Isla Santa Catalina, officially known as Isla Catalana, is an island in the Gulf of California east of the Baja California Peninsula. The island is uninhabited and is part of the Loreto Municipality. The island is located south of the Gulf of California and is located 25 km from the peninsula of Baja California. It has about 13 km long and 4 km wide maximum with total area of 39.273 square kilometers. ''Isla Catalana'', being uninhabited, is separated by the sea from the nearest town, Loreto, which lies about 60 km away.

Official name

The official and traditional name of the island is “Isla Catalana”. The confusion was caused by some documents of cartographic service of the United States, that wrote in a chart the name “Isla Santa Catalina”.In some scientific papers, authors use both names. The official Mexican name of Isla catalana, and the one that became internationally spread by error.

Biology

Flora

*''Ferocactus diguetii''. **This previous variety of cactus discovered by Leon Diguet (in French). and endemic to the islands of the Sea of Cortés, grows the tallest specimens on Isla Catalana.

Fauna

Birds

*'' Picoides scalaris'' *'' Melanerpes uropygialis'' *''

Zenaida asiatica The white-winged dove (''Zenaida asiatica'') is a dove whose native range extends from the Southwestern United States through Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. They are large for doves, and can be distinguished from similar doves by the ...

'' *''

Amphispiza bilineata The black-throated sparrow (''Amphispiza bilineata'') is a small New World sparrow primarily found in the southwestern United States and Mexico. It is the only member of the genus ''Amphispiza''; the five-striped sparrow, formerly also classifie ...

'' *'' Cardinalis cardinalis'' *''

Haemorhous mexicanus The house finch (''Haemorhous mexicanus'') is a bird in the finch Family (biology), family Fringillidae. It is native to western North America and has been introduced to the eastern half of the continent and Hawaii. This species and the other tw ...

Reptiles

Isla Catalana has 10 species of

reptile Reptiles, as most commonly defined are the animals in the class Reptilia ( ), a paraphyletic grouping comprising all sauropsids except birds. Living reptiles comprise turtles, crocodilians, squamates (lizards and snakes) and rhynchocephalians ( ...

s, including the following seven endemic species. *'' Aspidoscelis catalinensis'' (Isla Santa Catalina whiptail) *'' Crotalus catalinensis'' (Santa Catalina Island rattlesnake) *''

Dipsosaurus catalinensis ''Dipsosaurus catalinensis'', the Catalina desert iguana, is a species of lizard in the family Iguanidae. The species is native to Isla Santa Catalina in Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country ...

'' (Isla Santa Catalina desert iguana) *''

Lampropeltis catalinensis ''Lampropeltis catalinensis'', commonly known as the Santa Catalina kingsnake, is a species of nonvenomous snake in the family Colubridae. It is found on Isla Santa Catalina in Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexic ...

'' (Isla Santa Catalina kingsnake) *''

Phyllodactylus bugastrolepis The Catalina Island leaf-toed gecko (''Phyllodactylus bugastrolepis'') is a species of gecko. It is endemic to Isla Santa Catalina in Gulf of California, Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country ...

'' (Santa Catalina Island leaf-toed gecko) *''

Sceloporus lineatulus ''Sceloporus lineatulus'', the Santa Catalina spiny lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Phrynosomatidae. It is endemic to Isla Santa Catalina in Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country ...

'' (Isla Santa Catalina spiny lizard) *''

Uta squamata The Isla Santa Catalina side-blotched lizard (''Uta squamata'') is a species of lizard. It is endemic to Isla Santa Catalina in the Gulf of California, Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in ...

'' (Isla Santa Catalina side-blotched lizard)

References

External links

Island's location map
* Islands of Baja California Sur Islands of the Gulf of California Loreto Municipality (Baja California Sur) Uninhabited islands of Mexico {{BajaCaliforniaSur-geo-stub