''Leiocephalus inaguae'', commonly known as the Inagua 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.

Description

Males of ''L. inaguae'' can reach 90 mm (3.5 inches) snout-to-vent length (SVL), females are smaller at about 74 mm (3 inches) SVL. There is a strong colouration difference between the males and females (dichromatism).

Habitat

''L. inaguae'' prefers dry, exposed areas and is common on the coast, where it can be found amongst building materials, rocks, and drift wood.

Diet

The species ''L. inaguae'' is a typical

omnivore An omnivore () is an animal that has the ability to eat and survive on both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and animal matter, omnivores digest carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber, and metabolize the nutr ...

, feeding on insects (

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) is an order (biology), order of insects that includes butterfly, butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 Family (biology), families and 46 Taxonomic r ...

larvae,

Coleoptera Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 describ ...

, Formicidae), spiders, fruits, flowers, and buds. Schwartz A, Henderson RW (1991). ''Amphibians and Reptiles of the West Indies: Descriptions, Distributions, and Natural History''. Gainesville: University of Florida Press. 714 pp. .

Geographic range

The Inagua curly-tailed lizard is endemic to the Bahamas and has an extremely restricted range as it is only found on Great Inagua.

Conservation status

''L. inaguae'' is not listed by the

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 ...

or CITES as needing any special conservation, however, research is needed to determine its vulnerability due to its restricted range.

References

External links

Bahamas National TrustArdastra Gardens, Zoo and Conservation Center
Leiocephalus Fauna of the Bahamas Endemic fauna of the Bahamas Reptiles described in 1923 Taxa named by Doris Mable Cochran {{iguanidae-stub