Cyclura rileyi cristata
Encyclopedia
Cyclura rileyi cristata, commonly known as the White Cay Iguana or Sandy Cay Rock Iguana, is a critically endangered subspecies
of lizard
of the genus Cyclura
native to a single cay
in the Bahamas
: White Cay (also known as Sandy Cay) located in the Southern Exuma
s.
of the genus Cyclura
from the family Iguanidae
. First identified by Leonhard Hess Stejneger
in 1902, and given subspecific status in 1920 by American herpetologist Karl Patterson Schmidt
, they are known commonly in the Bahamas as iguanas.
Its generic
name (Cyclura
) is derived from the Ancient Greek
cyclos (κύκλος) meaning "circular" and ourá (οὐρά) meaning "tail", after the thick-ringed tail characteristic of all Cyclura iguanas. Its specific name, rileyi, is a Latinized form of the name of American biologist
, Joseph Harvey Riley
. Its subspecific name cristata is Latin for "crest" referring to the animal's dorsal
spines.
Males of this species, like other species within the Genus Cyclura are larger than females and have more prominent dorsal
crests in addition to femoral
pores on their thighs, which are used to release pheromones; females lack these pores and have shorter crests than the males making the animals sexually dimorphic
.
, today they are confined to a single cay: White Cay, also known as Sandy Cay. According to Lincoln-Peterson surveys conducted in 1997, the size of the population has been estimated at 150 to 200 individuals.
, 95% of which from consuming leaves
, flower
s and fruit
s from 7 different plant species such as Seaside Rock Shrub (Rachicallis americana), and Erect Prickly Pear (Opuntia stricta
). Its diet is very rarely supplemented with insect
s.
Mating occurs in May and June, with clutches of 2-3 eggs usually laid in June or July, in nests excavated in pockets of earth exposed to the sun.
and are described as critically endangered and a priority species according to the current IUCN Red List. It may be the most endangered species of lizard on earth.
Imported black rat
s and a feral raccoon
have taken their toll on the population by direct predation. The rats have all been eradicated from the island since a program was instituted in 1999 and the raccoon which someone turned loose on the island was also found and destroyed. The raccoon was responsible for killing almost all of the females while they slept in nesting burrows.
Illicit smuggling
for the pet trade is another area in which this animal's population has been harmed. In April 1994, photographs of this subspecies appeared in pictures of Florida reptile wholesalers' inventory in a magazine article.
Additionally, the population may be suffering from a skewed sex ratio of 90-95% males out of the 200 animals left, further harming chances of recovery. The species may face a genetic bottleneck in the future due to this ratio and the fact that each female only lays 2-3 eggs per year.
As of August 2007, no legal captive breeding programs exist outside of the Bahamas. The Bahamian government has refused to issue export permits for any rock iguanas. Locals do attempt to keep tourists away from the island and the island is monitored by United States Drug Enforcement Administration
aircraft.
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
of lizard
Lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...
of the genus Cyclura
Cyclura
Cyclura is a genus of lizards from the family Iguanidae. Members of this genus are known as "cyclurids" or more commonly as rock iguanas and only occur on islands in the West Indies...
native to a single cay
Cay
A cay , also spelled caye or key, is a small, low-elevation, sandy island formed on the surface of coral reefs. Cays occur in tropical environments throughout the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans , where they provide habitable and agricultural land for hundreds of thousands of people...
in the Bahamas
The Bahamas
The Bahamas , officially the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, is a nation consisting of 29 islands, 661 cays, and 2,387 islets . It is located in the Atlantic Ocean north of Cuba and Hispaniola , northwest of the Turks and Caicos Islands, and southeast of the United States...
: White Cay (also known as Sandy Cay) located in the Southern Exuma
Exuma
Exuma is a district of the Bahamas, consisting of over 360 islands . The largest of the cays is Great Exuma, which is 37 mi in length and joined to another island, Little Exuma by a small bridge. The capital and largest city in the district is George Town , founded 1793 and located on Great...
s.
Taxonomy
The White Cay iguana is an endangered subspecies of lizardLizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...
of the genus Cyclura
Cyclura
Cyclura is a genus of lizards from the family Iguanidae. Members of this genus are known as "cyclurids" or more commonly as rock iguanas and only occur on islands in the West Indies...
from the family Iguanidae
Iguanidae
Iguanidae is a family of lizards, composed of iguanas and related species.-Classification of Iguanidae:Two different classification schemes have been used to define the structure of this family. These are the "traditional" classification and the classification presented by Frost et al. .Frost et...
. First identified by Leonhard Hess Stejneger
Leonhard Hess Stejneger
Leonhard Hess Stejneger was a Norwegian-born American ornithologist, herpetologist and zoologist. Stejneger specialized in vertebrate natural history studies. He gained his greatest reputation with reptiles and amphibians....
in 1902, and given subspecific status in 1920 by American herpetologist Karl Patterson Schmidt
Karl Patterson Schmidt
Karl Patterson Schmidt was an American herpetologist.-Biography:Schmidt was the son of George W. Schmidt and Margaret Patterson Schmidt. Schmidt's father was a German professor who, at the time of Schmidt's birth, was teaching in Lake Forest, Illinois. His family left the city in 1907 and settled...
, they are known commonly in the Bahamas as iguanas.
Its generic
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
name (Cyclura
Cyclura
Cyclura is a genus of lizards from the family Iguanidae. Members of this genus are known as "cyclurids" or more commonly as rock iguanas and only occur on islands in the West Indies...
) is derived from the Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
cyclos (κύκλος) meaning "circular" and ourá (οὐρά) meaning "tail", after the thick-ringed tail characteristic of all Cyclura iguanas. Its specific name, rileyi, is a Latinized form of the name of American biologist
Biologist
A biologist is a scientist devoted to and producing results in biology through the study of life. Typically biologists study organisms and their relationship to their environment. Biologists involved in basic research attempt to discover underlying mechanisms that govern how organisms work...
, Joseph Harvey Riley
Joseph Harvey Riley
Joseph Harvey Riley was an American ornithologist.Born in Falls Church, Virginia, Riley was employed at the Smithsonian Institution from 1896 until his death, becoming Associate Curator of the Division of Birds in 1932.-Sources:*...
. Its subspecific name cristata is Latin for "crest" referring to the animal's dorsal
Dorsum (biology)
In anatomy, the dorsum is the upper side of animals that typically run, fly, or swim in a horizontal position, and the back side of animals that walk upright. In vertebrates the dorsum contains the backbone. The term dorsal refers to anatomical structures that are either situated toward or grow...
spines.
Anatomy and morphology
Measuring up to 280 mm (11 in) in length when full grown, the White Cay iguana is the smallest species of Cyclura. The back of adults is usually a gray-brown to orange-brown color. The dorsal scales, forelimbs, and portions of the head and face are highlighted in bright orange. Immature iguanas lack these bright colors, being either solid brown or grey with faint slightly darker stripes.Males of this species, like other species within the Genus Cyclura are larger than females and have more prominent dorsal
Dorsum (biology)
In anatomy, the dorsum is the upper side of animals that typically run, fly, or swim in a horizontal position, and the back side of animals that walk upright. In vertebrates the dorsum contains the backbone. The term dorsal refers to anatomical structures that are either situated toward or grow...
crests in addition to femoral
Femur
The femur , or thigh bone, is the most proximal bone of the leg in tetrapod vertebrates capable of walking or jumping, such as most land mammals, birds, many reptiles such as lizards, and amphibians such as frogs. In vertebrates with four legs such as dogs and horses, the femur is found only in...
pores on their thighs, which are used to release pheromones; females lack these pores and have shorter crests than the males making the animals sexually dimorphic
Sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism is a phenotypic difference between males and females of the same species. Examples of such differences include differences in morphology, ornamentation, and behavior.-Examples:-Ornamentation / coloration:...
.
Distribution
Once inhabiting all the large islands of the BahamasThe Bahamas
The Bahamas , officially the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, is a nation consisting of 29 islands, 661 cays, and 2,387 islets . It is located in the Atlantic Ocean north of Cuba and Hispaniola , northwest of the Turks and Caicos Islands, and southeast of the United States...
, today they are confined to a single cay: White Cay, also known as Sandy Cay. According to Lincoln-Peterson surveys conducted in 1997, the size of the population has been estimated at 150 to 200 individuals.
Diet
Like all Cyclura species the White Cay iguana is primarily herbivorousHerbivore
Herbivores are organisms that are anatomically and physiologically adapted to eat plant-based foods. Herbivory is a form of consumption in which an organism principally eats autotrophs such as plants, algae and photosynthesizing bacteria. More generally, organisms that feed on autotrophs in...
, 95% of which from consuming leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
, flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s and fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
s from 7 different plant species such as Seaside Rock Shrub (Rachicallis americana), and Erect Prickly Pear (Opuntia stricta
Opuntia stricta
Opuntia stricta is a species of cactus from southern North America, Central America, the Caribbean, and northern South America. Common names include Erect Prickly Pear and Nopal Estricto ....
). Its diet is very rarely supplemented with insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s.
Mating
Female White Cay Iguanas attain sexual maturity when they reach 20 cm (7.9 in) in length from snout to vent and weigh 300 g (10.6 oz). Males appear to mature at a slightly larger size, at approximately seven years of age.Mating occurs in May and June, with clutches of 2-3 eggs usually laid in June or July, in nests excavated in pockets of earth exposed to the sun.
Conservation
White Cay iguanas are one of the most threatened species of all the West Indian rock iguanasCyclura
Cyclura is a genus of lizards from the family Iguanidae. Members of this genus are known as "cyclurids" or more commonly as rock iguanas and only occur on islands in the West Indies...
and are described as critically endangered and a priority species according to the current IUCN Red List. It may be the most endangered species of lizard on earth.
Imported black rat
Black Rat
The black rat is a common long-tailed rodent of the genus Rattus in the subfamily Murinae . The species originated in tropical Asia and spread through the Near East in Roman times before reaching Europe by the 1st century and spreading with Europeans across the world.-Taxonomy:The black rat was...
s and a feral raccoon
Bahaman Raccoon
- Bahamian Raccoon :The Bahamian raccoon , also called Bahama raccoon or Bahamas raccoon, is a subspecies of the common raccoon endemic on the New Providence Island in the Bahamas.- Classification :...
have taken their toll on the population by direct predation. The rats have all been eradicated from the island since a program was instituted in 1999 and the raccoon which someone turned loose on the island was also found and destroyed. The raccoon was responsible for killing almost all of the females while they slept in nesting burrows.
Illicit smuggling
Smuggling
Smuggling is the clandestine transportation of goods or persons, such as out of a building, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations.There are various motivations to smuggle...
for the pet trade is another area in which this animal's population has been harmed. In April 1994, photographs of this subspecies appeared in pictures of Florida reptile wholesalers' inventory in a magazine article.
Additionally, the population may be suffering from a skewed sex ratio of 90-95% males out of the 200 animals left, further harming chances of recovery. The species may face a genetic bottleneck in the future due to this ratio and the fact that each female only lays 2-3 eggs per year.
As of August 2007, no legal captive breeding programs exist outside of the Bahamas. The Bahamian government has refused to issue export permits for any rock iguanas. Locals do attempt to keep tourists away from the island and the island is monitored by United States Drug Enforcement Administration
Drug Enforcement Administration
The Drug Enforcement Administration is a federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Justice, tasked with combating drug smuggling and use within the United States...
aircraft.