This is a list of amphibians and reptiles found on the island-nation of Saint Lucia, located in the Caribbean Lesser Antilles.
This is a list of amphibians and reptiles found on the island-nation of Saint Lucia, located in the Caribbean Lesser Antilles.
There are three species of amphibian on Saint Lucia, two of which were introduced.
| Tree frogs (Hylidae) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Species | Common name(s) | Notes | Image |
| Scinax ruber | Red-snouted tree frog | Least concern. [1] | |
| Tropical frogs (Leptodactylidae) | |||
| Species | Common name(s) | Notes | Image |
| Eleutherodactylus johnstonei | Lesser Antillean whistling frog, coqui Antillano, Johnstone's whistling frog | Least concern. |  |
| True toads (Bufonidae) | |||
| Species | Common name(s) | Notes | Image |
| Bufo marinus | Cane toad, giant neotropical toad, marine toad | Least concern. Introduced. |  |
Including marine turtles and introduced species, there are 20 reptile species reported on Saint Lucia, five of which are endemic and two extinct.
| Tortoises (Testudinidae) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Species | Common name(s) | Notes | Image |
| Geochelone carbonaria | Red-footed tortoise | Likely recent introduction, though possibly as long ago as Amerindian settlement of Saint Lucia. [2] Rarely seen in the wild. |  |
| Scaly sea turtles (Cheloniidae) | |||
| Species | Common name(s) | Notes | Image |
| Caretta caretta | Loggerhead turtle, channel turtle (local name) | Endangered. |  |
| Chelonia mydas | Green turtle | Endangered. Regularly seen in coastal waters; nests on both coasts (though mainly on northern beaches), primarily from June to October. |  |
| Eretmochelys imbricata | Hawksbill turtle | Critically endangered. Regularly seen in coastal waters; nests on both coasts (though mainly on northern beaches), primarily from May to October. |  |
| Leathery sea turtles (Dermochelyidae) | |||
| Species | Common name(s) | Notes | Image |
| Dermochelys coriacea | Leatherback turtle | Critically endangered. Fairly rare. Nesting recorded from April to June, primarily on south and east (Atlantic) coast beaches. |  |
| Geckos (Gekkonidae) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Species | Common name(s) | Notes | Image |
| Hemidactylus mabouia | House gecko | Introduced. |  |
| Hemidactylus palaichthus | Antilles leaf-toed gecko | Restricted to offshore islands of Maria Major and Dennery Island. | |
| Sphaerodactylus microlepis | Little-scaled least gecko |  | |
| Sphaerodactylus vincenti | Vincent's least gecko | Regional endemic. |  |
| Thecadactylus rapicauda | Turnip-tailed gecko |  | |
| Iguanas and anolids (Iguanidae) | |||
| Species | Common name(s) | Notes | Image |
| Anolis extremus | Barbados anole | Regional endemic. Introduced from Barbados. Restricted to the area around the capital, Castries. |  |
| Anolis luciae | St. Lucia anole, Saint Lucian anole | Endemic. Widespread. | |
| Anolis wattsi | Watts' anole | Regional endemic. Introduced. Restricted to the area around the capital, Castries. | |
| Iguana iguana | Green iguana, common iguana |  | |
| Whiptails (Teiidae) | |||
| Species | Common name(s) | Notes | Image |
| Cnemidophorus vanzoi | St Lucia whiptail, Vanzo's whiptail | Vulnerable. Endemic. The only Cnemidophorus species found in the Caribbean. Extirpated from the main island and now only native to the small islets of Maria Major and Maria Minor, with fewer than 1000 individuals estimated. A third population has been established on nearby Praslin Island through translocation. [3] |  |
| Microteiids (Gymnophthalmidae) | |||
| Species | Common name(s) | Notes | Image |
| Gymnophthalmus pleii | Martinique spectacled tegu | Regional endemic. | |
| Skinks (Scincidae) | |||
| Species | Common name(s) | Notes | Image |
| † Alinea luciae | Saint Lucia skink | Endemic, extinct since the early 20th century. | |
| Worm snakes (Typhlopidae) | |||
| Species | Common name(s) | Notes | Image |
| Leptotyphlops breuili [4] | St. Lucia threadsnake | Endemic. First described as a separate species in 2008. |  |
| Boas (Boidae) | |||
| Species | Common name(s) | Notes | Image |
| Boa constrictor | Boa constrictor | ||
| Colubrids (Colubridae) | |||
| Species | Common name(s) | Notes | Image |
| † Clelia errabunda | Underwood's mussurana | Endemic, extinct since the late 19th century. | |
| Liophis ornatus | St Lucia racer | Endangered. Endemic. Probably extirpated from the main island; present on Maria Major but rare. | |
| Vipers (Viperidae) | |||
| Species | Common name(s) | Notes | Image |
| Bothrops caribbaeus | Saint Lucia lancehead, fer-de-lance | Endemic. Distributed in lowlands, commonly found along river valleys. |  |
The Saint Lucia whiptail, also known commonly as the Maria Islands whiptail, the Saint Lucian whiptail, and Vanzo's whiptail, is a species of lizard in the family Teiidae. The species is indigenous to the Caribbean.
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.
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.
The Barbados anole is a species of anole lizard that is native to Barbados, an island-nation in the Caribbean. Originally endemic to Barbados, it has since been introduced to Saint Lucia and Bermuda. It was previously treated as a subspecies of Martinique's anole, A. roquet.
Underwood's mussurana or Saint Lucia cribo is an extinct species of snake in the family Dipsadidae. The species was formerly endemic to the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia. It was originally thought to belong to the species Clelia clelia. Like other species of mussurana, it is known to have fed on other snakes; one museum specimen is preserved in the act of swallowing a Bothrops species. Its extinction is believed to have been caused by human activity.
The Barbados leaf-toed gecko is a species of gecko endemic to the Caribbean island-nation of Barbados. It is the only known leaf-toed gecko in the Lesser Antilles.
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.
Note: All species listed above are supported by Malhotra & Thorpe 1999, unless otherwise cited.