Curly-tailed lizards

Roll tail iguana ( Leiocephalus carinatus )

Smoothhead iguanas ( Leiocephalus ) life endemic to the islands of the Antilles, from Cuba to Trinidad. They inhabit only dry areas with sparse forests, rocky steppes and sandy beaches. Leiocephalus is the only genus of the relatively newly established family Leiocephalidae (formerly Tropiduridae ).

Features

Smoothhead iguanas depending on the type 15 to 35 inches long. The tail is longer than the head-body length is 5.5 to 14 inches. The animals are powerfully built and often colored flashy. Males are larger and have thicker heads. On back and tail there is a flat ridge. The dorsal scales are large, keeled and above the other like roof tiles. The scales on the flanks can be quite different. Either they are the dorsal scales similar or small and clearly separated by a gusset of the dorsal scales. There are strong ridges over the eyes.

Way of life

These lizards are bottom dwellers that feed on insects, small lizards, flowers and fruits. The females lay only a few ( one to three ) very large eggs.

Species

There are 28 described species, of which two - eremitus L. and L. herminieri - are extinct. All species (except L. carinatus, who lives in Cuba, Little Bahama Bank and the three islands of the Cayman Islands ) are endemic on only a single island before. On Hispaniola live 12 species on most Antilles just one. From Jamaica only one fossil species is known.

  • Leiocephalus anonymous PREGILL, 1984
  • Leiocephalus apertosulcus ETHERIDGE, 1965
  • Leiocephalus barahonensis SCHMIDT, 1921
  • Roll tail iguana, Leiocephalus carinatus GRAY, 1827
  • Leiocephalus cubensis GRAY, 1840
  • Leiocephalus cuneus ETHERIDGE, 1964
  • Leiocephalus Endomychus SCHWARTZ, 1967
  • Leiocephalus eremitus COPE, 1868
  • Leiocephalus etheridgei PREGILL, 1981
  • Leiocephalus greenwayi BARBOUR & SHREVE, 1935
  • Leiocephalus herminieri Dumeril & Bibron, 1837
  • Leiocephalus inaguae COCHRAN, 1931
  • Leiocephalus jamaicensis ETHERIDGE, 1966
  • Leiocephalus loxogrammus COPE, 1887
  • Leiocephalus lunatus COCHRAN, 1934
  • Leiocephalus macropus COPE, 1863
  • Leiocephalus melanochlorus COPE, 1863
  • Leiocephalus onaneyi Garrido, 1973
  • Colorful Mask Iguana, Leiocephalus personatus COPE, 1863
  • Leiocephalus pratensis COCHRAN, 1928
  • Leiocephalus Psammodromus BARBOUR, 1920
  • Leiocephalus punctatus COCHRAN, 1931
  • Leiocephalus raviceps COPE, 1863
  • Leiocephalus rhutidira SCHWARTZ, 1979
  • Leiocephalus schreibersii GRAVENHORST, 1837
  • Leiocephalus stictigaster SCHWARTZ, 1959
  • Leiocephalus vinculum COCHRAN, 1928
Squamata John Edward Gray Navassa Curly-tailed Lizard Martinique curly-tailed lizard
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