St Lucia Whiptail
Encyclopedia
The St Lucia Whiptail or Vanzo's Whiptail (Cnemidophorus vanzoi) is a species of lizard
in the Teiidae
family. It is endemic to Saint Lucia
, where it has been extirpated from the main island and is now only native to the small islets of Maria Major and Maria Minor, with fewer than 1000 individuals estimated. A third population has been established on nearby Praslin Island through translocation
. It is the only species of Cnemidophorus
found in the Caribbean.
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...
in the 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...
family. It is endemic to Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia is an island country in the eastern Caribbean Sea on the boundary with the Atlantic Ocean. Part of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent, northwest of Barbados and south of Martinique. It covers a land area of 620 km2 and has an...
, where it has been extirpated from the main island and is now only native to the small islets of Maria Major and Maria Minor, with fewer than 1000 individuals estimated. A third population has been established on nearby Praslin Island through translocation
Translocation (Wildlife conservation)
Translocation in wildlife conservation means capture, transport and release or introduction of species, habitats or other ecological material from one location to another...
. It is the only species of Cnemidophorus
Cnemidophorus
Cnemidophorus is a genus of lizards which belong to the family of Teiidae, which are commonly referred to as whiptail lizards or racerunners. Note that the nomenclature for this genus has recently been re-examined by T. W. Reeder et al. in 2002...
found in the Caribbean.
External links
- Cnemidophorus vanzoi at the Encyclopedia of LifeEncyclopedia of LifeThe Encyclopedia of Life is a free, online collaborative encyclopedia intended to document all of the 1.9 million living species known to science. It is compiled from existing databases and from contributions by experts and non-experts throughout the world...
- Cnemidophorus vanzoi at the Reptile Database