''Leiocephalus barahonensis'', commonly known as the orange-bellied curlytail or Barahona curlytail lizard, is a
species of
lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia alt ...
in the
family Leiocephalidae (
curly-tailed lizard
Leiocephalidae, also known as the curlytail lizards or curly-tailed lizards, is a family of iguanian lizards restricted to the West Indies. One of the defining features of these lizards is that their tail often curls over. They were previously ...
). It is
endemic to
Hispaniola
Hispaniola (, also ; es, La Española; Latin and french: Hispaniola; ht, Ispayola; tnq, Ayiti or Quisqueya) is an island in the Caribbean that is part of the Greater Antilles. Hispaniola is the most populous island in the West Indies, and th ...
, including some outlying islands.
[
Five ]subspecies
In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...
are recognized:[
However, ]IUCN
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...
and "Amphibians and reptiles of Caribbean Islands" treat ''Leiocephalus barahonensis altavelensis'' as a separate species, ''Leiocephalus altavelensis''.[ and considered " critically endangered" with a total population size that is no more than 500 individuals.][
]
References
Leiocephalus
Endemic fauna of Hispaniola
Reptiles of the Dominican Republic
Reptiles of Haiti
Reptiles described in 1921
Taxa named by Karl Patterson Schmidt
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