The Jaragua forest lizard (Guarocuyus jaraguanus) is a species of lizard of the family Diploglossidae endemic to the Dominican Republic on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola.
| Jaragua forest lizard | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Diploglossidae |
| Subfamily: | Celestinae |
| Genus: | Guarocuyus Landestov, Schools, & Hedges, 2022 |
| Species: | G. jaraguanus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Guarocuyus jaraguanus Landestov, Schools, & Hedges, 2022
| |
Taxonomy
editIt is the only member of the genus Guarocuyus.[1] It was named in honor of the Taíno cacique Enriquillo, whose indigenous name is thought to have been "Guarocuya".[2] Being both a monotypic genus and species restricted to a single island and described only in 2022, G. jaraguanus is unique among recently-described reptiles. It is the sister group to the clade containing the genera Celestus, Comptus, and Panolopus (the latter two of which were previously considered synonymous with Celestus until 2021).
Description
editIt is unique among celestines due to its nocturnal, arboreal habits with a semi-prehensile tail and webbed toes.[3]
Distribution and habitat
editIt is found in the Dominican Republic, where it is known only from two small, adjacent keys in the Laguna de Oviedo, a lagoon in Jaragua National Park.[3]
References
edit- ^ "Guarocuyus jaraguanus". The Reptile Database. Retrieved 2022-08-02.
- ^ "Descubren nueva especie y género de lagarto en Parque Nacional Jaragua". Diario Libre (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-02-05.
- ^ a b T, Miguel a. Landestoy; Schools, Molly; Hedges, S. Blair (2022-12-09). "A new genus and species of Caribbean forest lizard (Diploglossidae; Celestinae) from southern Hispaniola". Zootaxa. 5219 (3): 201–226. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.5219.3.1. ISSN 1175-5334. S2CID 254477704.