Leiocephalus roquetus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Iguania
Family: Leiocephalidae
Genus: Leiocephalus
Species:
†L. roquetus
Binomial name
†Leiocephalus roquetus
Bochaton, Charles, and Lenoble, 2021

Leiocephalus roquetus, also known as the curlytail roquet[1] or La Désirade curlytail lizard[2], is an extinct species of lizard in the family of curly-tailed lizard (Leiocephalidae). It was endemic to Guadeloupe.[3]

The specific epithet, roquetus, refers to the name it was given by early French settlers on Guadeloupe; the indigenous Kalinago name for the species was never recorded. Aside from fossil remains, it is only known from a single specimen collected by one Théodore Roger, who deposited it circa 1835 at the Natural History Museum in Bordeaux; this specimen was misidentified in the mid-20th century as a Martinique curlytail (L. herminieri). The specimen was reexamined in 2015, and with the help of extensive Leiocephalus fossil remains discovered on La Désirade in 2018, was found to be a distinct species, and described as L. roquetus in 2021.[1][4]

This species, along with L.. herminieri, displays a primitive morphology compared to all other known species of Leiocephalus; it has thus been proposed that roquetus and herminieri belong to a basal clade of Leiocephalus restricted to the Lesser Antilles which has been completely wiped out by humans; all modern Leiocephalus are found only in the Greater Antilles and associated islands. L. roquetus was likely driven to extinction by introduced species, habitat degradation, and intensive agriculture.[1][4]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Bochaton, Corentin; Charles, Laurent; Lenoble, Arnaud (2021-02-15). "Historical and fossil evidence of an extinct endemic species of Leiocephalus (Squamata: Leiocephalidae) from the Guadeloupe Islands" (PDF). Zootaxa. 4927 (3): zootaxa.4927.3.4. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4927.3.4. ISSN 1175-5334. PMID 33756701.
  2. ↑ "Leiocephalus roquetus (La Désirade curly-tailed lizard) - The Recently Extinct Plants and Animals Database". recentlyextinctspecies.com. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
  3. ↑ "Leiocephalus carinatus". The Reptile Database. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
  4. 1 2 Platt, John R. (2021-03-12). "The Lost Lizard of La Désirade: An Extinction We Almost Forgot About • The Revelator". The Revelator. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
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