Cyclura carinata bartschi
Encyclopedia
Bartsch's iguana or Booby Cay iguana (Cyclura carinata bartschi) is an endangered subspecies of lizard
of the genus Cyclura
endemic
to a single cay, Booby Cay, in the Turks and Caicos islands.
(Cyclura carinata) as it has different morphological characteristics; Bartsch's iguana, Cyclura carinata bartschi, was first described by American
herpetologist Doris M. Cochran in 1931. The generic
name (Cyclura
) is derived from the Ancient Greek
meaning "circular" and meaning "tail", after the thick-ringed tail characteristic of all Cyclura. Its specific
name carinata means "keeled" and refers to the animal's scalation. Its subspecific
name is after Dutch
botanist Johann Bartsch
. Further phylogenic study of mtDNA haplotype
s by scientists at Utah Valley State College has determined that this animal is a valid subspecies and not merely a population variant of the Turks and Caicos Iguana. Morphological and genetic data indicate that the closest living relative of C. carinata is C. ricordi
of Hispaniola
.
Like other members of the genus cyclura, males of this species have larger femoral pore
s on their thighs, which are used to release pheromones. Females have smaller pores, making the animals sexually dimorphic
.
and was referred to as the Mayaguana iguana.
) introduced by man to the Cay may pose a problem as the needles are inedible and their tall size prevents native plants, which the iguanas rely on for food, from growing.
In 1998 a colony of these iguanas was established on Mayaguana. This population appears to be stable despite the presence of feral goats on the island.
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...
endemic
Endemic (ecology)
Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation or other defined zone, or habitat type; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, all species of lemur are endemic to the...
to a single cay, Booby Cay, in the Turks and Caicos islands.
Taxonomy
A subspecies of the Turks and Caicos rock iguanaTurks and Caicos rock iguana
The Turks and Caicos rock iguana is a critically endangered species of lizard of the genus Cyclura that is endemic to the Turks and Caicos islands...
(Cyclura carinata) as it has different morphological characteristics; Bartsch's iguana, Cyclura carinata bartschi, was first described by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
herpetologist Doris M. Cochran in 1931. The 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...
meaning "circular" and meaning "tail", after the thick-ringed tail characteristic of all Cyclura. Its specific
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
name carinata means "keeled" and refers to the animal's scalation. Its subspecific
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...
name is after Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
botanist Johann Bartsch
Johann Bartsch
Johann Bartsch was a German physician, who graduated in the Netherlands at Leiden University in 1737. His Thesis de Calore Corporis Humani hygraulico is the only work he published. He was much attached to the science of botany, which led him to seek the society of Carl Linnaeus, who was on a...
. Further phylogenic study of mtDNA haplotype
Haplotype
A haplotype in genetics is a combination of alleles at adjacent locations on the chromosome that are transmitted together...
s by scientists at Utah Valley State College has determined that this animal is a valid subspecies and not merely a population variant of the Turks and Caicos Iguana. Morphological and genetic data indicate that the closest living relative of C. carinata is C. ricordi
Cyclura ricordi
The Hispaniolan Ground Iguana, Ricord's Ground Iguana, Ricord's Rock Iguana, or Ricord's Iguana is a critically endangered species of rock iguana....
of Hispaniola
Hispaniola
Hispaniola is a major island in the Caribbean, containing the two sovereign states of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The island is located between the islands of Cuba to the west and Puerto Rico to the east, within the hurricane belt...
.
Anatomy and morphology
Measuring less than 770mm in length when full grown, Bartschi's iguana, like its parent species, the Turks and Caicos rock iguana, is one of the smaller species of Cyclura. Bartsch's iguana is greenish to brownish-gray, with a yellow dorsal crest, faint yellow-brown reticulations on the bodies of the adults, and a golden iris.Like other members of the genus cyclura, males of this species have larger femoral pore
Femoral pore
Femoral pores are a part of a holocrine secretory gland found on the inside of the thighs of certain lizards and amphisbaenians which releases pheromones to attract mates or mark territory. In certain species only the male has these pores and in other species, both sexes have them, with the males...
s on their thighs, which are used to release pheromones. Females have smaller pores, 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:...
.
Habitat and distribution
Bartschi's iguana is found only on Booby Cay in the Bahamas. It is estimated that 1,000 of these iguanas live on this small cay and their population appears to be stable, despite the small number. It is rumored that this subspecies once lived on the larger island of MayaguanaMayaguana
Mayaguana is the most easterly island and district of the Bahamas. It is one of only a few Bahamian islands which retain their Lucayan names. The population of Mayaguana in the 2000 census was 259, amounting to an estimate 312 in 2010...
and was referred to as the Mayaguana iguana.
Diet
Like all Cyclura species, Bartschi's iguana is primarily herbivorous, consuming leaves, flowers, and fruits from different plant species. This diet is very rarely supplemented with insects, mollusks, crustaceans, arachnids, lizards, and carrion.Conservation
The Bahamas National Trust has proposed to the Bahamas Government that Booby Cay, which also is a significant area for nesting seabirds, be protected under the national parks system. A program to remove feral goats from the cay has also been initiated. It has been noted that "Australian pine" trees (Casuarina equisetifoliaCasuarina equisetifolia
Casuarina equisetifolia is a she-oak species of the genus Casuarina. The native range extends from Burma and Vietnam throughout Malesia east to French Polynesia, New Caledonia, and Vanuatu, and south to Australia...
) introduced by man to the Cay may pose a problem as the needles are inedible and their tall size prevents native plants, which the iguanas rely on for food, from growing.
In 1998 a colony of these iguanas was established on Mayaguana. This population appears to be stable despite the presence of feral goats on the island.