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]
| Leiocephalus roquetus | |
|---|---|
Scientific 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
| |
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
edit- ^ a b c 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. S2CID 232337806.
- ^ "Leiocephalus roquetus (La Désirade curly-tailed lizard) - The Recently Extinct Plants and Animals Database". recentlyextinctspecies.com. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
- ^ "Leiocephalus carinatus". The Reptile Database. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
- ^ a b 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.