List of amphibians and reptiles of Antigua and Barbuda

Location of Antigua and Barbuda in the Caribbean.

This is a list of amphibians and reptiles found in Antigua and Barbuda, an island nation in the Caribbean Lesser Antilles. It consists of the two main islands of Antigua and Barbuda, and many smaller islets, including the uninhabited Redonda.

Amphibians

There are three species of amphibian recorded in Antigua and Barbuda, only one of which is native or found on both main islands.

Frogs (Anura)

Tree frogs (Hylidae)
Species Common name(s) Notes Image
Osteopilus septentrionalis[1] Cuban tree frog Least Concern.[2] Introduced; recently recorded as established on Antigua.
Tropical frogs (Leptodactylidae)
Species Common name(s) Notes Image
Eleutherodactylus johnstonei Lesser Antillean whistling frog, coqui Antillano, Johnstone's whistling frog Least Concern. Present on both main islands.
True toads (Bufonidae)
Species Common name(s) Notes Image
Bufo marinus Cane toad, giant neotropical toad, marine toad Least Concern. Introduced to Antigua.

Reptiles

Including marine turtles and introduced species on all islands, there are 19 reptile species reported in Antigua and Barbuda, with an additional species unconfirmed. Nine species are present on both main islands. Six species are endemic to the islands of Antigua and Barbuda, of which five are only found on one island.


Turtles (Testudines)

Tortoises (Testudinidae)
Species Common name(s) Notes Image
Geochelone carbonaria Red-footed tortoise Present on Barbuda; probably extirpated from Antigua.
Scaly sea turtles (Cheloniidae)
Species Common name(s) Notes Image
Caretta caretta Loggerhead turtle Endangered. Recorded in water only.
Chelonia mydas Green turtle Endangered. Recorded nesting on Antigua, Barbuda and some of the offshore Islands.
Eretmochelys imbricata Hawksbill turtle Critically Endangered. Recorded nesting on Antigua, Barbuda and some of the offshore Islands.
Leathery sea turtles (Dermochelyidae)
Species Common name(s) Notes Image
Dermochelys coriacea Leatherback turtle Critically Endangered. Recorded nesting on Antigua and Barbuda

Lizards and snakes (Squamata)

Geckos (Gekkonidae)
Species Common name(s) Notes Image
Hemidactylus mabouia House gecko Introduced to Antigua.
Sphaerodactylus elegantulus Antigua least gecko Regional endemic; found on both main islands and some of the offshore islands.
Sphaerodactylus new species Reported on Redonda, it is believed to be a separate species, but is yet to be described.
Thecadactylus rapicauda Turnip-tailed gecko Found on both main islands and some of the offshore islands.
Iguanas and Anolids (Iguanidae)
Species Common name(s) Notes Image
Anolis forresti Watts' anole Taxonomy as separate species unclear; alternately described as a subspecies of A. wattsi. Endemic to Barbuda.
Anolis leachii Leach's anole Found on both main islands. Originally endemic; since introduced to Bermuda.
Anolis nubilis Redonda anole Endemic to Redonda.
Anolis wattsi Watts' anole Regional endemic. Found on Antigua; also introduced to Saint Lucia.
Whiptails (Teiidae)
Species Common name(s) Notes Image
Ameiva atrata Montiserrat ameiva Endemic to Redonda. Usually described as subspecies of A. pluvianotata.
Ameiva griswoldi Griswold's ameiva, Antiguan ameiva, Antiguan ground lizard Endemic. Common on Barbuda; common only on offshore islands of Antigua.
Microteiids (Gymnophthalmidae)
Species Common name(s) Notes Image
Gymnophthalmus underwoodi Underwood's spectacled tegu Found on Barbuda.
Skinks (Scincidae)
Species Common name(s) Notes Image
Mabuya mabouya[3] Found on Redonda.
Worm snakes (Typhlopidae)
Species Common name(s) Notes Image
Typhlops monastus Montiserrat worm snake, Regional endemic; found on both main islands and some of the offshore islands.
Colubrids (Colubridae)
Species Common name(s) Notes Image
Alsophis antiguae Antiguan racer Critically endangered. Endemic; found only on Great Bird Island off the coast of Antigua. Considered one of the rarest and most endangered snake species in the world; only 60-80 adults believed to remain.

Disputed or unconfirmed species

Species Common name(s) Notes Image
Eleutherodactylus martinicensis Tink frog, Martinique robber frog Near Threatened. Regional endemic. Occasionally recorded on Antigua, probably due to misidentification.
Leptotyphlops tenella Guyana blind snake Possibly on Antigua; mainly found in Trinidad and South America.

Species by island

Amphibians

Family Species Antigua Barbuda Redonda
Hylidae Osteopilus septentrionalis X
Leptodactylidae Eleutherodactylus johnstonei X X
Bufonidae Bufo marinus X

Reptiles

Family Species Antigua Barbuda Redonda
Testudinidae Geochelone carbonaria X X
Cheloniidae Caretta caretta X X X
Cheloniidae Chelonia mydas X X X
Cheloniidae Eretmochelys imbricata X X X
Dermochelyidae Dermochelys coriacea X X X
Gekkonidae Hemidactylus mabouia X
Gekkonidae Sphaerodactylus elegantulus X X
Gekkonidae Sphaerodactylus new species X
Gekkonidae Thecadactylus rapicauda X X
Iguanidae Anolis forresti X
Iguanidae Anolis leachii X X
Iguanidae Anolis nubilis X
Iguanidae Anolis wattsi X
Teiidae Ameiva atrata X
Teiidae Ameiva griswoldi X X
Scincidae Mabuya mabouya X
Gymnophthalmidae Gymnophthalmus underwoodi X
Typhlopidae Leptotyphlops tenella ?
Typhlopidae Typhlops monastus X X
Colubridae Alsophis antiguae X

Notes

  1. Lindsay, K.; Cooper, B. (2008), "Osteopilus septentrionalis becomes established on Antigua, West Indies", Applied Herpetology, 5 (1): 96–98, doi:10.1163/157075408783489176. Not recorded on Antigua (or anywhere else in the Lesser Antilles) in Malhotra & Thorpe 1999.
  2. Conservation status, where available, is from the IUCN Red List and is indicative of the status of the species as a whole, not just populations in Antigua and Barbuda.
  3. Though reported in Malhotra & Thorpe 1999 as M. bistriata, the Redonda population has been reassigned.

References

Note: All species listed above are supported by Malhotra & Thorpe 1999, unless otherwise cited.

  • Malhotra, Anita; Thorpe, Roger S. (1999), Reptiles & Amphibians of the Eastern Caribbean, Macmillan Education Ltd., pp. 68–73, ISBN 0-333-69141-5 .
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