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Guarocuyus jaraguanus

Guarocuyus jaraguanus also named "Lúcia de Jaragua", is a species of lizard found in two remote cays within the Laguna Oviedo, In the Dominican Republic.

Discovery & Naming

In the framework of an information survey on the fauna and flora of the Jaragua National Park, by the Jaragua Group, the discovery of a new species and genus of lizards was made. The discovery of Guarocuyus jaraguanus was published in the scientific journal Zootaxa by Miguel Landestoy, who is granted the discovery of the genus and species. He informed one of the leading newspapers in the Dominican Republic, Diario Libre, that the genus was named in honor of the Taíno chief Guarocuya (Enriquillo), and the species was named after the Jaragua National Park, its place of discovery.

Habitat & conservation status

In his paper, Landestoy pointed out that the habitat of the Guarocuyus jaraguanus in the cay "Cayo de las Iguanas" is the dry limestone forest, a space in which the arboreal vegetation is dominated by Bursera simaruba, Metopium toxiferum and Conocarpus erectus. .

The lizards were found exposed on the ground (on rocks, leaf litter, and black mangrove roots) and under large bromeliads and agaves. Although most individuals (52 seen in total) were observed on rocks on the ground, several foraged in dried mud within the root system of Black mangroves Avicennia germinans 2–3 meters from the lagoon's shore.

When asked about the condition of the discovered species, Landestoy said that this specie deserves further in-depth investigation with the aim of revealing their true distribution and conservation status. But based on the IUCN Red List criteria (IUCN 2022), we assess the conservation status of Guarocuyus jaraguanus as Critically Endangered, based on its very small distribution and threats of habitat alteration and introduced predators.

Taxonomy

• Kingdom: Animalia
• Phylum: Chordata
• Class: Reptilia
• Order: Squamata
• Clade: Anguioidea
• Family: Diploglossidae
• Genus: Guarocuyus
• Species: G. jaraguanus

Citations:

• Zootaxa arcticle
• Diario Libre Arcticle