguana is a genus of herbivorous lizards that are native to tropical areas of Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. The genus was first described in 1768 by Austrian naturalist Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti in his book Specimen Medicum, Exhibens Synopsin Reptilium Emendatam cum Experimentis circa Venena. Two species are placed in the genus, the green iguana, which is widespread throughout its range and a popular pet, and the Lesser Antillean iguana, which is native to the Lesser Antilles. Genetic analysis indicates that the green iguana may comprise a complex of multiple species, some of which have been recently described, but the Reptile Database considers all of these as subspecies of the green iguana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dominican ground lizard</span> Species of lizard

The Dominican ground lizard or Dominican ameiva is a species of lizard. It is endemic to the Caribbean island of Dominica, an island noted for its intact and abundant reptile population, where it is most commonly found in dry coastal woodland.

The Sombrero ameiva is a lizard species in the genus Ameiva. It is endemic to Sombrero, a small, uninhabited island in the Lesser Antilles under the jurisdiction of Anguilla.

Censky's ameiva, also known as the Little Scrub Island ground lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Teiidae. It is indigenous to the Caribbean.

<i>Pholidoscelis plei</i> Species of lizard

Pholidoscelis plei, known commonly as the Anguilla Bank ameiva or the Caribbean ameiva, is a species of lizard in the family Teiidae. The species is found on the Caribbean islands of Anguilla, Saint Martin, and Saint Barthélemy in the Lesser Antilles. Its coloration and markings vary between each island population. Two subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies.

<i>Gymnophthalmus underwoodi</i> Species of lizard

Gymnophthalmus underwoodi, called commonly Underwood's spectacled tegu, is a species of microteiid lizard, which is found in South America and on certain Caribbean islands.

<i>Anolis gingivinus</i> Species of reptile

Anolis gingivinus, also known as the Anguilla Bank tree anole, Anguilla bank anole, and Anguilla anole, is a species of anole lizard that is endemic to the Caribbean Lesser Antilles islands of Anguilla and its satellites, such as Saint Martin, and Saint Barthélemy.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Île Frégate</span>

Île Frégate is a small, uninhabited island in the Caribbean Sea located off the north coast of Saint Barthélemy, an overseas collectivity of France. Île Frégate is situated within the Nature Reserve of Saint Bartholomew, which was established in 1996 with the objective of conserving coral reefs, sea grass beds and marine life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">La Désirade National Nature Reserve</span>

La Désirade National Nature Reserve is a reserve in Désirade Island in Guadeloupe. Established under the Ministerial Decree No. 2011-853 of 19 July 2011 for its special geological features it has an area of 62 ha. The reserve represents the geological heritage of the Caribbean tectonic plate, with a wide spectrum of rock formations, the outcrops of volcanic activity being remnants of the sea level oscillations. It is one of thirty three geosites of Guadeloupe.

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

The Saban black iguana is a subspecies of the green iguana thought to be endemic to the islands of Saba and Montserrat, although external evidence indicates that it may be distributed in other parts of the Caribbean. It was described in 2020 as a distinct species, although the Reptile Database classifies it as a subspecies of the common green iguana.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 van den Burg, M.P.; Breuil, M.; Knapp, C. (2018). "Iguana delicatissima". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2018: e.T10800A122936983. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-1.RLTS.T10800A122936983.en . Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  2. "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
  3. Coles, William (2002), "Green Iguana" (PDF), U.S.V.I. Animal Fact Sheet #08, Department of Planning and Natural Resources US Virgin Islands Division of Fish and Wildlife, archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-12-11
  4. Hollingsworth, Bradford D. (2004), "The Evolution of Iguanas an Overview and a Checklist of Species", Iguanas: Biology and Conservation, University of California Press, pp. 40–41, ISBN   978-0-520-23854-1
  5. 1 2 3 Lazell, J.D. (1973), "The lizard genus Iguana in the Lesser Antilles", Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, New York, vol. 145, pp. 1–28
  6. Knapp, Charles R.; Grant, Tandora D.; Pasachnik, Stesha A.; Angin, Baptiste; Boman, Erik; Brisbane, Jeanelle; Buckner, Sandra D.; Haakonsson, Jane E.; Harlow, Peter S.; Mukhida, Farah; Thomas‐Moko, Nunia; Burg, Matthijs P.; Wasilewski, Joseph A. (6 November 2020). "The global need to address threats from invasive alien iguanas". Animal Conservation. 24 (5): 717–719. doi: 10.1111/acv.12660 . eISSN   1469-1795. ISSN   1367-9430.
  7. van den Burg, Matthijs P; Meirmans, Patrick G; van Wagensveld, Timothy P; Kluskens, Bart; Madden, Hannah; Welch, Mark E; Breeuwer, Johannes A J (19 February 2018). "The Lesser Antillean Iguana (Iguana delicatissima) on St. Eustatius: Genetically Depauperate and Threatened by Ongoing Hybridization". Journal of Heredity. 109 (4): 426–437. doi: 10.1093/jhered/esy008 . eISSN   1465-7333. ISSN   0022-1503. PMID   29471487.
  8. Censky, Ellen J.; Hodge, Karim; Dudley, Judy (October 1998). "Over-water dispersal of lizards due to hurricanes". Nature. 395 (6702): 556–556. doi: 10.1038/26886 . eISSN   1476-4687. ISSN   0028-0836.
  9. Pounder, Kieran C.; Mukhida, F.; Brown, R. P.; Carter, D.; Daltry, J. C.; Fleming, T.; Goetz, M.; Halsey, L. G.; Hughes, G.; Questel, K.; Saccheri, I. J.; Williams, R.; Soanes, L. M. (22 February 2020). "Testing for hybridisation of the Critically Endangered Iguana delicatissima on Anguilla to inform conservation efforts". Conservation Genetics. 21 (3): 405–420. doi: 10.1007/s10592-020-01258-6 . eISSN   1572-9737. ISSN   1566-0621.
  10. van den Burg, Matthijs P.; Brisbane, Jeanelle L. K.; Knapp, Charles R. (14 October 2019). "Post-hurricane relief facilitates invasion and establishment of two invasive alien vertebrate species in the Commonwealth of Dominica, West Indies". Biological Invasions. 22 (2): 195–203. doi:10.1007/s10530-019-02107-5. eISSN   1573-1464. ISSN   1387-3547.