List of amphibians and reptiles of Montserrat
Encyclopedia
This is a list of amphibians and reptiles found in the British overseas territory of Montserrat
, located in the Caribbean
Lesser Antilles
. The continuing eruptions of the Soufrière Hills
volcano have devastated much of the island.
Montserrat
Montserrat is a British overseas territory located in the Leeward Islands, part of the chain of islands called the Lesser Antilles in the West Indies. This island measures approximately long and wide, giving of coastline...
, located in the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
Lesser Antilles
Lesser Antilles
The Lesser Antilles are a long, partly volcanic island arc in the Western Hemisphere. Most of its islands form the eastern boundary of the Caribbean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean, with the remainder located in the southern Caribbean just north of South America...
. The continuing eruptions of the Soufrière Hills
Soufrière Hills
The Soufrière Hills volcano is an active complex stratovolcano with many lava domes forming its summit on the Caribbean island of Montserrat. After a long period of dormancy, it became active in 1995, and has continued to erupt ever since...
volcano have devastated much of the island.
Frogs (Anura)
Tropical frogs (Leptodactylidae Leptodactylidae Leptodactylidae is a diverse family of frogs that probably diverged from other hyloids during the Cenozoic era, or possibly at the end of the Mesozoic. There are roughly 50 genera, one of which is Eleutherodactylus, the largest vertebrate genus, with over 700 species... ) |
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Species | |Common name(s) | Notes | |Image |
Eleutherodactylus johnstonei | Lesser Antillean Whistling Frog, Coqui Antillano, Johnstone's Whistling Frog | Least Concern Least Concern Least Concern is an IUCN category assigned to extant taxon or lower taxa which have been evaluated but do not qualify for any other category. As such they do not qualify as threatened, Near Threatened, or Conservation Dependent... . Abundant. |
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Eleutherodactylus martinicensis Eleutherodactylus martinicensis Eleutherodactylus martinicensis is a species of frog in the Leptodactylidae family.It is found in Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Saint Lucia.... |
Tink Frog, Martinique Robber Frog | Near Threatened Near Threatened Near Threatened is a conservation status assigned to species or lower taxa that may be considered threatened with extinction in the near future, although it does not currently qualify for the threatened status... . Regional endemic. |
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Leptodactylus fallax Leptodactylus fallax Leptodactylus fallax, commonly known as the Giant Ditch Frog, is a species of frog that is native to the Caribbean islands of Dominica and Montserrat. The population has declined 80% in the last ten years and this species is now critically endangered. In 2004 it was estimated that the population... |
Giant Ditch Frog, Mountain Chicken | Critically Endangered Critically Endangered Critically Endangered is the highest risk category assigned by the IUCN Red List for wild species. Critically Endangered means that a species' numbers have decreased, or will decrease, by 80% within three generations.... . Regional endemic; extant only on Montserrat and Dominica Dominica Dominica , officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island nation in the Lesser Antilles region of the Caribbean Sea, south-southeast of Guadeloupe and northwest of Martinique. Its size is and the highest point in the country is Morne Diablotins, which has an elevation of . The Commonwealth... . Restricted to the Centre Hills due to habitat destruction from volcanic activity. |
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True toads (Bufonidae) | |||
Species | |Common name(s) | Notes | |Image |
Bufo marinus | Cane Toad, Giant Neotropical Toad, Marine Toad | Least Concern Least Concern Least Concern is an IUCN category assigned to extant taxon or lower taxa which have been evaluated but do not qualify for any other category. As such they do not qualify as threatened, Near Threatened, or Conservation Dependent... . Introduced. Abundant. |
Reptiles
Including marine turtles and introduced species, there are 15 reptile species reported on Montserrat. Two are endemic: the Plymouth Anole (Anolis lividus) and the Montiserrat Galliwasp (Diploglossus montisserrati).Turtles (Testudines)
Tortoises (Testudinidae) | |||
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Species | |Common name(s) | Notes | | Image |
Geochelone carbonaria | Red-Footed Tortoise | ||
Scaly sea turtles (Cheloniidae Cheloniidae Cheloniidae is a family of turtles belonging to the sea turtle superfamily Chelonioidea.-Extant genera:*Genus Caretta**Loggerhead sea turtle *Genus Chelonia**Green sea turtle *Genus Eretmochelys... ) |
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Species | |Common name(s) | Notes | | Image |
Caretta caretta | Loggerhead Turtle | Endangered Endangered species An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters... . Very rarely recorded around Montserrat. Not recorded nesting on Montserrat. |
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Chelonia mydas | Green Turtle | Endangered Endangered species An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters... . Resident in waters around Montserrat. Recorded nesting. |
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Eretmochelys imbricata | Hawksbill Turtle | Critically Endangered Critically Endangered Critically Endangered is the highest risk category assigned by the IUCN Red List for wild species. Critically Endangered means that a species' numbers have decreased, or will decrease, by 80% within three generations.... . Relatively common year-round. Recorded nesting. |
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Leathery sea turtles (Dermochelyidae Dermochelyidae Dermochelyidae is a family of turtles which has eight extinct and one extant genera.-Classification of known genera:*Subfamily Desmatochelyinae** Corochelys ** Desmatochelys *Subfamily Allopleuroninae ** Allopleuron ** Eosphargis... ) |
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Species | |Common name(s) | Notes | | Image |
Dermochelys coriacea | Leatherback Turtle | Critically Endangered Critically Endangered Critically Endangered is the highest risk category assigned by the IUCN Red List for wild species. Critically Endangered means that a species' numbers have decreased, or will decrease, by 80% within three generations.... . Rarely recorded in Montserrat waters or nesting. |
Lizards and snakes (Squamata)
Geckos (Gekkonidae) | |||
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Species | |Common name(s) | Notes | | Image |
Hemidactylus mabouia | House Gecko | Introduced. | |
Sphaerodactylus fantasticus | Fantastic Least Gecko | ||
Thecadactylus rapicauda | Turnip-Tailed Gecko | ||
Iguanas and Anolids (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... ) |
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Species | |Common name(s) | Notes | | Image |
Anolis lividus | Plymouth Anole | Endemic. Widespread and frequently abundant. | |
Iguana iguana | Green Iguana, Common Iguana | ||
Whiptails (Teiidae Teiidae Teiidae is a family of lizards native to the Americas, generally known as whiptails. The group includes the parthenogenic genera Cnemidophorus and Aspidoscelis, and the non-parthenogenic Tupinambis. It has over 230 member species in ten genera... ) |
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Species | |Common name(s) | Notes | | Image |
Ameiva pluvianotata | Montiserrat Ameiva | Regional endemic. Numbers have declined significantly due to volcanic activity. | |
Glass lizards and alligator lizards (Anguidae Anguidae The Anguidae is a large and diverse family of lizards native to the northern hemisphere. The group includes the slowworms, glass lizards, and alligator lizards, among others. Anguidae is divided into three subfamilies and contains 94 species in eight genera. Their closest living relatives are the... ) |
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Species | |Common name(s) | Notes | | Image |
Diploglossus montisserrati | Montiserrat Galliwasp | Critically endangered Critically endangered Version 2010.3 of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 3744 Critically Endangered species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and subpopulations.Critically Endangered by kingdom:*1993 Animalia*2 Fungi*1745 Plantae*4 Protista-References:... . Endemic. Known from only one specimen collected in 1964 until it was re-found in 1998. |
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Skinks (Scincidae) | |||
Species | |Common name(s) | Notes | | Image |
Mabuya mabouya Mabuya mabouya Mabuya mabouya is a species of skink found on certain islands in the Caribbean. It has shiny, bronze-colored skin, with a pair of light stripes that run along its upper flanks.... |
Regional endemic. Rare. | ||
Worm snakes (Typhlopidae Typhlopidae The Typhlopidae are a family of blind snakes. They are found mostly in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, the Americas, and all mainland Australia and various islands. The rostral scale overhangs the mouth to form a shovel like burrowing structure. They live underground in burrows, and since... ) |
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Species | |Common name(s) | Notes | | Image |
Typhlops monastus | Montiserrat Worm Snake, | Regional endemic; populations found on Saint Kitts and Nevis are of subspecies T. m. geotomus. | |
Colubrids (Colubridae) | |||
Species | |Common name(s) | Notes | | Image |
Alsophis antillensis | Antilles Racer, Island Racer, Leeward Racer | Regional endemic. Widespread |